For 30 years, Genghis Khan and his Mongolian horde swept through Asia, slaughtering over one-tenth of the people on Earth and conquering nearly one-quarter of the land. His was the most violent reign in all of human history.

Most people know Genghis Khan through the statistics, but the details are just as mind-boggling. Some stories from his life and his battles are outright unbelievable—and among the most brutal stories you will ever hear.

10 He Killed His Brother for Not Sharing His Food

Genghis Khan was born the son of a powerful chieftain, but his situation changed when an enemy tribe poisoned his father. The young boy and his family were cast out of their home and forced to scavenge for food, mostly eating plants and discarded carcasses they found on the roads.

When he was 14, Genghis Khan found a fish and brought it back to his family, only to have his half-brother Behter snatch it from his hands and refuse to share a bite with anyone else. Furious, Genghis Khan stalked his brother until he was alone—and murdered him with a bow and arrow.

Genghis Khan didn’t get away with his first murder completely, though. History reports that his mother “scolded” him, so he at least got a good talking-to about how, in this family, we don’t murder our siblings.

9 He Beheaded People for Being Over 90 Centimeters (3′) Tall

When Genghis Khan was 20, he led an army against the tribe that killed his father and got his revenge. The Tatar army was crushed, and Genghis Khan set about exterminating the people in an incredibly unusual way.

Every Tatar man was lined up and measured against “the linchpin of a wagon,” which is the axle pin in the middle of the wheel. Anyone taller than these pins—which were 90 centimeters (3′) high—was to be beheaded.

In effect, Genghis Khan’s order slaughtered every male Tatar but the infants.

8 His Victims’ Bones Were Mistaken for Mountains

In 1211, Genghis Khan turned his focus to modern-day China and attacked the Jin Empire. It was a reckless decision. The Jin Empire controlled 53 million people, and the Mongols had one million. Still, Genghis Khan won.

Within three years, the Mongols had made their way to Zhongdu (now Beijing). The city walls were 12 meters (39 ft) high and stretched 29 kilometers (18 mi) around the city. It seemed impossible to get in, so they didn’t try.

Instead, the Mongols starved Zhongdu out. By summer 1215, the people there were so hungry that cannibalism was running rampant inside its walls. Finally, they surrendered, and the Mongols sacked and burned the city.

The massacre was horrific. Months later, a passing eyewitness wrote that “the bones of the slaughtered formed white mountains and that the soil was still greasy with human fat.”

7 An Enemy Archer Shot Genghis Khan, So He Made the Archer a General

While at war with the Mongolian Tayichigud clan, Genghis Khan’s horse was hit. An arrow sailed into the animal’s spine, and the horse fell beneath the warlord’s legs, nearly killing him in the process.

His army marched on and won the battle, and Genghis Khan went out for revenge. He demanded to know who had fired the arrow. He didn’t expect anyone to confess, so he was probably looking for an excuse for another genocide.

But the archer Jebe stepped forward, confessed to the deed, and told Genghis Khan to kill him if he wanted to. Genghis Khan was impressed, so he made Jebe a commander in his army.

Jebe later rose to be a general and one of Genghis Khan’s most trusted friends—all as a reward for nearly killing him.

6 He Made His Allies Marry His Daughters and Then Got Them Killed

One of the biggest ways Genghis Khan seized power was by marrying off his daughters to the kings of his allies. When Genghis Khan was behind it, though, even marriage was a death sentence.

For the privilege of marrying one of Genghis Khan’s daughters, the kings were required to cast out every other wife they had. This wasn’t because he was dedicated to monogamy. It was to make sure that his daughters were the only people in line for the throne.

The kings were then sent to the front lines of the Mongolian army. Almost everyone died in combat, and his daughters took over their kingdoms. By the time of Genghis Khan’s death, his daughters ruled an area stretching from China’s Yellow Sea to Iran’s Caspian Sea.

5 He Exterminated 1.7 Million People to Avenge One Person

The marriages might have been strategic alliances, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any love involved. One of Genghis Khan’s daughters loved her husband, a man name Toquchar. Genghis Khan loved him, too, as his favorite son-in-law.

When Toquchar was killed by an archer from Nishapur, his wife demanded vengeance. Genghis Khan’s troops attacked Nishapur and slaughtered every person there. By some estimates, 1,748,000 people were killed. Other historians dispute that number, but there’s no doubt that his armies killed everyone they found.

Women, children, babies, and even dogs and cats were tracked down and murdered. Then they were beheaded, and their skulls were piled into pyramids—a request by Genghis Khan’s daughter to ensure that no one got away with a simple wounding.

4 The Mongols Had a Victory Feast on Top of the Russian Nobility

In 1223, the Mongolian army was making its way through Russia and had just won the Battle of the Kalka River. The Russian army had surrendered, their towns had been captured, and the Mongolians decided to celebrate.

The generals and nobility of the Russian army were forced to lie down on the ground. Then a heavy wooden gate was thrown on top of them, chairs and tables were set on top of the gate, and the army sat down for a feast.

They held their victory celebration on top of the still-living bodies of their enemies, eating and drinking while Russian princes were crushed to death beneath their feet.

3 He Diverted a River Through an Enemy’s Birthplace to Erase It off the Map

When Genghis Khan found the Muslim kingdom of Khwarezmia, he did something unusual: He took the peaceful route. A group of diplomats was sent to the city, hoping to establish a trade route and diplomatic ties.

The governor of Khwarezmia, though, didn’t trust them. He thought the diplomats were part of a Mongolian conspiracy and had them executed. He killed the next group they sent, too.

Genghis Khan was furious. He had tried to be nice, and he’d been repaid with dead diplomats. He set up an army of 200,000 soldiers, attacked, and completely destroyed Khwarezmia.

Even after he’d won, Khan sent two armies to burn down every castle, town, and farm they found to ensure that no hint of Khwarezmia survived. According to one story, he even diverted a river to run through the emperor’s birthplace, just to make sure it would never appear on a map again.

2 He Nearly Erased a Kingdom From History for Not Sending Troops

When Genghis Khan attacked Khwarezmia, he asked the conquered kingdom of Xi Xia to send him troops. They refused. Xi Xia tried to take a bold stand against their oppressor, and they quickly regretted it. The Mongolian army swarmed through Xi Xia, destroying everything that they found. They systematically exterminated every member of the population.

By the end, Xi Xia was erased from history. They hadn’t written down their own stories, so the only records of their existence came from neighboring countries. Their language wasn’t recovered for more than 700 years. It took until the mid-20th century for archaeologists to unearth stones that had their writing on them. In the meantime, every word they had spoken was forgotten.

Genghis Khan died during the battle, most likely from being thrown from his horse. Still, the Mongolian army carried out his work. They slaughtered every person they found, even after their leader was dead and their enemy had surrendered.

1 Everyone Involved In Burying Him Was Killed

When Genghis Khan died, he wanted to be buried where no one could find his corpse. In honor of his wishes, his body was carried miles into the wilderness by a group of slaves escorted by soldiers.

The slaves buried Genghis Khan in a place no one would ever find. To make sure the slaves would never divulge the secret, the warriors massacred them and threw them into the grave. Then the soldiers rode their horses over it and planted trees on top of it to hide the spot.

When the warriors who buried him made their way back to camp, they were promptly slaughtered as well, just to make sure they would never talk. And so Genghis Khan died in a massacre like the ones that pervaded his life, hidden away in a tomb that has yet to be found.

If there is one superhero in all of fiction that could be said to stand alongside Superman in terms of sheer popularity and depth of lore, it would be Spider-Man. Since 1962, Peter Parker, victim of the radioactive spider bite that changed the face of American fiction, has been a beloved character and role model to kids, teens, and even adults across the world.

10 Amazing Facts About Spider-Man

The web-slinging, wall-crawling wise-cracker has espoused the idea that power and responsibility are inextricably linked, and that it is our duty as human beings to help who we can, and for this he has been loved (and highly profitable) for at least 3 generations now.

Unfortunately, even the most wholesome and kind characters aren’t immune to having a skeleton or two in their closets, and Spider-Man has an entire graveyard stuffed into his. From murder to maiming and back again, here are the 10 darkest moments in Spider-Man history.

10 He Killed Finisher

When most people think of Spider-Man, one of the first things that comes to mind is his policy on killing. The wall-crawler, like Batman, has a strict policy on capturing criminals rather than killing them. Unfortunately for the criminals, this hasn’t always been the case.

Enter a villain named Finisher, a former assassin contracted out to notorious boss villain Red Skull. Finisher is an assassin who is so good at his job that he only requires a piece of cloth to track his target, like a bloodhound with a rocket launcher. When tracking Spider-Man, the deadly assassin found him easily, and proceeded to fire a rocket at the hero! Spider-Man jumped out of the way, and redirected the projectile back at the villain…killing him on the spot.^[1]

9 Possessed By A Villain

The Superior Spider-Man story line is regarded as one of the best, albeit darkest, Spider-Man stories available. The comic line features Doc Ock, the villainous scientist with 8 cybernetic limbs, downloading his own brain into Peter’s body and taking over, forging his own path as the One and Only Superior Spider-Man.

The evil (and one might say mad) scientist downloaded his brain into Peter’s brain stem, and from there suppressed the real Peter, taking over his mind like a cyberpunk future version of a demonic possession. This led to “Peter” acting reckless, aggressive, and without care or mercy, leading to him being expelled from the Avengers and publicly disgraced (the great delight of J. Jonah Jameson, everyone’s favorite hero-critical journalist).

