History will never forget Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon or the Wright Brothers’ first moments of flying through the sky. However, some historical firsts—mundane things—never quite stood the test of time.

Fortunately, historians and archaeologists have taken the time to track these things down. Thanks to their tireless work, history will never forget those moments so vital to human development—like the one when the first fart joke was cracked.

10 First Drinking Straw Was Made Of Gold
3000 BC

Drinking straws aren’t one of those things you imagine coming hand in hand with the dawn of civilization. But the cheap plastic bending tubes you use to keep your clumsy kid from spilling have been around since the world’s first empire—although back then, they were a lot fancier.

The oldest drinking straw was found in a 5,000-year-old tomb and was made out of gold encrusted with precious blue stones. The owner was so proud of his straw that he even put a seal in his tomb that showed him using it to drink out of a jar, lest anyone forget that he liked to sip drinks with his sippy straw.

There’s a reason. Sumerians used straws to drink beer, which was as thick as porridge in those days. That might sound disgusting, but Sumerians considered beer to be a gift from the gods. So using a gold straw was just giving beer the respect it deserved.

9 First Recorded Gay Couple Were Manicurists
2400 BC

As it turns out, gay marriage is about as traditional as it can be. According to Professor Greg Reeder, the first recorded gay couple in history was Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, two manicurists working for an Egyptian pharaoh.

The pair was buried together as a married couple, facing nose to nose as if getting ready to kiss. There are also puns around their tomb about their being united together for life, suggesting that these two men were more than just close friends.

Reeder’s theory of the pair as a gay couple is controversial. Some who disagree have pointed out the picture of Niankhkhnum’s wife in the tomb. Reeder responds that somebody purposefully tried to scratch the picture off the wall—meaning that, unfortunately for his wife, Niankhkhnum may not have realized some things about himself until late in life.

8 First Fart Joke Was Etched In Stone
1900 BC

The first fart joke in recorded history also happens to be the first joke of all time. Etched into a stone tablet in Babylon, archaeologists found a message that someone preserved for all time:

Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.

Likely, there had been earlier fart jokes. But this was the first time a man was so inspired by his own wit that he chiseled his joke into the side of a stone so that people thousands of years in the future would be able to enjoy it.

In another 300 years, the first non-fart joke emerged when an Egyptian wrote on a piece of papyrus:

How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.

7 First Pregnancy Test Grew Crops With Urine
1350 BC

History’s first pregnancy test was etched onto a papyrus sheet more than 3,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians had a weird way to find out if a woman was carrying a child and to determine if it was a boy or a girl.

First, the woman would pee on a bowl of barley and wheat seeds. She would let them stew for a few days and then plant them in the fields. If the barley grew first, she was carrying a girl. If it was wheat, she was carrying a boy. If nothing grew, she wasn’t pregnant.

Surprisingly, it actually worked. Although it probably couldn’t determine gender, researchers found that the test could detect pregnancies with an impressive 70 percent accuracy rate.

6 First 20-Sided Die Made In Ancient Egypt
300 BC

Anyone who has ever played Dungeons & Dragons has used a 20-sided die. It’s a key component of the game, essential in almost every situation that involves sitting in the basement imagining you’re a wizard.

As it turns out, though, the 20-sided die wasn’t invented for tabletop gaming. It was created a good 2,000 years earlier.

A 20-sided die carved from a rock was found in Egypt and looks shockingly familiar. In fact, other than the Greek symbols carved onto each side, it’s almost identical to the ones we use today to roll for initiative.

It’s not clear what the Egyptians used it for, but the symbols appear to represent either letters or numbers—meaning that even the symbols on the side might be the same as those on a modern die.

5 First Vending Machine Dispensed Holy Water
100 BC

Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine a vending machine being used for anything other than hawking cheap products. When the first one was created, though, it was used to dispense holy water.

The vending machine was invented by Hero of Alexandria, an engineer credited with countless innovations of his time. Hero’s vending machine used the weight of the coin to push a platform down. Then a valve opened and a little trickle of holy water would come out.

He set up vending machines in temples all across the country, finally giving people a way to get holy water on the go without all the bother of talking to a priest.

4 First Marketing Pun Was Found In Pompeii
AD 79

Companies with puns for names seem like a staple of business, but they had to get their start somewhere. From locally grown businesses like Hair Force One and Pho Shizzle to bars like Tequila Mockingbird, naming a business with a cheesy play on words is a time-honored way to pull in a few stray eyes.

It all started in Pompeii. While excavating the ruins of the buried Roman city, archaeologists stumbled upon the oldest marketing pun ever found. A brand of wine called Vesuvinum was still there—a portmanteau that combined the name of a nearby mountain with the Latin word vinum (“wine”).

3 First Selfie Was Also The First Portrait
AD 1839

When Robert Cornelius, an amateur chemist fascinated with the new photography craze, set up a camera in the back of his family’s store, he knew he was about to make history. He just didn’t know how.

Cornelius didn’t have the funds to hire a model or the ambition to find a proper subject in nature. So he figured he would just photograph himself. He was, after all, only trying to test his new equipment.

He turned on the camera, ran into the frame, and stood as still as he could for the minute it took for the camera to do its work. Then he rushed back to the other side and closed the lens. When the photograph came out, he proudly wrote on the back that it was “the first light picture ever.”

History, though, would remember it as something else: the first selfie.

2 First Child To Imitate An Airplane Was The First To See One
AD 1904

Pretending to be an airplane seems to be an almost instinctive act for children—so much so that even the first child who ever saw one did it. When the Wright Brothers tested their flying machine, they weren’t in complete seclusion. There was a family who caught the sight—and with them, a young boy.

When a reporter asked the young boy to describe the flight, he instinctively threw his arms out and ran around making engine noises. So children have literally been pretending to be airplanes ever since the first child saw one.

1 First Message Over The Internet Was ‘LOL’
AD 1969

On October 29, 1969, a group of scientists conducted the first test of ARPANET—a moment that’s sometimes considered to be the first time the modern Internet went online. In the process, purely by chance, they typed a message that would dominate the Internet for years to come.

A programming student named Charley Kline sat down to type the first message that would be sent to a computer 645 kilometers (400 mi) away: “LOGIN.” When he started typing, though, he had a problem. He entered the letters “L” and “O.” But before he could finish, the computer crashed.

Kline rebooted the system and tried again. This time, he got his full message out without any problems. By pure prophetic chance, though, the first three letters ever typed on the Internet became “LOL.”

We all know that there is a significant cross-over between great movies and books, a notion hardly surprising given that the skill of writing, whether in the form of a screenplay or novel, lies at the creative core of successful storytelling, regardless of the form its ultimately convey in.

There is always going to be an inevitable comparison drawn between movies and the books upon which they’re based. However, such is perhaps a fool’s errand, given that the two forms are so markedly different as to render any such comparison worthless, not to mention the fact that, as art-forms, their respective interpretation is a matter entirely subjective and thus dependent on individual perspective.

The point of this list then is not one of comparison but rather revelation, for, aside from the obvious likes of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, a remarkable number of outstanding movies surprisingly owe their genesis to literary works. So, while many will be familiar with most, if not all, of the movies that follow, few will know that they owe their existence to the books that preceded them.

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10 Die Hard (1988)

One of the quintessential action movies of all time, and one that still holds up remarkably well as an explosive piece of filmmaking more than 30 years after its release, Die Hard introduced us to the gritty NYPD detective and all-round bad boy John McClane, as played by a young Bruce Willis. Many will be familiar with this movie which birthed multiple sequels, but few realize that it is based on the 1979 book by Roderick Thorpe entitled Nothing Lasts Forever.

Both film and novel share a basic plotline; that of a detective inadvertently becoming embroiled in a hostage situation, the resolution of which becomes entirely down to him alone. The differences between the two are numerous, however, specifically the fact that in the book the main character is significantly older and seemingly overwhelmed by the situation while in the movie the youthful McClane handles things with an aplomb that is the exclusive domain of Hollywood action heroes.

Interestingly enough, the book was a sequel to Thorpe’s 1966 novel The Detective, which was made into a film starring Frank Sinatra two years later. Fortunately, Die Hard creators chose not to follow suit with the movie, otherwise, we would have seen a 79-year old Sinatra, rather than a 33-year old Willis, galavanting around Nakatomi Plaza, which may have detracted from the finished product somewhat.

9 Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club, based on American Author Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel of the same name, remains one of Brad Pitt’s finest performances on the silver screen and the movie still enjoys a large cult following to this day.

Putting aside the debate over which version is better, screenwriter Jim Uhl’s adaptation remains remarkably faithful to its source material, and rather than compete they seem to complement each other as the film attained levels of fame and recognition that Palaniuk’s book alone probably wouldn’t have achieved.

The story, about a man’s descent into insanity and his battle with his split-personality self, is shockingly brilliant, whether appreciated in book or movie form. Sure, some characters are fleshed out more in the book, the ending of which is different and significantly darker to that of its movie counterpart, but both stand as exemplary examples of writing and filmmaking in their respective rights.

8 Shrek (2001)

Who would’ve thought that DreamWorks’ classic animated movie was actually based on a book? Yet it’s true; everyone’s favorite green ogre was introduced to the world not on the big screen but in the pages of William Steig’s 1990 children’s picture book, also entitled Shrek.

While both movie and book follow the travails of a bad-tempered ogre as he reluctantly leaves the swamp he calls home and emerges from the resulting adventures a hero with newly acquired values and morals, the movie and its inevitable sequels expand on the concept significantly. With the added voice-acting talent of stars like Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz, it was always destined to achieve its much-deserved status as one of the all-time animated greats.

As a curious aside, the Shrek that we know and love today could have been very different, as legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to the book shortly after its publication. Luckily, Dreamworks interceded 4 years later to claim the rights for themselves, so it all appears to have worked out for the best in the end.

7 The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

This excellent movie revolves around trial attorney Kevin Lomax, played by Keanu Reeves, who moves with his wife to New York City to accept a job offer that seems too good to be true, which it turns out, it is, seeing as his new boss is none other than Satan himself. Few will forget Al Pacino’s spectacularly vivid portrayal as the devil in this one, a performance that steals the show and ultimately overshadows the fact that the movie is based on the Andrew Neiderman novel of the same name.

As we’d expect, the film and book versions are not identical, most notable in their respective endings which, while different, are equally shocking and impressive. The core concept of the novel, however, is plainly in evidence in its film adaptation; the highly relatable narrative of how subtle yet slippery the slope towards compromising one’s moral code in the pursuit of fame and fortune truly is.

