Though their skills and ingenuity are often underrated by more modern minds, our ancient forebears were quite adept at construction, building structures that have stood to this day. Here are 10 such examples.

10Saint Hripsime Church
AD 618

The first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion, Armenia is home to several revered sites of the religion. One such building is the Saint Hripsime Church, built in the seventh century. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightfully so, the church was commissioned to replace a mausoleum which had been erected in honor of Saint Hripsime.

Hripsime played an important role in Armenia’s Christian history, for she was a devout believer. Around AD 300, she lived in a Roman monastery as a hermit, along with 35 other women. Eventually, after fleeing the affections of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Hripsime ended up in Armenia, where her beauty caught the eye, and fury, of the pagan Armenian king Drtad. When she refused, King Drtad had Hripsime and all her female companions tortured and killed. Later, after he had successfully converted the Armenian king to Christianity, St. Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church, built the first chapel to honor Hripsime.

9The Jokhang
AD 639

Generally considered the most sacred temple in Tibet, the Jokhang is a Buddhist temple located in the capital city of Lhasa. Though the exact date of its construction is up for debate, AD 639 is as good an estimate as you’re going to find. According to Tibetan legend, their king at the time, a man named Songtsan Gampo, got married to two different women: Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wencheng of China.

His new brides brought with them a statue of the Buddha, and Gampo was delighted and sought to build a temple to house the Chinese statue. Stoked by jealousy, Princess Bhrikuti demanded one for her statue, and the Jokhang was constructed. Further legends about the temple say it was built on the bed of a dried-up lake, itself above a sleeping demoness whose heart was imprisoned by the construction of the Jokhang. Though it has undergone significant expansion and renovation since it was first built, most of the core parts of the temple date back to its original construction.

8Arch Of Titus
AD 82

Like many of the greatest feats of early architecture, the Arch of Titus was built to honor a man and, in this case, that man was the Roman Emperor Titus. Though his reign was brief, lasting only two years, Titus was considered a good ruler, as well as a renowned military commander; he was responsible for capturing Jerusalem and destroying the Second Temple. The Arch of Titus commemorates that feat, with the south panel depicting Titus and his men taking spoils from the Jewish people. The north panel illustrates Titus’s own triumph granted to him thanks to his victory.

Located on the Via Sacra (“Sacred Road”), it was constructed by Titus’s younger brother Domitian after he succeeded his brother in AD 81, and the Arch of Titus became a model for future arches, most notably the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And, although it’s known as a triumphal arch, many similar constructions honor things besides military victories, including the building of city infrastructure.

7Seokguram
AD 774

Seokguram, or the Seokguram Grotto, is a hermitage built on the slopes of Mount Toham in Korea, containing within its walls a rather large statue of the Buddha. Designated a World Heritage Site, it was built in the eighth century by Prime Minister Kim Dae-seong, who wished to honor his parents, both of his current life and his previous life. (The nearby Bulguksa Temple was built for the same reason, filial duty being what it is.)

Unfortunately, Kim died before either one of his projects was completed, missing out on the innate beauty of their design, especially the sculpted devas, bodhisattvas, and disciples, which are widely regarded as some of the finest examples of East Asian Buddhist art. Unfortunately, thanks to the deleterious effects of weather, as well as the constant threat of clumsy tourists, the interior of the grotto has been sealed off with a glass wall.

6Dhamek Stupa
AD 500

For centuries, rulers in ancient India had been honored by having their remains encompassed by a large rounded structure known as a stupa. Once the Buddha came around, he decreed that enlightened ones should be honored in the same way. One of the oldest in the entire country is the Dhamek Stupa, located just outside of Sarnath, a city in the northeast of India. (The word stupa is Sanskrit for “heap.”)

The Dhamek Stupa was built under the guidance of one of India’s greatest kings, Ashoka, a man responsible for the propagation of Buddhism across the continent. It’s also one of a handful of monuments built to honor the Buddha, with the Dhamek Stupa marking the spot believed to be where the Buddha gave one of his earliest sermons.

5The Royal Mausoleum Of Mauretania
3 BC

Located near the famed city of Algiers in Algeria, the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania was built for two of the last rulers of the ancient kingdom of Mauretania, Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II. (Their son Ptolemy was the last ruler.) It is no coincidence the mausoleum bears a striking resemblance to one built by the Roman Emperor Augustus, for Juba II wished to create a sign of his allegiance to Rome.

Known by several different names, including “the tomb of the Christian woman” thanks to a cross-like shape on a false door, the mausoleum has suffered a great deal of misfortune throughout the centuries. Vandals and thieves destroyed or stole much of the ornate decorations once littering the grounds, and various rulers have tried to destroy it. It wasn’t until Emperor Napoleon III declared it a site to be protected in 1866 that the mausoleum was finally safe. However, since it was declared a World Heritage site in 1982, several factors, including poor maintenance and endless vandalism, have put this marvel of early architecture at risk of being destroyed.

4Ponte Sant’Angelo
AD 134

Constructed under the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian, better known for the wall he had built to mark the northern limit of Britannia (as well as keeping out those darn Celts), the Ponte Sant’Angelo is a still-standing bridge located in Rome. Originally known as the Pons Aelius (“Bridge of Hadrian”), the name was changed sometime in the Middle Ages, after the Archangel Michael was said to have appeared to Pope Gregory the Great in AD 590.

One of the finest bridges still standing in all of Rome, the Ponte Sant’Angelo was built to connect the Campus Martius, a public square in ancient Rome, to Hadrian’s mausoleum, which is now known as Castel Sant’Angelo. In addition, the original Roman statues were replaced in the following centuries, with angelic statues designed and mounted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1688.

3Treasury Of Atreus
1250 BC

Sometimes called the Tomb of Agamemnon, the Treasury of Atreus is a tholos, a beehive tomb built in Mycenae, Greece. Perhaps the greatest feat of Mycenaean architecture still standing, the tomb’s builder is unknown, with the legendary Mycenaean king Atreus or his son Agamemnon commonly cited as ordering the construction.

The Treasury of Atreus, along with one other tomb at Orchomenus, is unique in that a side-chamber is connected to the main vaulted chamber. Though the true purpose may never be uncovered, a prevailing thought is that less illustrious family members had their bones collected there.

2Greensted Church
11th Century

Not only is the Greensted Church the oldest wooden church still standing, it might even be the oldest wooden structure in all of Europe. To be fair to buildings such as the House of Bethlehem in Switzerland, much of what is left of the Greensted Church is much newer than the original construction date. In fact, the only things that remain are the tree trunks which form the nave.

Its most prominent feature, the tower, was added sometime in the 1600s, with various construction and reconstruction happening in the centuries afterward. Though not particularly noteworthy when compared to other places of worship, the Greensted Church did host the body of Saint Edmund, England’s first patron saint, for a night.

1Brihadeeswarar Temple
AD 1010

One of the largest temples in India, Brihadeeswarar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and is located in Thanjavur in the eastern part of the country. The oldest temple made completely of granite (nearly 130,000 tons), the temple is also known as Rajarajeswaram, named for the Chola king Rajaraja I who is believed to be behind its construction.

A World Heritage Site, along with two other Chola temples, Brihadeeswarar Temple is an incredible feat of engineering. In fact, the Shikharam (“crown”) at the top of the temple was carved from a single stone and weighs over 80 tons and sits atop a tower 30 meters (100 ft) high.

+Further Reading

The accomplishments of our ancestors are made even more striking by our own seeming inability to build anything of quality these days! Here are some more lists from the archives that show off the amazing talents of those who have gone before us:

10 Mysterious And Enthralling Buildings Older Than Stonehenge
10 Awe-Inspiring Buildings You Won’t Believe We Tore Down
10 Intriguing Structures And Their Bizarre History
10 Most Famous Unfinished Buildings
10 Fascinating Historic Architectural Features

Photography has come a long way. At times, it’s hard to believe that black-and-white photographs were the only type available some decades ago. Nowadays, we have so many options. And let’s not even talk about current photography fads like the selfie.

But we do not have a monopoly on photography fads. In fact, the people who lived when the camera was invented seem to have had better—and weirder—photography fads than we do.

10 Postmortem Photography

Postmortem photography was a bizarre genre that involved live people taking pictures with the body of a dead relative. It was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Photographs were expensive at the time, and most people didn’t take pictures throughout their lives. The only opportunity was after their deaths. In fact, it was often the only picture of the deceased person.

Postmortem photography was possible because most people died at home. Most pictures were of children because infant mortality was high at the time. The children were dressed up—sometimes surrounded by flowers and toys—before the picture was taken. Their mothers even carried the kids sometimes. The pictures often looked as if the dead children were just napping.

Older children and adults were propped up with belts, pulleys, and levers. Some even stood as if they were alive. The eyes were often dead giveaways, and photographers sometimes added glass eyes to make it seem like the dead person was looking at the camera.

Considering that transportation was unreliable and dead people became stiff after a few hours (called rigor mortis), relatives often sent for the photographer before the person died. The photographers sometimes arrived after rigor mortis had set in. But that was usually not a problem because they were experts at manipulating stiff corpses.

Postmortem photography slowly disappeared as advances in medicine made people live longer. More people also died in hospitals instead of their homes. Cameras and photographs also got cheaper over time, and most people had other pictures of themselves and their relatives.^[1]

9 Hidden Mother Photography

Early photography had long exposure times. The subject needed to remain still for 30 seconds before a picture could be taken. It is difficult to have an adult sit still and stare at a camera for 30 seconds. It is almost impossible to have a child in such a position.^[2]

This was why mothers sometimes hid in the background while holding their children in place. This was called hidden mother photography. Most mothers covered themselves with clothes to blend in with the background. Others were disguised as chairs, backdrops, curtains, or whatever would hide them from appearing in the photograph.

8 Spirit Photography

Spirit photography was another genre inspired by the long exposure times of early cameras. Subjects of early photographs were required to remain still to prevent ghosting. As you probably guessed from the name, ghosting means the subject appeared faint and transparent—as if they were a ghost.

In 1861, photographer William H. Mumler discovered a method of creating consistent ghosts in his photographs. It is believed that Mumler created his ghost pictures by inserting the glass plate of a previous photograph of the supposed ghost in front of a fresh glass plate he was using for his latest subject.

Instead of creating a unique genre of photography, Mumler used his knowledge to defraud his clients. He claimed that he could take real photographs of ghosts and soon had clients swarming to his shop to take pictures with ghosts of their late relatives. His clients included Mary Todd Lincoln, who took a picture with the ghost of her late husband, Abraham Lincoln.

