History is filled with rulers whose reigns lasted long after their welcome. However, some rulers were in charge for only brief periods of time. Here are 10 examples of the shortest-reigning leaders throughout history whose reigns were cut short for bizarre and often unfortunate reasons.

10 Tsar Peter III Of Russia
185 Days

As ruler of Russia from January 5 to July 9, 1762, the unpopular Tsar Peter III was barely able to speak Russian and pushed for many pro-Prussian policies. His wife, the German-born Princess Sophie, led a coup which had Peter III deposed and eventually assassinated.

She succeeded him to the throne as Catherine II (aka Catherine the Great). Their marriage had been both loveless and sexless. So it’s no surprise that she sought to end it, though the manner in which she did makes a bitter divorce seem like a good thing in comparison.

Shortly following the coup, Peter was imprisoned in the castle of Ropsha. There, he was brutally murdered by several men loyal to Gregory Orlov, who aspired to marry the newly crowned empress of the Russian Empire. Peter was assassinated so that Catherine could be allowed to remarry since a living husband, even one deposed and imprisoned, kept a woman from remarrying.

9 Isaac II Angelos Of The Byzantine Empire
179 Days

Emperor Isaac was the ruler of the Byzantine Empire not once but twice. His first reign lasted from 1185 to 1195, but his second reign lasted only about 179 days—from August 1, 1203, until approximately January 27, 1204.

He was first removed from the throne by his brother, who usurped his position and took the name Alexios III. Immediately, Isaac was blinded and imprisoned. He became enfeebled in captivity in Constantinople where he languished for eight years before he was freed during the Fourth Crusade.

Isaac was reinstated as a vassal king alongside his son, Alexios IV, by the crusaders. But the two men failed to meet their obligations and lost the support of the crusaders and their subjects. Isaac was soon deposed by a son-in-law of his brother, Alexios III, and was returned to prison alongside his son. Isaac likely died of shock when his son was strangled to death while the two were in prison.

8 Emperor Yuan Shikai Of The Empire of China
101 Days

Soon after the last emperor of China, Puyi, abdicated the throne in 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, a new Chinese Empire arose in its place under the leadership of Emperor Yuan Shikai. He was a general who took on the role as the second Provisional Great President of the Republic of China.

But Shikai wanted to consolidate his power and reestablish the Chinese monarchy, which met a great deal of opposition. Plans for an accession ceremony were delayed, defunded, and ultimately scrapped. He returned China to a republic, making the Empire of China the shortest-lasting empire in history—about three months—from December 12, 1915, to March 22, 1916.

Shikai resumed his role as president, although he died shortly thereafter. His actions set the Chinese republican goals back by years due to the infighting that arose from his attempt to reestablish the empire. He is perhaps the only emperor who both preceded and succeeded himself as a nation’s president.

7 Emperor Pertinax Of Rome
86 Days

From January 1 to March 28, 193, Publius Helvius Pertinax ruled the Roman Empire during a turbulent time known as “The Year of the Five Emperors.” He was the first emperor to succeed the assassinated Commodus, who was somewhat inaccurately portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2000 film Gladiator.

Pertinax attempted to reform the empire but failed in most of his attempts. However, he was able to free those held in captivity by his predecessor and lift some restrictions on farming. His decision to make changes within the Praetorian Guard helped bring about his downfall since it was the Guard who had orchestrated the murder of his predecessor.

Angered by Pertinax’s actions, members of the Guard stormed into the imperial palace and beat the emperor to death. Then they removed his head and affixed it to the end of a lance, which was carried in triumph through the streets to the Praetorian camp.

6 King Frederick Charles Of Finland
66 Days

From October 9 to December 14, 1918—only 66 days—Frederick Charles Louis Constantine of Hesse was the elected king of Finland before renouncing his throne. It was considered unfavorable for a German-born monarch to hold the throne of Finland so soon after the end of the Great War.

Frederick agreed and soon abdicated his throne after King Wilhelm II of Germany abdicated his own position, bringing an end to monarchies in Germany. Frederick never arrived in Finland to take on his position but retained the title of king for just over two months before giving it up. The Kingdom of Finland only lasted for two years before Finland adopted a Republican Constitution in 1919. Frederick was its sole monarch before it dissolved into the government it maintains to this day.

5 Emperor Didius Julianus Of Rome
65 Days

Following the assassination of Pertinax on March 28, 193, the Praetorian Guards who killed him auctioned off the Roman Empire to the highest bidder. There were two men bidding, but Didius Julianus won by promising 25,000 sesterces to every soldier of the Praetorian Guard.

This totaled approximately 200 million sesterces, or 50 million denari. It is difficult to compare this to a modern currency, but an average worker or soldier in the empire earned about one denari per day at the time. Fearing the military, the Senate proclaimed Julianus emperor, but his reign did not last. He was deposed and executed by his successor less than three months later on June 1, 193.

4 Pope Urban VII
12 Days

Serving from September 15 to September 27, 1590, Pope Urban VII was the shortest-reigning Pope in Catholic history following the Vatican’s removal of Stephen II from the list of Popes. Stephen II’s three-day reign was considered invalid because he missed his consecration.

Urban VII left the papacy in a fairly normal manner after succumbing to malaria. However, he earned an asterisk in the history books as the first ruler to ever institute a smoking and tobacco ban in 1590.

Urban VII threatened excommunication to any Catholic who “took tobacco in the porchway of or inside a church, whether it be by chewing it, smoking it with a pipe, or sniffing it in powdered form through the nose.” His ban on tobacco was not due to health concerns but to his distaste for it in and around the Church.

3 Emperor Duc Duc Of Vietnam
3 Days

Emperor Duc Duc was both emplaced and executed by the same people after ruling Vietnam for only three days in July 1883. During his coronation ceremony, he committed several acts of debauchery. This violated various rules of mourning pertaining to the death of his father, whom Duc Duc had succeeded to the throne.

The Vietnamese court quickly ruled that he be poisoned to death for his debauchery. He may have been deposed for political reasons and left to die in captivity, but the true nature of his death is not known for certain. However, he was considered to be a puppet of French colonialists. Turmoil followed his three-day rule for nearly a decade before a stable monarchy could take place under one of his sons.

2 Emperor Mo Of China
2 Hours

Emperor Mo of Jin, named Wanyan Chenglin, was the shortest-reigning emperor in Chinese history. On February 9, 1234, he was killed shortly after his coronation ceremony during the Mongol attack on China.

That day, he had met with Emperor Aizong, his predecessor, who insisted that Chenglin accept his position as emperor. Soon after, during the siege of Caizhou, the city walls were breached. Emperor Aizong committed suicide to avoid capture and to allow for his successor to take his position.

Chenglin was leader of the Jin dynasty for as little as two hours. He rallied his troops and defended the city until he was killed in battle, marking the end of the Jin dynasty and the beginning of Mongol Yuan rule of northern China.

1 King Louis XIX Of France
20 Minutes

On August 2, 1830, Louis Antoine was “technically” the king of France for 20 minutes before he agreed to abdicate the throne. The rights of succession meant that he was king once his father had signed his own abdication papers during the July Revolution of 1830.

While Louis Antoine pondered signing the abdication documents, he listened to his wife’s arguments not to sign and to retain his role as king in what was considered to be an incredibly unpopular monarchy. But he eventually acquiesced and signed the papers.

Although Louis Antoine never truly ruled over France, some of his followers never recognized his abdication as being legal and considered his father, Charles X, and then Louis to be the true kings of France until their respective deaths.

Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, and game designer with a few independently published games through his game company, TalkingBull Games. He is an active duty soldier and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects.

When it comes to Celtic leaders who defended their land from the encroaching Romans, one figure instantly comes to mind—the famous war-queen Boudicca and her equally famous (and sometimes historically inaccurate) chariot. It’s easy to assume that she was the only Celtic leader to rally against the invaders; in actual fact, there are several others who haven’t achieved nearly the same fame as Boudicca.

