Liv Pasquarelli lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Liv Pasquarelli - Lists at Ranker

Weird History

Retiring from professional sports has a different meaning than most retirements. There&#39;s no party in the breakroom&nbsp;and no golden watch. Most athletes retire many years before their social security kicks in. Some of the most <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-spoting-events/rhune-kincaid?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">iconic moments in sports</a> history were when people took a break from retirement and blew the world away with epic comebacks.&nbsp;

We gathered Ranker fan comments from Facebook about the best comebacks of athletes who &quot;unretired,&quot; and compiled them in one handy list. Which &quot;greatest of all time&quot; boxer stepped back in the ring to fight a YouTuber 20 years his junior? Which&nbsp;athletes left a life of leisure just to play on their sons&#39; teams for another&nbsp;season?&nbsp;Which figure skaters came out of retirement to snag one more <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-the-winners-of-the-first-modern-olympics-compare-to-today_s-athletes/emily-mast" target="_blank">Olympic gold medal</a>?&nbsp;

Find&nbsp;out in this list of the most noteworthy times people engaged in &quot;unretirement&quot; to make a comeback in the world of sports.&nbsp;

Weird History Readers Share The Athletes They Think Had The Best 'Unretirements'

Athlete

The Athletes Who Un-Retired Best, According To Weird History Readers

Liv Pasquarelli

Behind The Scenes

War movies are often the closest civilians can get to witnessing the turning points of history, when brave soldiers were on the front lines, experiencing it firsthand.&nbsp;Many of the best war films were based on true stories told by veterans and survivors. Some feature gut-wrenching scenes that change the perspective of many in regards to the lives of both soldiers and the people living in war-torn countries.&nbsp;

We&#39;re going to take you behind the scenes of some of the most epic war movies and reveal the rugged stories of what happened on set. How long did it take to film the 23-minute opening scene of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/saving-private-ryan-facts/anncasano" target="_blank">Saving Private Ryan</a>, which shows a harrowing re-creation of D-Day from the perspective of front-line troops? Which <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actor-stories-from-war-movies/mike-mcgranaghan" target="_blank">actor</a> had a heart attack and nervous breakdown from the stress of playing their role? Who almost died during the production of the films they starred in? Hint: More than one actor!

The world&#39;s greatest actors become the role they&#39;re playing, taking on the heavy psychological weight of military conflict for the sake of keeping <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/accurate-war-movies/justin-andress" target="_blank">history</a> alive. Read on for brutal behind-the-scenes stories of your favorite war movies.&nbsp;

Rugged Behind-The-Scenes Stories About The Making Of War Movies

Film

Family Feud

Sometimes the&nbsp;answers people give on Family Feud&nbsp;leave us crying with laughter and wondering how someone could come up with such a wacky response. Have you ever cracked under pressure and said something really, really, stupid? Now imagine doing that on a TV show watched by millions around the world. <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/funny-game-show-fails/chris-abraham?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Game show fails</a> never cease to amaze us, and these Family Feud wrong answers are no exception.&nbsp;

Sometimes, contestants immediately realize their zany replies are completely wrong. Other times, people are 100% confident in their wrong - and sometimes ridiculous response - which is hilarious. When it comes to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/dumb-game-show-answers/ivey-nucilli" target="_blank">dumb game show answers</a>, they&#39;re not only funny, but also painfully relatable to&nbsp;fellow socially awkward folks.&nbsp;

Read on to laugh until&nbsp;you cry and scratch your head with wonder, thanks to the funniest Family Feud flops through the years.&nbsp;

The Funniest 'Family Feud' Answers Through The Years

General

History

On a March evening in&nbsp;1848, two young girls inadvertently began an international religious movement: Spiritualism.&nbsp;It wasn&#39;t long before Maggie and Kate Fox had careers as world-famous mediums. Famed for their&nbsp;countless performances and&nbsp;seances, the Fox sisters were celebrities for the same thing that would have gotten them <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-executed-by-burning/wavy-gravey?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">burned at the stake</a> two centuries prior, and they were called upon by everyone from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to&nbsp;Mary Todd Lincoln.&nbsp;

But did the Fox sisters have abilities in communicating with the dead, or was it all <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/victorian-medium-seance-tricks/olivia-pasquarelli" target="_blank">just a scam</a>? Here is the incredible, twisting, and strange story of the Fox sisters.