People soon exposed Mumler’s ghost pictures as fake. There were claims that he raided the homes of his clients to steal pictures of their late relatives to use for his ghost glass plates. This was probably true because the ghost was sometimes a living relative. This effectively shattered Mumler’s photography career even though a court acquitted him of all charges.^[3]

7 Smileless Photographs

People rarely smiled in early photos, especially in pictures taken during the 19th and early 20th centuries. There were several reasons for this. Early photography was considered an extension of painting, and paintings were supposed to look natural. This means that smiling and anything other than a flat facial expression was not allowed.

There was also postmortem photography. As we already mentioned, pictures taken during postmortem sessions were often the only picture a family had of their late relative. The pictures were intended to immortalize a dead person—and a natural look was the most favored facial expression.

Another reason was the long exposure times of early cameras. As we already mentioned, subjects were required to remain still. This meant that they were required to maintain a single facial expression to avoid ending up with a blurry mouth. Most subjects opted to have a face with a flat facial expression because it was the easiest to maintain.

Another reason was the fact that Victorians did not smile. There was the widespread belief that only idiots smiled. Nobody wanted to be considered an idiot because they smiled in a photo.^[4]

6 Headless Portraits

Early photographers manipulated pictures a whole century before computers and image editing software came along. Image manipulation started right after the invention of the first cameras when some photographers discovered a method of cutting and pasting two pictures together to create a new one.

Swedish photographer Oscar Rejlander used this technique to create the headless portrait genre in the 19th century. As you may have guessed from the name, one or several subjects in a headless portrait appeared without heads. The subject or somebody else in the picture held the head in their hands or on a plate.

The headless person or the other subject sometimes held a bloodied knife to make it seem like they had cut off the head. While this type of portrait can be easily created with the photo editing software available today, it was a chore to make in earlier times and was not as easy as it looks.^[5]

5 Builder’s Photo

Locomotive and car manufacturers used the builder’s photo (aka official photo) to showcase their new or upgraded products. The shot either covered the front and side of the product or just the side. The locomotives were often without carriages, and the images were sometimes edited to remove the backgrounds.

Some manufacturers painted their locomotives gray so that they would look good in the black-and-white photographs. Darker areas of the locomotive were also painted in bright colors to make them appear brighter. The locomotives were repainted in their real colors after the photograph was taken.

Railroad companies hung the pictures in their offices and used them on postcards and in advertisements. Locomotive enthusiasts also got caught up in the fad. However, their pictures were called roster shots.^[6]

4 Pigeon Photography

In 1907, Dr. Julius Neubronner filed a patent for the pigeon camera. As the name already hints, the camera was strapped to a pigeon. A timer allowed it to automatically take pictures when the pigeon was in flight.

The camera was a win for aerial photography at the time. In fact, its pictures are among the earliest aerial images ever taken. Before the pigeon camera, people took aerial photos with cameras attached to balloons and kites. However, kites and balloons were slower and could only travel limited distances.

This becomes more interesting when we realize that Dr. Neubronner never started off to create a camera for aerial photography. He invented the camera to document the routes flown by the pigeons.

This is not to say that the pigeon camera did not have its flaws. While useful for aerial photography, it was unreliable for surveillance because it shot images at random. This was why it lost its place to airplanes when World War I came along.^[7]

3 Manual Retouching

People started searching for ways to look better in pictures right after the invention of photography. But there were no computers or photo editing software during the Victorian era. The Victorians solved this problem with pencils to manually retouch the glass plates used to create the photos.

Sharp pencils were used to make body lines bolder. Blunt pencils were used to make darker areas of the body appear brighter. The cheeks were often shaded because they usually appeared darker in the finished image. Photo editing was so common during the Victorian era that almost every picture was manually retouched.^[8]

2 Hand-Colored Photographs

Some 19th- and early 20th-century pictures appear in color even though colored photography was only perfected in the mid-20th century. How was this possible? By painting over pictures, of course.

Johann Baptist Isenring started the hand-colored photograph fad when he painted over a black-and-white photo with pigment and gum Arabic. Several other photographers soon joined the fad. A popular photographer was Yokohama Matsusaburo, who doubled as a painter and lithographer.

Matsusaburo created his first colored photograph in the 1860s and was renowned for his hand-colored pictures. Hand-colored photography reached its height at the beginning of the 20th century but died a swift death when stable color films and color prints became available in the 1950s.^[9]

1 Red Shirt School Of Photography

The “Red Shirt School of Photography” was a genre that appeared after the perfection of colored photography. The genre was unwittingly started by several magazines, which were all accused of deliberately adding red items in their pictures.

Rumors say that photographers working for the magazines traveled with red shirts, red umbrellas, and any other red items they could lay their hands on. They added these items to their photographs to make them look appealing. National Geographic was one of the magazines accused of starting the fad.

Colored pictures fascinated people when color cameras became mainstream in the 1950s. Editors soon realized that readers focused on the colors in the picture instead of the lines and movements that were the focal points during the era of black-and-white photos. So the editors concentrated on attracting more readers by using appealing images.

In fact, editors selected the pictures based on color. This was why photographers preferred taking pictures that included sharp and appealing colors like red. Some photographers traveled with actors wearing bright clothing or using bright accessories and made them walk into a scene just before taking the picture. The genre died in the 1960s.^[10]

By any stretch of the imagination, life in colonial America was hard, demanding, and cruel. Many European settlers did not survive their first few years in North America thanks to disease, starvation, the harsh climate, and violence.

Many recognize these truths, and yet few have fully comprehended just how daunting a task it was to settle a strange continent. The following 10 entries will not only provide greater detail about memorable events, but many will also provide a new appraisal of certain moments in history.

10 The Pre-Pilgrim Settlers Of New England

Most US students can rattle off the dates concerning when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Most believe that before 1620, no English settlers had ever set foot on New England soil. This, however, is incorrect.

In looking through the historical record, it’s clear that isolated English fishing communities from what is now Maine down to Long Island sparsely dotted the map. For the most part, these settlers stuck close to the coast, although it has been asserted that their contacts with the Native Americans led to epidemics that weakened certain tribes prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims.

Furthermore, it’s likely that English settlers had been trawling the waters of New England for generations before the coming of the Separatists and Puritans. Indeed, the very fact that Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, could speak English and was a Christian highlights the fact that the English began settling New England long before 1620.

9 The First Pilgrims

Decades before English Separatists sought to leave behind the neo-Catholicism of the Anglican Church, a group of French Protestants, known as the Huguenots, settled in modern Florida.

Back in Europe, after years of tense harmony, French Catholics decided to bloodily purge Calvinism from their country. During the infamous Massacre of Saint Bartholomew’s Day in 1572, the Huguenot leader Gaspard II de Coligny was murdered alongside 3,000 Protestants in Paris and another 70,000 throughout France.

Seeking refuge from Catholic persecution, many Protestants fled to Fort Caroline near today’s Jacksonville. The fort had been founded by a French expedition led by de Coligny and Jean Ribault. Unfortunately, on September 20, 1565, the small garrison at Fort Caroline was overrun by a Spanish force who reclaimed the area for Catholicism.

8 Forgotten Conquerors

The pop history of early America usually focuses on the colonies of England, Spain, France, and, to a much lesser extent, the Netherlands. But there was a fourth power involved—Sweden.

Between 1638 and 1655, Sweden controlled much of Delaware, southern New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. The center of the colony, Fort Christina, was founded by a small cadre of sailors who left Gothenburg under the command of Captain Peter Minuit. Located in Wilmington, Delaware, Fort Christina included mostly Swedish settlers with a sprinkling of Finnish and Dutch as well.

The commercial goals of New Sweden were never fully met. After Sweden lost to Russia in the Second Northern War, the 400 men at Fort Christina became citizens of New Netherland.

7 Battle Of The Severn

Sometimes called the final battle of the English Civil War, the Battle of the Severn took place far away from England in the colony of Maryland. When Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, took control of the colony, he tried to establish it as a refuge for England’s Catholic minority.

Unfortunately for him, large Protestant immigration quickly turned Maryland into a Protestant-majority colony. In 1649, Governor William Stone allowed several hundred Puritans from Virginia to settle in Maryland.

Years later, Virginia declared its loyalty to King Charles II, the heir of the executed King Charles I. As for Maryland, Governor Stone ordered all landowners to pledge their loyalty to the Catholic Lord Baltimore, which in a way was an oath of allegiance to the English crown.

As can be expected, the Puritans refused. So on March 25, 1655, Governor Stone and a militia force sailed from St. Mary’s City to the Puritan settlement of Providence (today’s Annapolis). Near Spa Creek, the Puritans surprised Stone’s men, killing 40.

6 Puritans Return To England

Decades prior to the English Civil Wars, a massive migration of English Protestants took place. Many went to the Netherlands, where Calvinism was accepted. Some went to the Rhineland, while others headed for the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Saint Kitts and Nevis. An unlucky few settled Old Providence Island off Nicaragua’s Mosquito Coast.

The majority, however, landed in Massachusetts, thereby creating the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Between 1620 and 1640, over 20,000 Pilgrims and Puritans settled what would become New England with their families. Soon thereafter, the population doubled and would continue to double every generation for two centuries.

However, in 1640, large-scale immigration to Massachusetts reversed as Puritans, both English-born and Massachusetts-born, began sailing back to England to fight for the Parliamentarians. While the exact number is unknown, it is true that this Puritan exodus essentially stopped widespread immigration to New England until the Irish Catholic waves of the 1840s.

5 The First French Fort

Throughout the history of New France, the most important colony was Quebec. To this day, Quebec remains the chief Francophone province in Canada. Other former French colonies, from Illinois to Ohio, have lost their Gallic flavor.

In 1562, the first French settlement in North America was founded by the Huguenots under the command of Jean Ribault. Called Charlesfort, this short-lived colony collapsed when the 26 or 27 men that Ribault left behind mutinied, built their own ship, and returned to France.

The ruins of Charlesfort, or rather Charlesfort–Santa Elena, can be found on Parris Island, South Carolina.

4 The Strict New Haven Colony

Puritanism has a well-earned reputation for theological rigidity. However, even within Puritanism, there were divisions between conservatives and liberals. John Davenport, the founder of the New Haven Colony in Connecticut, was arguably the strictest Puritan of early America.

Founded in 1638, the New Haven Colony had a very clear set of rules: Everything had to be done according to the Bible. Not only did colonists pledge to live their lives according to Scripture, but the town itself was laid out in such a way as to resemble the Temple of Solomon and the New Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation.

Davenport believed that his colony’s government, exemplified by the Church of the Elect, should be ruled by the laws of the Old Testament and by so-called “saints.” In 1665, New Haven Colony merged with the larger Connecticut Colony.