Although Peter managed to wrestle control of his body back from Doc Ock in the end, the damage was already done, and his reputation (and sense of self) permanently tainted by Doc Ock’s influence.^[2]

8 The Death of Gwen Stacy

A moment often regarded as one of the most important in the history of the character, the death of Gwen Stacy, is also remembered as his greatest mistake. In a famous scene from the comic (and surprisingly shown in the movie ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’), A-list villain Green Goblin threw Gwen off of a high ledge and Spider-Man, thinking quickly, tried to save her with a line of webbing. The web-slinger did what he does best, and slung a rope of web, which attached to Gwen’s back and stopped her descent towards a gory demise. The act was intended to save her from becoming a blood smear on the concrete.

Unfortunately for Peter (and of course Gwen, and the audience), it instead had the opposite effect. The whiplash from the sudden stop broke her neck, killing her instantly.^[3]

7 He Hit Mary Jane

During the infamous Clone Saga, there was an issue where Ben Reilly (another of the Spider Clones) and Peter Parker had a little dispute over who was the real Spider-Man and who was the clone. Some tainted DNA evidence and a few tests later, and it’s revealed that Peter Parker is the clone!

This was, of course, simply a lie designed to aid Ben Reilly, but this news did not settle well with Peter. In fact, the news so disturbed him that when Mary Jane, who was pregnant at the time, attempted to comfort him, he hit her, throwing her across the room. The intent was simply to brush her hand off of him, but Spider-Strength being what it is, he instead delivered a strong slap that sent her flying across the room. The good news is that they got past the incident and went on to raise a family together, but how do you ever really forget something like that?^[4]

6 He Killed Kraven The Hunter

In another possible future for the wall crawler, this one led by a Peter whose decision was to kill his enemies rather than turn them in to face justice, Spider-Man was a murderer not by chance or by spur of the moment actions but by cold, calculated choice. It all started with Kraven the Hunter, a demented villain who, as his name suggests, hunts our hero Spider-Man as if he were an animal, stalking him through the streets of New York like a panther tracking an injured rabbit.

Eventually, his hunt takes him too far, and leads to him killing Kaine (a Spider Clone) and Martha “Mattie” Franklin (a Spider-Woman). A huge mistake for Kraven, who would soon learn that a cornered spider can and will bite!

In grief and rage, Peter turns the hunter into the hunted, and slaughters Kraven in a brutal act of vengeance and fury. Peter was then expelled from The Avengers and hunted by the police for his crimes, as he began a slow descent into the life of a super powered serial killer.^[5]

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Batman

5 The Breaking of Harry Osborn

Moving away from the comics and their many alternate universes, one particularly dark moment comes to us from the movies, specifically the third of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy. While under the influence of the alien creature known as a ‘symbiote’ that would later become Venom, Peter confronts Harry Osborn and, as expected of anything involving an angry ball of alien slime, the confrontation turns sour, with our hero (anti-hero? Villain? The lines become so blurred in this film) taunting and tormenting an injured and psychologically damaged Harry.

This fight between former friends comes to a head when Harry throws a pumpkin bomb towards Peter, who catches it with his web and purposefully redirects the exploding Halloween ornament back at Harry, not as a split second reaction but as a calculated tactic to hurt his former friend as much as possible. The explosion leaves Harry horrifically disfigured, and shows just how far apart the two have become, as well the darker side of the web-slinger. It’s one thing to redirect a rocket towards an enemy, another entirely to explode a friend.^[6]

4 As A Sentient Zombie, He Ate His Aunt May

In an alternate reality nestled among the endless sea of the Marvel multiverse, there exists a place known as Earth-2149, a place where all the Marvel heroes (barring of course the non-organic heroes and those with total control over their bodies) have become infected with a horrific virus. This virus left the heroes with rotting flesh, an unending hunger, and all of their sentience but none of their self control, which would in time prove to be the worst part of the infection.

In this universe, Spider-Man, already rotting away, had swung his way home to warn his aunt and girlfriend about the spreading infection, only to then lose control and devour them alive and screaming! His guilt over the act would haunt the zombie Peter all the way through the comic’s run right up until his last appearance in the story, where he pulled off his own face to avoid seeing his former self.^[7]

3 Peter Gave Mary Jane Cancer

In what sounds like a bad April Fools Day joke, an alternate universe Spider-Man once gave Mary Jane cancer via sex. The story, which was set in a dark, gritty possible future of Spider-Man, had a lot going for it at first. There were depictions of hallucinations of deceased loved ones, a corrupt mayor, foul things afoot in the city, everything you need for a gritty Spider-Man comic. It looked to be a riveting story for fans, poised to go down as one of the greats, a Spider-Man turned Batman arc.

That is, until it was revealed that the main source of conflict is that Peter feels immense guilt for killing Mary Jane with radioactive sperm. According to the comic, the radioactive spider that bit him turned him into a radioactive Spider-Man, and therefore making love to Mary Jane was the equivalent of giving her a radioactive booster shot every single time. Yikes!^[8]

2 He Sold His Marriage To The Devil

In another moment so infamous that many have called it the worst Spider-Man moment of all time, the arc One More Day shows Spider-Man being given a choice between keeping his marriage with Mary Jane, the woman of his dreams, whom he had been chasing after for years, or curing his aunt of her illness.

This choice was presented to him by the literal Devil of the Marvel universe. At one point, Jesus Christ himself came down from Heaven to tell Peter to let his aunt go, so that she could finally be at rest. Peter instead made the deal, trading his life with Mary Jane for his aunt’s health in a move that more or less pushed the reset button on several aspects of his personal background. While the choice to save Aunt May came as little surprise to readers of the comic, it was still recorded as one of his darkest moral moments.^[9]

1 He Was Molested

One little known fact about Peter Parker comes from that glorious time in comic book history: the ’80s, when PSAs were everywhere and nothing was safe from a character looking directly at the camera and telling you to never even think about drugs, sex, or rock-n-roll.

One such PSA comes to us in Spider-man and Power Pack, a comic that definitely meant well with its message against sexual abuse. What it did in practice, unfortunately, was horrify many readers in a scene where a young and vulnerable Peter is molested by a family friend. While nothing explicit is shown, it’s made clear what happened to the unfortunate young hero.

The story has no doubt helped several abuse victims feel less alone, but to many of us, this moment was a dark, horrific scene that came out of nowhere and left a lasting sense of unease in its wake.^[10]

10 Insane Facts About Marvel Comics

Classical music: It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But there are certain performances that have appeared on YouTube that receive special attention from a wider audience. This is a list of those such performances as selected by me.

I was studying to be an opera singer at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. While I ultimately started a business focused mainly on writing and the internet (hooray!), my foray into the world of opera and classical music generally, continues to bring me great joy to this day. I hope you enjoy this small selection from me . . . with love to you.

Top 10 Truly Disturbing Classical Pieces

For the sake of clarification, I will say that the title here refers not to the “Classical Era” of classical music (from roughly 1730–1820 and comprising the work of Mozart, early Beethoven, and Haydn), but uses the term in the broader sense in which it is most well known: music based upon the forms, instrumentation, and styles of the great eras (Classical, Baroque, Renaissance, 20th Century etc.)

If you want to keep up to date with my personal life and loves when it comes to music and other arts, feel free to add me as a friend on Facebook.

10 Spontaneous Audience Eruption

Let’s start with something unexpected and exciting! Classical music is rather structured in form and audiences tend to behave in a certain expected manner. But here, in this live performance by the astonishing virtuoso Cecilia Bartoli, the audience is so awestruck by her opening bars that they erupt into a totally spontaneous applause garnering an adorable reaction from Miss Bartoli which is extremely pleasing to watch. It is a very human moment.

At 34 seconds we hear what may perhaps be a recording of one of the most perfect sounds produced by a human being. For further listening here is a moving rendition of Voi Che Sapete from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.

9 Spiegel im Spiegel, Arvo Pärt

This piece requires metronomic perfection from the piano and intense concentration from both performers. It may seem basic but the highly exposing nature of the composition makes it incredibly difficult. Here we see a stunning rendition. Arvo Pärt, the composer, is from Estonia and uses a minimalistic compositional style that calls to mind much religious music of the Renaissance era. The title means “mirrors in the mirror” and refers to the myriad reflections seen when one reflects a mirror in another mirror: this is represented in the music by repetitive rising and falling tunes. Spiegel im Spiegel has proven to be incredibly popular with film makers and it has been used dozens of times in that setting.

8 Adagio for Strings

Okay now for something a little sadder. This is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and it was played at the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, the announcement of which we covered on our list of amazing audience reactions as a bonus item (thanks HM8432). It is one of the most widely loved and played classical pieces in the world and is particularly popular music for funerals. Its popularity can be seen in the many tens of millions of views that the various recordings of it have on YouTube. It is transcendent in its beauty. This is a week of birthdays of the departed and death anniversaries for me, so I am including this entry especially in memory of my late mother Lois, my late father Adam, and my late brother Stewart.

7 Rosenkavalier Trio

Behold one of the possibly worst dresses ever to appear on the stage of the Metropolitan opera in New York! What was Frederica von Stade thinking in that chocolate-box getup? It may have been the eighties but that’s still no excuse! Anyway, this song is not here for the fashion. These are three of the greatest voices of the twentieth century performing together at an anniversary concert for one of the greatest opera companies in the world . . . with one of the greatest conductors of opera in our time. This trio by Strauss from his opera The Rosenkavalier is beautiful in its own right, but the combination of talent here takes it to a whole other dimension. It is, in a word, Angelic.

An interesting sidenote on this one is that the black singer above, Kathleen Battle, was (and maybe still is) such a difficult woman to work with that she was fired by the Metropolitan opera for bad attitude and very publicly chastised by the company. It was a great shame as Battle, originally an elementary schoolteacher, shot to opera superstardom with her incredible vocal talent.