Were The Famous Fox Sisters Gifted Mediums Or Spiritualist Frauds?

Walk a mile in the sandals, boots, high heels, and huaraches that regular people wore in different places around the world at fascinating points in history.

What Life Was Like

The scars of war run deep, impacting everyone involved.&nbsp;Citizens, veterans, and the environment left in the aftermath of violent conflict are all permanently affected. Life after war is unmistakably&nbsp;altered, changing every aspect of society, from infrastructure, to agriculture, to art and music.&nbsp;

PTSD and survivor&#39;s&nbsp;guilt run rampant among those&nbsp;who have endured the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/horrific-moments-in-history/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">horrific realities</a> of war. Veterans and civilians face illness and injury, and the physical effects are <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/nagasaki-hiroshima-after-the-bomb/bailey-benningfield" target="_blank">sometimes&nbsp;passed&nbsp;down to the generations</a> after them through birth defects and increased rates of cancer. The state of society post-war is full of uncertainty and political unrest,&nbsp;while black markets and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/mafia-facts-around-the-world/jason-f-collins" target="_blank">organized crime</a> only increase in the aftermath.&nbsp;

This is a collection of real accounts from people who have survived war, whether they were in the military or were citizens of a war-torn country. The wars and time periods change, but&nbsp;those affected often share similar experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

People Describe What It Was Like Living In The Aftermath Of War

As long as men have been writing history, women have been clearing their own paths.

Herstory: Women of the Past

Culture

Historically, the accomplishments of women have gone unrecognized. Women of color are especially <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/overlooked-women-from-history/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">overlooked</a> by the larger cultural canon.&nbsp;The time of writing <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unbelievable-tough-women/kaitlyn-weldon" target="_blank">brave</a>, inspiring women out of history is over now&nbsp;that efforts have been made to uncover their stories.&nbsp;We&#39;re here&nbsp;to share them with you!&nbsp;From rebel spies to fierce <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/toughest-female-warriors-in-history/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">warriors</a>, these women will inspire you to never give up on what you believe in.

In this list, we&#39;ll share the amazing lives of the world&#39;s most inspirational women, including&nbsp;a Black&nbsp;journalist from the 1800s, a Jamaican Maroon leader who conquered the British, a Northern Cheyenne woman who knocked&nbsp;Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer off his horse, a Baroque painter who brought her abuser to court and won, a 16-year-old girl who sailed across the Atlantic to avoid contributing to carbon emissions, and so many more.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These women will compel you to wonder, &quot;Why have I not learned about these women?&quot; because they would&#39;ve made history class a lot more interesting. Instead of continuing to overlook these incredible, inspiring people and their stories,&nbsp;we&#39;re changing the conversation. Read on to learn about fierce women who changed the course of history, even when the entire world was against them.&nbsp;

Fierce Women From History We Wish We'd Learned About In School

Person

Fierce Women Who Changed The Course of History

Lists about people who were tried, convicted, and even executed for crimes they didn't commit.

Wrongful Convictions

Unspeakable Times

Who would confess to a crime they didn&#39;t commit? When it comes to the pressure of an interrogation room, many people would. There have been countless examples of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/why-innocent-people-confess/lea-rose-emery" target="_blank">false confessions</a> in modern crime history, and many can be sourced to a few factors. In the case of&nbsp;George Stinney, being a young Black boy in the Jim Crow South made him an easy target for coercion and wrongful conviction. For Joe Arridy,&nbsp;Jessie Misskelley&nbsp;Jr., and&nbsp;Stefan Kiszko, their false confessions were likely a result of mental disabilities and police manipulation.&nbsp;

In many cases, investigators lie to the person being interrogated, telling them they failed a polygraph test, such as&nbsp;Peter Reilly, a teenage boy who was wrongfully convicted of&nbsp;the murder of his own mother. In one strange case, the person being interrogated was the one lying, confessing to a murder she didn&#39;t commit to get out of a bad relationship. At times these false confessions are obtained despite evidence showing the person interrogated couldn&#39;t have committed the act, such as&nbsp;in the case of&nbsp;Juan Rivera, whose own ankle monitor proved his alibi.&nbsp;

