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Rob Chirico - Lists at Ranker

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol 

The Art of Art

Culture

History has seen starving artists scattered across generations and continents.&nbsp;Some periods in the history of art were more difficult for artists than others, yet <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-incredible-pieces-of-artwork-ever-made" target="_blank">the masterpieces of our time</a> often come&nbsp;from those who sacrificed their daily meals to sculpt, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-painters-of-all-time/ranker-art" target="_blank">paint</a>, or draw. Whether you create&nbsp;for a loaf of bread, a pint of the strongest liquor, social influence, or simple name recognition, the best periods of&nbsp;art might be worth starving for.&nbsp;

The question is: In which of these illustrious periods would you want&nbsp;to live and practice&nbsp;your art? Which was the best? In the Athens of ancient Greece? In Rome during the Renaissance? Perhaps in Paris at the turn of the last century? The choice is yours to make.

The Best Historical Time Period To Live In If You're An Artist

General

The Best Historical Time Period To Live In If You're an Artist

Rob Chirico

Lists about punishments, penalties, systemic harm, and execution methods used then, now, here, and all around the world.

Crime & Punishment

The Medieval Period, AKA the Middle Ages, stretched from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century into the 15th Century, when the Renaissance brought the Age of Discovery.

Welcome to Medieval Times

Graveyard Shift

The daily life of a medieval executioner was not easy. They did more than simply chop off heads and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/slowest-methods-of-torture-in-history/machk" target="_blank">break prisoners on the wheel</a>. Trying to uphold justice and set an example for their community was only one&nbsp;part of an executioner's&nbsp;duties; they also served as medical professionals and sometimes as spiritual guides, helping the condemned accept their fate and beg forgiveness before God. Occasionally, other villagers ostracized executioners for having a grim job,&nbsp;and yet, as they say, “It’s a job and somebody has to do it.”But what was it like for these people to wake up in the morning&nbsp; and begin a day possibly fraught with hate, boredom, or extreme danger? What devices for executions did they use back in the Middle Ages? And what about the psychology of an executioner? Fortunately, history has handed down the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Executioner-Turbulent-Sixteenth-Century/dp/1250043611/?tag=rankercom-20" target="_blank">detailed story of Master Franz Schmidt</a>, an executioner in 16th-century Nuremberg.The following account comes from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hangmans-Diary-Journal-Executioner-Nuremberg/dp/1629144800/?tag=rankercom-20" target="_blank">Schmidt's diaries</a>, and gives a strange and rare glimpse into the daily life and practices of a medieval executioner.&nbsp;

A Day In The Life Of A Medieval Executioner In Their 16th-Century Heyday

 A Day In The Life of A Medieval Executioner In Their 16th Century Heyday

Billy Graham

There are some weird religious&nbsp;views about sex. One such rule is the Billy Graham rule,&nbsp;which states a man should not be in the sole company of another woman without his wife present.&nbsp;The Washington Post&nbsp;quoted&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence admitting <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-13-weirdest-religious-sex-beliefs/rachel-stewart" target="_blank">he follows the evangelical directive</a>.This&nbsp;code of behavior became known as the&nbsp;&quot;Mike Pence Rule,&quot;&nbsp;but the idea&nbsp;has circulated&nbsp;the Christian&nbsp;community for a while. Evangelical leader Reverend Billy Graham&nbsp;created the guidelines in the late 1940s to protect himself from the scandals and accusations that many pastors faced.&nbsp;Like Mike Pence, Graham refused to&nbsp;spend time alone with any woman.

A Lot Of Straight Men Religiously Follow The 'Billy Graham Rule' - Including Mike Pence

A Lot of Straight Men Religiously Follow "The Billy Graham" Rule - Including Mike Pence

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who went by the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-mark-twain/lisa-a-flowers" target="_blank">pen name Mark Twain</a>,&nbsp;was a renowned American writer and humorist. His&nbsp;literary classics include&nbsp;The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But Twain had a little-known affection for young women and considered himself a &quot;collector&quot; of preteen and teenage girls.&nbsp;Beginning in 1908, Twain established the Aquarium Club, a members-only organization consisting of himself and 13 girls all below the age&nbsp;of 16. He called them his &quot;angelfish,&quot; and he&nbsp;enjoyed&nbsp;visiting&nbsp;and exchanging&nbsp;letters with them.&nbsp;Twain even dedicated a room in his Connecticut house to the club. Although Twain defended the club's innocence, his love of young girls raised some red flags among his family and community.