Anyone who’s seen the movie may have noticed that there seems to be a suggestion of Lomax’s moral descent in the color of his preferred courtroom attire. As the film progresses so his suits get ever darker until, in his final appearance whilst representing a blatantly guilty murder suspect, his suit is completely black. Like his soul, perhaps?

6 Christmas With The Kranks (2004)

Even more surprising than the fact that this light-hearted festive comedy starring Tim Allen and Jamie-Lee Curtis is based on a book, is that said book was written by no less than John Grisham, universally famous and best-selling author of countless legal thrillers. While not his sole departure from the legal genre, his 2001 book Skipping Christmas is probably the most noteworthy, and while not terrible, it surely wouldn’t have caused much of a blip on the literary radar were it not for its film adaptation 3 years later: Christmas with the Kranks.

The hilarious tale centers on Nora and Luther Krank, a couple renowned for their impressive outward display of Christmas spirit, who decide to forgo the decadence of the holidays one year and to rather spend the money on a Caribbean cruise. Disaster ensues when their daughter’s unexpected change of plans to come home for the holidays causes a mad, last-minute rush to get everything ready in time.

Not exactly award-winning stuff, both the book and movie are intended as a lighthearted look at family dynamics at Christmas time as well as just how commercialized the celebration has become and thus serve as no more than a bit of festive fun.

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5 Primal Fear (1996)

Going from one noted legal-thriller author to another, William Diehl’s 1993 masterpiece Primal Fear is a stunning example of his genre-defining talent. Featuring believable characters, a rollercoaster of a plot and a final, dramatic twist that few would’ve seen coming, it seems logical that, not only would a film version soon follow but it would stay largely true to the source material.

The Golden Globe Winning 1996 film of the same name, starring Richard Gere as acclaimed trial attorney Marty Vail as he represents young indigent defendant Aaron Stampler, who has been accused of murdering the beloved archbishop, may not always live up to the high standard of the novel upon which it is based but proves all the same to be an immensely enjoyable film in its own right.

The story provides not just a fascinating view of the workings of a criminal trial but also of the moral dilemmas faced by defense lawyers, as Vail gradually becomes convinced of Stampler’s innocence only to later have his hard-won illusions shattered most spectacularly. Much like his performance in Fight Club, Edward Norton’s excellent portrayal of Stampler in this movie, his big-screen debut, proves what an amazing actor he truly is.

4 Reservation Road (2007)

Reservation Road probably isn’t going to feature on many all-time great movie lists, but it manages to tell a story so heartbreaking and intriguing that, anyone prepared to overlook the movies various faults, will doubtless find themselves captivated by the tale. A tale that comes directly from John Burnam Shwartz’s excellent novel of the same name.

The story revolves around college professor Ethan Learner as he seeks to hunt down the culprit in the hit-and-run death of his son by unwittingly enlisting the help of the very man responsible. Actors Joaquin Pheonix and Mark Ruffalo do a passable job in portraying the two lead characters, yet the emotional turmoil of one family’s loss and another man’s struggle between his conscience and his responsibilities as a father that set the novel apart don’t always translate as well on the big screen.

Nevertheless, the key elements which comprise the heartwrenching story are sufficiently present in the movie so that it doesn’t entirely fall short of the mark, and, as such, is not quite as bad as the poor reviews suggest. It’s simply that Shwartz’s gripping novel, spectacularly written, was never going to be quite as impressive in movie form.

3 American Psycho (2000)

The movie American Psycho is another that has gained cult classic status since its release 20 years ago. Featuring the gruesome, graphic first-person account of an investment banker who rapes and tortures women in his spare time as he slides increasingly towards darkness and despair, the movie was released amid a swarm of controversy, much like the widely criticized 1991 novel by Bret Easton upon which it is based.

So contentious was the novel’s subject matter that Easton was inundated with hate mail and death threats after its release, primarily from advocates of feminism. Told from the perspective of the protagonist; Patrick Bateman, brilliantly brought to life by Christian Bale in the movie, Easton later admitted that the book was a personal reflection of what he was going through at the time. Before you get excited, this was not an admission of guilt on his part as he later added in the murder scenes based on extensive serial killer research.

Now considered one of the best horror movies of all time, it’s somewhat surprising that so much of the novel’s graphic content made it into the film adaptation. In a dramatic reversal though, the movie was written and directed by women and some now even claim it as a feminist work.

2 The Martian (2015)

On to a more recent film, The Martian thrilled sci-fi fans and space junkies alike upon its late 2015 release and the Hollywood blockbuster has since grossed over $600 million worldwide. With Matt Damon in the lead role, Ridley Scott in the director’s chair, a massive budget, and a fascinating plot, the movie was always destined to be a success. Much of this, however, can be attributed to the debut effort some 4 years earlier by author Any Weir, who’s novel The Martian inspired the subsequent film.

Weir, a self-proclaimed space-nerd, created a fictional tale with such an accurate scientific basis that the ordeal of astronaut Mark Watney, stranded and forced to survive alone on Mars, comes across as thoroughly realistic and believable.

In a classic case of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” the creators of the movie chose not to alter the story in any significant way but rather to transplant it intact onto the big screen. The result was the Golden-Globe winning box office blockbuster film which has almost entirely overshadowed its literary counterpart. Weir’s follow up novel Artemis has since proven that he’s no one-hit-wonder, and it’s surely only a matter of time before we see a movie version of that one as well.

1 Apocalypse Now (1979)

The 1979 release of the Vietnam war movie Apocolypse Now, directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, represents one of the defining moments in film making history and is arguably one of the best movies ever made. Like so many silver screen successes, the film is also based on a book; in this instance Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, published 77 years prior to its cinematic adaptation. Although Apocalypse Now is said to only be inspired by, and not strictly based on, the book, the similarities between the two suggest the association is somewhat closer than this claim suggests.

The movie’s updated backdrop is the Vietnam war, while the book is set amid conflict in the jungles of the Congo, yet both share the same basic plotline; that of a company of soldiers in a war zone dispatched to locate and eliminate a troublesome renegade colonel named Walter Kurtz.

Featuring a disturbingly accurate portrayal of the harsh realities of war and their effects on individual soldiers as the mounting horrors cause an eclipse of the soul, something referenced in both titles, there are certainly differences between the two. Yet the similarities are both significant and surprising, proof that the film was heavily influenced by Conrad’s work.

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Today, book bans are far more common than we’d care to think or admit. Every year hundreds of books are challenged in efforts to get them far away from the eyes of everyday citizens. The reason behind these bands can be a wide variety of things, depending on who’s attempting to ban the book. 

At its core, the practice of banning books is an effort to reduce the spread of certain things that people believe are unsuitable for society. Of course, this means things like violence, disrespect of authority (parents, police, political leaders, authority figures, etc.), and a host of other things. But the main reason why books get banned is to stop the spread of certain ideas. Some of these bans are benign, while others have serious consequences. Such as…

10. Maus

The banning of Maus is a rather new entry to the book-banning discussion. It’s also among the most high-profile examples of banned books in recent history. Maus is a graphic novel that was created by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman. It was serialized between 1980 and 1991. Spiegelman created the narrative for Maus by interviewing his father, who was a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. As a result, he created a story where he represented Jews as mice while the villains, in this case, the Germans and Poles, as cats and pigs. 

What could be argued is an important story for everyone to read and digest further to understand the holocaust in a more palatable way became the target of a successful book-banning effort. In January, the McMinn County school board in Tennessee voted unanimously to outright ban Maus from the eighth-graders curriculum. What is interesting about the banning of Maus is that while it seems contained to a district in a single state, it’s part of a growing trend where History is being increasingly whitewashed. In this case, Maus was just the lightning rod. As a result of the book ban, Maus saw a huge increase in interest and sales.  

9. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Most are familiar with the tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but some might be surprised to learn that this book was once heavily challenged. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland follows Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantastical world where very little makes sense. Originally published in 1865, the first ban came about in 1900 when New Hampshire banned it for promoting sexual fantasies and self-pleasure. However, it’s been deemed more likely that this ban was about the author’s promiscuity rather than the material itself. Of course, this isn’t the first and only attempt made to ban Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

In China in 1931, a government censor, General Ho Chien, banned the book for its portrayal of animals. More specifically, it was the animals acting like humans. He believed that putting animals on equal footing in children’s eyes was not only insulting to humans but also disastrous and dangerous. This largely speaks to China’s beliefs surrounding animals which is largely believed to be that the Chinese view animals as ‘human’s tools and property.’

In the 1960s, nearly a decade after Disney made their animated film adapting the book, the US was back to attempting to ban Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The reason this time? Drug usage. While successful at the time, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s fantastical tale has lived on.

8. Grapes of Wrath

Following the Joad family in the 1930s, a family of farmers who loses everything in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Grapes of Wrath is an American classic. The core of the story deals with the effects of the Great Depression as the Joad family seek opportunity in California. However, it doesn’t just speak of the family’s struggle but the plight of everyday people in what was a catastrophic moment in economic and American history. You’d think this would have been a pivotal book to read, but not everyone would agree with this assessment. 

Grapes of Wrath was banned across the country in various counties and cities. Some of the biggest opponents of the book were those residing in Kern County, California, where the fictional Joad family ended up. In 1939, they voted to ban the book in the county’s schools and libraries in a 4 to 1 vote. This challenge was aided by the local Associated Farmers organization, who weren’t happy that it fomented outrage over their labor practices. As a result, they called the book a ‘pack of lies’ and even went as far as publicizing book burnings. 

The AF was not alone, numerous outlets and organizations went on a campaign to smear the book and distort its message, and in a way, it worked. The book became a villain in its own right, being the poster of anti-American sentiments, a desire for communism, and anti-individualism. However, the banning of Grapes of Wrath is considered a key event in the creation of the Library Bill of Rights. So, in this case, the book ban helped everyone by providing protection too available knowledge.

7. Lolita

If ever there was a more polarizing book, it would be Lolita. This book was published in 1955 and written by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov and follows a fictional author who becomes obsessed with his 12-year-old step-daughter leading him to kidnap her where the two form a strange and abusive relationship. Of course, it’s easy to see why this book was challenged and why in many cases, it won. The book ended up getting banned in numerous countries, such as England in 1955, France in 1956, Argentina in 1959, and New Zealand in 1960. This ended up helping Nabokov as he hadn’t published the book in the US until 1958, and the bans created a ton of press for his forthcoming book. 