3 Refugees And The Salem Witch Trials

As first argued in the book Salem Possessed by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, many today view the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 and 1693 as the tragic end result of a land dispute between many of the village’s families. This view is backed up by maps that show the geographic disbursement of the accused and the accusers.

One of the lesser-studied aspects of the trials is the role played by refugees. Namely, a few of the accusers, including 17-year-old Mercy Lewis, had recently moved to Salem Village from the frontier settlements of Maine.

During King William’s War, which occurred in the background throughout the entire trials, Native Americans raided English settlements in Maine and drove many back to Massachusetts. George Burroughs, the former minister of Salem Village who was accused of leading the witch’s coven, had earlier been accused of bewitching soldiers during his time as the minister of Falmouth (now Portland), Maine.

2 The Massacre Of 1622

The attack on the colony of Jamestown that erupted on the morning of March 22, 1622, proved to be one of the deadliest days in the history of colonial America. Angered by the growing English population and the less than friendly manner of the English colonists who began settling away from the coast, the Powhatan tribe surprised the citizens of Jamestown and ultimately killed 347 of them.

The massacre, which was part of a larger Powhatan uprising, nearly ended the English colony of Virginia. One-sixth of all Virginians were killed on March 22, while many others became lost or were taken prisoner.

1 The Worst War In Early America

In terms of sheer body count, the US Civil War remains the deadliest war in American history. In terms of per capita losses, King Philip’s War of 1675–76 is the deadliest. Under the leadership of the Pokunoket chief Metacom (aka King Philip), a confederacy of Native American tribes tried to drive the English settlers back across the sea.

The war was especially vicious. By 1680, Native Americans only made up 10 percent of New England’s population. Furthermore, one-tenth of New England’s military-age male population perished during the war, while 12 Puritans towns were burned to the ground.

Although the war proved costly, King Philip’s War did much to unite the New Englanders as a separate people. As England did not provide troops, arms, or support, the New England militias fought the war on their own, thus arguably laying the groundwork for an American identity.

The early 2000s were a remarkable era for cinema, characterized by the emergence of innovative storytelling, groundbreaking visual effects, and memorable performances. This period saw the birth of several films that have become iconic, influencing the industry and captivating audiences worldwide. From fantasy epics to thought-provoking dramas, these movies offer a glimpse into the creative prowess and cultural significance of this era.

Ocean’s Eleven

Ocean’s Eleven, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a stylish and entertaining heist film that combines an all-star cast, clever plot twists, and slick filmmaking. Led by George Clooney as the charismatic Danny Ocean, a group of eleven skilled criminals team up to execute an audacious plan: robbing three of Las Vegas’s most prominent casinos simultaneously.

With its sharp dialogue, intricate schemes, and a delightful blend of comedy and suspense, Ocean’s Eleven keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The film’s charm, wit, and stellar ensemble cast, including Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon, make it a must-watch for fans of heist movies.

Vegas is doing just fine today, although most of the industry is online as players from all over the world enjoy their favorite casino games via a few keystrokes and clicks. Various markets in this sector cater to casino fans such as online casino Singapore sites, UK sites as well as US and Canadian operators. They offer a variety of games, promos, and other sorts of features to keep players around.

Despite this Vegas still hasn’t lost its charm and appears as a location or setting in many other films.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and released between 2001 and 2003, is an unparalleled cinematic achievement that brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy world of Middle-earth to life. Comprised of “The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, this trilogy is a masterclass in storytelling, visual effects, and emotional resonance. The films transport viewers on a grand and immersive journey, following a diverse group of characters from different races and backgrounds as they embark on a perilous quest to destroy the One Ring and save Middle-earth from the clutches of the Dark Lord Sauron.

What sets the Lord of the Rings trilogy apart is its meticulous attention to detail in every aspect. From the awe-inspiring landscapes of New Zealand that stood in for Middle-earth to the intricately designed costumes and prosthetics, no expense was spared in creating a rich and believable world. The films seamlessly blend practical effects, such as impressive sets and stunning miniatures, with groundbreaking digital effects, resulting in breathtaking battle sequences, awe-inspiring creatures, and magnificent locations.

However, it is the storytelling and the way it captures the essence of Tolkien’s beloved novels that truly make these films stand out. Peter Jackson and his team managed to distill the epic scope and depth of the source material into a compelling narrative that resonates with both dedicated fans and newcomers alike. The themes of friendship, heroism, sacrifice, and the enduring struggle between good and evil are beautifully portrayed, evoking a range of emotions from exhilaration to heartache.

Not only did the trilogy receive critical acclaim, but it also garnered significant commercial success, earning a combined total of 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture for The Return of the King. The film’s impact on popular culture cannot be overstated, influencing subsequent fantasy and adventure films and leaving an indelible mark on the collective imagination of audiences worldwide.

The Dark Knight  

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight redefined the superhero genre, delivering a dark and psychologically complex portrayal of the iconic Batman character. With the late Heath Ledger’s unforgettable performance as the Joker, the film delves into themes of chaos, morality, and the nature of heroism.

Through its thrilling action sequences, intense performances, and exploration of ethical dilemmas, The Dark Knight became a cultural phenomenon, earning critical acclaim and commercial success. This film showcased the potential for comic book adaptations to transcend their genre and delve into deeper philosophical questions, leaving a lasting impact on the landscape of superhero movies. Although it was released in 2008, you’ll still find it on more than one list of amazing films to enjoy.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a thought-provoking sci-fi romance that challenges our perceptions of memory and love. Starring the unforgettable Jim Carrey and charming Kate Winslet, the film follows the journey of Joel and Clementine, former lovers who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories.

Through its inventive narrative structure and poignant performances, the movie explores the complexities of human relationships, the consequences of erasing painful memories, and the enduring power of true connection. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stands as a testament to the creative potential of storytelling and remains a favorite among film fans seeking unconventional narratives.

Lost in Translation

Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation is a poignant exploration of loneliness, connection, and cultural dislocation. Set in Tokyo, the film follows the chance encounter between Bob Harris, a faded movie star, and Charlotte, a young woman feeling adrift in her marriage. Together, they form a unique bond as they navigate their shared sense of isolation in a foreign land.

Through its subtle performances, atmospheric cinematography, and introspective screenplay, Lost in Translation captures the universal yearning for connection and the inherent complexities of human relationships. The film’s introspective approach and emotional resonance continue to captivate audiences and cement its status as a modern classic.

Conclusion  

The early 2000s provided a fertile ground for cinematic excellence, with a diverse range of films that pushed boundaries and captivated audiences. From the epic fantasy of The Lord of the Rings to the introspective drama of Lost in Translation, these must-watch flicks left an indelible mark on the world of cinema.

Through their innovative storytelling, compelling performances, and enduring themes, these movies continue to inspire and entertain audiences today. The early 2000s will always be remembered as a remarkable era that showcased the power of storytelling and the boundless possibilities of filmmaking.

It appears you are never too young to start killing. While most kids choose sports, art, or music as hobbies, some decided to exercise with murder. Here are ten killers and the age they started down a dark path.

10 Harvey Miguel Robinson, 17 Years Old

Harvey Miguel Robinson is from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and is one of the youngest serial killers on death row. He was 17 when he first committed murder in August 1992. Police caught Robinson on July 31st, 1993, after he raped but failed to kill Denise Cali on June 28th, 1993. Robinson returned to Cali’s house, where police were waiting. Since Cali bit Robinson’s arm during the initial attack before fleeing, police could match the bite mark to Robinson and convict him. Allentown police also connected Robinson to the rape and murder of the following three women:

• Joan Burghardt: 29-year-old nurse’s aide (August 1992)
• Charlotte Schmoyer: 15-year-old newspaper carrier for The Morning Call (June 1993)
• Jessica Jean Fortney: 47-year-old grandmother (July 1993)

The courts convicted Robinson of raping and killing Schmoyer, Burghardt, and Fortney on November 10th, 1994, and sentenced him to death for all three cases. In April 1995, the courts also convicted him of raping a 5-year-old girl and sentenced him to an additional 57 years in prison. In April 2006, Robinson got a resentence to life imprisonment for the Joan Burghardt murder because he was only 17 at the time. He also exchanged his appeal rights for a life sentence in the Schmoyer case on December 14th, 2012. As of 2020, he still has the death penalty for the Fortney murder.

9 Craig Price, 13 Years Old

Craig Chandler Price is from Warwick, Rhode Island, and currently imprisoned at the Florida State Prison in Raiford. Craig was 13 years old when he killed 27-year-old Rebecca Spencer, a neighbor who lived two doors down from his house. Price stabbed Spencer 58 times. He wasn’t a suspect for Spencer’s murder but confessed to the crime when police caught him two years later for killing three additional neighbors while high on drugs in 1989. The victims were 39-year-old Joan Heaton and her daughters Jennifer and Melissa, who were 10 and 8. He stabbed them over 30 times with wounds so deep the handles broke off the knives. He also crushed Melissa’s skull. Price did not show signs of remorse for killing the Heatons, even imitating the sounds of their death cries. 

Due to his age, Price couldn’t face trial and was committed to a juvenile correctional institution called the Rhode Island Training School. However, in 2004, Price transferred from Rhode Island to Florida because of his violent tendencies. He was also denied parole in March 2009. Although the courts set his release date for May 2020, they sentenced him to an additional 25 years on January 18th, 2019, for stabbing an inmate Joshua Davis on April 4th, 2017. 

8 Jasmine Richardson, 12 Years Old

Jasmine Richardson and her Romeo, Jeremy Steinke, flipped the classic story of forbidden love. Instead of committing suicide, they murdered anyone that got in their way. At 12 years old, Richardson started dating 27-year-old Steinke after meeting at a punk rock show in 2006. However, her parents aggressively disapproved of their relationship due to the age gap. On April 23rd, 2006, the couple decided to go on a murder spree by killing Richardson’s parents, Marc and Debra, and her 8-year-old brother Jacob. A 6-year-old neighbor found the bodies in the Richardson’s home at Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. 

Steinke admitted to police that Richardson wanted her parents dead so she could be free from them. He even told her father, “It’s what your daughter wanted,” as Marc died from stab wounds. Jasmine Richardson was the one to stab her brother in the neck. On July 9th, 2007, the court convicted Richardson and Steinke each with three counts of first-degree murder. Richardson was one of the youngest people to be convicted of multiple first-degree murders in Canada. However, convicts under fourteen in Canada cannot receive more than a ten-year sentence. In contrast, Steinke received three life sentences on December 15th, 2008. 

Richardson started attending classes at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, for the final years of her sentence and was released into a psychiatric hospital in 2011. With evidence of rehabilitation, Richardson completed her sentence in May 2016. 

