Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Disturbing Historical Facts They Know

People Share The Most Disturbing Historical Facts They Know

History is not all hunky dory. In fact, history is often stressful and disturbing.

The thing about that is that humans control which bits of history get passed on. So things that are recorded are often not the whole story. The disturbing bits get left behind.


But then, sometimes the disturbing bits make it through.

u/Nitroottet asked:

NSFW What is the most disturbing history fact you know?

Here were some of those answers.

Warning: NSFW.

Prison For Poor Judgment

Giphy

There was a woman in the 1700s who, after a miscarriage, went into labor and delivered a dead cat and several live baby rabbits. After a lengthy investigation, English royals discovered that this woman put the animals inside her cervix (which was still open from the miscarriage) when no one was looking to give the appearance that she was giving birth to them. She served 5 months in jail for being "an impetus liar and cheat".

nataliesandwich

Blowing Up

Heart monitors worn on the Challenger space shuttle show that the crew wasn't killed instantly, but actually survived for a while. I like to think they weren't conscious for any of it, but they probably suffered horribly for some time.

GaijinDaimyo

Unknown Soldier(s)

Giphy

There is a neolithic massgrave in Germany of 26 young children and men with a high number of injuries on their legs. They were intentionally crippled before they were killed by arrows and blunt force. The systematic and deliberate way the victims lower bones were broken indicate torture. The group missing girls and women also means they were most likely abducted. Warfare 7000 years ago.

srikos

Nothing Will Stop Us

Great War, year 1915. In polish fortress in Osowiec (at that time under control of Russian Tsar) took place an living-dead counterstrike. This was Germany's third assault on the Fortress, this time they used gas that was a mix of chlorine and bromine, as they knew the Russians did not have proper protection. After the gas attack Germans marched towards the fortress, but but they did not expect the bayonet charge of burned, spitting blood and parts of their lungs Russians. The view surely was terrifying as 7000 German soldiers fell back driven away by 100 Russian survivors, as expected the damage caused by gas was lethal

BionicUndead

The Worst Kind Of Person

Kellogg created corn flakes so people would be too bored to masturbate.

Seriously.

He thought anything with flavor would cause "excitement" and make you masturbate. The corn flakes you eat now are sweeter than what they used to be. He also advised people to put carbolic acid on little girl's nether regions so they could never derive pleasure from masturbation/sex... among other crazy things.

He was nuts.

michonne_impossible

The Crap-Jobs

Giphy

That Herny Viii employed a "Groom of the Stool" to help him go to the toilet. It was a highly coveted position by his courtiers as it got you alone time with the king to bend his ear as well as wipe his arse.

Anyway there was one instance where after the by now, extremely overweight king had been constipated for weeks; the Groom of the Stool was happy to report to the King's physician that the "King has had a mighty fair siege"

RaedwaldRex

Scapegoats

After a major rebellion against the British Company Rule in India, the Brits retaliated by strapping Indians to the front end of cannons and firing. A couple years later the Raj was founded. I can't think of a more punishment that blends cruelty and visibility any further.

YungSpade2001

What A Time To Be Alive

As some of you might know, king Louix XIV of France moved the aristocracy to the castle of Versailles to be able to control them better. There were daily banquets, which lasted for hours. The only problem was that Louix XIV had severe diarrhea, so he needed to wear huge diapers to be able to sit for hours. The other attendants were forbidden to leave before the king, so they all sat in a brewing cloud of fecals.

Schobeer

Said She, "Make Me Amused"

Giphy

Queen Victoria instituted a system of Certifying prostitute as Syphilis free. They were called the Queen's ladies of the night. Many Prostitutes hung the certificate above their beds as a point of pride.

pygmypuffonacid

More from People

Images from police bodycam footage of University of Iowa fraternity hazing
@TimothyJones92/X

Bodycam Footage Of Cops Discovering Bizarre Hazing Ritual In Basement Of Frat House Has The Internet Creeped Out

Disturbing video footage of a University of Iowa fraternity hazing ritual has gone viral after local authorities released police bodycam footage.

The videos show a bizarre and discomfiting scene of 56 mostly shirtless students pledging the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity seemingly confined in a filthy basement.

Keep Reading Show less
JD Vance
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

JD Vance Slammed For His Comically Evil Laugh After Fox Host Asks Him About Running For President In 2028

On Tuesday, MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance appeared on Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum. During the segment, Vance was asked about his future plans.

MacCallum played a clip of President Donald Trump calling Vance "fantastic," but also praising the "great job" Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing. The Fox host then asked the VP if he wished Trump would would endorse him for President over Rubio.

Keep Reading Show less
Meghan McCain
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Meghan McCain Mocked For Seemingly Just Realizing That MAGA Wants Women To Stay Home And Raise Kids

Former The View co-host Meghan McCain was widely mocked after complaining about MAGA conservatives' "harsh views" about women who don't want children—prompting many to wonder if she's been paying any attention at all.

McCain's remarks come as conservatives increasingly encourage women, particularly younger women, to prioritize motherhood. Several women tied to the administration, including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Katie Miller—wife of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller—and Second Lady Usha Vance, have recently spoken publicly about their pregnancies.

Keep Reading Show less
Reverend Jesse Jackson leads children in his empowering “I Am Somebody” chant during a 1972 appearance on Sesame Street.
Courtesy of PBS

'Sesame Street' Shares Sweet Throwback Clip Of Late Rev. Jesse Jackson Empowering Kids With 'I Am Somebody' Chant

Reverend Jesse Jackson’s iconic “I Am Somebody” declaration once again resonated with audiences of all ages when Sesame Street revisited a 1972 episode featuring the civil rights leader reciting the poem with young viewers.

In the clip, a 31-year-old Jackson stands on the show’s familiar brownstone stoop, his Afro softly rounded beneath the studio lights. He wears a purple, white, and black striped shirt and a gold medallion bearing a high-relief profile of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a tribute resting squarely over his heart.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kid Rock working out
@SecKennedy/X

RFK Jr. Posts Bonkers Video Working Out Shirtless In Jeans With Kid Rock—And The Internet Can't

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had people rolling their eyes after he shared his new "Rock Out Work Out" video promoting the Make America Healthy Again (MAGA) movement that features him and far-right singer Kid Rock working out shirtless and hanging out together.

At one point during the oddball video, the two men are shown drinking whole milk in a pool, a decision that follows the release of new federal dietary guidelines under the Trump administration that encourage consumption of full-fat dairy. Kennedy has even previously shared a video of himself drinking a glass of whole milk as a flex, footage that was amplified by the White House.

Keep Reading Show less