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Historical Events So Ridiculous They Sound Made Up

A Redditor asked: 'What’s an event in history that is so ridiculous it sounds fake?'

historical reenactors
Sigmund on Unsplash

We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.

History is riddled with moments of absurdity.

So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.

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People Who Accidentally Stumbled Upon A Dead Body Share Their Stories

Reddit user JohnnyNuclear asked: 'Anyone ever find a dead body unintentionally? What’s the story?'

coroners office removing a body
Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

In August of 1982, author Stephen King's publisher—my fellow Maineiac—released his book Different Seasons. It was a collection of four novellas set mostly outside the horror genre King had become famous for.

The four novellas—subtitled to reflect the four seasons—were:

  • Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: Hope Springs Eternal
  • Apt Pupil: Summer of Corruption
  • The Body: Fall from Innocence
  • The Breathing Method: A Winter's Tale

The first three became the major Hollywood films The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil and Stand By Me respectively. 1986's Stand By Me helped launch or solidify the careers of Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland and the late River Phoenix in the critically acclaimed coming of age film directed by Rob Reiner.

I read the book when it was published then saw the film four years later. Both are superbly done and I immediately think of them every time the experience of finding a dead body is discussed.

That is the central plot point of the story—four boys on the cusp of adolescence take a pilgrimage to see a dead body discovered in the woods by the train tracks. The journey is life-changing for the fictional characters.

But what is it like in real life?

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Person holding red balloons in a dark forest
Moritz Knöringer/Unsplash

For those who need their horror fix, they can stream tons of movies on platforms like Shudder or even find shows like American Horror Story on Hulu.

While many of those programs have enough jump scares and gory scenes of torture, rest assured, it's only make-believe.

The real stuff of nightmares is not of the unexplainable paranormal activity variety, but stories that are recounted by those who lived through truly terrifying experiences.

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When I was 18, my brother and I drove out to a bridge that everyone in my hometown insists is haunted. I turned around to grab my phone from the backseat when I heard my brother cry out. To this day, he insists he saw a ghostly figure standing in front of him. I didn’t see it, but it’s still the scariest true story I know.

The world is full of scary things. Some of these things are supernatural. More often, they’re heartbreaking. Whatever the case, everyone has that one scary, true story to tell.

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People Divulge The Secrets They Intend To Take To The Grave
Photo by Lydia Torrey on Unsplash

Secrets, secrets, are no fun, you say?

Wrong. Secrets are very fun to keep. In fact, we should all work on building our trust we've set up with our loved ones so they feel comfortable holding on to our secrets for a long time. That way, ours don't end up on a list like this one.

Since we're all here, however, let's learn some stuff!

*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

Reddit user, Duck_Diggler_, wanted to know the secrets no one else was supposed to know when they asked:

"What's a secret you'll take to your grave but you'll share with reddit because you need to get it off your chest?"


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