7 Mary Bell, 10 Years Old

With an impoverished life and a mother who tried to kill her multiple times, Mary Bell decided to take a dark path before her 11th birthday. On May 25th, 1968, Bell took 4-year-old Martin Brown to a deserted house in Newcastle, England, and strangled him to death. Although she later left notes confessing to the murder, the police didn’t take her seriously. Two months later, she killed again. Bell left the body of 3-year-old Bryan Howe in the same area she left Brown’s. This time, the police arrested her.

In December 1968, the courts convicted her of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. The court-appointed psychiatrist described her as having classic symptoms of psychopathy. Police reports indicated she had carved an “M” into Howe’s body and mutilated him, including using scissors to cut off his genitals. Bell spent 12 years in prison. She was released in 1980 when she was 23. She now lives with her daughter with a new identity. 

6 Joseph Mcvay, 10 Years Old

On January 2nd, 2011, at their home in Holmes County, Ohio, Joseph McVay, age 10, shot his mother, Deborah McVay, age 46. According to his sister, Shawna McVay, Joseph was tired of fighting with his mom and used a 22 caliber rifle to shoot her. He then went to his neighbor’s house, called 911, and told the dispatcher, “I shot my mom. I shot her with a gun.” Joseph pleaded guilty to one count of murder the same day of the incident. The court found him incompetent for trial until early 2013, when they sentenced him in juvenile court at 13. 

The official motive was Joseph was arguing with his mom over chores. To avoid bringing in firewood from outside, he fired a shot into his mother’s head instead. However, there is the question as to how long the intent to kill may have been brewing. Interviews with family members and school administrators indicated his mother physically, emotionally, and verbally abused him. Joseph also showed signs of anger and aggression before the murder, like in September 2007, when he swatted a school administrator with a dustpan. 

5 Cayetano Santos Godino, 9 Years Old

Cayetano Santos Godino, also known as El Petiso Orejudo or Macrotous Runt, was a serial killer and arsonist from Buenos Aires, Argentina that started down his killing path young. He beat a 2-year-old, left him in a ditch when he was 7, and beat another kid with a stone when he was 8. Due to his young age, the police released him from jail time. But, these beatings were just the beginning. A year later, in 1906, Godino killed 3-year-old Maria Rosa Face and got away with it.

It wasn’t until he confessed to police years later that he strangled her and buried her alive in a ditch did anyone connect him to the crime. In 1912, before he turned 16 in October, Godino started a spree of destruction. His attacks include:

• Arturo Laurona: 13-year-old, killed and left in an abandoned house (January 26th)
• Reyna Vainicoff: 5-year-old killed by setting fire to her dress (March 7th)
• Roberto Russo: 8-year-old choked but survived (November 8th)
• Carolina Neolener: 2-year-old kidnapped but rescued (November 20th)

On December 4th, 1912, police finally arrested and jailed Godino after he killed Jesualdo Giordano. Godino took Giordano to a country house, tried to choke him, beat him, and eventually killed him by hammering a nail into the side of his skull.

Following this incident, Godino entered a youth detention center on January 4th, 1913. Medical reports declared him insane after he tried to kill some inmates. The judge ended the case and ordered him to stay in the center. An appeal approved him to move back to jail on November 20th, 1915. Godino later transferred to Ushuaia Penitentiary on March 28th, 1923, where he died in 1944. 

4 Christian Romero, 8 Years Old

On November 5th, 2008, Christian Romero from St. Johns, Arizona, committed a double murder at eight years old. He was accused of killing his father, Vincent Romero, with a 22-caliber rifle before shooting a family friend who rented a room at their house, Tim Romans.

Romero pleaded guilty to one count of negligent homicide in 2009 for killing Romans, but the court never charged him with his father’s death, despite the suspicion that it was premeditated. Prosecution attorney Michael Whiting explained that his father’s killing was dropped because it was in Romero’s best interest the court didn’t force him to acknowledge the killing. 

Romero lived under the supervision of the Apache County Superior Court in a secure, supervised group home. His probation terms included receiving treatment and mental health evaluations instead of punishment. In 2015, 15-year-old Romero was recommended by an Apache County probation officer, Julie Nicholson, to attend public school. 

3 Carroll Cole, 8 Years Old

Born on May 9th, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa, Carroll Cole was a serial killer who started killing at the young age of 8. After his family moved to Richmond, California, Cole was emotionally abused by his younger sister at home and often teased at school. In 1947, he retaliated against a classmate, 8-year-old Duane, by drowning him in a lake. Although at the time, authorities ruled it as an accident, Cole confessed years later in an autobiography that it was intentional.

As a teenager, Cole committed several petty crimes, was discharged from the Army for bad conduct, and in 1960 attacked two couples in parked cars on lover’s lane. He attempted to strangle numerous women in the years following, including an 11-year-old girl in Missouri. This crime led him to a five-year prison sentence. 

Since his first murder at 8, Cole didn’t successfully kill again until May 7th, 1971, when he strangled Essie L. Buck to death. However, it wasn’t until November 1980 that police arrested Cole for fatally strangling three women in Texas. The courts convicted Cole of the three murders on April 9th, 1981, and he was executed by lethal injection on December 6th, 1985. Before his death, Cole claimed he had gotten away with the murders of at least fourteen other women in the nine years prior to 1980.

2 Amarjeet Sada, 7 Years Old

Amardeep Sada, also known as Amarjeet, not only started killing young but had some of the youngest victims. His three murders in Bihar, India, were all babies under one year old. When he was 7, he killed his 8-month-old sister and 6-month-old cousin but got away because his parents helped cover up the crime. Some villagers also knew of the killings but did not report it because they considered it a family matter. A year later, in January 2007, he killed Kushboo, a neighbor’s 6-month-old daughter. Police finally caught him. Sada happily confessed to taking Kushboo from daycare, strangling her, and hitting her on the head with a stone. He became known as India’s youngest serial killer. 

The Bhagwanpur police in the Musahari village said Sada smiled a lot and spoke very little when being questioned about his crimes. Psychoanalyst, Shamshad Hussain, said Sada was a sadist who derives pleasure from inflicting injuries. However, a former psychology professor of Patna University said he did not have a sense of right or wrong. Superintendent Amit Lodha declared the case a psychiatric one, and Sada needed to be evaluated by professionals. Finding he had a chemical imbalance and needed help, Sada ended up staying in a children’s home until he turned 18. 

1 Carl Newton Mahan, 6 Years Old

While there could be younger murderers that got away with their crimes, Carl Newton Mahan has claimed the title of the youngest known killer in American history. He became Kentucky’s youngest murder defendant after using a 12-gauge shotgun to kill a friend on May 18th, 1929. Mahan fought with 8-year-old Cecil Van Hoose in their impoverished coal-mine town over who could sell a scrap of iron. Hoose ended up slapping Mahan in the face with the iron scrap.

Mahan ran home to retrieve his father’s shotgun before declaring to Hoose, “I’m going to shoot you!” and pulled the trigger. Less than a week later, Mahan was on trial for the murder, where he often lay on the defense counsel’s table or slept. A jury convicted Mahan of manslaughter, and the judge sentenced him to 15 years of reform school. 

There was contradicting public opinion on whether manslaughter was too harsh or not enough as a conviction. A Circuit Court judge overturned the conviction, saying a county judge should decide juvenile cases. Finally, Kentucky’s attorney general became responsible for making the final decision and announced he would take no action against Mahan. Mahan was allowed to remain with his parents.

Humans are the only Homos left standing – that is there are no other representatives of the Genus Homo left alive. Some of the other species that were our close relatives, like the Neanderthals, are familiar to most people. Others are lesser known but potentially just as interesting. The more we learn about our related species the more we are learning about what we have lost as Homo sapiens came to dominate the planet.

Top 10 Body Parts We Lost To Evolution

10 Neanderthals

Neanderthals, or Homo neanderthalensis, were either a sister species to modern humans or a subspecies of Homo sapiens. They emerged around 250,000 years ago and populations continued to live in isolation until about 28,000 years ago. This means that humans and Neanderthals coexisted for a long time. Obviously humans won out and for a long time it was thought that Neanderthals went extinct because they were too primitive to compete. When President Biden commented that anti-mask protests were “Neanderthal thinking” it showed how the low opinion of Neanderthals has persisted.

In fact the current Covid crisis has revealed just how influential Neanderthals were in the creation of modern humans. Humans and Neanderthals bred with each other a surprising amount. The amount of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans ranges from 0 to 2% – and it can have important effects today. Some people who inherited a Neanderthal gene can have worse symptoms from a Covid infection.

Modern researchers no longer think that Neanderthals as dim-witted cousins to humanity. We have discovered careful burials that may suggest a set of beliefs about the afterlife. They created art and used fire. We even know that they cared for sick members of their groups. Why the Neanderthals went extinct when they were so skilled is an open question.

9 Red Deer Cave People

Deciding what is and is not a human can be oddly difficult when all you have to go on are a few fossil bones. When scientists discovered human bones in Red Deer Cave in China they made a startling announcement that has proved controversial. An ancient lineage of human relatives lived in the area only 14,000 years ago.

The bones of the Red Deer Cave People showed that they were muscular, had thick skull bones, a flat face, large molars, and a smaller than expected brain size. These features pointed to human species that had been alive over a million years ago but somehow persisted until very recently. Unfortunately the bones were not preserved in a way that allowed DNA testing. Unsurprisingly the idea of them surviving so long has been contentious.

The red deer that gave the cave its name may have been hunted by the Red Deer Cave people because they were discovered alongside stone tools, suggesting a complex society. But there are those who doubt that these people are a separate species at all. Were they a subspecies, or just modern humans with some unusual physiology? More work remains to be done.

8 Homo luzonensis

Caves are great places to go looking for the remains of human ancestors. They offered shelter for early humans to live in but floods and rains can carry bones inside making them gather in the same area. It is unsurprising then that many human relatives have been found in caves. Just recently a new species turned up in a cave on the island of Luzon.

The Callao cave turned out to contain seven teeth and six bones that pointed towards a new species of human relative. Homo luzonensis lived there around 60,000 years ago. The bones and teeth show that they had a mix of modern and primeval features not usually seen together. The bones also show that they were smaller than modern humans, perhaps because they lived on an island – a phenomenon known as Island Dwarfism. The deer bones found in the cave have cut marks from tools but no tools were discovered which suggests that Homo luzonensis butchered their meat away from the cave and may have brought it inside to eat.

Because the Philippines is cut off from Asia by the sea the ancestors of Homo luzonensis must have made a perilous crossing to the island by boat.