6 International Accord

Pandemics, economic disasters, and geopolitical tensions are on all of our minds at the moment. Here is a performance that can give us some hope for the future. Here we have my personal favorite baritone, the late Dmitry Hvorostovski (with the white hair), singing the famed Pearlfisher’s duet with the accomplished tenor Kauffman. Why is this so special? We have a German and a Russian man singing a duet by a Frenchman. It also happens to be one of the most loved pieces of classical music outside of the classical music world (I guarantee you’ve heard this song).

For additional pleasure you might like to listen to Hvorostovsky performing Rodrigo’s Aria at the Singer of the World Competition (which he won) in which he demonstrates what I would consider one of the most perfect vocal breathing techniques ever. Watch here.

Top 10 Horrifyingly Difficult Opera Arias

5 Akhnaten

Sung in Ancient Egyptian, this minimalist opera by the great Philip Glass is really the single best opera in the modern minimalist style. Watch for yourself: it is hard not to love it. Gentle tunes repeat over and over while slow delicate movements are performed in time by the singers. It is hypnotic. Akhnaten is the third in a trilogy of operas with the first being based on part of the life of Albert Einstein (we featured that, amusingly, on our recent list of Truly Disturbing Classical Pieces,) and the second being the South African portion of the life of Gandhi.

Minimalism is often the closest thing we get these days to a truly harmonic sounding classical style. What is particularly beautiful in this section of the opera is the way the male singer (a countertenor—see item 1) often has to sing a higher part than the woman playing his wife. It makes for an unusual and eerie, but attractive sound.

4 In Paradisum, Fauré Requiem

A Requiem is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass. It has set pieces that are included in all requiems and while they are primarily for public performance, they do occasionally get used in actual Catholic funerals. The most famous requiem is probably the setting by Mozart featured prominently in the film Amadeus. Verdi also wrote a very famous requiem and his Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) is known by most people from movies or TV programs. But the most beautiful, I think, is the Requiem of French composer Gabriel Fauré.

You will probably recognize the part I have selected to show here, In Paradisum, as it was used as part of the soundtrack to the zombie film 28 Days Later. It is glorious and the music reflects the words: “May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once (a) poor (man), may you have eternal rest.” For your edification I have included the entire Requiem, just drag the player position to 0 to start it over.

3 Symphony of Sorrowful Songs

This piece (Polish composer Henryk Gorecki’s third symphony) actually hit the pop music charts it was so internationally loved. It may have even been the first piece of classical music to do that since the popular music charts were invented. It is a set of three songs in the form of a symphony and this one (the most popular) is the second song. It is sung in Polish and the text is a prayer to the Virgin Mary inscribed on the wall of a Gestapo cell during World War II. The words being sung are: “Oh, Mamma do not cry. Immaculate Queen of Heaven, support me always.”

2 I hate and I love

Jóhann Jóhannsson, the Icelandic composer of this piece died in 2018 at the age of 48 from an overdose of cocaine and cold medicine. It is a profound loss to classical music and the film industry (he wrote most of his music for films including the most outstanding recent science fiction movie Arrival which you have to see if you haven’t already). I may be taking a small liberty including this on a list about classical music, but my reason is that it includes a vocal part and lyrics, albeit performed by a computer, and was not intended specifically as film music. To complete the very modern take on classical music, it is written for strings and tape recorder and the ensemble includes a synthesizer and electric guitar. Jóhannsson himself is seen in this live performance controlling the vocal recording, conducting, and playing the piano.

The lyrics are by Catallus who wrote the famous sexual poem known as Catullus 16 which bears the famous opening line: “I will sodomize you and face-fuck you”; we have covered it before. Odi Et Amo is the first line of his two line poem Catullus 85: “I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask. / I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.” The setting of this Latin lyric is profound, beautiful, and out of this world. If you wish to hear another beautiful piece by this composer, I recommend his haunting “The Sun’s Gone Dim” with Lyrics by the indomitable Dorothy Parker from Jóhannsson’s 2006 album entitled IBM 1401, A User’s Manual.

1 Ombra Mai Fu

I want to end this list with a performance that is both surreal and beautiful. Beautiful because the piece “Ombra mai Fu” is one of the most extraordinarily beautiful pieces of vocal music ever written, and surreal in that the male singer is a counter-tenor, which means he sings in a feminine register. His rendition is certainly one of the best. The piece is from Xerxes by Handel. In this day and age its words speak volumes to us. Yesterday we published a list about entering a new dark age, let us look at these words now while listening to this beautiful aria and remember that the world is full of wonder. They may be 300 years old, but I sincerely wish these words upon all of us today.

“Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.”

Top 10 Classical One Hit Wonders

Movies are supposed to be escapism. Viewers watch fantastical antics of larger than life characters. Some roles require less imagination. For these ten actors, they simply had to remember the most traumatizing experiences of their life. They give a whole new meaning to method actors.

10 Seemingly Innocent Pranks That Ended In Tragedy

10 Mercedes McCambridge was Forced to Relapse

In her most famous role, Mercedes McCambridge is never seen. Her name does not even appear in the credits. She is merely heard. That was enough to become a legend.

McCambridge lent her voice to Pazuzu, the demon that possesses Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil in 1973’s The Exorcist. It takes a lot of embody a Mesopotamian monster. To achieve the haunting guttural cries of the beast, director William Friedkin physically strained McCambridge to her breaking point. McCambridge was bound and gagged to a chair to induce anger and aggression. To achieve a gravelly voice, she was compelled to swallow raw eggs and chain smoke. Meanest of all, she was forced to drink whiskey shots.

In 1950, McCambridge married Fletcher Markle. The marriage dissolved in part because of McCambridge’s alcoholism. She was often hospitalized for drinking too much. In 1969, she finally achieved sobriety with help from Alcoholics Anonymous. William Friedkin, aware of this history, still made her drink on set. Four years of sobriety were gone. Luckily, McCambridge did not fall back in her old ways.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, in 1987 her son was fired from his job on Friday 13th so he put on a wrinkled demonic halloween mask and shot his wife, children, and then himself. His suicide note laid the blame at his mother’s feet.^[1]

9 Winona Ryder Dove Headfirst Into Her Fears

Winona Ryder has fought villains as varied as Demogorgons, Beetlejuice, and Dracula. Her main enemy is something much more mundane, water. As a teenager, Ryder nearly drowned to death. Stemming from that accident, she developed crippling aquaphobia. She fell into a restrictive panic any time she had to get near water. For years, she completely avoided going into a pool or the ocean. She had to overcome that fear on the set of Alien: Resurrection.^[2]

Conditions were less than ideal to alleviate a lifelong paranoia. The tank was murky from grime and flotsam. Even more experienced divers struggled to navigate the partially submerged kitchen set. As Ryder’s costar Ron Perlman swam underneath, props floated in his path. The set pieces blocked him from breaking the surface. On four separate occasions, rescue divers were deployed to save Perlman. Due to her personal history and the precarious conditions, Ryder was sent into a panic.^[3]

8 The Displaced Cast of Casablanca

Nobody knew how the war was going to end. In 1942, the patrons of Rick’s café belted out a stirring rendition of La Marseillaise. Their version of the French anthem dwarfed the similar call for nationalism from their German occupants. For all they knew, it might have been a meaningless gesture. A group of refugees tried to humiliate the Nazis. It might have been a hallow victory. It still brought the cast to tears.

Almost all of the cast members were immigrants. A large portion of them were genuine refugees. Paul Henreid, an Austrian Jew, fled England after being labelled an enemy of the Nazi party. Conrad Veidt may have played SS officer Strasser, but he was still compelled to wear the racial label “Jude” in his native Germany. Madeleine Lebeau openly teared up while singing because she was reminded of her homeland. Both her and her husband Marcel Dalio evacuated Paris on the eve of the German occupation. S.Z. Sakall sang as his sisters and his niece were sent to the camps they eventually died in. La Marseillaise was a symbolic protest. For many of them, it was all they had.^[4]

7 Joaquin Phoenix Reenters a Cult

Director Paul Thomas Anderson insists that The Master is fictional. For legal reasons, he cannot say that the work is loosely based on the early years of the Church of Scientology. Main lead Joaquin Phoenix has not been as cagey. He openly admits which cult he was inspired by, the one he grew up in.

Like his character Freddie Quell, Joaquin’s parents were lost souls. They had grown tired of the complacency of post-War America. They were susceptible to the alluring charm of the Children of God. The Children of God are now infamous for promoting pedophilia and rampant sexual abuse. Phoenix’s experience was more positive. Along with his siblings Rain and River, Joaquin sang spirituals to raise funds for the religious sect. The organization earned a fortune, while the family lived in rat-infested huts. Before the worst elements of the church were uncovered, the family abandoned the group. The family discarded all reminders of their previous life. They dropped their surname “Bottom.” To signify their rebirth, they chose the name “Phoenix.”^[5]

6 Katey Sagal’s Miscarriage

Married…With Children was not a show equipped with handling complex moral questions. Sometimes they barely wrote plots more complicated than thirty minutes of Al Bundy sitting around with his hand down his pants. When actual tragedy befell the cast, they reworked the entire show.

Season Six premiered with Peg Bundy revealing she was pregnant, much to her husband’s chagrin. Al spent much of the season worried about the financial strain of a new child. Luckily for him, it turns out the whole season arc was a dream. For Peg Bundy actress Katey Sagal, it was a nightmare.

