Doctors have often been seen as some of the smartest members of society, and with good reason. It takes years of training, constant retraining, and a lot more than just book smarts to be a good doctor. But they are still human, and humans are fallible. Mistakes are made every day, and while some of them can be insignificant, others can completely change lives. Suing doctors for less-than-perfect practice is becoming more and more common, the morality of which is debatable. If you need help, and only certain people are able (and often, legally obliged) to help you, is it really fair to blame them if their best isn’t good enough? In many cases on the other hand, it is clear if a patient suffered because somebody was careless. Below are ten examples of some of the most cringe-inducing medical malpractices of recent years.

Going in for brain surgery is worrying enough for most patients, but those in Rhode Island Hospital could be forgiven for being more worried than most. Despite being the most prestigious hospital of the state, and a teaching hospital for students of Brown University, the hospital made the basic yet tremendous mistake of operating on the wrong side of a patient’s brain. Three times in one year.

The first incident was the result of a third-year resident failing to mark which side of the brain was to be operated on. The doctor and nurse in this operation claimed they were not trained in how to use a checklist, although one must ask how many people would allow their heads to be cut open by someone who has clearly never received professional training in the fine art of grocery shopping.

In the second incident, a different doctor (with over 20 years experience) never filled out which side of an 86 year old man’s brain had a blood clot, assuring the nurse that he remembered. The patient in this case died a few weeks later.

In the third case, the chief resident neurosurgeon and a nurse both clarified which side of the brain was to be operated on beforehand, and then proceeded to operate on the other side. All three cases involved different doctors, but whether it’s better to be in a hospital where one doctor repeats a mistake multiple times, or several doctors make the same mistake is debatable.

Alexander Baez is a former Mr. Mexico and a runner-up Mr. Universe. Being a bodybuilder, he is, unsurprisingly, concerned with his physique, and in 1999 he decided he wanted to get pec implants. When he awoke from his surgery, he discovered that while he had been given implants, he was actually given breast implants (C-cups), and not pec implants. Police in Florida began a search for Reinaldo Silvestre, a man who had posed as a doctor and had no legitimate medical credentials. Silvestre had forged documents and had also operated on at least two women in Florida, using kitchen utensils. In 2004, Silvestre was found in working in Belize, where he is believed to have treated hundreds of patients over at least a one year period.

Carol Weihrer had long suffered pain in her right eye, and at the advice of her doctor, decided her quality of life would be improved if she had the eye removed. The surgery was five and a half hours long, and for about two of those hours, Carol was awake. She explained that anesthesia is made up of two different elements, one to paralyze the patient, and one to put them to sleep. Unfortunately, only the paralyzing agent worked fully in her case, and halfway through the operation, she woke up but could not move at all. She was horrified to hear the surgeon listening to disco music throughout, as well as having to hear things like “Cut deeper, pull harder”. Carol was awake for the exact moment they removed the eye. Eventually, the doctor realized she was conscious, and the administered more of the nerve-blocking anesthesia, which Carol described made her insides feel like “being roasted on a barbecue pit”. She was so traumatized by the ordeal that she has slept in a reclining chair since, too afraid to lie down. Cases like these are known as Anesthesia Awareness, and it is estimated that up to 42,000 people in the US alone experience it every year.

Never having been in for any sort of surgery in my life (and after writing this, hoping I never will be), I can only imagine the worries people have beforehand: how skilled is the surgeon, what if they cut something they shouldn’t and so on. I also think it’s safe to assume that “What if I catch on fire?” isn’t a common concern among patients. But perhaps it should be. In 2009 Janice McCall, 65, died six days after she caught fire during surgery. While the cause of the fire was not released in this case, there are a number of other examples to that can explain possible causes to igniting in surgery: In 2012, Enrique Ruiz suffered second-degree burns after an electronic scalpel caused his oxygen supply to explode, which the hospital then tried to cover up.

In another case, Catherine Reuter, 74, suffered second and third-degree burns after a cauterizing tool caused the alcohol based disinfectant on her face to catch fire. The incident led to strong infections, kidney failure, and long-term sedation. Reuter never fully recovered, and died in hospital two years later. It is estimated that surgical fires affect up to 650 patients a year.

It’s likely that everyone reading this will have heard stories about people who get operations and later find out that they had foreign objects stitched inside them. There are about 1,500 such reports every year in the US. While uncommon, such an occurrence can be extremely painful, and can lead to other complications such as infection or internal bleeding. What sets Daryoush Mazarei out from other examples is not the fact that the item left behind inside his chest, a retractor, was 10 inches long, nor that it could physically be seen poking out. It is that when he went back to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, he was told he should seek psychiatric care. After a month of agonizing pain, multiple complaints, and repeatedly being told the problem was in his head, Marazei was finally given a CT scan, and the item was removed. He has begun legal proceedings against the hospital.

Jesica Santillan was a 17 year old girl who died 15 days after receiving a heart and double-lung transplant. Undoubtedly, this was a major operation and any number of things could have gone wrong. The whole thing could have even gone perfectly, but failed if Jesica’s body rejected the new organs. While her body did reject the organs, it was not simply a case of bad luck. With such long waiting lists for organs in the US, you would think that the professionals in Duke University Hospital would make sure that the organs they intend to transplant are the same blood type as the person they’re going into. Unfortunately, Jesica was blood type O, and received organs from someone that was blood type A, something over a dozen people were supposed to check, but didn’t. The hospital hid the mistake for 11 days, and then went public looking for another donor. She received a second transplant two weeks after the first one, but was declared brain dead and taken off life support. Her mother believes that she was weaned off her medication so she would seemingly pass away naturally.

Only people who have actually seen it for themselves can really know how easy it is to look at something like a pair of kidneys and tell which one is healthy and which is not. Apparently, it’s not as clear a difference as you might think. In 2000, 70 year old Graham Reeves of Wales died after not one, but two surgeons removed the wrong kidney. This sort of error is not an isolated incident, nor is it confined to any one body part. Benjamin Houghton, an Air Force veteran, received $200,000 compensation after doctors removed the wrong testicle, while Willie King, who suffered from diabetes, received a total of $1.15 million after his right leg was amputated by mistake (with the correct leg being amputated later).

Kim Tutt was getting her jaw x-rayed at the dentist, when they noticed a large lump on the left side of her jaw. After undergoing further examinations, she was told she had 3-6 months to live. The doctors told her she could possibly get an extra three months if they removed the left side of her chin, right up to her ear, and replaced it with her fibula. Desperate to spend more time with her 10 and 12 year old sons, she underwent the procedure. The lump was removed, and although slightly disfigured, Tutt was grateful to have extra time with her sons. Three months later, she was called to the doctors office, who gave her the good news that she was cancer free. The bad news was that she had in fact never had cancer at all. There had been a mix up in the lab, and Kim Tutt had gone through five surgeries and been left disfigured for nothing.

Medical malpractice is not limited to surgery, and the case of Paul Lozano illustrates this better than any other example. Lozano had been sexually abused by his mother as a child, and his psychiatrist, Margaret Bean-Bayog, decided to try a form of therapy known as “reparenting”, where the psychiatrist simulates the different stages of lifespan development in an attempt to “reprogram” the patient. She coddled him, read him stories, called him “baby”, made him call her “mother”, and made him learn cue-cards off by heart. One such card read “I’m your mom and I love you and you love me very much. Say that 10 times”. Other cards were more sexual, and more notes were found that appeared to be erotica featuring Lozano and his doctor. It was also reported that they did in fact have sexual relations. After about five years, he committed suicide.

