The human mind seems to be programmed to think that things did not happen unless one can personally recall it happening. Historians must fight an uphill battle with the general population to convince them that the terrors and tragedies that haunt modern life are often but repetitions of historical events that have already destroyed lineages, families, and communities. These are calamities that, if they happened today, would have graced the pages of tabloids, clogged up Facebook feeds, and inspired a million differently colored ribbons and GoFundMe campaigns.

We think that we’re the generation who has had it the hardest, the most dangerous, the most terrifying—not so. Here are ten modern disasters you probably remember and their older, often deadlier, counterparts.

10 The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami And The 365 Alexandria Tsunami

Most of us remember the tragic 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the giant waves that hit highly populated areas that fronted onto the Indian Ocean, killing up to 280,000 people in their path. It killed the old and the young and the curious, too, who didn’t know that when the ocean recedes rapidly and exposes the sea floor, it is a good idea to run.

The massive earthquake event of AD 365, centered as it was on the Mediterranean island of Crete, must have truly seemed like the wrath of the gods. The island was immediately reshaped by the two tremors, the second of which has been estimated to have been a magnitude of about 8.0 or above. Every town on Crete was destroyed, and countless were killed.

This earthquake sent a huge wave hurtling toward Alexandria in Egypt, killing 50,000 people in the city and surrounding areas, along with communities in West Cyprus, Libya, and Sicily. The fertile farmland was flooded with salt water, and the buildings of Alexandria’s Royal Quarter began to slowly be overtaken by the sea. The ruins of the former heart of the city are now fully and permanently underwater.^[1]

The earthquakes and resulting tsunami permanently reshaped coastlines and islands in the Mediterranean and caused not only death but a grim economic burden on the civilizations of the time. The devastation was simply enormous, as Greco-Roman author Libanius wrote:

Earth [ . . . ] Like a horse shaking off his rider, she has already destroyed many cities—many in Palestine, all of them in Libya. The greatest cities in Sicily lie in ruins, as do those of the Hellenes, except one [Athens]; beautiful Nicea has been felled and our own, the all beauteous one [Antioch] has been shaken and cannot trust in the future.

9 The 1967 Silver Bridge Disaster And The 1807 Eitaibashi Tragedy

While you may not immediately know the name of the Silver Bridge, it was a suspension bridge that passed between West Virginia and Ohio at the West Virginian town of Point Pleasant. Point Pleasant was made famous by the legend of Mothman, a giant winged creature which many believed came to warn the township of the impending collapse of the Silver Bridge.

In December 1967, as commuters working in Ohio were driving home to Point Pleasant and West Virginians were going to Ohio for some Christmas shopping, a link of the suspension chain broke, and the bridge collapsed. The collapse was sudden, pitching vehicles into the water and killing 46 people. It was a terrible tragedy that shook the small community and also entered the public psyche due to its connection with the Mothman legend.

In 1807, the Eitaibashi Bridge, which spans the Sumida River in Tokyo, was already over a century old. It was a wooden bridge that connected an area of temples with the city of Tokyo. There was confusion and dispute over who was responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the bridge, and as a result, it was not properly cared for. Each side was looked after by a different community.

In 1807, excited residents of the Fukugawa side rushed to a festival that was being held on the Edo side. The weight of the throng caused the old bridge to collapse, depositing 1,400 people into the river, where they drowned.

To compound the tragedy, more and more eager festivalgoers pushed from the back of the crowd, unable to see what had happened. A stream of people fell in the river until an official with a sword physically prevented the crowd from pushing more unfortunate souls to their deaths.^[2]

8 The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake And The 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake

When Westerners think “big, scary, city-destroying earthquake,” the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake possibly springs to mind. There are still people alive who remember their relatives talking about it, and there are a lot of accessible photos on the Internet that show the incredible damage to buildings in the San Francisco area. At least 700 people died, fires raged, and the magnitude of the earthquake has been estimated more recently at 7.9 on the newer moment magnitude scale.

Make no mistake, the earthquake was devastating, tragic, and history-changing. But in the business of sheer destruction, it was eclipsed by the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake.

Early in the morning in the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, China, an estimated magnitude-8 earthquake struck. The outcome was catastrophic, and more than 800,000 deaths were attributed to the tremor and resulting floods and fires. Sixty percent of the populations of these provinces are believed to have been killed. Whole families, towns, and communities were wiped out, along with mountains and river courses. Huge crevices opened in the ground, and landslides decimated villages.^[3] As a result of the devastation, many of the survivors rebuilt with wood and bamboo instead of stone, making their villages and communities safer for future earthquakes.

The Shaanxi earthquake is the deadliest ever recorded, and yet it sparks much less interest than the San Francisco quake, despite the fact that many hundreds of thousands more people died. This may not have been the case had there been photography in the 1500s. Hopefully, lifesaving lessons have been learned from this disaster, and an earthquake will never cause destruction on this scale again.

7 The 1917 Halifax Explosion And The 1626 Wanggongchang Explosion

If you ever go to the beautiful city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, do yourself a favor and go on a harbor cruise. There, you will get an informative tour of the harbor, which explores what happened in the 1917 explosion that flattened much of Halifax in the actual spot where the tragic events began.

On December 6, 1917, two ships partook in a tragic “trying to get around you” dance in the harbor that resulted in a collision. One of the ships, the Mont-Blanc, was carrying munitions for use on the World War I battlefront. When the ships collided, the Mont-Blanc initially burned, and thousands watched as the thick smoke filled the air. It was an interesting distraction from an ordinary day.

Then the ship blew up, killing 2,000 people and injuring and blinding 9,000, including those who had stopped their daily activity to watch. The explosion was so big it caused a tsunami that added to the wide-scale destruction. Houses even lost windows in the town of Truro, 100 kilometers (60 mi) away.

In 1626, the Wanggongchang Armory in Beijing was packed full of weapons, including gunpowder. It was secured behind thick walls and seemed virtually indestructible. Then, oddly, a plume of smoke was noticeable above the armory.