Sagal spent most of the season noticeably pregnant. Unfortunately, she suffered a stillbirth eight months into the pregnancy. Out of sympathy, the storyline was adjusted so that she would not have to deal with an infant on set. Because they could not simply ignore that her character was supposed to have a child, the script made it all a dream. Even in that preferable option, she was still required to talk about a pregnancy that never rendered any child.^[6]

10 Fascinating Behind The Scenes Images From Movie History

5 Pieter Dengler Became a Prisoner Again

Werner Herzog is not known for his gentle touch as director. Commentators have labelled the German auteur’s eccentricities and grueling demands as torturous. For Lieutenant Dieter Dengler, that was not hyperbole.

Pilot Lt. Dengler crash-landed his plane into Laos during the Vietnam war. He endured imprisonment for months. Dengler’s determination resonated with Herzog. Herzog set out to capture Dengler’s story in the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. To get a more authentic version of the story, Herzog coerced Dengler to recreate even the most grueling experiences. The handcuffed Dengler was compelled to march through the jungle. Cast members beat him with sticks. In the most traumatic scene, Dengler reenacted the scene were a Vietcong guard chopped off his fingers as punishment for stealing back his engagement ring. The scene was so authentic that the South Asian extras believed he needed medical attention.^[7]

In 2007, Herzog remade the story as Rescue Dawn with Christian Bale playing Lt. Dieter Dengler. Apparently, he found a way to tell the story without resorting to physical torture.^[8]

4 Rita Moreno Broke Down after a Rape Scene

West Side Story is a wholesome love story of two people who would do everything they can to see each other. Tony and Maria may feel pretty, but much of the musical is a tale of street violence and racism. Anita, one of Maria’s friends, does not get the Hollywood ending. Her lover is murdered. The Jets reciprocate the violence. Even the musical street gangs are not fun to hang around.^[9]

Despite what the lyrics may say, Puerto Rico was not the show’s devotion. There was only one Puerto Rican actress among the cast, Rita Moreno. Morena’s acclaimed portrayal of Anita earned her an Oscar. It was a hard-won trophy. Years before shooting, Morena was raped on two separate occasions. She was nearly raped again during the Columbia Studios afterparty for the movie. In between those startling events, she had to reenact it. Her pain rushed back in a scene where it is heavily implied that Anita is raped. The emotional experience forced Morena to breakdown on set. For 45 minutes, she cried on set after remembering her trauma.^[10]

3 Dorothy Gibson Got Back on the Titanic

Dorothy Gibson could have waited. As Leonardo Dicaprio knows, people are still fascinated by the Titanic’s demise. Though less remembered than the 1997 blockbuster, the first movie about the ill-fated voyage was more impactful in one key aspect. It was filmed merely thirty days after the horrific incident. Bodies were still being recovered in the Atlantic by the time they started shooting.

Dorothy Gibson’s career was particularly pigeonholed by the calamity. Over two years, she made 25 movies. The penultimate one, Saved From the Titanic, is her most acclaimed performance. It is the most natural. Gibson was onboard the oceanliner when it sank into the midst. Director Étienne Arnaud wanted somebody who could capture the dread of nearly drowning. Only five days after she was pulled from the freezing water, Gibson was on set recreating her harrowing experience. She even wore the same clothes she had packed for the trip. The rushed production mostly focused on the narrow escape of the passengers on board. Today, the film is more remembered for failing to understand the concept of “too soon” more than any artistic genius.^[11]

2 Haing Ngor Never Escaped Killing Fields

Haing S. Ngor was barely an actor. That is not an insult. Professionally, he was an employed as a surgeon. When he gave the Oscar winning performance of Dith Pran, Ngor did not have to get into the mind of a fictional character. He simply had to repeat his life. Punished for his education and class, Ngor spent years interned in the Cambodian camps. His first-hand knowledge shaped how he portrayed the character.^[12]

1984’s Killing Fields is not a fun movie. The retelling of the Khmer Rouge reign is filled with gripping moments that showcase the worst horrors of the genocidal campaign. Yet, the moment that made Ngor cry the most was relatively banal. In one scene, a child soldier uproots a tomato plant that Pram grew. The unnecessary cruelty of the event was reminded Ngor of the callousness of his guards. Out of all the horrific sights in the movie, that was the one that show quickly people can be stripped of their humanity.^[13]

1 Ira Hayes Returned to Iwo Jima

John Wayne wanted to honor Ira Hayes. Ira Hayes did not think he was worthy. Hayes will forever be remembered as one of the soldiers who raised the flag over Iwo Jima. When Hollywood was set to memorialize the iconic image in 1949’s Sands of Iwo Jima, they reached out to the three remaining survivors to recreate the shot. Ira Hayes could barely manage a cameo.

In the years after the battle, Hayes felt significant guilt. Following the flag raising, Hayes was ordered to return home. Joe Rosenthal’s photo had cemented Hayes as a hero, but he felt like he deserted his fellow soldiers to die. He grew to so resent being part of the iconography of the war. He confessed that “Sometimes I wish that guy had never made that picture.” Hayes treated his burgeoning shell shock with copious drinking. His alcoholism only became worse the more coverage he received. He was so inebriated on the set of Sands of Iwo Jima that they cut out his speaking parts. In January of 1955, his lifeless body was found on the ground. The 32-year-old veteran had died of exposure and alcohol poisoning.^[14]

10 Brilliant Directors Who Were Notoriously Cruel

About The Author: If this was the worst moment of your life, you can write to Nate at his email, [email protected]. To read more things he wrote, you can follow Nate on Twitter @nateyungman.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. never got to live in the better world he helped create. His world, until the moment he died, was one ruled by hate, inequality, and oppression. The only life he knew was the one of his childhood, growing up in Atlanta. It was a cruel life, ruled by Jim Crow laws and plagued by inequality.

We’ve all heard Dr. King’s speeches, but his life story is usually left on the cutting room floor. That story, though, is every bit as important. It shows why he became the man he was and gives us a glimpse into the world as it was before he changed it.

10 His Grandfather Accepted Being Cheated

King’s father, Martin Luther King Sr., played a huge role in who he grew up to be. His father’s life began on a plantation, where King Jr.’s grandfather worked as a farmhand. They were treated as second-class citizens—and King Sr. was told to accept it.

However, King Sr. had a hard time living as a lesser class of human being. When he was little, he caught the white plantation boss cheating his father out of the money he’d worked so hard to earn. King Sr. called him out on it, but it didn’t do him any good. The boss said, “Jim, if you don’t keep this nigger boy of yours in his place, I am going to slap him down.” His father, too afraid of losing his job to speak out, told King Sr. to be quiet and went home without pay.

King Sr. left the farm when his father, in a drunken stupor, nearly beat his mother to death. The boy had to wrestle his own father to keep him from killing her. Afterward, he fled town and went to Atlanta, where he would become a preacher and start his family. For the rest of his life, he vowed, “I ain’t going to plough a mule anymore,” and he held his son to the same promise.

9 He Wasn’t Allowed To Be Friends With A White Boy

From the time he was three years old, King Jr.’s best friend was a white boy whose father owned the store across the street from his home. When they were preschoolers, they would play every day and treated each other as equals.

When they started school, though, they drifted apart. They couldn’t study in the same building; King had to study in a school for blacks, and his friend studied in one for whites. The boy didn’t come around often anymore. Then, when he was six years old, the boy informed King that his father wouldn’t let them play together anymore.

“For the first time, I was made aware of the existence of a race problem,” King would later recall. He hadn’t thought of himself as different until that moment—but now he knew how he was seen. For a long time, the experience filled him with hate.

“From that moment on,” King said, “I was determined to hate every white person.”

8 His Father Beat Him Horribly

King’s friends told him, “I’m scared to death of your dad.” And there was a reason for it. Both at home and at work, Martin Luther King Sr. was a stern man. He was a preacher, but he didn’t always follow Jesus’s methods. During one service, he threatened to collapse a chair over the head of a congregation member if he didn’t calm down—and that was a story he bragged about.

At home, he was even worse. He would beat Martin and his brother, Alfred, senseless for any infraction, usually with a belt. Sometimes, the beatings got out of hand. On one occasion, a neighbor heard him through the walls, yelling, “I’ll make something of you, even if I have to beat you to death!”

King Jr. took his beatings in silence. “He was the most peculiar child whenever you whipped him,” his father would later say. “He’d stand there, and the tears would run down, and he’d never cry.”

7 He Was Dressed As A Slave For The Premiere Of Gone With The Wind

In 1939, when King was ten years old, he got to perform at the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind. His father had been put in charge of organizing a 60-person choir for the show, and his boy was to be in the choir. They were to sing for an all-white audience, members of a Junior League association that only accepted white people. Before they performed, the choir was put on stage in front of a picture of a plantation and forced to dress up as slaves.

The family couldn’t actually go into the theater after performing. They were part of the entertainment, but only whites were allowed inside. They weren’t the only ones banned, either. Even Hattie McDaniel, the black actress who played Mammy in the film, was forbidden from watching it because of the color of her skin.

6 He Attempted Suicide After His Grandmother Died

King’s teachers described him as a moody and withdrawn boy—and they had reason to believe it. By the time King was 13, he’d tried to kill himself twice.

His most serious attempt at suicide came when his grandmother, Jennie Parks, died. She had been a major presence in their home and had helped raise the kids. She had especially doted on little Martin. King would later say, “I sometimes think I was her favorite grandchild.”

He was supposed to be with her on the day she died, but he sneaked out of the house. A parade was in town, and the curious boy ran to see it. While he was out, his grandmother had a heart attack and died.

King blamed himself. He believed it was his fault that she had the heart attack. Filled with remorse, he climbed up to the top floor of his home and leaped out of the window. He survived, but it took him a long time to recover. His father, telling the story, would say, “He cried off and on for days afterward, and was unable to sleep at night.”

