Even before the humble beginnings of philosophy in ancient Greece, humans have been obsessed with the idea of substances, where one material ends and another begins, and the general building blocks of life. But over the thousands of years that we’ve studied various materials, we’ve developed a good idea of what’s what. With the science of chemistry and the periodic table, we’ve come to figure out and predict how basic substances or materials work.

Some materials have bizarre and abstract traits and are frankly quite weird. Nature seems to operate by strict rules, where things are seemingly predictable and fit wonderfully into neat little explanatory packages. This gives us the ability to categorize things in different ways and understand them for what they are.

Here are 10 absolutely strange materials that have been discovered by scientists throughout the years.

10 Triiodide

While triiodide itself refers to one chemical which can be mixed with many others to create different chemicals, triiodide, short for triiodide ion, isn’t inherently very interesting. It’s often a yellowish substance that turns red when prepared in such a way to create nitrogen triiodide, with the inorganic compound designation of NI.

What makes nitrogen triiodide so special? It’s ridiculous explosiveness.

Most explosives use chemical processes which are quite complex, or heat and combustion. But not nitrogen triiodide, which is explosive on contact. That’s right. Take a simple gram or so of this powder, set it on a table, touch it with nearly anything, and watch the show.^[1]

All that’s required for it to blow up is simple contact, or friction. This material is so unusual due to its volatility that even touching it can cause it to explode.

9 Vantablack

Vantablack is an artificial material that was developed by Surrey NanoSystems. This coating goes on many things, from paint to carbon objects. It’s the material equivalent of a black hole in that it traps light, so much so that three-dimensional objects coated with the material appear to be two-dimensional as the refraction of any light is so heavily reduced.

It holds the world record for the darkest artificial substance and the darkest black you can buy. The material absorbs 99 percent of all light it comes into contact with.^[2]

People even coated a building with it in South Korea to create “the darkest place on Earth” in a mimicry of the deepest recesses of space. The goal was to create an experience of being absorbed into blackness—a deep, dark cloud of black.

Three-dimensional objects coated in Vantablack actually look like shadows from the profile view. Definitely an interesting material, to say the least.

8 Ultrahydrophobic Material

Ultrahydrophobic material isn’t the stuff we buy to coat leather and suede products or the spray coatings that protect our outdoor wood projects from the rain and other elements. An ultrahydrophobic coating actually causes water to encase itself into tiny spheres that look like gemstones or marbles.

It’s so water-resistant that if you sprayed your old windshield with it, you could drive in the rain at up to 64 kilometers per hour (40 mph) and your windshield wouldn’t get wet.^[3] Goodbye, trusty windshield wipers.

In fact, ultrahydrophobic material repels almost all liquids, causing them to shrivel up into little balls that you can even roll around as if they were actual marbles. This material is genius and has a lot of applications, including those for high-tech industries. It’s also ultra-weird.

7 Ferrofluid

Ferrofluids are a type of liquid that can easily be formed into strange shapes without even touching them. Often dark, blackish, reddish, or grayish liquids, ferrofluids act very much like any other liquid when they’re outside the presence of a magnetic field.

The moment the fluids come into contact with a magnetic field, they become highly magnetized, morphing shapes, bending, or pulling. They do everything our usual solid magnets do, only as a liquid state.

This stuff looks like a dark, liquid metal. It can be purchased online or even made with readily accessible Internet instructions. Like so many other wonders of physics, it’s truly an amazing sight to see ferrofluids in action as they respond to the magnetic field and fall right in line with it. Then they disperse randomly once the magnetic field is removed.^[4]

6 Supercritical Fluid

Supercritical fluid is a material created under certain circumstances of temperature and pressure. It suspends the dividing lines of physical properties as we know them. In short, supercritical fluid is a substance somewhere between liquid and gas. It is a mixture of both, and yet it is neither liquid nor gas.

It occurs when any fluid gets heated above its critical temperature and pressure. Critical temperature is the point where a substance has been heated to such a degree that you cannot liquefy it. Critical pressure is the pressure that’s needed to turn a gas into a liquid at a high temperature.

Supercritical fluid is a gas-like substance with highly liquid properties.^[5] If you were to delve into the atmospheres of some planets, like Jupiter or Neptune, you would be immersed in it. It’s a super-freaky version of all liquids . . . or is it a gas?

5 Nitinol

Nitinol is a trade name for nickel titanium, a metal alloy with some extremely unusual (and important) properties. Nitinol is often used in the medical industry, but it has other applications.

The weird thing about this metal is that it’s almost like the liquid metal featured in the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day in that it can always return to its original shape. Nitinol has superelasticity, or a memory for its original form.

So if you make an object out of nitinol and then bend it completely out of whack, it’ll automatically crawl and form back into its original shape before your eyes (aka pseudoelasticity). These shape memory properties make it both fun and practical.^[6]

Stents are a great application as nitinol can bend within the human body when needed, has the durability of a metal, and can return to its original form every single time after the force which causes it to warp is released. Nitinol’s bending, shape-shifting properties are activated by heat. At some temperatures, it will bend out of its original state. At others, it will return to its original state.

This temperature difference can be controlled within 1 degree Celsius (1.8 °F). From algae that remembers the light shined upon it to nitinol which always remembers its original shape and returns to it under the right conditions, materials with a “memory” are definitely fascinating and weird.

4 Gallium

Gallium is a metallic element with the atomic number of 31, which even more closely resembles the liquid metal from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Gallium’s particularly strange characteristic is the low temperature at which it liquefies, which is only a tad shy of 30 degrees Celsius (86 °F). That’s close to room temperature in many places.

This metallic element is bright, shiny, and silvery white in color. When you handle gallium, there’s no ambiguity that you’re handling a liquid metal. As a liquid, this metal can be played with—it rolls and forms into various shapes in your hands.^[7]

Gallium has many practical uses, like LED lights, cabling, and pharmaceuticals. It’s an extremely soft metal, even in its solid state. In fact, it’s so soft that you could slice into it with a knife without much resistance at all. If you made a solid sphere, a ball of gallium, and then picked it up, it would melt in your hand. That’s one fascinating metal.

3 Hydrogel

Hydrogels are a fascinating group of substances, not unlike supercritical fluids. However, instead of being suspended somewhere between a liquid and a gas, hydrogels are suspended somewhere between a liquid and a solid.

A hydrogel maintains its shape and doesn’t flow around objects like a solid does, but it bends amazingly like a liquid with an extremely soft pliability. JELL-O is one famous hydrogel that we all know about. It’s a fun snack for people around the world. But there are other types of hydrogels and other uses for them besides foods.

Due to their flexibility and durability, hydrogels are showing great promise in the world of science for biomaterials, which go on or in the human body. Their ability to completely liquefy, fill a space, and then solidify and still be flexible is mind-blowing.^[8]

Hydrogels are a series of polymers that contain both chemical and physical properties which change their state from solid to liquid seamlessly. When heated, the polymer proteins dissipate and travel more freely. When cooled, those same proteins harden again but not quite as drastically as when water hardens into ice. These proteins make hydrogel one of the most unusual feeling and visually entertaining substances.

2 Graphene Aerogel

Graphene aerogel is the lightest material on Earth and definitely the lightest solid material that we know of. It weighs in at just 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, almost lighter than air. Its density is even lower than helium, although slightly higher than hydrogen, the lightest of all the gases.

Graphene aerogel is created by taking a hydrogel and replacing the liquid contents with air, making the substance 99.98 percent air by volume. This is why it’s so light—it’s empty. There aren’t a lot of the dense atoms of a solid or a liquid to weigh it down. As a result, graphene aerogel is the least dense of all known solid materials.^[9]

On top of being used today for many adhesives, coatings, and fillers, graphene aerogel is also being developed as a lightweight material for 3-D printing that produces precise results. The future of graphene aerogel shows much promise, and this substance is going to be a staple of the future for printing items like lightweight coffee cups or even jewelry.

1 Dark Matter

Dark matter is one of the most elusive substances in the currently known universe, and that makes it arguably one of the most fascinating. Dark matter makes up about 27 percent of the physical universe. It cannot be detected by its luminosity, the refraction of light that we use to “see” and detect regular matter with our eyes and instruments.

Instead, dark matter can only be detected by its gravitational pull. We know it’s out there, but we can’t see it. So we can only perceive its presence by its pull on other objects that we can see.

With its existence first hypothesized in the 1970s, dark matter set the stage to explain the mysterious movements of many objects being pulled in its gravitational field—like galaxies which seemed to miraculously escape the gravitational pull of the larger galaxy cluster to which they belonged.

Gravitational lensing occurs when a substance in space distorts the space fabric and “bends” light from behind it. Even though we can’t see dark matter, this is how we know it exists. It bends the passing light rather than emitting or reflecting light.^[10]

For a frame of reference, dark matter makes up about 27 percent of the observable universe, but observable matter only comprises 5 percent of our universe. About 68 percent of the universe is “dark energy,” a mysterious, elusive energy.

This means that about 5 percent of our universe can actually be seen and detected using observation of the actual substance itself. It can only be perceived by its effect on the tiny sliver of the universe we can see. This makes dark matter one of the strangest substances detected by modern science.

I like to write about dark stuff, fun stuff, weird stuff, history, and philosophy. Here’s a fun one about weird and wacky substances.