Then came a bang that was felt 150 kilometers (90 mi) away and vaporized everything in a 2-kilometer (1.2 mi) radius. About half of Beijing was destroyed by what eyewitnesses say was a mushroom cloud of death. Body parts and building materials rained down on survivors in a pink mist.

The cause of the explosion has been theorized to have been everything from a tornado to an earthquake to an intergalactic nuclear warhead. The strange mushroom cloud and the severity of the blast (equated to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima) have inspired many a conspiracy theorist.^[4] Bodies were found stripped of clothing, three survivors were claimed to have flown up to 100 kilometers (60 mi) through the air unharmed, and one amazingly lucky person survived the blast at the actual factory.

6 The 1981 Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse And The AD 27 Amphitheater Collapse

While not everyone may know about the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, anyone who’s studied engineering or sat in on engineering lectures because they’re a nerd would absolutely know about it. There have been numerous television shows and much media coverage of the tragedy, which has led to the collapse being remembered well and remaining in the popular psyche.

The atrium of the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, had three tiers of suspended walkway around the inside on the second, third, and fourth floors. On July 17, 1981, a tea dance was in full swing, and people were dancing on the floor of the atrium as well as on the suspended walkways. Without warning, the fourth-floor walkway crashed onto the second-floor walkway, which crashed to the ground, killing 114 people. It is the deadliest structural disaster in the United States to date.

But the AD 27 collapse of a wooden amphitheater in Fidenae, Italy, was far beyond anything that any modern average Joe could comprehend. The amphitheater was, by all reports, cheaply built in a rush. When the wooden structure collapsed, 20,000 people died, and more were maimed and injured.

Modern medicine and infrastructure would struggle to cope with such a disaster. One wonders how Rome, only 8 kilometers (5 mi) away, coped with a tragedy of this scale.^[5]

5 The 2016 Ghost Ship Fire And The 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire

In 2016, the world was rocked by the news of the tragic fire in the Ghost Ship collective. There is a special poignancy awarded to tragedies that happen in places that are meant to be fun and give relief from the stressors of everyday living.

The Ghost Ship was a bohemian artists’ residence and performance space that had been created inside an old warehouse in Oakland, California. Filled with flammables such as art supplies and electrical cords, the lower floor had rented mobile accommodations, and the upper floor had a space that was used for concerts and dance parties. It was at such a dance party on December 2, 2016, that a fire broke out in the poorly ventilated and fire safety–noncompliant building. Thirty-six people were killed and two injured in the dark, confusing, and illegal structure as the floors collapsed in on each other.

As tragic as the Ghost Ship Collective fire was, the sheer enormity of the death toll of the 1942 Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire is horrifying.

In the midst of the war-torn early 1940s, on November 28, 1942, to be exact, anyone who was anyone at all in Boston was at the Cocoanut Grove. Featuring two stories—a first floor of dining and dancing and a bar in the basement called the Melody Lounge—the Cocoanut Grove was the popular choice for the discerning night owl.

After a worker accidentally set an artificial palm tree on fire in the Melody Lounge, a huge fireball and cloud of toxic gas traveled quickly through the basement area and up the stairs. Panicked guests swamped the revolving exit doors and were crushed against the glass by the weight of those pushing from behind.

Of the estimated 1,000 people in the building that night, 492 people died, and hundreds more were injured. Though the fire department arrived quickly and put out the blaze with appropriate speed, the stacks of dead and injured near the doors made it hard to get in to the wounded and to let air in for those still trapped inside. Interestingly, the survivors of this disaster were the first to receive penicillin as a non-test drug to help fight infections from the burns.^[6]

4 The 1989 Hillsborough Stadium Crush And The 1809 Ponte Das Barcas Disaster

When people say that they have a fear of crowds, they’re often told that their fears are unreasonable and the result of anxiety. A reader of history will note that there are many thousands of reasons why people should be wary of crowds—all of them dead.

On April 15, 1989, the FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was sold out. Fans were separated due to fears of violence, and the club with the larger number of fans, Liverpool, was for some reason put in the smaller end of the stadium. Not a good idea.

The areas closest to the game were divided into “pens,” into which fans could go in and out through narrow entrances. However, the very narrow entrances and too many fans meant that there were people pressed up against the barriers and climbing fences to escape from the push of spectators trying to get in to see the start of the game. In all, 96 fans died, crushed to death under the weight of each other.

The 1809 Ponte das Barcas incident was a different type of calamity in that it wasn’t a peacetime disaster, but the magnitude of deaths by drowning was far greater and also included thousands of children. The tragedy was also brought on by the weight of a rush of people.

When Napoleon invaded Portugal with his huge army, the citizens of the peaceful Portuguese city of Porto fled onto the Ponte das Barcas Bridge over the river Douro and sank the pontoon structure under their combined weight. An estimated 6,000 people drowned. Whole generations of a city were left bereft.^[7]

3 The 2012 Sinking Of The Costa Concordia And The 1120 Sinking Of The White Ship

The Costa Concordia has become synonymous with terrible captaincy and the horrors of cruise ships in general.

On January 13, 2012, Captain Francesco Schettino began his dive down into the history books as the notorious perpetrator of an unnecessary maritime disaster that killed 32 people onboard. Going way off course, Captain Schettino had ordered the ship too close to Giglio Island, where she hit a rock.

What happened afterward was a completely shambolic misadventure, with the ship drifting around in the water for hours, the captain and crew leaving the vessel with passengers still on it, and said passengers being repeatedly told that things were fine when they absolutely were not fine.

While everyone knows about the Costa Concordia, the modern reader is probably not as familiar with the 1120 sinking of the White Ship in the English Channel.