The book, while a bestseller, drew a polarized response from many. While some called it grotesque, others hailed it as one of the best of the year and deemed it likely to become a classic. The book was banned in numerous countries due to obscenities in the book. However, and perhaps more interestingly, the book was never banned in the United States. It’s likely that the 1933 case ‘The United States of America v. One Book Called “Ulysses”’ had something to do with that. Of course, the book is still challenged around the world. But nevertheless, Lolita, as controversial as it is, is no longer banned and remains as polarizing as ever. 

6. The Handmaid’s Tale

Margret Atwood is a prolific writer who’s written her fair share of books since 1961, but few have left a mark as much as The Handmaid’s Tale. The book, originally published in 1985, has gone on to be a gripping tale of a dystopian future set in New England which is now a totalitarian state run on the laws of Christianity known formally as the Republic of Gilead. In this republic, women are assigned to classes, one of which is to reproduce for their masters and their barren wives.  Atwood’s haunting tale is one that’s been banned not only on local levels in the United States but outright in other countries like Spain and Portugal. 

With the current political climate surrounding the argument of abortions around the world, but primarily in the United States, The Handmaid’s Tale has become more relevant and challenged. Atwood responded directly to these book ban efforts and threats by creating a copy of the book that cannot be burned at all. It ranks as one of the more interesting responses to a persistent book-banning effort. 

5. Spycatcher

An interesting book ban is that of Spycatcher. Written by the UK’s former Assistant Director of MI5, Peter Wright, this book caused quite a stir when first published in 1987. Wright tells his story and draws on the history of the British Intelligence Community to craft a compelling memoir. Of course, this book infuriated many of those in power across the UK government and intelligence agencies. Why? Because it told of truths that they didn’t want the public to know about, such as how the agency operated beyond the boundaries of laws where the only rule you needed to follow was not to get caught. From this book, the world of espionage was blown wide open. As a result, the British government made every effort to suppress the material. Still, it only made the book even more successful abroad.

Spycatcher caused a lot of commotion in the UK, where the government targeted not only the book itself but also newspapers and media outlets publishing the material in the novel. Their efforts went as far as attempting to get the book banned in other countries, such as Australia, where Peter Wright had lived for several years following his retirement from the agency. 

4. Communist Manifesto

Published way back in 1848, The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, was a controversial piece of work from the start. It’s not truly considered a book and was instead considered a ‘political pamphlet’ this document would become one of the most influential political documents in the world. The manifesto addressed capitalism and promoted the idea of communism. If anything, The Communist Manifesto created a blueprint for the communist movement. It saw a future where the working class overthrew the ruling class and made a more fair landscape for all to thrive equally.

The infamous political document was banned in numerous countries, including Russia, Germany, and the US. When it was banned in Russia, it was during the reign of the imperial dynasty, The Romanovs. Of course, this ideology went against the very system they’d created. While they weren’t a capitalist society, they were the very definition of the ruling class, and for their reign, this document was a threat. The manifesto was able to start a revolution in France almost immediately after being printed. While it ultimately was unsuccessful, Vladimir Lenin, a known Marxist, would prevail in Russia come 1917. 

3. Mein Kampf

As any basic history lesson on WW2 will tell you, Mein Kampf was Adolf Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto. First released in 1925, more than a decade before the Second World War, Hitler published his 720-page manifesto in two volumes, one in 1925 and the other in 1926. Mein Kampf, which translates to ‘my struggle,’ was almost a blueprint for his ideology and thinking that created Nazism. The book was nothing more than a list of grievances, racist thoughts, and dangerous ideas of what Germany should become post-WW1. As history tells us, it did.

During Hitler’s time in power, the book grew in success and even became required reading. Of course, we know that Germany lost the war, and Hitler took his own life in 1945. After he died, Germany was left with a further tainted legacy and the manifesto of its worst dictator. So, they made every effort they could to destroy the book’s very existence. The book was banned in Germany following Hitler’s death and was also banned in several other countries, including Australia, Austria, and the Netherlands. At one point, online retailer Amazon even banned the selling of the book, but this was quickly reversed. 

Unfortunately for Germany, they can’t stop it all as the book became public domain in 2015, and now anyone is allowed to print the book and distribute it, which has raised concerns in Germany that Hitler’s ideas may become popularized again. In response to the book becoming available once again, the German Institute for Contemporary History published a copy of the book, which was a critical edition that contextualizes the ideas and role of Hitler and how the ideology was the blueprint of WW2 and the Holocaust. While the ban on Mein Kampf makes sense, it brings about a broader question of if it did more harm than good, as many book bans have resulted in increased interest. 

2. Why We Can’t Wait 

The Civil Rights movement in the United States was one of the most trying times for the fight for equality and at the helm was Martin Luthor King Jr. By no means was he alone in this fight, but he became the voice for millions and was extremely influential and active in the cause until his assassination in 1968. During his lifetime, Martin Luther King Jr. was a prolific author writing six books, with several more coming out posthumously, collecting speeches, sermons, writings, interviews, etc. One such book that caused the biggest stir was Why We Can’t Wait, but it caused more of a stir in South Africa. 

By the time of its ban, Martin Luther King Jr. had already been assassinated. His name was known around the world, and he’d even spoken of South Africa in regard to Apartheid. His book was banned for a very specific reason and one that 21st-century minds may struggle to justify. The reason Why We Can’t Wait was banned was because the book was critical of white supremacy. During Apartheid, that was the kind of country South Africa was: built and run by white supremacy. There were many books of similar nature banned in South Africa during apartheid, and they all had similar themes of criticizing the Apartheid system, which ultimately fell in 1994.

1. Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Similar to Ulysses by James Joyce, Lady Chatterley’s Lover has been one of the books to receive some of the most challenges throughout history. This classic first released in 1928 and written by D. H. Lawrence, follows an affair between Constance Reid and Oliver Mellors, her husband’s educated gamekeeper. The book itself was barely formally released before getting banned. Instead, it was published privately and mailed to people around the world.

Throughout the existence of this book, it’s been heavily challenged, and in many countries, it’s been outright banned. The book itself, while released in 1928, was banned in the US until 1959, and in 1960 the UK finally got an uncensored version of the famed book. Elsewhere in the world, the book was taken to trial after trial for obscenity charges, such as in Canada, India, Australia, and Japan. It’s important to understand we live in a very different world than when Lady Chatterley’s Lover was first released. These days erotic novels and movies are far more common than they ever were back in the early 20th century. If anything, the existence of novels like 50 Shades of Grey may have Lady Chatterley’s Lover to thank, as once the book was unbanned, the sexual revolution of the ’60s began. And now, here we; oversaturated with Lady Chatterleys and their lovers.

It’s not exactly a secret that many famous songs are based on, or were inspired by, books. The art of storytelling for the sake of entertainment, be it in written or musical form, is ancient and universal, so some degree of cross-over is expected.

Discovering what stories influenced certain songs, however, can be fascinating not just for the insight it provides into the songs themselves, but for what it tells of the creative process behind the compositions and the individuals responsible. Whether you’re familiar with the songs in this list and the books behind them or not, you’re sure to learn something interesting. Let’s get to it, then

10 Rock And Metal Musicians Who Killed Someone

10 Paranoid Android – Radiohead (1997)

Radiohead’s 1997 album Ok Computer stands out as one of the top alternative albums of the ’90s – they’ve got the Grammy to prove it. The record is packed with unique, stylistically innovative tracks, and Paranoid Android is arguably the best of the bunch.

The song was inspired by Douglas Adams’ sci-fi novel A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and is told from the perspective of Marvin – a robot deeply depressed at having his infinite intelligence wasted on mundane, everyday tasks.

Wrapped within the six and a half minute tune, we find not just unusual chord progressions, catchy transitions, and Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals, but a relatable story of unrealized potential and fantasies of vengeance that closely mirror Yorke’s own personal experiences. And the influence of Adams’ work extends beyond just the song. The title of the album comes directly from a line in the story – a fitting nod to the author’s creative genius by a band whose musical innovation could be described as the same.^[1]

9 Pet Sematary – The Ramones (1989)

The Ramones are known today as one of the pioneers of the punk rock genre, and it was their ’89 hit Pet Sematary, written for the movie based on the horror novel by Stephen King, that helped propel them to greatness.
Opinions of the song are largely divided. Some people love it, some hate it. Regardless of which camp you fall into, it’s hard to deny that the tune, written in the band’s distinctive 3-chord style, is pretty catchy and does a fair job of incorporating the subject matter of the story upon which it’s based.

Speaking of the story, it’s well known that King is a big fan of The Ramones and he mentions them several times in the book. Fitting then, that they were chosen to write the song. Legend has it that Dee Dee Ramone penned the tune in the author’s basement after reading an early draft of Pet Sematary, but King himself has subsequently rubbished the claims. The movie has since been remade but, sadly (or not, depending on your musical preferences) the song was not featured in the 2019 release.^[2]

8 Scentless Apprentice – Nirvana (1993)

Whether you admire his musical work or not, it’s hard to deny that Kurt Cobain falls squarely into the category of tortured genius. Given his untimely death by suicide at an early age, it’s easy to look back at his songs and identify proof of the mental anguish that would cause him to take his own life. And while one could argue that it’s certainly there, one of Nirvana’s more disturbing songs, Scentless Apprentice, is based not on Cobain’s personal experience but rather on the novel Perfume, by Patrick Suskind – a story about a man born with an incredible sense of smell but no scent of his own, who takes to murdering young women for their scent.

The track is full of the raw, emotional power that defines the entire In Utero album, and the heavy-handed drumbeat and edgy guitar riff, both devised by Dave Grohl, give it a disturbing, frantic quality that fits perfectly with the dark subject matter. The star of this show, however, is Cobain on vocals. As he did so often in his short career, he elevates the song with unrestrained yet melodic screeching, making this not just a great tune, but a fan favorite live performance as well.^[3]

7 A Farewell to Arms – Machinehead (2007)

Machinehead set the metal world alight with the release of their 2007 album The Blackening, easily one of the best heavy metal compilations of recent time, possibly ever. Something just clicked for the Oakland boys on this one – the unique use of drop-B tuning gives it a heavier tone and feel even for the genre, the musical interplay and dynamic use of dueling guitar solos ups things a notch further, and Robb Flynn’s incredibly versatile vocals round out each and every song on the album perfectly.

