People Share The Crimes That Were So Brutal They Still Give Them Chills
Reddit user Electrical-Lemon187 asked: 'What crime was so brutal you get chills just thinking about it?'
CW: Assault and abuse.
Everyone loves a good true crime mystery.
The number of documentaries and podcasts reporting on murder and mass madness has tripled over the years.
People still make Dateline NBC, 20/20, and 48 Hours must-see TV.
Some cases should be too brutal to watch.
Yet we can't help ourselves.
We just can't seem to get enough.
Redditor Electrical-Lemon187 wanted to discuss the true-life horror stories that keep us all awake at night, so they asked:
"What crime was so brutal you get chills just thinking about it?"
The following piece may be too much for some people.
The details are definitely NC-17.
Disgusting
"The murder of James Bulger, an English 2-year-old abducted, tortured, and murdered in 1993 by two 10-year-old boys. I can't get that sh*t out of my head."
AdmiralBofa
"I remember this popping up on Reddit again some point after I had my little boy. He was almost 3 at the time, and I couldn’t sleep that night imagining that happening to my little guy. That and Albert fish, I was so f**ked after hearing the full morbid podcast on it I hugged my son an obscene amount of times that day."
dawn855
Who are they?
"Really, really upset me more than a lot of others for some reason."
IgnorethisIamstupid
"Although it is almost certain that the murderer(s) can no longer be identified, all authors of the report [2007, very detailed] independently agreed on who the main suspect in the case was. However, his name was not mentioned out of consideration for his descendants. I don’t know how I feel about that choice."
maof97
On Tape
"The David Parker Ray's murders. The transcript of the tape he played for his victims was one of the hardest things I've ever read."
idreaminwords
"The worst part (in my opinion) is that on the FBI’s website, they have pages and pages of pictures of his trophies. Hundreds of photos of items that they believe belonged to women he tortured."
"None of the photos are of gore just items like pins and earrings. FBI’s photos It pains me that each of those items belong to someone who suffered the unimaginable. There is a large amount of Native American-made jewelry, Harley Davidson memorabilia, and even a medical alert bracelet."
Intrepid_Remote_6129
In Pennsylvania...
"Not the most brutal I've heard of, but one that affected my parents heavily. In Pennsylvania 20ish years ago, a man had his head blown off on live TV. 2 bank robbers put an explosive collar on a friend's neck, then made him rob a bank or they'd blow him up."
"Police catch and begin to arrest him, but he warns police about the bomb. Police wait for a bomb squad/orders on what to do, and reporters show up and start recording. Then the 2 robbers see their 'friend' on the news, and hit the detonator before he gives them away."
Spinerflame
One Dark Night
"Susan Powell and her children destroy me. Her husband axed the two boys and set the house on fire and they all died. Susan had gone missing a year(s?) earlier and it’s just figured at this point the husband did it but her body was never found. Horrific."
Broadway_is_Burning
"Agreed. This makes me sick to my stomach."
"Physically ill. We all know what he did to his wife and kids but I get sick when I think about the fact they dated. They had everyday interactions. They spent years together. Years of conversations, jokes, intimacy, etc… and for him to brutally murder them all one night? Especially because people knew him as this passive guy. Really f**ks me up."
rootea
What is wrong with the world?
How do some people become such monsters?
The Infamous
"Everything surrounding Jonestown. Once as a kid I caught a documentary about it on PBS, just straight over the antennae TV at maybe 8 pm and it was one of the most graphic things I've ever seen on TV."
AlanMorlock
"I listened to most of the tapes and they are a hard listen. I go wrong with trying to put myself in that place during the whole ordeal of living in Jonestown. The sad, climatic end to life there, as told through the death tape... it's very horrific. What's crazy is that there are still questions surrounding that awful day in November."
"The death tape was edited, notice that it goes from killing the children to Jim Jones announcing that they performed a mass suicide. Morbid curiosity would want me to know what happened during the whole ordeal. Then there's the day after tape, where it sounds like a man and a woman are watching a news report on the murders. Where did that come from and who recorded it? It's very strange and we may never know the answers or the full story."
