You can always find scarier and more sinister Japanese versions of popular American urban legends, and Hachishakusama is another example. Dubbed the “Japanese Slender Man” by many who see her, Hachishakusama arrives with a story frightening enough to keep you awake at night.

The Slender Man has transcended its origin and made its way to real-life stories with its cultlike following. So how could Hachishakusama possibly come close in terror? Well, here are 10 reasons why she is just as terrifying as Slender Man.

10 Creepy Urban Legends Of Madness And Suicide

10 She’s 244 Centimeters (8’0”) Tall

Imagine being a little kid looking outside your home when you see a 244-centimeter-tall (8’0”) woman staring back at you through your bedroom window on the second floor. There’s something terrifying about human features that are disproportionate to those with which we are familiar, and Hachishakusama plays right into that concept with her freakish height.

No doubt about it, if you saw a 244-centimeter-tall (8’0”) woman at night, your legs would buckle at the sheer sight of her size.

Slender Man shares similar features. Their unbelievable heights and overly skinny limbs make them look morbidly terrifying in the presence of children.^[1]

9 She Makes A Terrifying Noise When Close

When Hachishakusama nears her victims, her deep, manly voice makes a terrifying noise that comes in threes: “Po . . . Po . . . Po.” This noise indicates to her victims that she’s coming for them and there’s not much that they can do about it.

Hachishakusama takes her time with her victims. So you could potentially hear this noise outside your window, at the playground, at your parents’ home, or anywhere else that Hachishakusama wants to make her presence known.

This is similar to Slender Man and the “slender effect,” which occurs when he is near. Even though the slender effect is much more violent (as it causes victims to become disoriented and nauseated), the two malevolent creatures give a warning when they are near.^[2]

8 She Preys Upon Children

Slender Man has been said to prey upon children and young adults, while Hachishakusama only takes young children as her victims. The reason for this is unknown. But it is believed that she only kidnaps young children because she feeds off their young essence, which may be why she looks like a young woman at times.

In addition, she may only victimize young children because they are more suggestible when it comes to convincing them to do things. In fact, this may be Hachishakusama’s biggest weapon against her victims.^[3]

7 She Can Mimic Loved Ones

According to one story, a young boy came in contact with Hachishakusama. When he told his grandparents about her, they panicked and took the proper steps to rid their grandson of her malevolent presence.

During this process, Hachishakusama attempted to communicate with the young boy during a ritual that he and his family performed to get rid of her. Hachishakusama tried to get the boy to let her in by mimicking the voice of his grandparents. If the boy had done so, he would have been kidnapped by her and never seen again.

The next day, he told his grandparents about hearing their voices outside his door. They swore they hadn’t talked to him.^[4]

6 You Are Destined To Die After Seeing Her

Slender Man makes his presence known to you once you begin to look into his existence. A quick search on the Internet and you could find yourself falling down a rabbit hole of images and videos that sear his presence into your mind. This is how he chooses his victims and claims you for his own.

However, Hachishakusama picks her victims at random, as long as they’re children. If you’re a child in Japan, you’re fair game for Hachishakusama. If she sets her sights on you, kiss your parents goodbye because she’s going to come for you.^[5]

It may take some time for her to lure you in. But once you’re alone, she’ll be watching you. Be sure to listen for her signature sound: “Po . . . Po . . . Po.” There’s a way to stop her, though, as you’ll soon find out.

10 Freakiest Modern Monsters Found In The United States

5 She Wears A Long White Dress

The long white dress has solidified itself as the main choice of clothing by many ghostly characters. Usually, this is what the character was wearing during her untimely demise. It symbolizes a tragic death during a moment that was supposed to be sacred, like a wedding.

Both the Slender Man and Hachishakusama wear formal clothing. What is it about a dapper ghost that fascinates us so much?

Maybe it’s a reflection of how we view ourselves, but our perception is broken when we see the grotesque and disturbing being that is wearing the clothes. It adds a level of shock to an already horrifying character as we try to process what we’re seeing.^[6]

4 You Must Perform A Ritual To Get Away From Her

Once you come into contact with Hachishakusama, there is almost no way to get away from her. Hachishakusama will find her victims and stalk them for months as she seeks out the perfect time to strike. There is a slight hope, though.

A ritual can be performed by the family of the victim that would put an end to Hachishakusama’s stalking. The victim is placed in a secluded room where newspapers with ritualistic symbols block the outside view from all windows.

Then four bowls of salt are placed in each corner while a Buddha statue sits in the middle of the room. The victim must stay in the room for an entire night and pray often.

By the next morning, the four bowls of salt will have turned black, a clear indication that Hachishakusama had been on the other side of the window. Finally, the victim must leave Japan and never return unless he or she is willing to fall victim to Hachishakusama’s persistent evil.^[7]

3 She Has Long Black Hair And A Straw Hat

There’s just something about long black hair that makes some haunted characters seem even more menacing. We’ve had plenty of examples of this from horror movies, such as The Grudge and The Ring. The depiction of long, black, wavy hair puts us on edge, especially when the hair blocks us from seeing the monster’s face.

Eventually, this leads to a huge reveal when the hair is finally whisked away and we see the demonic features. By coupling the long wavy hair and the white dress, you get a horrifying image that appears both evil and elegant as it floats by.^[8]

2 She Can Be Attractive

One of the most terrifying things about Hachishakusama is that she can look attractive. When it comes to kidnapping children, this may give her a more welcoming appearance and make it easier to fool the eager child into coming with her.

Some have said that she can take on the appearance of an older woman as well. But the fact that she preys upon younger children may be the key to her attractive appearance as the essence of children keeps her looking young.

The origin and intentions of Hachishakusama are a bit murky as it’s unclear where her story began. But this explanation seems to fit the idea of why she kidnaps children.^[9]

1 She’s An Onryo

Onryo have become popular in horror movies. An onryo is a vengeful spirit that comes back to haunt the world because of its mistreatment from loved ones. When the onryo returns, it is truly more powerful and sinister than it was while alive. An onryo uses this power to harm and kill others.

There are many onryo stories, but they almost always depict a woman rather than a man. Though her true origin is unknown, Hachishakusama still has the abilities and appearance of an onryo with long black hair, a white dress, and the cunning ability to manipulate.^[10]

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About The Author: I’m just a writer who enjoys writing about a wide range of topics for others’ enjoyment!

Amid a global outbreak, it is easy to forget that humanity has triumphed over many diseases that used to devastate entire countries. Today, vaccinations are estimated to save three million people from death every year across the globe.