One of the standout tracks on a record full of them is A Farewell to Arms. You could rightly call this 10-minute long tour de force a ‘power ballad’ although, by the time the gentle, melodic beginning develops into the full-fledged churching power chords and in-your-face style Machinehead are known for, it’s definitely more power than ballad.

The title of the track comes from Ernest Hemmingway’s iconic WWI novel, and whilst the song deals with the topic of war and destruction in a more general sense than did the novel, and omits and references to love entirely, the common theme and the name itself make it clear where the inspiration for this one came from.^[4]

6 Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones (1968)

One of the most iconic rock songs in history, this classic is the only Stones song solely credited to Mick Jagger, and firmly cemented the band’s occult orientated reputation. This wasn’t helped when a group of the band’s biker bodyguards stabbed a young man at a concert during a live performance of the song a year after its release. The truth, however, is the legendary song was based not on devil-worship or Satanism, but rather on a classic Russian novel, The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov
.
While soviet-era Russian literature is typically dark and depressing, Bulgakov’s story is just the opposite. Taking a light-hearted look at what would happen if the devil, a debonair gentleman, had visited the USSR during Stalin’s reign, the book blends humor and magical realism in a way similar to another contemporary great, Japan’s Haruki Murakami.

The Stone’s song builds on the theme, showing the devil – a man of wealth and taste – visiting various defining world events in history, from the crucifixion of Christ to the second world war and beyond. The intriguing subject matter makes the song worth listening to alone, but the musical elements present, from the distinctive African-sounding drumbeat, the instantly recognizable ‘hoo-hooing’ pre-verse, Keith Richards’ minimalist guitar solo, and, of course, Jagger with his typical vocal flourishes are what makes this number one of the most recognizable pieces of rock music in the world.^[5]

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5 One – Metallica (1988)

Metallica are no strangers to literature inspired music. From Hemmingway to King, Lovecraft, and even the Bible, written works have appeared in their songs throughout the band’s decades-long career. A metal classic, and featuring one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, their ’88 song One is a brutal portrayal of the ravages of war and was directly inspired by Donald Trumbo’s famous anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun.

The story concerns a World War 1 soldier who wakes up in hospital and gradually realizes he’s had his arms and legs amputated and has lost all his senses. The song presents this nightmarish perspective chillingly in both the melodic verses and the emotion-ridden chorus line ‘Hold my breath as I wish for death/Oh please god wake me.’ By the time we reach the lyrical crescendo just before the solo, the listener is fully immersed in the plight of the soldier, the One, and the cruel, senseless anguish of war. As good as the original recording was, the band somehow seems to improve the song with each new playing which is why it remains one of their favorites and a staple of every live Metallica set even now, over 30 years on from its release.^[6]

4 Resistance – Muse (2009)

George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel, 1984, is one of the most widely read books of the last century, and some see the social science fiction construct as an ominous foreshadowing of where the world is swiftly heading. Political commentary aside, the story, at heart, is about love, and award-winning British alternative band Muse portrays this excellently in their Orwell inspired song, Resistance.

The novel had a massive impact on Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, and the song, with the lyrics, ‘Love is our resistance’ perfectly captures the essence of the story – Winston Smith’s ill-fated love affair with the mysterious Julia. In a society where a totalitarian regime controls everything, and even individual thought is policed, is not love the ultimate act of resistance? Orwell portrays this masterfully in the story and Muse, with Bellamy’s distinctive vocals and astute lyrical construction, presents a powerful song that is a fitting companion to one of the defining novels of the last hundred years.^[7]

3 Rocket Man – Elton John (1972)

Rocket Man is one of Elton John’s most popular songs, so much so that it was chosen as the title for the musician’s recent biographical film. Space exploration was a big deal when the song was released back in 1972 when the Apollo missions were ongoing, and John is often accused of stealing the idea for this song from another space-based classic by David Bowie. But, Bernie Taupin, the man who wrote the lyrics for Rocket Man, got his inspiration instead from the Ray Bradbury short story of the same name.

The story is told from the perspective of a child who’s astronaut father is conflicted about leaving his family behind and venturing to the stars, and whilst that is the basis of the lyrical contents of the song as well, the whole thing also forms an astute extended metaphor of the meteoric rise to stardom that musicians, or anyone famous, experiences. From the obligatory drug use (I’m gonna be high as a kite by then) to the isolation that comes with rising to the top (It’s lonely out in space), the challenges of family life (Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids), the lyrics mirror not just Bradbury’s story but John’s musical journey as well and combines a literary masterpiece with a stark look at the realities of life in the spotlight.^[8]

2 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Iron Maiden (1984)

Iron Maiden, no strangers to literary-inspired songs, did something quite special when they retold Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic 1779 poem The Rime of the Ancient Marnier in a song of the same name on their excellent 1984 album Powerslave. Rather than incorporating the general idea of the poem in the song, the band chose to retell the tale in its entirety, complete with some of the poet’s original lines, and did so in the crunching, fast-paced metal style that has since seen them acknowledged as one of the founding acts of the heavy metal genre.

Both poem and song concern a naval captain who has a profound experience at sea and, having survived against the odds, goes about telling his story to anyone who’ll listen. The moral of said story being: love all of God’s creatures. Not exactly what one would expect from a band responsible for classics like, The Number of the Beast and Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter. But then it does involve an encounter with Death, animated corpses, and a pesky albatross, so it’s right up Iron Maiden’s dark, twisted alley. The song tends to get lost in amongst the band’s wealth of excellent offerings over the years, but any fan of the genre or 18th-century classical poetry (or both) would do well to check it out.^[9]

1 The Alchemist – Blue Oyster Cult (2020)

Yes, they’re back. Over 57 years since they first formed, legendary rock outfit BOC has proven, once and for all, that they are one of the most underrated bands in history, and the fact that they haven’t yet been inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is an ongoing travesty. But never mind. Their most recent album, The Symbol Remains, is a throwback to everything that made the band great to begin with and I’m going to go out on a limb here and call it one of the best albums of the year. Period.

The Symbol Remains is packed with a wide array of incredible songs and The Alchemist, which feels like a classic 80’s metal tune, is one of the best. Based on H.P Lovecraft’s early short story, The Alchemist is a retelling of a chilling tale of betrayal and murderous revenge between a French noble and a wicked sorcerer. The song drips with the same dark malevolence Lovecraft was a master at depicting. Everything from the haunting keyboard intro to the crashing power chords and Buck Dharma’s electrifying solo exudes a sense of magical evil, and when Eric Bloom croons the pre-chorus line transplanted whole from the story, chills are sure to ensue. It’s not too surprising that this song is so good – BOC and Lovecraft make for a perfect combination and the result speaks (or shrieks) for itself.^[10]

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About the author: I’m 32 years old and I live in South Africa. I work full time in logistics and I’m a freelance writer in my (limited) spare time. I have various projects in the works, including a potential novel, and I regularly participate in the Reedsy Prompts short story contest, where a growing collection of my work is available for reading. I have been a shortlisted finalist there twice so far.

Here at , we like to remember that history is full of bizarre, obscene, and depraved moments that you’ll rarely get to hear from the teachers at school. Sure, they’re scandalous, but that’s what makes them fun—and interesting.

Some people would prefer an idealized, sterile version of events without all the sex, violence, and corruption, but it would simply be a fantasy and a boring one at that. We don’t believe in that philosophy. Enjoy!

10 How To Succeed As A Coroner In New York City

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York (OCME) has some of the finest pathologists in the United States, but it wasn’t always like this. The office comes from shameful and corrupt beginnings.

During the mid- to late 19th century, New York had several coroners who worked independently of each other and their numbers grew in line with the city’s population. There were two major problems with the operation. First, the position was elective but typically awarded through corruption to people who were in no way qualified for it. Second, it paid by the body. This alone turned some coroners into body snatchers willing to go to ghastly extremes for their emoluments.

In several instances, multiple coroners and their lackeys engaged in public fights to lay claim to a corpse. Other times, they insisted on performing impromptu, unnecessary autopsies in front of the families so they could bill the state. Any family members who protested were threatened with inquests and arrests. The coroners were in league with cronies who served as their juries and insurance companies who rewarded them for rulings of suicide so that the policies didn’t pay out.

Things kept getting worse until John Purroy Mitchel became mayor of New York in 1914 and instituted widespread reforms. He commissioned a scathing report which revealed that, of the 65 people who had served as coroner since the city’s consolidation, none were qualified and only 19 even had medical training. Others were mostly politicians, undertakers, and real estate dealers, but there were also a few plumbers, a woodcarver, a musician, and a milkman.^[1]

9 Where Hickok Got His Bill

The McCanles Massacre remains a mystery of the Old West. All we know is that three people were killed and “Wild Bill” Hickok did most of the shooting. Some say that the victims, David McCanles and his two sidekicks, were a criminal gang intent on murder. Others say the three were unarmed and gunned down without provocation.

Whatever the truth might be, the shoot-out is considered Hickok’s first gunfight. It also may have been the genesis of his famous nickname. Before this, he was simply called “Bill,” but McCanles took to derisively naming him “Duck Bill” due to his protruding lips and long nose.^[2]

Hickok hated this. So, after the shooting, he grew out his mustache to hide his upper lip and started calling himself “Wild Bill.” He went back to his birth name, James Hickok, for a while after that, and his last name was occasionally misspelled as “Haycock” or “Hitchcock” in official records.

8 Charles Babbage Almost Drowned Himself

Charles Babbage is primarily remembered today as the “father of the computer.” He designed the difference and analytical engines which are regarded as primitive forms of the earliest mechanical computers.

Like other polymaths, his penchant for inventing started at an early age, and when he was 16, it almost killed him. As a young boy, Nikola Tesla thought he could fly by hyperventilating and injured himself by jumping off a roof. Babbage did a similar thing, except his goal was to walk on water.

While swimming in the River Dart near his family home, a teenage Charles surmised that he could build a simple mechanism that would allow him to walk on water or at least maintain a vertical position with head, arms, and shoulders above it. Babbage took two wooden boards and connected them by hinges which were themselves fixed to the sole of his shoe.^[3]

He was hoping that the boards would remain flat when putting his foot down, thus giving him extra push against the water. Conversely, the hinges would ensure that the boards folded when lifting his foot and not cause any hindrance.