BoxTalk17
Mandalay Bay
"The Vegas shooting. It's hard to imagine being in a killing field, I wouldn't know where to hide or run. Stuff like that creeps me the f**k out because nutbags seem to be everywhere."
LightningTF2
"I was just in Vegas in March. I smoked some weed for the first time in years because hey it's Vegas and it's legal. I sat in the chair that looked out of my hotel window and could NOT imagine what that would be like."
"When we walked towards Mandalay Bay later on that evening the feeling of dread hit me so hard that my wife and I turned around. Being a little high didn't help but either way, it felt like Vegas was acting like it didn't even happen. So wild."
iscreamconey
Take the Bus
"As a New Yorker, I get chills every time I see a story about some crazy person just shoving a random person onto the subway tracks, for no apparent reason. I've seen footage and security camera video, and the person is just standing there, minding their own business, and some psycho just jumps up and shoves them onto the tracks for no reason at all."
"Kids too. and if not for fast-acting well-meaning strangers, these people would have been killed instantly. In one video, the little girl was saved by a whisker. Gives me the creeps that there are psycho's out there that do these sorts of things."
The_REAL_McWeasel
The OG Evil
"I know this is bland, but Ted Bundy, how the hell did he manage to get away with 99% of the murders he committed."
gaydumba**3
"Just imagine being around back then. He escaped during one of his trials and during the manhunt to find him he murders people. It must've been such a crazy time."
due_the_drew
"Absolutely, and the fact he was charming made people think no more of him, and that was one his best perks, the fact he could lure you so easily is what made him such an effective killer."
gaydumbass3
Ted Bundy will never not be a part of the conversations surrounding the worst of the worst.
This list will kill my sweet dreams forever.
Age is just a number.
We all hope to stay sexy until the end.
And even when we don't feel sexy, maybe there will be people who still think we are.
Redditor Debonair-Redditor21 wanted to hear about famous crushes that enter into the "Harold & Maude" territory. They asked:
"Who is the oldest celebrity that you still find attractive?"
All Hail Dame Helen Mirren. Is there anything else to say?
How Old?
Viggo Mortensen Peace GIF by Golden GlobesGiphy"Viggo Mortensen. Very handsome at 63."
Sidewalk_Tomato
"Damn, he is 63? Time flies."
2020UsernamesBeLike
Personas
"Elvira. Cassandra Peterson. Just turned 70 and still breaks out that amazing personality at every appearance."'
darkoath
"Omg. I saw the BEST suggestion for a movie ever. Elvira & Dolly Parton playing their stage personas as estranged sisters who must team up to fight evil."
ClothDiaperAddicts
Fatale
jane seymour call me kitty cat GIFGiphy"Jane Seymour. 71 and still stunning."
MrWiggy89
"Live and Let Die. Incredible, and she'll always be in my mind as Elise McKenna, the woman so beautiful that Christopher Reeve's character went back to be with her in Somewhere in Time. I totally get the desire."
pcserenity
Hey Su...
"Susanna Hoffs (63)."
analogtapes
"Plot twist: She sang 'Walk Like an Egyptian' because she's immortal and actually lived in Ancient Egypt."
RealisticDelusions77
"She was my first crush. As a child, I used to watch MTV for hours just for that moment when she cut her eyes in the 'Walk Like an Egyptian' video."
3lon_Mu5k
I am loving this list. I didn't think I would.
Maddy
mads mikkelsen hannibal GIFGiphy"Mads Mikkelsen."
Valuable-Mango368
"You mean my daddy issues? Damn I love that guy. Death Stranding really nailed how he can come through a medium without much hassle."
This_User_Said
My Biological Clock
"Marisa Tomei."
LiveShowOneNightOnly
"Jesus, I was so confused watching the new Spider-Man movies with Marisa as Aunt May. Marisa Tomei is perpetually the hot 80s chick in my head, also Jennifer Connelly. I was watching Morbius and seeing Requiem for a Dream and Career Opportunities. I AM OLD, I GUESS."
Forge64
Oh Captain
"Christopher Plummer, right up until the day he died at 92."
amodernjunecleaver
"I first saw ‘The Sound of Music’ as a child, watched in many times, know if off by heart etc. I didn’t watch for many years."