A few diseases have even been eradicated (gone forever), with even more eliminated (gone from entire countries or regions). Although we have a long way to go, it is comforting to look back on where we’ve been. Here are 10 of the greatest triumphs of modern science over bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

10 Infectious Diseases That Changed History

10 Smallpox

Smallpox was an airborne virus that killed roughly one-third of the people who contracted it. There is no cure, so doctors simply waited about two weeks to see if the patients died. If they were lucky enough to survive, they were permanently scarred from the iconic red pustules that give the disease its name.

In 1796, a British physician named Edward Jenner noticed that people who had cowpox when they were younger never seemed to catch smallpox. To test this theory, he injected the eight-year-old son of his gardener with cowpox before exposing the kid to the deadly smallpox virus. Surprisingly, it worked. Jenner had stumbled upon the world’s first vaccine.^[1]

His discovery significantly reduced the number of deaths from the disease. By the time the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its plan to eradicate smallpox in 1959, the disease was restricted to South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

WHO ordered massive amounts of vaccines and instructed local governments on how to administer them. In 1977, the final recorded case of smallpox was seen in Somalia. As a result, WHO officially announced in 1980 that smallpox was the first disease ever to be eradicated by human intervention.

9 Rinderpest

Rinderpest (aka “cattle plague”) did not infect humans but was still devastating. In the 1890s, an outbreak killed 80–90 percent of all cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. Those who depended on these animals for meat, milk, and farmwork starved to death. The population of affected areas was reduced by at least one-third.

Any animal that survived the disease would never get rinderpest again. Also, the high death rate meant that wild animals (such as buffalo or giraffes) with rinderpest were wiped out before they could pass the virus to domestic cattle.

In the 1960s, a British scientist named Walter Plowright developed a vaccine, which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization started buying in bulk in the 1990s. Thousands of veterinarians across Europe, Asia, and Africa participated in vaccinating cattle and finally succeeded in wiping out rinderpest in 2011. It is the second disease to be eradicated.^[2]

8 Polio

Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a virus that paralyzes its victims. Sometimes, the paralysis is temporary. Other times, it causes permanent disability. Worst-case scenario, it spreads to the lungs and the patient dies.

In 1953, Jonas Salk announced that he had developed a vaccine for polio. He refused to patent his discovery in order to get it to as many people as possible. As a result, he forfeited billions in today’s US dollars.

The March of Dimes funded a large-scale trial of the vaccine before it was mass-produced for the US public. In 1979, only 24 years after the vaccination was formally introduced, the United States was declared polio-free.

To eliminate polio worldwide, WHO created the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Between 1980 and 2016, there was a 99.99 percent decrease in cases. Currently, polio is only seen in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria.^[3]

7 Guinea Worm

When a person drinks stagnant water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae, the worms travel down to the intestines to mate. After 10–14 months, the female worm migrates as far as the human foot. There, she creates a painful skin lesion that drives the host to soak his foot in a pond or river, which releases the larvae into the water. From there, the cycle repeats.

Despite the painful lesions and the potential for bacterial infection, Guinea worm is rarely deadly. But as a general rule, people prefer not to have worms reproducing in their intestines.^[4]

The Carter Center is leading the charge to use water purification to prevent the spread of Guinea worm. So far, it’s been incredibly successful. McGill University estimates that there were 3.5 million cases in 1986 throughout South Asia, Yemen, and sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, there were 28 reported cases worldwide.

6 Yaws

Yaws (aka frambesia) is caused by skin-to-skin contact with the bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue. Within three months of being infected, the patient will develop raspberry-like lesions on his skin, especially his face. These vanish within six months, only to erupt again later and leave scarring. Humans being humans, these scars can lead to bullying and discrimination.

In the 1950s, yaws was endemic in over 70 countries. Since it is easily cured with a single dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, it was one of the first diseases targeted by WHO for eradication. Yaws was almost wiped out in the 1960s, but smallpox received more attention and interest fell in yaws. In 2019, yaws was still present in 15 countries.^[5]

10 Diseases That Prevent Other Diseases

5 Hookworm

Hookworms, which live in sewage-contaminated soil and enter through the patient’s feet, travel up to the small intestine where they drink their victim’s blood. From there, they cause lethargy, anemia, bloating, and stunted growth.

As they live in areas with poor sewage treatment, the patient often poops them out and the hookworms end up in the ground again. From there, they find new feet to invade.^[6]

In 1910, John D. Rockefeller Sr. donated $1 million to eradicate hookworms in the American South. After a five-year campaign, infection rates were significantly reduced. Even better, more kids were showing up to school and actually paying attention because they didn’t have worms sapping their energy.

Despite the near elimination of hookworms, there is a high rate of reinfection and the worms can reappear. To conquer hookworms once and for all, the Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative is creating a drug that interrupts the worm’s ability to eat. Soon, they might be gone for good.

4 Measles

Yes, this one has made a bit of a comeback in recent years because people haven’t continued to vaccinate against it. But globally, measles cases have been drastically reduced in the past 50 years.

Before 1963, just about every child in the United States got measles before age 15. Major epidemics occurred every 2–3 years, with an average of 2.6 million deaths every year due to the disease. It is passed through coughing and sneezing.

In 1954, Dr. Thomas C. Peebles of Harvard University asked sick, 11-year-old David Edmonston if he wanted “to be of service to mankind.” David let the doctor swab his measles-infected throat. Physician John F. Enders was able to isolate the virus from his sample and created the Edmonston-Enders vaccine that is still used today.^[7]

Between 2000 and 2018, measles deaths dropped 73 percent thanks to mass vaccination, saving an estimated 23.2 million people. Even in the United States (where measles was eliminated in 2000), only 1,282 cases appeared in 2019.

3 Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani, which lives in soils all over the world. The bacteria enter the body through an open wound, where they release a toxic chemical that causes paralysis and painful muscle contractions.

As C. tetani is resistant to chemicals and heat, tetanus is unlikely to be eradicated. But it can be eliminated (no new cases) through mass vaccination. So far, efforts have been incredibly successful.

In 1990, 314,000 people died of tetanus worldwide. In 2017, there were only 38,000 deaths. That’s an 88 percent decrease. The highest numbers of cases are in South Sudan and Somalia.^[8]

2 Elephantiasis

Elephantiasis is caused by three species of threadlike worms that lodge in their victim’s lymphatic system. This disrupts the body’s ability to regulate liquids, which can cause the infected limbs or genitals to swell to elephant-like proportions.

While the worms are in the lymph nodes, they release larvae into the bloodstream. So, if a mosquito bites someone with elephantiasis, it passes the disease to the other people it bites.

Certain medications can be used to treat the illness. Combined with precautions against mosquitoes, this can stop the spread of the disease.

Since 2000, at least 7.7 billion treatments have been delivered to more than 910 million people. Sixteen countries have eliminated elephantiasis, and seven more are under surveillance to see if they can make the list.^[9]

1 Malaria

Malaria is caused by a small parasite in the blood that is spread by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, nausea, and body aches. Although the disease continues to infect people across the world, humanity has made enormous leaps in combating it.