According to Babbage’s memoir, his idea worked at first and he could stay vertical with only a slight exertion of force. However, one of the hinges stopped working, he turned lopsided, and he could only swim in a circle.

Babbage was also being carried forward by the current so he was moving in a spiral, trying (and failing) to head for the banks. Luckily for him, his feet eventually touched the bottom, at which point he could walk toward the shore where he laid down in a “state of great exhaustion.”

7 Why There Are Two Heads In Haydn’s Tomb

There are many body parts that were separated from the rest of the body and went on adventures. Few, if any, had a more curious history than the head of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn.

Haydn found success when he began playing music at the court of the wealthy Esterhazy noble family. Then, in 1809, he died. However, at that time, Vienna was being attacked by Napoleon, so Haydn was only granted a small funeral. This allowed two of his acquaintances/fans, Rosenbaum and Peter, to bribe the local undertaker into giving them Haydn’s head.

Both men were enthusiasts of the latest fad, phrenology, and wanted to measure the skull of a genius like Haydn. For years afterward, the cranium served as one of Rosenbaum’s most treasured possessions which he proudly displayed in his home.

A decade after Haydn died, his patron Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy thought it was about time to build his former musician a proper tomb. He dug up the remains and found that they were missing a skull. He tracked down Rosenbaum easily as the latter was not shy about showing off the head. However, Rosenbaum maintained possession by presenting a different skull and hiding the real one.

After Rosenbaum’s death, the head was passed down multiple times until it ended up with the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. They surrendered it to Prince Paul Esterhazy, who wanted to finish what his ancestor had started and build a marble tomb for Haydn in Eisenstadt.^[4]

In 1954, the head was finally reunited with the rest of the body, and now Haydn’s tomb has two skulls in it.

6 Shakespeare’s Naughty Joke

Shakespeare was never as stuffy and pretentious as schoolteachers would like him to be. In fact, his plays had quite a few dirty jokes, and on one occasion, he slipped the c-word in there.

He did this to mock the puritans who often protested the theater. In Twelfth Night, there is a pretentious butler named Malvolio who is in love with his mistress, Countess Olivia. He is considered one of Shakespeare’s most loathsome roles, and the other characters make fun of him, particularly in a scene known as “The Gulling of Malvolio.”

The butler is tricked into thinking that Olivia loves him back through a fake love letter. Reading it out loud, he convinces himself that it is real by saying, “By my life, this is my lady’s hand. These be her very C’s, her U’s, and her T’s, and thus makes she great P’s. It is, in contempt of question, her hand.”

When read out loud, the “and” is pronounced as an “N.” Therefore, “CUT” becomes something a lot dirtier. It is complemented by the second part of the sentence, “and thus makes she great P’s (pees).”^[5]

5 A Bloody Day At The Circus

There have been many circus accidents throughout history. One instance was particularly gruesome and also unusual as it involved, arguably, the tamest act on the card—the band.

The manager of the James Robinson Circus had an idea to wow the public during the parade and bring more customers to the shows. While passing through the towns, the circus band would play on a stage mounted atop the lions’ den. It proved successful, even though they were warned repeatedly that the rig was extremely unsafe.

One morning in 1870, the circus arrived in Middletown, Kansas. The procession started through the streets, and the band took their place on top of a cage filled with Barbary lions.

While making a turn, the leading carriages got tangled together and caused a panic. The driver carrying the lion cage lost control and hit a rock. The impact was forceful enough to collapse the braces supporting the roof, sending the entire band plummeting into the animals’ den.^[6]

The lions mauled their victims in front of a shocked audience. A nearby hardware store was quickly raided for tools and weapons to enter the cage and save any potential survivors.

Of the 10 musicians, three were ripped to shreds and four others succumbed to their injuries later. The alpha lion, a giant beast known as Old Nero, also had to be put down as he attacked his keeper during the rescue mission.

4 A Night To Remember For Cesare Borgia

The Borgias were among the most notorious noble families of the Renaissance, synonymous with power, wealth, and intrigue. Perhaps none attracted more controversy than Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI. However, his son, Cesare, gave him a good run for his money.

First of all, there was the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts, a party which may have taken place when Cesare became cardinal. It was described as the most debauched event ever held at the Papal Palace.

Then there is the matter of his brother, Giovanni, who was being groomed to become the new head of the Borgia family. He was murdered in 1497 under mysterious circumstances. People pointed at both his brothers, Cesare and Gioffre, as potential suspects.

However, this entry is concerned with an embarrassing moment from Cesare’s life—that of his wedding night. In 1499, he married a wealthy French noblewoman named Charlotte of Albret. After the festivities, he reported back to his father, saying that he had consummated the marriage eight times that night.

What Cesare failed to mention was that he had previously obtained some pills from the apothecary to help with his virility. And the apothecary had mixed the pills up and accidentally given him laxatives which kept him on the privy all night long.^[7]

3 Robert Liston Sets An Infelicitous Record

There was a time in the early 19th century when Scotsman Robert Liston was considered among the finest surgeons in Europe. He developed a reputation for quick amputations. This was at a time when every second could have made the difference between the patient surviving and bleeding to death. However, they weren’t all winners as Liston is reportedly the man behind the only operation in history with a 300 percent mortality rate.

The story comes to us courtesy of fellow British surgeon Richard Gordon. He praises the skill and speed of Liston’s operations but mentions that his most famous cases weren’t really shining beacons of success. On one occasion, the surgeon managed to amputate a leg in two-and-a-half minutes. But, in his haste, he also cut off the patient’s testicles.

In Liston’s defense, this was in a time before anesthesia. His patients screamed and convulsed, so it was possible to take a little extra. This happened during another amputation when Liston removed the leg. But he also cut off two fingers from his assistant who was holding the patient down as well as the coattails of a gentleman watching the surgery.^[8]

Both the patient and the assistant later died from gangrene. According to Gordon, the spectator also died of shock thinking that the surgeon’s knife had sliced through him.

2 Mary’s Bad Hair Day

According to legend, on the day of her execution, Mary, Queen of Scots, suffered the added indignity of revealing to the world that she was bald. The story goes that the executioner picked up her head and said, “God Save the Queen.” Then her head dropped and rolled away while he was left holding a red wig.

The main source we have for Mary’s death was an eyewitness named Robert Wynkfielde. He confirmed the part about the headsman trying to lift the head and revealing that the former queen had worn a wig. However, Wynkfielde says that Mary had short gray hair “as one of threescore and 10 years old.”^[9]

That wasn’t the only peculiar moment of the execution. It took three swings to decapitate Mary. The first one missed the neck and hit her in the head, while the second still left a tendon connecting the two.

After she was dead, one of the headsmen discovered that Mary had her little dog hiding under her petticoat. It sat between her head and shoulders and refused to leave its former mistress.

1 The Perversions Of Tiberius

Nero and Caligula are well-remembered today for their acts of depravity, but their predecessor, Tiberius, less so. However, Tiberius could have been the vilest of them all and regularly engaged in pedophilia with little boys and even infants.

The biggest issue here is how reliable you consider the ancient sources. In this case, the basis for Tiberius’s deviances is Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars. However, the work is filled with gossip, rumors, and the author’s own biases, plus it was written 100 years after Tiberius’s reign.

It cannot be regarded as incontrovertible truth. Although it should be mentioned that in his Annals, Tacitus also accused the emperor of plunging into “every wickedness and disgrace, when fear and shame being cast off.”

Certainly, there are undeniable reasons to fault Tiberius. He allowed the Praetorian Guard to achieve great power, which had repercussions on the Roman Empire for centuries to come.

He is generally accused of having “checked out” as emperor after the death of his son Drusus in AD 23. This is when Tiberius placed a lot of the power in the hands of Praetorian Prefect Sejanus and moved to Capri where he allegedly engaged in all the depravities he could think of.

According to Suetonius, Tiberius had bedrooms filled with pornographic paintings and sculptures and an erotic library. He had people take part in orgies while he watched. He had boys and girls dress up as Pans and nymphs and roam Capri’s woods and groves. While swimming, he had young boys “tease him with their licks and nibbles.” And, most disturbing of all, “unweaned babies he would put to his organ as though to the breast.”^[10]

We all know comic books have had a massive influence on pop culture. Fans can find their favorite superheroes and supervillains plastered on t-shirts, mugs, stickers, toys, posters, and hundreds of other kinds of merchandise. But what are some unexpected — or even shocking — things that were inspired by comic books? This list highlights ten unique examples of just how far the popularity of comics can reach.

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10 Cars

Comic Book characters are famous for having incredibly stylish modes of transportation that exemplify coolness. Wonder Woman flies through the skies in an invisible jet. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ride through New York in their Party Wagon van. Ghost Rider terrorizes criminals while on his Hell Cycle. And of course, Batman famously zips through Gotham City in his batmobile, batplane, batcycle, and batsub. Whether by land, sea, or air, superheroes use their trusted vehicles to help them fight crime and save lives.

It turns out comic books have also influenced real-life transportation for people looking to up their coolness factor. Car customization is a beloved process among vehicle owners, and several have chosen their favorite Marvel and DC characters to give a visual punch. Numerous car owners with money and creativity have fully customized their automobiles to honor iconic superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Aquaman. And it’s not just heroes who get immortalized on car frames; villains like The Joker, Mystique, and Two-Face have also been immortalized in full-body car customizations. Even motorcycles can get the same fan treatment, with some having been converted to pay homage to Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Groot, and The Punisher.

9 Pizza

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren’t the only superheroes associated with pizza! Comic book fans visiting Florida can visit Ormond Beach’s Gotham City Pizza. This aptly named food spot offers customers a comic-themed experience consisting of decorations and dishes that pay homage to beloved heroes and villains. The menu stars nearly two dozen signature pizzas, each themed around a popular comic book character. There are traditional pizza styles such as the Boy Wonder (cheese), the Avenger (pepperoni), the Hulk (variety of meats), the Poison Ivy (veggies), the White Queen (no tomato or marina sauce), and the Cowabunga (Hawaiian style). Bolder pizzas include the Caped Crusader (sirloin, grilled onion, alfredo sauce, mozzarella), the Wolverine (barbecue), the Phoenix (chicken and ranch in hot sauce), and the Gotham City (supreme style). And, of course, the Clown Prince of Crime gets his very own zany Joker pizza topped with ranch, bacon, and French fries. Who knew evil could taste so delicious?