While 300 people did tragically lose their lives, the reason that the wreck of the White Ship went down in history as such a momentous disaster is that the heir of King Henry I of England drowned on the fateful night of November 25, 1120. Prince William was set to not only inherit what is now modern England but also Normandy. He boarded what was very much a party boat with a half-brother and half-sister, Richard and Matilda. Everyone, crew included, was very possibly completely drunk, and the ship hit a rock and capsized.

Despite the calm sea, few could swim at that time, and the sole survivor was a butcher with the rather awesome name of Berald.

The king was overcome with grief at the loss of his legitimate heir, William, and two much-loved bastards. The sinking of the White Ship has now become somewhat of a medieval murder mystery to suspicious-minded historians.^[8]

2 The 1980 Eruption Of Mount St. Helens And The 1815 Eruption Of Mount Tambora

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens wasn’t long ago, and millions of people can remember the event clearly. You can even watch it on YouTube. On May 18, 1980, a geologist, David Johnston, was stationed to monitor the growing bulge on the north flank of the volcano, which had officials worried. An earthquake triggered an enormous landslide, which triggered the eruption, shooting ash, water, and rock debris 18,000 meters (60,000 ft) into the air.

Fifty-seven people died from the blast, and the shape and landscape of the region changed forever. David Johnston radioed in some data and was then obliterated, wiped out by the enormous blast of the volcano. Everything within 600 square kilometers (230 mi²) around the volcano was destroyed by the blast, and a larger area experienced damage and inconvenience from ash, smoke, and mudflows from the volcano.

However, the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia was beyond devastating.

Gunung Tambora exploded on April 10 after several warning tremors on April 5. The blast, pyroclastic flow, and resulting tsunamis caused a mega-catastrophic event that killed 10,000 people and destroyed over 35,000 homes. The resulting starvation and disease killed a further 80,000 Indonesians. The ash cloud from the volcano blocked the Sun and caused global temperatures to drop an average of 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 °F), and 1816 became known as the Year Without a Summer.^[9]

1 The 2013–2016 West African Ebola Epidemic And The 1330s–1350s Black Plague

There was a time not long ago in which the word “Ebola” was on everybody’s lips. Ebola seemed uncontainable and incurable. It reached the US, and anyone traveling from Africa was met with suspicion and fear. It was meant to be the end of the world. Clearly it wasn’t. You can tell because you’re reading this list.

In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, however, more than 28,000 people caught Ebola, and 11,000 died from the disease, which left whole communities devastated and authorities afraid to bury the dead.

Considering the fear and horror that this outbreak caused among those in countries that were not affected, one can only imagine the level of devastation wrought by the European Black Plague, which affected more than just Europe. The scope of such a disaster was immense.

The Black Plague killed at least 75 million people, and it killed them horribly. The afflicted were covered with pustules, boils, black gunk, suffering from intense pain, chills, and vomiting, and suddenly, they were dead. People would wake up fine and then die in the course of a day.

The disease was spread by rodents and fleas and was airborne as well. The disease also killed poultry, cattle, goats, and sheep. There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide. You died or you didn’t.^[10]

Mostly, you did.

Christy Heather is an author and professional writer from Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. You can read her sentimental writing here and buy her first novel here. Christy is a practicing criminal lawyer and lifelong nerd.

New and advanced devices are always coming up in a technologically dynamic world. Ultimately, this renders older ones obsolete. You might agree that technological advancements happen fast—computers and mobile phones are excellent examples. But the irony is, while technology keeps advancing in leaps and bounds, some primitive methods and devices have managed to stand out, some even better than their ultra-modern advanced counterparts.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best primitive technologies that are better than their advanced counterparts. We just have to warm up our time machine.

10 The Wired Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell invented the wired telephone in 1844. Alexander’s telephone was undoubtedly a magnificent invention of the 19th century and still stands out for its peculiar features, most notably its rotary dial. With this dial, a user has to turn the dial for every digit of the phone number they want to call. Despite many writing off wired landlines as a thing of the past, the phone is remarkably better than its advanced counterpart, considering durability and other features. It’s not as “private” as the modern smartphone, but while “public,” it was way more affordable.

After over a century of use, modern phones—which we effortlessly carry around today—replaced the pioneer telephone. Although we can easily buy and replace a modern phone, between the 19th and 20th centuries, the wired telephone stood out as the best way people could communicate; and you definitely didn’t have to worry about cracked screens or people bothering you all the time! 

9 The Swamp Cooler

The swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler, cools the air by evaporating water. It’s one of the earliest “primitive technologies,” invented before the modern air conditioner. The swamp cooler is different from air conditioning systems that use cycles of absorption refrigeration (or vapor-compression). It also tends to absorb a lot of heat for evaporation. They also offer similar services to evaporative cooling systems without using complex equipment or ductwork.

Swamp coolers minimize dry air temperature by the phase transition of water-to-water vapor. This means the swamp cooler can cool air with less energy than refrigeration, especially in arid climates. In non-arid climates, the swamp cooler can condition the air without adding to the humidity (this favors the occupants).

8 Beepers and Pagers

Have you ever heard of pagers? Well, if you haven’t, buckle up. Also called beepers, pagers made their debut in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that they gained traction and popularity. It’s a one-way communication device that you can use for emergencies. For example, it’s an excellent device for doctors and security personnel who must be reachable at all times.

Pagers have contributed to improved technology; a striking case in point is the smartphone’s invention. Of course, it’s the need for better communication devices that prompted such innovations. Despite this, the smartphone’s arrival (at the beginning of the millennium) made beepers and pagers decline drastically. However, pagers are durable, resilient, serve a singular purpose, and offer better coverage. Unsurprisingly, they’ll remain relevant for years.

7 Telegram

Today we have the internet, but years ago, people had telegrams. And we’re not talking about the Telegram app you can find in the Google Play Store. No, this was different—it was more like physical mail with detailed information from the sender transmitted by Morse Code. And the message could be about anything. Why, your aunt or uncle could send you a telegram about their ongoing projects and pet crocodile—if they had one.