Some of the examples mentioned so far were a result of poor communication, while others can be attributed to bad practice. Depending on who and what you believe, it can be argued that both of these are present in the case of Bryan Mejia, but what sets it apart from the others is the ethical debate that it sparked. Bryan was born with only one leg, and no arms. The deformity is obviously not the fault of the medical staff at Palm Beaches, but parents Ana Mejia and Rodolfo Santana have accused the staff of negligence for not properly detecting this through ultrasounds, saying they would have aborted their son if they had known he would only have one limb. Most people would expect that a doctor would be able to alert the parents-to-be of such a disability, but Dr. Morel, the defendant, argued that he is not to blame. The couple, who feared the child may be born with down-syndrome, opted not to undergo amniocentesis after they were told there was a 99.9% chance that the child would not have any form of mental disability. This test would have detected the missing limbs, but there was a 1 in 500 chance that it could result in a miscarriage, and Morel argued that it was their decision, and he cannot be blamed. But according to the lawyer representing the couple, the second ultrasound given to them shows all four limbs intact, suggesting they were given false evidence.

The couple was awarded $4.5 million, to help Bryan have a good life, and stated that none of this was compensation for their mental anguish. But many people see this as the couple suing the hospital because they had a disabled child. This, the fact that the couple say they would have aborted their son, and the accusations of malpractice, all caused widespread outrage and debate.

The world is full of derelict buildings, many of which are in a truly dismal state of disrepair and give off an eerie, desolate vibe. Most of us will pass structures of this sort in the town or city we live in on a regular basis without even giving them a second thought, let alone wondering what events led them into their current dilapidated state.

Of course, lots of these buildings have been abandoned for fairly mundane reasons, but in some cases, the stories that lie behind them are darker and sadder. The following are ten derelict buildings with stories that ensure nobody will want to use them in the future.

10 Chateau Miranda

This neo-Gothic building in Celles, Belgium, was also known as Chateau de Noisy and was constructed between 1886 and 1907. The original plan was for the wealthy Liederkerke-De Beaufort family to use it as their summer home. However, the building was claimed for use as a base by the Nazis during World War II, and at one time, a number of German soldiers were living in it.^[1] There is nothing particularly creepy about this, apart from the inherent creepiness of Nazis, but the chateau became one of the places where the Battle of the Bulge was fought, which meant that a number of men died there.

If the thought of the spirits of all of those dead soldiers roaming around a Gothic-looking building in the middle of nowhere isn’t unsettling enough, this chateau went on to be used as a place for sick children to stay after the war ended. It was referred to as a “holiday camp,” although it does not seem like a place that many kids would want to spend their holidays at. Inevitably, not all of the children who stayed there recovered from their illnesses, so the chateau became even more associated with death. Sadly, Chateau Miranda was demolished in 2017, meaning all of its ghosts had to find somewhere else to haunt.

9 Sanzhi UFO Houses

These futuristic pod-shaped buildings in New Tapei, Taiwan, were proof that modernism offers us no defense against creepiness. The Sanzhi UFO Houses looked like something we might expect to see in a 1950s sci-fi movie. Work on building them began in 1978, with the intention being for the site to be a resort once the houses were complete.^[2] The idea was that officers in the US military who had been posted to the area would use the finished development, but nobody ever got to take a vacation there because work on it was scrapped two years after it began following a series of mysterious deaths among the construction crew.

It has been reported that some of the workers died in car accidents, while others committed suicide, but the precise reason for the seemingly cursed nature of the development has been a source of debate ever since. Some believe that the decision to split a sculpture of a Chinese dragon that was situated near the gates led to a curse, while others think that it was built on a site haunted by Dutch soldiers. The buildings were demolished at the end of the 2000s.

8 Willard Asylum

An abandoned asylum is always likely to have a fairly eerie atmosphere, but the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane takes it to a whole other level. Situated in Willard, New York, it was originally built in the 1860s to be a place of safety for the mentally ill at a time when “treatments” such as imprisoning them in cells or leaving them chained up in poorhouses were common. The idea came from Dr. Sylvester D. Willard, and the asylum was organized in a way that was typical for the period, with men and women kept apart, but with a cinema, gym, and bowling alley among the facilities, there was clearly an effort being made to make its residents happy.^[3]

Despite the attempts to make Willard Asylum a more progressive place for treating the mentally ill, the presence of a graveyard full of thousands of unnamed markers for those who died there is grim reminder that it was still essentially a prison. However, what really gave Willard Asylum its unsettling reputation are the suitcases that were discovered in an attic after the facility was shut down in 1995. Numbering more than 400, these suitcases contained personal items that had been brought to the asylum by new inmates. They provide a melancholy glimpse into the lives of its residents, many of whom never left and are among those buried anonymously in its cemetery. Among the possessions found in these suitcases were everything from children’s toys and books to family photos.

7 The Murder House

The Scottish city of Dundee has known its fair share of violent crime, but the events that took place at its infamous “murder house” have earned a place in local folklore. The large three-story house is located in the wealthy Roseangle area of the city, and it is a place that most of us would be happy to live in—but it remained derelict for decades. It was the home of a retired doctor named Alexander Wood and his wife Dorothy, both of whom were in their late seventies when their lives were brutally ended in May 1980. The frail elderly couple were attacked by an intruder, who beat them to death using a hammer. The scene of the killings was so gruesome that Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Cameron, who was in charge of investigating the crime, said at the time that the degree of violence involved was “not normal.”^[4]

The killer turned out to be a local man named Henry John Gallagher, who committed a further two horrific killings in Kent before being captured. Gallagher was judged to be insane and went to Broadmoor Hospital instead of prison, which seems reasonable, given that the scene he left behind at the house in Roseangle was described as looking like an abattoir. Meanwhile, the murder house became a bleak feature of the landscape in the center of Dundee and part of the Dark Dundee visitor tour. As of August 2018, plans had been made to turn the murder house into a bar and restaurant.

6 Fort Douaumont

This fort is situated not far from Verdun, France, and it was designed to prevent the Germans from invading that region in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. It did not actually come into play until World War I, but by this time, the French had abandoned the use of fixed fortifications as a military defense, and the small garrison left at the fort were easily overpowered by the Germans when the latter staged a surprise strike at the start of the Battle of Verdun.

The French army eventually regained control of it in October 1916, with the public in France demanding that all energy be put into reclaiming a building they saw as a symbol of their nation as a whole. The battle to win it back was bloody and involved intensive shell attacks, which hit the supplies of ammunition and grenades that were kept in the center of the fort. Some 800 Germans were killed by the mix of toxic smoke and explosions.

With the fort under assault, the dead could not be buried outside and had to be put into one of the fort galleries and sealed in.^[5] Some of the skeletal remains are now buried in the fort cemetery and ossuary, but others remain forever walled in within the building itself.

5 St. Gerard’s Hospital

Abandoned hospitals have the same potential as asylums for creepiness, and St. Gerard’s certainly fit that particular bill. It was located in Birmingham in the UK and was built by a local charity called the Father Hudson Society as a facility for poor children who were suffering from tuberculosis and other illnesses caused by poverty. It was originally constructed back in the 1890s and remained in use for almost a century before closing its doors for the last time in 1988. It lingered for roughly 30 years before it was finally knocked down.

What made St. Gerard’s such an unnerving place to walk around was the fact that the contents of the building weren’t removed. These included beds, wheelchairs, hospital equipment, syringes coated in blood, X-rays and medical charts of children who were treated there, and the toys and coloring books that they amused themselves with.^[6] Most of these items had been damaged by weather conditions over the years since the hospital shut down but remained intact, making the presence of those who once worked and received treatment there feel almost tangible for anyone exploring the derelict building.