An overwhelming theme amongst cases of false confessions is that the alleged criminals are often young, impressionable, and are interrogated without a parent or lawyer present. Other&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/exonerated-people-on-death-row/melissa-brinks" target="_blank">wrongfully convicted people</a> were simply&nbsp;in the wrong place at the wrong time. In addition to an innocent person being locked up, or even killed, coerced false confessions mean that the people who actually committed the crimes are still out there. Read on to learn more about 12 times people confessed to crimes they didn&#39;t commit.&nbsp;

12 People Who Confessed To Crimes They Likely Didn't Commit

People Who Confessed To Crimes They Likely Didn't Commit

Paganism

In 1846, a 14-year-old peasant girl from rural France&nbsp;caught the attention of the country and&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;the world&nbsp;because of a strange current of electricity running through her. Angelique Cottin, a girl of small stature, was suddenly and uncontrollably moving furniture weighing hundreds of pounds across the room. In the end, <a href="http://www.ehbritten.org/texts/primary/two_worlds/1891/two_worlds_v4_n213_11_dec_1891_licensed.pdf" target="_blank">over 2,000 witnesses</a> saw&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/mysterious-amherst-poltergeist/jodi-smith" target="_blank">the unexplainable phenomenon</a>.&nbsp;

Of the few recorded cases of psychokinesis throughout history, even fewer are as bizarre as the story of&nbsp;Angelique Cottin, AKA the Poltergeist Girl.

Angelique Cottin, 'The Poltergeist Girl,' Could Allegedly Manipulate Electricity

Angelique Cottin, "The Poltergeist Girl”, Could Allegedly Manipulate The Electricity Around Her

Lists of fascinating and bizarre real cases that continue to stump detectives and amateur sleuths.

Unsolved Mysteries

Graveyard Shift

The greatest <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unresolved-mysteries/chrissy-rose" target="_blank">unresolved mysteries</a> of the world can almost sound like blockbuster movie plots: Secret treasure hunts, museum heists,&nbsp;and giant magnets in space are just a few of the unsolved cases that give us goosebumps. If you&#39;re looking for&nbsp;weird incidents that don&#39;t make sense&nbsp;to keep you up at night, look no further. From internet sleuths to history buffs, these head-scratching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/solved-mysteries/jason-f-collins" target="_blank">unsolved</a>&nbsp;mysteries have left many frustrated, still searching for answers even centuries later.

Buckle your seatbelt and get ready for some of the strangest cases in human history, including a mysterious fog that made half the world dark for over a year in the sixth century, a murderer who secretly lived with the family he killed for six&nbsp;months, a&nbsp;missing&nbsp;boy who was returned to the wrong mother, and a pit of money left by pirates that supposedly curses anyone who tries to find it.

If you&#39;re the type of person who lies awake at night wondering,&nbsp;&quot;What the heck happened to Amelia Earhart?&quot; we&#39;ve got plenty of rabbit holes for you to fall down.

13 Eerie Unsolved Mysteries That Are Keeping Us Up At Night

Unsolved Mysteries That Are Keeping Us Up At Night

Hocus Pocus

It&#39;s been more than 25 years since Hocus Pocus came out in 1993, yet the love for this Halloween cult classic seems to grow every year. Have you ever wondered what happened backstage on the set of the iconic film? We&#39;ve collected some facts about Hocus Pocus that will shed light on what it was like filming the spooky movie.&nbsp;

Fans are so passionate that there&#39;s&nbsp;a dedicated audience interested in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/small-details-hocus-pocus/amanda-ashley" target="_blank">small details</a> about the film as well as offscreen stories that give Hocus Pocus even more life. Aside from being <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hocus-pocus-funny-lines/zach-nading" target="_blank">hilarious</a>, the Disney picture is a fall favorite for generations of kids for many reasons -&nbsp;from the incredible actors to the spooky set to the one-of-a-kind costumes. Read on to learn some fascinating stories from behind the scenes of Hocus Pocus.&nbsp;

Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Hocus Pocus'

Lists about real practices of witchcraft and the occult and their pointy-hatted, warty-nosed, buckle-shod, broom-ridin', high-pitched cacklin' depictions in media.

Witches Get Stitches

Spellbook

If you&#39;re seeking some new faces to glue on your dartboard, this list of the most infamous witch hunters in history is perfect for you. Throughout the history of witch trials, starting in Europe and moving to New England, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people were accused, tried, and executed for witchcraft, and 80% of them were women.