[Please note that this list is entirely false and filled with foolishness. Happy April Fools’ Day!]

10Digestive Entero Auto-Deliquescence

The human body’s digestive juices are incredibly strong. Isolated from the body, gastric acid would be powerful enough to eat through solid wood, and only the stomach’s unique structure keeps you from digesting yourself. Mucus protects your cells, and the cells also produce alkaline fluid, which neutralizes acids that come too close. If the acid manages to get past these defenses, you may suffer from a peptic ulcer.

As painful as ulcers are, they usually aren’t too dangerous because, again, your stomach and intestines have some defenses against gastric acid. Other parts of the body aren’t so lucky. If your acid backs up unpredictably through digestive vessels, such as the bile duct or cystic duct, you’ll get hit with digestive entero auto-deliquescence, in which your own body’s juices dissolve your internal organs.

One of the particularly troubling elements of the condition is the lack of symptoms before the rapid onset of organ failure. Though the stomach and the esophagus respond to excess acid by sending your brain signals of sharp pain, many lesser ducts connected to the digestive tract have a totally different type of nerve. You have no normal way to detect the presence of acid in these passages until they suddenly deliver their corrosive contents. The acid then often enters the large intestine, but it may also (and much more seriously) enter the gallbladder or even the liver, resulting in unconsciousness followed by swift death.

People structurally weak in their anatomical core have a higher risk of digestive entero auto-deliquescence. While in a sitting position, try bending forward so your head touches your legs halfway between your hips and your knees. Attempt to relax your abdominal muscles, and then touch your abdomen just below the ribcage. If this area stays rigid with no effort, you are not especially vulnerable.

9Peabody’s Diminution

Special thanks to the Peabody estate

Ever had a really bad migraine? Is your favorite baseball cap a little looser than it used to be? If you touch your earlobe with your thumb, does your pinky finger reach the outside edge of your opposite eye? If so, you might be experiencing the beginnings of a dangerous malady—Peabody’s Diminution.

Stop for a minute and think of all the radiation flying around the world today. These days, radios are in everything: cell phones, GPS units, microwave ovens . . . even clock-radios. And there’s ample evidence that radio waves are the evil guiding force behind a slow-acting malady that’s taking the globe by (silent) storm.

The first sufferer was a Mr. Whittaker Peabody, an early test subject of Thomas Edison’s. When radio waves were first discovered, Edison (known for a bit of cruelty in his experiments) picked one man to test the effects of the waves on. After several years of direct exposure to the skull, Mr. Peabody’s head began to shrink. He reported crippling migraines and excruciating pain. He soon left Edison’s employ, but the effects continued until his head was about the size of his fist.

All photos and records of the tests have been suppressed by the government, doubtless part of some mind control scheme. The above is probably the only one in existence and has held its terrible secret all these years. We only learned of it through the gracious cooperation of the Peabody estate, although they will certainly face repercussions for allowing us to publish the story and the photo.

8Adulescens Inferno

Acne is a normal part of growing up. Eight out of ten teens and preteens do battle with blackheads and pimples on a daily basis. While the cause isn’t fully understood, hormones and bacteria definitely play a key role. But there’s also adulescens inferno. First discovered in 1988 in a small village outside La Salina, Colombia, this highly aggressive retrovirus is a teenager’s worst nightmare. Adulescens inferno makes itself at home in the epidermis, conquering skin cell after skin cell. As it dominates the derma, it causes an eruption of highly contagious acne, often covering whole portions of the face.

So what’s the big deal, you ask? Well, Adulescens inferno wouldn’t be so bad if it stayed on the skin like normal acne . . . but it doesn’t. In almost 87 percent of documented cases, the virus abandons the derma and works its way deeper into the body. Able to move at sickening speeds, the retrovirus attacks muscles in the cheeks, nose, throat, and mouth. Basically, that means victims have acne growing inside their tongues. And since these zits are protected from creams, medications, and pimple-popping fingers, they can swell to enormous sizes. Left unchecked, Adulescens inferno can cause serious facial deformities, trouble swallowing, and eventual suffocation.

Although the virus seemingly disappeared during the 2000s, it reared its ugly whitehead in early 2013, claiming the life of a high school sophomore in Odessa, Texas. Unfortunately, while the disease is curable with immediate treatment, most victims aren’t aware they’ve contracted Adulescens inferno until it’s moved into the terminal stage. After all, its first and most obvious symptom is a sudden and rather deceptive onset of scaly red skin and slime-filled pustules. However, if the flare-up coincides with the appearance abnormal protuberances inside the mouth, nose, or along the tongue, chances are good things are about to get gross. At the very least, nobody is going to ask you out to prom.

7Pulmonary Lenticellular Ichthyosis

Human lungs are composed of a mass of spongy tissue that’s designed to be extremely flexible. The inner tissue of your lungs is made of a sheet of wrinkled cells that folds in on itself hundreds of times. If you could stretch it out flat, it would cover an area about the size of a three-piece suit. It’s designed that way to maximize the surface area that air can hit, allowing you to pull in more oxygen with every breath.

Sometimes, though, that flexible tissue doesn’t behave the way it should. In the years since the first case was observed in 1983, we’ve been seeing a rapidly increasing number of cases of pulmonary lenticellular ichthyosis—commonly referred to as “lung bark.” It happens when the outer layer of tissue on the lungs scabs over and hardens, forming a shell similar to the bark of the tree. And “similar” is an understatement—the hardened lung tissue actually has a mineral profile that’s 86 percent similar to the bark of the common beech tree.

The problem is, this disease is nearly impossible to diagnose without an autopsy. It presents no external symptoms, and the only time we ever see it is in cases where an autopsy is ordered for a different reason, such as for the victim of a homicide. But the numbers are striking—53 percent of autopsies ordered in the past decade have revealed pulmonary lenticellular ichthyosis. In one study, the lung bark was so strong it couldn’t even be cracked with a hammer. And in what you might call an ironic twist, cigarette smokers appear to be immune to whatever causes lung bark, leading some to believe that it might be caused by a bacteria that’s highly susceptible to carbon monoxide—such as the flesh-eating genus of Psilii nicagei.

6Sudden Onset Dental Collapse

In 1936, Joyce Merrick was eating lunch at a diner when she bit down on something hard. It turned out to be a tooth. Touching her mouth to find which one was missing, she discovered that all of her teeth felt loose and wobbly. Another one came away in her hand when she touched it. In the space of about five minutes, all but two of her remaining teeth had fallen out. Doctors determined that the nerves inside her teeth had all died, and blood had ceased flowing to the surrounding tissues, leaving them weak and unstable.

What made this case so strange, apart from the rapid onset, is that in the months leading up to it, Merrick had had a series of dreams apparently predicting the event. In some her teeth had felt wobbly, and fallen out in rapid succession, while in others they were incredibly brittle, and crumbled in her mouth.

Since the Merrick case, multiple other victims of sudden onset dental collapse have been studied. All of them reported similar dreams, as well as occasional prickling sensations in their gums. Although not widely understood, the prevailing theory is that, the neurological system being so closely connected, nerve death in the mouth directly impacts the prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain responsible for dreaming). Certainly there is a link between dreams of clumps of hair falling out and late-life thinning hair or baldness in women, also believed to have a neurological cause. (In men, baldness is not considered pathological.)

In the early 1980s, victims of sudden onset dental collapse lobbied the US government to fund a public awareness campaign, encouraging those experiencing “teeth falling out” dreams and prickling gums to see their doctor immediately, but as the condition is so rare, it was felt the costs could not be justified.

5 Credula Cerebrum Morbo

Credulua cerebrum morbo is a degenerative brain disease caused by the mendax virus, and it’s seen a curious spike in number of cases recently. It’s a highly infectious disease, affecting all age groups, genders, and ethnic groups without discrimination. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this disease is that the early onset symptoms are often considered so minor that the affected person often assumes nothing is wrong until the disease is too advanced to treat. These symptoms include irritated eyes, blurred vision, back and neck pain, headaches, and fatigue. However, if left unchecked, the virus attacks the neurons in the brain, and over an extended period of time, it can lead to decreased concentration; forgetfulness; failure to recognize familiar people, places, or things; and even occasional explosive incontinence. Eventually, the virus destroys so much of the brain that even organ function begins to shut down, resulting in death and possibly even more incontinence.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure. Treatment consists more of prolonging the inevitable, rather than eradicating the disease. It’s a fact that every person diagnosed with credula cerebrum morbo will die at some point in their lives. It’s an unpredictable killer and has been known to run its course in mere months or stretch out and make victims suffer sometimes as long as another 70 years. If you are experiencing any of the early warning signs, you’d do well to get yourself checked out.

4Dissociative Unipolar Hypersensitivity

Have you ever tried to tickle yourself? It doesn’t really work, does it? That is because our somatosensory system is designed to treat external stimuli—those coming from other people and things—very differently from any physical stimulation we give our own selves.

This is a fundamentally necessary setup. Think about it: If your body treated your own touch the same way it treats other people’s, you’d be unable to accurately distinguish between the two. More than that, you’d suffer from a debilitating state of constant sensory overstimulation; simply having hair would feel like something’s always pressing against your scalp, your tongue would trigger a gag reflex within your own mouth, and your very skin would give you a sensation of being wrapped in plastic.