The Romans were efficient and ruthless, so fighting them was no easy feat. As such, not every Celtic leader who went against the Romans had a happy ending. Regardless, here are ten leaders who dared challenge the might of Rome in the name of the Celts.

10 Boduognatus

Boduognatus was the leader of the Nervii people. His name translates to “he who was born of the battle crow,” which tells you what kind of person he was.

Boduogantus was one of the few leaders who came close to defeating Caesar in the battlefield. In the Battle of the Sabis, he led some 40,000 Celts—with 60,000 more hidden in a nearby forest—against eight of Caesar’s legions (two of which consisted of the “baggage train”).

During the battle, the 40,000 Celts fled into the forest, hoping to draw the Romans in, but they didn’t give chase. That didn’t stop the Celts, who then gave a surprise charge that took Caesar’s forces off guard. The Romans acted quickly to get into a defensive stance and managed to turn the tide, but it was a Pyrrhic victory at best.

9 Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix lived from 82 to 46 BC and was the chieftain of the Arverni. His name translates to the very ambitious “Victor of a Hundred Battles.”

Vercingetorix put himself on the Celtic timeline when he arranged a rebellion to stop Caesar from subjugating the people of Gaul. Not much is known about Vercingetorix’s life before his revolt; even his name was given to him after he came into the spotlight. His real name was kept secret, as the Celts believed that knowing someone’s real name gave the enemy power.

Vercingetorix would use his forces to disrupt Roman trade lines and goad fights in his favor, but he fumbled when he lost a battle and fled. Caesar countered with a siege against Vercingetorix’s fortress. Vercingetorix was taken to Rome to show off Caesar’s prowess, before being executed six years later.

8 Caratacus

King of the Catuvellauni, Caratacus led his army with his brother. Combined, they helped to stave off the Roman armies for almost nine years. His own forces were outnumbered by the Romans, so he drew out the conquest by picking spots that were easy to defend and worked to repel the oncoming forces for as long as he could. He was regarded as a hero even after he lost the battle against Ostorious Scapula in AD 51 and was captured.

Even after his capture, Caratacus caught a break. He was well-known for his character, which played an important part when he was brought before Claudius for trial in Rome. His heart-capturing final speech caused Claudius to pardon him for his actions. He and his family lived the rest of their lives in Italy.

7 Ambiorix

Ambiorix was nothing short of a slippery character. Leader of the Eburones tribe, he managed to get on the good side of a legion and half of Caesar’s troops. He used the insider information gleaned to start a revolt and attack the camp.

When the attack failed, he managed to convince the camp that the revolts were widespread, Caesar had fled Gail, and that Germans were on the way to massacre the Romans. The camp fled, only to be nearly wiped out in an ambush set up for them.

It was Caesar’s worst loss in the Gallic War, so he wanted revenge. He wiped out the rebels, leaving Ambiorix for last. Ambiorix knew he was severely outnumbered, so when the Romans came for him, he simply told his army to spread out and flee. He hid in the woods, never to be seen again.

6 Cassivellaunus

Cassivellaunus played a vital role in opposing Caesar during his second invasion against the Celts. Caesar had learned from his mistakes during his first invasion, so instead of bringing two legions, he brought five. This was, obviously, a giant problem for the Celts, so they weren’t very confident in enaging the Romans in a straight fight.

Cassivellaunus responded by denying Caesar a proper fight, instead backpedaling into the woods and making guerilla strikes against the forces. The Romans made heavy use of chariots, which Cassivellaunus made sure to capitalize on in his surprise attacks.

Cassivellaunus would eventually have his stronghold ratted out by other captured Celtic leaders. His stronghold fell to the Romans, and Cassivellaunus fled. He tried one last attack on a Roman camp, but he failed and sued for surrender. He had to promise not to wage war against the Romans again but was otherwise left alone.

5 Dumnorix

Dumnorix was the leader of an anti-Roman faction in the Aedui tribe, which was mostly allied with Caesar. He joined Orgetorix and his Helvetii as they migrated from modern Switzerland to France. Caesar wasn’t too pleased with this and denied them travel across his lands.

Dumnorix got permission from the Sequani to cross their lands, where pro-Rome Aedui lived. Caesar didn’t like this, so he cut off Dumnorix with the Battle of the Ara. Even worse, the pro-Rome Aedui had taken poorly to Dumnorix and attacked, meaning that he had to fight two different forces.

The Romans managed to defeat some of the Helvetian forces, so the armies settled into negotiations. However, they fell apart. Dumnorix continued the migration, but the Romans shadowed them. He was eventually taken hostage by Caesar. He was killed after he tried to flee the camp in which he was kept.

4 Convictolitavis

Convictolitavis came into the picture when he and Cotos fought over leadership of the Aedui tribe. Caesar helped Convictolitavis to win in hopes that he’d help fight against Vercingetorix, but Convictolitavis told Caesar that he “did not owe him anything”—something that would bite Caesar later on.

When Caesar led his army against Vercingetorix in a siege of Gergovia, he expected Convictolitavis to help him. Instead, Convictolitavis revealed his true colors and aided Vercingetorix midway into the fight, catching Caesar unaware and causing him to lose the battle entirely. It was one of the few times where Caesar had been simply outdone.

3 Viridomarus

Viridomarus (or Britomartus, depending on translation) was a Gallic king in 222 BC. Not much is known about him, other than how attacked the Roman village of Clastidium. Unfortunately for him, a particularly successful Roman cavalry leader named M. Claudius Marcellus caught wind of his attack. Marcellus redirected his army to Clastidium and attacked Viridomarus’s forces from the front and then from the sides and rear, which broke Viridomarus’s army.

Trying to make something good of a bad situation, Viridomarus challenged Marcellus to single mounted combat. Marcellus accepted and won the duel, which earned Marcellus a spolia opima (spoils from a slain commander) for killing a Gallic king.

2 Venutius

Venutius was king of the Brigantes, along with his wife, Queen Cartimandua. When Caratacus arrived at Brigantium to find support against the Romans, Cartimandua responded by capturing him and turning him over to Caesar. Venutius disliked this move, and when Cartimandua divorced him for his armor-bearer, Vellocatus, he began a revolt that was initially against Cartimandua but then escalated into an anti-Roman cause. The Romans stepped in, quelled the revolt, and brought the couple back together again.

Venutius wasn’t done, however. During the Roman “year of four emperors” (AD 68 to 69), the Roman government was unstable. Using this weakness, Venutius staged another revolt. Cartimandua asked Rome for aid but got only auxiliary units. She was eventually overthrown by Venutius, who acted as a thorn in Rome’s side until his defeat.

1 Brennus

We’ve already covered a war leader named Brennus (see “10 Forgotten Conquerors From Ancient History”). This is a different Brennus, who appeared in the fourth century AD and fought against the Romans.

Brennus has an especially large claim to fame, since he was the first commander to sack Rome. He commanded his forces in the Battle of the Allia over Rome, which ended in Brennus’s victory and the Gallic Celts managing to secure a large majority of the city. The Romans negotiated Brennus’ leave with 450 kilograms (1,000 lb) of gold. Brennus responded by using overly heavy weights on the scales used to measure the gold and then threw his own sword atop the weights and said, “Vae Victis,” or “Woe to the vanquished.”

S.E. Batt is a freelance writer and author. He enjoys a good keyboard, cats, and tea, even though the three of them never blend well together. You can follow his antics over at @Simon_Batt or his fiction website at sebatt.com

If you live in the the United States (and even if you don’t) you’ve probably heard about a number of the country’s prominent historical figures. But what about the history of those who were there before? Even many Americans know very little of Native American history.

One of many overlooked aspects of Native American history is the long list of exceptional men who led various tribes as chiefs or war leaders. Just as noble and brave as anyone on the Mexican, British, or American sides, many of them have been swept into the dustbin of history. Here are ten of the greatest Native American chiefs and leaders.

10 Victorio

A member of the Apache tribe, Victorio was also the chief of his particular band, the Chiricahua. He was born in what is now New Mexico in 1809, when the land was still under Mexican control.^[1] For decades, the United States had been taking Native American lands, and Victorio grew up in turbulent times for his people. Because of that experience, he became a fearsome warrior and leader, commanding a relatively small band of fighters on innumerable raids.