As if murdering&nbsp;for no reason wasn&#39;t enough, witch hunters also employed painful and humiliating strategies to gather evidence&nbsp;of witchcraft. It&nbsp;was also one of the highest-paid gigs in the 16th through 17th centuries.

Whether witch-hunting was a money-making scheme or a way to win the loyalties of powerful rulers or religious leaders, the reason was never actual witchcraft.

The Most Infamous Witch Hunters In History

The Most Infamous Witch Hunters

Fads

There is something very clear and recognizable about the 1980s, whether it be the big hair, even bigger pants, plastic shoes, or rubber bands in a ball disguised as a fun toy. The 1980s were a big time for <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-80_s-movies" target="_blank">movies</a>, fashion, and even cuisine -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-80s-snack-facts/ivey-nucilli" target="_blank">snacks</a> and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/short-lived-fast-food-items/ian-fortey" target="_blank">fast food</a> included. Looking back on the colorful decade can induce nostalgia and make you want to break out your shoulder pads to reminisce over the best and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/least-cool-fashions-from-the-80s/samantha-dillinger" target="_blank">worst trends</a>&nbsp;of the era.&nbsp;

Some &#39;80s fads may seem ridiculous but, upon further inspection, are actually really, really rad. Which iconic &#39;80s fashion trends were rooted in early feminism? Which funky &#39;80s toy may have been invented by your high school woodshop teacher? Which &#39;80s fad was so dangerous, the CDC had to issue a warning? Read on to learn some tubular facts about your favorite fads of the 1980s!

Facts About '80s Fads We Just Learned That Made Us Say, 'Rad!'

What&#39;s creepier than a deserted island in the middle of nowhere? A deserted island infested with thousands of rare, poisonous snakes? How about a deserted island where the soil consists mainly of the ashes of thousands of 14th-century Black Death victims?&nbsp;

There is something inherently spooky about the idea of an abandoned island without any escape. And, of course, any abandoned island instantly becomes scarier when you add dilapidated buildings and a past full of horrifying events. Get ready to travel the world and visit some of the creepiest abandoned islands on Earth.

The Creepiest Abandoned Islands

World War II is inarguably one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/nazi-experiments/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">darkest periods of human history</a>. It can be difficult to wrap your head around the sheer number of lives lost, families separated, and cities decimated. From the ashes of destruction rise heroes -&nbsp;some recognized, and others <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/world-war-2-heroes/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">deserving of recognition they never receive</a>. Freddie Oversteegen is one of those&nbsp;overlooked heroes from <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-but-true-wwii-facts/jim-rowley" target="_blank">unknown WWII stories</a>. Once you learn about her life, you&#39;ll never forget her, and you&#39;ll also wonder&nbsp;why no one has made a movie about this incredible woman.&nbsp;

At just 14 years old, Freddie joined the Dutch resistance against Germany and was being trained to be the most innocent-looking member of an assassination cell ever. In true Dutch fashion, Freddie and her sister Truus&nbsp;took down their enemies while speeding by on a bicycle, pigtails waving in the wind behind them. They learned how to lure Nazis and Dutch collaborators into the woods with their girlish charm, but instead of a kiss, the men were met with a bullet.&nbsp;

Prepare yourself to learn about one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/overlooked-women-from-history/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">most remarkable women in history</a>!

The Story Of Freddie Oversteegen, The Woman Who Seduced Nazis To Kill Them

Are we all alone in the universe? Probs not.

Close Encounters

Aliens and UFOs are two of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/phoenix-lights-ufo-sighting/patrick-thornton" target="_blank">the most debated</a> and pondered things in human history. Our universe contains two trillion <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2018/10/18/this-is-how-we-know-there-are-two-trillion-galaxies-in-the-universe/?sh=43ce74835a67" target="_blank">galaxies</a> aside from our own, making it impossible to prove if life exists&nbsp;on another planet in another galaxy.&nbsp;

Who&#39;s to say if aliens visited Earth centuries ago? Is it possible&nbsp;they left messages for us through art? There are endless possibilities, but for now, here&#39;s a list of classical paintings that may (or may not) have UFOs or aliens hidden inside.

