Amanda Sedlak-Hevener lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Amanda Sedlak-Hevener - Lists at Ranker

Police & Law Enforcement

People have been studying the unique characteristics and properties of fingerprints&nbsp;for thousands of years. In&nbsp;ancient Babylon, for example, clay impressions of fingerprints were used to seal business deals. Sir William Herschel is recognized as one of the first Europeans to begin <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/victorian-forensic-investigation-tactics/elle-tharp" target="_blank">collecting and studying fingerprints</a>&nbsp;in the 1850s, which inspired others to do so as well.

However, fingerprint analysis&nbsp;didn&#39;t become common in crime-solving <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-forensic-cases/lea-rose-emery" target="_blank">forensic science</a> until the early 20th century. Here are some facts and tidbits about fingerprint forensics and how they came to be.

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Intriguing Facts About The History Of Fingerprint Forensics

General

A Short History Of Fingerprinting: Intriguing Facts About How It Started

Amanda Sedlak-Hevener

Lists of fascinating facts and surprising trivia about the rich and complicated lives of some of history's most creative wordsmiths.

The Life of a Writer

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Standard F. Scott&nbsp;Fitzgerald biographies usually cover the writer&#39;s&nbsp;classic novel,&nbsp;The Great Gatsby, and the basics of his life, including&nbsp;his time in Paris, drinking problem, and marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald. Most accounts, however, leave out the relatively unknown and&nbsp;fascinating details. Widely considered one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-writers-of-all-time/ranker-books" target="_blank">best American writers ever</a>, Fitzgerald was a contradictory and complex figure. The author never graduated from Princeton; he didn&#39;t always get along&nbsp;with <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/times-ernest-hemingway-was-a-jerk/katia-kleyman" target="_blank">Ernest Hemingway</a>; and,&nbsp;despite embodying the East Coast Jazz Age, he hailed&nbsp;from the Midwest.

F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald appeared&nbsp;to live the high life&nbsp;in New York City, but issues plagued their marriage. The often overlooked details of F. Scott Fitzgerald&#39;s life provide&nbsp;a fuller picture of the man behind a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-required-reading-books/tamar-altebarmakian" target="_blank">required-reading&nbsp;favorite</a>.

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Things Even Literature Snobs Don't Know About F. Scott Fitzgerald

Lists about racism, prejudice, and discrimination in the real world and as it is depicted throughout film, TV, and music.

Race Relations

Celebrating and going deep in black culture, people, and experiences in the US and beyond.

Black History

The&nbsp;16th&nbsp;Street Baptist Church bombing occurred in Birmingham, AL, on September 15, 1963. Four young girls were killed in the blast:&nbsp;14-year-olds&nbsp;Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, and Carole Robertson, and 11-year-old Carol Denise McNair. Addie Mae&#39;s sister&nbsp;Sarah was blinded in one eye; an estimated 22 people in total were wounded. The&nbsp;victims <a href="http://16thstreetbaptist.org/history-2/" target="_blank">were all African American</a>.

The perpetrators of the violent attack were members of the KKK. The bombing&nbsp;became a catalyst for the then-growing civil rights movement of the 1960s, which led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act and the desegregation of much of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-american-south/jason-f-collins?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Southern United States</a>. The&nbsp;church bombing in Birmingham was&nbsp;a heinous act that killed innocent girls, all of whom were posthumously awarded Congressional Gold Medals in 2013.

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Facts About The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing That Ushered In The Civil Rights Movement

The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing And The Civil Rights Movement

Lists of bone-chilling lore and weird AF urban legends from your home state and your neighbors. Also some cities ;) .

State Secrets

Indiana

Every state has its folklore and the Hoosier State is no different. Home to lots of rural land, there are plenty of creepy Indiana urban legends regarding very old buildings, deserted roads, and remote cemeteries. If you live in Indiana, or ever find yourself passing through, you may want to visit some of these locations. Who knows? You may catch a glimpse of Black Annie in Booneville or run into the Lady in Grey&nbsp;while stopping by Evansville's Willard Library.&nbsp;Ghost stories from Indiana often encompass the state's history. The Battle of Tippecanoe has supposedly left its mark on Battle Ground, Indiana and the state's association with the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/harriet-tubman-facts/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">Underground Railroad</a>&nbsp;has&nbsp;resulted in some lingering spirits. If you're looking for something to do in Indiana, browse this list and pay some of these locations a visit.&nbsp;

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Creepy Stories and Urban Legends from Indiana