So what happens when this intricate mechanism fails? As it turns out, results range from mild and almost comical to completely crippling. The umbrella name for this range of symptoms is Dissociative Unipolar Hypersensitivity. People with a weak form of it may, for example, pinch themselves and instead feel like they’ve been tickled, or accidentally cut a finger but experience a “burning sensation.” Those on the more serious end of the spectrum may find themselves recoiling in pain while scratching their forehead and generally being entirely incapable of telling physical sensations apart. Current estimates suggest that as many as 27 percent of the population exhibit at least some symptoms. This puts the total number of afflicted people worldwide at over 1.9 billion. This means that you have a one-in-four chance of being affected, without even having noticed it.

One surefire method to test for D.U.H. is pretty straightforward. Take a pen or permanent marker and use its sharp tip to gently scratch the back of your neck. Now do the same with the tip of your index finger. Ideally, the two sensations should be very easy to tell apart. If you have trouble doing so, you may at least be predisposed to the disorder. Do note that you should never self-diagnose, so for further examination, please consult your physician and ask them about D.U.H.

3Pineal Parasitic Infection

Back in the ‘70s, French doctors working on the Caribbean island of Redonda began to notice a series of unusual symptoms among their patients. The afflicted reported strong feelings of fatigue, increased appetite, and emotional and mental instability. Although they didn’t know it, the doctors were the first to detect the presence of the 20th century’s fastest-growing parasite, Cognomen sciencii, or the razor-backed squareworm.

Originally affecting sheep and some species of petrel, the squareworm seems to have made the jump to humans at some point in the late ‘50s, but remained undetected for years, primarily because infection remained relatively rare until the early 2000s. Infection is characterized by unexplained tiredness, mood swings, rectal discharge, and frequent urination—sometimes as often as several times a day.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of the squareworm is its ability to influence host behavior through the production of endorphins and other emotion-regulating peptides, which the worm naturally excretes. This allows the parasite to alter its environment to suit itself—for example, by releasing endorphins after the host has consumed a meal high in salt or fat, the squareworm encourages the consumption of similar meals. Similarly, if agitated by excess movement, the squareworm can release the stress-related chemical Neuropeptide Y, encouraging the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle.

Although previously rare, squareworm infection rates have grown exponentially during the 2000s and continue to do so to this day. Many osteopaths now link this growth rate to changing dietary patterns, particularly the rise of popular gluten-free diets. As well as being delicious, frequent gluten consumption is fatal to squareworms, which are severely intolerant of it. So, if you want to avoid infection, make sure you get plenty of gluten!

2Sudden Onset Gluten Intolerance

Could gluten kill you? Seven out of seven doctors now believe it could and will, at any point, without warning. The protein composite has been linked to everything from heart attacks to ocular scaling, sudden cranial discharge, and pancreatic verrucas. Now, a holistic team of scientists, houngans, and dietitians working out of Saskatchewan’s Institute for Logorrheic Aphasia say that these seemingly unrelated effects may in fact constitute part of a larger syndrome—sudden onset gluten intolerance.

Scienticians say SOGI is becoming more and more common and may already be at epidemic levels—and the symptoms may actually be worsening in response to increased consumption. New maladies believed to be linked to SOGI include ambivalence, spasms, brittle bones, urethral bleeding, ingrowing teeth, wandering cartilage, uncontrolled gall bladder replication, miasma, macrobiotic psychosis, spontaneous combustion of the nervous system, breezes, gum necrosis, tropical hypothermia, verbal hallucinations, and skin disorders.

In a statement earlier this year, the Senior UN Commissioner on Disease, Helen Hunt, advised that gluten be banned completely from human consumption. This measure remains controversial, but has already been implemented in Guam, Micronesia, and New York. For those living elsewhere, the risk of SOGI can be reduced through frequent exercise, Obeah, and a carefully monitored fluid intake.

1Hypochondriasis

Hypochondriasis (more commonly known as “hypochondria”) is easily the best known condition on this list, and it’s also the most prevalent. Sufferers may experience no physical malady, but they nonetheless go through something even worse: the misconception that they do indeed have an actual serious illness. Hypochondriacs often find themselves perusing collections of obscure disorders and even conducting bizarre self-diagnosis tests that violate common sense.

Originally, doctors believed that hypochondria was a response to natural low self-confidence or a consequence of observing actual disease. But with the rise of the Internet and the huge flood of information it brings, social scientists say many people have just developed an unhealthy obsession with random morbid stuff. Plus, it’s simply fun to imagine that you might have an unexpected and crazy fate ahead of you . . . rather than just acknowledging that you’re going to die due to your sedentary lifestyle of sitting in front of a computer all the time.

Most recently, economists and taxidermists have concluded that hypochondria is but a single facet of a larger disorder: extreme gullibility. Sufferers of this disorder (“suckers”) tend to believe anything they hear—or read. Anything that is linked to an external resource appears legitimate to the gullible, even when the resource is completely unreliable, contains no supporting facts, or even consists of total gibberish.

Though no instant cure exists for either hypochondria or credulity, few doctors suggest abandoning all hope. Many sufferers have managed to turn their lives around by treating themselves with regular doses of skepticism (currently not regulated by the FDA). If something seems unlikely, or even just really interesting, read up further on it from every source you can find. You may discover it isn’t true at all. Or you’ll find it is true, and you’ll learn a ton more about it, which is still a good use of your time. In fact, it’s the second best way you can use your time, right after insulating your home against rabid space bats.

Vastest Riffles would like to thank his parents for creating him and Kier Harris and Nolan Moore for helping out with this list.

In America, we like to wax lyrical about the wonders of our constitution and the wisdom of our founding fathers. But political elections, the way we staff that very same government, have been contentious, and ugly since the beginning. And yet, some presidential elections stand out even amongst all the finger pointing, name-calling, conspiracy theories, and vicious squabbling that defines most elections. Let’s take a look at some of the wildest, most chaotic presidential contests in US history. 

10. 1800

It didn’t take long for the US to run into a serious political crisis that threatened the legitimacy of this whole “self government” experiment. In 1800, political parties were still evolving, and the bitter rivalry between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans set the stage for a chaotic showdown. Mudslinging was the name of the game, with opponents accusing each other of everything from godlessness to tyranny.

Adding to the confusion, the Democratic-Republicans had a factional frenzy of their own. While Thomas Jefferson ran for president, his running mate, Aaron Burr, created a puzzling scenario. The electoral system was also a mess (imagine that), leading to a tie between Jefferson and Burr, and thus disqualifying incumbent President John Adams. As a result, the House of Representatives had to decide the winner, taking an excruciating 36 rounds of voting before Jefferson finally emerged as president. Amid all the turmoil, the 1800 election exposed flaws in the young democracy but also demonstrated its resilience and capacity to evolve. So at least there’s that. 

9. 1824

The presidential election of 1824 is often referred to as the “Corrupt Bargain” election, and for good reason. It was a tumultuous affair involving four major candidates, all from the same party, the Democratic-Republicans. The absence of a clear winner through the electoral process led to the election being decided by the House of Representatives.

The election ended with John Quincy Adams winning the presidency, but the circumstances surrounding his victory were highly controversial. Henry Clay, one of the other candidates, was also the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He used his influence to support Adams, who subsequently appointed Clay as his Secretary of State. Many saw this as a backroom deal, leading to accusations of corruption. This contentious election highlighted the need for a more transparent and equitable electoral system, which eventually resulted in changes to the nomination process and the rise of the Democratic Party.

8. 1860

The presidential election of 1860 took place at a time of intense sectional tensions between the North and the South, primarily over the issue of slavery. The Democratic Party (then representing southern white conservatives, and dominated by pro-slavery interests) was divided, resulting in two separate Democratic candidates running against the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, and John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party.

This ticket splitting led to Abraham Lincoln’s victory, without winning a single Southern state (none of whom even allowed his name on the ballot). Fearing Lincoln, the first president of the abolitionist Republican Party, was a threat to the institution of slavery, South Carolina seceded from the Union just a month after the election results. Over the following months, several other Southern states followed suit, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America. Lincoln tried to appease the south, even promising not to challenge the institution of slavery where it presently existed, but it was no use. The American Civil War was about to begin. 

7. 1872

The presidential election of 1872 wasn’t the most chaotic or contentious in history. But it had its fair share of drama and intrigue. Incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant sought re-election after his first term in office, marked by his efforts during the Reconstruction period. His main opponent was Horace Greeley, nominated by the newly formed Liberal Republican Party. However, one of the most significant twists in this election was that Horace Greeley, the Democratic and Liberal Republican candidate, actually died before the Electoral College could cast their votes. It didn’t particularly matter since Grant won easily. 

But still, Greeley’s death left the electoral votes in a unique situation, as some electors had already pledged to vote for him. Ultimately, this led to a rather unorthodox Electoral College outcome. Despite the loss of their candidate, Greeley’s electors cast their votes for various other candidates in the electoral process. Ulysses S. Grant still won the election decisively, securing his second term in office. 

6. 1876

The presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and chaotic elections in US history. It featured a contentious battle between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. While Tilden won the popular vote, the electoral votes were mired in controversy. Several Southern states sent double sets of electoral votes, creating a perplexing situation with no clear majority for either candidate.