Malaria has been endemic in Europe, Africa, and Asia since time immemorial. When Europeans colonized North and South America, the disease hitched a ride. Historians estimate that, at the height of the disease, inhabitants across 53 percent of the world’s landmass faced the risk of contracting malaria.

In the United States and Europe, the 1900s brought new understanding as to how malaria spread. Wetlands, where mosquitoes bred, were drained or filled in. Insecticides were mass sprayed. One organization, the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas, later became the Centers for Disease Control.

The 21st century has been incredibly productive in the fight against malaria. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of malaria deaths dropped from 840,000 a year to 440,000. Most of those who died were children in Africa.^[10]

10 Surprising Facts About The Spread Of Disease

We all know that the Slender Man is nothing more than a pure urban legend created online in 2009 on an Internet forum. However, since then, it has taken on a life of its own, even being connected with several attempted murders as well as a spate of suicides and a possible mass suicide attempt.

While nobody is arguing that the Slender Man is real (at least in the physical sense), the belief in him by some has made the consequences of the legend very real for some. Here are ten very unsettling points about the legend and reality of the Slender Man.

Related: 10 Famous Urban Legends Come To Life

10 Very Definite Origins

Unlike many other legends and myths, the origins of the Slender Man can be traced to the exact date of its creation. At some point on June 10, 2009, the Internet forum Something Awful unleashed two photographs. They were created by user Victor Surge (whose real name was eventually revealed to be Eric Knudsen). He had created them in response to a challenge by the forum’s admin—to create “paranormal images” that might make people believe they were genuine.

The first picture, dating from 1983, showed a group of children looking upset and frightened. In the background is a discreet, extraordinarily tall, faceless man. The caption read: “We didn’t want to go, we didn’t want to kill them, but its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified us and comforted us at the same time!” That quote was attributed to the unknown photographer, who was “presumed dead.”

The second picture was dated three years later, in 1986. It showed children looking altogether happier while playing in a park. Discreetly, though, the same tall figure can be seen lurking in the background. The caption informed those who viewed the picture that it was “one of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze.” It also stated that the photo was taken “the day which fourteen children vanished” and even referenced “Slender Man.” This time the photographer was “named” as Mary Thomas, who had been missing since June 1986.

These two pictures not only gave birth to the Slender Man legends, but they also captivated thousands upon thousands of people almost immediately.^[1]

9 A Legend Made by “The People”

Although Knudsen was responsible for the Slender Man’s creation, it would be the many followers of Creepypasta who would truly bring him to life. As more and more people became aware of Slender Man and added their own details and little pieces of the backstory, the legend grew.

He was often depicted with a white, featureless face and was slim, abnormally tall, and often with tentacles coming from his back. He also became associated with abandoned buildings, often in the wilderness or the woods. Some details added later even claimed that the Slender Man could teleport from one place to another. Those who were interested in the Slender Man even “agreed” signs that he was near and watching you. Such signs as sudden paranoia, nosebleeds, and intense nightmares.

In fact, this creation of a legend by the audience themselves is the subject of our next point. How this growth can be monitored and studied by those who study myths and folklore of the past.^[2]

8 See a Legend Grow and Develop

Many who study legends, folklore, and mythology have looked at the Slender Man legends as a way of being able to document its growth and reach. And in doing so, they look to understand how legends of the past might have developed and grown in a similar way. For example, there is a collective element to the growth of the Slender Man legend, as we examined above. What’s more, slight details change depending on who is telling the tale or who the audience might be. Indeed, the more accounts that were retold of the Slender Man (online as opposed to orally, in this case), the more the legend and the backstory grew.

The Slender Man legend had very quickly taken on a life of its own, much like myths and folklore of the past. However, several years after his creation, the Slender Man became “real” in a much grittier way.^[3]

7 The Slender Man Stabbing

On May 31, 2014, the Slender Man, or at least the consequences of the legend, spilled over into the real world in a very dramatic way. On the morning in question, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, attempted to murder their friend, Payton Leutner, by stabbing her multiple times in the woods. After being left for dead, she eventually stumbled out and was discovered by a passing cyclist.

The girls were arrested a short time later. When questioned, Weier claimed they had launched the attack in order to please the Slender Man. What’s more, they also believed they knew where the Slender Man lived (an old house in the Nicolet National Forest), a location they were on their way to when they were arrested.

For all intents and purposes, it could be argued that for the attackers and their victim alike, the Slender Man, or the consequences of him, were very real. Incidentally, Weier was released from a mental health facility in the summer of 2021. Geyser, on the other hand, remains incarcerated. Payton Leutner recovered from the nineteen stab wounds she received from her “friends.”^[4]

6 The Copy Cat Cases

Following the attempted murder of Payton Leutner, several copycat cases occurred, all with various connections to the Slender Man legends. For example, only weeks later, in June 2014, in Hamilton County, Ohio, a 13-year-old girl attacked her mother with a knife. In the investigation that followed, it was discovered that she had an “obsession” with the Slender Man.

Several months after that, in September 2014, in Port Richey, Florida, a 14-year-old girl set fire to her family home. According to reports, she was ‘inspired’ by the Slender Man to do so. Incidentally, all of those inside escaped the burning building, and the young girl was arrested the following morning.

Even the murders of two police officers and a member of the public in Las Vegas in the summer of 2014, followed by the suicide of the alleged killer and his wife, was connected to the Slender Man after neighbors told the media that he would often dress up as the Internet legend and parade around his house and yard.^[5]

5 Suicides Connected to the Slender Man

In the summer of 2015, The New York Times published an article detailing the suicides of multiple young people between the ages of 12 and 24 who had committed suicide on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in the previous six months alone. What is particularly interesting about this wave of suicides is that the article also claimed that “several officials with knowledge of the cases said that at least one of the youths who committed suicide was influenced by Slender Man.”

What is further interesting about the alleged connections to the Slender Man legends and these tragic deaths are legends of the reservation itself. They speak of a spirit named the Tall Man or Walking Sam. What this spirit did was to encourage those he chose to visit to take their own lives. It is perhaps a coincidence that there are similarities between the legends of the Slender Man and these Native American legends. However, the coming together of them within this reservation’s community very well might have resulted in tragic consequences.^[6]

4 Aborted Mass Suicide and Connections to Native American Legends

A particularly grim account tells of a narrowly aborted mass suicide at the same reservation mentioned above. According to the story, multiple teenagers suddenly set out to a specific spot in the woods and started preparing ropes by tying them to the branches of the trees. They were clearly planning on committing suicide, hanging themselves together as a group.

The local pastor on the reservation, John Two Bulls, heard of the morose plans and immediately set out to the location. He, fortunately, managed to halt the proceedings and seemingly bring the group out of whatever mass-trance they appeared to have been in.