The telegram offered more fun than our 21st-century email. Watch an old film, and you’ll quickly realize how the telegram had a mysterious beauty that Microsoft Outlook’s clumsiness couldn’t seem to muster. The telegram certainly had a sense of elegance and drama to it. The telegram messenger approaches your door, knocks, you open it, and they say, “Telegram!” Talk about nostalgia.

What’s more, modern email, in comparison, excludes all the anticipation that the telegram brought to senders and receivers. It also takes less skill to send an email than a telegram. The telegram will surely remain one of the best primitive technologies ever invented. Although we have a billion people using the internet, you simply can’t compare it to the telegram.

6 Dumb Phones

Dumb phones existed way before smartphones came into the picture. With growing technology and advancement in mobile software, such as Android and iOS, they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. In fact, it’s almost unthinkable for anyone to use dumbphones. These phones are old-fashioned; obsolete.

Dumb phones are basic cell phones. You could make phone calls, send texts, and if you were lucky enough, you could find one with a cheeky game of “Snake” to play when you were bored at home or at work. They are the precursor of modern mobile phones and were beneficial during their time. They significantly improved communication during the late 20th century, and they could run for days without needing a charge.

Our smartphones’ batteries are a joke compared to a dumb phone battery. And so are smartphones’ durability. Dumb phones are known to withstand a good drop or two, but there are never any guarantees that your smartphone will survive a fall, even from 6 inches high. Without a doubt, dumb phones have proved that some primitive technologies are even better than their advanced counterparts.

If you want to buy a dumb phone to experience how good they are, do a little research online. Companies still sell them—you can get a throwback Nokia. Unfortunately, it’s hard to adapt them to the current growth of technology. But hey, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to keep one in your collection, right?

5 Typewriters

If you are a writing nerd or enthusiast, you probably know about typewriters and what they do—or used to do—way back before the invention of computers. You can use a typewriter to type up anything, from novels, essays, or propaganda handouts. The inventors produced the first typewriter back in 1575 and were, essentially, a step up from the traditional pen and paper. They opened up enormous possibilities for writers. But the advent of computers made them obsolete.

A unique factor about the typewriter is that it doesn’t come with distractions the way a computer does. Having your laptop logged on to the internet while still working on your novel can pose a challenge. Why? You can be distracted by the latest trending news, log on to social media—do everything but work on your novel. With typewriters, you can focus on whatever you’re working on and produce excellent work, along with that satisfying sound of the keys hitting the page.

4 Digital Audio Tape (DAT)

Remember when Sony’s digital audio tape (DAT) hit the market? It was the real deal. The DAT came with a digital audio recording similar to a cassette but in a smaller format. The great thing about the DAT was that it could record better than a CD. It could also assign a number to the tracks and easily skip whatever you wanted it to, just like a CD. The only disadvantage with the digital audio tape was its prohibitive costs, making it most helpful (exclusively) to the professional markets.

Interestingly, the digital audio tape was also used in the professional market as a data storage medium. Since 1987, it has recorded some 660,000 sales. In 2005, Sony announced plans to stop producing the machines. The announcement was earth-shaking.

The invention of hard disk drives and memory cards (which superseded the machines) came with incredible portability and efficiency. This quickly made DATs redundant. However, some people still use digital audio tapes due to their ease-of-use and reliability. DAT is also durable and can last for years, unlike memory cards and hard disk drives.

3 Video Home System (VHS)

The video home system (VHS) is another primitive technology that stands tall compared to its advanced counterparts. VHS are small reels of magnetic tapes wrapped in a plastic housing. It became popular back in the ’80s, and many used it to record videos or watch the latest movies. The VHS had a significant disadvantage that many who grew up with them remember quite well: you had to rewind it.

Then came the DVD. Many considered DVDs to be much more efficient and convenient than VHS. This caused households to switch from VHS players to DVD players. By 2008, DVDs had almost wholly replaced VHSs. This massive shift eventually led to the demise of VHS. However, many still respect it as one of the best ways to watch and record films. In its heyday, VHS was simply the best!

2 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Many analysts recognize the personal digital assistant as the forefather of the modern mobile phone. A personal digital assistant is a small, handheld device that offers computing, information, and data storage. You can use a personal digital assistant to schedule important events or activities and keep address information. It also comes with a retrieval functionality for users. It offered similar access to many things that we enjoy today, including the internet, touchscreen functionality, and word processing.

PDAs became popular in the early ’90s and 2000s, but smartphones later replaced them. Some PDAs featured small physical keyboards; others had an electronically-sensitive pad and stylus for handwriting. The term personal digital assistant was later recycled in 2010 to refer to software that recognizes a user’s voice and responds to queries through artificial intelligence.

Today, you rarely see someone using a PDA, but they’re still useful. 

1 Floppy Disks

Floppy disks came around in the 1970s and were primarily a data storage medium. The devices featured an 8-inch floppy disc and stored 80 kilobytes of data. With time, floppy disks got smaller, and their storage capacity grew larger. By the mid-’80s, there was a 3.5-inch floppy disk that could store 1.44 MB of data. By 1990, there were software-size prompted floppy disks in many applications. One example is Adobe Photoshop that required many disks to run. However, floppy disks were vulnerable to heat and magnets. They were also easily corruptible, which made them unsuitable for use. CD ROMs soon became popular and took over.

Currently, floppy disks live as save icons for many software applications. Despite their benefits, floppy disks have mostly become obsolete.

Comic book plots are not restrained by the scientific laws that govern the real-world universe. Of course, ironically, the imaginary atomic and subatomic particles, chemical elements, and substances of the Marvel Comics and DC Comics universes often either have actual real-world counterparts or borrow from one or more of them, usually with an unlikely or impossible twist.

This is true whether we’re talking Wolverine, Captain America, Thor, the Metal Men, Superman, Deathstroke, Flash, Dr. Doom, Wonder Woman, Luke Cage, or the Fantastic Four or whether we’re referring to superpowers, costumes, or weapons. If we take a closer look, we find that one or more of the 10 real counterparts of comic book particles and elements on this list come into play in these comic book characters’ lives and universes, and what a difference they make!