"Then as an adult I wanted to introduce a friend’s kid to it, put it on, and spent the next couple of hours absolutely dumbstruck by how hot Christopher Plummer was. It had never struck me before that time but go**amn have I never forgotten. No wonder Maria chose the Captain, if I had to choose between him and God I know who my pick would be."
niconiconeko
Hey Tim!
"Timothy Olyphant. Idk what it is about him. He's so funny, charming, and handsome that I don't care how much older than me he is."
throwaway-getaway122
"I do NOT get tired of watching him; he is so expressive. In Catch and Release there's a scene where he and Jennifer Garner are having a conversation that consists entirely of gestures and facial expressions. Hilarious!"
BugsRatty
"He is amazing in Justified and Deadwood... hell, pretty much everything. I think I just found out I may have a man-crush on the dude lol."
Captain-Hornblower
Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh No GIF by RegalGiphy"Michelle Yeoh."
ThinkIGotHacked
"Ugh she was a vision in Everything Everywhere All at Once. And if she doesn't win all the awards then there is something really wrong with the voting system."
HoaryPuffleg
YUM YUM
"Oof that's kind of a hard one. Without looking up a bunch of older actors I think I'd have to go with Ken Watanabe. I think he's in his early 60s now and the last time I saw a recent pic of him he was still looking fine AF. And an honorable mention is Steve Carell... I don't know what it is but he keeps getting hotter with age. I was never attracted to him until he did that silver fox photo shoot with the paint brush 'n shi*t."
total class act...
"Stanley Tucci. As my mom says about handsome men, he just looks like he smells good."
vonye25
"He visited our hotel a few weeks ago. As the Restaurant Manager I was specifically told that my team and I were not to treat him any different to other guests, which we don't."
"The guy was a total class act polite, courteous, and always keen for a chat. Never mentioned his movies, his career, but was there to enjoy time with his family, and they themselves were also a joy to be around. Can confirm he always had a slight aroma of warm cinnamon."
valdezverdun
Let me Think
"Oof that's kind of a hard one. Without looking up a bunch of older actors I think I'd have to go with Ken Watanabe. I think he's in his early 60s now and the last time I saw a recent pic of him he was still looking fine af. An honorable mention is Steve Carell... I don't know what it is but he keeps getting hotter with age. I was never attracted to him until he did that silver fox photo shoot with the paint brush and stuff."
duckfruits
Old Guy
"Jeff Bridges is still a hottie."
heyshugitsme
"I can’t believe I had to scroll so far to see this. He’s so damn handsome, and I unbelievably beautiful in King Kong. (1976). Just wow."
airbagfailure
"The Old Man made me agree with you."
junedear
So Hot!
"Monica Bellucci. I may just be a bit pickier than most though."
MrEpicface12
"I can’t think of a hotter character than her as Persephone in the Matrix Reloaded."
"I literally had to rewatch those scenes to absorb the plot because every scene she was in was too distracting. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_V56qDUcAEoeZL.jpg:large PS. Totally off topic, but I always shipped her and Keanu in the movie and real life. Imagine how blindingly beautiful their offspring would be!"
chronoboy1985
Bond Boys
"Pierce Brosnan."
megannealiceD14
"Alternatively, Timothy Dalton, and in the same way. Both Bond men that I found meh during their tenure, but the older they got, the hotter they became. Pierce is at his peak now and I haven’t seen Dalton since Penny Dreadful but he was such a daddy on that show."
Segamaike
Hey J
"Jeremy Irons (73)."
zzzephyrus
"Been crushing on him since my late teens, he just finer and finer. Love men with those stony faves."
Misseskat
"Holy heck yes. Gorgeous man."
Trabawn
1000x Hotter
"Just watched Jurassic World Dominion last week, Sam Neil is still really handsome at his age."
schnookums13
"Honestly Sam Neil, Laura Dern AND Jeff Goldbloom could all still get it."
QueerMainCharacter
"Sam Neill is 1000 times hotter right now at 74 than he was in the original Jurassic Park at 45. I saw Jurassic World Dominion and was like... Lol what is happening??"
Lunafeather
All the Ways
colin firth glasses GIFGiphy"Colin Firth, All Day Everyday and Sideways Twice on Tuesday."