Rumblings from the reservation claimed that the cause of the attempted mass suicide was a result of the visitation of Walking Sam. Given the publicity that the Slender Man was receiving at this stage, it is perhaps easy to understand how some in the media connected the legend of the suicide spirit and this new urban legend. ^[7]

3 “Lacy” – A Truly Bizarre Account

Paranormal author and researcher Nick Redfern relayed a particularly intriguing account that was told to him. The witness—who he gave the name “Lacy”—would claim to have had several real-life encounters with the Slender Man, although not physical encounters.

She would claim that she had been researching the Slender Man for several months. Then, one evening, her laptop (which was on sleep mode) suddenly switched on of its own accord. To her shock, an image of a faceless creature was on the screen. Within a few seconds, it was gone. She told herself she must have imagined it. However, two nights later, the laptop once more switched on of its own accord. When it did, the face appeared again, only this time it was much clearer.

Things went quiet for several weeks, and Lacy had almost forgotten the incidents. That was until her laptop came on again. This time, a strange voice came from the device stating, “we are friends.” It was at this point that Lacy shut the laptop down and ceased her research into the Slender Man legends.

It is easy (and perhaps right) to suggest that what Lacy experienced, at best, were hallucinations brought on by her intense interest in and subconscious fear of the Slender Man legends. It is interesting to note once more, though, that the fine line in a person believing in a legend suddenly “making it real” is indeed delicate in the extreme.^[8]

2 Intense Internet Debate

As we might imagine, a fierce debate ensued following the attempting stabbing and the copycat cases that followed. And while it concentrated on the Slender Man at first, it soon moved on to the Internet and the influence it has on children in general. For example, in the Waukesha School District, where the attempted murder of Payton Leutner took place, Creepypasta Wiki was blocked. For their part, the administrators of the website claimed that the stabbing was an “isolated incident.” They also claimed their website was a literary one and not one that condoned murder.

Ultimately, it was reasoned that all manner of films, TV programs, and video games that children had access to did not result in such atrocious attacks. In short, the problem was with the attackers themselves as opposed to the apparent catalyst. Although the debate originally had momentum, the more it went on, the less sway it had.^[9]

1 A Contemporary Equivalent of the Boogeyman

There is little doubt that the Slender Man is the Boogeyman of the modern age. If you talk to anyone in the western world under the age of 20, it is almost certain they will know who the Slender Man is. They might not know the history or even how they heard of him, but the fact is, they know. And although they understand—at least for the most part—that he is nothing more than an urban legend, he is without a doubt in their collective subconscious.

There are certainly very definite similarities between the Slender Man and the Boogeyman. Both are on the prowl for children, for example, and both have grim abodes in out-of-the-way locations, often in the woods.

Of course, where the legend of the Slender Man goes from here remains to be seen. Perhaps he will still be spoken in hundreds of years by spooked youngsters around the world as much as he is today.^[10]

[COMPETITION]: This list features a competition. See the bonus item for more information.

As the founder I get to take a few liberties with the types of lists we publish. Typically I don’t accept lists about fashion or “general living” tips but this happens to be a passion of mine so today I am taking one of those liberties today.

This list is focussed on tips for men who have need (either regularly or only on occasion) to dress in something other than jeans and a tee shirt. If you are all casual all the time, you may want to skip this and read one of our more cerebral lists of the day (There are four in total today).

This should serve as a guide for anyone needing to know what to wear to a job interview, what to wear to a graduation or first date, or what to wear to a new office job.

If you follow the guidelines in this list you will never be poorly dressed in public . . . I guarantee it.

10 Always Wear A Belt

If your trousers have belt loops, you must wear a belt. Trousers with belt loops and no belt are incomplete. The effect is either one of poverty (you can’t afford a thin strip of leather to hold up your pants) or one of a man who has gained weight and needs to leave as much room as he can for his ample stomach. And your belt should match your shoes: black belt with black shoes, or brown belt with brown shoes.

This photo also illustrates what goes wrong when you ignore item 8 on the list: the jacket and tie have patterns that are too similar in shape and scale making it look too busy. A solid or striped tie would be much better.

9 Don’t Wear A Belt And Braces

This is the opposite of not wearing a belt: wearing a belt and wearing braces at the same time. This screams one thing only: insecurity. There is a really simple way to determine what you should be wearing: if there are belt loops you wear a belt, if there are no belt loops, you wear braces. The ideal braces should attach to your trousers with buttons sewn onto the inside or outside (more traditional) of the trousers, but clip-ons are fine for the following reason: braces are considered to be underwear.

And finally, no one should ever see your braces except you and the lucky person that gets to see you undress at the end of the day. Hopefully the image above illustrates how truly awful braces and belt together look.

8 Keep Patterns To A Minimum

The most basic rule of pattern matching for men is don’t. If you are wearing a suit or jacket with stripes, wear a solid shirt and solid tie. This will look good one hundred percent of the time. If your jacket is plain, wear a patterned tie with a solid shirt or a patterned shirt with a solid tie. The gentleman above demonstrates a perfect combination: solid jacket, solid shirt, patterned tie, and pocket square which doesn’t match the tie (see item 6). This is also a good time to suggest that you don’t combine more than three colors at a time. Again in the example again you see blue, gray, and tan. Anything more would look cluttered.

However, once you get the hang of it or if you are particularly adventurous, you can move to the next level of stylishness by breaking this rule entirely and mixing patterns. But remember the golden rule: don’t combine patterns of the same type unless they are extremely different in size (wide striped tie with pin striped suit is fine). So a fine striped suit with a herringbone shirt and plaid tie can look really great and show you have a good eye for detail. And never wear ties with cartoons, words, or funny pictures on them.

7 Formal Shoes

Formal shoes have leather soles (except in some cases where they have a rubber Dainite sole to cope with snowy weather). There is no other type of formal shoe. And formal shoes are certainly not made by children in Asia. Formal shoes should also not have elongated toes or squared off toes. They should have a natural rounded shape. And now to complicate things a bit. There are two basic types of formal men’s shoes. Oxfords are worn with a suit and the flaps that hold the laces are seamlessly joined to the rest of the shoe upper, and derbys, also known as bluchers are worn with mismatched jackets and trousers and the flaps that hold the laces are separate pieces of leather attached to the shoe upper.

6 Pocket Square

These aren’t particularly common nowadays but some men do still wear them. The rule with pocket squares is simple: it shouldn’t be the same fabric as your tie and shouldn’t match the color too closely in case it looks like it is a set. Of course the easiest thing to do is just wear a white pocket square which is always fine (linen—not silk), but if you do want something more interesting, pick the second most dominant color in your tie and let that be the dominant color in your pocket square. If your pocket square matches your tie (except in the very formal case of wearing a tails suit) you will look like you stepped out of a bad 1980s wedding party.