5 His Father Couldn’t Accept Living With Jim Crow Laws

King Sr. was also a civil rights activist. He was the president of the NAACP in Atlanta and a ferocious fighter who managed to erode some Jim Crow laws on his own. And he was a man who never accepted being treated as a lesser person.

King Sr. talked back to every white person he saw. When a shoe store clerk asked them to sit the back, he stormed out, refusing to buy anything. He refused to ride the bus because of how blacks were treated on them.

He took some major risks with it. One time, when he was pulled over by a police officer for running a stop sign, the officer called him “boy.” King Sr. wouldn’t stand for it. “Let me make it clear,” he told the officer. “You aren’t talking to a boy. If you persist in referring to me as a boy, I will be forced to act as if I don’t hear a word you’re saying.”

A black man back-talking a police officer in those days was risking his life. King Sr. was lucky, though: The officer just gave him a ticket and let him go.

“I don’t care how long I have to live with this system,” King Sr. told his son, “I will never accept it.”

4 After His First Speech, He Had To Stand On A Bus For Hours

King Jr., though, was young. He didn’t have the luxury of being as bold as his father. “I wouldn’t dare retaliate when a white person was involved,” King said.

He was eight years old the first time he faced such a scenario. He accidentally stepped on a woman’s foot, and she slapped in the face and called him a “nigger.” King didn’t do anything; he was eight years old, and she was white.

His childhood would be full of worse moments. He watched the Ku Klux Klan beat a man in front of him. He watched the police beat a black man senseless. And he saw more than one black body hanging from a tree.

But the moment that made him, in his words, “the angriest I have ever been in my life” came when he was 13. As part of a competition, he delivered a speech entitled The Negro and the Constitution and then hopped on the bus for the 145-kilometer (90 mi) trip home.

When white people boarded, he was asked to give up his seat and stand. King hesitated, which got him cursed out by the bus driver. So he gave up his spot and stood the whole way home while the white passengers sat.

3 He Was Embarrassed By His Father’s Church

By the time he was a teenager, King felt humiliated by his father’s preaching style. His father led a Southern Baptist church, filled with whooping and clapping, which he felt fed into the minstrel caricatures that white people saw in them.

He started resisting it. At the age of 13, he argued with his Sunday school teacher, insisting that Jesus couldn’t really have come back from the dead. “None of my teachers ever doubted the infallibility of the scriptures,” King said. “Doubts began to spring forth unrelentingly.”

He joined the church because the rest of his family did, but he lived with a lot of religious doubt. He even surprised himself when he went on to become a reverend. He did it, though, because he thought it was the best way for him to talk about social issues. King pledged to be a “rational” minister, one who would be “a respectable force for ideas, even social protest.”

2 He Nearly Married A White Woman

During summers, King worked on a plantation to earn some extra money for college, despite his father’s protests. It was an integrated workforce, and here, working alongside white people for the first time, his hatred started to calm down. “Here I saw economic injustice firsthand,” King later wrote, “and realized that the poor white was exploited just as much as the Negro.” His dream of an integrated world was born in those fields.

He nearly married a white woman. She was a cafeteria worker at his school, the daughter of German immigrants, and King swept off her feet. King was in love, and he told all of his friends that he was going to marry her.

They were outraged. They insisted it was a mistake, that whites and blacks both would be furious, and that his shot at being a pastor would be ruined. His family wouldn’t accept it, either. They told him that he needed to find and marry a nice black woman and keep things calm.

King’s family made him call it off. King told a friend that he could brave his father’s fury but “not his mother’s pain.” After six months together, he broke it off. According to a friend, “He never recovered.”

1 He Experienced Equality For The First Time When He Was 15

Martin Luther King skipped two grades in school. He was only 15 years old when he got accepted into Morehouse University and started his path toward becoming the reverend we remember. His family, however, didn’t have enough money to pay for his education, so he took a job on a plantation in Connecticut.

This plantation worked with Morehouse. The school sent them black workers, and in exchange, they sent the school money. The work there was hard. The boys had to work from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM and had curfew at 10:00 PM, but for a group of black Southern boys, this was the most freedom they’d ever had.

The plantation was called “the promised land” by those who worked there, simply because they had the freedom to go into town on weekends. “I never thought that a person of my race could eat anywhere,” King wrote his mother in an excited letter home, “but we ate in one of the finest restaurants in Hartford.”

King got to choose his seat on the train ride back—until they made it to Washington, DC, and he was told that if he wanted to go on to Atlanta, he would have to move to the all-black car. For the first time, though, King knew what equality felt like. “It was a bitter feeling going back to segregation,” he wrote. “The very idea of separation did something to my sense of dignity and self-respect.”

Award shows are all about glitz, glam, and stars congratulating one another on a job well done. With fewer people tuning in these days, what keeps the rest of the crowd watching? How do these shows still get attention?

Well, one thing has remained the same. Throughout the years, these shows have garnered quite the reputation as bizarre, outrageous, and even enraging moments marred them. The result? Nowadays, many people tune in only to see if anything crazy will happen.

10 Unexpected Things That Happened During Award Shows

10 Oscar Winner Needs Permission To Attend Ceremony

Born in 1893, Hattie McDaniel became a famous actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter. She auditioned for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind wearing an authentic maid’s uniform, which has been credited as a major factor in her winning the part. McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammy earned her a well-deserved Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Despite having won this prestigious award for her terrific performance, McDaniel was not allowed to attend the premiere of the film in Atlanta because it took place in a whites-only theater. At first, she was not even allowed to go to the Oscars ceremony as it was a whites-only show. But she was finally permitted to attend after the producer of the movie called in a favor. However, she was segregated at a side table.^[1]

Even after she died, her final wish—to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery—was denied as the cemetery only allowed burials for white people.

9 Soy Bomb, Soy Bomb, I’m A Soy Bomb

During the Grammy Awards show in 1998, Bob Dylan took to the stage to perform “Love Sick.” During the song, performance artist Michael Portnoy decided it was time to make an unscheduled appearance.

Portnoy jumped onstage. He was shirtless and had the words “Soy Bomb” painted on his chest. He came to a stop next to Dylan and started doing a weird version of the “robot.”^[2]

Portnoy enjoyed 35 seconds of fame before he was unceremoniously removed by security. When interviewed afterward, Portnoy said he painted “Soy Bomb” on his chest because “soy . . . represents dense nutritional life” and he wanted his art to represent “dense, transformational, explosive life.”

He was originally meant to be an extra in the background during Dylan’s performance. Instead, he decided to “assert [himself] on national TV.”

8 Tarantino Doesn’t Need Anyone

Quentin Tarantino has long been a controversial filmmaker. He’s been accused of being racist, insensitive to victims of gun violence, and indirectly causing Uma Thurman’s car accident on the set of Kill Bill. Admitting to knowing about several Harvey Weinstein accusations, Tarantino said, “What I did was marginalize the incidents. [ . . . ] I knew enough to do more than I did.”^[3]

All of this has made him very unpopular, and his speech at the 2020 Golden Globes ceremony didn’t help matters at all. During his speech, he mentioned screenwriter Robert Bolt and writer-director John Milius.

But then Tarantino went on to say that he didn’t really have to thank anyone because he wrote the script for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood all by himself. After narcissistically rambling on in the same vein, he eventually got around to acknowledging the stars of the film and his wife.

7 Rob Lowe Sings With Snow White

Rob Lowe is well known for playing Billy Hicks in St. Elmo’s Fire and, more recently, for acting in shows such as Brothers & Sisters as well as 9-1-1: Lone Star.

What some may not know, however, is that the star can also sing. He proved this during the truly bizarre opening number that formed part of the 1989 Oscars ceremony. Lowe performed a parody version of “Proud Mary” with Eileen Bowman, who was dressed up as Snow White.

The performance continued for a cringeworthy 11 minutes and must be viewed in its entirety to fully “appreciate” the insanity. Years later, Lowe was able to make fun of the performance. But at the time, he had to grin and bear the incredulous expressions he saw in the audience while singing.^[4]

6 Michael Jackson Accepts Made-Up Award

During the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, Michael Jackson got things a bit muddled up. He watched Britney Spears dancing to “Billie Jean,” saw a massive cake and a glittery golden trophy, and was understandably dazed. After all, it was his birthday. When he was called up to the stage and wished a “happy birthday” by Spears, he heard her call him the “artist of the millennium.”^[5]

He held on tight to the trophy handed to him and proceeded to thank a host of people (including David Blaine) for the honor of receiving the “Artist of the Millennium” award. The only problem? Such an award didn’t exist.

MJ had been called up to the stage so that the audience (and MTV) could wish him a happy birthday. And that was it. Nevertheless, he rocked his “acceptance speech” as only he could. At the end of it, the crowd went wild anyway.

Top 10 Biggest Travesties of the Oscars

5 Fame ‘Kills’ Lady Gaga

During the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga was years away from singing with Tony Bennett or showing off her vocal chops in movies. However, she was one year into being a massive pop star and fed up with how the media was treating stars in general.

It was also only one year after Britney Spears had suffered a severe mental breakdown and been placed on an involuntary 72-hour hold at Cedars-Sinai. Gaga was outraged at how the media was mocking Britney and others, including Lindsay Lohan, by showcasing their downfalls to the world as a form of entertainment.^[6]

Therefore, Gaga decided to make her VMA performance one to remember. She performed “Paparazzi” and shocked viewers worldwide by “faking her own death” onstage. She was strung up by her dancers and then hung “lifeless” from a rope while covered in “blood.” She also dramatically stated, “Amidst all of these flashing lights, I pray the fame won’t take my life.”