CurrentlyNobody
Well that is a long list of sexy. Cheers to growing sexy with age.
When people who made positive impressions and inspired others to do better in their long and well-lived lives pass away, the loss can be profound.
But a person who was taken from us at an early age can be even more devastating.
What other things would they have accomplished? What additional contributions could they have made to improve society?
These are the questions one may have following the death of someone they admired and necessarily didn't know personally.
People shared examples when Redditor therealCapCon asked:
"What famous person died too soon?"
These ingenious minds contributed so much to society. What else could they have given us? We'll never know.
He Gave Us The Muppets
"Jim Henson. Man had such a good spirit - he was creative and optimistic and humorous. I'm so sad we lost him so early."
– GawkieBird
He Gave Us Satire
"Douglas Adams. Died at only 48. Must have been only 10 or 15 years away from stopping procrastinating and finishing another book."
– mikedufty
He Fathered Theoretical Computer Science
"Alan Turing."
– BoiledFroglet
"A truly just good human. And what the British government did to him is disgusting and inhumane."
– I_Do_Cannabis_Stuff
He Gave Us Robotics
"Grant Imahara."
– loudwisdom
"I also Cried. And then again when Adam Savage took a tour of Grants workshop that has been kept in stasis since his death."
– jiamby
"Mythbusters is the reason why I'm studying engineering in college. Rip Grant 😞"
– alexx_sandraa
These young comedians left quite a legacy in their age.
We will continue to remember them for lifting us up whenever we were down.
He Cracked Us Up
"John Candy."
– Realitycheck-4u
"This was my answer too. Two of his films were always favorites at my house and I wonder how many we missed out on."
– FDRip
He Left Us In Stitches
"Phil Hartman."
– Volkditty
"I loved him as Troy McClure on the Simpson’s 'I’m Troy McClure and I’ll leave you here for what we all waited to see HARDCORE NUDITY.'”
– Limited_U
He Gave Genius Sketch Comedy
"Trevor Moore, comic genius dead at 41 from a random freak accident, def way too soon and would have kept having great material as society really spiralled out of control."
– yes420
He Gave Us Joy
"John Ritter. Unexpectedly died in his early 50s."
– SquigwardTennisballs
These gifted actors are greatly missed for their inspiring and brilliant work on film.
He Gave Us Drama
"Alan Rickman."
– Introvertedandproud
"Hans Gruber is and will be my favorite ever movie villain, and snape is and will be my second favorite, Rickman was just on another level."
– chartman21
He Was Just Getting Started
"Anton Yelchin"
– kingspooky93
"He was my age and was one of my favorite actors since I saw him in Charlie Bartlett. One of the saddest celebrity deaths for me."
– Psyteq
He Gave A Good Fight
"Bruce Lee. He was only 32 and just finished filming Enter the Dragon. His future was so bright."
– Scubaguy425
He Gave Brilliant Performance
"River Phoenix."
– lemmy_Kno
"100%. This guy was amazing talent. 23 years old and people who weren’t even alive are still finding out about him every day."
– Foo3112
The list was extensive in the thread.
Some of the early losses that gutted me included Prince–who was a musical genius; and the incomparable Robin Williams–whose extraordinary gifts still touch people today.
May all these young souls rest in peace.
*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Warriors, scientests, feared world leaders, and other historical figures have left their mark on the world.
Many of them are remembered for their achievements or how they had a hand in contributing to an institution or community's demise.
But little is known about their ailments or struggles.
Curious to hear the medical histories of some of the world's most notorious people, Redditor ApexBarber asked:
"What historical figures most certainly had undiagnosed mental illnesses?"
They may be known for their greatness but it's believed they've had some hurdles to overcome.
The English Scientist
"A scientist from the 1700s, Henry Cavendish, measured the density of the earth like a century before it was confirmed within like 2% accuracy using pendelums and telescopes in a shack in his backyard. discovered Argon gas before anyone knew what it was."
"absolutely on the Autism Spectrum."