5 Undershirts

Your undershirts, like your underwear, should never be visible. That means either going without an undershirt or wearing a vest if you want to wear a business shirt with the top buttons undone. It is a very commonly seen error (particularly with American men) to have a tee-shirt visible above the top of an unbuttoned business shirt. It looks lazy and careless and is nearly as bad as walking around with your trousers half way down your butt exposing your underwear. The photo above illustrates how terrible it looks when your undershirt is visible.

4 Do Up Your Tie

Never wear a loosened tie like you see in the movies. That is for when you get home half drunk from a night out or when you start in a Hollywood blockbuster. And you must always button your top button when you wear a tie otherwise it looks like your clothes don’t fit and you can’t button your shirt. The other rule for ties is that the tip of the tie should hang at least half way down your belt buckle (or the location the belt buckle would be if you are wearing braces). The gentleman in the photo above is following all the rules on this list (at least the parts we can see!)

3 Socks

American and British men have had different rules for socks over the years but the most traditional rule is to match your socks to your pants. On the other hand, it is also nice to match your socks to one of the colors in your tie or another part of your clothes. Or you can be really outrageous and wear zany colored socks (after all, they aren’t exposed often). This is seen more often in the UK than the US and it can be a nice way to be a little playful when you need to be very conservative in your dress style. But don’t wear socks with cartoons or pictures on them – stick with solids, or patterns. Also, the ideal men’s socks pull up to just below the knee (hence the extra-long appearance of the socks in the above photo), preventing any skin from showing when you sit down or bend over.

2 Designer Labels

Designer labels are almost always a rip-off. They are usually overpriced for the quality and fashion forward to ensure that you will be a repeat customer. Photos of you wearing the latest Hugo Boss or Armani suit (cheap rubbish at luxury prices) will look dated in a few years . . . think 1970s wide lapels. The current trend is for skinny lapels. Avoid the trend and get a good quality moderately priced suit or jacket with medium width lapels and two or three buttons at most. That is a timeless style that will enable you to keep wearing the suit until it has holes in it (and then you should get a tailor to fix the holes rather than buying a new suit, but that’s for a whole other list!)

However, if you really must buy designer labels (and can afford them), the only labels in suits you should consider are Kiton, Isaia, Brioni and a few other Italian brands. Everything else (including Tom Ford, which is amazing quality but modern design) is going to date. However, suits from those brands can range in price up to $70,000 (that’s not a typo). Pictured above is menswear by Kiton and if you want proof of the timelessness of these brands, check out Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye in which he dons Brioni suits throughout.

1 Your Only Suit

If you only ever own one suit, it should be gray (preferably dark gray). A dark gray suit is perfect for weddings, interviews, funerals, the theatre, and everything in between. If you are rich enough to be able to buy more than one, you can then add shades of blue, and brown. And if you are really rich, get a black suit . . . but only wear it to a funeral. Black is a funereal color and it is not correct for a business suit. And don’t forget that a suit or jacket should always be buttoned up when you are standing and optionally unbuttoned when you are sitting. And the last suit rule is that if it has three buttons, leave the bottom button undone as suit jackets are designed to be worn that way. Pictured above is Pierce Brosnan in a Brioni charcoal suit twenty-two years ago! He could wear it today and it would look perfectly modern and fresh.

+ Competition

It has been far too long since we ran a competition and because I am so fanatical about good menswear this list seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch one. To enter you just need to post a comment on this list that relates to menswear and at the end of the day I will select the five commenters with the highest number of upvotes to win one of five pocket squares from Drake’s of London, each valued up to $100 USD. You can browse the selection of pocket squares here (if you win you can pick the one you want). Drakes makes the most amazing clothes and they are my first choice for pocket squares (some of which are pictured above).

This competition is open to all countries and both genders. So, get commenting and good luck!

Florida gets a bad wrap, and no more so than the Florida man, known on an international level as an entertaining party game. You type “Florida Man” and your birth date, and voila! You laugh at the idiot in the article who attacked his daughter with pizza, the man who mistook the bank for a Taco Bell drive-thru, or even the guy who drove a Ferrari into a lake after Jesus told him to.

Like most places, Florida is not all bad, and the majority of its inhabitants are not idiots. So to counter the negativity, here are examples of ten “Florida Men” breaking through the stereotype and being the good guys for a change.

Related: 10 Most Thrilling Adventures Of Florida Man

10 Florida Man Mowed for Charity

Cutting the lawn on a Saturday morning is quite a tedious affair—the back and forth, the exertion, the time wasted—simply to be repeated week after week. The average American can spend anywhere from seven to forty-seven days of their life mowing their lawn. Imagine spending more than a quarter of that time in one spine-breaking sitting.

But that is what one Florida Man did. Chip Hawthorne drove his lawnmower from Titusville to Spring Hill, a trip of 130 Miles, clocking an estimated 15 hours on his garden automobile, all in the name of charity. The idea behind this “Mowathon” was to raise half a million dollars to support the West Orange Habitat for Humanity. Although he fell short of his financial mark, he definitely made a dent in the Florida Man landscape.^[1]

9 Florida Man Saves Bear

Does a bear crap in the woods? Sometimes. Other times, it meanders into a neighborhood where it’s either shot by one of the locals or takes the head off an old lady heading to Walmart. Either way, the result isn’t ideal. When a adult male black bear entered a residential area called Alligator Point, the local animal control was called out. They responded by darting the animal with a sleep-inducing concoction.

In a panic, the bear dove headfirst into the Gulf of Mexico and started swimming. Adam Warwick, a wildlife conservationist, did what any God-fearing Florida Man would have done. He dove after it, risking his own neck by intercepting its path and trying to turn him around toward land, thereby preventing it from drowning once the good stuff kicked in. He eventually had to help the bear keep its head above water and helped to float the bear back to the shore. A national treasure.^[2]

8 Florida Man Gives Up Riches

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

I’m sure you’d all agree—$20,000 dollars is a lot of money. Whether you are living under a bridge or managing a carwash and waxing business, making your way through life and saving for retirement, $20,000 can go far. James Stratford, who manages just such an enterprise, saved a local businessman a ton in damages and possibly his business.

Russell Mir arrived at the carwash to have his truck cleaned. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to deposit three bags of money in the bank and had further instructed the employees at the carwash that everything in the truck was to be discarded. After realizing his mistake, Mir notified Stratford and returned to the scene of the mistake. After an initial search with Stratford, a father of five, they found only one bag of cash in a dumpster. Stratford continued the search, managing to find the other two bags. For his efforts, he was awarded unlimited Slurpees for a year or anything else he desired at Mir’s service stations. He should have kept the dosh.^[3]

7 Florida Man Saves Manatee

When the attention of Florida Man Don Swartz was drawn by something floating on the surface of the water that resembled the last person left standing after a big night at the bar, he immediately sprang into action. The manatee, which was suspected of being poisoned by the red tide, was followed around the harbor until it flipped onto its back.