For better or worse—or, actually, for better and worse—the real-universe counterparts of these particles and elements, in most cases, lack the properties of the ones in the Marvel Comics and DC Comics universes.

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

10 Adamantine

Where would Wolverine be without adamantine? The same place that Captain America and several other Marvel Comics superheroes would be—a lot less dangerous and a whole lot more vulnerable, that’s where. Wolverine’s skeleton and Freddy Krueger-like retractable claws are both bonded to the virtually indestructible alloy. Captain America’s disc-shield, which is both a defensive instrument and an offensive weapon, is also made, in part, from adamantine, alloyed with vibranium, another element that exists only in the Marvel universe. Adamantine is both impervious and all-but-indestructible. There’s no other element quite like it in the Marvel universe.

Adamantine exists in the real world too. However, it’s nothing like the Marvel version. It is an ingredient in a veneer; it is also a mineral known as adamantine spar.

The celluloid veneer is used in clockmaking. A product of the Celluloid Manufacturing Company of New York City, the veneer was available in black, white, and “colored patterns such as wood grain, onyx and marble” and was patented on September 7, 1880. A year later, the Seth Thomas Clock Company acquired the right to use it and, beginning in 1882, glued it, as a facing, to the wood cases of their clocks.^[1]

9 Star Core

One version of Thor’s mystic hammer Mjolnir is—by his father Odin’s command—forged by elves from the core of a star. What, exactly, is the core of a star? In the Marvel universe, who knows? Even in the actual universe, it’s not easy to pin down the exact meaning, especially if we expect the definition to include an object.

The core of a star is actually more a place than it is anything else, a place in which enormous temperatures and pressures “ignite nuclear fusion, converting atoms of hydrogen into helium,” which results in the release of “a tremendous amount of heat.” The Universe Today website uses our own sun as an example. It’s a fairly normal star measuring 1,391,000 kilometers (864,938 miles) across.

Our sun’s core, which is about 278,000 kilometers (172,000 miles) across, makes up approximately “20 percent of the solar radius.” It is inside the solar radius that temperatures as high as “15,000,000 degrees Kelvin occur and nuclear fusion [takes] place.” The bigger the star, the bigger and hotter its core. Obviously, human technology couldn’t forge a hammer or anything else out of a star’s core, but, apparently, elvish technology is up to the task.^[2]

8 Iron, Gold, Lead, Tin, Mercury, and Platinum

Since the Metal Men form a group of adventurers, we treat them as a single entity on our list.

DC Comics’ Metal Men had their origins in response to a real-life emergency. As Don Markstein’s Toonopedia article points out, The Atom had moved up from the ranks of the minor leagues of characters to the big league, meaning he was given a title of his very own. His promotion left Showcase, the comic book series in which he’d appeared, without a principal. To make matters worse, the next “issue was due at the printer in two weeks.”

Fortunately, writer-editor Robert Kanigher came to the rescue, creating a group of adventuring robots, scripting “a story for them in a single weekend.” Penciller Ross Andru and inker Mark Esposito also proved up to the task and drew the comic just before the deadline. Not expecting them to grace the pages of Showcase or any other DC comic again, Kanigher killed them off at the end of their debut story.

He then resurrected them, and they continued their adventures after Dr. Will Magnus collected their remains and forged the team anew, complete with their life-giving “responsometers.” In all, the Metal Men number six.

Of course, each of them has a counterpart in the actual universe as well as in the DC Comics universe. The actual properties of gold are reflected in Gold’s personality and abilities. The leader of the Metal Men has a golden hue and the physical properties of the metal. Armed with these qualities, Gold can “stretch into a thin wire miles long or flatten into a sheet four-millionths of an inch thick.”

“Big-hearted” Lead often shields his teammates from harmful rays and radiation. Iron, “the Metal Men’s strongman,” can be shaped and formed into an infinite variety of objects that help the team carry out their missions. Vain, arrogant Mercury boasts of his being the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature. Tin, the smallest and weakest of the Metal Men, feels “inadequate [and] stutters, although this impediment often vanishes in the heat of battle.” Bright and beautiful Platinum falls in love with her maker.^[3]

7 Kryptonite

Depending on its color, chunks of kryptonite have various effects on Superman (and other Kryptonians, including Supergirl). The chunks of the crystalline mineral are remnants of the planet Krypton, from which Kal-El’s parents dispatched him, as a baby, in a tiny spaceship just before the planet exploded. Kryptonite may be green, red, blue, gold, silver, black, or white.

Green weakens, causing severe pain and fatigue, and is ultimately “lethal to all Kryptonians.” Red weakens, causing extreme mood swings and mutations. Blue negates the effects of red kryptonite. Gold strips Kryptonians of their superpowers. Silver causes extreme hunger, “intense delusions and hallucinations [and] paranoia.” Black has a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect, splitting a Kryptonian’s identity into good and evil personalities or even good-twin, bad-twin versions of themselves. White kryptonite kills any plants in the universe.

As Bill Christensen reports in a LiveScience website article, kryptonite also exists in the real universe! Except for its lack of fluorine, it has the same chemical composition as the varieties of Superman’s crystalline mineral. However, Earth’s sodium lithium boron silicate mineral doesn’t exhibit the same array of colors that the Kryptonian version does. Instead, it fluoresces a pinkish-orange under ultraviolet light. Fortunately, unlike the type that plagues Superman, real kryptonite is also harmless.^[4]

6 Promethium

As the DC Universe Infinite website article on Deathstroke indicates, his “origin has been revised and reimagined several [times] over the years.” In DC Comics’ original story of his origin, Col. Slade Wilson participates in an experiment. As a result, he develops superhuman physical and mental powers and becomes a black ops agent. His friend and executive officer, scientist David Isherwood, develops a “‘gravity sheath’ bodysuit” for Slade. However, Slade rejects it in favor of custom-made promethium armor, which “absorbs kinetic energy and blocks it, making it impervious to bullets or the fist of a superhuman opponent.”