4 Church Of The Nine Ghosts

The actual name of this 14th-century church is St. George’s Church, and it is in Lukova in the Czech Republic, where it was consecrated in 1352. From the very beginning, it developed an association with darkness, as it was ravaged by fires on more occasions than anyone would expect of a church. However, despite this spate of strange events, the church was continually rebuilt and repaired until one final disaster in 1968 proved the last straw for residents of the village. During a funeral service that year, the roof of the church caved in, which led many local people to believe that it was haunted, so the church was finally abandoned.^[7]

That’s creepy enough, but it wasn’t the end of the story. After it stopped being used as a church, the inside of the building started to fall into disrepair, and Jacob Hadrava, an artist from the local area, decided to save it from being knocked down by turning it into an art installation. He created nine shrouded figures made of plaster that sit in the pews—hence the nickname “Church of the Nine Ghosts.” Hadrava called his finished work My Mind, and it has become a popular tourist attraction among the sort of people who listen to Joy Division on their summer holidays. More ghostly figures have since been added to the original nine.

3 Hulme Hippodrome

This abandoned theater is located in Manchester, England, and opened its doors in 1901, staging music hall performances for years before being given the new name of the Second Manchester Repertory Theater in the 1940s. It later went on to play host to legendary artists like Nina Simone, but after a period when it was used as a venue for bingo during the 1970s, it was closed down and went on to become a source of fascination for many people living in Manchester.

While any derelict theater has an element of eeriness about it because it was once full of life, laughter, and people, the connection Hulme Hippodrome has with the strange Gilbert Deya Ministries is what really makes it creepy. This organization bought the building and used it to hold church meetings, at which Deya allegedly told infertile couples that he could provide them with what he called “miracle babies.” Deya and his church were investigated by the BBC in 2004 over suspicions that these babies were being kidnapped from families in Nairobi, Kenya. The investigation found that the babies that he claimed had been born to couples in the UK did not have the same DNA as the people who were supposed to be their parents, and Deya was eventually sent back to Kenya to face charges of child trafficking in 2017.^[8]

2 Hirta

This entry is actually several buildings that make up a settlement on the Scottish island of Hirta. Hirta is part of the St Kilda archipelago and is one of the most remote places in the whole of the UK—as well as being empty since the residents left in 1930. At one time, Hirta was the place on St Kilda where the majority of people lived, with the residents of the island growing potatoes and barley, catching fish, and eating eggs and meat from seabirds.

Life in this detached location was surely never easy, but the story behind the final abandonment of it is very bleak. The settlement had survived a number of tough experiences, including an epidemic of smallpox in 1727, but the winter of 1929 proved to be so brutal that it led to multiple deaths, decimating the community and leaving only 36 remaining. Grief and desperation led those who had survived the harsh winter weather to plead with the government for a move away from the island to the mainland. Although the island was evacuated almost 90 years ago, buildings such as houses and the school hall are still there and are now sometimes visited by tourists.^[9]

1 Red Dress Manor

The actual name of this abandoned farmhouse in Powys, Wales, is Calcott Hall, and it was originally built back in 1725. The last person to live there was a woman named Ellen Jones, who died during the 1970s. Everything in the house has remained exactly as she left it since her death, making it appear as if she is still alive and has simply gone out. The house still has the food that she left in the fridge, as well as paperwork with her personal details on it and photographs from different parts of her life.

The odd nickname that the building has been given by local people stems from the presence of a red dress that belonged to Jones and that she left hanging over a door, where it has remained for over 40 years. Just in case there is any doubt that she was the owner of this dress, there is also a framed photograph of her wearing it hanging on one of the walls.^[10] Little is known about Jones, her life, or what she died of, but it would be hard to walk around her home without feeling her ghost haunting the place.

I am a freelance writer based in Dundee who has previously written sketches and jokes for BBC radio shows. I also make short films as a member of Wardlaw Films.

Men have ruled since the earliest societies. In every stage of human history, women have been in margins, struggling through a second-class life.

It wasn’t just that women couldn’t vote or that they didn’t get equal pay. Women’s lives were like a horror story. Throughout our history, everyday life was filled with experiences that made being a woman a waking nightmare.

10Newborn Girls Were Regularly Left To Die

In ancient Athens, it was very common for a couple to take a newborn baby girl out in the wilderness and leave it to die—an act they called “exposing” the baby. “Everybody raises a son even if he is a poor,” one Greek writer wrote, “but exposes a daughter even if he is rich.”

In Rome, this was just as common, especially in poor families. We have records of a lower-class Roman writing to his wife about her pregnancy. “A daughter is too burdensome, and we just don’t have the money,” he told her. “If you should bear a girl, we’ll have to kill her.”

Even in Egypt, which gave women comparatively equal rights, the poor often left kids to die. “If you have the baby before I return,” one letter shows an Egyptian man writing his wife, “if it is a boy, let it live; if it is a girl, expose it.”

9Men Wouldn’t Touch Menstruating Women

The Roman philosopher Pliny The Elder wrote, “On the approach of a woman in this state, milk will become sour.” He figured menstruating women could kill everything they looked at, even saying, “A swarm of bees, if looked upon by her, will die immediately.”

In Egypt, the women spent their menstrual cycles isolated in a special building men couldn’t enter—and they weren’t only ones to do it. The Israelites wouldn’t even touch a woman during her period—or, for that matter, anything she touched. “Everything on which she sits,” they wrote, “shall be unclean.” And in Hawaii, men who entered the hut for menstruating women risked the death penalty.

The natives of Papua New Guinea took it the farthest. If a man touched a menstruating women, they believed, it would “kill his blood so that it turns black, dull his wits, and lead to a slow death.”

8Losing Your Virginity Was A Death Sentence

In Athens, if a man found out that his unmarried daughter had slept with a man, he could legally sell her into slavery. The Samoans made sure that their wives were virgins—and that everyone knew. During a Samoan wedding, the chief of the tribe would manually rupture the bride’s hymen with his fingers in front of a crowd to prove that she was pure.

In Rome, if a priestess of the goddess Vesta lost her virginity before the age of 30, she was buried alive. And in ancient Israel, it didn’t even matter if you were a priestess. Any woman who lost her virginity before marriage could be stoned to death.

7Men Were Expected To Be Sexual Predators

In Rome, slaves were expected to sexually active as part of their jobs. The only way you could get in trouble for sleeping with a slave was if she was owned by somebody else and you didn’t ask first. Even then, it wouldn’t considered rape—it just classified as property damage.

Women with some jobs couldn’t file rape charges no matter what happened to them. It wasn’t just prostitutes that couldn’t accuse anyone of rape—waitresses and actresses, too, were treated as willing participants of any sex a man forced upon them. In one case, an actress gang-raped by several men was denied permission to press charges. The men who assaulted her, it was ruled, had simple “acted in accordance with a well-established tradition at a staged event.”

In the middle ages, Saint Augustine was considered progressive for suggesting that raped women didn’t need to kill themselves. Even he, though, suggested that some women enjoyed it.

6Brides Were Often Kidnapped

In some parts of China, people were kidnapping brides until the 1940s. In Japan, the last reported case of bride kidnapping happened in 1959. Ireland had a widespread problem with bride stealing in the 1800s. And even the Bible relates stories of men slaughtering whole villages and taking the virgin women as wives.

Rome wouldn’t even exist without kidnapped brides. The legends of the nation start with men kidnapping the Sabine women. In the story, Romulus tells the women they she be happy to be kidnapped, because they were lucky enough to “live in honorable wedlock.”