For more than ten years, Victorio and his men managed to evade the pursuing US forces before he finally surrendered in 1869. Unfortunately, the land he accepted as the spot for their reservation was basically inhospitable and unsuitable for farming. (It’s known as Hell’s Forty Acres.) He quickly decided to move his people and became an outlaw once again. In 1880, in the Tres Castillos Mountains of Mexico, Victorio was finally surrounded and killed by Mexican troops. (Some sources, especially Apache sources, say he actually took his own life.)

Perhaps more interesting than Victorio was his younger sister, Lozen. She was said to have participated in a special Apache puberty rite which was purported to have given her the ability to sense her enemies. Her hands would tingle when she was facing the direction of her foes, with the strength of the feeling telling how close they were.

9 Chief Cornstalk

More popularly known by the English translation of his Shawnee name Hokolesqua, Chief Cornstalk was born sometime around 1720, probably in Pennsylvania.^[2] Like much of the Shawnee people, he resettled to Ohio in the 1730s as a result of continuous conflict with invading white settlers (especially over the alcohol they brought with them). Tradition holds that Cornstalk got his first taste of battle during the French and Indian War, in which his tribe sided with the French.

A lesser-known conflict called Lord Dunmore’s War took place in 1774, and Cornstalk was thrust into fighting once again. However, the colonists quickly routed the Shawnee and their allies, compelling the Native Americans to sign a treaty, ceding all land east and south of the Ohio River. Though Cornstalk would abide by the agreement until his death, many other Shawnee bristled at the idea of losing their territory and plotted to attack once again. In 1777, Cornstalk went to an American fort to warn them of an impending siege. However, he was taken prisoner and later murdered by vengeance-seeking colonists.

Cornstalk’s longest-lasting legacy has nothing to do with his actions in life. After his death, when reports of a flying creature later dubbed the “Mothman” began to surface in West Virginia, its appearance was purported to have come about because of a supposed curse which Cornstalk had laid on the land after the treachery that resulted in his death.

8 Black Hawk

A member and eventual war leader of the Sauk tribe, Black Hawk was born in Virginia in 1767. Relatively little is known about him until he joined the British side during the War of 1812, leading to some to refer to Black Hawk and his followers as the “British Band.” (He was also a subordinate of Tecumseh, another Native American leader on this list.) A rival Sauk leader signed a treaty with the United States, perhaps because he was tricked, which ceded much of their land, and Black Hawk refused to honor the document, leading to decades of conflict between the two parties.

In 1832, after having been forcibly resettled two years earlier, Black Hawk led between 1,000 and 1,500 Native Americans back to a disputed area in Illinois.^[3] That move instigated the Black Hawk War, which only lasted 15 weeks, after which around two-thirds of the Sauk who came to Illinois had perished. Black Hawk himself avoided capture until 1833, though he was released in a relatively short amount of time. Disgraced among his people, he lived out the last five years of his life in Iowa. A few years before his death, he dictated his autobiography to an interpreter and became somewhat of a celebrity to the US public.

7 Tecumseh

Another Shawnee war leader, Tecumseh was born in the Ohio Valley sometime around 1768. Around the age of 20, he began going on raids with an older brother, traveling to various frontier towns in Kentucky and Tennessee. After a number of Native American defeats, he left to Indiana, raising a band of young warriors and becoming a respected war chief. One of his younger brothers underwent a series of visions and became a religious prophet, going so far as to accurately predict a solar eclipse.

Using his brother’s abilities to his advantage, Tecumseh quickly began to unify a number of different peoples into a settlement known as Prophetstown, better known in the United States as Tippecanoe.^[4] One day, while Tecumseh was away on a recruiting trip, future US president William Henry Harrison launched a surprise attack and burned it to the ground, killing nearly everyone.

Still angered at his people’s treatment at the hands of the US, Tecumseh joined forces with Great Britain when the War of 1812 began. However, he died at the Battle of the Thames on October 5, 1813. Though he was a constant enemy to them, Americans quickly turned Tecumseh into a folk hero, valuing his impressive oratory skills and the bravery of his spirit.

6 Geronimo

Perhaps the most famous Native American leader of all time, Geronimo was a medicine man in the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua. Born in June 1829, he was quickly acclimated to the Apache way of life. As a young boy, he swallowed the heart of his first successful hunting kill and had already led four separate raids before he turned 18.^[5] Like many of his people, he suffered greatly at the hands of the “civilized” people around him. The Mexicans, who still controlled the land, killed his wife and three young children. (Though he hated Americans, he maintained a deep-seated abhorrence for Mexicans until his dying day.)

In 1848, Mexico ceded control of vast swaths of land, including Apache territory, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This preceded near-constant conflict between the new American settlers and the tribes which lived on the land. Eventually, Geronimo and his people were moved off their ancestors’ land and placed in a reservation in a barren part of Arizona, something the great leader deeply resented. Over the course of the next ten years, he led a number of successful breakouts, hounded persistently by the US Army. In addition, he became a celebrity for his daring escapes, playing on the public’s love of the Wild West.

He finally surrendered for the last time on September 4, 1886, followed by a number of different imprisonments. Shortly before his death, Geronimo pleaded his case before President Theodore Roosevelt, failing to convince the American leader to allow his people to return home. He took his last breath in 1909, following an accident on his horse. On his deathbed, he was said to have stated: “I should never have surrendered; I should have fought until I was the last man alive.”

5 Crazy Horse

A fearsome warrior and leader of the Oglala Sioux, Crazy Horse was born around 1840 in present-day South Dakota.^[6] One story about his name says that he was given it by his father after displaying his skills as a fighter. Tensions between Americans and the Sioux had been increasing since his birth, but they boiled over when he was a young teenager. In August 1854, a Sioux chief named Conquering Bear was killed by a white soldier. In retaliation, the Sioux killed the lieutenant in command along with all 30 of his men in what is now known as the Grattan Massacre.

Utilizing his knowledge as a guerilla fighter, Crazy Horse was a thorn in the side of the US Army, which would stop at nothing to force his people onto reservations. The most memorable battle in which Crazy Horse participated was the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the fight in which Custer and his men were defeated. However, by the next year, Crazy Horse had surrendered. The scorched-earth policy of the US Army had proven to be too much for his people to bear. While in captivity, he was stabbed to death with a bayonet, allegedly planning to escape.

4 Chief Seattle

Born in 1790, Chief Seattle lived in present-day Washington state, taking up residence along the Puget Sound. A chief of two different tribes thanks to his parents, he was initially quite welcoming to the settlers who began to arrive in the 1850s, as were they to him. In fact, they established a colony on Elliot Bay and named it after the great chief. However, some of the other local tribes resented the encroachment of the Americans, and violent conflicts began to rise up from time to time, resulting in an attack on the small settlement of Seattle.^[7]

Chief Seattle felt his people would eventually be driven out of every place by these new settlers but argued that violence would only speed up the process, a sentiment which seemed to cool tempers. The close, and peaceful, contact which followed led him to convert to Christianity, becoming a devout follower for the rest of his days. In a nod to the chief’s traditional religion, the people of Seattle paid a small tax to use his name for the city. (Seattle’s people believed the mention of a deceased person’s name kept him from resting peacefully.)

Fun fact: The speech most people associate with Chief Seattle, in which he puts a heavy emphasis on mankind’s need to care for the environment, is completely fabricated. It was written by a man named Dr. Henry A. Smith in 1887.

3 Cochise

Almost nothing is known about the childhood of one of the greatest Apache chiefs in history. In fact, no one is even sure when he was born. Relatively tall for his day, he was said to have stood at least 183 centimeters (6′), cutting a very imposing figure. A leader of the Chiricahua tribe, Cochise led his people on a number of raids, sometimes against Mexicans and sometimes against Americans. However, it was his attacks on the US which led to his demise.