8 Guns

Guns are very much a hotly debated topic in modern times. For devoted gun owners who also carry a love for comic books, weapon customization can involve iconic visuals of a beloved superhero or notorious villain. The Oregon-based company Cerakote specializes in manufacturing ceramic coatings for firearms. Their website showcases a gallery of highly themed guns featuring colors and images associated with iconic comic book characters. The displayed weapons include handguns, shotguns, rifles, and revolvers that are themed after figures like Captain America, Batman, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Dead Pool, Harley Quinn, Black Panther, and the Joker. These customized coatings don’t make guns look less dangerous, but they do make them more colorful.

7 Flowers

Weddings, birthdays, showers, parties, or any other celebratory events that benefit from flowers can be uniquely enhanced by the vibrant visuals of comic books. Superhero fans can opt for a creative alternative to real flowers: paper flowers made out of hand-cut comic book pages. Companies like Paper Flowers by Nicky in England take pages straight out of comics and turn them into paper flowers to be made into custom bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, wreaths, roses, floral arrangements, and hair combs. Superhero fans who want long-lasting keepsakes, or want to avoid allergies, can indulge in the whimsical look of faux flowers and colorful heroes.

6 Wedding Rings

While we’re on the topic of special days, comic book fans can enhance getting married even more by getting specialty wedding rings. Companies like Staples Jewelry in Kentucky give options for customizable wedding bands for Grooms who want to express their love for both their spouse and comics. Staple Jewelry’s website advertises three wedding bands inspired by DC superheroes. The first listed option is their Green Lantern ring, a black-base band mixed with elements of green emeralds, an optional centered flat stone setting, and a custom Green Lantern logo engraved on the inside. There is also an option to choose a yellow gemstone for Grooms desiring to display affection for Green Lantern’s notorious supervillain Sinestro. The company’s second superhero-themed option is their Superman ring, a band highlighting red rubies in honor of Clark Kent’s red kryptonite class ring from the hit series Smallville; an optional large “L” can also be engraved on a band to represent the man of steel’s Legion ring. The third listed ring is one inspired by the visual look of the Flash; the gold band is decorated with red detailing and a lightning bolt symbol prominently featured in the center. Nothing says eternal love like superhero jewelry!

5 Sermons

Holy sermon, Batman! Since most comic book stories are rooted in the traditional good vs. evil theme, it shouldn’t be surprising that superheroes have made their way into churches. In recent decades, pastors have preached sermons from the pulpit that are meant to inspire their congregations through blending stories straight from the pages of the Bible and comics.

The Billings Gazette, Montana’s largest newspaper, interviewed pastors about examples of their holy approaches to comics. A Kentucky-based pastor centered The Fantastic Four in sermons about the importance of family and supportive relationships; the pastor also discussed Superman as a symbolic Messiah-like figure who comes to Earth to save humanity (an obvious comparison to Jesus Christ). A preacher in Tennessee incorporated Spider-Man into his sermons on the responsibility that comes with power (the power of being a follower of Christ). Similarly, a children’s minister in Michigan taught a six-month Batman-themed series in a church room decorated with painted murals of Gotham City. His topics included sin is no joke (the Joker), the Devil is a two-faced liar (Two-Face), God never tricks us (the Riddler), and Christians need to rely on God just like Batman relies on others (Robin and Batgirl) to help him save the world. For these pastors and their congregations, God and Jesus are the ultimate superheroes.

4 Healthcare

Pastors aren’t the only people teaching lessons inspired by comics. The visual storytelling style of comic books has inspired medical professionals to innovate ways of teaching information and sharing meaningful stories. An exhibit at the United States National Library of Medicine showcases a method known as “Graphic Medicine”. Graphic Medicine, similar to graphic novels, uses comics to tell stories within a book format. Interestingly, these health-themed comics are not just for children or families. Medical school professors and students are utilizing medical comic books in creative ways for learning knowledge and expressing experiences from the perspective of patients, physicians, and med school students. Comic books and medicine seem like a perfect marriage of two worlds built on heroes who save lives.

3 Illegal Drugs

This entry is the darkest one on the list. The popularity of comic books influences drug dealers who peddle illegal substances. Police and families worry about the rise of the drug MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy) and its reshaping into colorful images of beloved fictional characters. A 2009 Seattle Times article reported on authorities discovering highly themed Ecstasy pills being sold by street dealers. The tablets were manufactured to look like the iconic cartoon figures Snoopy and the Simpsons and the well-known comic book characters Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Reported sightings of these Ecstasy pills in various states verified their nationwide spreading. According to the Seattle Times article, dealers purposefully market these types of fun-themed pills to minors and promote them as lighter candy-like drugs, despite the products actually containing little to no Ecstasy and secretly being mixtures of dangerous substances. Dealers who use beloved comic book characters to trick minors into ingesting illegal drugs laced with harmful substances are just some of our real-life villains.

2 Scientific Names for Species

Scientists possess the superpower of officially naming new species they discover. This process has led to numerous scientific names inspired by famous real and fictional people, including beloved comic book characters. Several examples can be highlighted. Ninjemys oweni (named after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is an extinct species of horned turtles in Queensland. Two species of Iranian spiders are named Filistata maguirei and Pritha garfieldi in honor of two actors who famously portrayed Spider-Man (Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield). Similarly, Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman inspired scientists to name an Australian wolf spider species Tasmanicosa hughjackmani. Batman directly influenced the labeling of a catfish species named Otocinclus batmani. And just last year, a group of researchers in Australia named five newly-discovered species of assassin flies after the iconic Marvel figures Black Widow, Loki, Thor, Deadpool, and the recently deceased comics creator Stan Lee.

1 Courtroom Trials

Ever since comic books became popular in America during the mid-1900s, lawyers have frequently argued their purpose and influence in courts of law. Those arguing for censorship and regulation of comics have brought numerous cases before judges and juries in the last 100 years, ranging from district court levels to the United States Supreme Court. Benchmark cases involving arrests or lawsuits have argued if the creation and distribution of mature comics is either obscene material harming America’s youth or art protected under the First Amendment. Despite prosecutors having argued that comic books are inherently geared towards children (no matter the adult content), important rulings have consistently upheld the freedom of artistic expression and declared that efforts to protect young people from obscene material should not infringe on the constitutional rights of adults. The history of these arguments in courtrooms across America paved the way for society’s modern-day acknowledgment that the colorful pages of comic books can sometimes be filled with violence, gore, sex, offensive language, and provocative themes. It can be controversial, but it’s not illegal.

Nature breaks records all the time but there are events so unique that they deserve their own list.

Some are creepy. Like when fog killed thousands in London and the aftershocks of an earthquake rattled Washington State for a century. When not making people run for their lives, the weather can also brew events like electrical lakes and rain that lasts for a million years.

10 Intriguing Pieces Of Evidence For Bible Stories

10 The Lighthouse Of Catatumbo

During Colonial times, navigators relied on the Lighthouse of Catatumbo to find their way. It flashed white, blue, purple, red, and orange lights. But the disco show did not come from a tower. It came from lighting.

The Lighthouse of Catatumbo is the name given to an area near Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. Roughly 1.2 million lightning bolts zing the place every year, making it the most electric region in the world.

Some people love to call the Lighthouse by another name—the Eternal Storm. Some also claim that the lightning has no thunder. Neither legend is true. Lake Maracaibo only gets flashy about 160 nights of the year but then things get impressive. One can expect to see 280 strikes per hour. The reason behind the “silent lightning” is simple. Most people are standing too far away to hear the thunder.

Nobody knows why this patch in Venezuela is so volatile. The leading theories suggest that the lightning could be attracted to uranium deposits and methane in the area or that humid air has something to do with it.

9 Smoke That Stayed For 6 Months

When the Australian fire season settled down in 2020, the relief was palpable. The scale of the bushfires and the damage had been immense. To understand what had happened, scientists studied the disaster from all angles but those who gazed upwards found a couple of interesting things.

The fires had pushed more smoke into the atmosphere than anyone had expected. In fact, it was a record for any bushfire. To put it into perspective, the last time something ejected so much smoke was in 1991 when the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in the Philippines.

The smoke produced by the Australian fires also circled the Earth, having departed from the eastern coast and arrived back at the continent from the west. The journey took two weeks which was a speed record for an event that size.

Smoke also stay in the atmosphere for a few days or weeks. The 2020 fire plume stayed for 6 months.

8 The Coldest Cloud

Scientists love to measure stuff, even the temperatures of clouds. In 2018, they found one for the record books. The world’s coldest cloud was hovering over the Pacific Ocean and it was messing with satellites. Indeed, the cloud was so frosty that normal weather satellites could not take its temperature.

An infrared sensor aboard a NOAA satellite did the honors.

The cloud, which was part of a severe thunderstorm, measured minus 167.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 111 degrees Celsius). The reason for this extreme number was partially explained by a phenomenon called “overshooting tops.” This is when the top of a cloud overshoots the lowest layer of the atmosphere and enter the next layer, a bitterly cold realm known as the stratosphere.

The Pacific cloud had an overshooting top. But even the stratosphere’s freezing nature could not explain why the top of this storm was 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) colder than any other cloud on record.

7 The Longest-Lasting Aftershocks

In 1872, a big earthquake shook central Washington State. The epicentre was never located and for decades, scientists wondered why Entiat, a town in the area, kept experiencing earthquakes after the 1872 event. It was over a century later, so nobody thought that these might be hundreds of aftershocks.

That view changed as seismologists began to find aftershocks all over the world that lasted longer than expected. Aftershocks also behave differently from earthquakes and after researchers gathered data on the 1872 quake, the subsequent shakes matched aftershocks in almost every way.

The Entiat phenomenon could be the longest-lasting aftershocks in the world. They have been going strong for nearly 150 years and counting.

6 The World’s Largest Storm

Typhoon Tip is not a household name. But as the world’s biggest storm, Tip deserves a mention. Born over the Pacific ocean, it grew into a Super Typhoon. With a diameter of 1,380 miles (2,220 kilometres), it officially became the top dog of all storms. Besides its record size, Tip also surged with unsurpassed intensity.

The good news was that the typhoon lost some of its power before it slammed into Japan on October 19, 1979. The bad news? It was not enough to avoid disaster.

Almost 90 people were killed and hundreds were injured. The flooding caused countless mudslides and destroyed 20,000 homes. A gasoline tank also exploded and torched a US Marine Corps base, injuring dozens more and claiming the life of another victim.