5Women Were Forced To Kill Their Babies

Murdering frail babies wasn’t just something that happened in Sparta. In almost every country, when a woman gave birth to a deformed child, she was expected to kill it. In Rome, it was the law. “A dreadfully deformed child,” Roman law mandated, “shall be quickly killed.”

If a Roman child was born with a disability, the mother had two choices. She could either suffocate it or, more often, she could abandon it. Some places were horrible for this. On the shore of Israel, archaeologists found the remains of 100 dead babies in the city’s sewers.

It happened a lot. We don’t know the exact number of babies that were left to die, but it’s believed that one out of every four Roman babies didn’t make it through the first year of life.

4Women Were Barely Allowed To Talk

In ancient Greece and Rome, women were forbidden from leaving the home without a male escort. When company came over, they weren’t allowed to speak or to sit down for dinner—they had to retire to their rooms, out of sight, lest the presence of a woman bother the men.

In Denmark, unruly women who bickered or who openly expressed their anger could end up locked up in a device called a shrew’s fiddle. This was a wooden trap shaped like a violin that bound her hands and her face. The woman would be paraded down the streets, publicly shamed for having openly shown anger.

The English were even worse. They put quarrelsome women in the scold’s bridle, a metal mask with sharp teeth that had a bell attached—to make sure everyone came out and mocked the woman who dared complain.

3Adulterers Were Tortured

If a married woman dared to sleep with another man, it was over. A Roman man, under certain circumstance, would have the right to kill his wife if he caught her in bed with another man. Even the Puritans who colonized America took the biblical approach and legally condoned murdering adulterers.

Again, though, it was the medieval men who did the worst things. They weren’t content to just kill their wives—they wanted them to suffer. In medieval times, they had a device called a breast ripper that they used on women who had affairs—which does exactly what it says.

It’s a horrible torture—and it wasn’t even limited to adultery. A woman could be sentenced to the ripper just for having a miscarriage.

2Women Were Killed With Their Husbands

Until the 19th century, a woman in India who lost her husband was expected to climb onto his funeral pyre and burn herself to death along with him. Sometimes, during war, women would be expected to do this even before their husbands died. If a siege was going poorly, all the women of the village would burn themselves alive and take their children with them.

The husbands would just watch as their families burned. Then, in the morning, they would smear their wives’ ashes on their faces and go to war. These women killed themselves just to give their husbands a little extra motivation.

1Women Have Gone Through This Since The Beginning Of Humanity

Even before recorded history, the very earliest marriages were extremely one-sided. Archaeologists looking a prehistoric remains in Africa found the men all stayed in one place their whole lives—but every one of the women was born somewhere else.

That means that even cavemen had one-sided relationships, making their new wives move to their homes when they started a family. More importantly, it makes it highly likely that these women didn’t come consensually. Most likely, they were probably kidnapped from their families in other tribes and dragged to the beds of their captors.

The Cecil Hotel, built by William Banks Hanner, opened its doors on December 20, 1924. It cost, what is equal today, almost $14 million, and it truly was a grand building in its heyday. Over decades, however, its infamous legacy has replaced any notion of glamour and luxury. Instead, the horrendous acts of violence and brutality that happened within its walls will forever haunt those who hear its stories. The Netflix documentary, ‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” reminds us how dark the hotel’s past really is. Here are the top 10 horrible facts about the Cecil Hotel.

10 The First Suicide

Long-term residents started referring to the Cecil Hotel as “the suicide” in 1962, and with good reason. While the first-ever death at the hotel, a man named William Mckay, was determined to be caused by natural causes in 1926, the very next year saw its first suicide. Percy Ormand Cook committed suicide by shooting himself in the head at 52 years old. This began a long and tragic trend of people attempting suicide and completed suicides at the hotel. 

People have taken their lives at the hotel by overdosing, slitting their throat, ingesting poison, jumping from the roof or windows, or by gunshot. Some incidents have left people questioning if it really was a suicide, like Grace Magro. She fell or jumped from a nine-story window. Her boyfriend claimed to be asleep at the time. Upon her descent, she became entangled in telephone wires which ripped from the poles.

Another harrowing incident is Pauline Otton’s leap out of a ninth-floor window. Not only did she kill herself, but also an elderly pensioner on the street below. Twelve of the 16 acknowledged deaths involving the Cecil Hotel are believed to be suicides.

9 Skid Row Led to the Downfall of the Cecil Hotel

The hotel was at the height of its success in the 1940s. The grandeur of the marble lobby and its style and sophistication at the time attracted a lot of high-end clientele. But a shady maneuver was being carried out by the city of Los Angeles, which, instead of helping the homeless population, chose to redirect them to the area now known as Skid Row. Skid Row became a dumping ground for people released from jail and mental facilities as time marched on. The nearby Cecil Hotel became a dilapidating relic of the fading glamour of the old world.

The hotel became an extension of the surrounding area in that it was part of a program to provide long-term housing to people in skid row. These rooms rented out for weeks, months, or years were significantly cheaper than the rates of hotel rooms. In addition, the new crowd it was attracting, that of addicts, prostitutes, and the homeless, changed the appeal and safety of the hotel.

The cost to renovate the entire building was too high and ultimately not worth the upgrade, at least to those with a stake in the building. And so, in 2011, they renovated and rebranded part of the hotel under the name “Stay on main.”

8 There was a Ghost Sighting at the Hotel

With all the horrors and deaths surrounding the hotel, Many believe that there’s sinister energy within The Cecil. But in 2014, less than a year after Lisa Lam’s death, an 11-year-old boy believed he captured a ghost sighting on camera. The image looks like a person hanging outside the window on the fourth floor. It’s been said that the hotel is haunted, but could this supernatural sighting be a testament that actual spirits haunt the building?

A two-hour special streamed in January 2021, “Ghost Adventure: Cecil Hotel,” is the first-ever paranormal investigation to take place in the hotel. Zak Bagans leads the investigation along with his team and two psychic mediums. It’s available exclusively on discovery+ and retraces the steps of Elisa Lam.

7 A Woman was Found Dead in the Water Tower

Canadian student Elisa Lam checked into the “Stay on Main” part of the Cecil Hotel on January 26, 2013. She was initially in a shared room, but after the other guests complained about her strange behavior, she was placed in her own room. Lam was declared missing after her family hadn’t heard from her on January 30.

Three weeks later, some guests complained about the water, which ran slightly brown and smelled and tasted awful. Then, like something out of a true-crime horror movie, a hotel worker discovered a woman’s body floating in the water tank. The investigation revealed strange footage of Lam in an elevator, which led many to believe she was fleeing from someone. Many saw this as proof that she was murdered. Her death was ultimately ruled an accident. “The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” covers this story extensively, including other aspects that possibly led to her death.

6 The Hotel Inspired American Horror Story Season

American Horror Story’s fifth season, “Hotel,” owes its inspiration to The Cecil’s grim past. The series centers around a dark and mysterious LA hotel named Hotel Cortez. So it’s not surprising that the show revolves around the hotel’s disturbing deaths and paranormal events. The series even includes the serial killer Richard Ramirez, a known Cecil resident, in the episode “Devil’s Night.”

The show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, talked about the real Cecil hotel’s impact on the series. He stated in 2015 that he was obsessed with the hotel and the surrounding mystery involving Elisa Lam. The notorious video footage of a panicked Lam in an elevator is haunting, especially when the CCTV footage shows no other person. It could lead one to believe that the hotel is genuinely haunted. 