7 Homo habilis

Homo habilis has a name meaning “skilful man,” but is sometimes called “handy man.” They earned this name by probably being the creators of some of the first stone tools in history. Living from about 2.3-1.6 million years ago it is clear that the human ability to craft tools actually long predates the rise of Homo sapiens.

The first remains of Homo habilis were a single tooth discovered in Tanzania in 1959 but it was only with the discovery of further bones that they were recognised as a separate species. The fossils show that Homo habilis had a markedly smaller brain size compared to later hominids but this does not seem to have impacted their ability to work with their hands. The stone tools they created were used for skinning animals and cutting meat.

We know lots about Homo habilis just from the bones we have discovered. The long arms suggest that Homo habilis lived at least partially in trees. We may even be able to tell that some were right handed from the way their teeth wore away, as if they pulled on food held in the right hand.

6 Homo erectus

Homo erectus was one of the most successful human species. Thought to have evolved in Africa around two million years ago they may have lived until 250,000 years ago in some parts of Indonesia.

The spread of fossil discoveries of Homo erectus show that they quickly spread outside of Africa with evidence of their habitation found across Asia. It seems that Homo erectus spread as environmental changes created new areas suitable for their survival. Part of the reason for their widespread habitation was the fact that they were at least partially carnivorous. Carnivores have to cover more ground to hunt and so are more likely to discover new hunting grounds.

The brow ridges that are strongly associated with early human species reached their largest size in Homo erectus. While some have thought these thick ridges may have helped protect the skull it is now thought that they may have helped with social signalling – much like modern human eyebrows today.

5 Homo ergaster

Closely related to Homo habilis were Homo ergaster. Both lived in Africa around 1.5 million years ago but Homo ergaster seems to have more closely resembled modern humans. Many remains suggest they could have been tall and slender, with some well over 6 feet tall. The size and shape of their pelvises show they could also give birth to babies with large heads, just like modern humans.

As well as being physically impressive they also had good technical skills. The ‘ergaster’ part of their name means ‘work’ and was given to them because of the large stone tools found associated with their fossils. Their tool use may have contributed to their lifestyle which involved travel across grasslands. Their body shape would have helped in the hot dry conditions they faced.

Unlike in some hominid species there does seem to have been a noticeable difference between males and females in terms of height. This may represent differing roles for males and females in their culture.

4 Australopithecus afarensis

Australopithecus is a slightly more distant relative than some on this list but the discoveries made about them revealed a great deal about the evolution of humans. When they evolved around 3.9 million years ago Australopithecus became one of the first primates to be able to walk upright for long periods of time.

While their bipedalism can be inferred from their skeletons a discovery made at Laetoli in Tanzania offered almost perfect proof of it. The site contains a series of track prints made in a layer of volcanic ash that fell 3.9 million years ago. While it is not possible to say for certain which species left the footprints Australopithecus is the most likely.

We also know that Australopithecus coexisted with other human relatives thanks to the discoveries made in a cave in South Africa. Researchers have recovered bones belonging to Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo species that were all deposited within a few thousand years of each other 2 million years ago.

3 Denisovans

The ability to analyse DNA has revolutionised the study of species and revealed many startling discoveries. Where before a few bones may have been filed away in a museum drawer for decades and never correctly identified today they can be enough to entirely define a species. This was the case with the Denisovans.

With just a handful of bones and teeth available researchers managed to extract DNA that showed these bones belonged to a population of humans that were either a separate species or subspecies. According comparisons of this DNA the Denisovans were more closely related to Neanderthals than they were to modern humans. But this did not stop Humans and Denisovans interbreeding – in some modern populations as much as 8% of their genome could be derived from Denisovans.

One of the more surprising aspects of Denisovan life that we have worked out is that they were comfortable living at high altitude. It may be that the adaptations modern Tibetans have to live in the Himalayas are derived from Denisovan ancestors.

2 Homo naledi

In 2013 some cavers in the large cave system known as the Rising Star Cave in South Africa discovered fragments of hominid fossils. These were unlike anything that had been found before. In total over 1,500 bone pieces from at least 15 individuals were recovered. This is the greatest find of hominid fossils from any one location in Africa.

The fossils have been attributed to a single species called Homo naledi – from the Sotho word meaning star. Homo naledi seems to have had both modern and ancient features. The wrists and ankles look modern but the chest and small brain seem more common to older hominid species. It has been suggested that Homo naledi evolved parallel to modern humans.

One hotly contested aspect of the find has been the suggestion that the bodies were deliberately buried in the cave. To reach the deepest part of the cave anyone would have needed to bring light. Because of the absence of flooding it seems unlikely the bodies were washed into the cave. Did Homo naledi carry their dead into the cave for burial? More work needs to be done.

1 Homo floresiensis

When Homo floresiensis was unveiled to the world in 2004 they were quickly dubbed ‘Hobbits’ because of their short stature. Found on the island of Flores in Indonesia the adults stood just 1.1 m, or 3ft 7 inches, tall. Homo floresiensis also lived until relatively recently for a human relative – they seem to have gone extinct 50,000 years ago.

Homo floresiensis is thought to be a case of island dwarfism. Because islands often lack large predators animals tend to evolve into smaller forms. This is also helpful because islands can support more smaller individuals. This was also seen in a dwarf form of Stegadon, a type of elephant, found on the island. Homo floresiensis hunted these Stagadon as hundreds of Stegadon bones, some with butchery marks, were found alongside the human remains. Despite their brains being only one third the size of a modern human’s Homo floresiensis were skilled tool makers.

The arrival of modern humans in the region seems to coincide with the disappearance of Homo floresiensis. If humans are a lonely species today it may be because our ancestors forced many of our cousins to extinction.

10 Evolutionary Advantages Of Seemingly Weird Body Functions

Many people wonder how late 19th-century famous figures might have sounded and moved, what sorts of gestures they may have made, and what kinds of facial expressions they might have displayed. Born in the Victorian Era, these ten people saw the birth of new recording technology. Now, some early films of such renowned men and women have been converted to videos available on government or museum websites or popular Internet video-sharing platforms.

Each of these ten early films of turn-of-the-century (the 20th century, that is) celebrities brings history to life as it shares glimpses of a famous man or woman who contributed greatly to our own time and lives.

Related: 10 Bizarre Entertainments Of Victorian London

10 Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller

In a sequence from a 1930 newsreel film, now on video, Anne Sullivan (1886-1936) explains how she taught Helen Keller (1880-1968) to speak. Keller, who is also present in the film, demonstrates. Her student, Sullivan says, had been blind, deaf, and mute since she was nineteen months old. It was a mystery to Keller how Sullivan and others managed to speak without using their hands, as she herself must do. By teaching Keller to place her hand over Sullivan’s face, the teacher showed her student “how we talk with our mouths,” letting Keller feel the vibrations of the spoken word. In response, Keller immediately spelled the message, “I want to speak with my mouth.”

With her thumb on Sullivan’s larynx, her forefinger on her teacher’s lips, and her third finger alongside Sullivan’s nose, Keller could discern the various vibrations of sounds—those of the hard “G” and the “K” on her thumb; the “V” and the “T” sounds on her forefinger; and the nasal sounds, such as “M,” on the third finger on Sullivan’s nose. The first word she learned to speak was “it.” After seven lessons, Keller was able to articulate the sentence, “I am not dumb now,” as she does in the video footage while smiling in delight.^[1]

9 Pablo Picasso

In an excerpt from French filmmaker Henri-George Clouzot’s documentary Le Mystere Picasso (The Mystery of Picasso), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) draws a picture for the camera filming him. The video, posted by the Royal Academy of Arts, begins with an image of Picasso’s finished painting Visage: Head of a Faun before showing him actually creating it in 1955. Stop-action and time-lapse photographic techniques allow Clouzot to capture the artist’s process as Picasso begins drawing with a black marker and the resulting images bleed through the paper.

As he works, Picasso’s drawing undergoes a series of spontaneous metamorphoses, “from flower to fish, to chicken, to face.” Dark, heavy lines are introduced over and among the finer lines he has already committed to the paper.

Picasso looks intent as he begins to paint around the drawing, filling in the negative space with dark blue and using thick strokes of green paint to outline the face on the side of the flower-fish-chicken’s body. At this point, Clouzot, consulting his wristwatch, advises, “45 seconds left” of the five minutes total that are represented by the 450 feet of film being shot. Time enough remains to add some red to the hybrid face’s nose (which doubles as the hybrid creature’s wing), its leafy branch of a tail, its eyes, and its leaf-like wattles.

The filmmaker cheats, allowing Picasso a bit more time than the original five-minute limit. The artist colors the ground red. “8 seconds,” Clouzot announces, and Picasso brushes black over most of the strange creature before creating a trio of twig-like human figures that seem to “grow” out of the earth. Then, the filmmaker orders his camera operator to quit filming. Fifty-five years later, the video announces that Picasso’s painting is “restored” for a Picasso and Paper exhibition.^[]

8 Albert Einstein

Although Albert Einstein’s (1879-1955) famous equation E=mc² is well-known throughout the world today, it was revolutionary when he first articulated the idea that energy and matter are interchangeable. To hear Einstein himself state the implications of his famous equation is, nevertheless, impressive. Initially, the video showing the mathematician’s explanation appeared in 2011, many years after formulating it in 1905.

Apparently reading from notes, he states that “it followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both, but different, manifestations of the same thing.” He adds that such a notion is apt to be “a somewhat unfamiliar conception for the average mind.” Then, presumably to help his audience grasp the significance of the equation, he defines its terms—E, M, and C squared (energy, mass, and the velocity of light squared, respectively). He does this before explaining that “a very small amount of mass may be converted into a very large amount of energy, and vice versa,” since the two are, in fact, equivalent.

For those of average mind who may be skeptical of his explanation, he tells listeners, with just a hint of a smile, that the equivalency of mass and energy was demonstrated by John Douglas Cockroft and Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton in their 1932 experiment.^[3]

7 Mata Hari

According to the History website, after her marriage, plagued by infidelity and domestic violence, crumbled in divorce, her son’s death, and losing custody of her daughter, Margaretha Zelle (1876-1917) moved to Paris. She was seeking to reinvent herself so she could “live like a colorful butterfly in the sun.” Incorporating moves she’d observed during her time in the Dutch East Indies, she created a Hindu dance act, appearing first as Lady Gresha McLeod and then as Mata Hari or “eye of the day.” Realizing that she lacked dance skills sufficient to draw a crowd, she compensated by casting off items of her colorful costume until, at the conclusion of her dance, she was nearly nude. “People came to see me because I was the first who dared to show myself naked to the public,” she said.