5 The Truth About Beijing’s Sandstorm

In 2021, gale-force winds scooped up sand from the Gobi desert and moved through Mongolia. The huge sandstorm caused 341 people to go missing and killed at least 6. Then it arrived at the capital of China. The city of Beijing faded away as the sandstorm hid skyscrapers and turned the skies orange.

But the news agencies had it wrong. This was not a sandstorm.

It was a dust storm. The difference sounds insignificant but in reality, the situation was alarming. Dust consists of smaller bits than sand, stay in the air for longer and can be inhaled far deeper into the lungs. This was bad news. When the dust arrived in Beijing it mixed with the city’s terrifying air pollution levels and turned the storm into a thick toxic haze.

4 Black Sunday

During the 1930s, the community living across the Great Plains in the US was familiar with something called “black blizzards.” These dust storms were so dense that they darkened everything around them. But in 1935, a storm bestowed April 14 with an ominous title and also gave the region its famous name—the Dust Bowl.

Black Sunday started out like any other day. But then a blizzard arrived. It soon became apparent that this one was different and people began to panic. The dust storm was a beast that measured 1,000 miles (1,609 miles) long. It blocked out all light including street lamps. Families sheltering at home could not see each other in the same room. Precious farming land was destroyed, a lot of animals died, and one man was blinded. People were trapped inside their cars for hours.

The aftermath of the storm inspired federal aid. But despite being offered money and advice by the government, many families gave up farming and left the area.

3 The Tri-State Tornado

In 1925, a deadly tornado cluster touched down in the United States. Twelve major twisters appeared over a large area but one was about to take destruction to a whole new level. Called the “Tri-State Tornado,” it tore through 3 states and left behind the longest track made by a twister—235 miles (378 km).

The statistics were horrifying. The tornado’s diameter swelled to more than a mile (1.6 km) and it sped along at 70 miles per hour (113 kilometres per hour). It destroyed 164 square miles (425 square kilometres) of land and wiped out 15,000 homes. In today’s estimates, the damages totalled $1.4 billion.

The storm was never graded but most experts believe that the Tri-State Tornado was an EF-5. On the tornado scale, an EF-5 is the biggest and the most dangerous thing you can ever hope not to see. Whatever its true grading was, the Tri-State Tornado remains the deadliest tornado in US history. The death toll numbered 695 people including 69 students who attended some of the 9 schools the tornado hit that day.

2 London’s Killer Fog Solved

London is a foggy place. But in 1952, the fog turned on everyone. The haze, which appeared in December and stayed for 5 days, hospitalized over 150,000 people.

For decades, the deadly fog remained a mystery. But in 2016, researchers agreed that they had enough evidence to blame one of the earliest suspects in the investigation—burning coal. Tests showed the air pollution caused by coal emissions led to chemical changes in the weather that ultimately laced the fog with sulphuric acid.

At the time, the death toll was thought to be 4,000 people. Tragically, the real number was closer to 12,000. Thousands of animals also perished in the fog. It remains the worst air pollution event in Europe’s history.

1 A Million-Year Rain Storm

The Triassic era came to an end around 233 million years ago. During that time, raindrops began to fall leading to a storm that would last for a million years. This deluge became known as the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE).

What opened the floodgates, so to speak, had always been a mystery. But in 2020, a study found the two likeliest suspects—climate change and volcanoes going nuts. Truly, the eruptions went beyond epic. They left behind lava fields that stretched uninterrupted for thousands of miles.

There was a lot of death. The downpour killed a third of all the species that lived in the sea. Meanwhile, on land, countless plant and animal groups became extinct as well. But the study also found that the CPE created the world as we know it today. It changed the environment so much that new species emerged, including some of the first coral reefs, reptiles, trees, and the dinosaurs that would rule the earth for the next 150 million years.

Top 10 Proposed Locations For The Garden Of Eden

When you hear the word library, you probably imagine rows and rows of books. But did you know there are all kinds of libraries dedicated to lending things other than reading materials? From musical instruments to live human beings, you can borrow anything these days if you know where to look!

Related: 10 Lost Libraries And The Mysteries Of Their Contents

10 Tool Library

Ever needed a specific tool for just one project? Enter the tool library, where community members can borrow power drills, hedge trimmers, ladders, and even jackhammers. The first tool library was established in Columbus, OH, in 1976. Today, it lends over 4,800 tools to those who can’t or don’t want to fork out hundreds of dollars for expensive tools they only need once.

Since then, similar services have sprung up around the world to help neighbors share resources and get their projects done. So next time you need a drain snake or a reciprocating saw, try your local tool library!^[1]

Find your nearest tool library!

9 Toy Library

Kids grow up so fast and grow out of their toys even faster. That’s where toy libraries come in—to give old toys new life or even prevent them from being purchased in the first place. Often part of a larger traditional book library, toy libraries allow kids to borrow toys, saving parents cash and keeping a lot of plastic out of landfills.

The oldest continuously operating toy library is in LA County. It was started in 1935by a store owner who noticed kids stealing toys and decided to do something about it: lend them out for free. The program now serves 35,000 children each year, giving them access to the most vital childhood resource: play.^[2]

U.S. readers can find their local toy library or check out the International Toy Library Association.

8 Musical Instrument Library

Want to learn the ukulele? The Musical Instrument Lending Library in Brooklyn has eight you can borrow, along with guitars, cowbells, and steel drums. Another, the “M.I.Brary” in Lafayette, can even hook you up with an accordion! The latter was founded by Dr. Ryan Cazares, who wondered “if there’s a Grammy award winner sitting right here with us, but they don’t even know it because they don’t have the money to purchase an instrument.”

These public services offer anyone the chance to learn a musical instrument or even just try a few to see what sticks, helping make the world a more musical place.^[3]

Many community libraries also offer musical instruments for check-out.

7 Gear Library

Getting outdoors is great for all ages, but camping, hiking, and backpacking gear can add up to hundreds of dollars before you even leave the house. That’s why gear libraries exist to loan equipment to more casual adventurers.

Families in Nature runs one such library in Texas and can kit out at least 100 campers at a time in tents, sleeping pads, backpacks, and headlamps—everything they need to get outside and explore. The Mountaineers’ gear library in Washington even has winter sports equipment like skis. It aims to make outdoor recreation more accessible and inclusive, especially for struggling or underserved communities.^[4]

Gear libraries are a fantastic resource to help get communities outside and enjoy the environment as much as possible!

6 Puzzle Library

If you’ve got a dusty old puzzle sitting in the cupboard, consider donating it to a puzzle library, where jigsaw enthusiasts get their fill. At the online Jigsaw Puzzle Swap Exchange, members have enjoyed over 6100 puzzle swaps. They are able to request specific puzzles or fill out their preferences to receive puzzles that match their interests.

Many puzzle libraries have grassroots origins, like the one Allegra Jabo started in Arlington. Her Douglas Park Little Free Puzzle Library started in her home entryway during the pandemic, where she lends out over 300 puzzles donated by neighbors. She is now looking for a permanent location to house the library. Others operate in private Facebook groups or out of community centers and are always thrilled to welcome new members!^[5]

5 Seed Library

A source of both education and nutrition, in a seed library, gardeners “borrow” seeds at planting time and save a portion of the seeds from the plants they grow to return for future gardeners to use. For many seed libraries, the goal is to preserve local biodiversity by collecting rare and heirloom varieties that are not widely available.

The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard uses thick rock and permafrost to preserve backups of over a million crop seeds varieties, safeguarding the world against the extinction of important food sources—but it is only accessed if disaster strikes. In the meantime, local seed libraries keep varieties in circulation, promoting ongoing evolution as varieties adapt to thrive in the area. Kids can learn where their food comes from, and avid gardeners can help maintain the plant diversity in their neighborhood.^[6]

See the list of seed libraries around the world!

4 Board Game Library

Another popular pandemic pastime, board game libraries provide communities with a fantastic social resource. There are too many games out there for any one family to own them all. Board game libraries can bring together players across different backgrounds and languages (with language-independent games like Qwirkle) to foster a sense of community and cooperation—or just so everyone can gang up on Nanna.

Some game libraries let you take the board games home, while others provide a pay-to-play program onsite and charge an hourly fee. Librarians are even getting clever with 3D printers to replace lost or missing pieces, so the games never have to end!^[7]

3 Sourdough Library

Calling all bakers! The Puratos Sourdough Library in Sankt Vith, Belgium, houses sourdough cultures from all over the world. More than a hundred bakers from over 23 countries contributed samples to this effort to preserve a slice of their heritage. An additional 2,501 starters are registered online, and lab tests of the cultures in Belgium have revealed over 1,400 strains of wild yeast and lactic bacteria!

It was started in 1989 by bakery supply company Puratos, and the collection has continued to rise—pun intended. All samples must come from a spontaneous fermentation (not a commercial starter). The sourdough cultures are kept in mason jars in a carefully controlled environment and refreshed with their original flour every two months to preserve this sourdough heritage for future generations. Dough librarian Karl De Smedt has described the bubbling concoctions as “nothing less than history.” There’s only one sourdough library so far, but you can tour some of the library’s collection virtually.^[8]

2 Human Library

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” has never been more true than at the Human Library or “Menneskebiblioteket” in Copenhagen, Denmark. There, the human “books” are volunteers who come from a stigmatized part of the community, like someone with autism, a naturist, or an extreme body modder. The not-for-profit library offers visitors the opportunity to sit down and dialogue with someone they might not understand. The library hopes to challenge prejudice and foster a more inclusive society.

Since it welcomed over a thousand visitors during its opening week in 2000, The Human Library has expanded activities in over 80 countries around the world. So next time you’re struggling to understand somebody’s perspective, why not borrow them and ask? They’re even developing an app!^[9]

1 Library of Things

Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Then try a library of things. Part of a global movement to reduce waste and promote a sharing economy, a library of things will keep anything from party supplies to sewing machines.

Libraries of Things exist throughout the world, from the Sharing Depot in Ontario to the Leila in Berlin. Rebecca Trevalyan, the founder of one such library in London, said, “we were students in London, living in tiny houses without much spare space, and not a lot of disposable income… We didn’t need to buy and own sewing machines and drills and lawnmowers and sound systems, but we did need them now and then, and it would be great to be able to access them.”