In the background, the sound of camera shutters filled the sudden silence. It was definitely a bizarre moment, but looking back, a much needed one. Some even termed it “a wake-up call” for pop culture.

4 Pedestal Stunt Gone Wrong

During the 2014 Emmy Awards, Sofia Vergara was asked to get on an actual pedestal. While the pedestal spun the star around slowly, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum gave a speech that unleashed a storm of controversy.

While Vergara made the most of the moment and struck funny poses on the pedestal, Rosenblum implied that the success of TV was “based on always giving the viewer something compelling to watch.”^[7]

Viewers blasted the stunt as “incredibly sexist” and called Vergara’s objectification extremely crude considering that a Latina actress had only been awarded twice earlier at that point. Vergara tried to calm the situation by claiming that she didn’t find the scenario offensive at all and that the person who started the Twitter firestorm should lighten up a bit.

3 Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards were highly anticipated because the members of Nirvana were slated to appear as both nominees and performers. The group won two awards, Best Alternative Video and Best New Artist in a Video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Their musical performance wasn’t as successful, though. Beforehand, the band had arranged (compromised) with the MTV executives that Nirvana would perform “Lithium” instead of “Rape Me.” When they took the stage, Kurt Cobain started singing “Rape Me,” which sent the execs into a frenzy.

While they debated cutting to a commercial, Cobain segued into “Lithium.” Everything went well right up until the end of the song when bassist Krist Novoselic tossed his bass guitar into the air (he had done so several times before) and misjudged its landing. The guitar hit Novoselic in the head and knocked him to the stage.^[8]

Fortunately, he was only a little dazed and not seriously injured.

2 The Song No One Wanted To Hear

Sometimes, you have to wonder how celebrities come up with skit ideas for award shows. Some are truly awe-inspiring, but others are so cringeworthy that you end up with your head in your hands.

For some reason, Seth MacFarlane thought it would be a good idea to sing a song called “We Saw Your Boobs” while hosting the 2013 Oscars ceremony. He did this while pointing out actresses who had appeared topless on-screen. These actresses had filmed nude scenes in movies such as Monster’s Ball, The Accused, Monster, and Brokeback Mountain.^[9]

Afterward, it was revealed that the actresses who were pointed out—and who all wore mortified expressions—were “in on the joke.” This didn’t stop enraged viewers from fuming on Twitter and calling MacFarlane a “misogynistic pig.” They also pointed out that he had used four examples from rape scenes.

MacFarlane was invited to host again the following year but declined due to scheduling conflicts.

1 Musical Exorcism

Sometimes, the need to provide shock value completely overshadows an entire awards ceremony. This is what happened when Nicki Minaj took to the stage at the Grammy Awards in 2012.

She had a “priest” accompany her while “confessing” the lyrics of her new song “Roman Holiday.” Then the scene cut away to a prerecorded video of the “priest” arriving at a house to perform an exorcism on Minaj. She was shown putting on lipstick and crawling up a wall while hissing at the “priest” after he entered her room.^[10]

Finally, the Grammy performance continued live and included multiple fires, levitation, and speaking in tongues. Minaj underwent a fake exorcism onstage, and her backup dancers sang a dark version of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” at one point.

Twitter was not impressed by the spectacle. Some called it a “hot mess,” and others exclaimed that they were embarrassed for Minaj. Perhaps the least impressed of all was the Catholic League. They felt the performance was an attack on their faith.

8 Craziest Celebrity Award Show Conspiracy Theories

Life would be dull without the world’s weirdest moments. But sometimes, they exceed our wildest expectations. There are spooky forests that move and footage of the Moon that nobody believes. Things get weird inside a beatboxing throat and when people bite products in stores. But the most terrifying moments happen when clips show what unregulated kill-bots can do and when drones see hundreds of blindfolded people in China.

SEE ALSO: 10 Unsolved Mysteries With Creepy Surveillance Footage

10 Tom Thum’s Larynx

In 2017, Australian beatboxer Tom Thum said “Ah,” and let doctors look at his throat. More precisely, he allowed a camera to slither up his nose and down his throat. Then he made a bunch of noises so that the team could see his vocal cords do their thing. The view was not for kids, lunchtime or anyone with a sensitive stomach.

The footage of the camera going up the nose and past the soft palate was gross enough. However, for those who could keep watching, it became clear how versatile the human larynx really is. Most of the noises created by the tongue’s movements started at the top of Tom’s soft palate against the mouth’s roof. Then, twisting into freaky-looking shapes, the tissues of the larynx also moved to help form different sounds. Some squeezed like mad while others shivered, flattened, lifted or pulled. As remarkable as this design was, the footage remained far from pretty.^[1]

9 A Bite-Induced Explosion

Thanks to one man, iPhone users now know not to bite batteries. Although the logic is obvious, this customer learned his lesson the hard way. In 2018, there was a rush after Apple users realized they had to replace their batteries. Apple was giving a discount to anyone who had an iPhone 6 or any model after that. The offer came after the company admitted to slowing these devices to stretch out battery life.

Since the response was positive – a veritable stampede occurred – some people ended up on long waiting lists. Those who found the idea of waiting for weeks unacceptable turned to third-party providers. The problem with that avenue included fake iPhone batteries. This thought was apparently the main concern of the unnamed man who entered a Chinese store that sold electronics. He eventually found what he was looking for. Like some people bite coins to test their authenticity, he chomped down to make sure he was getting a genuine iPhone part. The battery exploded. Remarkably, the man was unharmed. But his dignity might suffer forever. The whole thing was caught on the store’s security camera and uploaded to the Internet.^[2]

8 Declassified Nuclear Tests

From 1945 to 1962, around 10,000 films were shot of nuclear tests. They recorded the U.S. detonating devices both underground and on the surface. Most of these reels languished for decades in high-security storage. In 2017, 6,500 were recovered by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). For years afterward, researchers battled against time to digitalize the historic footage. All of them were on the verge of decomposing beyond repair.

The Laboratory had several reasons for wanting to preserve the explosions. Apart from being an integral part of human history, some were freshly declassified and available for studies for the first time. The footage also corrected a few mistakes. Back in the day scientists had to use eyesight to measure the explosions’ fireballs and shockwaves. Most of the published measurements turned out to off by about 25 percent. While correct facts are always a joy for researchers, the greatest achievement LLNL is hoping for is that the unsettling films would discourage the future use of nuclear weapons.^[3]

7 The Slaughterbot Warning

A growing number of people, including Stephan Hawking and Elon Musk, have voiced their concern about a future that includes killer robots. They are not alone. Several organizations also exist to monitor the situation and spread awareness.

The Future of Life Institute is dedicated to protecting human life from unsavory inventors and their bots. In 2017, they released a fictional film about killer drones. The footage had a deliberate documentary or news-read feel to make the “event” more real. The 7-minute clip was graphic. It followed swarms of slaughterbots as they were released to eliminate targets like US lawmakers and political activists. The machines needed no human guidance to find these people. The hand-sized robots used real-time data mining and their own intelligence to track down their victims. Once located, the unfortunate individuals received the business end of an explosive charge.

This was not a homemade video that went nowhere. “Slaughterbots” was screened at a convention at the United Nations in Geneva. This particular meeting, called the Convention on Certain Convention Weapons, have already banned lasers designed to blind people. The hope is that the film would raise awareness about just how close we are to creating weapons that can kill on their own. Frighteningly, everything that engineers would need to make them – the desire, technology, and skill – already exists.^[4]

6 A Beached Shark Ate A Beached Whale

In 2018, a crowd formed on Ponta beach, in Mozambique. They were watching a beached whale and those trying to save it. However, all rescue attempts ceased when it became clear that the humpback was too ill to survive and the animal died shortly afterward.

Locals started to gather for their share of the meat but the sharks beat them to it. The whale’s corpse was deep enough for about 60 sharks to tear off a chunk and swim back to safety. However, it was too shallow for one particular customer. A tiger shark, measuring 4 meters (13 feet) long, grabbed a mouthful but beached itself right next to the humpback.

At this point, a diving instructor joined the crowd and started filming. The footage shows the shark thrashing next to the mutilated whale, something that frightened some of the locals so badly that they can be heard shrieking and cursing. After a few minutes, a large wave pulled the shark back into the water and ended the bizarre scene.^[5]

5 A Plane Inside A Hurricane

When a hurricane comes along, people usually get out of the way. Scientists fly into the storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has two planes just for this purpose. Called after the muppets Kermit and Miss Piggy, they brave the dangerous conditions to gather more information about hurricanes.

In 2018, Kermit took on Florence. Since this was one of the season’s most powerful hurricanes, the mission was very dangerous. The four-engine Lockheed WP-3D carried onboard an aerospace engineer called Nick Underwood. He managed to capture Kermit’s harrowing flight into the hurricane before the aircraft broke through to the eye of the storm. Unlike the outer chaos, the center was quiet with blue skies. Another researcher, Heather Holbach, was also filming and captured the strange beauty within the eye. The plane was surrounded by a wall of white clouds with the sun overhead.

The center might appear preferable but the real benefits are reaped from the hellish conditions surrounding it. During a flight lasting up to 12 hours, GPS cylinders are dropped into the air. The devices gather an incredible amount of data which allows for better hurricane prediction and management.^[6]

4 A Breathing Forest

[Watch the Footage Here]

In 2018, Daniel Holland shared a video on Twitter. The footage showed a forest in Quebec, with densely packed trees and a carpet of moss. However, the carpet was moving. The rising and falling looked freakishly like the forest was breathing. One of the weirdest responses on Twitter said that the heaving was caused by a giant, hidden turtle.