5 The Black Dahlia May Have Stayed There

In 1947, when the hotel was at its peak, it was rumored that Elizabeth Short, posthumously known as the Black Dahlia, had been drinking at the Cecil bar. Short, a young aspiring actress, was found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood, which is not far from the Cecil. The murder case became highly publicized due to the grizzly nature of the crime. The murderer mutilated and bisected her corpse at the waist. However, officials made no arrests, and the case remained unsolved. 

This fact is still unverified, but her connection to the hotel remains a point of curiosity. The Black Dahlia’s life and death became the basis for many books and films. It is still regarded as one of the most interesting unsolved murders in American history. 

4 The Hotel Will not be Reopening

A seedy hotel with a dark past is enough to scare off any potential guests, especially when it’s one that’s received so many bad reviews. However, “true-crime tourism” is a real phenomenon. All the attention the hotel has received over the last couple of years has been good for business. Or it would be if the hotel hadn’t been closed since 2017.

According to a Forbes article, the hotel will not be reopening despite headlines stating that it’s currently undergoing renovations and will reopen soon. There were plans to reopen in late 2019, with Simon Baron submitting an application detailing plans: “on-site sale and dispensing of a full-line of alcoholic beverages in conjunction with a 150,753 sq. ft. hotel with 299 in-room mini-bars, ground floor restaurant, lobby bar and rooftop bar with 349 indoor seats and 312 outdoor seats. Hours of operation of the restaurant, lobby bar, and roof top bar are from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., daily.” 

It was also reported that the developing firm had taken a $30 million loan to redevelop the building in 2020. However, the pandemic has halted any progress, so it is still too early to tell if a grand renovation is actually in the works.

3 Serial Killers Stayed at the Hotel

Not one but two serial killers are confirmed to have stayed at the Cecil Hotel. The most famous being the mid 80’s serial killer, Richard Ramirez, who lived in a room on the top floor. At this time, there were so many addicts and dodgy characters in the hotel that Ramirez never raised any suspicions. In fact, he would return to the Cecil after committing murder and simply throw his bloodied clothes into the hotel dumpster and proceed to walk naked through the corridors. No one ever questioned this.

In 1991, the Austrian serial killer, Johan “Jack” Unterweger, also stayed at the hotel. Under the pretense of his journalistic work, which he was well renowned and respected for, Unterweger brutally murdered three sex workers. He was sent to LA to research crime and prostitution in the city and would even ride along with cops. No one suspected that he was a serial killer who strangled at least ten women to death. The hotel’s location and the vicinity’s many prostitutes made this a prime spot to hunt his victims.

2 Pigeon Goldie was Murdered in Her Room

On June 4, 1964, one of the most horrific murders took place in the Cecil Hotel. A 65-year-old woman named Goldie Osgood, a telephone operator for the hotel, was found dead in her room. A hotel worker found Osgood’s body in the ransacked room, and it was revealed that Goldie had been raped, stabbed, and beaten.

Osgood was well known in the community and had earned the nickname Pigeon Goldie by feeding the birds in the nearby Pershing square. Her LA Dodgers cap, which she always wore, was still full of birdseed and found next to her body. Newspapers at the time reported that her friends claimed to have seen her just minutes before her body was discovered.

Jacques B. Ehlinger was arrested after he was seen walking through Pershing square in blood-stained clothing. He was never charged with Osgood’s murder, and her case remains unsolved.  

1 Down Will Come Baby…

In 1944, 19-year-old Dorothy Jean Purcell, who was staying at the hotel with her boyfriend, woke up to stomach cramps. Not knowing she was pregnant, Purcell ended up giving birth on the bathroom floor. She gave birth to what she believed to be a stillborn baby. She didn’t want to wake up her 38-year-old boyfriend or tell him about the baby, so instead, she threw the newborn out of the window.

Police found the lifeless infant’s body on a roof adjacent to the building. Even more disturbing is that an autopsy of the baby boy revealed he had air in his lungs at the time of death. Therefore, he was not dead when she threw him out the window. Parcell was charged with murder but was not found guilty by reason of insanity. 

Three independent criminal psychiatrists testified that she was mentally confused. Parcell never gave any other reason as to why she had done what she’d done, except stating that she thought the baby was stillborn.  

Slavery, one of America’s greatest tragedies, caused immeasurable suffering and loss of human life. The Stanford prison experiment is frequently cited when people discuss the brutality demonstrated by humans with power. But we don’t need to look any further than our own history for these examples.

10 Interesting Facts You Never Knew About Slavery

Slaves could be punished for any number of “offenses,” including theft, laziness, running away, or even speaking their native language. By some accounts, enslaved people were even disciplined for sport. Here are 10 of the most horrible punishments recorded for slaves in America.

Warning: This content contains graphic descriptions of various physical abuses and tortures and may act as a trigger to sensitive individuals. Great care has been taken to respect the lives and histories of the people represented as slaves. Please read at your own discretion.

10 Whipping

In America, slaves, including pregnant women and children, were often whipped as punishment. The famous image of the slave “Gordon” (aka “Whipped Peter”) reveals that the skin on his back was raised with a lattice of scars from brutal and repeated whippings.^[1]

However, some owners did not stop there. When their slaves’ wounds began to heal, these owners ordered that the wounds be split open and that products such as red pepper and turpentine be applied to the gashes. According to some accounts, one owner ground a brick into rubble and dust, mixed it with lard, and had it rubbed into the wounds of a slave.

9 Mutilation

Slaves were often expected to work in exceptionally difficult physical conditions, especially in the fields or on cotton plantations. Other slaves worked in their masters’ homes and were expected to be “well-groomed” and “clean.” These slaves often had lighter skin or “better speaking skills.”

Either way, it would make sense for slaves’ bodies to be protected and maintained. However, this rarely happened.

Particularly in cases where slaves had fought each other or resisted their owners or overseers, it was common for owners to order bodily mutilation. Sometimes, it involved cutting off an ear or slicing at the flesh. More severe examples included amputating limbs, gouging out eyes, cutting hamstrings, or even castrating both males and females.^[2]

In many cases, the victims did not receive medical treatment. Some died from infection, blood loss, and other complications.

8 Brandings

Branding refers to searing the flesh with a heated metal instrument. This type of torture was typically done to denote ownership.

Large companies often branded their slaves to make them easily identifiable and to prevent the theft and resale of slaves. Eventually, these brands were used as bodily evidence to refute claims from larger companies that the practice had never occurred.

In Louisiana, a “Code Noir” permitted the branding of slaves as punishment for running away. By 1840, New Orleans had developed the largest slave market in America, which placed innumerable people under this decree.^[3]

Particularly in the South, branding was a common punishment for running away. Often, a letter or other identifiable mark was seared onto the slave’s face. This usually prevented that person from being assigned to any house or serving work.

7 Smoked Alive

Eventually, various slave states passed laws regarding the maintenance, well-being, and rights of slaves. Theoretically, this should have given slaves some protection from cruelty and abuse. In reality, these laws were rarely enforced. Some accounts describe how different methods of punishment and abuse became more popular in different states.

Escaped slave William W. Brown discussed a common practice used in Virginia. He described an owner who had his slaves bound and whipped in the smokehouse. Then he created a fire from tobacco stems to suffocate and “smoke” the slaves as further punishment.^[4]

6 The Hogshead

Former slaves may offer the most harrowing accounts of slave abuse and torture. Moses Roper was born of his African and Native American mother, who was a slave to his English father. After Moses escaped his bondage, he wrote a book about his life. He explicitly outlined various tortures and indignities that slaves in America had to suffer.