Indiana Urban Legends & Ghost Stories That Will Haunt You

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

Great Minds

Carl Sagan

Astronomer Carl Sagan is one of the world's most adored scientists.&nbsp;He brought&nbsp;a healthy amount of skepticism and wonder to the masses through works like his wildly popular TV show&nbsp;Cosmos&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-carl-sagan-books/reference" target="_blank">books</a> like&nbsp;Dragons of Eden&nbsp;and&nbsp;Pale Blue Dot.&nbsp;His enthusiasm and general sense of awe concerning the universe was contagious, and he has inspired generations to pursue careers in science.Any Carl Sagan biography can tell you the basic facts of his life: he was <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-from-brooklyn/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">born in Brooklyn</a> in 1934, received a PhD in astronomy from the University of Chicago, and even taught at several esteemed universities. Carl Sagan and his sister, Carol, were the children of&nbsp;Ukrainian immigrant Samuel Sagan and his wife, New York native Molly Gruber. Over the course of his life, Sagan - who was married three times and had five children - went from growing up poor during the Great Depression to a life of fame and riches, thanks in part to Cosmos.Sagan died in 1996 of myelodysplasia, a cancer that attacks bone marrow. He was 62 years old. Fans of Sagan have kept his legacy alive through their pursuit of scientific knowledge and&nbsp;truth because according to Sagan, &quot;Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.&quot;

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Fascinating Facts About Carl Sagan

15 Fascinating Facts About Carl Sagan

True Crime

Andrea Yates was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she drowned her five children -&nbsp;Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary - on&nbsp;June 20, 2001. She <a href="http://time.com/4375398/andrea-yates-15-years-drown-children/" target="_blank">murdered them</a> in the bathroom of the Houston, TX&nbsp;home that&nbsp;shared with&nbsp;husband Russell&nbsp;Yates&nbsp;in order to prevent them from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/25/us/andrea-yates-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">ending up in hell</a>.&nbsp;Andrea was found guilty&nbsp;in 2002,&nbsp;then had her conviction overturned four years later. She has since been in a mental institution undergoing treatment. Her&nbsp;case brought national attention to the plight of women diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and depression.Russell Yates, father of all&nbsp;the deceased children,&nbsp;divorced her in 2005 and remarried the next year. Although he now appears to be supportive of his ex-wife, he <a href="https://www.coursehero.com/file/p6cfdm0/She-warned-and-counseled-them-against-having-more-children-and-noted-in-the/" target="_blank">reportedly insisted</a> that she be left alone when&nbsp;caring for the children despite&nbsp;professional advice&nbsp;and he seemed to disregard the fact that she was was mentally ill and incapable of healthily bearing more offspring.

Mens Lifestyle

The Awful Case Of Andrea Yates, The Super Christian Baby Killer

The Awful Case Of Andrea Yates, Who Drowned Her Children In The Tub

Amateur sleuths and Internet detectives: Now's your chance to prove your skills. Solve these real unsolved cases, then alert the police so they can put these babies to bed.

Can You Solve These Mysteries?

Mysteries

Between 2002 and 2005, a serial killer who became known as the West Mesa Bone Collector <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-unearthed-graves/rogin-kim" target="_blank">murdered and buried</a> 11 women in the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. To this day, law enforcement officials have been unable to discover the <a href="http://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yvqxn5/who-is-the-west-mesa-bone-collector-0000439-v21n9" target="_blank">true identity</a> of the murderer, despite the fact that they have a list of potential suspects, two of whom are already dead. The stuff of a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-new-mystery-tv-shows/ranker-tv" target="_blank">mystery television show</a>, the Bone Collector's saga will leave you with goosebumps.&nbsp;All of the West Mesa Bone Collector's victims&nbsp;fall between the ages of 15 and 32, fit a specific profile,&nbsp;were suspected to be involved in the Albuquerque drug scene, and worked as prostitutes. Like many other <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-unsolved-murders/ranker-crime" target="_blank">infamous unsolved murders</a>, the true identity of the West Mesa Bone Collector remains a mystery&nbsp;due to a lack of new evidence, and it's likely that these crimes will remain unsolved until someone comes forward. Until then, this is everything we know about the West Mesa Bone Collector.