In this way, libraries of things do more than just save people money: they build a sense of community by creating a pooled resource and letting neighbors share what they need, whether that’s a lawnmower or just a helping hand. These libraries also have an environmental impact, much like many others on this list. No wasted money, nor discarded or leftover items ending up in a landfill.^[10]

Libraries provide vital resources to the communities their serve, and not just in the form of books! Whether you need to borrow a ten-person tent, rainbow carrot seeds, or even a new perspective, there’s bound to be a library that can help you out. Have you visited any of these unusual libraries? Now that you know what’s out there, what will you borrow next?

In the world of comic book collecting, there are a few holy grails—the first appearances of Superman (Action Comics #1, 1938) and Batman (Detective Comics #27, 1939) and the birth of the Marvel universe (Marvel Comics #1, 1939) chief among them. Their value comes not only from being the origins of the superhero genre but also from their extreme rarity.

That makes it all the more incredible that some lucky people have found these valuable books stashed away in their homes. You’d probably be more likely to win the lottery than to have these sitting around your house, but check your attic anyway. Let’s take a look at ten times that extremely rare and valuable comic books were found in an unsuspecting home.

Related: Video: 10 Comic Book Heroes Who Could Theoretically Exist

10 Superman Saves the House from Foreclosure

In 2010, a married couple in the American South was in a financial crunch. They had taken out a second mortgage on their home to start a new business, which had failed in the economic turmoil we now know as the Great Recession. Behind on their payments, the bank was ready to foreclose. With their hearts breaking, they started packing up in preparation for losing their home and having to move. While looking for good packing boxes in their basement, they stumbled across a handful of comic books. Most were unexceptional, but one was a find that would change their lives.

It was a copy of Action Comics #1, the 1938 comic that introduced Superman to the world. The couple, who chose to remain anonymous due to expected windfall from their stroke of luck, contacted comics auction house ComicConnect, who helped them get the book sold. Graded a 5.0 (Very Fine/Good) by the experts at Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), the lucky couple’s Action #1 ended up selling for $436,000. Superman was able to add saving a home from foreclosure to his already impressive resume.^[1]

9 Priceless Treasures Saved from the Trash

In early 1977 in Boulder, Colorado, Chuck Rozanski took a phone call at this Mile High Comics store that would change his life—and the field of comic book collecting. A realtor called to say he was trying to sell a house, but a large collection of comics needed to be disposed of immediately. Once Rozanski made his way to the home, he was shown a basement completely filled with stacks of comics—and he had to take all of them if he wanted to make a deal.

The collection had been assembled by Edgar Church, a commercial illustrator who bought nearly every American comic book published between 1937 and 1957 in an effort to help him keep up with the trends in his field. Church’s family wanted the comics gone as soon as possible so that they could sell the home. It seems most of the comics were looked at once, had a date penciled on them, and were then stored away. The result is what CGC calls “the most remarkable collection of vintage comic books ever discovered.” Featuring all the key issues of the era in some of the best conditions that have ever surfaced, the Edgar Church/Mile High Collection set the modern standards for grading and pricing rare comic books.^[2]

8 The Action Comics #1 Used as Insulation

In 2013, contractor David Gonzalez and his wife Deanna purchased a fixer-upper home in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, for $10,100. While knocking down a wall, he found that newspapers had been used as makeshift insulation. Amid the newspapers was an unbelievable find—a copy of Action Comics #1. The home had been built in 1938, the same year that the first Superman comic hit newsstands.

While not in mint condition, it’s still such a rare, valuable, and iconic book that it was bound to fetch a handsome sum. Unfortunately, an argument over the book’s value between Gonzalez and a relative led to the back cover being ripped off. That took the condition down from an estimated CGC rating of 3.0 to a 1.5. “That was a $75,000 tear,” said Stephen Fisher of ComicConnect after the comic sold for $175,000.^[3]

7 The Previously Unknown Comic Book

The massively successful comic book and movie studio we know today as Marvel has its roots in a company known as Timely Comics, founded in 1939. In the fall of that year, Timely published Marvel Comics #1, featuring Marvel characters still in print today, such as the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Timely eventually evolved into Marvel Comics, and it was accepted that their legacy had started with Timely’s Marvel Comics #1. That was until a previously unknown comic was discovered in the home of an art studio head in 1974.

Lloyd Jacquet was the head of Funnies, Inc., the studio that provided the artwork for Timely’s comics in 1939. Upon his passing in 1974, his heirs prepared an estate sale, and they found among his possessions six copies of the previously unknown Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly #1. Once it was discovered that this comic had the same Sub-Mariner story that ran in Marvel Comics #1, it threw into question the history of Marvel. What was this book, and where did it come from? It turns out it was to be a giveaway at movie theaters. Once that idea went nowhere, the included stories were eventually sold to Timely for use in their early comics. Probably the rarest comic book ever found in a home closet, it’s also an important document of early Marvel history.^[4]

6 Nicolas Cage’s Comic in the Storage Unit

Despite it being the most valuable comic book in the world and extremely rare, with only about 100 copies known to exist still, Action Comics #1 keeps showing up in the strangest places. This copy was technically not found in a home, but where you keep things that don’t fit in your house.

In 2011, a beautiful copy showed up in an abandoned California storage unit. The person who bought the unit’s contents at auction immediately knew there was something up with this lucky find. After some investigation, it was determined to be the copy stolen from actor Nicolas Cage in January 2000.

Cage is an avowed fan of Superman and comics in general. At one point, he had two holy grails in his collection—pristine copies of Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27, the first appearances of Superman and Batman, respectively. Both were stolen from his house on January 21, 2000. Although he had sold the rest of his comics collection in the interim, he wanted his copy back when it resurfaced in 2011. Since his insurance company had covered the theft, it’s unclear if he was ever reunited with it. The “storage unit” Action Comics #1 went up for auction in 2011. However, it’s unknown if the seller was Cage, his insurance company, or the winner of the storage unit auction.^[5]

5 The Allentown Pedigree

CGC recognizes outstanding collections of vintage comics that were originally purchased at newsstands and preserved by the original owner as “Pedigree Collections.” As of this writing, CGC has only granted the title to 61 collections. One of the most prized pedigrees was literally found in a closet, having sat there, forgotten for decades. Everyone has heard a story about a great comic book collection that Mom threw away, but what if Mom had actually boxed them up and saved them?

That’s the story behind the Allentown Pedigree, named for the Pennsylvania town where they came from. The original owner, who remains anonymous, had purchased a mere 135 comics in his youth. In that relatively small collection were several key issues such as Detective Comics #27, Marvel Comics #1, Captain America #1, and Batman #1. This places the collection’s origins from 1939 to 1941, when the original owner’s mother boxed them up and put them in the closet, where they remained undiscovered until 1987. At that time, two comics dealers purchased them. Even though the collection has been broken up and sold to many different owners over the years, the Allentown Pedigree is still recognized today as one of the highest-graded collections of Golden Age comics.^[6]

4 Treasure in the Hoarder House

We’ve all seen the houses of hoarders on TV, and it’s safe to say most of us would not want to go in to find out what’s in there for ourselves. In 2017, Rene Nezhoda, owner of a thrift store in the San Diego area, decided it was worth entering a Los Angeles-area hoarder house because of the collectibles purported to be inside. His efforts paid off, as the house was indeed filled with rarities of all kinds, including some very desirable 1960s comic books.

The treasures among the trash included a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man and one of the most valuable Silver Age comic books. There is a video of Nezhoda in a hazmat suit, working his way through many comic books and other valuable collectibles—and some other artifacts of a hoarder house. “There were also rats and rat poop,” Rene said. “I’ve bought a lot of collections and houses in my life, and I have never been overwhelmed, but this house makes me overwhelmed.”^[7]

3 The $3.5 Million Closet Find

In 2011, Heritage Auctions put up for sale an incredible collection of 345 vintage comic books that ended up selling for $3.5 million. Amazingly, they had only been recently unearthed from a closet, where they had sat for decades. After the death of his great-aunt, Michael Rorrer of Oxnard, California, traveled to her Virginia home to help settle her affairs. It was there, in a basement closet, that he found the long-forgotten comics.

Among the collection were several key issues, including Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, and Batman #1. They had originally belonged to his great-uncle, Billy Wright, who originally bought them over a nine-year period. So impressive was this batch of comics that CGC made it one of the newest additions to its distinguished Pedigree Collection list. The Billy Wright Pedigree is a potent reminder to always check basements and closets for any treasures that may be hiding in your family’s homes.^[8]

2 Batman in the Attic

For most homeowners, the prospect of bats in the attic would be a big problem. But when the bat in question is the iconic Batman, in his rare and extremely valuable first appearance, it’s a reason for celebration. In 2007, a Pennsylvania man was cleaning out his attic when he stumbled upon a near-mint copy of Detective Comics #27, the comic that introduced the Caped Crusader to the world. He then sold the book to Todd McDevitt, the owner of New Dimension Comics.

McDevitt said he had been saving up since 1986 for when a really rare and valuable comic came through his shop. Reports following the 2007 sale said McDevitt was keeping his enviable find in a bank vault. It’s unknown if he has since sold it, but with copies of Detective #27 now going for as much as $1.5 million, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had put it up for auction since then.^[9]

1 The Promise Collection

The newest CGC Pedigree Collection is one of the largest, with over 5,000 Golden Age comics. It also has one of the most touching origin stories. It concerns a pair of anonymous brothers, known only as Robert and Junie. In the early 1950s, Robert was drafted into the Army to fight in Korea. Junie, his younger brother, soon followed and enlisted in the Army as well. Junie asked his brother for one thing—that if he didn’t make it home, he wanted Robert to take care of his comic book collections. Robert promised that he would. Sadly, Junie was killed in combat at age 21. Robert kept his promise, boxing up all the comics and storing them in the attic of their family home. And there they were forgotten about.

Nearly seven decades later, the comics were rediscovered in the attic. Realizing the enormity of Junie’s collection, the family transferred them to protective plastic bags while creating a catalog of its contents in a spreadsheet. In honor of Robert’s vow to his brother, CGC gave the pedigree the Promise Collection name. In 2021, some of the collection started to make it to the auction market, with the phenomenal condition of nearly all the books attracting major attention from collectors.^[10]

As a general rule, movie adaptations of books are at worst horrible, and at best somewhere hovering above mediocre. It’s difficult to shoehorn a book’s numerous plot points, and beloved characters, into 90-120 minutes of running time. Heck, just look at the complaints about the inconsequential details left out of the various Harry Potter books.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. These are the top ten movies that are even better than the book.

This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!