Knowing well that the turn meant likely drowning, Don jumped into the water and held the animal up, keeping its nostrils out of the water like an alligator in waiting. Now that is a man-to-a-tee. For forty minutes, Don held the distressed creature until the professionals took over. Apparently, the large aquatic bovine got into a generous helping of toxic red tide seagrass. Ha, is that what they are calling it these days?^[4]

6 Florida Man Saves Kids from Fire

If you have ever seen Zoolander, you know two things: (1) you can cheer someone up with Orange Mocha Frappucinos and (2) the devastating aftermath of a fire at a gas station. Tragedy struck when a fire erupted at the service station in Palm Harbor, leaving a woman in mortal danger and her two children to witness the tragedy.

Without a second thought and with nothing to gain, Jared Pierson, a local homeless Florida Man, dashed into the smoke and flames and pulled the two children to safety, risking his own life in the process. He later mentioned that had he known their mother was in danger, he would have likely done even more.^[5]

5 Florida Man Helps the Turtle Cross the Road

We all know the story of the rabbit and tortoise. The rabbit got cocky and took a nap while the slow and steady tortoise went home with the spoils. In the city of Naples, the scaly little guy was still running at full tilt. The problem was that he had a busy road to cross and no speedy legs to carry him across.

An anonymous Florida Man had other plans, hopping out of his truck and carrying Leonardo to safety on the other side of the road. Real heroes don’t have names. They simply live in the imagination and minds of others. This man will live on in the memories of all who witnessed him stop traffic simply to preserve nature. Send our regards to Master Splinter.^[6]

4 Florida Man Saves Person Having Seizure

Heroes don’t always have broad chests and legendary attire. They come in all shapes and sizes, and when the stars align, they wear steel-toed boots for protection from their day jobs. While mowing his lawn one morning, Tony Neil noticed a neighbor having a seizure while in his car.

With the car still in motion, Tony sprung to action as if taken straight from the pages of a comic book and attempted to stop the car, the vehicle almost crushing his foot if not for the steel boots of glory. Eventually, the car came to a halt against a tree, and with no way to get inside, Tony had someone call 911, who arrived and pulled the man to safety. The victim survived the ordeal and thanked Tony for saving his life. I imagine them sitting in the back of an ambulance, tying all loose ends before the credits start rolling. ^[7]

3 Florida Man Saves Drowning Child

Delray Beach, FL. Mother’s day almost turned into a nightmare for a mother of twins as one of her daughters was swept out to sea in a rip current. Working at a local resort, Logan Gaynor heard the screaming and went to see what was happening. Without hesitation, he broke into some Logan’s Run-style action and dashed right into the water to provide help.

Logan was able to pull the girl to safety without anybody getting hurt and was later commended by the local fire department with a lifesaving award, leaving the family with nothing but “what-ifs.” What if Logan wasn’t there? What if he also got caught in the rip current and was dragged out to see? What if they never ever enter the ocean again for any reason for the rest of their lives?^[8]

2 Florida Man Rescues People from Afghanistan

The U.S. Armed Forces have been fighting and working to maintain peace in the Middle East for as long as we can remember. A recent controversial exit from the country had left many Americans stranded in the process. In August of 2021, before the U.S. officially ended its campaign and the Taliban took back power, the U.S. began a mass evacuation of personnel and people on the ground.

A total of 120,000 people were evacuated from the country, with many being aided by private organizations. In their efforts, the U.S. government found one sure way to do it: enter Florida Man. Zach Van Meter, a private equity investor from Naples, was roped in to assist after Uncle Sam—well, okay, it was a former U.S. commando—came knocking. His group, known as the Commercial Task Force, was directly responsible for evacuating at least 15,000 people. Talk about making a difference from afar.^[9

1 Florida Man Saves Puppy

If film and documentaries have taught us anything, it’s that the number one unforgivable sin is to let the dog (or cat) die—the biggest no-no in the civilized world. The mom can fall from a cliff, the dad shot, but if Rufus dies, then that’s that. One Florida Man lives and dies by that mantra.

Richard Willbanks, a Florida retiree, was walking his doggo, Gunner, when a gator attacked, dragging the little guy to the water. Alligators are well known for drowning their prey, and Gunner was no exception. Richard flew after the hungry gator and went looking for it underwater before lifting the reptile with the dog still in its jaws out of the lake. Eventually, Willbanks managed to wrestle the dog free only with minor scratches. And get this—he didn’t drop his cigar. All the commotion, the struggle for life and death, and his cigar remained in his mouth throughout the entire ordeal. We all hope that Richard lives forever. A true Florida Man.^[10]

William Howard Hughes Jr. had a successful career in the Air Force in the 1980s. Already a captain by his early 30s, he was on the fast track to a stellar service career after he’d been with the outfit for much of his adult life. Known for hard work and dependability, he was being promoted steadily.

By 1983, he was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While there, he had access to top-secret missile launch codes and warning systems information as part of a NATO program. He owned his own home in Albuquerque and lived alone. In July of that year, he was sent on a project in the Netherlands and ordered to return to base on August 1. He never reported back.

Hughes vanished into thin air, taking all his knowledge of classified and sensitive information with him. More than three decades later, he resurfaced. Here’s the crazy true story behind his disappearance.

Related: 10 Missing Persons Cases With Incredibly Odd Endings

10 Cold War Concerns

From the very beginning, Hughes’s disappearance was big news. The United States was in the midst of the Cold War with Russia at the time. Considering his classified knowledge of weapons systems, Hughes’s unknown whereabouts posed a national security risk. The threat of nuclear war with Russia and other hostile powers loomed large in that era.

So when Hughes seemingly vanished into thin air, the American government took action. They began looking into whether Hughes had defected to the Soviet power. When asked about the possibility of the captain defecting to Russia with state secrets, one Air Force official bluntly told a newspaper reporter, “that has to be an option.” ^[1]

9 Major Money Movement

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons 

After the Netherlands trip, Hughes failed to return to Kirtland at the beginning of August. Immediately, the Air Force began an investigation. Ten days later, they officially classified him as absent without leave. During their search, officials found Hughes had been seen withdrawing money from ATM locations in Albuquerque. In total, Hughes took out more than $28,000 in cash from 19 different ATMs around the city. His car was also found at the city’s airport. Officials began to suspect the obvious: he was fleeing from something. But when they searched his home, investigators found to-do lists written out and notes about books he intended to read upon his return.^[2]

8 Declared a Deserter

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Winter came with no sign of Hughes. Finally, on December 9, 1983, the Air Force declared him to be a deserter. The crime is serious: During war, it is punishable with execution. In peacetime, Hughes faced the threat of five years in prison. By January 1984, his absence caught the attention of national media. Hughes’s photo was published in newspapers around the country.