"He took the same walk, same route, at the same time, every night. specifically adjusted his route to avoid people. He wore the same clothes every day, when they wore out, he would have his tailor make him an identical outfit. He ate the same meal, leg of mutton, every day. once, a housemaid startled him on the stairs of his house, so he had a separate staircase built in the back of the house so it would never happen again. A certified genius, but weirdly antisocial, he would sit around his peers looking off to the side and listening to their conversations indirectly. A peer of his who was also his biographer noted his antisocial behavior and described him in this quote -"He was not a Poet, a Priest, or a Prophet, but only a cold, clear, Intelligence, raying down pure white light, which brightened everything on which it fell, but warmed nothing"
"Edit: unsure if Autism is considered a mental illness, but this was just an interesting historical figure to me. Also side note: I'm not diagnosing him myself, there are specialists/doctors in the field who have said this. Nikola Tesla and Hugo Gernsback were also mentioned as on the spectrum."
– Cybox_Beatbox
The King Of Macedon
"By the end of his life, Alexander the Great was showing clear signs of PTSD. Of course, he also had suffered numerous physical injury as well, so mix in drinking tons of wine (and who knows what else) to act as painkiller and you can argue he was an alcoholic as well, exasperating the aforementioned PTSD."
– Toadman005
"Moses Of Her People"
"Harriet Tubman had narcolepsy due to her slave master throwing a lead weight at her forehead when she was a girl. She would fall asleep and random times and everyone would wait. Remarkable how she made it every time."
– O0O00O000O0000O
His Traits Were Symptoms
"I don't know if you'd count autism as a mental illness, but Nikola Tesla was definitely autistic to some degree."
"His general awkwardness, obsessive nature, and disassociation with people throughout his life was seen in the past as traits of a brilliant scientist, but certainly, when you think about symptoms and traits that people on the spectrum have, it all aligns with him."
– TildeGunderson
These historical figures were known to be born leaders, but when they were not in public, they may have struggled with despair.
Civil Rights Leader
"Martin Luther King. He attempted suicide twice and Coretta said he used to have mental breakdowns and binge on junk food and alcohol."
– Savitribaii
"Most Folks Are As Happy As They Make Up Their Minds To Be"
"It’s very likely that Abraham Lincoln had clinical depression."
– excessivegrease
"Even if you start out healthy, imagine that on your orders 20,000 to 25,000 people are killed in battle and you have to know that this is the right thing to do, and it has to be done over, and over, and over."
– FLEXXMAN33
The Term He Used For His Bouts Of Depression
"Churchill had his ‘Black Dog’."
– happierinverted
Literary Figures
"If I remember correctly it’s theorized that Virginia Woolf may have been bipolar, I could see it with Oscar Wilde too tbh. Their writing style just mimics the thought patterns too well."
"ETA: I’m not sure if they really count as historical figures. My include F. Scott Fitzgerald but maybe not. Possibly Hans Christian Andersen, he was a little eccentric. And idk if it counts but Nicola Tesla may have been in love with a pigeon towards the end."
– New-Grape5551
The Paranoid Author
"Hemingway was sane until no one believed him about the CIA following him. Everyone thought he was schizophrenic and he killed himself. Later the government admitted to following him."
– Jimi_The_Cynic
People shared their fascinating theories.
Origin Of An Ancient Practice
"Not a specific known figure but I’m pretty sure that the person who invented Feng Shui actually just had OCD but enough social influence to get everyone else to go along with it. Your furniture has to be arranged just right or something terrible will happen, somehow."
– SmartAlec105
The Thing About The Chinese Philosopher
"I actually heard something similar that Confucius had most likely some form of Asperger syndrome. Apparently he had some very specific ideas about how a person should enter the home of a different family, and had rituals that must be observed in his ideal society."
– YishuTheBoosted
While a person can declare that remarkable people have accomplished remarkable things, there is one notion many people can agree on–that "ordinary" people aren't the most impressionable people enough to leave a historical mark.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
People Debate Which Famous Historical Figures Would Be Surprised To Learn About Their Fame
Fame is one of those things people tend to want until they have it - or that people shy away from entirely because they understand how sideways it tends to go.
But what about people who end up famous after their deaths? Or who managed to get more famous from the afterlife?
Reddit user GCanuck asked:
"Which historically famous person do you think would be most surprised to learn they are famous?"
If your mind immediately went to that Vincent Van Gogh scene from Dr. Who then 1. you're a nerd (me too!) and 2. you're not alone.