Amid the turmoil, the Compromise of 1877 emerged as a pivotal moment in American history. To prevent a constitutional crisis and the looming threat of yet another civil war, barely a decade after the first one ended, a political agreement was finally reached. The Democrats agreed to support Hayes as president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South. This compromise effectively marked the end of Reconstruction, permitting Southern states to regain control over their governments. However, the removal of federal troops also meant the abandonment of civil rights for newly freed African Americans, leading to the institution of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the South.

5. 1912

The US presidential election of 1912 was an exceptional and chaotic contest featuring four significant candidates: Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene V. Debs. Wilson, a Democrat, eventually emerged victorious, but the campaign was marked by a significant divide within the Republican Party.

The election became a vicious battle of progressive policies and ideologies. Theodore Roosevelt, former President and a Republican, ran as a Progressive Party candidate, splitting the Republican vote in half, slamming the door on his former friend Taft’s reelection chances, and turning the two into bitter, lifelong enemies. This division allowed the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, to secure a decisive victory in the Electoral College, while Debs, representing the Socialist Party, earned a substantial number of votes. The election of 1912 led to important reforms and the continued shift toward progressive policies in the United States, marking a significant moment in the nation’s political history.

4. 1972

The US presidential election of 1972 itself wasn’t too nuts. Incumbent President Richard Nixon, a Republican, won reelection overwhelmingly against Democrat George McGovern. Nixon convinced the nation to rehire him after boasting significant accomplishments in foreign policy, including détente with the Soviet Union and the opening of diplomatic relations with China.

However, the shadow of the Watergate scandal, in which some of Nixon’s supporters broke into the DNC headquarters to steal information at the Watergate hotel, loomed large over the nation following the election. It was a complex web of political espionage, cover-ups, and illegal activities orchestrated by members of Nixon’s administration. As information regarding the scandal unraveled, it was revealed that while Nixon had not authorized the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but had participated in efforts to obstruct the investigation. The scandal ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation in 1974, making him the only U.S. president to step down from office. 

3. 2000

The presidential election of 2000 was one of the most controversial and longest-lasting, as well as the closest contest, in American history. The major candidates were Republican George W. Bush, governor of Texas and son of former President George H.W. Bush, and Democrat Al Gore, the sitting vice president under Bill Clinton. 

The most significant and contentious issue of this election was the vote recount in the state of Florida. Florida’s electoral votes were crucial for both candidates, and the outcome was so close that it hinged on literally 537 votes. Yes, you read that right – 537 votes would decide the leader of the free world. Legal battles ensued over the recount process, with the Florida Supreme Court ordering a recount of disputed votes. The US Supreme Court, in the landmark case Bush v. Gore, intervened to stop the recount, effectively awarding Florida’s electoral votes and the presidency to George W. Bush. This decision was highly controversial and remains a subject of debate, with some critics arguing it was a politically motivated decision. George W. Bush won the Electoral College while losing the popular vote, making him the fourth president in US history to do so. 

2. 2016

The 2016 US presidential election was a historic contest in many regards. On one side, there was Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and first woman to be nominated for president by a major party. On the other side, the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star, who had never held public office. Nobody thought an outrageous candidate like Trump, who had a knack for making offensive comments and unforced errors, had any chance against a seasoned statesman like Clinton. 

But then Trump won the Electoral College, securing the presidency, while Hillary Clinton garnered more of the popular vote. This outcome led to ongoing debates about the US electoral system and raised questions about foreign interference, specifically Russian efforts to influence the election. More notably, an era of norm-shattering democratic backsliding and ever-intensifying political polarization followed, with global headlines being dominated by Trump and members of his administration for years. 

1. 2020 

The 2020 US presidential election was a momentous event, marked by one of the most chaotic backdrops since the 1864 election during the Civil War. There was of course the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protestors following the murder of George Floyd, and fallout from the first impeachment of   incumbent Donald Trump following an extortion scheme to dig up dirt on Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden. 

When the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won in November, Trump and his team continued insisting, without evidence, that the election had been rigged — something his supporters lapped up with their “stop the steal” chants when the votes were still being counted and the rapid proliferation of related conspiracy theories after the race had been called for Biden. After Trump’s attempts to overturn the election both via the courts and by illegally pressuring officials in swing states to do so unilaterally, his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, leading to five deaths, Trump’s second impeachment (he was acquitted once again), and global concern about the state of American democracy.

Throughout history, many individuals have stood firm and said, “No.” They’ve rejected the dominant dogma of the time and decided to carve their own path as they traversed and trudged through the world, forging new ideas into the zeitgeist of the era. Anarchists and other rebels serve important purposes in our societies, one of the most important being the drivers of change in the world. If the dominant ideology is never challenged, the collective progression of human thought and innovation would stagnate. And throughout the long, rich history of rebellion, many of the anarchists who have stood tall in the face of oppression were women.

When many of us hear the word “anarchist,” we instantly think of crusty punk rockers huddled in abandoned buildings, but anarchism has many faces and names that are far different from these generic, media-influenced images our brains seem to naturally conjure up. In short, the common theme under the umbrella of people who could be described as anarchists is the idea that an individual person should be in control of themselves and should not live under the dictation of others and that we as people are capable of leading our own lives, without the hindrance of overbearing rule, force, or coercion. Here are ten of history’s most badass anarchist women who challenged the system.

10 Emma Goldman

When it comes to history’s badass women, while the story may not begin with Emma Goldman, she definitely left her mark as one of the most vocal, rebellious, and militant women of all time. Born in Russia in 1869, Goldman would move to the United States and grow up to dedicate her life to forwarding the cause of the radical freedom of the individual, becoming especially militant after the hanging of several anarchist labor demonstrators in Chicago in 1886.

That year, a group of protesters took to the streets to protest for an eight-hour workday and against police brutality; the gathering was largely peaceful, until police showed up and attempted to disband the protest. At some point, a bomb went off. This debacle would become known as the Haymarket Affair. Four demonstrators were tried and executed despite a conspicuous lack of evidence, and this served as a vastly influential moment in Goldman’s life.

From here, she would fight for the right to birth control and women’s rights in general. She would be arrested and imprisoned during World War I because she protested compulsory military service for men. Goldman spent two years behind bars but remained unshaken. After her release, was deported for her protests. Yes, she was so vocal and radical for the time that she was deported for protesting.

From this point forward, Goldman lived in political exile, never really finding a “home” country to live in.^[1] She traveled to Russia and experienced the Russian Revolution but became quickly angered by the authoritarianism she saw there, too—and, of course, she was vocal about it, protesting the newly formed Soviet state. In 1989, a document was uncovered in which she questioned Vladimir Lenin ruthlessly for his oppression of anarchists within the Soviet Union. Goldman left the USSR and actually registered as an anarchist, an oppressed class within the nation at the time, and was now at political war with both the USSR and the US.

She spent the rest of her years in exile, roaming and fighting for the rights of free people, and wrote in detail about her convictions. Very few people have stood up against the might of both the United States and the Soviet Union, which earned Goldman her place in history as one of the world’s most badass anarchist women. Goldman can be quoted saying, “I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody’s right to beautiful, radiant things.”

9 Margaret Sanger

Born in New York in 1879, Margaret Sanger would become a lifelong activist and would come into contact with Emma Goldman during her life of vocal outspokenness. Sanger, too, faced the wrath of oppression for challenging the social order of the time. In 1910, she moved to Greenwich Village in New York City, which was a hotbed of political activism. There, she and Goldman crossed paths, and Sanger began protesting for various causes, such as labor rights and birth control. Sanger was actually the first person to coin the term “birth control,” which was an illegal idea at the time, and she began publishing literature in support of it. A warrant was issued for her arrest for obscenity due to the publication of her works, including sexual education literature, and she ran from the law, leaving the United States until 1915.

The charges against Sanger were dropped in 1916, and she opened a birth control clinic in Brooklyn. This time, she was charged with being a public nuisance and would serve 30 days in jail for the crime.^[2] From here, she raised a lot of public support for the birth control movement, and female reproductive rights in general, and subsequently went on to not only write but to establish several organizations dedicated to the cause, as well as help influence several major court cases which lead to the legality of birth control. In one of her early publications, Sanger also coined the phrase, “No Gods. No Masters.”

8 Louise Michel

Louise Michel was a French anarchist revolutionary born in 1830. She was a teacher who also fought in combat on the front lines with the National Guard in defense of the Paris Commune. Instead of the slow and steady legal reform of political liberalism, she believed in and advocated the use of violence to prove political points. The Germans laid siege to Paris in 1870, and Michel worked as a medic with the ambulance services and aided in the repelling of the invading Prussian forces.

France was a place of political turmoil at the time, and the French government tried to disarm the Parisians who had established the Paris Commune, but Michel took up arms and fought back.^[3] She would be brought up on charges, and her mother was arrested and held hostage until Louise surrendered and was sent to prison. She refused legal counsel, defending herself in court, and was sentenced to deportation and exile. Michel would then be imprisoned again on more charges, even while awaiting deportation. She ended up spending many of her future days in exile, studying and writing anarchist literature.