In 1861, a raiding party of a different Apache tribe kidnapped a child, and Cochise’s tribe was accused of the act by a relatively inexperienced US Army officer.^[8] Though they were innocent, an attempt at arresting the Native Americans, who had come to talk, ended in violence, with one shot to death and Cochise escaping the meeting tent by cutting a hole in the side and fleeing. Various acts of torture and execution by both sides followed, and it seemed to have no end. But the US Civil War had begun, and Arizona was left to the Apache.

Less than a year later, however, the Army was back, armed with howitzers, and they began to destroy the tribes still fighting. For nearly ten years, Cochise and a small band of fighters hid among the mountains, raiding when necessary and evading capture. In the end, Cochise was offered a huge part of Arizona as a reservation. His reply: “The white man and the Indian are to drink of the same water, eat of the same bread, and be at peace.” Unfortunately for Cochise, he didn’t get to experience the fruits of his labor for long, as he became seriously ill and died in 1874.

2 Sitting Bull

A chief and holy man of the Hunkpapa Lakota, Sitting Bull was born in 1831, somewhere in present-day South Dakota.^[9] In his youth, he was an ardent warrior, going on his first raid at only 14. His first violent encounter with US troops was in 1863. It was this bravery which led to him becoming the head of all the Lakota in 1868. Though small conflicts between the Lakota and the US would continue for the decade, it wasn’t until 1874 that full-scale war began. The reason: Gold had been found in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. (The land had been off-limits thanks to an earlier treaty, but the US discarded it when attempts to buy the land were unsuccessful.)

The violence culminated in a Native American coalition facing off against US troops led by Custer at the aforementioned Battle of the Little Bighorn. Afterward, many more troops came pouring into the area, and chief after chief was forced to surrender, with Sitting Bull escaping to Canada. His people’s starvation eventually led to an agreement with the US, whereupon they were moved to a reservation. After fears were raised that Sitting Bull would join in a religious movement known as the Ghost Dance, a ceremony which purported to rid the land of white people, his arrest was ordered. A gunfight between police and his supporters soon erupted, and Sitting Bull was shot in the head and killed.

1 Mangas Coloradas

The father-in-law to Cochise and one of the most influential chiefs of the 1800s, Mangas Coloradas was a member of the Apache. Born just before the turn of the century, he was said to be unusually tall and became the leader of his band in 1837, after his predecessor and many of their band were killed. They died because Mexico was offering money for Native American scalps—no questions asked. Determined to not let that go unpunished, Mangas Coloradas and his warriors began wreaking havoc, even killing all the citizens of the town of Santa Rita.

When the US declared war on Mexico, Mangas Coloradas saw them as his people’s saviors, signing a treaty with the Americans allowing soldiers passage through Apache lands.^[10] However, as was usually the case, when gold and silver were found in the area, the treaty was discarded. By 1863, the US was flying a flag of truce, allegedly trying to come to a peace agreement with the great chief. However, he was betrayed, killed under the false pretense that he was trying to escape, and then mutilated after death. Asa Daklugie, a nephew of Geronimo, later said this was the last straw for the Apache, who would began mutilating those who had the bad luck to fall into their hands.

Social media outlets are filled with side-by-sides of a thin Barack Obama next to his not-so-thin successor. But President Donald J. Trump is not the most overweight president that the United States has seen, and he’s a lot smaller than past leaders from other parts of the world.

10 Peculiar Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Famous Leaders

Here, we take a look at some of the most obese political figures in history (politely sorted by year of birth, not by weight).

10 Kublai Khan
(c. 1215–c. 1294)

Kublai Khan was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Grandfather Genghis Khan groomed young Kublai and his brothers to lead. Kublai learned to ride horses and shoot a bow and arrow. He studied ancient Chinese philosophies. And, in his twenties, he received a small area of northern China to rule.

Khan fought his own brother to become the Great Khan. He conquered and united China. And he founded the Yuan dynasty, a Mongol and Chinese empire. Khan reigned from 1260 to 1294.^[1]

The loss of Khan’s favorite wife and eldest son devastated him. Comforting himself with excessive eating and drinking, he grew obese and got severe gout and other health problems. He died on February 18, 1294, at age 78. His body is in the khans’ secret burial site in Mongolia.

How to get fat in Mongolia in the 1200s: The food and drink of the Mongol Empire was simple. Dairy, fruits, vegetables, and herbs were staples. Meats came from sheep, goats, oxen, camels, yaks, and wild game. All Mongolians enjoyed alcohol: fermented mare’s milk was a favorite! The foods were healthful—it was pure overindulgence that led to obesity.

Fun Fact: Genghis Khan earns an honorable mention as a fat world leader.

9 Henry VIII
(1491–1547)

Henry VIII was the second Tudor monarch. (Dad Henry VII was the first.) He was just 17 years old when he became the king of England in 1509. He served until his death in 1547.

Henry VIII married six women in his quest for a male heir. When his first wife didn’t give him one, Henry wanted his marriage to be annulled. He fought with the Pope and made himself Supreme Head of the Church of England. The English Reformation began.

Good hygiene was hard in the 16th century. The bloated Henry was plagued with leaky boils. He was hurt in a jousting accident which gave him a chronic, smelly ulcer on his leg for the rest of his life.^[2]

He also ate like a king. When he became too obese, he needed mechanical items to get around. Historians also think that the binge eater had type 2 diabetes. King Henry VIII of England died on January 28, 1547, at age 55.

How to get fat in England in the 1500s: Rich Tudors loved bread, meat, and sweets. At banquets, they feasted on leg of pork, meat pie, gingerbread, and sugared almonds. Drinking water was not healthful, so the wealthy Tudors tossed back plenty of wine while the lowly types settled for ale without hops.

Fun Fact: As a young man, Henry VIII was fit and athletic.

8 Maria Theresa
(1717–1780)

Empress Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was an Austrian archduchess from 1740 to 1780. She began her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died. Maria Theresa was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dynasty and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of nearly a dozen nations, including Austria and Transylvania.

Historians say that Maria Theresa gave birth to 16 children. Her youngest daughter was Marie “Let them eat cake” Antoinette (hint: fake news! She never uttered that sentence or anything like it). Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI and became the queen of France. Maria Theresa died on November 29, 1780, at age 63. Depending on the source, she is believed to have died of a heart attack or pneumonia.

How to get fat in Austria in the 1700s: The Habsburg Empire consisted of more than a dozen nationalities. They made wonderful cultural contributions to Austrian cuisine. Think coffee, crepes, sausages, pastries, soups, dumplings, and souffles.

Fun Fact: Maria Theresa was openly anti-Semitic.^[3]

7 William Howard Taft
(1857–1930)

William Taft was the 27th president of the United States and the 10th chief justice of the Supreme Court. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he graduated from Yale College and the University of Cincinnati College of Law. In 1880, Taft was admitted to the Ohio State Bar Association.

In November 1908, Taft won the election for the US presidency, thanks to a powerful endorsement from his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. He was defeated in 1912 by Woodrow Wilson.^[4]

The 183-centimeter-tall (6’0″) Taft was nicknamed “Big Lub” in college and “Big Bill” in later years. He weighed about 159 kilograms (350 lb) while president, and a special porcelain bathtub—2.1 meters (7 ft) long, 104 centimeters (41 in) wide, and 907 kilograms (2,000 lb)—was delivered to the White House to accommodate his girth. (There is no evidence to support rumors that he ever got stuck in a bathtub.)

Taft died on March 8, 1930, at age 72, from cardiovascular disease.

How to get fat in the US in the early 1900s: The first decade of the 20th century was focused on food. Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. And the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis gave Americans an opportunity to try foods that were often new to the general public, including cotton candy, puffed rice, hot dogs, peanut butter, ice cream cones, Jell-O, fruit icicles (now known as Popsicles), and soft drinks like Dr Pepper and Hires root beer.

Fun Fact: Taft was the last president to have a cow for fresh milk at the White House.