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The Unsolved Mystery Of The West Mesa Bone Collector Is As Chilling As It Is Confusing

Unspeakable Times

Marc Lepine&nbsp;was a Canadian man who blamed feminists for all of his problems. And on December 6, 1989, he decided they needed to pay for all the &quot;trouble&quot; they caused him. On that day, he killed 14 women in a matter of hours at the school that rejected him. Lepine&nbsp;entered the school's building armed with a rifle and a knife, along with an anti-woman agenda.&nbsp;Lepine&nbsp;is notably the first in a series misogynistic murderers that saw disgruntled young men and teenagers kill their classmates in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-school-shootings/natalie-hazen" target="_blank">horrific school shootings</a>.&nbsp;The&nbsp;&Eacute;cole Polytechnique school shooting,&nbsp;also known as the Montreal massacre, remains one of Canada's worst violent incidents. The Marc Lepine murders show just how much some men can hate women.&nbsp;

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This Man Blamed All Women For Ruining His Life, And Orchestrated A Massacre For &quot;Revenge&quot;

The Horrific Story Behind Marc Lepine's Anti-Feminist Murder Spree

The FBI has a kept a list of the <a href="http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-fbi-debuts-10-most-wanted" target="_blank">10 most wanted criminals</a> in America since 1950. Those who have ended up on the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/fugitives-longest-time-most-wanted-list/patrick-thornton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">FBI's most wanted list</a> include murderers, drug kingpins, terrorists, and even a member of a well-known mafia crime family. The person on top of the&nbsp;list varies, so the&nbsp;most wanted fugitives from 1980 to 2005 are all different.Some were captured with the help of the television show <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/americas-most-wanted-not-caught/philgibbons?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">America's Most Wanted</a>, while others killed themselves when the police closed in. This list of the FBI's most wanted the year you were born contains some twisted criminals, all of whom committed a number of abominable offenses.

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If You Were Born From 1980 to 2005, Here's The Most Wanted Criminal In The Year You Were Born

The Most Wanted Criminals From 1980 to 2005

On September 10, 2017, authorities found the body of 19-year-old Kenneka&nbsp;Jenkins&nbsp;inside a hotel freezer. Jenkins had been attending a party with some friends at the Crowne Plaza O&rsquo;Hare Hotel in the Rosemont neighborhood of Chicago when she wandered off in the early hours of September 10. It would take nearly 24 hours for investigators to discover her body.

The story of Jenkins&#39;s death soon went viral on social media, leading to speculation about the circumstances surrounding her death and the possibility of foul play. Video footage showed a seemingly intoxicated Jenkins wandering through the hotel, though her friends claimed she had only one glass of cognac that night. The unsettling security footage and instant media attention also drew comparisons to the 2013 death of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/elisa-lam-theories/lyra-radford" target="_blank">Elisa Lam</a> at <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-about-the-history-of-the-cecil-hotel/cat-mcauliffe?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the Cecil Hotel</a>.

Although authorities officially ruled Kenneka Jenkins&#39;s death an accident, friends and family still question what happened to her years later.

Kenneka Jenkins Was Found In A Hotel Freezer, And Some People Doubt It Was An Accident

People Are Baffled By The Footage Of This Woman’s Mysterious Death In A Hotel Freezer

House on the Rock

Calling <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/house-on-the-rock-facts/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the House on the Rock</a> a museum doesn't feel quite right. The structure, which is located in Spring Green, WI, is more of a meditation on&nbsp;how&nbsp;weird things hidden in houses can become even stranger tourist attractions. Although many of the&nbsp;creepy items&nbsp;and&nbsp;artwork on display at House on the Rock have no actual historical value, the house is certainly a unique place to stop and spend a day.&nbsp;The creepy story behind the House on the Rock involves a man named Alex Jordan. He&nbsp;wanted to be an architect, but had no actual training. He designed and funded construction of the house anyway, back in 1945, and then <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/normal-people-creepy-secrets/lyra-radford" target="_blank">secretly began filling it</a> with the unusual things that he collected. Word got out, and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wdbgg4/visiting-the-house-on-the-rock-a-museum-about-everything-and-nothing" target="_blank">by 1960</a>, the house was officially open for business.&nbsp;So, what will you see there? The House on the Rock's hidden art includes angels, a giant carousel, and even a music room – though all of that is much stranger than it sounds. The house is so bizarre, in fact, that Neil Gaiman described it as an otherworldly portal in his acclaimed novel American Gods. Whether you consider it roadside kitsch or bizarre art, there's nothing else quite like the House on the Rock.