Eventually, the members of the Paris Commune were granted amnesty, and Michel returned to France. However, she continued to protest and fight for the rights of the individual and would yet again be arrested in 1883, and after another unsuccessful attempt at representing herself in court, she was sentenced to six years in prison. Michel continued her life in France in and out of prison, ever vocal about her opinions. She even faced an assassination attempt; she was shot by someone who didn’t like her political ideas. Michel survived and remained a revolutionary until her death in 1905.

7 Marie-Louise Berneri

Marie-Louise Berneri was born in Italy in 1918, a time of political upheaval and radical social change, to a father who was politically controversial. This definitely rubbed off on her, as her family was forced into exile in 1926 for their steadfast resistance of the rise of Italian fascism under Mussolini. The die had been cast, and they settled in Sorbonne in France.

In the 1930s, she began the publication of anarchist papers, writing in French and editing a publication in her native Italian. War soon broke out in Spain, and her father went to fight on the front lines while she continued publication, branching out to England. Berneri was soon publishing in Spanish, English, French, and Italian; she was a literary powerhouse.

After the Spanish Civil War, she was a vital figure in caring for the children orphaned by the war. As the editor of a paper called War Commentary, she was arrested with three other editors and tried for incitement, but she was released on a technicality while the other three stood trial. But even after the threat of imprisonment, her principles and drive remained, and she continued the publication. Berneri would continue to publish anarchist work until her sudden death in 1949 from a viral infection. She was only 31.^[4]

6 Madalyn Murray O’Hair

This outspoken anarchist and atheist deservedly earned the title she was given, “The Most Hated Woman in America,” for her works on atheism and her rejection of institutionalized religion as a form of oppression. She was a charismatic figure, loud, extravagant, and often intentionally obscene.

Madalyn Murray O’Hair, born in 1919, was never afraid to be expressive to make a point. She sued in court to have “In God We Trust” removed from the American currency and prayer removed from schools. In 1963, the Supreme Court of the United States sided with Murray O’Hair in a case which officially ended the reading of the Bible in public schools in the US. She would initiate tens of court cases in defense of religious freedom and would go on to proclaim herself a militant atheist and feminist, being featured in Playboy magazine speaking openly about sex from a woman’s perspective. Above all, however, Murray O’Hair was an anarchist who rejected the top-down social orders, which she felt were oppressive. She founded the American Atheists organization and continued her life of challenging the system, until a bizarre turn of events changed everything.

In 1995, Murray O’Hair, her son, and her granddaughter suddenly disappeared with an ambiguous note left on the door of the building of American Atheists. Phone calls were made by the three to the organization. They sounded distressed but insisted they weren’t in any trouble.^[5] An investigation ensued and focused on the office manager for American Atheists, a man named David Roland Waters, who had a long history of violent and property crimes and actually pleaded guilty to stealing $54,000 from American Atheists. His girlfriend would testify that Waters was enraged by Murray O’Hair’s writings and had admitted to fantasizing about cutting off her fingers and toes. The O’Hairs’ credit cards were maxed out, but authorities had no bodies.

The FBI concluded that Waters worked with two accomplices, two men by the name of Danny Fry and Gary Karr, to kill the O’Hairs and steal their money, credit cards, and so on. A few days after the disappearance of the O’Hairs, Waters and Karr turned on Fry and killed him also. Karr was arrested and implicated Waters in the murders, and Waters was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison. He later led police to the bodies of the O’Hair family, which had been buried in Texas.

5 Lucy Parsons

Lucy Parsons was born in Texas in 1853 and went down in history as the first nonwhite female activist in the United States. She joined many political movements and was outspoken at a time when the United States was going through the racially charged Civil War and subsequent Jim Crow era. And when it comes to radical ideas of the time, Lucy’s were definitely the most extreme, as she adamantly believed that the government needed to be entirely dismantled and capitalism destroyed . . . at all costs.^[6]

Lucy continued to write and protest what she felt were racial, economic, and sexist injustices and would eventually marry a man named Albert Parsons. Lucy and Albert Parsons went on to organize a protest in Chicago in 1886, none other than the aforementioned Haymarket Affair which inspired Emma Goldman. Albert Parsons was one of the people executed for his part in the protest. Lucy Parsons would go on to fight for freedom and publish works on anarchism, becoming a figure notable for striving for racial equality in the United States.

4 Ursula Le Guin

Unlike the others on this list, Ursula Le Guin’s method of preaching anarchism and her dreams of a better world were a bit more subtle: She did it through captivating novels. Largely writing science fiction and fantasy, Le Guin took her readers outside of the world of reality to analyze and criticize society through the wider lens of the unbounded possibilities of fiction.

While her works spanned a gamut of subjects, they always had the common theme of questioning the powers that be. Take, for example, 1974’s The Dispossessed, in which two societies live side by side, one the run-of-the-mill capitalist culture with the governments we live under today and the other anarchic. The Dispossessed is the tale of the members of the two societies struggling to find freedom and meaning in these different worlds they find themselves in.

LeGuin’s works thematically suggested new worlds which were possible, suggestions for the future and rejections of the current social norms. Le Guin strongly criticized blind, passive consumerism and suggested a more anarchistic way of life that wasn’t based on material obsession.^[7] She passed away in January 2018 at the age of 88.

3 Alexandra David-Neel

Alexandra David-Neel was a French anarchist, a Buddhist, and also an explorer. Born in 1868, she would complete over 30 works and travel the world in search of spiritual answers, rejecting the status quo and social norms of the French society she grew up in. Not only did she travel into Tibet, which was forbidden to any foreigners at the time, in search of spiritual teachings from Tibetan monks, but she lived in a cave for two years, from 1914 to 1916.

The British Empire controlled the territories around Tibet and learned that she had entered Tibet illegally. They deported her, but World War I prevented her return to Europe, and she subsequently traveled to Japan.^[8] There, she met a Japanese monk who became her travel partner, and they made a 3,200-kilometer (2,000 mi) journey, some of it on foot, back to Tibet. The two disguised themselves as monks and completed their voyage into the sacred Tibetan city of Lhasa in 1924. There, she translated many of the sacred Tibetan works into French. David-Neel lived to the ripe old age of 100 and would continue to write alternative spiritual philosophy until her death.

2 Voltairine De Cleyre

Voltairine de Cleyre was born in 1866 and was a writer who would be one of the first American anarchists to put pen to paper. She, too, was inspired to anarchism due to the Haymarket Affair and would become extremely critical of the social order of the time, the government, capitalism, and more. She was anti-marriage, anti-state, anti-government, and was against social ideals of the time which held that men and religions had the right to control women’s sexuality.^[9]

On December 19, 1902, a former male pupil of hers named Herman Helcher made an attempt on her life. She survived, though she would live with pain and health issues for the rest of her days. Helcher had actually been stricken with fever and gone insane, and de Cleyre spoke in his defense, saying that his insanity was not his fault and that it was disease rather than malice which caused the attack. She spoke out against standing armies, saying they made wars more likely, and also fought against forced beauty standards on women at the time. She was an anti-state individualist through and through and staunchly fought for the rights of the individual for nearly the entirety of her life.

1 Helen Keller

Most of us know Helen Keller for her inspiration as a writer and educator who became ill at 19 months old, rendering her both blind and deaf. But these limitations didn’t stop Keller from becoming a total badass, and an outspoken anarchist. Keller became good friends with plenty of notable anarchists of the time, including Emma Goldman, and she greatly influenced anarchist thought concerning the disabled with her own political works, which have been overshadowed by her own personal triumphs over her physical limitations.

Keller believed strongly in equality and respect for individuals and held a disdain for a society that claimed that there were poor classes who were destined to be so. Here was a woman who had been born into the most difficult situation imaginable, who had come from difficult beginnings, and who felt that her own dark world of deafness and blindness were nothing compared to what she felt were the dark injustices of the world outside. Keller would write, “My darkness had been filled with the light of intelligence, and behold the outer day-lit world was stumbling and groping in social blindness.”

She criticized the world of capitalism and commerce as producing individual misery to a degree she felt unfathomable. She criticized slavery and the political process, noting that the voice of money was louder than the voice of the people. Keller was a badass in every sense of the word, and both her writings and personal accomplishments prove that.^[10]

I like to write about dark stuff and history.

It wasn’t very long ago that anyone with a noticeable mental condition was locked away in a cold, bare cell inside a so-called lunatic asylum. Yet in that same era, and for a couple of millennia before, if that same mentally ill person was of the royal family, you just kind of rolled with it. 

Noble birth often meant a dramatic increase in the odds of mental illness, thanks to their special brand of elitist inbreeding. It also often meant that whatever decrees came from the mouths of those inbred rulers was law. Despite all the exaggerated tales of babbling, syphilitic kings and malicious rumors meant to weaken the influence of rivals, many stories of insane monarchs were quite true. In many cases, there are enough congruent eyewitness reports to essentially confirm the deeds and misdeeds of these eccentric sovereigns, including some of the most bizarre, depraved, and horrific vices in history. 

Here are ten royals whose actions earned them a spot on the list of history’s craziest.

10 King George III of England

George III is remembered mostly for being the king who lost to America in their War of Independence. But he left behind another legacy: numerous tales of erraticism and madness. So much so that he was eventually deemed unfit to rule and his son George IV ruled as Prince regent in his stead.

