10 The BTK Envelopes Dennis Rader is better known as the BTK killer—an American serial killer who murdered 10 people between 1974 and 1991 in the state of Kansas. The acronym BTK stands for “Bind, Torture, Kill”—the signature Rader used to sign the letters he sent to police to taunt them. It also happened to be the method of murder he preferred. It was these letters that would lead to his eventual capture in 2005, but the legacy of Rader lives on....
10 Vibrators The vibrator is an item that almost every woman owns, though few may admit to it. Interestingly, it was not invented for . . . you know what. Instead, it was invented by doctors to “massage” women suffering from “hysteria,” which today is simply identified as sexual frustration. Symptoms of hysteria included chronic anxiety, loss of sleep, nervousness, irritation, and a heavy feeling in the abdomen. Back then, women suffering from hysteria often visited a doctor who would perform a “pelvic massage” until they reached a state of “hysterical paroxysm....
10 The Autism Sniff Test Autism is difficult to diagnose. Currently, there is no objective medical test for autism spectrum disorder, so doctors rely on studying a child’s behavior and development instead. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the diagnosis of autism skyrocketed to 1 in 88 US children in 2012, up from 1 in 166 just four years earlier. Although some of these children with newly diagnosed autism may have been incorrectly overlooked in the past, there is also a good chance that some are being misdiagnosed....
The following stories recount just how loyal dogs are—from staying by your side during excruciatingly difficult situations to sacrificing their very lives to protect you from a wild animal attack. As it turns out, dogs would never hesitate to jump into life-threatening situations to save their owners or even complete strangers. 10 Asthma Attack In Cleckheaton, England, a nine-year-old Jack Russell named Jess managed to save her owner’s life after some quick actions....
10MictlantecuhtliThe Aztecs Mictlantecuhtli was one of several Aztec gods of the underworld and the one who ruled the lowest section, which was called Mictlan—the northernmost realm of the dead. Like most Aztec deities, he was associated with animals—in his case, spiders, owls, and bats. He was depicted as a blood-splattered skeleton with a necklace of human eyeballs. Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of creation and the giver of life, desired to create life but needed the bones of those who lived in the previous world....
However, truly horrifying fossils of this awesome predator survive to this day to remind us that prehistoric often meant supersized. So, exactly what was Dunkleosteus, and how did it earn its reputation as one of the most fearsome aquatic carnivores ever to have lived? Here’s our roundup of the 10 things you probably never knew about this apex predator. 10 Dunkleosteus Crushed Its Prey With Its Own Skull Despite being a fearsome predator, Dunkleosteus didn’t have a single tooth in its head....
“The awe and dread with which the untutored contemplates his mother-in-law are amongst the most familiar facts of anthropology.” James George Frazer (1854 – 1941) Scottish social anthropologist “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay....
Imagine Thor without his hammer or Spider-Man without his costume. These movies would not be the same without the iconic props associated with them. Fans are not the only ones who fall in love with their favorite characters and the props they use. Sometimes, actors become just as attached. Unlike the rest of us, these famous entertainers are in prime position to take the props that made them famous—even if it means breaking the law....
SEE ALSO: 10 Facts About Santa Muerte, Our Lady Of Holy Death The 3-day event kicks off with All Hallows’ Eve on October 31. This is then followed by All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2), when the spirits of deceased children and adults are said to return. While this may not sound particularly uplifting, Mexicans have a rather complicated take on death. The Day of the Dead is a time to celebrate loved ones who have passed....
Smell is also the most mystical of the senses because it’s much less tangible than taste or touch. Because of this, and because we’ve only recently begun to understand the science behind smell, there are many fascinating beliefs and theories in cultures all over the world about smell, some which have been disproved through modern science and some which have stood the test of time. These beliefs can tell us many interesting things about ourselves, our culture, and our noses....