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The Creepiest And Most Bizarre Works Of Art On Display At The House on the Rock

The Creepiest Works Of Art At The House on the Rock

The Canal Killer Murders haunted residents of Phoenix, AZ, for over 20 years. The gruesome deaths of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas&nbsp;turned cold, and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-unsolved-murders/ranker-crime" target="_blank">remained unsolved</a> over the years, until 2014, when a forensic genealogist managed to find a match in a DNA-based genealogy database.&nbsp;Since then, the Phoenix Canal Murders have a suspect, and the alleged&nbsp;killer, Bryan Miller, might be involved in several other cases, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/11/17/police-3rdvictim-may-linked-canal-murder-suspect/75641070/" target="_blank">including</a> the disappearance of Brandy Myers, the murder of Shannon Aumock, and the assault of Victoria Mikelson. All of these cases have several things in common:&nbsp;the age of the victims (13 to 22), the fact that all are female, and the fact that three of them took place near a bike trail, not a rest stop, like these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/unsolved-rest-stop-murders/erika-marie" target="_blank">famous unsolved murders</a>. Charges have been brought against Miller in the deaths of Brosso and Bernas, but he has yet to go to trial.

Have Phoenix Police Finally Found The Canal Killer After 20 Years?

Have Phoenix Police Found The Canal Killer?

There's murder, and then there is what these depraved lunatics did. Warning: NSFL.

Gross Things Killers Did

We often expect cold, calculating murderers to continue on with their depravity once they've killed. But not all are that exciting. In fact, some do extremely mundane things after killing. They didn't lead the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/craziest-high-speed-chases/harrison-tenpas" target="_blank">police on a multi-state chase</a> or run around the streets brandishing a gun. Instead, these boring killers asked the cops to take them to get fast food, boarded an Amtrak training heading south, and even went for a walk on the beach with the remaining members of their family.These&nbsp;mundane things killers did after committing murder make them seem even more callous and detached, since they show that the act of murder meant little to them - it was just another thing to check off of their to-do list that day. To put it simply, the&nbsp;average things murderers have done make them even more disturbing. There are plenty of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-weird-sense-of-humor-memes/erin-maxwell?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">creepy and weird</a> things killers have done, but it's possible <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/serial-killers-who-seemed-the-most-normal/ranker-crime" target="_blank">killers who seemed normal</a> are the creepiest of them all.

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The Most Chillingly Mundane Things Killers Did After Committing A Murder

14 Murderers Who Did Chillingly Mundane Things After Killing

There are many ways for a sadistic person to kill someone. Some prefer strangulation or placing their victims' <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/acid-body-disposal/chuck-stern" target="_blank">bodies in acid</a>, others set their victims on fire. These killers who burned their victims alive either did so on purpose, by dousing them with gasoline or kerosene and lighting a match, or by accident, by setting fire to a house that unfortunately had people in it. Either way, the&nbsp;people who were burned alive by their killers suffered a great deal, in a similar manner&nbsp;as those who were <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/killers-skinned-victims/laura-allan" target="_blank">skinned alive</a>. These&nbsp;true stories about people who were burned to death are quite horrific.&nbsp;

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Sadistic Killers Who Burned Their Victims Alive

Bolivia

The Bolivian Gate of the Sun sits amidst&nbsp;the ruins of the ancient town of Tiahuanaco, also known as Tiwanaku. Not much is <a href="http://lifequide.com/2017/09/15/gate-sun-megalithic-solid-stone-structure-confusing-experts-ever-since-discovery/" target="_blank">known about</a> the people who lived there, other than the fact that they had a distinct culture and built their civilization near Lake Titicaca. The area flourished between 14,000 B.C. and 900 A.D., although archeologists are <a href="http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/Boliviatiahuanaco.htm" target="_blank">uncertain</a> of its exact age and size.

The Tiwanaku calendar, which some archeologists speculate is on the gate itself, apparently featured a shortened year of 290 days. Contrary to&nbsp;other attempts at reconstructing a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/strange-history-international-fixed-calendar/stephanroget" target="_blank">new fixed calender</a>, the sun gate calendar consists of 12 periods or months, each of which has been broken down into 24 days. The Gate of the Sun is a large stone block with carved details. It measures 13 feet by 9.8 feet, and weighs&nbsp;an estimated 10 tons.&nbsp;

According to some ancient astronaut theorists, the gate of the sun conspiracy stems from the belief that aliens from another planet visited Earth at various points in time. They might have visited Tiahuanaco, and played a part in the creation of Gate of the Sun monument.&nbsp;

This “Gate of the Sun” Monolithic Stone Monument Has Baffled Experts For Centuries