George (thought now to perhaps be bipolar) reportedly oscillated between manic periods in which he would speak too quickly to comprehend and foam at the mouth, and periods of such depression that he would cry and wail for hours or days at a time. He reportedly suffered from increasing paranoia and hallucinations, at one point even trying to shake hands with an oak tree. His urine was also described as either blue, red, or purple, leading some experts to think he suffered from acute porphyria.

9 Charles VI of France

Charles the VI had a lot in common with George III. His reign is also remembered for a crushing victory with far-reaching political ramifications, in this case, the Battle of Agincourt. And also like George, Charles gradually built up more and more of a reputation for being a bit off.

There are two most notable displays of Chuck’s mental illness, and they are weirdly at odds with each other. The first is his famous ‘glass delusion.’ He held the ardent belief that his body was made of glass and therefore fragile as glass. He refused to let people touch him, even sitting still for hours on end to avoid breaking himself. The second is his violent, murderous outbursts, which he directed at anyone close to him. Charles even went so far as to kill his own knights.

8 Nero

Roman emperor Nero’s legacy as a ruler is complicated. Many reports claim he was beloved by the common folk, with some even refusing to believe his death and elevating him to the level of folk hero. On the other hand, many historians and nobles (the ones who tend to do the writing) saw Nero as a cruel, hedonistic tyrant who cared only for his own interests, not the Empire’s.

Though surely both are at least partially true, it is clear that he was a bit crazy, and many accounts support the hedonistic tyrant view pretty heavily. For example, when Nero’s second wife Poppaea died—which multiple sources say was Nero’s doing—he had a young commoner man who looked like Poppaea castrated and put in a dress. Nero married the young man and referred to him only as Poppaea.

7 Elagabalus aka Antoninus

Elagabalus was a Roman emperor, but unlike the (in)famous Nero, Elagabalus’s reign was short and has mostly faded into obscurity. What details have survived, however, paint the young royal as wildly depraved. Depraved enough to be assassinated and replaced by age 18.

Reportedly, Elagabalus had little to no interest in actually governing. Instead, he preferred having sex with anything and everything that moved. He had innumerable lovers, some of every age and gender, appointed whomever he was porking at the time to high-ranking government positions, and according to some, even spent his free time prostituting himself. 

Even worse to his fellow Roman nobles, he was an utter heretic, and replaced traditional Roman religion with fringe cult worship in his court, and so: off with his head.

6 Mustafa I

Mustafa I was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire just after its 16th-century peak. He earned the title ‘Mustafa the Mad,’ and with the way he was raised, it’s easy to see how.

It was customary in the Empire at that time for a new sultan to execute his brothers. Easy transitions, you get it. But when Mustafa’s older brother Ahmed I took the throne, the new sultan took pity on young Mustafa and instead locked him away in a windowless room. For 14 years. He then took the throne for just a year and was sent back to his room for another four years. Then another one year of rule. This imprisonment and extreme yo-yoing of fortunes took their toll on Mustafa. His social skills were nonexistent and he often would yank any beard within reach or throw his wealth away to nearby animals.

5 Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg

As consort to the King of Sweden, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg had a lot of pressures placed on her. None more so than producing for the king a male heir, which she never quite accomplished. She had a miscarriage, a daughter who died within a year, and a stillborn son. Though her fourth (at least) pregnancy finally yielded a healthy baby, it was another daughter, whom she named Christina. Maria could not take it.

She called Christina a monster and repeatedly tried to injure and even kill her as a baby, though luckily, she was unsuccessful. By the time her husband the king died, Maria had completely lost it. She had the king’s heart placed in a golden casket and hung above her bed. She then forced Christina to sleep with her in the bed, night after night, the two of them below the dead king’s heart.

If Maria lived in today’s world, we might have recognized her suffering and gotten her the help she needed. However, she was victim to an era’s cruel beliefs and left alone to deal with the tragic outcomes of her previous pregnancies.

4 Princess Alexandra of Bavaria

Princess Alexandra of Bavaria was extremely intelligent. Refusing to ever marry, she instead devoted herself to her studies. She became a novelist, essayist, and translator. But underneath her brilliance and accomplishments, she struggled.

She was a notorious germaphobe and for some reason refused to wear any color clothing but white. Oddest of all, she became convinced she had swallowed an entire grand piano made of glass as a child. It’s hard to make that up. This caused her to avoid touching people and objects and even walking sideways through doors to avoid the frames, lest they touch her and break her (oddly similar to Charles VI of France).

3 Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler is one of the most notorious figures in history. Though considered a Romanian national hero by some, his cruelty was almost inhuman, and his reign was marked by many large-scale acts of torture and genocide.

The mythos surrounding him even caused him to become conflated with vampire mythology (for one, Bram Stoker borrowed his name Dracul for his title character). His insanity is less eccentric than others, more driven by pure bloodlust. Vlad would invite foreign envoys to his palace in the guise of peace talks, and then impale them, still alive, on stakes to die slowly and painfully. He is also famous for nailing turbans to the heads of Ottomans who removed to remove them in his presence.

2 Nebuchadnezzar II

King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Babylonian Empire is the O.G. crazy royal. His insanity is attested to all the way back in the Book of Daniel from the Old Testament. According to the book, he went mad for seven years, choosing to live in the forest as a cow, even eating grass. The psychological term for this is boanthropy, the belief that one is actually a cow.

Though this is generally considered a work of historical fiction, some believe that said events might have actually occurred, but perhaps should be ascribed to a different Babylonian King, Nabonidus.

1 Gaius Caligula

I mean, come on. How could the number one spot not go to Caligula? The Roman emperor (another one?!) has become the very embodiment of hedonism, decadence, perversion, masochism, and sadism (although the Marquis de Sade kind of has dibs on the latter).

Caligula took Nero’s cruelty and cranked it to 11. He took Elagabalus’s perversion and cranked it up to 12. Though an accurate account of his misdeeds is impossible, just a few of his greatest hits are: sleeping with his sisters and even prostituting them out, appointing his horse as a priest, converting his palace into a working brothel, and even having his guards throw innocent audience-members into arenas during intermissions so he wouldn’t get bored.

For better or worse, celebrity culture has consumed America. From film icons and music moguls to reality TV empires and sports stars, Americans just can’t get enough news about fame and fortune. So when a celebrity dies, it makes sense that fans follow that storyline too. Except the obsessions are not always fact-based.

In some shocking cases, celeb deaths turn into quirky and even disturbing conspiracy theories. No matter what the official line may be, certain fans stick to their guns about outlandish allegations. In these cases, conspiracy theorists have claimed crazy tales about celebs passing on. Some say late celebrities aren’t actually dead but in hiding. Others claim stars took on new identities. Whatever the case, in these ten instances, fans have thrown mystery into the mix.

Related: 10 Conspiracy Theories About Today’s Biggest Songs

10 Avril Lavigne

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne broke through in 2002 with her hit “Sk8r Boi.” The performer became an unlikely pop princess with her alt look and emo songs. Fans immediately loved her. But is she actually dead? And was she secretly switched out for a replacement?! That conspiracy has persisted for nearly two decades at least.

A group of fans called the “Avril Rangers” claim the Lavigne that concert-goers see on stage isn’t the real deal. They allege Avril died at her home not long after the release of her debut album, Let Go. In the subsequent twenty years, they say, she was replaced by a lookalike actress named Melissa Vandella. The doppelgänger was originally hired to confuse paparazzi photographers, the conspiracy goes. But when Avril supposedly died, Vandella stepped in for good.

The bizarre theory about Vandella really took hold in a popular Brazilian fan blog. The site, which was called “Avril Está Morta” (“Avril is dead”), chronicled alleged inconsistencies between Vandella and Lavigne. Its authors analyzed the womens’ supposedly different skin blemishes and clothing styles. They also paid attention to cryptic lyrical allusions that came in newly-released songs after the real star’s supposed death.

The conspiracy took hold as social media rose in prominence. In recent years, the blog’s creator has walked back the outlandish theory. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from running with the crazy caper. On social media, new theories still surface about Lavigne’s supposed death and replacement.^[1]

9 Buddy Holly

February 3, 1959, will forever be known as “The Day the Music Died.” That night, rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson all perished in a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield. They had chartered a private plane to fly to a show in Minnesota when adverse weather brought the plane down. Or did it? Years after the young stars’ shocking deaths, rumors persisted that the tragic crash hadn’t been accidental.

The theory alleges Holly had been carrying a gun with him for protection. After the crash, it was found at the site. Conspiracy theorists claimed the weapon had been fired in the air. Some claimed an accidental gunshot was what brought down the aircraft. Others said Holly supposedly murdered his fellow passengers and the pilot to bring the plane down. The rumors made their way back to Holly’s loved ones, who struggled with the grisly theories.

By 2007, the Big Bopper’s son was sick of all the supposition. Seeking to free the family from the allegations, he hired an anthropologist to exhume his father’s body. The scientist carefully re-examined the rock star’s remains. When the autopsy came back, it was conclusive: Richardson had no traces of ammunition in his body. He died instantaneously as a result of the crash. While the reveal didn’t conclusively confirm the fates of the other passengers, family members hoped the new information would be enough to put the crazy gunshot claim to bed once and for all.^[2]

8 Elvis Presley

If you’ve been to Las Vegas, you know Elvis Presley is supposedly still alive. While the real King of rock ‘n’ roll died in 1977, no shortage of impersonators have worked his brand in Sin City. The joke about Elvis’s apparently eternal life is a long one. In fact, it picked up almost right after his death. His father, Vernon, ordered his autopsy sealed, hoping to avoid its release into the public domain. And it was, for fifty years. But soon, in 2027, the autopsy will finally be revealed to the world. That may nix many of these rumors about Graceland’s supposedly everlasting guru once and for all.