Classical Paintings That Appear To Contain Depictions Of UFOs

Myths & Legends

Whether you&#39;re battling for your glory, life, or world domination, having the right squad is paramount. So which mythical monster would you want in your corner? These historical monsters come from cultures around the world and throughout the centuries,&nbsp;holding many different powers. When it comes to your <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/monsters-you-love/hannah-collins" target="_blank">favorite monsters</a>, which trait is the most important? Would shapeshifting help you defeat all your enemies? How about demonic possession? Maybe a monster sidekick with a stinky black goo that follows it wherever it goes? Hey, the choice is yours!

When it comes to mythical cryptids, there are many opinions on which ones are the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-awesome-monsters-and-creatures-of-all-time" target="_blank">most awesome</a>. Check out this list of some of the greatest hits when it comes to monsters, and pick which one you&#39;d most want by your side in a battle royale. Who knows, you might find a new favorite monster!

Which Mythical Monster Would You Want On Your Team?

Fictional Character

Which Mythical Monster Would Make The Best Sidekick

Need to summon a spirit? Set up your Ouija board, light some candles, and follow these guides to get chatting with parties who have shuffled off this mortal coil and onto the next.

So You Want to Talk to Ghosts

Ghosts

During the Victorian era, psychics and mediums were all the rage,&nbsp;enjoying&nbsp;fame and fortune associated with their ability to speak to the spirit world. People of the late 19th and early 20th centuries&nbsp;had a morbid obsession with death&nbsp;and were therefore&nbsp;fascinated with the idea of communicating with those who have passed on to the other side. This could be attributed to the high death rates and low life expectancy of the time, forcing people to come to terms with death a lot earlier&nbsp;than we do today.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-victorian-era-spiritualism-and-the-occult/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">Spiritualist movement</a> had so much success that it attracted a wide array of grifters. These con artists came up with complex tricks to convince their attendees that ghosts were interacting with them during their seances. Those attending seances were paying customers, and they expected to get their money&#39;s worth of levitating tables, streaming ectoplasm, and accurate messages from the afterlife. Read on to discover the tricks of the trade from the charlatan mediums of the Victorian era.

Tricks Of The Trade Mediums Used To Fake Paranormal Activity During A Seance

Getting a little too close to the legendary beings that survive by drinking the essence of life: human blood.

Vampires: Who's Thirsty?

Vampires

Vampires - blood-sucking, demonic, and undead monsters. While many assume vampire folklore first appeared in Transylvania, there are legends of these demonic <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/goddess-sekhmet-first-vampire/april-a-taylor" target="_blank">creatures from ancient times</a>. Evidence points to Bram Stoker himself getting <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/real-people-and-events-that-inspired-dracula/nida-sea" target="_blank">inspiration</a> from vampire lore from lands far away from Romania. Many vampire legends have seductive feminine vampires who lure men to their demise, others have corpse-like humanoid creatures who hunt in&nbsp;the dark, and some even come in the form of common household fruit.

From Caribbean soucouyants to the jumping vampires of China called jiangshi, vampires and vampiric creatures pop up in cultures around the world each in their own unique way&nbsp;with their own unique stories. But which of the world&#39;s vampiric cursees appeals to you?

Here’s What Vampires Look Like From Different Cultures Around The World

What Vampires Look Like Around The World 

It's always made the world go-round, but how did people of the past let others know how much they had before the days of fast, shiny cars and cheesy name brand apparel? And why do economies keep collapsing? Study up to see why history repeats itself.

Money Matter$

Money

If you find it strange that your mother had parties to celebrate Tupperware or that your Facebook friend is trying to sell you steak knives, you&#39;re not alone. These are examples of multilevel marketing (MLM), a direct sales strategy in which members not only sell products&nbsp;but also encourage and recruit others to be sellers.&nbsp;Multilevel marketing strategies, from&nbsp;companies like Amway, Cutco, and Herbalife, are legal. Pyramid schemes, which are similar but don&#39;t usually involve selling products, are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-unbelievably-complex-long-cons/cristina-sanza" target="_blank">illegal</a>.

Read on to find out more about the history behind&nbsp;the multilevel marketing industry and pyramid schemes.