Here's what Reddit had to say.
The Little Painter Fellow
Van Gogh Reaction GIF by GIF IT UPGiphy"Vincent van Gogh."
"His paintings made billions of dollars for rich people, but couldn't trade a painting for a meal during his lifetime. Had to be supported by his brother."
- strangedigital
"It’s amazing how many pieces he created in such a short time considering how unsuccessful he was in selling them while alive. He kept banging them out despite his 'failure'.”
- Fthewigg
"He was encouraged to paint as part of his therapy/rehabilitation. He was a pretty disturbed guy, and not in a romantic way."
- redkat85
"Have you ever seen the Doctor Who episode about him?"
- LucyVialli
"This is what actually prompted this question for me."
- GCanuck
A Diary
"Anne Frank"
- 222sick
"Most of the world has read your diary."
"Wait...All of my diary?"
- SuperstitiousPigeon5
"Her Father censored some of it because she talks about her body and other things, I can't really blame him for that. Modern prints are uncensored."
- zerbey
"She’d have been thrilled, but I don’t think surprised is the right word. She dreamed of being a published author. She knew that she was creating something valuable and important with her diary, and she wanted it to be published."
- shhhhquiet
"I wonder what she'd think of her diary being turned into a stage play including a Broadway run and thousands of young girls doing their best to recreate all the different facets both good and bad of how she acted during her time in the Annex."
- Lil_Jazzy
Herman The Whale
bart simpson episode 3 GIFGiphy"Herman Melville."
"He had a few early successes with seafaring books, but Moby-Dick was a total flop that got bad reviews, and he spent the final decades of his life working in the customs department."
"He would be shocked to hear he wrote the Great American Novel."
- centaurquestions
"My boyfriend is from New Bedford, MA. Apparently the local high schools there had big murals depicting scenes from Moby Dick." "
*That* would have amazed Melville."
- DoctorWatchamacallit
"Dude, that's the best part. You never know what's coming next. It's like:"
"45 pages of unintentionally hilarious interactions between Ishmael and Queequeg."
"30 pages of incredible, brooding drama written in stage play format for some reason."
"100 page essay about some minor technical details about whaling and how some village built their chieftain's hall out of a whale's ribcage."
"Another 20 pages of Ahab chewing the scenery and embodying mankind's self-destructive obsessions"
"Then Queequeg speaking his last words but then deciding he doesn't want to die yet and miraculously springing back to life."
"Like the ocean itself, you have to accept that Moby Dick moves at its own pace lol"
- jesushitlerchrist
We, In Fact, Did Not Forget
"Hegelochus, an actor who mispronounced a word in a play in the year 408 BC and was mocked so thoroughly for it, his mistake has made it into the collective ledger of things historians know about and generally agree upon having happened… and we're still aware of it over 2,400 years later."
"Imagine making a meme today with a word misspelled, and others found that misspelling so egregiously mockable that you are still known for it in the year 4422."
- film_composer
" 'Oh come on get over it. No one will remember about that by tomorrow' -Hehelochus’ mom probably"
- Kehl21
"He must have went to sleep running the moment in his head over and over again, but he probably tried to comfort himself by thinking, 'well, at least it's not like some space-age hyper-futuristic society is going to be discussing this thousands of years from now on their magic boxes powered by lightning in some language that doesn't even exist yet'."
- film_composer
"This is the worst nightmare of everyone that has been told to stop worrying because no one will pay as much attention to what you're doing as you."
"Counter point: Hegelochus."
- LectureAfter8638
Kafkaesque
"Kafka. Rarely published in his lifetime, and when he did it was in obscure magazines which nobody read."
"Explicitly asked that his works be destroyed after his death. It's only because his executor disregarded his wishes and published his unfinished works (which comprise the majority of his oeuvre) that he is famous today."
- IllustriousSquirrel9
"Kafka is a good example of how much can anxiety ruin a person's life"
- Sergey32321
"Kafka wrote his stories to be shared with a group of friends like story-telling at a campfire"
- Responsible_Put_2960
Gospel Legend
"Blind Willie Johnson."
"He passed away blind, poor and sick, lying in the ruins of his house after it was burnt down."