Graveyard Shift

Every summer, tens of thousands of visitors flock to Lily Dale, a village in New York state where mediums connect the living to the spirits of their deceased loved ones. Spiritualism in Lily Dale is positive rather than spooky; visitors can receive messages from the dead, attend workshops on New Age topics, and undergo healing sessions with Reiki practitioners. But they shouldn't expect to have their fortunes told, or to have any run-ins with malevolent spirits.Stories from the town of Lily Dale detail its fascinating history. Although the Fox sisters, Leah, Margaret, and Kate, are frequently credited with founding <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-victorian-era-spiritualism-and-the-occult/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">Victorian-Era Spiritualism</a> in 1847, the idea of a Spiritual retreat in the Lily Dale area predates them. In 1844, a mesmerist visited the city of Laona, NY, not far from present-day Lily Dale, bringing with him Spiritualist ideas. A group <a href="http://ronnagy.net/ronsblog/2010/02/history-of-lily-dale-1st-handout/" target="_blank">called the&nbsp;First Spiritualist Society</a> of Laona&nbsp;formed around a decade later. By 1879, the group owned farmland that bordered Cassadaga Lake. Spiritualists met on the shore of the lake every summer, and in 1906, the area officially became Lily Dale. The name comes from the flowers that grow on and around the lake.Curious to know more facts about what it's like to live in Lily Dale? It's just like every other town – albeit one that's home to as many spirits as people.

Welcome To Lily Dale, The New York Town Where Ghosts Live Alongside The Living

Inside Lily Dale, The Town Where Ghosts Live Alongside The Living

People have been living all around the world for literally thousands of years. Here are some of the most interesting things human beings have ever done (that we know about).

Fascinating Ancient History

Ancient History

The history of the number zero stretches from early civilizations in the fertile crescent (now known as the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/middle-eastern-contributions-western-society/daveesons" target="_blank">Middle East</a>) all the way into modern times. This means&nbsp;the question of&nbsp;who invented the number zero has no simple answer, since different civilizations expanded upon the concept over many thousands of years. The basic history of numbers, at least as far as the standard system&nbsp;used today, consists of numerals devised by many <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-mathematicians-from-iran/reference" target="_blank">famous Arabian&nbsp;mathematicians</a>;&nbsp;however, the first actual recorded use of the modern zero appeared&nbsp;on a carved stone in Cambodia&nbsp;hidden away from&nbsp;Khmer Rouge. Yes, the very first zero complete with rounded edges, as far as archeologists can tell, stems from the early Cambodian people.&nbsp;Since zero represented a sum of nothing, it took ancient math many years to fully understand the idea of a zero sum needing representation. Yet many thinkers of the ancient world managed to conceive&nbsp;mathematical theories which relied upon numbers that one cannot physically see or count. Though the zero stands for nothing, the course of its development is anything but a history of nothingness.

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The History Of The Number 0

The Fascinating History Of The Number 0

Lists of famous Mormons and fascinating information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Inside Mormonism

Mormonism

There are many&nbsp;crazy things that happened to the first Mormons. After Joseph Smith organized the first meeting of his religious followers in 1830, they were <a href="http://www.pbs.org/mormons/timeline/" target="_blank">kicked out</a> of numerous states in a violent manner. The early days of the Mormon Church were quite tumultuous.&nbsp;Before the group settled in Utah, they moved around quite a bit. They would get to a new location, build a church, and then be forced to leave when locals turned against them.&nbsp;However, early Mormon Church history involves more than just <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints" target="_blank">fleeing from</a> one place to another, or even the creation of interesting Mormon sex practices. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also joined the Sierra Nevada gold rush and massacred a group of emigrants from Arkansas, proving that they could dish it out as well as they could take it. These stories of early Mormonism are quite bloody indeed!&nbsp;

13 Strange Facts About The Early Days Of Mormonism

Sure, serial killers ~killed~ people, but what did they actually do? Lists about who they murdered, how they did it, and other horrifying facts that will keep you wide awake tonight, shaking your head at humanity.

The Grisly Details

Crime

Serial killer Scott William Cox, also known as the Oregon Trucker Killer, is responsible for at least two horrific murders, and possibly many more. He confessed to killing Reena&nbsp;Ann Brunson and Victoria Rhone, both women in their 30s who worked as prostitutes. Cox pled no contest to the two murders in 1993, and received a 25-year sentence that included the possibility of parole. And in 2013, Cox was <a href="http://newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=oregon-trucker-who-killed-women-to-be-released--1360348077--6384--apnews" target="_blank">released early</a>.Despite the brutality of his crimes, Cox benefited from the lighter sentencing laws that existed in Oregon when he was convicted. He is currently out on a very limited, supervised basis; he lives at the prison, and wears a GPS device that tracks his location. Cox has frequently violated his parole, but he no longer lives behind bars, which is more than other serial killers can say.