Two of the most hare-brained allegations about Elvis center on incredibly unlikely events. In one, the rocker was supposedly abducted by aliens. That conspiracy was first made famous by Ray Stevens’s 1994 song “I Saw Elvis in a UFO.” The song was a gag recording meant to skewer people who believed Elvis was still alive, but it backfired. Fans produced increasingly oddball theories about an alien experience. Some suggested spacemen finally took him home in 1977 after years of helping his career here on Earth.

Another notable theory about Elvis centers on the FBI. Some skeptical fans claim the King was secretly working for the bureau. He supposedly got so deep into crime-fighting that they were forced to place him in the Witness Protection Program to keep his status at the agency a secret. Of course, that theory spoiled after the agency released more than 750 reports on the late singer—with none linking him to a job at Quantico.^[3]

7 Aaliyah

Aaliyah was a rising star in the music industry when she died in a tragic plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001. An investigation later found that the private jet she’d been riding in was overloaded. She was just 22 years old. After her death, the singer’s estate enjoyed a string of hit singles. Those popular songs raised her profile in the music world posthumously. Of course, nothing could bring the singer back to life. Even decades later, fans still recall her beautiful voice and unique R&B persona.

But not everybody was on the same wavelength with Aaliyah’s cause of death. In 2005, fellow crooner Mary J. Blige gave a cryptic interview to The Guardian. During her chat about the late songstress, Blige warned the world that “they” were coming for her next. “When I saw her die, that’s when I discovered the fact that I’m next,” Blige told the outlet. “I don’t know how or when, but I’m next. I don’t know what kind of freak accident they’re going to put me in, or what kind of overdose of heroin they’re going to sort out, but at the end of the day, I knew I was next.”

Of course, Blige is still alive nearly two decades after that interview. She’s thriving now, too, so it would appear her deadly theory was wrong. Even so, recent information has come to light about the abuse R. Kelly levied upon Aaliyah in her early teen years. That shocking storyline continues to have fans wondering whether Aaliyah’s death was truly an accident.^[4]

6 Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs transcended tech after founding Apple and developing its rock-solid brand. The rock star-like tech exec enjoyed an amazing run, bringing the company into the digital age. Brilliant products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad enjoyed massive success in the 2000s. Along the way, Apple (and Jobs) developed a well-earned reputation for sleek design and effective computing. Sadly, in 2011, Jobs perished from an aggressive bout of pancreatic cancer. His legacy with Apple is all but guaranteed to live on forever, but his unexpected passing shocked fans and customers to the core.

In the years since Jobs’s death, lookalikes keep popping up. In 2019, a social media post appeared to show someone who very closely resembled Jobs living in Cairo, Egypt. It quickly went viral, pushing fans to wonder whether he was still alive. The real Jobs was of Syrian descent, and in his life, he supposedly had a love of the Middle East. The internet took those facts and ran wild, deducing he must have faked his death and moved to Egypt for privacy.

That’s not the only time Jobs has been supposedly spotted alive after death, though. In 2016, eagle-eyed Brazilians wondered whether he was secretly living in Rio de Janeiro when a doppelgänger popped up there. Of course, it’s all hearsay. Jobs’s legacy lives on only in Apple’s tech offerings. Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from claiming to see him all over the world.^[5]

5 Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was supposed to be primed for his big comeback when he passed away unexpectedly in 2009. The King of Pop had been gearing up for a 50-date residency at London’s O2 Arena in July of that year. But weeks before the comeback was to begin, Jackson died. A months-long investigation found he perished from an overdose of the medication propofol. His private physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a shocking trial. Murray’s conviction grabbed headlines at the time. Five years later, it was upheld on appeal.

Jackson’s tragic death wasn’t the end, though. In the years since his passing, fans have put forth numerous rumors about what really happened. Some theories include questions about whether the singer was actually murdered. Jackson’s daughter Paris gave credence to that take in 2017. That year, she claimed “a lot of people” wanted her father dead. Cryptically, she warned that she was seeking justice for it.

Not much has come of the murder theory in the years since Paris’s cryptic justice claim, though. Lately, a different allegation has made the rounds: Jackson supposedly faked his own death because he was half a billion dollars in debt. Conspiracy lovers claim Jackson snuck away from the spotlight to avoid a nine-figure payment. Some even allege the pop star is now conceptual artist Dave Dave, an old friend of Jackson’s from his earlier music biz days.^[6]

4 John Lennon

It wouldn’t seem like one person can spread a totally unsubstantiated rumor about a celebrity’s death, but here we are. When John Lennon was assassinated by Mark David Chapman in 1980, the music world went into shock. But one man named Steve Lightfoot claimed the killing was the product of an insane government plot. According to Lightfoot, Lennon was murdered by horror author Stephen King. The crazed conspiracy theorist first published long pamphlets alleging his fact-free accusation. He also infamously decked out a van and drove around, drawing attention to his cause.

The basis for his theory was confusing: Lightfoot noted King faintly resembled Chapman and thus made a connection. Law enforcement has never been moved by it. Chapman pled guilty to the murder in 1981 and has remained in prison ever since.

As for Lightfoot, his theory took on new energy with the rise of the internet. In the digital age, the conspiracy pusher moved to the web with his take. Internet users have taken to marveling at the outlandish theory. In recent years, it has grown to include allegations about Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Thankfully for King’s writing career (and the sane among us), very few people take these bizarre claims seriously.^[7]

3 Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks was a rebellious child born into a devout Baptist family in a rural part of Georgia. As he grew up, he channeled his displeasure with that conservative upbringing into biting, witty comedy bits. In the 1980s, the chain-smoking southerner became a beloved stand-up star on the comedy circuit. His acerbic tongue drew laughs, and the anti-establishment political commentary in his material was notable at the time. Sadly, the angry young comic never got a chance to become a superstar like George Carlin or Richard Pryor. In 1994, at just 32 years old, he passed quickly and privately after a bout with pancreatic cancer.

In the years since, Hicks’s legacy as a truth-teller has been solidified. It’s also been made suspect. Some overzealous fans claim Hicks actually didn’t die but rather faked his death and became… wait for it… Alex Jones. That’s right! The theory holds that Hicks gave up comedy for right-wing political rants and internet radio broadcasts. Hicks and Jones have some common enemies, like the mainstream media and the general establishment of “elite” culture found in places like Los Angeles and New York.

But Hicks was funny and deeply sarcastic—two traits Jones doesn’t possess. There’s nary a resemblance between the two men, either. Still, internet users desperate to keep Hicks’s memory alive claim the unfounded rumor about his alleged Alex Jones transition.^[8]

2 David Bowie

David Bowie’s final album Blackstar was released just two days before his death in January 2016. Immediately, fans wondered about the new music’s timing, especially considering its content leaned heavily into themes of death and transformation. But for conspiracy theorists, things go back a lot farther. Some say Bowie’s 1972 concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is where the sketchy stuff started.

That theory claims Bowie used “Ziggy” to foretell the birth of… Kanye West. Yes, really! Believers point to the 1972 album’s artwork, in which Bowie is standing under a cryptic sign that reads “K. West.” Then, the title of the album’s opening track, “Five Years,” points to a time five years in the future (1977), which coincides with Ye’s birth year. Thus, Blackstar is supposedly Bowie’s final act of passing the proverbial torch to Ye—the new Black star destined to lead the music biz. Creepy!

If Ye doesn’t do it for you, there are other Bowie conspiracies out there. The most persistent one focuses on Jack Steven, a music mogul who had been Bowie’s friend for years. After the pop star passed away in 2016, Steven appeared on Sky News and said he “felt that part of [him] had died, too.”

Fans pounced on that seemingly innocuous comment. Now, some believe Bowie and Steven were actually the same person. They point to similar physical similarities between the two men and claim Bowie’s “death” was Steven’s way of wrapping up his alter-ego’s career. Thus, the TV comment was supposedly a coded message for fans who figured it out.^[9]

1 The Hollywood Star Whackers

When actor Randy Quaid abruptly moved to Canada in 2010, he left a trail of controversy in his wake. The drama came in the form of a series of bizarre interviews. In them, Quaid claimed he and his wife Evi were on the run to escape a murderous group of people. He dubbed the sketchy organization the “Hollywood Star Whackers” and asserted they had a hit list of stars to kill. He also claimed he previously avoided their wrath with a wild jaunt around Siberia.

According to Quaid, the group has killed several A-list celebs, including Heath Ledger and David Carradine. “I can’t believe that David would commit suicide,” he once told EW. “His wife recently has come out and said she doesn’t believe that… she believes he was murdered. Heath was an athlete. He played Australian football. He was robust.”