Although promethium exists in the actual universe as well as the DC cosmos, the real-world element has none of the properties or uses described in DC Comics. Instead, as the Royal Society of Chemistry points out, most of the radioactive element is used in research, although “a little promethium is used in specialized atomic batteries…the size of a drawing pin…[and] for pacemakers, guided missiles, and radios.” It is also used as “a source of X-rays,” and its radioactivity is employed in measuring instruments.^[5]

5 Molybdenum

In an issue of DC Comic’s Flash, as the superhero closes in on Alchemy while the villain seeks to force information from a victim, the Scarlet Speedster is puzzled. “I don’t get it,” Flash thinks. “Alchemy must know I’m chasing him—and yet he’s standing right out in the open. He’s unprotected!” The reason for Alchemy’s apparent lack of concern is revealed when Flash discovers that his foe has laced the entire area with strands of molybdenum. Had Flash not noticed the nearly invisible filaments, his charging through them at super-speed “would have been like running through a vegematic.”

Not only does molybdenum really exist, but its use in the Flash comic book is a rare instance in which the element actually could do what the writers depict it as doing. One use of molybdenum is to make wire rope resistant to corrosion. Specifically, we’re referencing Type 316 wire rope, which is used in severe environments that require a higher level of “resistance to corrosion” than is afforded by Type 304 wire rope, a “basic stainless steel alloy” variety that includes chromium, nickel, and carbon. The addition of molybdenum allows Type 316 wire rope, a chromium-nickel alloy, to fare better against many industrial chemicals and solvents and, in particular, “inhibits pitting caused by chlorides.”

It’s hard to say just how thick the strands of molybdenum shown in the Flash comic book are, but wire rope containing the element is usually stocked in diameters ranging from 1/16 of an inch to 4 1/2-inches. It’s possible that Alchemy cast thinner strands, which appeared nearly invisible to Flash. It’s also possible that Flash, whose speed afoot matches or exceeds that of Superman, might run so fast that he would streak through Alchemy’s molybdenum filaments without seeing them, in which case he would most definitely learn what it is like to be sliced to pieces.^[6]

4 Titanium

As Shawn S. Lealos points out in his CBR.com website article, Dr. Doom’s armor, made of titanium, has been upgraded several times over the supervillain’s career. Ironically, the supervillain’s original armor was forged by monks and was later embedded with splinters of the true cross. His armor is equipped with several high-tech weapons and further enhanced by magic, too, but it’s the element of titanium we’re concerned about here.

The Royal Society of Chemistry website is one of several sources that give visitors the lowdown on titanium, a real-world element with several practical applications, none of which, alas, is related to armor. Although some of its qualities suggest that it could be used for such a purpose. For starters, the element is as strong as steel but much less dense and can be used as an alloying agent with iron and other metals. In fact, alloys, including titanium, are used primarily in aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles because of their “low density and ability to withstand extremes of temperature,” the website notes.

According to the Society, The titanium pipes used in power plant condensers resist corrosion even in seawater, which makes the element ideal for use in the hulls of ships as well as submarines. It is also used in desalination plants. Since titanium “connects well with bone,” it also has medical uses, including joint replacements and tooth implants. It is most often “used as a pigment in house paint, artists’ paint, plastics, enamels, and paints,” but it is also an ingredient in sunscreens.

Titanium also has an incredibly high melting point (1,670 degrees Centigrade, or 3,038 degrees Fahrenheit) and an even higher boiling point (3,287 degrees Centigrade, or 5,949 degrees Fahrenheit). If Victor von Doom is reading this, perhaps has given the Fantastic Four’s nemesis some new ideas for armor upgrades.^[7]

3 Photons

DC Comics featuring the Amazonian princess doesn’t specify from what material her magical sword was forged, but Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess by Scott Beatty informs us that its blade is sharp enough to sever electrons from an atom.

In Alexis Ross and Mark Waid’s graphic novel Kingdom Come, Wonder Woman’s sword cuts Superman when the Man of Steel draws her weapon before she can warn him of its effects. In one of Kyle Hill’s YouTube videos, he explains the stunning effects that such a sword would have if it existed in the real-world universe. An ordinary blade cuts objects (and people) by “applying more pressure than a material’s structure can withstand,” thereby separating the material’s molecules.

Wonder Woman’s sword, however, slices through the spaces between atoms and their orbiting electrons, “applying pressure directly to the ionic and covalent bonding [that holds] materials together,” notes Hill. In the process, her sword swings “separate atmospheric atoms from their electrons and ionizes them,” which would leave a trail of lightning behind each stroke. Her sword would be the sharpest thing in the universe, capable of slicing through Luke Cage’s bulletproof skin, Wolverine’s adamantine skeleton, or Captain America’s vibranium shield.

According to Stephen Reucroft and John D. Swain, professors in Northeastern University’s Department of Physics, three things split electrons from atoms: electromagnetic radiation, particles, and heat. Heat is a form of energy; almost all particles are material objects; and radiation can be either energy or matter. Once all the electrons are stripped or cut away from the atom, only the nucleus remains.

We seem to be left with two possibilities, both rather broad: Wonder Woman’s sword is made exclusively of particles or of energy. The former state of affairs could allow the weapon to have a material form since most particles are matter, but could pure energy also have a form? The short answer is almost certainly no. As Ethan Siegel explains in his online Forbes article, with one possible exception, “energy is never seen to exist on its own, but only as part of a system of particles, whether massive or massless.”

The exception? Dark energy, which causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. It may also be the energy that is “inherent [in] the fabric of the Universe itself!” However, even if dark energy exists independently of matter, it cannot be generated by any technological means. As Siegel concludes, “Creating energy independent of particles? It might be something the Universe itself does, but until we learn how to create (or destroy) spacetime itself, we find ourselves unable to make it so.”