Disturbing Facts About Serial Killer Scott William Cox Who Is Currently Out On Restricted Parole

New Jersey

For 40 years, Willowbrook&nbsp;State School, also known as the&nbsp;Willowbrook Mental Hospital, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willowbrook_State_School" target="_blank">operated as</a> an institution for mentally disabled children and adults. The conditions at Willowbrook&nbsp;Asylum were beyond deplorable. An expos&eacute;&nbsp;done by a young Geraldo Rivera and some comments from Robert&nbsp;Kennedy brought the overcrowded and understaffed conditions at Willowbrook&nbsp;to public attention, leading to a number of different forms of legislation.During this unearthing of the horrors of Willowbrook,&nbsp;the public became aware of the Willowbrook&nbsp;State School hepatitis study, a heartless experiment that involved infecting the unaware patients with the disease, then testing out a number of potential cures. Although the asylum shut down in 1987, its legacy is one of&nbsp;ethics reform and the Willowbrook hepatitis study –&nbsp;not to mention <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/willowbrook-state-school-and-cropsey-facts/lyra-radford" target="_blank">Cropsey</a>.&nbsp;

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Conditions At The Willowbrook Mental Asylum Were So Deplorable They Changed Federal Policy

Conditions At Willowbrook Asylum Were Deplorable They Changed Policy

Weird, spooky, and tragic stories of people who passed in odd ways or on strange days.

Unusual Demises

First comes death, then comes the autopsy, embalming, a funeral, burial, decomposition, and who knows what else? Join us on the whirlwind journey of the next chapter!

After Life

Tales from the Internet

Medical examiners, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-coroner-stories/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">coroners</a>, crime scene investigators, and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/crime-scene-cleaner-stories/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">crime scene cleaners</a>&nbsp;all&nbsp;see some strange causes of death. Over time, it's not uncommon for many of them to&nbsp;become desensitized to the gruesome and odd ways there are to die.&nbsp;It's a coping mechanism for tackling such a crazy job. Another therapeutic way to deal with such strange and stressful jobs is by talking it out. Which is likely why so many of&nbsp;these death-centric professionals&nbsp;felt comfortable sharing on <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/6wfb5a/coroners_of_reddit_what_is_the_strangest_cause_of/?limit=500&amp;st=j70ltclk&amp;sh=299e76f6" target="_blank">Reddit</a> their wildest stories of&nbsp;strange&nbsp;causes of death.The deaths that freaked out coroners (and other professionals) the most often have to do with things found in nature and the craziest (and most unlikely of ) situations that humans get themselves into. Read through this list where coroners reveal&nbsp;the weirdest causes of death they've&nbsp;ever seen. But warning, you may find yourself grow more and more paranoid that there are literally, at least,&nbsp;a million ways to die.&nbsp;

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Law Enforcement And Medical Professionals Describe The Strangest Causes Of Death They've Ever Seen

Strangest Causes Of Death Seen By Police And Medical Professionals

History

For centuries, fugitive slaves in the Great Dismal Swamp <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/deep-swamps-archaeologists-fugitive-slaves-kept-freedom-180960122/" target="_blank">hid from slave catchers,</a> masters, and those who wished to return them to their forced&nbsp;position in society. The Great Dismal Swamp maroon community served as a refuge for escaped enslaved people, indentured servants, and displaced Native American tribes from the 1600s up through the end of the Civil War. The name &quot;maroon&quot; comes from the French, and it is used to describe groups of escaped slaves who <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ugrr/discover_history/maroon-slave-societies.htm" target="_blank">formed their own societies</a>&nbsp;on the outskirts of towns, Native American reservations, and deep in wooded or swampy areas where no one would find them – and they could stay protected. Little is known about these communities of escaped slaves, mostly due to historians' focus on the Underground Railroad, although that narrative is changing.&nbsp;The community in the Great Dismal Swamp, which encompasses parts of modern-day Virginia and North Carolina, remained there for centuries, although barely any records exist of their time there. Thankfully, historians have pieced enough together that contemporary readers can begin to understand what their marooned existence might have looked like.&nbsp;

Disaster: Manmade

The Unknown Band Of Escaped Slaves Who Abandoned Society To Live In A Swamp

The History of the Great Dismal Swamp and the Slaves Who Lived There

Exploring the life and end Abraham Lincoln, the tall lawyer in the top hat who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until he was taken out by an enemy in April 1865.

