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Michael Anderson - Lists at Ranker

Lists about what's going on on Capitol Hill and in your own backyard.

US Government & Politics

Government

The history of the United States is loaded with questions of what constitutes American citizenship&nbsp;and who has the right to vote in US elections. Native Americans born on US soil were not considered citizens until 1924, and could not vote in all 50 states until the 1960s. Women were also barred from voting for centuries, up until&nbsp;the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

While these voter regulations were tied to potentially earnest presuppositions about groups of people, others are more subtle and targeted,&nbsp;such as gerrymandering and grandfather loopholes. In some instances, both state and federal usage of state-of-emergency rules led to the physical enforcement of virtual disenfranchisement, as was the case with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/japanese-internment-camp-stories/christopher-myers" target="_blank">internment of Japanese Americans</a> during World War II.&nbsp;

While some may believe the right to vote is universal in contemporary&nbsp;society, the roots of voting restrictions from the country&#39;s past still addle large sects of the present day population.

Make your voice heard for the 2020 election. <a href="https://headcount.turbovote.org/?r=ranker" target="_blank">REGISTER TO VOTE</a>!

All The Reasons Why People Have Been Restricted From Voting In The US

General

Voter ID Laws Are The Modern Incarnation Of Centuries-Old Political 

Michael Anderson

Strom Thurmond

Any Senator Strom&nbsp;Thurmond&nbsp;biography is likely to paint the United States' longest-serving senator as a complicated man who had a strong hand in shaping American politics for nearly half a century. Most will start with the question:&nbsp;Who was Strom&nbsp;Thurmond? And then they'll&nbsp;go on to detail an expanded form of the bio given by the <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000254" target="_blank">Biographical Directory of the United States Congress</a>, hitting the facts that he was born in 1902 and&nbsp;died in 2003;&nbsp;that he was a lawyer, judge, and state senator; that he fought in World War II; and that he was governor of South Carolina before becoming that state's senator in 1954.&nbsp;They'll&nbsp;also mention that he was one of the most notable defectors from the Democratic party to the Republican party, and that he proceeded to guide the dogma of the GOP&nbsp;into becoming one of states' rights and individual freedoms (some failing to mention that this was but a veil for his inherently racist tendencies on par with those of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-george-wallace/stephanroget" target="_blank">George Wallace</a>).&nbsp;But, while these facts are important to know, as it's important to respect the man's political prowess and give credit where it's due, one must also confront the deeply troubling aspects of Thurmond's life. Mainly, that Thurmond made a political career out of being a leading proponent of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/photos-of-racial-segregation-in-america/rylee_en" target="_blank">segregation</a>,&nbsp;and that he was a notorious lothario who was often a walking contradiction.&nbsp;

Deeply Unsettling Facts About Strom Thurmond

9 Deeply Unsettling Facts About Strom Thurmond

Fun facts, fascinating trivia, and wild tales about some of the most celebrated and/or notorious film directors of all time.

Behind the Camera

Ed Wood

Ed Wood ranks high among the B-movie eccentrics, thanks to his relentless efforts to create a lasting camp masterpiece. He revolutionized low-budget filmmaking with his innovative - if somewhat questionable -&nbsp;quick fixes to the overwhelming number of&nbsp;obstacles that can crop up in the filmmaking process. And, in addition to all he contributed to film history, Ed Wood's work and life&nbsp;continues to serve as an inspiration&nbsp;to the LGBTQ community. He was one of Hollywood's first open cross-dressers, and highlighted same-sex relationships in his movies and novels.Since his early death at age 54 in 1978, strange Ed Wood tales and legends have emerged. Fans are left to sort the facts from the fiction as they consider his unconventional biography.&nbsp;Wood's life was full of wild stories that highlighted his&nbsp;determination&nbsp;and undeniable skill as well as those that demonstrated his personal struggles and weakness. Keep reading to discover some&nbsp;crazy Ed Wood stories - and if you want more, look into the lives of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/crazy-marlon-brando-facts/thaneeconomou">Brando</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ludicrous-steven-seagal-stories/robert-f-mason">Seagal</a>.

10 Insane Facts About Ed Wood, The Man Who Defined Weirdness In Hollywood

10 Insane Facts About Ed Wood, Who Defined Weirdness In Hollywood

Weird Nature

Maybe it's time to complete your morning breakfast by adding cricket powder to your smoothie. Westerners have a difficult time comprehending the idea of bugs as food, but it's apparent that entomophagy (the practice of eating insects)&nbsp;will become one of the new food trends for reasons ranging from nutrition to global warming.&nbsp;Even though people in the US eat bugs all the time without even knowing it&nbsp;due to loopholes in FDA guidelines, in most modern Western societies, insects are thought of as vile pests, not food. But a buggy food trend has already commenced in other places around the world, and it is proving economical, nutritional, and good for the earth in addition to posing itself as a possible solution to the long-dominating issue in international politics of global hunger.&nbsp;But are there any benefits to eating bugs? The fact that they&nbsp;are loaded with nutrition and are safer to eat than livestock is just the beginning. Read on to find out why you should start munching on insects today.

10 Utterly Convincing Reasons Why You Should Be Eating Insects

10 Reasons Why Bug Eating Will Inevitably Become A Mainstream Trend

Lists of bizarre real headlines and 100% true actual news stories from the physical world in which we all really live that are stranger, scarier, and more depressing than any fiction writer could ever dream.