It seems, then, that Wonder Woman’s sword must be made of some sort of particles, such as those of light, which can be contained in the shape of a sword, the particles, or photons, of which knock electrons from their atoms. In magic, as in fantasy, after all, anything is possible.^[8]

2 Bulletproof Skin

Although Luke Cage’s bulletproof skin seems possible only in a comic book, a news headline, “Bulletproof Human Skin Made From Spider Silk,” suggests otherwise. Sort of. Obviously, spider silk is not the same as human skin itself. Still, the substance can make human skin bulletproof.

According to the online article, a Dutch team created a piece of “bulletproof” skin from special, U.S.-made spider silk and human skin cells and found that it indeed can repel bullets—as long as “they’re not traveling too fast.” If additional research allows improvements to the silk armor, soldiers may one day be impervious to bullets.^[9]

1 Cosmic Radiation

In comic books, exposure to various types of radiation has turned ordinary folks into superheroes (or, sometimes, supervillains). Among those who have developed superpowers due to such exposure are Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, better known, respectively, as Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing or, collectively, The Fantastic Four. They all developed their powers (super elasticity, invisibility, combustion, and superhuman strength) by being exposed to cosmic radiation during their testing of an experimental rocket ship.

Cosmic rays do exist outside the pages of comic books, and, yes, they could endanger space travelers. According to The Space Review website, galactic cosmic rays represent a “continuous background radiation to which the crew would be exposed, [and]…in an unshielded spacecraft, [such] radiation would result in significant health problems, or death, to the crew.” Shielding would absorb cosmic radiation, but it could also cause a problem even worse than the radiation itself: cosmic rays interact with the shielding and can create “secondary charged particles, increasing the overall radiation dose.”

Former astronaut Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, who is currently a professor at MIT, believes Earth shows how to create more effective shielding to protect against cosmic radiation and other hazards such as solar flares: a hybrid system that employs both a magnetic field and passive absorption. “‘That’s the way the Earth does it,’ Hoffman explained, ‘and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to do that in space.’”

Although cosmic rays are real, they wouldn’t have conferred superpowers on Richards and his crew. As the host of the Reactions’ “Can Radiation Give You Superpowers” video and her guest Professor Dan Claes, Ph.D., point out, even on Earth, everyone is bombarded with cosmic radiation every day, as much as 115 times a second. In space, inside the Van Allen Belt, the foursome “were probably hit around 15 million times a second,” Claes adds, and “ten times that” if a solar flare occurred during the crew’s trip.

However, it is so extremely unlikely that all 75 trillion cells in the crew’s bodies could have been struck the same number of times by the cosmic rays “in the same superhuman way and giving them each a different ability,” Claes explains. It is much more likely, it seems, that Richards, Susan Storm, her brother Johnny, and Ben Grimm would have died instead of becoming The Fantastic Four.^[10]

Ask almost any little girl, and she will tell you just how much she admires Disney princesses. The tiaras, beautiful long gowns, high heels, plus the chance to meet prince charming—who isn’t swayed by the princess’s life?
But did you know that most of these princesses have real-life counterparts? And they may not have the ultimate fairytale-like life found in the story you grew up with. If you’re curious whether your favorite Disney princess made it to the list, keep reading. We have curated ten of the darkest real-life counterparts of some of the famous princesses of the Disney world.

10 Cinderella: Rhodopis

The famous Cinderella, who worked as a slave to her stepmom and stepsisters, finally fell in love with her prince charming and became successful in the end. This fairytale sister has always been famous for having a midnight curfew where she magically transforms back into her ragged clothes. Apparently, Cinderella was inspired by Rhodopis, a Greek servant.

Rhodopis married the king of Egypt, and the eagle was the magical animal who helped the king or the Pharaoh search for Rhodopis. The author of this Egyptian “Cinderella” is Strabo, releasing this story in his book, Geography, Book XVII.33.

The main difference between Rhodopis and Cinderella is that she had no evil stepsister- but their similarities include the slipper and the hunt to find the woman it belonged to. The original story tells of an eagle who snatched up Rhodopis’s sandal as she was washing. The bird dropped the sandal into the king’s lap, who became intrigued. While not completely the same, it might have just been enough to inspire the later writers of the Cinderella story we all know—glass slipper and all.^[1]

9 Snow White: Margaretha von Waldeck

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a phenomenal Disney fairytale adaptation of the story by the Grimm Brothers, but the evidence proved that the brothers took inspiration from a real sovereign beauty.

The royal beauty was Margaretha von Waldeck, a German countess born in 1533. She was the second daughter of the Count of Waldeck-Wildungen, Philip IV. Margaret was indeed beautiful, described as having ruby lips and fair skin like Snow White, but with blonde hair.

Like Snow White, she also lost her mother at a young age, and her father married Katharina von Hatzfeld, a vain queen who relished looking at herself in the mirror. Researchers believe that this inspired the “Mirror, Mirror on the wall” saying.

Like the evil stepmother, Katharina also hated Snow White. This led her to send Margaretha away to Brussels when she turned 16. This is also purportedly where the royal beauty met her prince, the future king of Spain, Philip II. The couple fell madly in love, and Margaretha’s fame made Katharina jealous. In 1554, Margaretha became ill and died. There were speculations about Spanish authorities or Katharina poisoning her.

Another similarity is the poisoned apple. This element might have been inspired by the apples given to children by a man as revenge. He hated that his apples were being stolen from his orchard.^[2]

8 Moana: Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn

Moana is another famous Disney princess because she’s not your ordinary princess. You won’t see her wearing tiaras, long gowns, and heels. Instead, she takes pride in representing her Polynesian tribe. While there was no direct correlation to link the two, speculations revealed Princess Ka’iulani inspired Moana. She was the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike and the last heir to the throne of Hawaii as the niece of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/where-is-moana-from#:~:text=Although%20Moana%20is%20from%20the,Samoa%2C%20Tonga%2C%20and%20Tahiti.
What made Moana similar to Princess Kai’iulani (aside from the Hawaiian setting) is that they are both warriors, and they always fought for justice and the truth. Even before she turned 18, Princess Ka’iulani had to take responsibility because the rivals overturned and destroyed the Hawaiian kingdom.