Moses recounted the sport and pleasure that some owners took in corporal punishment. He described a slaveholder who hammered nails into a hogshead (large barrel) and left the nail points protruding inside. His slaves were stuffed into these barrels and rolled down long, steep hills while the owner and other slaves watched.^[5]

10 Slaves Who Became Roman Catholic Saints

5 Suspended Beneath A Cooking Fire

Harriet Jacobs also escaped slavery and wrote about her exploits. She described falling into the “possession” of a slave owner who sexually harassed her on a regular basis despite the protests of his wife. To avoid him, Harriet hid in the crawl space in her grandmother’s ceiling for seven years before fleeing to England.

In another harrowing account, Harriet told of a slaveholder who lived close to her. He had hundreds of slaves. His favorite punishment was to tie up a slave, suspend him above the ground, and start a fire above him. A fatty piece of pork was cooked by the fire. Then the burning fat dripped onto the bare skin of the slave.^[6]

4 Demotion Or Sale

Although this type of punishment may seem less significant than the previous horrors detailed here, it could mean the difference between life and death for a slave. George Washington was a declared fan of whipping and other corporal punishments for slaves. But he also supported the demotion of slaves who did not work hard enough and the sale of repeat runaways.

Many slaves who worked in less physically demanding conditions, such as in the house or in a skilled trade, could be demoted to work in the fields. This resulted in harsher physical conditions, more demanding physical work, and often more violent treatment from owners and overseers. In the worst cases, slaves were sold at cheap prices to owners who were known to treat their slaves poorly or even work them to death.^[7]

3 Public Burnings

Punishments were often made public. Other slaves were forced to watch as a warning that they should “behave” or be disciplined the same way. At times, other owners or people from nearby towns came to watch as a form of entertainment. After slavery was abolished, public lynchings and hangings continued into the 20th century.

One horrific method of punishment was public burning. Slaves were either tied to a stake or above a fire. Some slaves fainted or passed out from smoke inhalation before the fire began to consume their bodies. But many were tortured by the flames before they finally died.^[8]

2 Long-Term Chaining

The use of chains is well-documented throughout the history of slavery. It began on slave ships where captured Africans were shackled together in the hulls of the vessels. Long-term chaining was often meted out to repeat runaway slaves. They were chained to their workstations or to other slaves.

In some cases, long lines of slaves were shackled together to perform menial tasks in unison. This was the origin of the chain gangs that became infamous in US prisons.

One woman who became notorious for her maltreatment of slaves—even by 19th century standards—was Madame Delphine LaLaurie. Various investigations were undertaken to determine the condition of her slaves until a fire broke out in her home in 1834.

An elderly female slave, who served as a cook, supposedly started the blaze in a suicide attempt. She had been shackled to the stove with the cooking fire. Afterward, several slaves were discovered in horrific conditions in the LaLaurie attic. Suspended by their necks, they were standing with their limbs chained in a way that stretched and tore them.^[9]

1 Forced Reproduction

Slaves frequently endured severe sexual harassment and assaults, including rape. There were no laws to prevent this.

Women who became pregnant as a result of this abuse rarely received any medical care or special treatment. On the contrary, they were often handled more harshly by their masters’ wives. Effectively pimped out by their owners, male slaves were also abused and forced to sleep with various women.

Following the US Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, which became effective in 1808, a shortage of slaves occurred in the South. The internal slave market boomed, which increased the demand for black people. As a result, slaves were often bought and sold based on their “childbearing” capabilities. They were forced to have sex with other slaves to produce more children.^[10]

Usually, slaves could choose with whom they would have children. But matchmaking records exist that were based on physical characteristics.

Top 10 Misconceptions About American Slavery

About The Author: Brittany is a freelance writer from New Zealand. She spends most of her time traveling, reading, and connecting with different cultures. With a professional background in mental health and addictions, she is always on the lookout for new research and breakthroughs.

We can all think of current presidents and prime ministers who seem a little out of their depth. Luckily for them the worst that can happen to them is being voted out at the ballot box. For those who rose to the top of the Roman Empire however the end of a political career was often a lot less dainty. If you messed up then there were always those who were willing to replace you, often over your dead body.

Here are ten Roman emperors who suffered horrific downfalls.

Top 10 Little-Known But Fascinating Roman Emperors

10 Vitellius

The year 69 AD was an exciting one in Rome. Known as ‘the year of the four emperors’ it saw a number of people gain the imperial throne only to lose their lives soon afterwards. Vitellius was perhaps the most interesting of the figures who donned the imperial purple.

In an age where people spent fortunes on banquets Vitellius out ate them all. One of his proudest creations was the “Shield of Minerva, Defender of the City” – a vast dish made from “the livers of pike, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, the tongues of flamingoes and the milt of lampreys, brought by his captains and triremes from the whole empire, from Parthia to the Spanish strait.” He was also known for snatching bits of food from the offerings made to the gods. Notably absent from his skills was that of soldiering.

His short reign came to an end when Vespasian, declared emperor in the East, turned up in Rome. Vitellius agreed to abdicate in peace when most of his followers abandoned him but the opposing soldiers refused to let him. He returned to his palace to find even the servants had fled. He was dragged from his home and paraded through the streets of the city.

“But they bound his arms behind his back, put a noose about his neck, and dragged him with rent garments and half-naked to the Forum. All along the Sacred Way he was greeted with mockery and abuse, his head held back by the hair, as is common with criminals, and even the point of a sword placed under his chin, so that he could not look down but must let his face be seen. Some pelted him with dung and ordure, others called him incendiary and glutton, and some of the mob even taunted him with his bodily defects.” His last words before execution were “Yet I was once your emperor.”^[1]

9 Caligula

Becoming Emperor at a young age may not be the best start in life. Imagine being just out of your teens with all the power in the world. His position did not escape a young Caligula who told people “Remember, I can do anything I please to anybody.” Raised in the deadly court of the Julio-Claudian family he had seen many close relatives die suspicious deaths which must have affected his stability and made him somewhat paranoid.

Among Caligula’s most famous acts were waging a war against the god Neptune, declaring himself a god, and kissing his wife’s neck before telling her “Off comes this beautiful head whenever I give the word.” Such actions do not tend to make people very loyal to you. When he turned his fondness for deadly jokes on his guards and senators however they decided to cut short the god’s reign.

The conspirators trapped Caligula as he walked between the theatre and the palace and fell on him with swords. One blow severed his jaw and others fell as the emperor slid to the floor. According to Tacitus his last words were “I’m still alive.” Alas he did not have much time left when that would be true.^[2]

8 Petronius Maximus

By the 5th century the Roman Empire was in trouble. Large numbers of Goths and other peoples from outside the empire had moved into Europe and were carving out kingdoms of their own. The power of the emperor was constantly being challenged. Yet emperors still had time for other activities like seducing the wives of their officers. When Valentinian made love to the wife of Petronius Maximus he also made a powerful enemy.

Maximus convinced Valentinian’s guard to assassinate him, which they did while the emperor was practising archery. Seeing a nice new job opening Maximus had himself declared the new emperor and married Valentinian’s widow Eudoxia to make himself seem more legitimate. It did not work.

Eudoxia called on the help of the Vandal king Geiseric. He turned up with an army and Maximus’ reign was brought to a minimal end. With news of the Vandal advance Maximus abandoned the city but as he rode away a crowd saw their fleeing emperor and stoned him to death. Three days later the Vandals arrived in Rome, sacked the city, and gave us the modern meaning of the word vandal.^[3]

7 Elagabalus

Religion is always a dangerous topic to bring up yet emperor Elagabalus decided to risk bringing a new and foreign cult to Rome. Coming to the throne at the age of around 14 Elagabulus was named because of his position as the chief priest to the Eastern sun god Elagabal. This devotion to a different god was just one reason Elagabalus did not survive for long.