Lincoln the Liberator

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April of 1865. The Abraham Lincoln assassination was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln">set in motion</a> earlier that year&nbsp;by Booth and some of his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/lincoln-assassination-conspiracies/mike-rothschild">co-conspirators</a>, who blamed Lincoln&nbsp;for the Confederacy's surrender at Appomattox. Initially, Booth planned to kidnap the President but later&nbsp;changed his mind&nbsp;to kill the man.On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln, his wife, and an audience of people were seated in Ford's Theater&nbsp;watching the play Our American Cousin. At 10:25 pm, Booth burst into the President's private box&nbsp;and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. He then stabbed Seward three times in the throat&nbsp;and jumped onto the stage and fled. Lincoln was examined by doctors and then&nbsp;taken across the street to a room in the Petersen House where he died on April 15, 1865 at 7:22 am.&nbsp;The after effects of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-the-assassination-of-abraham-lincoln/setareh-janda">Lincoln's assassination</a> were immediate.&nbsp;People in the North mourned the loss of their leader, while some in the South rejoiced&nbsp;- and paid a hefty price for doing so.&nbsp;A ripple effect spread through the country over the next few years. Some <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/negative-quotes-about-abraham-lincoln/justin-andress">triumphed</a> in the wake of&nbsp;Lincoln's assassination, while others were left to pick up the pieces of the presidency and mourn. Here's a look into the ramifications of that momentous event.

Weird American History

What Happened Right After Lincoln Was Assassinated?

The Immediate Aftermath of President Lincoln's Assassination

Weird History

Dr. Martin Couney's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/coney-island-history-photos/rylee_en" target="_blank">Coney Island</a> baby display <a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/07/10/421239869/babies-on-display-when-a-hospital-couldnt-save-them-a-sideshow-did" target="_blank">was a sideshow attraction</a> that ran from 1903 to 1943. Over the course of those 40 years, Couney&nbsp;and his nurses cared for approximately 8,000 prematurely born infants, saving their lives <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/man-who-pretended-be-doctor-ran-worlds-fair-attraction-saved-lives-thousands-premature-babies-180960200/" target="_blank">thanks to a newfangled</a> medical technology&nbsp;–&nbsp;incubators. The&nbsp;incubator babies on Coney Island were displayed for paying visitors, and the funds raised went to their care. Though at first glance it may seem garish – after all, the babies were effectively treated as a &quot;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-old-photos-from-circuses-in-history/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">freak show</a>&quot; – this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Coney-Island-Thousands-Transformed-ebook/dp/B01FV5QU5M?&amp;tag=rankercom-20" target="_blank">Miracle at Coney Island</a>&nbsp;saved 6,500 babies, one of whom went on to live to be 96 years old.&nbsp;

Premature Babies Used To Be Put On Display At Hospitals Like Sideshows

Premature Babies Used To Be Put On Display At Hospitals Like Freak Shows

Ku Klux Klan

On Memorial Day, 1927, over 1,000 robed and hooded members of the KKK marched on two different boroughs of New York City. Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump, was arrested at the rally and parade in Queens. Word of Fred Trump's KKK arrest first made headlines in 2015, when Matt Blum, a <a href="http://boingboing.net/2015/09/09/1927-news-report-donald-trump.html" target="_blank">writer for the</a> website BoingBoing, discovered it in an archived issue of the New York Times. He went on to investigate the Trump KKK allegiances, and discovered <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mvke38/all-the-evidence-we-could-find-about-fred-trumps-alleged-involvement-with-the-kkk" target="_blank">more than one article</a> tying Fred Trump to the incident. Although Fred wasn't officially charged with any crimes that day, his documented arrest&nbsp;just lends credence to the theory that Trump and the KKK are intertwined. There are plenty of reasons, after all, that American songwriter, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/woody-guthrie-old-man-trump/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">Woody Guthrie, penned a song about Trump's racist ways</a> in the '50s.

Newspapers Report Donald Trump's Dad Was Arrested At A KKK Rally 90 Years Ago

Donald Trump's Dad Was Arrested At A KKK Rally 90 Years Ago

Lists of shocking transgressions and terrible experiences that happened to real people - and could maybe even happen to you.