Unbelievable News

History

Violence. Drugs. Guns. Every day daring investigative journalists put themselves in dangerous situations in hopes of exposing a truth that someone, somewhere doesn't want the world to know.The bravest undercover journalists find a way in and sometimes, this costs them their life. They expose themselves to the hardships of working immigrant classes or to extreme violence perpetuated by distorted ideologies. Many have undergone severe physical transformations to blend more seamlessly with the groups under investigation.Stories about journalists undercover show the selfless lengths these heroes go to -&nbsp;often giving up their identities and putting their post-investigation life in danger - in order to stand up for those without voices and to reveal atrocious crimes against humanity.&nbsp;

The Most Daring Moments In Undercover Journalism From Radical Islam to Scientology

Most Insane Acts Of Undercover Journalism

Lists about some of the worst people to ever live and the very bad ways things they did when they let their power go to their heads.

Real Historical Villains

World Leaders

When we think of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-famous-dictators/reference" target="_blank">the evilest rulers in history</a>, names like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini rush to mind. But it&#39;s important to remember that brutality existed in rulers well before the 1930s.

Others, like Attila&nbsp;the Hun or Chinese Empress Wu, may seem like obvious choices. But&nbsp;after looking deeper at the effects of their rule and how they were perceived by those they reigned over, it becomes clear that they&#39;re not the worst&nbsp;rulers in history. Instead, they suffered from then-contemporary historians&#39; ire (Attila&nbsp;because he wasn&#39;t <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nice-things-to-say-about-attila-the-hun-87559701/" target="_blank">Roman</a>, and Wu&nbsp;because she was a <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/" target="_blank">woman</a>).

So, it&#39;s time to focus instead on those despots who were truly the cruelest rulers in history - many of whom are less known,&nbsp;though there will definitely be a few names on this list that ring a bell, including a number of them whose <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actors-who-played-historical-dictators-cruel-rulers/mike-mcgranaghan" target="_blank">cinematic depictions</a> have only further entrenched their place in the cultural consciousness.

The Cruelest Rulers In History (Who Weren't Hitler)

Person

The Cruelest Rulers in History (Who Weren't Hitler)

Created by American science fiction novelist L. Ron Hubbard in 1954, often called a cult, Scientology is one of the most fascinating and controversial religions of the modern age.

Inside Scientology

Whoa Facts

Rumors of extortion, abuse, and gaslighting have circled around the Church of Scientology for decades, but because of its strict adherence to secrecy, little has been confirmed outside of the slew of testimonies from former members. Perhaps most notorious and consistent of these rumors concerns the question, &quot;What is Scientology's 'the Hole'?&quot;The Church of Scientology was created by the writer-turned-tax-evader-turned-cult-leader L. Ron Hubbard. It's based on the belief in the existence of thetans, spiritual identities of the self that originated billions of years ago at the start of the universe. The church claims to be able to aid followers in freeing their inherent thetans. Allegedly, one way to do so is for Scientologists to be punished in the Hole at Gold Base.&nbsp;However, the Hole wasn't one of Hubbard's inventions. It was his successor, David Miscavage, who created it. Facts about the Hole are scarce, but rumors abound. Here's what we do know.

Every Scary Thing We Know About The Hole, Scientology's Nightmare Compound

Everything We Know About the Hole, Scientology's Nightmare Compound

Pop Culture

Sometimes there's a simple explanation for one-hit wonder actors: they just aren't any good. But what about those actors who honed their craft at prestigious acting schools or rushed themselves from one open-mic night to another in perpetual hope of finally being discovered? Sometimes, it turns out their big break was actually a curse.In the acting community, there can be no bigger shame than seeing exceedingly&nbsp;talented actors who are typecast into just one role. Even worse, it's usually the result of that actor doing such a standout job playing that role. Directors and casting heads then see them as being able to play only that one role, which can royally f*ck over an actor's career if that role is monumentally idiosyncratic.So while, yes, there are some one-hit wonder actors who hit pay dirt with a role that was magically fitted to who they were in real life, there are a number of instances in which actors who are only remembered for one role are extremely talented and therefore miss out on receiving their due praise. Check out some really talented actors who could never break free of their iconic role below.

10 Incredibly Talented Actors Whose Skills Were Overshadowed by One Role

Actor

10 Talented Actors Who Are Only Associated with One Role

Lists about memorable candidates, jawdropping campaigns, and fascinating election facts in the U.S. and around the world.

Election Season

2020 Election

Seems like a new&nbsp;election scandal&nbsp;steals&nbsp;headlines every day. From sexual misconduct to the&nbsp;misappropriations of funds, Benghazi, and foreign collusion, political scandals during American elections appear from the woodwork nearly every day during voting season, as&nbsp;competing megalithic candidates with money to burn spend all their bucks trying to sink their opponent&#39;s battleship. Despite the staggering number and gravity of scandals during the 2016 election cycle,&nbsp;political scandals during elections are hardly new.

Perhaps election scandals in US history are such a pervasive phenomenon because of the country&#39;s great experiment in electoral politics. Unlike other systems of governance, there&#39;s no telling who&#39;s going to win an American election, and easiest way to make sure you win is ensuring your opponent doesn&#39;t. So many American election scandals are predicated on torpedoing a candidate. What&#39;s easier to do, convince voters you&#39;re the best of&nbsp;several good options, of two good candidates, or the far lesser of evils?&nbsp;

Read on to learn about US political scandals during elections. They&#39;ve been happening for centuries, and some are so outlandish, it&#39;s hard to believe they really happened.&nbsp;

Make your voice heard for the 2020 election. <a href="https://headcount.turbovote.org/?r=ranker" target="_blank">REGISTER TO VOTE</a>!

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