In addition, Air Force officials sent his information to police departments nationwide. The Pentagon confirmed publicly that a captain “with top secret access is missing under mysterious circumstances.” Even so, the government tried to downplay concerns Hughes was a spy or that he had defected. The FBI told media outlets, “there is no indication of espionage at this point.” Behind the scenes, officials scrambled to find him.^[3]

7 Hughes’s Sister Speaks Out

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Months after Hughes’s disappearance, his family began speaking out. His sister Christine was mortified by his absence, claiming it was “totally out of character for the Bill we knew.” Cryptically, she also told reporters that he was always careful about staying in close contact in his adult life, and “we do not feel he disappeared voluntarily.”

Police departments across the country began acting on tips. The Air Force conducted lengthy interviews with Hughes’s family, friends, and coworkers. Still, nothing came of the investigation. As Christmas came around more than a year after the captain had vanished, Christine again mourned the loss. “The holidays are the worst time,” she told a Seattle newspaper. “We make sure we’re together to try and help each other through.”^[4]

6 Secret Sabotage?

While the Air Force continued its search, Hughes’s story slipped off the front page. But it roared back several years later, in 1986. That year, Pentagon officials worried the missing captain was somehow sabotaging missile launches. The Los Angeles Times reported on a “bizarre pattern” of failed explorations and missile tests in the United States and France.

The list included the Challenger disaster, which killed all seven crew members upon launch. In the bombshell report, Hughes was named by officials as a sabotage suspect. One Pentagon source asserted there was “a clear link between Hughes and possible sabotage of the American and French launches.” Another insider claimed he was “worth his weight in gold to the Russians.” But the government still couldn’t find him.^[5]

5 The Cold War Cools Off

Whatever happened to Hughes, the end of the Cold War proved to cool concern over his disappearance. As the 1980s ended, the Russian threat began to wane. In 1991, the Soviet Union fell, and the unofficial Cold War essentially ended. Government officials leveled down their concern over certain missile secrets and stopped worrying openly about Russian spies and double agents. The focus on Hughes dropped in kind.

According to SFGate, William Howard Hughes’s name was not mentioned at all in press reports from 1987 to 2017. Still, that doesn’t mean Air Force officials weren’t still looking for him. And in 2018, in the most unexpected way, they finally came face to face with the man who had disappeared suddenly so many years before.^[6]

4 Finally Found—35 Years Later

In June 2018, agents with the U.S. Department of State traveled to Daly City, California, for an investigation. They questioned a man living there about inconsistencies with his passport. The man claimed to be Barry Timothy O’Beirne, but the agents couldn’t verify his identity. As they questioned him, the man cracked. Under investigation, he admitted that he was really William Howard Hughes.

Finally unmasked after decades in silence, Hughes confirmed he deserted the Air Force in 1983. He told the agents he had been “depressed” about his career. So he moved to California and created a new life. For 35 years, he went undetected. He even married a woman in the area, and they lived happily together. But the passport issue brought his secret life to a sudden end. The agents arrested the former captain and took him into custody “without incident.”^[7]

3 An Anonymous Life Upended

Hughes and his wife had spent their years in a two-bedroom townhouse in Daly City. The couple was liked by neighbors, who told media outlets they knew Hughes as “Tim.” One neighbor called him “very pleasant.” Another reported regularly seeing him at the local gym. Several neighbors reported “Tim” was a big baseball fan and always wore a San Francisco Giants hat on outings around town. Neighbors assumed he was retired.

As it turned out, Hughes worked as a consultant and actuary under his assumed identity for his post-Air Force life. One work colleague remembered him as “very smart” and “always joking.” Never did he cause trouble or draw attention to himself. Neighbors didn’t have any inkling about Hughes’s backstory until the media descended. “I guess you never know a person until you dig deep,” one local told a news outlet.^[8]

2 Consequences Finally Come

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Upon his arrest, Hughes was taken to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. There, investigators questioned him about his life and career. He insisted he was never a spy. Instead, he repeated claims about being “depressed” while working in the Air Force. Classified projects on missile capabilities and Soviet threats evidently took their toll on the former captain. Nevertheless, the military outfit prosecuted him for desertion.

In September 2018, he was found guilty of the charge and sentenced to spend 45 days in a military prison. A month later, he lost an appeal of the sentence and was ordered to serve his time. After facing the consequences of his 35-year-old actions, Hughes was dishonorably discharged from the service branch.^[9]

1 And Just Like That, He Vanished Again

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

After serving his time, Hughes disappeared once more. No longer wanted by the Air Force, he was free to go as he pleased, and he did so. His siblings, so concerned about Hughes’s fate after his disappearance back in 1983, never came forward publicly in the years after he was found. It is unknown if they have ever seen him since his reappearance.

In a sad twist, the woman he had been married to filed to annul their partnership two months after his arrest. It would seem he never told her of his real identity, and she couldn’t bear to live with his fake name following the discovery. As for Hughes, he has vanished again. SFGate reports that as of August 2022, his “current whereabouts are unknown.” The man who went missing from the Air Force in 1983 is lost in the wind once more—and this time, probably for good.^[10]

When it comes to headlines, Florida men are a breed all their own. And we’re not just talking about the fact that they have more guns than any other state in America—though it’s true that they do. We’re talking about their weird, wild headlines. So we thought: What better way to celebrate the year 2022 than with a list of 10 crazy headlines that prove Florida men are a different breed. Are you ready to be shocked?

Ever since the dawn of time, there have been men who are just different. Whether it’s the way they dress, how they talk, or even their hairstyles, these Florida men know how to stand out in a crowd. You’ve heard it before, and you know it’s true. Florida men are a breed apart—they’re the kind of men who will do anything to get what they want, even if it means running through a drive-thru with their clothes off or putting a live alligator in their pants.

Here are just some of the occurrences that prove how these Florida men are just different:

10 Florida Man Busted After Tantrum About Bacon

Have you ever seen someone get arrested because he threw a tantrum over bacon? Yup, that’s probably not an uncommon scenario when you go to Florida. When the Cape Coral police received calls claiming that there was some “disturbance,” they quickly responded. Upon arriving at the Waffle House (where else would it be?), they saw a shirtless man yelling at the employees for the way his bacon was cooked.

Currently, the man is in jail and is charged with intoxication as well as resisting arrest. Though it’s a bit bizarre to be arrested because of bacon, it surely is also a lesson learned: do not let bacon get on your nerves!^[1]

9 The Crossbow Fiasco

It’s not all the time you hear about stolen crossbows—they’re hard to hide, and they might even potentially hurt you as you run away from authorities. However, that’s not entirely the case with Darren Durrant from Florida. Though he was able to walk out of the store undetected, they were able to trace back that he was the one who stole the crossbow.