6 Winston Churchill
(1874–1965)

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a British statesman who served as prime minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the same year in which he received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Churchill suffered from poor health throughout the last 25 years of his life. He was not healthy during World War II. He had a heart attack in 1941. And in 1943, he came down with pneumonia. Churchill died on January 24, 1965, from a severe stroke. He was 90 years old.^[5]

How to get fat in Britain in the mid-1900s: Food rationing was introduced in 1940. Bananas, onions, and chocolate were replaced by dried egg, dried potato, and Spam. English cooks substituted naturally derived sugars for the unavailable butter, flour, and sugar. Carrot fudge, anyone?

Fun Fact: Churchill was named an honorary citizen of the United States.

5 Georgy Malenkov
(1902–1988)

Following the death of Joseph Stalin, Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1955. At age 16, he enlisted as a volunteer in the Red Army. A short time later, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and quickly rose through the party ranks.

In 1946, Malenkov joined the Politburo as a candidate member. His political rival died mysteriously in 1948, and Stalin appointed Malenkov to a leadership position. He resigned in 1955.

In 1957, Malenkov led a failed palace coup against Nikita Khrushchev and was thrown out of the Politburo. In 1988, the 86-year-old Malenkov died of natural causes in political obscurity.^[6]

How to get fat in the USSR in the mid-1950s: Cold War dishes included such classics as okroshka, aspic, and blini. The Soviets also loved fried eggs with jam, chicken Kiev, and caviar.

Fun Fact: There is no English-language biography of Georgy Malenkov.

4 Idi Amin
(1925–2003)

Idi Amin was the president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. His brutal crimes against humanity made him one of the deadliest dictators in history. Over the course of three decades, Amin rose through the military ranks, and in 1971, he overthrew Uganda’s leader and declared himself president.

During his eight-year reign, Amin claimed responsibility for the extrajudicial killings and genocide of half a million people. He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle while his people suffered in a collapsing economy. After he was overthrown in 1979, Amin fled Uganda. He was 78 years old and living in Saudi Arabia when he died from kidney failure in 2003.^[7]

How to get fat in Uganda in the 1970s: The matoke or matooke is the national dish of Uganda. This steamed and mashed green banana is considered to be one of the most ancient foods of the world. Overall, Ugandan cuisine boasts English, Arab, and Indian influences. Local produce includes beans, peanuts, plantains, and sweet potatoes. And Uganda is a great place to go for crunchy, deep-fried grasshoppers.

Fun Fact: Idi Amin is rumored to have practiced cannibalism.

3 Laurent Kabila
(1939–2001)

Laurent Kabila was the third president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). In 1960, he helped to organize a revolutionary army during the Congo Crisis, but the rebellion failed. The corrupt and murderous Joseph Mobutu (also known as Mobutu Sese Seko) ultimately became president of the country in a coup in 1965.

In 1967, Kabila founded the People’s Revolutionary Party. He spent two decades amassing tremendous wealth through extortion and robbery. Although Kabila was thought dead in 1988, he reemerged in 1996 to begin the First Congo War.

In 1997, he overthrew Mobutu and remained in power until 2001. His leadership was criticized, and he was dubbed “another Mobutu.” In early 2001, the 61-year-old was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.^[8]

How to get fat in the Congo in the 1990s: Congolese cuisine typically includes a starchy ingredient combined with vegetables and meat to create a stew. Fermented bread, green vegetables, fish, and rice with spicy sauces round out flavorful meals. Only a tiny portion of the land is cultivated, and nature’s offerings differ greatly from one end of the republic to the other.

Fun Fact: Laurent Kabila killed animals and smuggled ivory.

2 Abu Abdul Bari

Abu Abdul Bari (the “Mufti of Mosul”) does not run a country. But the morbidly obese leader of ISIS gangs has been a powerful force of evil in the Middle East. (Abu Abdul Bari is not to be confused with Adel Abdel Bari, an Egyptian militant who pleaded guilty to a series of Islamist bombings in 1998.)

The 254-kilogram (560 lb) ISIS leader is also known as “Shifa al-Nima,” “Jabba the Jihadi,” and “the Islamic State’s very own Jabba the Hutt.” When captured in January 2020, he was too large to fit into a police car and had to be hauled away on a flatbed truck.^[9]

Prior to his arrest, Bari had issued inflammatory religious decrees (fatwas). On religious grounds, he also tried to justify the enslavement, sexual exploitation, and torture of ethnic minorities, like the Yazidis, in Iraq.

Becoming a fat ISIS leader in the 2000s: According to some reports, ISIS militants eat just one meal a day. Some claim that it is for religious reasons, and others blame food shortages. Militants allegedly “embrace cannibalism” when food supplies run low. So, why is Jabba so obese? His enormous size is likely due to many years spent in hiding. Who knows what he may have been eating all that time?

Fun Fact: In 2014, Bari gave orders to destroy a mosque that stood on the supposed burial site of Jonah, the biblical prophet who was once swallowed by a whale.

1 Kim Jong Un
(1983 or 1984– )

Kim Jong Un has been the dictatorial Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011. The “Great Successor” followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. When he assumed his dictatorship, Kim removed (or executed) many of North Korea’s senior officials. Today, he is establishing a notorious legacy of weapons testing, cyber warfare, economic plight, prison camps, and human rights violations.^[10]

In 2009, reports suggested that Kim—a heavy smoker—suffers from hypertension and diabetes. In 2015, it was reported that the leader had gained more than 30 kilograms (66 lb) of body fat over a period of five years, bringing his weight to 130 kilograms (290 lb).

How to get fat in North Korea in the 2000s: In North Korea, cold noodles are a staple as well as tofu, rice, and porridge. Poultry, beef, and seafood are plentiful. North Korean food—flavored by bean paste, sesame oil, ginger, and pepper flakes—is considered to be milder than that of South Korea.

Fun Fact: Kim Jong Un’s real birthdate is unknown.

Imagine being either chosen or bestowed the mantle of leadership over a nation, kingdom or empire. You would be excited and happy that you have been awarded such kind of power. But for the leaders we are going to look at they never enjoyed that power for long. They had the power but it was taken and transferred either willingly or unwillingly. They were serving leaders with a short reign.

Any kind of leadership position one has there is always the risk that you might be removed forcibly or by mutual understanding. Also the fact that you’re a leader doesn’t mean you are immune to diseases and death. Some of the leaders we are going to look at faced such a situation.

Being a leader isn’t a guarantee of things going your way. Due to the political nature of most leadership positions there is always a surprise waiting for you. Serving ones nation is the most noble and honorable thing but sometimes that isn’t meant to be.

Therefore without further ado this is what I found out on these leaders that made history;

10. King Louis XIX of France – 20 minutes

Like most European countries, France had a fully functioning monarchy with kings and queens at the seat of power. With succession being through hereditary that’s how Louis XIX became the 20 minute king.

Louis XIX was the son of Charles X who was the younger brother to King Louis XVI. Louis XIX also known as Louis Antoine had married the Princess Marie-Thérèse, daughter of King Louis XVI.

During the 1800s it was a tough time for the French monarchy due to the revolution. Many royals were killed or exiled and the monarchy was trying to survive and be relevant.

When the king died in 1824 with no male child, the throne fell to Charles X his younger brother. Charles X tried to save the monarchy from collapsing by instituting reforms but it wasn’t enough to win over the people. The monarchy was unpopular and what people wanted was real change.

Due to all the pressure, Charles X abdicated the throne and chose his son Louis XIX as the new king. But King Louis XIX was not the popular or preferred candidate. 20 minutes later he also abdicated the throne and fled to Scotland where he stayed the reminder of his days.

9. Emperor Mo of Jin Dynasty (China) – 1 day

The Jin Dynasty was a dominant force in Northern China during 1115 CE. As with many ancient world nations or empires there was a person in charge and in the Jin Dynasty that was the emperor.

The emperor had absolute power and one to be an emperor it can either be via succession, force or chosen by the outgoing emperor to be the leader.

Just like any other empire they had enemies who wanted nothing but to conquer this vast empire. Probably the most notable are the Mongols of Genghis Khan from the north and the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the 13th century the Jin Dynasty was engaged in war with both the Mongols and the Song Dynasty. The empire was struggling but Emperor Aizong came to power in 1224 after his father Emperor Xuanzong died.