The History Of Multilevel Marketing And Pyramid Schemes

The History Of Multilevel Marketing And Pyramid Schemes

France

Thanks to an unknown beast seemingly roaming the countryside and tearing innocent people limb from limb, the years&nbsp;1764-1767 were not a great time to be a citizen of rural France.&nbsp;The Beast of G&eacute;vaudan, named after the southern province of France it dominated, terrorized small farming villages&nbsp;and, eventually, the entirety of France, even capturing the attention of King Louis XV.&nbsp;

The mystery&nbsp;surrounding this murderous, bloodthirsty monster has made way for many hypotheses, ranging from an escaped zoo animal to one of the world&#39;s first and most <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-prolific-american-serial-killers/ranker-crime?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">prolific serial killers</a>.&nbsp;Read on for a breakdown of the events from those three horrific years, and draw your own conclusion as to what - or even who -&nbsp;could have been responsible for this&nbsp;massacre of gigantic proportions.

The Beast Of Gévaudan Terrorized France For Years - But Was It A Wolf Or The First Serial Killer?

The Beast of Gevaudan Terrorized Rural France For 3 Years, But Was It Truly A Beast Or The First Serial Killer?

Hop in your DeLorean&nbsp;to go back in time to revisit your&nbsp;favorite &#39;80s heartthrobs and some of the strangest facts about them. Many look <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/80s-stars-then-now/elle-tharp" target="_blank">totally different</a> from their Springsteen-blasting glory days, while&nbsp;others have stayed the same or gotten even better looking. (Matt Dillon, how do you do it?)

Beyond the big-hair makeovers and weathered looks, they&#39;ve gone through marriages and divorces, and one has even married a... wall. The weirdest facts about &#39;80s hunks are, like, really gnarly.

Facts About '80s Heartthrobs That Made Us Say 'Whoa'

Facts About '80s Heartthrobs

The lore surrounding&nbsp;the witch trials of the 16th through 18th centuries is often shrouded in mystery and magic. In reality, witchcraft was, for the most part,&nbsp;not the reason people were accused, tried, and executed. However, those accusing others&nbsp;found many reasons -&nbsp;most of them ridiculous -&nbsp;to accuse someone of witchcraft.&nbsp;

Many of these reasons were beyond the accused&#39;s control, such as&nbsp;being born with a third nipple.&nbsp;Many others were just absurd, such as&nbsp;leaving old milk to spoil or slamming a door. No one was safe, but women, who made up <a href="https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/history-witches-facts-burned-hanged/" target="_blank">70% of all tried witches</a>, were especially vulnerable and&nbsp;could be accused of just about anything.&nbsp;

Twenty people were executed in the 1692 Salem witch trials .&nbsp;Historians estimate that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/16/woman-convicted-witchcraft-retrial-300-years-on-italy" target="_blank">over 50,000 people</a>, mostly women, were tried and executed&nbsp;in Europe for witchcraft between the 15th century and the 18th century. Here are some of the most ridiculous reasons people were accused of witchcraft.

The Most Absurd Reasons People Were Accused Of Witchcraft

Did dinosaurs have feathers? Scales? Deep voices or shrill, piercing squawks? Australian accents? Sarcastic lilts? Check out these lists about the many bird-like reptiles that roamed and ruled over Planet Earth between 66 and 230 million years ago.

Raaaarrr!!

Explainer

Everyone knows that prehistoric animals were huge, but does anyone know why? Prehistoric gigantism doesn&#39;t just apply to dinosaurs or wooly mammoths;&nbsp;many animals that still roam the earth today were <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bigger-prehistoric-things/jacobybancroft" target="_blank">terrifyingly massive</a> thousands of years ago.

The massive size&nbsp;of prehistoric species has been studied for many years.&nbsp;Scientists have many theories&nbsp;as to what was different back then that allowed these <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/modern-animals-prehistoric-ancestors/molly-weinfurter" target="_blank">giant creatures</a> to thrive.&nbsp;Out of the many reasons why dinosaurs were so big,&nbsp;some of them may surprise you. Does&nbsp;laying eggs help animals grow larger? Does that mean humans could be giants if we laid eggs? Are only cold-blooded creatures huge? Did sauropods have long necks for the same reasons giraffes do? Check out this list to find out all the possible reasons why prehistoric creatures were so big.&nbsp;

Theories And Explanations Why Prehistoric Animals Were So Big

Why Prehistoric Animals Were Huge

Lists about real things in the actual Bible—and what some people just *think* is in there.