The crazy part? He actually stored it inside his pants. Yup, you didn’t read that part wrong. A crossbow inside his pants—talk about a fiasco indeed. Even if he was in danger of injury with how he hid such an item, Durrant and his antics have definitely proven to us that you can actually hide a crossbow inside your pants! He left undetected (the crutch was a nice touch) but was spotted in a restaurant’s parking lot, where he even tried to run away from the police. The attempt was unsuccessful, though, as he was arrested and jailed. ^[2]

8 The Naked Man with a Barbell

Imagine waking up to your 62-year-old neighbor as he’s banging a barbell on the door… while naked. That is actually not unlikely if you find yourself living in Florida, so be prepared. Larry Gardner was confronted by a neighbor as he was hitting a sliding glass door to another person’s home. The neighbor confronted Gardner, who threatened to kill him.

Gardner eventually dropped the barbell but picked up a metal pipe near the home and continued threatening his neighbor. After finally being tackled by two good Samaritans, the police arrived, and Gardner was arrested for assault and armed burglary. Definitely not something you’d expect on a Monday evening.^[3]

7 Florida Man Watched Spider-Man 292 Times

If you claim to be Spiderman’s number one fan, you definitely have to think again after reading about Ramila Alanis and the world record that he broke. In honor of his late grandmother, who he also saw as his number-one supporter, he wanted to be the record holder after losing the title in 2021. With that, this man spent over $3,400 watching Spider-Man: No Way Home 292 times. Yup, 292 times.

Not only that, but because the requirements for the record state you have to watch this movie without doing anything else like using your phone, going to the restroom, or even sleeping, it is safe to say that Alanis may have already memorized the dialogue and the screenplay. That’s a lot, just to have that title.

Though it took him approximately 720 hours (that’s 30 days) to watch the movie 292 times while juggling his personal life and work commitments, he was actually very successful in achieving this groundbreaking and amazing world record! Would you do something like this, too?^[4]

6 Unfamiliar with the Stick Shift, Driver Crashes Supercar

Wouldn’t it be heartbreaking to purchase a supercar only for it to be crashed just a week later? That was actually what happened with Robert Guarini. What seemed to be a normal day for him definitely turned into something else when he crashed his 2006 Heritage Edition Ford GT. While not a new car, he had just gotten it at an auction, paying a whopping $704,000 for it.

When asked by the authorities why this happened, apparently, he was unfamiliar with how the stick shift worked. However, authorities found out later on that Guarini actually had a suspended license and didn’t even have the registration or insurance for the car that he bought. Not only was his car damaged and crashed, but he also got cited for driving with a suspended license and not having the car registered or insurance!^[5]

5 Florida Man Uploads Bomb-Making Videos

Florida isn’t just home to weird cases of theft and robbery, but it is also popular because of how interesting its people can be. When living in Florida, it surely should not come as a surprise to you when someone just decides to upload a bomb-making video out of the blue. Yes, it actually happened. Romeo Xavier Langhorne, a 32-year-old, was caught doing just that.

According to the prosecutors, he even pledged his allegiance to ISIS. That prompted him to upload a video on how to make bombs, hoping it would be helpful to the group with whatever they wanted to do. An FBI agent—undercover as an ISIS representative—was actually the one who caught him. Because of this, Langhorne was sentenced to 20 years in prison.^[6]

4 Naked Man in Florida Attempts to Rob a Man with a Machete

When in Florida, naked men that want to rob you are a common thing. So if you find yourself visiting the state or even have plans of living there, definitely take this bizarre occurrence into consideration because you might just find yourself in such a situation! What seemed a normal day for this surveyor turned into something else when a naked man ran after him with a machete as he demanded clothes and other stuff like his wallet and even his phone.

This naked man actually came out of nowhere, taking everyone by surprise with what he did. After throwing a machete at the worker who handed over what he was asking for, the naked man then jumped into a vehicle and drove to a nearby gas station. Though the surveyor was struck with a machete, he, fortunately, didn’t receive any serious injuries.

After yelling at people driving by and a comical push-up display, the Florida authorities were able to take the nude assailant into custody. With that, he was charged with attempted robbery with a deadly weapon. However, it was later discovered that this man also had mental health issues. Definitely an interesting case!^[7]

3 Florida Man Wakeboards Behind a Truck After Hurricane Ian

Yup, you read that correctly. Time and time again, it’s been proven that the men in Florida never disappoint with their many adventures. They seem to live keeping everyone entertained—like this guy right here!

Right after the disastrous Hurricane Ian hit the central west coast of Florida this past summer, many witnesses saw a man wakeboarding on the streets behind a truck. His surfing escapade garnered much attention on social media, with spectators cheering the man on. The comments were almost as comical, with one user citing, “Nothing is more American than this.” Another user topped the comments, though, with his observation about the sprinklers being on at the golf course in the background.

Would you ever do such a crazy thing? If we’re being honest, wakeboarding in the streets doesn’t sound like a very bad thing either, as long as you’re careful!^[8]

2 Naked Man Wearing a Cowboy Hat Attacks Woman Using a Machete

At this point, every time you hear about a machete and a naked man, you might instantly think about Florida and how incidents like this seem like a common thing to happen to the residents living there. Imagine riding a bicycle when suddenly a naked man pops out of nowhere and attacks you with a machete? It sounds unlikely, right? However, nothing here in Florida seems to be impossible because this actually happened!

Roberto Hercules, 45, attacked a woman while she was riding a bicycle around town. After being rejected and turned down after asking her for a crack pipe that she didn’t even have, Hercules hit and chased her with a machete. Even as the woman tried to run away from Hercules and jump off her bicycle, she was still struck with the weapon multiple times. Fortunately, she survived. Later, the police found the assailant sleeping, still naked, with a cowboy hat. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, and aggravated battery with a weapon.^[9]

1 Man in Florida Pays Rent to a Fake House Owner

Nothing beats the frustration of having to pay your rent monthly, especially if you’re the cost comes at a big price, right? However, what if you find out that you’ve been paying your rent to someone that’s not even your landlord? This is what happened to Isaac Aviles, a 19-year-old who got conned by what seemed to be a fake owner of the house!

It was only three months later when he found out that the man he had been paying $1200 a month to was a rental scammer! He never met the supposed landlord and only spoke to him on the phone. The 3-bedroom home in Orlando seemed like a good deal–too good, it seemed—as the true rent for the home is double what Aviles was paying. Because real estate scams are a common occurrence in Florida and elsewhere, you definitely have to watch out because you might be the next victim.^[10]