Emperor Aizong managed to foster peace with all the warring factions including the Mongols. But after the death of Genghis Khan, his successor Ögedei Khan attacked together with the Song Dynasty in 1232.

The emperor fled to Caizhou but it was later besieged by the Mongols and Song Dynasty. Because the emperor didn’t wish to witness the fall of the Jin dynasty he committed suicide and passed the throne to his general as the new leader.

The general became Emperor Mo of Jin Dynasty, but didn’t reign for long because the Mongols and the Song Dynasty conquered Caizhou. The emperor was killed in action, his reign only lasted a day. He joined the band of serving leaders with an unbelievably short time in office.

8. Chancellor Joseph Goebbels of Germany – 1 day

Joseph Goebbels joined the Nazi party in the 1920s and was a close ally of Adolf Hitler before and during the war. Joseph was a writer and journalist who impressed Hitler with his use of words as a form of expression.

In 1933 when Adolf Hitler was the German chancellor, Joseph Goebbels was appointed as the Minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. His role was to foster anti-Semitic feelings among the German population through the use of media and literature. He became the propaganda machine of the Nazi party before and during the war.

When the 2nd World War started, Joseph created propaganda films that were meant to win favor with the German people. They were meant to show that the Nazi party was on the right while the rest are wrong.

But as the war progressed and defeat was imminent, before Hitler committed suicide he appointed Joseph Goebbels as chancellor of Germany. But unfortunately Goebbels followed the same fate as Hitler. He poisoned his six (6) children and Joseph and his wife, Magda committed suicide. This was all done in Hitler’s bunker in Berlin.

Joseph Goebbels was German chancellor for a whole one day.

7. Sultan Khalid Bin Barghash of Zanzibar – 2 days

The East African island of Zanzibar was ruled by sultans who were the authority of the island. Sultan Khalid bin Barghash was one such leader, son of Sultan Sayid Barghash Bin Said Al-Busaid a popular sultan in Zanzibar.

But in the 1890s this island was part of the British Empire, the British wanted a different man at the helm. A person who will be favorable to them and not cause trouble, the British feared the sultan’s popularity among the people.

Sultan Khalid Bin Barghash was reluctant to leave his position for the British chosen sultan. Therefor the British responded by sending warships to the coast of Zanzibar. They bombarded the wooden palace where Sultan Khalid was forcing him to surrender, the British won and had their way.

Sultan Khalid fled to Seychelles and was only sultan of Zanzibar for only 2 days.

6. King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal – 3 days

Before he was king, Dipendra was the crown prince of Nepal. The circumstances that led to him being crowned king are rather shocking.

On June 1st 2001 the crown prince shot his father King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, his mother Queen Aishwarya and 8 other members of the royal family. The story goes that the family didn’t approve of the crown prince interest in marrying a woman from an Indian royal family.

After the crown prince shot his family he pointed the gun towards himself and shot himself in a suicide attempt. However he didn’t die but actually got into a coma. He had tried to commit. Because the king was dead, the throne fell to the crown prince while he was still in coma. But as fate would have it 3 days later he died and his uncle became the new king, King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.

Therefore King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev reign lasted from June 1st 2001- June 4th 2001. Of all the leaders in Nepal he was one of the serving leaders that impacted Nepal’s history negatively.

5. King John I of France – 5 days

John I of France was son to King Louis X who died in June 1316. In the time of his death John I wasn’t even born so he had the throne before his birth. In that same year of November 15th he was born.

The throne was bestowed on him becoming King John I of France. But unfortunately on November 20th 1316 he was dead; it is unclear on the cause of his death. With rumors of poisoning and kidnapping rife with his uncle Philippe V being the prime suspect.

Therefore King John I of France managed to serve for only 5 days and his uncle became the next king that’s King Philippe V.

4. Prime Minister Frank Forde of Australia – 5 days

Frank Forde was a politician from the Labor party who was Capricornia federal representative for 24 years (1922-1946). He served in the Australian government as deputy prime minister, Minister for the Army, Advisory War Council member and Minister for Customs.

He had a great resume or portfolio. And, that is why when Prime Minister John Curtin died in July 1945 from heart disease; He took over the helm and became the Australian Prime Minister, PM Frank Forde.

But unfortunately the Labor party had other ideas. They were not looking to have him as the permanent prime minister. The party therefore chose Ben Chifley to become prime minister.

Frank Forde was Australia’s PM from 6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945 hence becoming Australia’s 15th prime minister with the shortest time in office.

3. Queen Lady Jane Grey of England – 9 days

She was King Henry VIII’s great niece and 5th in line to the throne. King Henry VIII died in 1537 therefore according to succession laws his son Edward VI became the next king. But young King Edward VI was sick with tuberculosis and it was apparent that he won’t reign for long.

On July 6th 1553 King Edward VI was dead at only 15 years of age. But before his death the king had stated that Lady Jane Grey, her cousin, becomes the new queen or ruler. This was all done because the king wanted to keep the country on the path of a protestant England.

Her cousin was protestant but her half-sister, Mary Tudor, was a catholic. The choice of queen that the king wanted didn’t go well with Mary Tudor. This was because according to succession laws Mary was next in line to the throne after her brother, King Edward VI.

With growing support for Mary, Queen Lady Jane Grey reign ended and she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Her reign lasted for only 9 days from July 10th 1553 – July 19th 1553.

Queen Mary took the throne and was reluctant to execute Lady Jane Grey. But when Lady Jane Grey’s father joined Sir Thomas Wyatt’s rebellion in January 1554, the queen considered her too dangerous to have around.

Therefore on February 12th 1554 Lady Jane Grey was executed at the tender age of 16 years.

2. Pope Urban VII of the Roman Catholic Church – 12 days

Pope Urban VII birth name was Giovanni Battista Castagna; he was an Italian priest who had been chosen to be pope on September 15th 1590.

But unfortunately he didn’t get to serve the church as pope for that long; he was pope for 12 days that is from September 15th 1590 – September 27th 1590. In his short service he managed to enact a smoking ban within the church.

He died in office and malaria was the culprit here but Pope Gregory XIV did actually took over from him.

1. King Umberto II of Italy – 34 days

Umberto was son to the reigning king, King Vittorio Emanuele III, of Italy and part of the monarchy as the prince. Just like many monarchs in Europe, they were feeling the pressure of people wanting a change in the system. Italy was no different to this wave of change.

In 1946 there was a referendum in Italy to decide whether the country wanted a republic or remain a kingdom. Hoping to sway the public in favor of the monarchy, King Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated the throne in favor of his son Umberto.

He became King Umberto II in May 1946 but due to his father and the monarch being disliked among the Italian people. It was a downward spiral for the Italian monarchy.

When the referendum was over, the people voted overwhelmingly against the monarch. Italy became a republic and that was the end of the Italian monarchy.

King Umberto II was the last crowned king or monarch of Italy. He went into exile in Portugal where he stayed in the remainder of his days. Although 34 days is quite good in comparison to some of the leaders in the list but it is still short of leaders who served years in power. Therefore he deserves to be among the serving leaders.

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Some people will tell you that robbing a bank is a victimless crime—as long as you don’t injure someone while doing it. The money is insured, so the only loser is the bank, and banks have plenty of money. Of course, the bank passes on the cost of insuring the money to its clients, so it’s not quite “free money.” Still, successful non-violent bank robbers are part of American culture and admired by many.

I don’t think anyone would ever say the same about people who steal from non-profit organizations. Such people are abusing their position, taking money donors have given in good faith, and depriving the people or organizations that should benefit from the donated funds.

Non-profits rely on goodwill and enjoy various privileges; unfortunately, they are sometimes secretive and unprofessional regarding due diligence. Most charities are legitimate, but before parting with your money, you should research the organization you want to donate to so you don’t line the wrong people’s pockets.

Here are ten non-profit leaders who stole from their organizations.