Princess Kai’iulani was always known for being beloved as she fought for her nation’s rights and justice, which was very much depicted in Moana, further leading people to believe that the film took inspiration from the former Hawaiian princess.^[3]

7 Jasmine: Badroulbadour

Princess Jasmine, the love of Aladdin’s life, took inspiration from Princess Badroulbadour. She was the wife of Aladdin in two historical stories: One Thousand and One Nights and The Story of Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp.

In these original tales, Princess Badroulbadour was a Far Eastern princess, unlike Jasmine, an Arabic princess. Badroulbadour is an Arabic word meaning full moons within full moons

One of the simplest reasons why Disney changed Badroulbaour to Jasmine is because it’s easier to pronounce and spell!^[4]

6 Rapunzel: Saint Barbara

Rapunzel is another masterpiece story from the Grimm Brothers—and who could ever forget this Disney princess? Did you know that there was indeed someone who experienced being locked away? She is St. Barbara, the woman behind Rapunzel.

St. Barabara lived during the 3rd century. She was a holy virgin, and many desired to visit her in her tall tower, asking for marriage. Barbara did not entertain any man and dedicated her life to God. Barbara created a window in her tower for the Blessed Trinity, and her father drew his sword upon learning about this. Barbara prayed to God, and fortunately, a hole opened in the tower for her to escape.

Not long after, she was discovered and beheaded by her father. Shortly later, Barbara’s father died after getting hit by lightning, a grim departure from the beloved Disney adaption.^[5]

5 Belle: Catherine Gonsalvus

Beauty and the Beast, created by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740, is based on real-life historical events without magical spells and talking cups and pots. Belle was based on Catherine Gonsalvus, the daughter of a court servant. Catherine met her beast, Petrus Gonsalvus, through Catherine de Medici. Petrus had rare hypertrichosis, commonly known as the werewolf syndrome.

Because of his genetic condition, he was criticized and treated as a spectacle and was sent as a gift to Henry II. Petrus met his Catherine only on their wedding day. The couple had seven children, four of which developed the same genetic condition.^[6]

7 Merida: Flora Macdonald

Princess Merida is another unique Disney princess. In fact, the film Brave took inspiration from several true events and details of Scottish history.

During the 12th century in Scotland, princesses wore thick cloaks and robes, quite similar to what Princess Merida wore during battles and special occasions in the film. Furthermore, Princess Merida resembled Flora Macdonald, an activist and royal princess.

Flora Macdonald assisted in the escape of Bonnie Prince Prince Charlie, preventing her capture during the Battle of Culloden. She also got herself involved during the American Revolution. In 1774, Flora and Allan Macdonald, her husband, moved to North Carolina and ran a plantation.

Flora Macdonald was very vocal about her advocacies for the Scots. She exudes bravery and loyalty, earning the Scots’ trust.^[7]

3 Tiana: Leah Chase

Disney did not disappoint when it took inspiration from Leah Chase in creating Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. Leah Chase was born in 1923, and she was one of the most legendary chefs from New Orleans.

Leah Chase owned a famous restaurant right in the heart of New Orleans called Dooky Chase. Before she became a renowned chef, Leah Chase’s first job was as a waitress. When she met her husband, Dooky, things changed for her. Leah transformed her parents’ small sandwich shop into a famous restaurant. When asked how she did it, she always said it was because it was her passion. When doing what you love, it’s easy to make something big of it and succeed.

So when Disney had to look for inspiration for African-American Princess Tiana, Leah Chase quickly came to mind.^[8]

2 Pocahontas: Pocahontas

The film Pocahontas may have been a family favorite, but its real meaning holds so much tragedy. The real Pocahontas had two names: Amonute and Matoaka. When joined together, the names meant “flower between two streams.” It’s saddening to discover that the real-life Pocahontas suffered much—the complete opposite of Disney’s Pocahontas.

John Smith from the film was also different from the man in the actual events. He was 27 years old and was always feared by young children like Pocahontas. John enjoyed violently entering tribal lands with a gun and stealing supplies and food. She was never romantically involved with Smith, but she may have communicated with him. For some reason, the very young Pocahontas was used as a go-between for her tribe and the English.

The 1600s were the darkest points for Pocahontas. Pocahontas, the chief’s daughter, was kidnapped and used as a bargaining chip for food the English needed so much to survive. She was converted to Christianity during her captivity—she denounced her people and their “idolatry.” Her name was changed to Rebecca. There, she met and married John Rolfe, later having a son Thomas before they traveled to England. Unfortunately, she fell ill in London and died there. Definitely a far cry from the Disney princess who spoke to trees and sang about the riverbend.^[9]

1 Mulan: Hua Mulan

The famous Mulan took inspiration from Hua Mulan, a brave female soldier who lived between AD 420 and AD 589 in the Northern and Southern dynasties. Everything is almost the same, especially since the original story revolves around Mulan dressing as a man to join the army. The story dates from a 12th-century poem that is likely based on folk tales from the fourth and fifth centuries.

In the film, Mulan disguised herself as a male warrior to prevent her sickly father from joining the battle, and she could never be discovered because death was the ultimate punishment for this action. The original mentions no old or sick father, only that there are no sons.

After the victory, Mulan did not want any reward except a return to her family. When she finally dressed back as a woman, her companions in the army were shocked. The final lines of the poem nicely explain this sentiment:

The male hare wildly kicks its feet;
The female hare has shifty eyes,
But when a pair of hares run side by side,
Who can distinguish whether I in fact am male or female?^[10]