The details of Mata Hari’s espionage career remain sketchy. However, it seems to have begun [if, indeed, it began at all] in the fall of 1915, when she allegedly accepted honorary German consul Karl Kroemer’s offer of money to spy for the Kaiser under the “German codename” H 21. On February 13, 1917, she was placed under arrest, charged with espionage, and confined to Paris’s infamous Saint-Lazare prison, where she was interrogated. Although she admitted to being a courtesan, she denied ever having spied. Despite the flimsy circumstantial evidence, she was convicted, and on October 15, 1917, she was executed by a firing squad at age 41.

The footage of Mata Hari humanizes the exotic dancer. Despite her later admission of having been a prostitute, her work as an exotic dancer, and her conviction for spying for Germany during World War I, she appears, in this earlier video, as simply a well-dressed, beautiful young lady. Wearing a long, pleated dress with a large hat, stockings, and high heels, she is helped into her long winter coat by a soldier who then helps her into the back seat of an automobile that has arrived to collect her. Perhaps the soldiers in the front seat are taking her to “the spy school” the video’s narrator mentions her having to attend as a condition for receiving the funds she needs to return to Paris.^[4]

6 Marie Curie

Marie Curie’s celebrated career and award-winning accomplishments are summarized by The Nobel Prize website. In her youth, Marie Curie, then Maria Sklodowska (1867-1934), of Warsaw, Poland, was trained by her father in scientific study in addition to her general education before moving to Paris after involving herself in “a students’ revolutionary organization.” Finding it prudent to leave the city, she continued her education at the Sorbonne, where she met Professor Pierre Curie. They married a year later, in 1895. She earned her Doctor of Science degree in 1903 and, working with her husband, isolated both polonium, named after the country of Marie’s birth, and radium. She also encouraged using radium as a medical treatment for alleviating suffering. During World War I, she remained focused on this work with the help of her daughter, Irene.

In addition, a Nobel laureate twice over, Madame Curie, as she was also known, served as a member, a professor, or a director of various professional and scientific organizations throughout her career. Despite both her many accomplishments and the fact that she was held in high esteem and admiration by scientists throughout the world, she remained, as The Nobel Prize website describes her, a “quiet, dignified and unassuming” woman throughout her career.

Her reserve and modest demeanor are on display in the video conversion of the 1931 Pathe News filmstrip showing her gracious receipt of yet another award bestowed upon her, the ARC Gold Medal. After the presentation, she addresses the world, wearing her hat, large round glasses, a dark dress, and her latest award: “I would like to express here all my thanks to the delegation of the American College of Radiology for the honor that brings me here and by which I am extremely touched.”^[5]

5 Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley (1860-1926), an expert shot with both pistols and rifles, was as popular, perhaps, for besting male competitors as she was for her unerring accuracy. She defeated all contenders, including her future husband Frank E. Butler. He missed one out of twenty-five shots in a contest, while Oakley’s aim proved faultless. She had had lots of practice in perfecting her aim, as she had begun hunting game at age eight, supplying it to local restaurants to help put food on her family’s table. Impressed by her accuracy, General George Armstrong Custer dubbed her “Little Sure Shot,” which became her Wild West Show stage name. One of her career’s highlights was her performance before Queen Victoria at Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee in England. However, her travels in Buffalo Bill’s show included Spain, Italy, and France.

Her good name was impugned when a false story began circulating after she’d injured her back in a train wreck in 1901. As many as fifty-five newspapers claimed that she had stolen a man’s trousers so she could sell them and use her ill-gotten gains to purchase cocaine. This feat proved impossible since the crime had occurred in Chicago while Oakley and her husband resided in New Jersey. The reports turned out to be true in this regard: Maude Fontanella, the thief who had stolen the man’s trousers, had gone by the false name “Any Oakley.” Incensed at the newspapers for falsely accusing her, Oakley sued and won 54 out of 55 cases against the newspapers.

Her expertise with guns is put on display in a remarkable U. S. Library of Congress video that shows her shooting disc-shaped targets attached to a standing board and coins tossed into the air. Although she appears to miss one of the seven discs, which remains on the board after the other six fall, a careful review of the action shows that she did, indeed, strike the seventh disc, too—at dead center, in fact.^[6]

4 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In his own words, as we look on during a 1929 interview, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) shares what inspired him to write detective stories featuring a consultant who uses science instead of luck to solve the mysteries he investigates. Then, ironically, he fills us in on his psychic experiences and interest in the spirit world.

He was annoyed, Doyle says, at how, “in the old-fashioned detective story,” the detective seemed to succeed either as the result of “some sort of lucky chance or fluke” or never explained the process by which he reached his solution. Doyle found this state of affairs unfair, believing the detective should have explained his methods. As a result, he decided that scientific methods should be applied to crime detection. Recalling the method that Professor Bell, one of his college teachers, used to diagnose diseases in his patients, Doyle decided to write detective stories of his own in which his detective would use methods similar to those Bell had employed. Once his readers caught on to the fact that Doyle’s stories delivered something new to the genre, his narratives of Sherlock Holmes became increasingly popular.

Doyle then turns his attention to the much more serious topic of his interest in spiritualism. His study developed “about the year[s] 1886 and 1887.” In the forty-one years between then and now, his interest became ever more profound as he read about and studied psychic matters and experimented with them. Slowly and carefully, he formed his convictions about the subject. Since then, he had taken it upon himself to educate the public about the great philosophy, the truth of which he has observed firsthand at seances and in other situations all around the world. He assures us, “I am not talking about what I believe. I am not talking about what I think. I am talking about what I know.” His devotion to spiritualism, he asserts, had comforted him, even as it had helped him, especially during the aftermath of World War I, to console many people who lost loved ones.^[7]

3 Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) reminds his audience that psychoanalysis has made much headway but is far from being universally accepted. In this film, we hear Freud’s voice over a series of film clips. The recording briefs us on the state of the psychoanalytic school of psychology he founded. It comes from a BBC radio interview conducted at his home at Hampstead, North London, on December 7, 1938. It is believed that this is the only known audio recording of Sigmund Freud.

Freud is a little hard to understand in this interview as he was suffering from incurable jaw cancer and every word was agony.

After briefly recounting the general principles of psychoanalysis, Freud gets personal, declaring, “I had to pay heavily for this bit of good luck” in discovering these findings and pointing out the intense opposition he faced by “people [who] did not believe in my facts and thought my theories unsavory.” Despite such opposition, he declares, he “succeeded in acquiring pupils and building up an International Psychoanalytic Association.” Strangely, almost as if he’s inviting his listeners to continue the good fight he has begun, he concludes, “But the struggle is not yet over.”^[8]

2 Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known to the world by his pen name Mark Twain, appears in a silent bit of footage taken at Stormfield, his Redding, Connecticut, home. The mansion was named for his iconoclastic 1907 short story “Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven,” the profits from which helped fund the house’s construction.

The video begins with an announcement: “This is the only known motion picture of Mark Twain. Photographed in 1909 using Thomas Edison’s Kinetograph camera, it also shows what is believed to be his daughters Clara and Jean.”

After greeting us, he strolls along his driveway, coat open, vest buttoned, smoking a cigar on a breezy day. The scene shifts and he is seated at an outdoor table with his daughters, with whom he drinks tea as they appear to engage in conversation. Unfortunately, the film is unaccompanied by sound. The clip may not be much to look at by today’s standards. However, the simple fact that it provides a glimpse into the life of one of America’s greatest writers, allowing us to see the man behind literary works that have stood the test of time, makes it impressive, nevertheless.^[9]

1 Queen Victoria

As we watch a rare bit of film that was converted to video, we may feel that we are part of the crowd who assembled to greet Queen Victoria (1819-1901). The footage was shot during the queen’s last visit to Ireland in 1900 and shows Her Majesty in a horse-drawn carriage as she nods at a crowd of well-wishers lining both sides of the street down which she rides. Wearing sunglasses and holding a parasol, she nods and smiles, her carriage pausing so her attendants may accept a huge basket of flowers from a pair of curtseying ladies in white dresses and hats.

As a commentator points out, by seeing the queen, the embodiment of the British Empire, in action, “moving [and] alive in the middle of a scene [viewers] get a sense of being in the same world with her” as they make “an immediate connection” and she reveals her personality.

New York City’s Museum of Modern Art acquired “thirty-six reels of nitrate prints and negatives made in cinema’s first years,” which were restored. Among the footage is this amazing sequence of film.^[10]

We take the internet for granted. Seriously, imagine having to fill out tax forms by hand and mail them or look at an actual map to travel to unknown destinations. What about spreading humor? Today, memes are the main currency of the internet, providing humor and virality in often unpredictable ways, but it was not always that way. When the internet hit the mainstream in the 1990s, users were met with the idea of being able to create and share their own projects outside of the confines of major media outlets. It was content created by the everyman for the everyman.

A popular vehicle for spreading humor in those days was animation. Typically created in Adobe Flash, these animations were crude, profanity-laced, and often violent. They were also surreal, funny, and highly quotable. They also managed to intertwine juvenile humor with dark subject matter and often had a finger on the pulse of what the ordinary person in that era found both humorous and frightening.

The feelings generated by these animations, followed along with the infectiously quotable dialogue, created a one-two punch of virality that helped to usher in the meme-age. In fact, some of these early internet animations were so viral that they cracked through the computer screen and made it as far as the silver screen. So if you’re here to learn about the early days of the internet or just looking for some nostalgia from a bygone time, here are 10 influential early web animations.

Related: 10 Of The Most Bizarre Modern Internet Trends

10 The Dancing Baby

Perhaps the most ’90s thing to ever exist, the dancing baby, was an early 3D animation of a baby doing a cha-cha style dance. The origins are a little murky, but the animation is credited to a group of animators (Michael Girard, Robert Lurye, Tony Morril, and John Chadwick) who were working on a project called Biped that involved the popular 3D animation software Character Studio. From its inception in 1996, the animators knew they had something that was both spooky but impossible to stop looking at. Eventually, the animation was paired with the intro to Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” and the Dancing Baby exploded in popularity.

The Dancing Baby blazed its way through all corners of the internet before appearing on news channels, in commercials, and ultimately in the hit comedy Ally McBeal, where the Dancing Baby appears to Ally as a vision representing her ticking biological clock. The spread of the Dancing Baby was unprecedented at this point and is arguably one of the first examples of something going viral. The Dancing Baby has popped up here and there over the years, mostly as a form of nostalgia for the ’90s, but the original gif has been treated to a hi-def upgrade and developed into an NFT. As for me, I credit the Dancing Baby with reinvigorating Robert Downey Jr.’s career via Ally McBeal. ^[1]

Memorable quote: Oogachacka!