There was no reptile or even an earthquake tremor. When weather experts were shown the footage, they failed to get excited. This was something that creeped-out locals had already brought to their attention. The “breathing” was a result of natural forces. In particular, wind and water. The phenomenon only happens when the soil is moist enough. Usually, after a storm drops a ton of water on the forest, the tree roots become saturated and disconnected from the earth. When the wind is powerful and persistent enough, the trees are forced to one side. This toppling causes their loosened root web to lift the forest floor.^[7]

3 A Turkey Death Dance

In 2017, a Boston man encountered an eerie sight. There was a dead cat in the middle of the road. What made it so unsettling was the circle of turkeys marching around the corpse. Each bird followed the one walking in front of her. That was the other thing. All the turkeys were hens. During the film, the man can be heard to say, “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” A lot of people agreed.

At first glance, the performance looked like a creepy display of dominance. However, when bird experts viewed the tape, they came to a different conclusion. The fact that the birds were all female was a strong clue. Hens lack the formidable weight and leg spurs of males. When a predator bounds closer, females have two choices. Run like crazy or flock together with the hope that another hen gets eaten.

In this case, their curiosity got the better of them. The turkeys decided to eyeball the cat but stayed true to their flock defense. Walking around the dead animal, they could look without getting too close. However, people wanted to know why the birds kept circling. It must have clicked at one point that the dead feline was not dangerous. A turkey expert had the unflattering answer. Apparently, in this case, the instinct to follow another turkey was stronger than realizing it was time to go.^[8]

2 Mysterious Prisoners

Drones are changing the way we view the world. These nifty devices can fly over deep-sea whales, mountains and inhospitable terrains, capturing images that would otherwise be impossible or require too much effort. Drones also find things nobody is supposed to see.

In 2019, a video was posted on YouTube. Perhaps fearing retribution, whoever uploaded the footage did so anonymously. The video showed a bird’s view of hundreds of prisoners. They were shackled, blindfolded, wore identical clothing and had their heads shaved. Some clues were immediately obvious. The police offloading the men from a train were Chinese. The fact that China is known for transporting prisoners blindfolded and handcuffed added more certainty that this was happening somewhere within the country.

The captives also appeared to belong to an ethnic minority, most likely Uighurs. Currently, over a million Uighur and other Muslim minorities are held in Chinese internment and “re-education” facilities. Most of this shepherding are due to China’s anti-terrorism campaign which is being heavily enforced in Xinjiang. When experts reviewed the YouTube video, they used landmarks and the sun’s position to identify the location. They believe that the drone captured the sad crowd at a train station in south-east Xinjiang about a year before the footage was released.^[9]

1 The Moon’s Weirdest Video

This footage is so extraordinary that most first-time viewers dismiss the clip as fake. The skepticism is understandable. The video shows a mountain range with tiny human figures. Above them is the Moon, huge and hanging close to the Earth. Worse, it appears to be moving towards the planet. The footage seems fake because, you know, the people are not running away screaming. In fact, they appear oblivious to the Moon’s presence.

The video is real. In 2018, Daniel López wanted to film a “milk moon,” the first full moon in May. On that day, he set up his equipment on Mount Teide in the Canary Islands. López was separated by the people seen in the video by about 16 kilometers (10 miles). He used a powerful telescopic lens to zoom the Moon into focus. This caused the extraordinary illusion that it was moments away from crashing into the hikers below. The speed was real too but not because the Moon was hurtling towards mankind’s doom. This effect was caused by the Earth’s rotation. As the planet turned, the Moon was setting in real-time behind the mountain.^[10]

The world of sports has given us plenty of memorable moments: World Cup finals, Super Bowls, Jesse Owens at the Berlin Games, the Miracle on Ice, and more. Still, there have been plenty of bizarre sporting moments, too. But they are original and intriguing enough to warrant a closer look.

10 Fireworks Boxing

Boxing is a sport that has been practiced since ancient times, so it’s no surprise that we have tried various methods to spice it up a bit. In 1937, people thought they found a real winner—fireworks. But this wasn’t simply a light show after the match. Instead, the fireworks happened throughout the bout because they were attached to the fighters.

A metal framework in the shape of a person held the fireworks and was attached to each boxer. Then, to make it even more hazardous, the boxers fought in the dark so the audience could fully enjoy the fireworks display. In case you have concerns about the safety of the fighters, don’t worry. They were protected by wearing thick fireproof suits made with asbestos.

Surprisingly, this didn’t really take off as a new method of boxing. Only one such exhibition match took place in London in 1937.

9 One-Limbed Cricket

During the middle of the 19th century, cricket was experiencing its first golden age. After becoming the preferred national pastime in England, it expanded into other countries, mostly parts of the British Empire. But in 1848, a game of cricket was played at the Priory Ground in Lewisham unlike any other—a team of one-armed players took on a team of one-legged players.

All of the cricketers were Greenwich pensioners, navy men who were injured in combat and resided at the Royal Hospital. In preparation for their big match, the men had a large dinner the night before and a large lunch the day of the game. They celebrated the match with a drinking session at the Bull Inn.

For them, this was all about having a bit of fun. But that didn’t stop over 2,400 people from attending the match and even betting on the outcome. The one-armed team was favored to win—and they did—although nobody was really concerned with the final score.

Even though we said that this match was unlike any other, that’s not exactly true. The first one took place in 1796, and it was also between injured sailors. Back then, the game had real stakes—1,000 guineas. When the game finished earlier than expected, the one-legged team organized an impromptu race between its teammates to cap off the show.

8 The Player Who Snubbed Hitler

Matthias Sindelar is one of the greatest Austrian footballers of all time. Known as the “Paper Man” for his slight build, Sindelar earned his greatest professional success as captain of the Austrian national team during the 1934 World Cup.

Austria qualified again for the 1938 World Cup, but there was a problem. By that time, Nazi Germany had already invaded and annexed Austria. On April 3, 1938, Austria played one last football match against Germany before the Austrian team was dissolved and the players incorporated into the German team. It was meant to be a celebration match marking Anschluss, the return of Austria to the fatherland.

However, Sindelar saw it as the perfect opportunity to show how he really felt. First, he insisted that the team wear their red-and-white kits, Austria’s national colors, instead of the traditional white-and-black.

There have always been rumors that Austria was told to lose the match or play to a draw. According to eyewitnesses, the Austrian team appeared to miss several shots on purpose. However, toward the end of the game, they had a change of heart and beat Germany 2–0. Sindelar scored the first goal and then celebrated in front of a VIP box filled with high-ranking Nazi officials.

Afterward, Sindelar refused to join the German national team, saying he wanted to retire due to old age and injury. Less than a year later, he was dead of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, although many have questioned whether it was truly an accident.

7 Wichita Monrovians vs. Klan Lodge #6

On June 21, 1925, the baseball field on Wichita’s Island Park hosted a unique exhibition game between the Wichita Monrovians, a semiprofessional African-American team that played in various Negro leagues, and the baseball team of Lodge #6 of the Ku Klux Klan.

Since the Monrovians were not a professional team, they played against many amateur white teams throughout the US. The reception they got varied wildly based on their location, but it seemed that Wichita was on the positive side of the spectrum.

In fact, by 1925, the Klan’s influence there was starting to wane. This is likely one of the reasons why they wanted to play (and beat) an African-American baseball team in the first place. The Monrovians also wanted to show their superiority, so the game was a PR move for both sides.

Both teams encouraged their fans to attend the game, and a large interracial crowd was present that day. There was a fear of violence, but the teams promised that “all the fans will see is baseball.” Surprisingly, they were right. The game took place without incident, and the Monrovians won 10–8.

6 The Kirkwall Ba

The Orkney Islands form an archipelago in the northern part of Scotland. Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, hosts a game called the Kirkwall Ba every year. The Ba game is a modified version of mob football and is played throughout various towns in Scotland. But the one in Kirkwall is the largest of its kind and has a long tradition. No one’s sure when the game originated, but we know it is at least 300 years old.

According to legend, the Kirkwall Ba was created to commemorate the death of Tusker, an evil Viking tyrant named for his long, protruding teeth. An unidentified young man defeated Tusker and chopped off his head. However, one of Tusker’s teeth scratched the boy’s leg, causing a fatal infection.

With his last breath, the brave young man reached Kirkwall and threw Tusker’s head into the crowd. Angered by the young man’s death but happy at Tusker’s demise, the people started kicking the head through the streets of Kirkwall. According to legend, that’s how the Ba got started.

The Ba has been taking place as we know it today since the mid-19th century. Hundreds of men participate. They are either Uppies or Doonies based on whether their ancestors lived up or down from the Mercat Cross. The Doonies’ goal is in the sea of Kirkwall Bay while the Uppies must score on the site of the old town gates.

5 Blondin Crossing Niagara Gorge

Daring feats of acrobatics always guarantee a large crowd tantalized by the prospect of someone meeting a gruesome end. Of all these feats, few are more dangerous than the tightrope walk. Going back to the mid-19th century, we have arguably the greatest tightrope walker of all time—Charles Blondin. Arriving in America in 1955, he soon dreamed up the idea that brought him fame and fortune: crossing the gorge over Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

This was long before Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel. Suffice it to say that most of the 25,000 people who attended Blondin’s spectacle were expecting to see a suicidal man fall to his death.

However, Blondin understood mankind’s fascination with the morbid and even encouraged people to bet on his ghastly death. On June 30, 1859, despite everyone’s doubts, Blondin became the first person to walk across the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. To increase the excitement, he stopped halfway across, sat down, and had a bottle of wine.