Prostitutes were called “fallen women,” because they were seen as an example of what fine, upstanding women in society should never become. However, prostitution was legal and even encouraged in many circles because it was believed that men needed an outlet for the sexual desires that they were forced to repress in their daily lives. It also allowed many women opportunities to earn wages that they could have never have earned otherwise....
10Their Name Comes From Mermaids The name “Sirenia” comes from the Greek word for “mermaids.” Scientists named these animals after mermaids because sailors mistook them for mermaids, not because sirenians resemble the half-fish, half-woman creatures from our legends. You might be tempted to think that such a mistake is a tall tale or that sailors only mockingly called them “sirens,” but there have been historical instances when the confusion was real....
10Tomb Of Viking Power Couple In 2012, engineers building a highway in Harup, Denmark, discovered a wooden building. Later on, the discovery was identified as a Viking tomb. Also known as dodehus or death house, the tomb contained the remains of a couple archaeologists believed held a high social status in Viking society. Experts discovered two interesting items buried alongside the couple: a large battle axe and two keys. The axe, which was found together with the man, was considered to be the “machine gun” of the Viking era....
Here are 10 tales of how cities in Asia ended up being called what they are today. 10YerevanArmenia As we’ve mentioned in a previous list, Armenia is known for having local legends deeply rooted in Biblical tales. Its old name—Hayk—meant “The Land of Noah’s great-great-grandson, Hayk,” who settled in those lands. Similarly, the country’s capital, Yerevan, considers its name to be derived from the well-known Biblical story of Noah’s flood....
This means that there are far more people who narrowly avoided a grim fate than one might expect. Most of them probably don’t even realize it, but that’s not the case for the following entries. They know full well that they went up against pure evil and are lucky to be alive today. 10 Kala Brown Todd Kohlhepp started his criminal career at an early age. Back in 1986, a 15-year-old Kohlhepp kidnapped a young girl who was his age, took her back home, and raped her....
Last year, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) released statistics indicating that 1,200 aboriginal women had either been murdered or gone missing between 1980 and 2012. The RCMP concedes these numbers exceed previous public estimates. On October 19, 2015, Liberal candidate Justin Trudeau was elected Canada’s new prime minister. Since then, he has appointed a new minister to the Ministry of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. Together, they plan to work with the aboriginal community and hold a nationwide inquiry into these murdered and missing women....
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Human Sideshow Freaks The following sideshow acts all had unusual oddities that caught the world’s attention, yet behind the scenes, they had heartbreaking backstories that the crowds would never have known. Audiences often forgot that there was a real person in front of them, with the same capacity to experience cruelty and heartbreak as you and I. Nobody said being plucked from a world of normality to become a household name would be easy, and their lives prove that point entirely....
10 Martian Nuclear War In 2014, Dr. John Brandenburg published his paper “Evidence of a Massive Thermonuclear Explosion on Mars in the Past, the Cydonian Hypothesis and Fermi’s Paradox” in the somewhat dubious Journal of Cosmology. His theory is based on the presence of radioactive isotopes like xenon-129 in the Martian atmosphere, which can only be created by nuclear detonation according to Brandenburg. Although he once believed that there was a nuclear explosion on Mars caused by natural forces, he now believes that there was once a humanoid civilization living on Mars that was destroyed by nuclear warfare....
Usually, folie a deux occurs when people are very close. Sufferers are often related by ancestry or marriage. Sometimes, they are just living together. The disorder has a high correlation with people who are isolated outsiders, but this is not always the case. Sometimes, participants in folie a deux are harmless people whose delusions only affect themselves. Other times, they are criminals who hurt or even murder people. Whatever they do, it’s an interesting psychological phenomenon that seems outlandish and impossible to the average person, even though it has happened repeatedly....
10 Ancient China In ancient China, infant death was so common that people were not allowed to have any Yili (“mourning period”) for the death of a baby younger than three months old. In fact, parents were only allowed to cry one day for every month that the baby lived. If a baby was three months old at death, the parents only had three days to get over it and move on....