9 I’m the Juggernaut B*tch

Two main staples of early internet humor are profanity and randomness. Both make a strong showing in the video “I’m the Juggernaut B*tch.” Uploaded to YouTube in 2005 by Xavier Nazario and Randy Hayes of My Way Entertainment, the video was a dub of an episode of the 1992 X-Men animated series. In the video, we see Randy voice the titular Juggernaut character as he fights Charles Xavier and friends while uttering profanity-laced and sometimes nonsensical lines, including the oft-quoted “Do you know who I am? I’m the juggernaut, b*tch.”

Per their website, the parody dub was created in 2005 to kill time and wasn’t unleashed to the internet until 2006, when they posted the video on their YouTube channel. The video quickly went viral and was so popular that it made it to the silver screen. In the live-action X-Men film X3: The Last Stand, the Juggernaut says the line while fighting Kitty Pryde. By the end of the year, however, the video was removed from YouTube due to copyright issues with Marvel, but it was later uploaded in 2007 by another user, where it has garnered 8.8 million views. As for My Way Entertainment, they are still active and posting on their own channel.^[2]

Memorable quote: what else? “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the juggernaut, b*tch!”

8 The End of Ze World

It may seem a little counterintuitive, but the crudeness of early internet animations is what made them so endearing in the first place. This is because these animations were homemade with whatever equipment the artists could find. It was primitive, but it was also for the average Joe just surfing the net. The End of Ze World is a perfect depiction of that.

This short animation features a hypothetical situation of what would happen if all the countries with nuclear weapons started firing them at each other. A dark topic for sure, but this animation was created in 2003, just after the U.S. had invaded Iraq, so war was on almost everyone’s mind. Like all great comedy, though, the video takes a tragic topic and presents it in a comical way by including funny voices, stereotypes, and highly quotable lines.

The video was created by Jason Windsor of Albinoblacksheep. According to him, the animation was conceived with a group of friends reenacting how each superpower would react to nuclear missiles being fired at them. He then went home, created a basic flash animation and voiceover, and sent the video to his friends. At some point, it made it onto the Albinoblacksheep website and then began making its way across the web. While the video was pre-YouTube, the video was uploaded to the site in 2008 and has reached over 14 million views. Jason Windsor didn’t receive much for the video, but it did help advance his career as an animator.^[3]

Memorable quotes: “H’okay, so here’s the Earth.” “Fire ze missiles!” “But I am le tired.”

7 Homestar Runner

You had to be living under a rock or had never even seen a computer at the turn of the millennium to not know about Homestar Runner. Even then, you likely heard a Strong Bad quote at some point. That’s just how popular the web series was. The series focused on the life and adventures of the titular characters along with a cast of other interesting personalities. It is hard to give a good synopsis of the show, given that the content was surreal and often parodied various pieces of popular culture. The idea of Homestar Runner was conceived by Mike Chapman and Craig Zobel when they created their own children’s book. While the book was never picked up for publishing, the character lived on when Mike and his brother, Matt Chapman, decided to work on Flash animation and thought it would be a good idea to revive the character of Homestar Runner.

On January 1, 2000, the Homestar Runner website was launched, and the brothers began releasing shorts. It took about a year, but Homestar Runner started gaining traction in 2001 with the release of their first Strong Bad Email episode. Strong Bad, the main antagonist of the series, would boot up his computer and read fan emails, often making fun of their names and grammar while rarely answering any questions directly.

This series, in particular, was so popular that if the Chapman Brothers were late posting any Strong Bad Email episodes, they would end up with a bunch of strongly worded emails asking where the next episode was. The site continued to grow, and from about 2001 to 2009, millions of visitors viewed the website, eventually gaining interest outside of the internet. Joss Whedon often featured references to the web series in his TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and the video game Guitar Hero 2 let you play Strong Bad’s song “Trogdor the Burninator” as a bonus song.

Another interesting thing about the series was that it never made any money from advertising. The website maintained enough money to support the brothers with sales of their Homestar Runner merchandise. To this day, the site is still running with plenty of animations, games, and other content to enjoy, all without advertisements. These guys were the real OGs of early internet animations.^[4]

Memorable quotes: too many to list. Just go watch it!

6 The Badger Song

Depending on who you ask, this is either one of the greatest or worst achievements in internet animation. It is a 30-second song that, when viewed on the original website, would loop infinitely. If you’re getting vibes of Lambchop’s “Song that Doesn’t End,” you’re on the right track… only more nonsensical. The video features a bunch of badgers with cutaways to a mushroom and a snake in the desert, all the while a dance beat and voiceover provide a song that just describes what is onscreen. It seems silly to try and describe what the video is, considering how simple and ridiculous it is.

The video was created by Jonti Picking of Weebl and Bob fame, and it was released in 2003. The video became so popular that it helped to earn Picking’s website a People’s Choice Award. The video was uploaded to YouTube by Picking in 2008 and has gotten more than 28 million views since then. The video also inspired many fan-made videos of people reenacting the dance that the badgers perform, one of them being mine.^[5]

Memorable quote: “Badger (x12), mushroom (x2), a snake, a snake, ohh, it’s a snake.”

5 Salad Fingers

So far, most of the animations discussed have been bright and silly, even if the subject matter has been a little dark. Salad Fingers is the opposite of all that. It’s visually dark and dreary and covers equally dark and creepy topics. Salad Fingers is a thin, green man with a creepy disposition and possibly mental issues. I mean, in the introductory episode, Salad Fingers tells the audience that the feeling of rusty spoons against his salad fingers is almost orgasmic. So yeah, he’s an odd fellow. As of now, 12 episodes follow Salad Fingers through life in the desolate, post-apocalyptic world he inhabits.

Salad Fingers is definitely an outlier on this list, highlighting the creepy and disturbing over humor. Still, we have to look at the time it was released to understand its virality. The first episode was released in 2004. Hot Topic was exploding in popularity in malls across America, emo music was surging, the Nightmare Before Christmas was experiencing a renaissance, and works like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac were becoming cult classics. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Salad Fingers’s disturbing dystopia has been viewed over 110 million times on YouTube and screened at multiple international short film festivals. The creator, David Firth, has even created a new episode this year, so the creepiness is still going strong.^[6]

Memorable quotes: “Hubert Cumberdale, you taste like soot and poo!” “I like rusty spoons.”

7 Happy Tree Friends

Disturbing, but in a totally different kind of way, Happy Tree Friends takes the concept of a children’s cartoon like Tom and Jerry or Tiny Toons and moves the needle from cartoon violence to bloody gore. Think Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons but with cuter characters and more cruel depravity. The series relies on the cognitive dissonance and shock value of cute cartoons committing and receiving extreme acts of violence. Most episodes begin with the mundane lives of these adorable woodland creatures until an event, like a balloon popping and triggering a bear’s PTSD or a beaver tripping and falling onto his lollipop eye first, causes violence to ensue.

Created by Rhode Montijo, Aubrey Ankrum, and Kenn Navarro of Mondo Media, the first short was released in 1999. The cartoon quickly grew to the point that they were viewed 15 million times each month. The success was so exponential that Happy Tree Friends even got its own television series that premiered in 2006. The show has also won numerous awards, and some of the characters were also featured in a Fall Out Boy music video. Currently, there hasn’t been an addition to the series since 2016, but the show hasn’t officially ended either. So there’s still hope to see a cute woodland creature get mutilated, thank God.^[7]

Memorable quotes: the sounds of cute creatures getting mutilated.

3 Charlie the Unicorn

Another divisive entry on the list is Charlie the Unicorn. Like the Badger Song, people tend to either love Charlie the Unicorn or absolutely hate it. After losing almost all his possessions in Hurricane Katrina and moving to Orlando, Jason Steele did not have much to give his mother on her birthday, so he created a unicorn-themed Flash animation. The animation features Charlie, a pessimistic, rough-around-the-edges unicorn who gets approached by two overly cheerful unicorns that tell him they have found a way to get to Candy Mountain. The adventure becomes increasingly nonsensical until the end when Charlie is double-crossed by the two unicorns and wakes up in a meadow where he realizes his kidneys have been removed.

The proud mother posted the animation to Newgrounds, where it gained a lot of traction and was eventually released on YouTube, where it currently has 68 million views from its original upload and 37 million views from its official release. While many people were annoyed by the falsetto-voiced, overly cheerful unicorns, many found themselves identifying with Charlie as he is often annoyed by his compatriots and ends up getting taken advantage of.

The video achieved such a high level of popularity that it even made its way into the music video of Weezer’s song “Pork and Beans.” It is wild to think that such a work of surreal and nonsensical humor could result from such a tragedy as Hurricane Katrina, but given the dark undertones of the plot, maybe the evidence was there all along.^[8]

Memorable quotes: “Charlieeee! Heeeeey, hey Charlieee!” “Shun the non-believer!”

2 Gröûp X

This one is more of a collaborative effort among Gröûp X and various online animators. The group bills itself as a Saudi Arabian rap rock group from the fictional town of Cramshananteen. Their music can be described as joke songs featuring vocalists with silly accents over basic drum beats. Unfortunately, that is about all I could really dig up on the group because what really made them blow up were the fan-made music videos that were uploaded to sites like Newgrounds and Albinoblacksheep. Three videos, in particular, managed to go viral: “Bang Bang Bang,” “Schfifty Five,” and “Mario Twins.” Each video was stylistically similar, portraying the band as stick figures and roughly acting out the lyrics to the songs.

Currently, each video on YouTube has over 500,000 views, with the video for Schfifty Five having 10 million views over 15 years. The combination of funny accents, basic drum beats, crude animations, and silly lyrics about only looking for carnal love (Bang Bang Bang), counting all the way to Schfifty Five (Schfifty Five), and how the Mario Bros. are difficult to tell apart (Mario Twins), make the videos quirky, quotable, and extremely accessible. As a testament to the popularity of these videos, the spell check on my computer does not mark the word schfifty.^[9]

Memorable quote: “I know how to count all the way to Schfifty Five, and I can do it faster than you can say ‘poopty peupty pants.’”

1 The Spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas is very similar to the Dancing Baby animation in that the virality of the animation wasn’t about how many people saw it but who saw it and spread it. The Spirit of Christmas is a 1992 animation short made from construction paper and depicts four boys reenacting the Frosty the Snowman story. However, once Frosty comes to life, he begins a violent rampage and ends up killing two of the boys. The remaining boys seek the help of Jesus, who uses his halo to cut off Frosty’s hat. The boys then reflect on the true meaning of Christmas: presents.