10 American Parkinson’s Disease Association

In July 1996, a judge sentenced 55-year-old Frank L. Williams to 15 months in jail, followed by three years on probation. The sentence was on the lenient side because Williams suffered from heart disease. Williams was also told that he had to repay the money he had stolen from the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

Before his conviction, the charity had good reason to be pleased with Williams’s performance as its head. His dynamic leadership led to expansion and a significant increase in donations. But some of the money was going into his own pocket.

Williams’s scheme was not especially sophisticated. He diverted checks from the Staten Island headquarters to the branch headquarters in Minnesota. There, an accomplice would pay the checks into a local bank account and then write new checks to Williams. The scheme went on for about seven years, and he pocketed around $1 million. Williams’s excuse for the theft was that other heads of comparable charities earned twice as much; he was already earning nearly $110,000 annually.

Williams said that it was hard to stop once he had started and that he had spent the money on things like cars, TVs, and clothes.

9 United Way of America

William Aramony wanted to show his new girlfriend a good time. He bought a condo for her in New York, took her on lavish foreign vacations, and gave her a job with the charity he headed. Aramony might have felt he needed to treat his new lover because he was 59, and she was just 17 when they started their relationship. But that’s not even the most inappropriate thing he did.

Aramony was a noted womanizer who used his position as CEO of United Way of America to persuade women to have sex with him. He had been with the charity for 22 years when he resigned in 1992. Apparently, he was an effective and respected leader with considerable influence in the non-profit sector.

In 1995, Aramony and two others faced court, accused of stealing $1.2 million. His lawyer said that Aramony had a brain condition that affected his ability to control his impulses.

8 Goodwill Industries

In the ’90s in Santa Clara County, California, at ten Goodwill stores, employees sorted donated goods and loaded them onto trucks. But employees should have gone through the donations and put all suitable items up for sale in their stores. Instead, they were putting in long hours of work, seven days a week, that was benefitting a profitable scam. The scammers paid the workers with occasional “unofficial” payments from the stolen goods’ profits.

Seven local Goodwill leaders had organized a system that stole millions of dollars in donated cash and goods. All seven of the managers were related to each other—four of them were sisters. An eighth unrelated suspect committed suicide after authorities searched her home. The team stole an estimated $15 million.

There is no reason to suspect that people at the top of the organization were involved, but people wondered how they didn’t notice something was wrong.

7 On Your Feet

It all looked above board, but, for at least ten years, not everything was as it seemed at this charity. Geraldine and Clayton Hill set up a California non-profit to help those in need. The Hills convinced many local companies to donate clothes and other goods to On Your Feet, and some stuff indeed ended up with those who could best use the items.

Unforatenly, a lot didn’t because many of the donations were siphoned off by the Hills, who sold items to discount stores and pocketed the proceeds. Their charity was tax-exempt, and they used it like a personal checking account and avoided paying taxes on their “business.”

The couple made well over $1 million by trading on the goodwill of businesses. Geraldine received a sentence of 15 months; her husband received nine months when they appeared before a court in 2020.

Nothing illustrates their hypocrisy more than the fact that they donated some of the proceeds to their church.

6 Order of the Eastern Star

The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic institution that can trace its origins back to 1850 Mississippi. But it was in Scotland, not the United States, where one of its leaders went off the rails.

Mary Shirkie was the acting treasurer of the Supreme Grand Council of Scotland, and she betrayed the trust of its members. She was the only person who received a salary at the Order’s headquarters in Glasgow. The salary was not large; the Order devotes its income to paying annuities to members and donating to the charities it supports. But Eastern Star in Scotland was not donating much nor paying annuities.

Shirkie’s neighbors thought she must have won some prize money and kept quiet about it. It was true that she had more money than people expected, but it wasn’t her money. Over five years, she had embezzled around $26,000 (in today’s money). This might not sound like a lot, but the Order does not generate cash. Its income comes from dues and goes out on expenses and disbursements.

The auditor was a member of the local chapter and suspected nothing. In fact, nobody believed that Shirkie would do such a thing. In 2000, when authorities caught up with her, she offered to pay back the money. Meanwhile, the Order had no money to pay its tax liabilities, let alone its regular operational expenses.

5 Wounded Warrior Project

Firstly, it’s important to emphasize that the Wounded Warrior Project appears to be back on track and dedicating its efforts to helping veterans, but this wasn’t always the case.

An investigation in 2016 showed that the charity leaders were spending a fortune on hobbies and events. One employee described their spending habits as “total excess.”

Other charities that work with veterans were (and are) spending more than 90% of their income on the causes they support—mental, physical, and financial help for veterans. The rest of their income goes to unavoidable expenses. However, The Wounded Warrior Project only spent around 60% on its cause. The rest was going to junkets that had nothing to do with fundraising.

4 Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

There is no suggestion that DiCaprio personally benefits from his environmental charity—he hardly needs the money after all. But, in 2016, the United States Justice Department filed a complaint that his charity formed part of a $3 billion embezzlement scandal based in Malaysia. Jho Low was named as an important figure in the scam, and Jho Low was a personal friend of DiCaprio.

The main problem was that DiCaprio’s foundation was completely opaque. The foundation claimed to have taken in some $45 million in 2016, but it was unclear where the money came from and where it went. Nor was it clear exactly how the charity was linked to dubious practices in Malaysia. Records showed that the charity had just six staff, all of them working unpaid.

There might have been nothing untoward about the operation. However, all charities need to be open about their activities.

3 New Era Philanthropy

In 1989, John Bennett Jr. set up the Foundation for New Era Philanthropy (or New Era, for short).

The New Era idea was simple: A non-profit would deposit funds with New Era for a specified period. On the due date, the charity would get its original money back and the same amount again that an anonymous donor chipped in. Doubling the money. Great!

But Bennett was paying the first donors from funds deposited by later investors; there were no anonymous donors. Yeah, in other words, a Ponzi scheme. This practice went on for over five years.

In 1996, Bennett faced indictment on 82 counts. He was in jail for 12 years.

2 Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes and Help Hospitalized Veterans

Roger Chapin has enjoyed a long career in the charity field. He has started over 30 organizations that have worked in various areas, from cancer to veteran aid. But there are suggestions that the primary beneficiary of his efforts has been Chapin himself.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government looked into his activities in 2007 and again in 2008 because of the “financial inefficiency” in two of his projects. The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes and Help Hospitalized Veterans were great at raising funds—nearly $170 million between 2004 and 2006. Only around 25% of the money found its way to veterans, though. The rest went into salaries for Chapin and his cronies and expenses.

He retired from Help Hospitalized Veterans in 2009, and even though authorities had highlighted inefficiencies, he still paid himself nearly $2 million from the charity’s funds as a retirement payout.

What Chapin did was not illegal, but it was unethical, to say the least.

1 Feed the Children

This is an excellent place to recognize the work that charitywatch.org does in monitoring the behavior of non-profits. This group labeled Feed the Children under the presidency of Larry Jones, “The Most Outrageous Charity in America.”

Jones ran the charity for almost 30 years until the board made him step down in 2009. He filed for wrongful termination, but the board proved a series of offenses that included the misuse of funds, unauthorized salary increases for Jones and his wife, and much more.

Jones managed Feed the Children for three decades as a private fiefdom. Now that he has gone, the charity is back to doing what it should be doing.

Istanbul, Turkey, is sometimes known as the City of Cats and estimates of how many cats live in the city range from over 100,000 to a million. That’s a heck of a thing to be known for. Madrid, Spain is home to the world’s oldest restaurant. And if you head to Columbia, South Carolina you’ll find the world’s biggest fire hydrant. Lots of towns have a claim to fame out there, but some of them are decidedly weirder than others. 

10. Billings, Montana Has the Highest Rate of Depression in America

Disney World is sometimes called the Happiest Place on Earth. Ever wonder what the opposite of that is? Well, statistically, it seems to be Billings, Montana which has the dubious honor of having the highest rate of depression in America.

According to research, 31% of residents in Billings have been diagnosed with depression by a mental health professional. Compare that to national numbers which suggest only 7.1% of the population deals with depression. 