Mark Twain Had A Seeming Obsession With Young Girls That Would Land A Modern Figure In Hot Water

Mark Twain Had A Shocking Obsession With Young Girls That Would Land Any Modern Public Figure In Hot Water

Manuel Noriega

During America's&nbsp;War on Drugs in the 1970s,&nbsp;the US regarded Panama's dictator president,&nbsp;Manuel&nbsp;Noriega, as an ally,&nbsp;turning&nbsp;a blind eye to his rampant&nbsp;criminal activity. But by&nbsp;February of 1988, Noriega was indicted by federal grand juries in Florida on charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering.10-year-old Sarah York was watching the dictator-general on the evening news when on a whim her&nbsp;parents&nbsp;joked that she should write a little note to him, telling him how much she liked his hat. Despite the serious charges against the leader, she wrote a&nbsp;letter to&nbsp;Noriega; thus&nbsp;began a&nbsp;bizarre pen pal relationship that would lead to the dictator inviting Sarah and her mother to visit Panama City, all-expenses paid.&nbsp;The story made headlines at the time, but fell into relative obscurity until it was recounted in an interview with an old boarding school friend of Sarah’s on NPR’s <a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/246/transcript" target="_blank">This American Life</a> in 2003. Her story&nbsp;an example of propaganda at its finest — or diplomacy, depending on which way you look at it.

In 1988, The Dictator Of Panama Became Pen Pals With A 10-Year-Old Girl For A Propaganda Mission

How Manuel Noriega Became Pen Pals With Sarah York... For A Secret Propaganda Mission

Lists about astronauts, space exploration, and what we've learned about the effects of space travel on the human body.

Life in Outer Space

Lists about the true stories that inspired books, films, TV, and other stories you think you know. 

What Really Happened

Apollo 13

Sometimes, it&#39;s beneficial to have a friend around that&nbsp;sees beneath the surface of a&nbsp;film and points out some discrepancies. The person who says something like, &ldquo;Did you see what happened to that guy&rsquo;s gloves?&rdquo; Take Ron Howard&rsquo;s 1995 space-disaster blockbuster,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/apollo-13-behind-the-scenes/tracey-graham" target="_blank">Apollo 13</a>, for example. When the astronauts are in space and removing their equipment, Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) takes off his gloves, but there they are, right back on his hands in the next shot.

As much as we may hate the nerdy film buff who points this out during a movie, it can be a lot of fun to look back later and check out a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-historically-inaccurate-movies/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">film&rsquo;s gaffes</a>. Apollo 13 is based on actual <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/apollo-program/landing-missions/apollo13.cfm" target="_blank">events</a>&nbsp;that took place from April 11 to April 17, 1970. During the trip to the moon, an onboard oxygen tank exploded on April 13, and the crew had to abort their mission and return to Earth.

As for the film, the inaccuracies of the ill-fated moon mission are plentiful. Some of the Apollo 13 factual errors were intentionally included for dramatic effect, but others are just plain bloopers. For an <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-apollo-13-actors-and-actresses/reference" target="_blank">immeasurably stacked cast and crew</a>, there are sure a lot of oversights&nbsp;to point out.&nbsp;

Things 'Apollo 13' Got Totally Wrong

Here Are All The Things  'Apollo 13' Got Totally Wrong

Weird History

During the mid-18th century, murder was so rampant in Britain that&nbsp;Parliament needed to create an equally brutal law in response. Some said legislation&nbsp;as a fate worse than death. The&nbsp;<a>British Murder Act of </a><a>1751</a>&nbsp;became law the following year, with the purpose of terrorizing the public into a reasonable facsimile of human decency.&nbsp;The laws and punishments for murder were designed not only to denigrate and shame criminals in this life, but in the afterlife as well. While they were purposefully Draconian and vindictive, they did&nbsp;manage&nbsp;to aid&nbsp;many surgeons, and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/anatomy-in-renaissance-art/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Renaissance artists</a>, who needed bodies for their research. It was also, naturally, a terrifying time to be a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-burke-and-hare-bodysnatchers-murderers/setareh-janda" target="_blank">bodysnatcher</a>. Still, it's important to understand this unsettling and macabre part of the history of capital punishment, that we might never be tempted to repeat it.&nbsp;

Murder Was So Common In 18th-Century Britain, Parliament Had To Get Creative With Punishments

Murder Was So Common In 18th-Century Britain That Parliament Had To Make The Punishment Even Worse Than Death

Lists of fun facts, fascinating trivia, and wild, charming, and even heartbreaking stories about some of the most famous actors of classic film you feel like you already know.