Quaid also claimed the Star Whackers were responsible for ruining the careers of many others in the industry. “I’ve had eight friends of mine who have either died mysteriously or had scandals surrounding them in recent years,” he offered the mag. No other proof of the Star Whackers’ existence has ever come out, but Quaid and his wife remain convinced. Thankfully for them, they are both still alive. Thus, it appears the Star Whackers haven’t honed in on the target quite yet.^[10]

By definition a coincidence is something that is remarkable involving two or more unrelated things that still happens at the same time or in a way that seems to relate the two. One of the key features of a coincidence is the fact that the things or events are, in fact, unrelated. But over time we’ve come to doubt the very idea of a coincidence. People will remark “isn’t that a coincidence?” in a knowing way that suggests they don’t think it’s a coincidence at all, and conspiracies abound that many coincidences must therefore be the exact opposite. But despite that, the world is still rife with true coincidence, things that seem like they have to be related somehow and just aren’t. 

10. Freddie King, Albert King and B.B. King Were all Blues “Kings” But Unrelated 

If you’re a fan of the Blues or even just good guitar playing in general, then you probably know B.B. King who was also known by the nickname King of the Blues Guitar. It’s a clever name with a dual meaning thanks to King’s name and the fact that the man was just really good at playing the Blues. But he was also known by another name, or rather as part of another name, one of the three Kings of the Blues Guitar.

The Three Kings included B.B. King, Freddie King and Albert King. They were all born within about a decade of one another and rose to fame in the 50s and 60s together, their careers overlapping for many years. All three men rose to prominence as incredible musicians, in particular for playing Blues guitar, and it was sheer coincidence that all three were named King and they were unrelated. 

9. Robyn, Robin S, and Robin Schulz all Have Songs Called “Show Me Love”

“Show Me Love” may not be the most creative sounding name for a song ever, but it certainly captured the imagination of more than one artist. By coincidence, it seemed to capture the imagination of three artists who all had basically the same name. American R&B singer Robin S. was first to release a “Show Me Love“ back in 1993. 

Swedish singer Robyn released her “Show Me Love“ in 1997, which went on to create confusion as both were popular ’90s dance hits. Robin Schulz waited until 2015 to release his own “Show Me Love“ which was, once again, a dance hit — though it didn’t get as popular as the first two. It’s still made trying to Google one specific song difficult in the present if you aren’t sure who sang what.

8. Denmark Keeps Electing Prime Ministers Named Rasmussen

What’s in a name? If you’re a Danish politician, maybe more than you’d think if you don’t believe in coincidence. But if you do, then it’s still interesting to note that Danes apparently have a real affinity for the name Rasmussen. As in they elected three Prime Ministers in a row who were all named Rasmussen, even though they were unrelated. They liked the last one so much they elected him again a few years later after taking a four-year break for someone named Thorning-Schmidt. 

The Reign of Rasmussen began in 1993 when Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was elected. In 2001, he was replaced by Anders Rasmussen who served until 2009 when he resigned from office. That was when Lars Løkke Rasmussen took over. He only got two years in office but the people of Denmark were willing to give him another go when he was reelected in 2015 and stayed in office until 2019. 

7. The Word for Dog in the Mbabaram Language is Also Dog

Language is one of the most fascinating parts of human development and when you look back through the history of language, it just gets more and more fascinating. You can pick any random word in English and trace its etymology, perhaps to French or German or Old English and Latin and so on, back through centuries. But where did it start? When did the first person to ever name an apple call it whatever they called and why? How? 

The creation of language out of literally nothing will not be a thing we can ever fully understand in the present, but we can at least appreciate some remarkable coincidences that can occur across languages that have nothing in common and could have nothing in common over their development. One of the most amazing coincidences comes to us in the form of the word dog.

The etymology of dog in English gives us a dead end when we go back far enough. You can go back to Old English, around 1,000 years ago, and then the trail runs dry. But, remarkably, the same word appears in the Mbabaram language, one of the rarest languages in the world that was spoken by native Australians.  

Mbabaram had no ties to English whatsoever and evolved entirely separately with no influence. Somewhat more remarkable was how linguists traced the evolution of dog in that language from the earlier word gudaga which saw some mild phonetic changes over time to produce what they called a one in a million accidental similarity of form and meaning. 

6. The Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius Looks Similar by Coincidence

In the medical community you can commonly find two symbols used by organizations as part of their official logos. One is the Caduceus, a staff encircled by two snakes with a pair of wings on top. The other is the Staff of Aesculapius, a staff with a single snake winding around it to the top.

You’ll see both symbols on medical ID bracelets but the Staff is the official symbol of organizations like MedicAlert, the American Medical Association, Yale School of Medicine and more. The Caduceus, on the other hand, is the official symbol of the Surgeon General of the US Army and the US Army Medical Corps. It’s used by the Public Health Service and numerous medical businesses as well. So what’s the difference?

The Staff of Aesculapius has been a symbol of medicine for years. Aesculapius was a god of healing. But the Caduceus is associated with Hermes, a messenger god who had nothing to do with medicine. The image, however, is more balanced with the wings and snakes and therefore more aesthetically pleasing. For that reason, since it looks sort of like the other symbol, it seems to have enjoyed widespread use as a result entirely by coincidence. It looks like the real symbol for medicine and healing, so it replaced the real symbol in many places. 

5. Australia and America Both Have a Store Chain Called Target with a Bullseye Logo 

Target, with its red bullseye logo, is one of the most popular retailers in America and reported over $100 billion in revenue for 2022. Suffice it to say, the chain is doing okay. But on the other side of the world there’s another chain of stores in Australia also called Target that also feature the exact same red bullseye logo that has nothing at all to do with the American stores. The goods sold are also similar, with the Australian version selling clothes, toys, electronics and so on but no food.

Target Australia is not owned by Kmart, contrary to rumors, but by a company called Westfarmers Limited. They filed their own copyright claim on the name and logo in Australia in 1968, a year after the American company did the same thing in America, neither company really having any idea that the other existed. The name and logo similarities are entirely coincidental and, if you think about it, using a bullseye as a logo for a store called Target is pretty much a no-brainer, so it’s not hard to imagine. 

Though the copyright in Australia came a year later than the US store, the original stores, known as Lindsay’s, actually date all the way back to 1926 making the Aussie version much older than the American one. 

4. There’s a UK Dennis the Menace Which Debuted on the Exact Same Day as the US Dennis the Menace 

In the age of social media you’ll see a lot of accusations of plagiarism if someone posts a joke online and then someone else posts the same joke sometime later. But the fact is that this kind of simultaneous discovery or synchronicity of thought is not unheard of and can get remarkably complex. One of the best examples of this is arguably Dennis the Menace, which was created in both the US and the UK at the exact same time, each with no knowledge of the other. 

Dennis the Menace appeared in comics on March 12, 1951 in both the UK and the US. The UK version appeared as a strip in a comic book and was created by David Law. The US version appeared in newspaper comic strips and was created by Hank Ketcham. Neither man knew the other, neither man had any idea that the other comic existed. Also, aside from the name, they aren’t all that similar.

The UK Dennis was much more of a Menace that his US counterpart, who was more of a pest than another else. When the two creators learned what was happening they seem to have mostly shrugged it off and agreed to keep doing what they were doing, acknowledging that the other was not a ripoff. That said,the UK version did end up being known as Dennis and Gnasher. When the Dennis the Menace movie was released in the UK, they just called it Dennis. 

3. Two Postal Workers in Two Different States Shot Up Their Workplaces on the Same Day

There was a time when the saying “going postal” had a very clear meaning for most people – it meant going on a rampage. It had become a sort of morbid joke that postal workers were inclined to grab a gun and shoot up their coworkers as a result of a series of shootings that started in the mid-80s and claimed the lives of dozens of people. 

The postal shootings became so ubiquitous for a time that, on May 6, 1993, it actually happened twice, in two different states, in totally separate and unrelated incidents. One shooting took place in Michigan while the other took place in California and three people died as a result while several others were injured. 

2. Anise, Star Anise, Fennel, and Licorice Unrelated

If you like black licorice there’s a good chance you also enjoy anise and star anise as they all have very similar flavors. You can lump fennel into that group too as it also has a subtle licorice flavor. But despite the similarity, and especially when it comes to anise and star anise which are obviously very closely related at least in terms of names, none of these things are actually biologically related.

The flavor similarity comes from an oil called anethole. You can also find it in licorice root and in fennel. All four have the same flavor as a result even though the plants are not closely related in the biological sense of the word. Anise is actually more closely related to parsley and celery while licorice is from the legume family.

1. Agatha Christie Was Investigated By MI5 Over a Coincidental Name

Imagine being such a good writer of mysteries that you actually just start echoing reality with the stories you make up, completely unintentionally and in a way that makes the government investigate you because you’ve convinced them you’re a spy. That’s what happened to Agatha Christie. In her book “N or M,” Christie created a character named Bletchley, who knew some military secrets.

MI5 had an issue with this because Christie was friends with someone named Dilly Knox who happened to be a code breaker at a secret facility in a place called Bletchley Park. Knox had helped break the Enigma codes and his work was informing the movement of British spies. So they had to find out if Christie somehow had learned this info. 

When Knox tried to stealthily inquire about why she named the character with secret info Bletchley, she explained it was because she was stuck in Bletchley waiting for a train and hated it so much she named her least likable character after the place. It was merely a coincidence in the end.