"And his song 'Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground' left our solar system not too long ago aboard the Voyager to be listened to by life among the stars."
- dntExit
"I really like to think one day-thousands and thousands of years in the future, an alien race will find that golden disk and hear his voice."
"I think the fact he had such a poor life but could one day live eternally amongst the stars is so beautiful."
- gonzomullz
"Found out about him through a VSauce video."
"I listened to a couple songs and really liked them, he had a great voice and had a great talent for playing guitar despite being blind. Such a humbling and inspiring story he had"
- HRPr03
"I remember learning about this in a Vsauce video and crying profusely afterwards, but not only from sadness, also from hope, and some other emotions I can’t possibly describe."
"The fact that he died at the lowest of lows, blind, sick, poor, and alone, yet he very well could be the man that teaches the stars about the very essence of humanity… there’s just something so intrinsically beautiful about that."
"Humanity, flawed as it is, is as intrinsically kind and beautiful as it is evil. The world forgets that sometimes."
- cmoneybouncehouse
Other Madonna
mona lisa oh no you didnt GIFGiphy"Lisa Gherardini, the Mona Lisa model."
"She was just some unremarkable random wife. Fast forward a few hundred years and she ended up as one of the most recognizable faces in history."
- finsareluminous
"HER NAMES NOT EVEN MONA LISA?!"
- Jaded-Associate6891
" 'Monna' was a shortening of the Italian word 'madonna', which was the equivalent of the English 'Madam'."
- Koifish_Coyote
Honor Well Pass Death
"Glyndwr Michael"
"This is the dead body they used in Operation Mincemeat."
"The man basically consumed rat poison to commit suicide."
"His corpse was then used for a British secret operation to carry fake documents for the Nazis to find in order to make them think they were invading Greece and not Sicily."
"This man died in a alleyway and went on the become a dedicated Major in the British military buried with full military rites - under his fake name, but still him in physical form."
- TheBabyLeg123
"He was originally buried under his covert identity (in Spain where his body washed ashore after being deposited in the sea nearby by a Royal Navy submarine), Major William Martin of the Royal Marines."
"In 2009 or thereabouts his real name (Glyndwr Michael) was added to his gravestone."
- BravoBanter
"I thought he died of tuberculosis so it’d be more convincing he was a British serviceman who drowned? Or maybe that was the guy used to make the Nazis think the Allies were invading Calais instead of Normandy."
- UnconstrictedEmu
"It was rat poison but it's not clear if it was a suicide."
"The poison was in the form of a paste that would be smeared on pieces of bread; rodents eat the bread, rodents die. Or in this case; poor Welshman eats the bread, poor Welshman dies."
"It's not clear whether he knew the paste was poison, or whether he was just hungry and thought he genuinely found some bread lying around."
"Where the confusion comes in is that the guy in charge of Mincemeat claimed the body was that of a young man who died of pneumonia, and that the parents had given permission for his body to be used as it was."
- ConstableBlimeyChips
A Real Hero
"Henrietta Lacks"
- LucyVialli
"A literal hero of humanity who in some ways is still alive."
"Her family deserved so much better though."
- AzureBluet
"Can I get a short version? I don't think I've heard of her before"
- Fyrrys
"Her contribution to science is and continues to be gigantic"
- Available-Age2884
Laws Of Inheritance
"Gregor Mendel, the monk and scientist who experimented with pea plant traits to describe what we today literally call Mendelian inheritance."
"The significance of Mendel's findings, which he published in 1866, went almost completely unrecognized during his life and after his death. His work was only rediscovered in the early 1900s when modern ideas about inheritance and selection started taking hold."
- ThadisJones
"I can differ there. When he first stated his theory, he was sure it was correct (as it was) but was rejected. I can imagine him not being surprised at the fact that his work was re recognised as right later down the line"
- Brother_Not_Shook
"It's entirely possible you're correct and Mendel suspected that someday he'd be proved right. At the same time, however, he spent decades after his discovery trying and failing to elicit interest from the academic public or individual biologists, and retired from science to become a monastery administrator, which looks a lot like 'giving up'."
- ThadisJones
Okay, so we learned some interesting history today. How about you?