Gonna Make You a Star

Shirley Temple

In the 1935 film&nbsp;The Little Colonel, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/shirley-temple-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference" target="_blank">Shirley Temple</a>&nbsp;tap-danced down a staircase with Bill &ldquo;Bojangles&rdquo; Robinson, and into the hearts of millions.&nbsp;The curly-haired, dimple-cheeked child sang sweetly of life on the good ship Lollipop, but <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-shirley-temple-facts/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">Temple&rsquo;s real life</a> was anything but smooth sailing. From the first time she appeared on the screen in 1932, she was mistreated and abused both psychologically and sexually. Hollywood tried&nbsp;to hide the flagrant abuses, but many have been&nbsp;well-documented.

Before she retired at the age of 22 in 1950, Temple made&nbsp;dozens of Hollywood films. To accomplish this, she constantly&nbsp;had to fight off <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/classic-old-hollywood-studio-system-abuses/anncasano" target="_blank">lecherous Hollywood moguls</a> who forced themselves on her. On top of that, her first husband cheated on her repeatedly, and her father spent the&nbsp;fortune she had earned without her knowledge or consent. Despite living a life filled with turmoil,&nbsp;Temple wrote in her memoir,&nbsp;Child Star: An Autobiography, that she emerged from this series of traumatic events unscarred. Hollywood is full of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/tragic-judy-garland-stories/philgibbons?var=7&amp;utm_expid=16418821-388.8yjUEguUSkGHvlaagyulMg" target="_blank">tragic stories</a>, but this one thankfully has a happy ending.&nbsp;

Though She Suffered Abuse, Shirley Temple's Story Is A Model Of Child Star Resilience

12 Terrible Stories About The Abuse Shirley Temple Faced

Lists of fun facts and fascinating trivia about some of history's most intelligent people.

Great Minds

William Chester Minor

Dr. William Chester Minor&#39;s life is stranger than fiction. That an American surgeon came to be one of the largest contributors&nbsp;to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is surprising. That he wrote his entries while confined in a psychiatric facility&nbsp;is mind-boggling. The account of this bizarre tale is well-documented by Simon Winchester in his book,&nbsp;The Professor and the Madman.

The dictionary&nbsp;has been hailed as one of the greatest literary works in the history of the English language. Although the roots of the OED&nbsp;go back to 1857, it wasn&#39;t until 1878 that&nbsp;former schoolmaster Professor James Murray took over the dictionary project that&nbsp;the Oxford University Press eventually published. Contributors to the multi-volume work&nbsp;of 414,825 definitions included historians, philologists, businessmen, clergymen, and one murderer.

While most&nbsp;OED contributors had mundane occupations like&nbsp;banking, teaching, or writing, Minor played the flute and read voraciously. He did this while inside his comfortable two-room cell at the&nbsp;Broadmoor&nbsp;Asylum, five miles from Oxford.

Upon learning&nbsp;that&nbsp;Murray needed&nbsp;wordsmiths,&nbsp;Minor&nbsp;began corresponding with the man. Ironically, Murray had no idea that one of his most prolific volunteers had been judged criminally insane.

The Man Behind The Oxford English Dictionary Wrote It While In An Asylum Because He Committed Murder

William Chester Minor Wrote The Oxford English Dictionary While In An Asylum Because He Committed Murder

Organized Crime

What is the first time period you think of when you hear the word &ldquo;mobster&rdquo;? Perhaps it is the&nbsp;Roaring &#39;20s&nbsp;and the era of Prohibition,&nbsp;or maybe it&nbsp;is the Cosa Nostra&nbsp;as depicted in The Godfather. Colombian drug cartels, anyone? Mobs, mobsters, gangsters &ndash; these groups are known as &ldquo;organized crime.&rdquo; But what if your own government is something of an organized crime? Are you a villain or a hero when you rebel and take justice &ndash; or injustice &ndash; into your own hands?

Yes, these gangsters <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/violent-brutal-mob-bosses/philgibbons" target="_blank">really are bad guys</a>. Legendary mobsters are among the worst people imaginable. Still, did you ever watch a film like Bonnie and Clyde and root for the outlaws? Take a TV series like Dexter. Dexter is a forensic technician and a serial killer who hunts sadistic murderers. Is he good or bad? Sometimes, it&rsquo;s not about who is bad, but who is worse. So, play along with us for a moment. As you read through the following list of criminal gangs and their eras, choose which you think is the best and&nbsp;most productive for organized criminal activity &ndash;&nbsp;and which you&#39;d have most likely signed up for.

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