Just Bible Stuff

The Bible

The Bible is the most widely purchased and read book in the world. It&#39;s been around for 2,000 years, so many people have grown to believe that certain popular phrases and idioms are derived from its pages. However, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/common-beliefs-that-arent-actually-in-the-bible/ashley-reign" target="_blank">many biblical truths</a> and sayings are not from the Bible at all. Many are paraphrased from actual Bible passages, some are concepts that are talked about in the book but never literally said, and a few of them are derived from non-biblical writings.

While the Bible has <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-bible-story-facts/pierce-nahigyan" target="_blank">many unbelievable</a> and often <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-you-wont-believe-are-in-the-bible/ashley-reign" target="_blank">controversial stories</a>&nbsp;and passages, sometimes it&#39;s the other way around. Something Ben Franklin said sounded so biblical that famous politicians and athletes have been misattributing it ever since. Read on to learn the phrases and concepts many believe are&nbsp;in the Bible but actually aren&#39;t.

Phrases And Concepts From The Bible That Most People Get Wrong

Phrases From The Bible That Most People Get Wrong

Lists about your head, shoulders, knees, toes, ligaments, veins, muscles, bones, and all the other visible features and hidden viscera that make up your very own unique body.

Body Parts

Biology

Do you ever wonder why your face looks the way it does, or more interestingly, what attracts you to the people you find sexy? We know that people can grow beards, and sure, mustaches look great when twirled audaciously, but what is the actual purpose of facial hair? Dimples were so highly sought after that someone once attempted to create a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/dimple-machines-glamour-bonnets-and-pinpointed-flaw-detection/263184/" target="_blank">machine</a> that could give you dimples, but what is it about dimples&nbsp;on a face that we find so endearing? A philtrum is also called a cupid&#39;s bow&nbsp;for its ability to be so attractive that it can capture your heart, but what is the actual purpose of a philtrum?&nbsp;

If you&#39;re naturally curious as to why you find chins so sexy and why some people have unibrows and others don&#39;t, we have the list for you. We&#39;ve already explained why <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/why-men-have-nipples/laura-allan" target="_blank">everyone has nipples</a>, but why do we have fingernails and not claws? Were our fingerprints created specifically to assist forensic investigators? Some of these physical traits serve a purpose, while others are totally <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/vestigial-organs/laura-allan" target="_blank">vestigial</a>, meaning they don&#39;t do anything at all.

The Actual Reasons Why People Look The Way They Do

Why People Actually Look The Way They Do

Fact vs. Fiction

From <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historically-inaccurate-medieval-tropes/jim-rowley" target="_blank">popular cinema</a> to an American restaurant chain, the image we have of the Middle Ages&nbsp;is both vivid and usually incorrect. While some of the cliches about this era are true, most are merely medieval misconceptions.&nbsp;

Have you ever heard someone refer to an outdated and cruel practice or belief as &quot;positively medieval&quot;? Myths about the Middle Ages have led us to believe that between the 5th century and the Renaissance, Europe was locked into a perpetual cycle of ignorance, torture, and filth, which is why this time period is referred to as the Dark Ages.&nbsp;

As science, history, and academia progress in their research of the Middle Ages, many of these popular beliefs are uncovered as Dark Age&nbsp;myths. Here are some&nbsp;popular beliefs even historians thought true in the past.

13 Lies About The Medieval Era Even History Buffs Are Guilty Of Believing

Lies About The Middle Ages Even History Buffs Believe

"Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain

Past Fashion

Most&nbsp;people put on their outfits every day without questioning the history of clothing as they do it. You&#39;re clearly not one of these people, since you&#39;ve landed&nbsp;on this page! Here&#39;s a list of things we still wear today and why we started wearing them.&nbsp;

The history of clothing is a very <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/history-of-shapewear/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">strange story</a> with a lot of twists and turns. How did we go from neanderthals who&nbsp;wore only loincloths to men wearing leggings and heels as a sign of status, besides the fact that it looks fabulous?&nbsp;Do neckties serve an actual function?&nbsp;Was Queen Victoria the first influencer?&nbsp;

We&#39;ll answer all these questions and more in this list of the historical origin&nbsp;of clothes we still wear.&nbsp;

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