Bizarre True Horror Stories

Gross

Cannibalism remains&nbsp;one of the strangest and most disgusting crimes a person can possibly commit, and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scariest-serial-killers-in-history/ranker-crime?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous cannibal serial killers</a> possess a level of infamy unique to their crimes. While some <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/cannibalism-around-the-world/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">cultures around the world cannibalize</a>&nbsp;as part of their society, the lone cannibal killers in this list acted on their own selfish and twisted impulses. Childhood abuse and psychological trauma account for many of these cannibals' motives, but many simply wanted to know <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-does-human-meat-taste-like/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">what human flesh tasted like</a>, and used dirty methods to find out. In some cases, these cannibals roam free, either escaped from their holding cells or released on a technicality.&nbsp;In addition to eating victims' flesh, cannibal murderers performed all types of psychological and physical torture not only on their victims but also their relatives. Some killers even <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/unintentional-cannibals/katherine-ripley" target="_blank">tricked people into eating human flesh</a>. Hailing from all around the world, from urban epicenters to rural villages, cannibal killers know no restrictions when it comes to location. Read further if you dare, but be warned; this isn't a list to peruse during your lunchbreak.

ignore_dfp_violations

The Most Violent Cannibal Attacks In History

Most Famous Cannibals & Their Most Brutal Murders & Meals

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was a homesteader and author, famous for her Little House on the Prairie book series. Like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-juana-maria/setareh-janda">Juana Maria</a>, who inspired the book, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Wilder actually existed. Laura&nbsp;Ingalls&nbsp;Wilder was a <a href="http://www.notablebiographies.com/We-Z/Wilder-Laura-Ingalls.html">real woman</a> who&nbsp;wrote books inspired by events that took place in her life. For example, she really grew up on rural farms in multiple states;&nbsp;her sister Mary <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/129021/laura-ingalls-wilder">actually went blind</a>;&nbsp;and her husband, Almanzo, was not a work of fiction.&nbsp;Pictures of the real Laura&nbsp;Ingalls&nbsp;Wilder and family exist, and there is a museum dedicated to the family in Mansfield, Missouri, where visitors can at least see part of the&nbsp;real <a href="https://doyouremember.com/83810/little-house-on-the-prairie-cast-now" target="_blank">little house on the prairie</a>.&nbsp;

The real <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder">Laura Ingalls Wilder</a> was born on February 7, 1867, in Pepin County, Wisconsin, and she died at age 90 on February 10, 1957 in Mansfield, Missouri. Thanks to her books and the television show based on them, she will never be forgotten.&nbsp;

Facts About Laura Ingalls Wilder And The Real Life Little House On The Prairie

Facts About Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Real-Life Little House on the Prairie

True Facts About Laura Ingalls Wilder And The Real Life Little House On Prairie

Lists of confessions from real people who should probably find a good therapist and talk this out.

That's Messed Up

Shocking Behavior

It&#39;s easy to share dark secrets with strangers on the Internet, especially when you can hide behind a screen name. These creepy stories, pulled from <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/t0ynr/throwaway_time_whats_your_secret_that_could/?limit=500">Reddit</a>, contain <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/freaky-family-secrets/christopher-shultz">shocking secrets</a> that the contributors never shared with anyone else. Included in these horror stories are secrets about hearing voices, dark thoughts, and even a confession of taking another&#39;s life. Read on to see what other secrets are being hidden.&nbsp;

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Archive Future Social

19 People Reveal Shocking Secrets That Would Ruin Their Lives

21 Shocking Secrets Of Real People

Lists of unsettling and grisly details about what happened to kidnapping victims who were held against their will. 

While They Were Held Hostage

Joyce McKinney is a former beauty queen who made headlines in 1977 when she kidnapped Mormon missionary Kirk Anderson. McKinney turned Anderson into her sex slave. At the time, the case of the “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ex-mormon-celebrities/celebrity-lists">manacled Mormon</a>” made headlines both in England and in the United States.Since then, McKinney has made headlines for other behavior, such as purchasing a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-look-like-their-pets/ashley-reign">clone of her favorite dog</a> in Korea and for suing the filmmaker who turned her court case into a documentary. McKinney fled Britain before her trial and because the country made no extradition request, she saw no jail time. This was mostly due to the courts of the time finding the idea of a woman overcoming a man and raping him to be preposterous.After McKinney <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-kidnapping-victims/ranker-news">kidnapped and imprisoned</a> Anderson, she continued to attract the public’s attention with her fame-seeking behavior and unusual backstory.&nbsp; &nbsp;

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