Ascending to the throne because of his blood ties to previous emperors and the influence of his mother and aunt Elagabalus could have enjoyed popular support but his sexual and religious activities made him deeply unpopular. He attempted to have male lovers put in positions of authority, though he also married one of the sacred Vestal Virgins in a sacrilegious ceremony. Vast sums of money were promised to any surgeon who could give the emperor a vagina.

While power makes everyone a little eccentric his activities were a little too much for the Romans. Despite attempts to please his forces the army turned on the emperor. “He made an attempt to flee, and would have got away somewhere by being placed in a chest had he not been discovered and slain, at the age of eighteen. His mother, who embraced him and clung tightly to him, perished with him; their heads were cut off and their bodies, after being stripped naked, were first dragged all over the city, and then the mother’s body was cast aside somewhere or other, while his was thrown into the Tiber.”^[4]

6 Commodus

Marcus Aurelius is often held up as one of the wisest people ever to rule. Yet his death brought about the end of a period of calm and peaceful rule. While the previous five “good” emperors had been adopted by their predecessors because of their talent and abilities Marcus Aurelius chose to leave the empire in the brutal hands of his unstable son Commodus.

As soon as Marcus was dead Commodus abandoned his war against the German tribes to rush back to Rome and all the pleasures he could find there. “After he had come back to Rome he led the triumphal procession with Saoterus, his partner in depravity, seated in his chariot, and from time to time he would turn around and kiss him openly, repeating this same performance even in the orchestra. And not only was he wont to drink until dawn and squander the resources of the Roman Empire, but in the evening he would ramble through taverns and brothels.”

Several conspiracies sprang up against the emperor’s life, including one led by his sister. He survived these attempts only to fall to one which his wife took part in. When poison failed to kill Commodus they arranged for one of his favourite athletes to surprise him in his bath. Instead of a happy ending however Commodus was strangled to death.^[5]

Top 10 Worst Roman Emperors

5 Nero

The Julio-Claudians liked to keep power within the family. But then they also liked to keep murder, sex, and intrigue there too. Nero was great nephew to the emperor Claudius but became his adopted son when Nero’s mother Agrippina married him, despite being his niece. When Claudius died it was Nero who became emperor and not Claudius’ son Britannicus. Poor Britannicus soon died in mysterious circumstances and Nero was undisputed ruler.

Despite his mother attempting to influence his rule, supposedly through incest with him, Nero decided he liked his power to be entirely in his own hands. After several botched attempts to kill her Agrippina was finally stabbed to death by one of Nero’s agents. She told her assassin to stab her in her womb as it had given birth to such an unnatural son.

Nero’s rule was given over to his own pleasure and desire to be an artist. When he competed on stage in poetry and singing everyone had to watch him – some men faked their own deaths in the audience to escape his ‘art.’ When several generals rose up against him Nero dithered until it was too late. He spent time arranging his burial plot and seeing how pretty it was remarked “What an artist dies in me.” With the aid of an assistant he managed to drive a dagger into his throat.^[6]

4 Joannes

Despite the risks associated with being Roman emperor there were always people who seemed to want the throne. When the emperor Honorius died his son was far away in Constantinople. This power vacuum was filled when Joannes, a high ranking civil servant, claimed the crown.

When the Eastern emperor sent a force to remove Joannes it was defeated and the leader captured. Joannes showed mercy to this man as he hoped to negotiate a peace settlement with the Eastern emperor. This mercy was misplaced as the envoy stirred up a conspiracy against Joannes.

The emperor was captured by his enemies and not shown any mercy. They “brought him out in the hippodrome of Aquileia with one of his hands cut off and caused him to ride in state on an ass, and then after he had suffered much ill treatment from the stage-performers there, both in word and in deed, he put him to death.”^[7]

3 Valentinian

The Roman empire in the 4th century was surrounded by enemies. While the empire was able to keep most of them out the situation required emperors to spend most of their time campaigning in various wars. This could be aggravating – and for Valentinian I it proved so annoying that it killed him.

When a tribe called the Quadi were angered by Romans building forts on their territory they sent envoys to the Romans. The Romans invited the Quadi to dinner to discuss matters – and promptly murdered their guests. This pushed the Quadi into forming alliances and invading Roman lands. This required Valentinian to come in person to crush the invasion.

When the emperor turned up with his army the tribes were soon crushed but, fatally, the emperor agreed to meet with a Quadi representative. When the Quadi refused to accept full responsibility for what had happened (their envoys had been treacherously murdered after all) Valentinian became so enraged with their attitude that a blood vessel in his head spontaneously exploded. The emperor collapsed and died.^[8]

2 Carus

Carus was another emperor who had dealings with the Quadi, though his were rather more successful. After being acclaimed emperor by his troops Carus led victorious campaigns against the German tribes before turning his attention to the Persian empire in the East.

Here too he had brilliant successes. Carus recaptured Mesopotamia as a Roman province and drove further into Persia – despite oracles telling him that he would not go any further. Already ill the emperor retreated to his tent when a thunderstorm blew up. In the night lightning was seen to strike within the army camp. When the emperor’s tent was opened in the morning he was found dead inside, apparently struck by lightning.

This death from above was seen as a sign that the campaign should be abandoned and the Romans marched back the way they came.^[9]

1 Valerian

Carus had not been the first Roman emperor to attempt to bring the Persians to heel. With the growing Persian empire threatening much of the Eastern Roman empire many emperors had been forced to wage war against them. Perhaps the most unfortunate was Valerian.

Seeking to recover lost lands he managed to reclaim much that had been taken by the Persians but his army was struck by an outbreak of plague that left him lacking manpower. Despite this Valerian led his men out against the Persian emperor Shapur. At the Battle of Edessa the two armies met – to the complete destruction of the Roman force.

According to Persian inscriptions, which graphically show Valerian being brought before Shapur, the Romans were entirely defeated and captured. For the first time in Roman history an Emperor was captured alive by a foreign enemy. While the captive soldiers were set to work digging water channels in Persia Valerian suffered a worse fate. According to Roman sources “he was flayed, and his skin, stripped from the flesh, was dyed with vermilion, and placed in the temple of the gods of the barbarians.” Others claim that the former emperor was turned into a footstool for the Persian kings.^[10]

10 Facts That Show Why Caligula Was Rome’s Craziest Emperor

Did you know over half of the infectious diseases humans experience come from animals? Scientists estimate that animals spread over six out of every ten known infectious diseases! Many are deadly and can lead to outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. When the harmful germs in animals transmit to humans, this is known as a zoonosis or zoonotic disease. While animals can be cute, friendly, or tasty, be cautious if they are infected! Read on to learn about ten horrible zoonotic diseases that exist and how you might catch them.

10 Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection caused by a microorganism called Toxoplasma gondii, or T. gondii. This parasite exists everywhere—in air, on land, in the sea, and in most warm-blooded animals. However, its primary hosts are house cats. The microorganism sexually reproduces inside the cat’s guts—not a very romantic honeymoon spot. It is sometimes also known as the “mind control” disease since rodents infected with the parasite show abnormal behaviors and become easier prey to cats. T. gondii can also increase risky behaviors in humans.

People can contract Toxoplasmosis through contact with infected cat feces or by consuming contaminated raw vegetables or undercooked meat. T. gondii usually enters our bodies in the form of an egg and hides in the brain, heart, or skeletal muscle tissue. When it grows, it becomes an active parasite known as a tachyzoite. A tachyzoite can quickly multiply and spread to attack body tissues with limited immune defenses.