In 2020 it was reported that 38.5% of adults in Billings had experienced symptoms of chronic depression. Suicide rates in the city are nearly double the national average. The reasons why have been linked to social isolation of a relatively small population in a large area, alcoholism, high risk groups like veterans and Native Americans, and even vitamin D deficiency which is linked to depression. 

9. Okinawa, Japan Has the World’s Highest Rate of Centenarians

If you want to live to see 100, you may want to consider moving to Okinawa. The city has the distinction of being the place with the highest rate of centenarians in the world. Out of every 100,000 citizens, 68 of them are over 100 years old. That’s over three times as many centenarians as you’ll find in similarly sized US cities.

Naturally, science has tried to get to the bottom of why Okinawans in particular seem to outlive everyone else in the world. There’s a potential explanation in the diet of the citizens which is relatively high in carbohydrates and low in protein overall. The ratio for an Okinawa diet is about 10 to 1. Which means 10 times as many carbs compared to protein, which is pretty much the opposite of what many modern, Western diets suggest. Sweet potatoes account for most of their calories, and an abundance of shell ginger as well. It seems to be working well because many of the residents enjoy good health well into their hundreds. 

8. American Samoa Has the Highest Military Enlistment Rate in America

It’s not easy to measure patriotism in any appreciable way and sometimes it’s not even easy to define. But if one of your criteria involved a person’s willingness to defend their country by joining the military, then you have to give credit to the people of American Samoa for being some of the most patriotic in the land. American Samoa has the highest rate of military enlistment in the whole of the United States. 

The small island only has a population of 46,000 with the country’s highest rate of poverty but their recruiting station is ranked number one out of 800 nationwide. More soldiers per capita enlist from American Samoa than any other state and it’s been that way for years. The military offers an opportunity for residents to be able to better provide for their family back home. Apparently it’s a common joke among residents that you have two ways off the island – the NFL or the military. 

7. Japan Has the World’s Highest Cremation Rate

You wouldn’t think death was a thing that allowed room for a lot of innovation but it has had some surprising adaptations over the years, at least in terms of how the living manage it. Obviously burying the dead has been common in many societies for years but there have been other methods from burying a body at sea to sky burials which have also had their places in history. Some modern methods include dissolving bodies. And, of course, there’s cremation. 

Cremation has become the most popular way of handling a body after death, replacing burial. And nowhere is it more popular than in Japan. About 44% of Americans opt for cremation while in Japan that number is nearly 100%. 

In 2012, Japan’s cremation rate was at a staggering 99.9%. The popularity can be attributed to several sources including Buddhism, which held that burying a body in the ground was polluting while cremation purified the spirit. When Emperor Jito was cremated in the year 703 it was very influential over the population which began to embrace the idea, despite Confucianism being against it.

In addition, a Japanese funeral today is just terribly expensive, about five times the cost of an American funeral at around $16,000. They also lack a lot of space to bury people. The country is four percent the size of the United States, but also has a population that’s 40% of America’s. Culturally and economically, cremation just makes more sense. 

6. Papua New Guinea Has the World’s Highest Rate of Oral Cancer

No one wants to be the world leader for something horrible but, realistically, someone has to be the world leader for every horrible thing whether they like it or not. Such is the case with Papua, New Guinea, home of the world’s highest rates of oral cancer. 

In PNG, 20.4 people per 100,000 will come down with oral cancer versus the next highest nation which is Pakistan at 12.2 people. It’s about 10.5 in the United States. The reason why PNG has rates nearly double those in America is due to something called betel quid.

Betel nuts, which come from a kind of palm tree, are ground up and wrapped in lime-coated leaves. This is called betel quid. If you chew it, you’ll be treated to a very noticeable red or purple color to your lips and mouth. About 600 million people in the world chew it, and it’s carcinogenic.

About 25,000 people per year in PNG die from oral cancer. The nut causes a slight high when people chew it, and it only costs $1, so it’s remarkably popular. And even as the World Health Organization tries to convince people it’s dangerous, it’s still advertised as harmless so many people don’t believe it and the efforts to stem the tides are slow going. 

5. Scotland Has the Highest Rate of Cocaine Use in the World

The stereotypical things we associated with Scotland tend to be kilts, bagpipes and haggis. You can add one more to the list as it turns out that Scotland also has the highest rate of cocaine use in the world.

Just under 62% of people surveyed in Scotland had used cocaine, and they also tended to use twice as much as the global average. Where most people indulged in 0.5 grams in a single session, Scots took down 1.2 grams.

In total, about 3.9% of Scottish residents between 16 and 64 use cocaine in a given year. That put them well ahead of England with its 2.5% and the US at 2.4%. In the UK, Scotland also ranked number one for heroin, weed, meth and ecstasy. 

4. Iran Has the Highest Rate of Nose Jobs in the World

Iran and its treatment of women has been a hot button issue for a long time now and that came to a head with serious violence and protesting in 2022. But this definitely wasn’t born in a vacuum and standards women are expected to live up to in Iran has been an issue for some time. As far back as 2008, Oprah was doing shows on the prevalence of nose jobs in the country, which holds the title of having the highest rate of nose jobs anywhere in the world. 

In 2011, the rate of nose jobs in Iran was 180 per 100,000, or 134, 766 per year. This ranks at around four times the rate that the surgery is performed in America. Part of the reason for this seems to be the dress code for women in Iran which leaves so much of them covered that facial features seem to become more prominent as a result. And since the nose is such a prominent feature of the face, there has been a push to make it “perfect,” by whatever standards someone might decide what that means. 

At some point, the nose job became symbolic of status and there are stories of women keeping their nose bandages long after their nose has healed just so people will see them and think they had a recent surgery. And getting a nose job isn’t always about needing or wanting one. The surgery shows you come from a family that has the means to take care of you, so a surgically altered nose is seen as more desirable than a nose that would be considered genetically perfect. In other words, it’s better to pay for the perfect nose than to simply have a perfect nose already. 

3. Eswatini Has the Most Lightning Deaths Per Capita.

They say that lightning never strikes twice, but don’t tell that to anyone in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. They hold the dubious honor of being the country with the greatest number of lightning deaths per capita.

From 2000 to 2007, 123 people died from lightning strikes in the country, a rate of about 15.5 people per 1,000,000. About 20 people per year die from lightning strikes in America, but keep in mind the US has a population of nearly 330 million. Eswatini’s population is 1.16 million. If people in the US died at a rate on par with Eswatini there would be over 4,200 lightning deaths per year.

Interestingly enough, most of the lightning deaths are men, representing 66% of the victims, and they most frequently happened inside houses with walking and hiding under a tree rounding out the top three locations where the deaths occurred. 

2. Texas Has the Highest Rate of Uninsured People in America

It’s hard to overstate just how important insurance is in the world we live in. Literally any kind of insurance, really. But when you live in America, health insurance has to be at the top of the list. The average cost of a day in the hospital in America is $2,607.If you had a heart attack, you could end up paying over $100,000. And some survivors of Covid-19 literally got million dollar bills from their hospitals. So yes, you want insurance. And that bodes poorly for Texans.

Over 20% of Texans are uninsured as of 2021, the highest rate in the country. With the national average at 9.2%, that makes Texans twice as likely to be uninsured. This is thanks to a lack of Medicaid expansion and the fact that many jobs in Texas just don’t offer insurance.  

1. The US Has the Highest Rate of Illicit Drug Use in the World

Earlier we showed that Scotland ranks highest in the world for cocaine use but that was just one drug. If you take a look at illicit drugs as a whole, then the United States takes the crown for being the nation with the highest usage rates. More than 5% of Americans qualify as having dependence on an illicit drug, more than any other nation. 

In the US, 22.03 people per 100,000 die as a result of drug use,which was only topped by Belarus but the difference was in Belarus’s numbers were related to alcohol rather than drugs. In 2021, around 32 million Americans were using some kind of drugs. Marijuana and prescription stimulants were at the top of the list, along with meth.