The animation was discovered by Brian Graden, a Fox executive who commissioned the creators of the short to make a sequel that he could send as a video Christmas card to his friends. The follow-up featured Jesus and Santa Claus physically fighting over the true meaning of Christmas until the four boys intervene. The video ends with the boys deciding to be Jewish in order to get more presents over the eight nights of Hanukkah.

I have left out a key detail of this story that will give you an idea about why this animation was so influential: the creators of the Spirit of Christmas animations were none other than Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. The interest from Fox led Trey and Matt to further develop the characters and themes and pitch the show to the network. Unfortunately, the network denied the pitch, notably because of a character that was an anthropomorphized piece of feces.

The animations began to spread via bootleg copies throughout the internet and eventually made their way to Comedy Central, which picked up the show. The first episode of South Park premiered in 1997 and immediately took off, becoming the behemoth it is today. Currently, South Park has 318 episodes, one film, and multiple video games and is still going strong. In many ways, the Spirit of Christmas was a harbinger of the early internet animations discussed above: crude artwork, vulgar but extremely quotable dialogue, and dark humor.^[10]

Memorable quote: “Oh my God! Frosty killed Kenny!”

One universal truth that we, as human beings, cannot escape is the fact that we’re all going to die. It might not be today, tomorrow, or a year from now, but one thing’s for sure. Death is an inevitable aspect of life, which all of us has an appointment with.

Yes, death is inevitable, but we have the capability either to delay or hasten it depending on the choices we make such as the way we live our lives. For example, common habits like smoking and not exercising regularly are known to decrease life expectancy significantly. However, there are some surprising things that we wouldn’t have guessed can actually cause us to have an early appointment with death.

10. Having Big Breasts

I know this claim sounds absurd, but science can back it up. Many women want bigger breasts for a number of reasons such as looking more attractive, increasing self-confidence, or simply pleasing their men. If you have an average breast size, then you should be grateful. Why? New studies show that having big breasts can cause numerous health ailments and even early death.

It’s been reported that women with big breasts suffer from a great deal of back, arm, and neck pain. In addition, some also report that they experience friction rash, headaches, and spine deformity due to their large breasts. The pain associated with having big breasts is so extreme that some women have to take medications everyday just for the pain to subside.

This might come as a surprise to you but a survey conducted recently showed that one in ten women have low self-esteem because of their big breasts. In addition, a third of those surveyed said that their big breasts give them a great deal of pain while working out. But perhaps the worst consequence of having large breasts is dying prematurely. Women with big breasts are more likely to die five years earlier than their expected lifespan.

9. Drinking Too Much Coffee

Drinking coffee is perfectly fine. It even has numerous health benefits. However, consuming too much of this beverage can cause you numerous health conditions and even premature death. A study published in the Journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings showed that people under the age of 55 who consume four or more cups of coffee everyday or 28 cups or more per week increase their risk of dying prematurely by as much as 56%.

This study is quite big, involving 43,729 people—9,827 of them were women and 33,900 were men. Moreover, this study evaluated the information gathered from filled up medical and personal history questionnaires between the years 1979 and 1998.

How can the overconsumption of coffee  cause premature death? According to the experts who conducted the study, coffee has the capability to increase blood pressure, activate the production of epinephrine, and stop insulin activity. All of which can wreck havoc to your body. However, it should be noted, though, that the direct link between drinking too much coffee and premature death is not yet fully understood. The researchers admit that there are still some things that need “clarification”.

But just to be safe, if you’re under 55 and would like to live longer, then make sure to lessen your coffee consumption starting today.

8. Eating Whole Grains

I’m pretty sure you’re saying right now, “But whole grains are healthy!”, “They’re recommended by medical experts!”, “I’ve been eating them my whole life!” etc. Before you call me a liar, consider these facts first.

Whole grains contain phytates which block the absorption of certain essential minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium. Studies show that eating grains can block the absorption of iron by as much as 50%. In addition, magnesium, which is a vital mineral capable of staving off type 2 diabetes as well as calcium which is needed for preventing osteoporosis, are also blocked by phytates. And worst of all, eating grains can decrease your sex drive since it inhibits the absorption of zinc. Even if you take supplements, they still won’t be absorbed and used by your body properly if you continue eating whole grains.

Not convinced yet? How about this: studies show that whole grains, particularly wheat, have been linked to the development of certain autoimmune diseases. Lectins, which are present in wheat, can potentially cause lupus, hypothyroidism, eczema, and other autoimmune diseases.

7. Taking Sleeping Pills

Many people these days are suffering from insomnia, and to treat this problem doctors often prescribe sleeping pills. However, a certain study shows that taking sleeping pills can cause premature death. To be more specific, people taking sleeping medications are five times more likely to die prematurely than non-users. And worst of all, even if the dosage is low like 4 to 18 pills a year the risk doesn’t diminish. In fact, people who take this number of pills annually are 3.6 times more likely to die prematurely than those who are not taking any sleeping medication.

Alarmingly, those who are taking 18 to 132 pills annually increase their risk of dying prematurely by as much 4.4%. Those who take 132 or more pills annually are 5.3 times more likely to experience an untimely death. The bad news doesn’t end there. Those who take 132 pills a year increase their risk of developing cancer by as much as 35%. If you don’t want to die prematurely, then ditch the pill the next time you find yourself awake and irritated at 2 o’clock in the morning.

6. Consuming Too Much Salt

If you’re addicted to fast foods and processed foods, then you should definitely do your best to stop, not because they are rich in fat but because of their high sodium content.  The Texas Medical Association (TMA) warns that eating foods that are high in salt can cause early death.

Aside from causing kidney stones, salt can also cause hypertension, which can lead to stroke and heart attack. The American Heart Association strongly encourages people to limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day. Those who are suffering from hypertension should only take 1,500 milligrams of salt daily.

But AMA admits that doing so is virtually impossible. Why? Consider this. One McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 1,190 mg of salt. On the other hand, One Wendy’s Chicken BLD salad with no dressing has 1,280 mg. No wonder 65 million Americans have hypertension and 500,000 people die each year due to stroke and heart disease.

The TMA estimates that if food manufacturers and restaurants reduce the sodium content of their products, 150,000 people would be saved from dying prematurely due to the complications caused by hypertension.

5. Living All By Yourself

People living alone are more likely to die early compared to those who are living together with their families or partners.  Thankfully, this only applies to elderly people, specifically those aged 52 and above.

This finding was based on a British study that involved 6,500 participants and which lasted for seven years. According to this study, people who live alone, without considering their pre-existing conditions, are 26 percent more likely to die than those who live together with other people. When pre-existing illnesses are taken into account, elderly people who are socially isolated are 48 percent more likely to experience premature death. Previous studies show that aside from dying prematurely, those who live alone, whether they prefer it or not, are also at higher risk of developing dementia and heart disease.

Fortunately, the risk of dying early can be easily reduced if elderly people are given the emotional and social support they need. Just by socializing with other people and engaging them in activities that decrease their loneliness, elderly individuals who live alone can significantly extend their life expectancy.

4. Sitting Too Much

If you’re sitting right now, then you’d better stand up. Studies show that sitting for long periods of time can cause numerous serious health conditions and even premature death.  A research conducted in the University of Leicester showed that people who spent most of their time sitting down, whether at work or at home, increased their risk of heart disease and diabetes. Furthermore, this research, which had 800,000 participants, discovered that even if people exercise regularly, their risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and even obesity will not decrease if they spend most of their time sitting on an office chair or couch.

In addition, what’s more alarming is the fact that sitting can cause premature death. An Australian study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that adults aged 45 and above increased their risk of dying prematurely by as much as 40% just by sitting for 11 or more hours everyday.

There’s a scientific reason why sitting for long hours is unhealthy and deadly for us. Sitting down is interpreted by our “intelligent” bodies as signal for our systems to go into storage mode. When this happens, a lot of unhealthy things can occur. For instance, the glucose levels in our bodies spike up, good cholesterols are reduced while the unhealthy ones increase, and we become resistant to insulin. In other words, the more we sit down, the unhealthier we become.

3. Breathing Air

Yes, that’s right. The simple act of breathing can significantly decrease your life expectancy. And if you’re living in a major city or in an area that is heavily polluted, then your risk of dying prematurely due to breathing polluted air significantly increases.

According to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 200,000 people every year die prematurely in the U.S. due to air pollution. 53,000 of them die due to health problems caused by car pollution. Another 52,000 of these deaths are caused by the air pollution produced by generating electrical power. Alarmingly, the city which has the most deaths related to breathing polluted air is Baltimore. Other cities include Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta.

So just how many years are deducted from those who are constantly exposed to breathing polluted air? Ten years.

2. Having an Unfulfilling, Stressful Job

When we hear people say “My job is killing me”, we obviously don’t take that literally. However, new studies show that this common workplace sentiment (which I’m sure many of us have blurted out once, twice, or a hundred times) might be literally true. Our jobs can cause us to die prematurely! You don’t believe me? Well, here are the facts.

According to a study conducted by the University College London in 2012, people with stressful jobs are 23 percent more likely to experience heart attack than those with less demanding occupations. In addition, those with highly stressful jobs, like being the president of the United States, are more likely to age faster. Not only that but also those who work for more than 11 hours a day greatly increase their risk of developing depression.

In addition, those with demanding jobs also experience difficulties in their relationships outside of work. The bad news doesn’t end there. Women with demanding careers are more likely to develop diabetes too. And to top it off, a study conducted by the Tel Aviv University, which lasted for 20 years, showed that people with stressful jobs and whose work environments are hostile are more at risk of experiencing early death compared to those whose workplaces are friendly and positive.

1. Not Having Enough Sex

Yes, that’s right! Not having enough sex can cause you to die prematurely. In contrast, those who engage in sex regularly are more likely to increase their life expectancy. Numerous studies show that regular sex can increase blood circulation, decrease blood pressure, and enhance cholesterol levels. Aside from that, sex is a good weight loss regimen too. Just 30 minutes of bed play with your partner, and you’ll burn 200 calories. In addition, sex can also protect you from diseases like colds and coughs since it enhances your immune system.

If you’ve been feeling a bit stressed lately, then you better have a long and sensual lovemaking session. Having sex can help you relax and reduce your stress levels by releasing oxytocin which stimulates the production of endorphins, “the happy hormones”.

And I’m not done yet. Having sex can make you look and feel younger too since it can help you become more energetic and produce collagen, a substance that keeps your skin glowing and supple. But best of all, having regular intercourse can prolong your life. A study conducted by the Duke University showed that women who engage in regular sex are likely to add eight more years to their lifespan. On the other hand, men who have regular orgasms reduce their likelihood of dying prematurely by as much as 50%.

The next time you have sex, think of its many health benefits and how it can prevent you from dying prematurely.