Toxoplasmosis affects up to 2 billion people globally. Most people will have no noticeable symptoms and don’t require treatment for Toxoplasmosis. Up to 20% will have mild symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes or flu-like aches. In rare cases, severe infections can lead to:

If brain damage continues without treatment, especially in people with weak immune systems, Toxoplasmosis can be fatal.

9 Salmonellosis

Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella. You can find the Salmonella bacteria in domestic and wild animals, including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, poultry, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Infected animals often don’t show signs of the disease, so make sure to wash after handling them. For example, if you have a pet turtle, it can have Salmonella on its body and anywhere in its tank. 

Salmonella on your hands can lead to infection or spread to other people and surfaces. Salmonella is also pretty resilient and can exist throughout the entire food chain. Humans commonly contract the bacteria from consuming contaminated foods such as eggs, meat, and milk. Cook your meals thoroughly!

Although Salmonella is not as fatal as the other diseases on this list, it is a major global cause of diarrheal diseases. It can also cause serious symptoms for people with weakened immune symptoms, including children and the elderly. For these people, the associated dehydration can prove life-threatening. Other symptoms of Salmonella include:

8 Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis)

A spore-forming bacteria causes anthrax disease. You can commonly find it in herbivore mammals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, camels, antelopes, and goats. The bacteria spores can survive for long periods and easily spreads in the air. They become “activated” in our bodies. Anthrax symptoms include fevers, blisters, swollen lymph nodes, and fluid buildup in the lungs. 

The mortality rate of anthrax depends on the exposure method. You can get anthrax by:

The deadliest is through inhalation, with a mortality rate of 80% or higher, even with treatment. Gastrointestinal anthrax from undercooked meat has a mortality rate of 25% to 75%. Cutaneous infection from handling products is approximately 20%. Cutaneous anthrax is the most common and easiest to cure with antibiotics.

Anthrax is not contagious from human to human contact. However, it can be used as a bioterrorism weapon. For example, in 2001, an anthrax attack occurred when terrorists mailed letters containing the bacteria spores, infected seventeen people, and killed five.

7 Rabies

Rabies is a terrible viral disease that affects all warm-blooded mammals, including humans. An infected animal will have the rabies virus in its saliva and brain tissue. They usually spread the virus to humans through bites. The virus can also spread by coming into contact with open cuts or wounds. Bat and dog bites are common sources of humans catching rabies. However, skunk, fox, and raccoon bite cases also exist. 

While a series of shots, including vaccines, can cure rabies, the result is often fatal if the treatment is not provided soon after exposure. According to the CDC, approximately 59,000 deaths are caused by rabies worldwide. The early symptoms of rabies include fevers and headaches. This disease will progress rapidly to a neurologic illness, leading to paralysis, confusion, difficulty swallowing, and agitation before death. Rabies can also cause other unexpected symptoms such as Hydrophobia, the fear of water. 

Prevent your pets from catching rabies by getting them their proper shots from the vet!

6 Zoonotic Influenza

The most prevalent zoonotic influenza is the avian influenza viruses, particularly the A(H5) and A(H7N9) viruses, also known as bird flu. You can contract avian influenza viruses from poultry such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks. This virus can transfer to humans directly or indirectly from exposure to infected live or dead poultry and contaminated environments such as bird markets. Eating raw dishes with infected poultry blood can also lead to infection. The swine influenza viruses are another virus that affects humans. You can contract it by being close to infected pigs or their living pens.

While the type of virus will determine the incubation period and severity of symptoms, most influenza cases start with respiratory symptoms like sore throats, fevers, and coughs. For the swine influenza viruses, symptoms are usually mild and rarely reported. The most aggressive symptoms are from the avian influenza viruses, which also have the highest fatality rate among similar viruses. 

For example, the H5N1 virus has a mortality rate of about 60% in humans. It can cause symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, internal bleeding, chest pain, and complications such as:

5 Arbovirus 

Arbovirus refers to arthropod-borne viruses, such as dengue fever, Zika virus, and West Nile virus. Mosquito bites are a common transmitter of arboviruses. Different arthropods carry different arboviruses. For example, dengue arises from the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The West Nile virus spreads from mosquitoes that caught the virus after feeding on infected birds or horses.

Every arbovirus also presents different symptoms and mortality rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports around 400 million people contract dengue fever annually, and 22,000 die as a result. Severe cases of dengue fever will have symptoms including: 

For West Nile virus, most infected people don’t get sick or have only mild symptoms. Severe reactions, however, affect the nervous systems and can lead to paralysis, meningitis, encephalitis, or death. Meningitis and encephalitis are both types of inflammations or swellings in the brain that can lead to death.

4 Malaria

Although also transmitted by mosquitoes, Malaria is not a virus, but it is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite. The Anopheles mosquito can host the parasite that causes Malaria. Mosquitos use saliva to prevent blood clots when they bite humans. The parasite is transmitted into our bloodstream through this saliva. Once in our bodies, the parasites multiply in the liver then infect and destroy red blood cells.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 229 million people globally contracted Malaria in 2019. In the same year, approximately 409,000 died, with children under five years old accounting for 67% of deaths.

Depending on the strain of the parasite, Malaria symptoms can be mild or severe. Mild symptoms are more flu-like and include fevers, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and tiredness. For more severe cases, symptoms will include:

With severe loss of red blood cells, Malaria can also cause anemia, vital organ dysfunction, and jaundice. Jaundice is the yellow coloring of the eyes and skin.

3 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) was formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Wild animals can transmit EVD to humans. You can get infected if you contact an infected animal’s bodily fluids, especially those found ill or dead. Examples of animals that can infect humans include:

Once in the human population, EVD becomes even more contagious. Human mortality rates varied between 25% and 90% with each outbreak. It is common for healthcare workers to become infected after treating ill patients. Direct contact with the following can lead to infection:

The symptoms can be sudden, including headaches, fatigue, fevers, muscle pain, and sore throats. Then it can lead to rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, or more severe symptoms such as:

2 HIV and AIDS

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a global health issue since scientists first identified it in the 1980s. At the end of 2019, WHO estimated 38 million people globally are living with HIV. The virus targets the immune system and weakens our body’s defenses against infections. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of HIV infection and involves developing certain cancers. 

HIV is a type of lentivirus similar to the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that attacks monkeys and apes’ immune symptoms. Scientists have found that HIV strains are closely related to a strain found in chimpanzees and a strain found in sooty mangabeys. The most common theory of how the SIV strain became HIV in humans is hunters contracted the virus from eating the chimpanzee or monkey as “bushmeat” or getting infected blood into wounds. The SIV, once in the human body, then adapted to become HIV.

Initial symptoms of HIV in humans include weight loss, fever, diarrhea, and swollen lymph nodes will be prevalent. As the virus weakens the immune system, it can also develop into severe illnesses such as:

There are treatment regimens that can suppress HIV and allow infected people’s immune systems to recover towards fighting off infections. Currently, lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) helps prevent transmission of the virus as a search for an HIV cure continues.

1 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 caused the COVID-19 disease that turned pandemic in 2020. While genetic analysis of the virus suggests it originated in bats, officials in China suspect the initial outbreak in Wuhan links to a seafood market. Two theories speculate that the pangolins, or snakes, the market sold could be the intermediate animal that transferred the virus from bats to humans.

The symptoms are varied depending on the strain and who is infected. It can range from mild symptoms of sore throat, headaches, diarrhea, and skin rashes to more severe indicators:

Since research on disease origins takes time, we do not know exactly how the virus started to infect humans. We do know it has had deadly effects and is extremely contagious. At the beginning of April 2021, there have been over 132.4 million cases of people infected globally and over 2.87 million deaths from COVID-19.