After he reached the Canadian side, Blondin rested for 20 minutes and then returned to the other bank. This time, he carried a daguerreotype camera and stopped to take a picture.

Blondin repeated the feat several times, finding new ways to shock his audience each time. He walked the tightrope backward. He did it blindfolded. He carried his manager piggyback. One time, he even took utensils and food with him, stopping at the halfway point to make an omelet.

4 The Chalmers Award

Back in 1910, two of America’s favorite pastimes came together—baseball and automobiles. Hugh Chalmers, owner of the Chalmers Automobile Company, decided to award a Chalmers Model 30 to the league batting champion. By the end of the season, it was a close race between two players—Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Naps.

With just two games to go, Cobb was in the lead with a .385 average. He decided to sit out the games to hold the first position. Meanwhile, Lajoie played an almost perfect game in Cleveland’s last match against the St. Louis Browns. He went 8-for-9 and scored in a doubleheader.

But he had some help from the opposing team. Ty Cobb was the most disliked player in the league while Lajoie was exactly the opposite. Even Lajoie’s team was renamed after him due to his popularity. Browns manager Jack O’Connor allowed Lajoie to score hits by playing his third baseman deep for the whole game, giving Lajoie easy bunts.

Lajoie finished with a .384 average, but controversy surrounded the entire event. Cobb was criticized for not playing, and the Browns were panned for helping a player on the opposing team. Cobb was ruled the official batting champion, but Chalmers declared it a tie and gave both players cars to take advantage of Lajoie’s popularity.

In 1989, the controversy resurfaced when it was discovered that Cobb had been awarded two extra hits that season by mistake, so his real average was .383.

3 1904 Olympics

The 1904 Olympic marathon was one of the oddest sporting events in history, plucked straight out of a slapstick comedy. For starters, there was an argument over where the games should be held. The Olympics were originally awarded to Chicago. But St. Louis had the world’s fair at the same time, and they threatened to organize their own sporting events to overshadow the Olympics if the event wasn’t moved to St. Louis. Their threat worked.

Most of the athletes were American. Especially impressive was gymnast George Eyser who won six medals even though he had a wooden leg.

Throughout the Olympics, the organizers scheduled “Anthropology Days“—exhibits where various tribesmen displayed their culture and traditions. Occasionally, they were invited to participate in sporting events to supposedly show how inferior they were to the “white man.” It was just a tiny step above the human zoos that were popular at prior world’s fairs.

As for the marathon, it was initially won by Fred Lorz, but he was disqualified after it was revealed that he had traveled 18 kilometers (11 mi) of the race by car. The real winner was Thomas Hicks, although he had taken performance-enhancing drugs. Specifically, he took strychnine, which acted as a stimulant in small doses.

But that wasn’t the end of the weirdness. Andarin Carvajal, a Cuban postman, competed in his street clothes. During the race, he stopped in an orchard where he accidentally ate some rotten apples and had to take a nap to recover. Even so, he came in fourth.

Another runner named Len Tau was the first black African to compete in the Olympics. He finished ninth. But he had a good excuse—he ran 2 kilometers (1 mi) off course because he was chased by wild dogs.

2 Tour Of Shame

Nowadays, we associate the Tour de France with cheating, but the two have been strongly linked almost from the start. The first race was organized in 1903 by French newspaper L’Auto to increase readership.

It was won by Maurice Garin and proved successful enough to warrant another tournament in 1904, which was rife with such blatant cheating that it makes our modern cycling scandals tame by comparison. In fact, Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange was so “disgusted, frustrated, and discouraged” that he wanted to cancel future events. But he eventually changed his mind.

In the 1904 event, 88 riders participated, with 27 crossing the finish line. But only 15 did it fairly. Almost half were disqualified for cheating, including the first four cyclists and all the stage winners. Initially, Maurice Garin won again. But after months of investigation, fifth-place Henri Cornet was awarded the trophy.

Cyclists were allowed to take almost anything, so there were no doping scandals. In fact, alcohol, cocaine, and chloroform were part of the standard rider diet for decades. Most of the cheating involved using shortcuts, traveling by car or train, and throwing nails on the road.

Riders also relied on angry mobs to beat up the competition when passing through their hometowns. The worst incidents occurred in Saint-Etienne where 100 people armed with stones and cudgels attacked the riders to allow Antoine Faure to take the lead. Giovanni Gerbi was beaten unconscious, and his fingers were broken. From then on, many cyclists were armed with revolvers.

1 Monkey Testicle Doping Scandal

The Wolverhampton Wanderers is an English football club with a long tradition going back to 1877. Throughout its existence, the club has been highly influential. It was one of the founders of the Football League in the UK and later helped to establish the European Cup, which eventually became the UEFA Champions League.

Managed by Major Frank Buckley, the club became involved in the strangest doping scandal in sports history in 1939. Buckley had heard of a revolutionary technique pioneered by surgeon Serge Voronoff that involved grafting tissue from monkey testicles onto human testicles as a rejuvenation method. In fact, his treatment was quite popular throughout the 1920s and ’30s.

Buckley had his players undergo the procedure. He announced it to the media and other clubs, arguing that it wasn’t doping and that there were no rules against it. After the procedure, there appeared to be an improvement in his players’ stamina and strength that was immediately attributed to the rejuvenation therapy.

However, any changes were likely the result of the placebo effect. Even so, more football clubs soon adopted the technique. But other clubs protested so vehemently that the House of Commons had to debate in 1939 whether football players were allowed to use monkey testicles. Eventually, the practice fell out of favor, and Voronoff was ridiculed for his beliefs.

Radu is a history/science buff with an interest in all things bizarre and obscure. Share the knowledge on Twitter or check out his website.

Not all musical moments in TV shows happen in musical shows such as Glee, HSM: The Series, or more recently, Katy Keene. From time to time popular drama series, sitcoms or even shows about the supernatural make musical performances a part of one or more episodes. On this list are some surprisingly good (and also very bad) musical performances in non-musical shows.

10 Legendary Reasons We Have Music

10 Friends

Friends is most fondly remembered for, well, friendship, and great one-liners. The hugely popular show gave us “Smelly Cat”, Pivot!, a holiday armadillo, Chanandler Bong and so much more. There are many funny songs by Phoebe, but a truly surprisingly awesome musical moment happens when The Pretenders frontwoman, Chrissie Hynde, sings “Angel of the Morning” in Central Perk.

Chris Isaak also has a cameo role in the show and sings “Smelly Cat” with Phoebe, letting loose his incredible vocal range. He is rewarded by Phoebe telling him “you might want to pick a more masculine note.”

9 The Big Bang Theory

Love it or hate it, The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. It wrapped after 12 seasons and is the longest-running multi-camera comedy in TV history. The series includes some terrible music moments including Raj and Howard singing “Hammer & Whip”, Raj and Leonard singing “Bust a Move” and Howard and Bernadette singing “I Got You Babe” during a car trip. Although to be fair, it is a sitcom and all these musical moments are done in jest.

There is one stand-out performance however that somewhat tugs at the heartstrings. Howard and the rest of the group singing “If I Didn’t Have You” to Bernadette who has been quarantined in hospital. While the singing is not great, the performance has heart and it makes for a beautiful moment.

8 Grey’s Anatomy

If ever there was a musical episode that divided viewers, it is “Song Beneath The Song” from Grey’s Anatomy. Some fans loved it, while others hated it so much that they threatened to stop watching altogether. There are several performances during the episode including an all-cast version of “How To Save A Life”, “Breathe”, a toe-tapping version of “Running on Sunshine”, and “Wait”.

An outstanding rendition of “The Story” is performed by Sara Ramirez towards the end of the episode. The scenes accompanying the performance are arguably rather strange, with Sara’s character, Callie Torres, simultaneously lying prone in a hospital bed while also walking around and singing. It doesn’t take away from Ramirez’ fantastic performance though.

7 Riverdale

It would be easy to mistake Riverdale for a musical series considering there has been more than 50 music performances over its four seasons. However, it is billed as a teen drama series and one can only guess as to why so much singing happens during the show. There are several cringey performances such as “Exquisite Corpse”, “Our Love is God”, “You Shine”, and “Sufferin’ Till Suffrage.”

Some of the better performances include “Candy Girl”, “Kids in America”, “Amazing Grace”, and “Back to Black”.

This video includes a compilation of both the good and the not so good.

6 Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal is a quintessential 90s comedy-drama TV series. It’s funny, heartbreaking, weird and audiences absolutely loved it. Especially the dancing baby, The Biscuit dancing to Barry White, the butt-sniffing and the ‘getting-stuck-in-the-toilet’ scene. There were also many, many performances by Elaine and a host of celebrity cameo performances including Barry Manilow, Elton John, Barry White, Anastasia, Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor and more.

There were several beautiful moments too, including Josh Groban’s emotional performance of “You’re Still You” during a prom scene. Some fan-favorite musical moments came from an unlikely source: none other than Robert Downey Jr. In the show, Downey plays Ally’s love interest who ultimately leaves her to move back to Detroit. He sings Joni Mitchell’s “River” during a Christmas episode and also sang Ally a song he wrote for her called “Chances”. Downey even had a duet with Sting which was intended as both a belated birthday gift and apology to Ally. On top of that he also performed a rousing rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Sherry Darling.

10 Sublime Moments in Classical Music on Youtube

5 Once Upon A Time

It would probably have been a crime for Once Upon A Time to have existed for 7 seasons and never feature a musical episode, and this is exactly what happens in the 20th instalment of the 6th season. Some of the most beloved characters got to show off their musical talents with original songs.

Charming and Snow White had their own “Disney” moment and kicked off the episode, with the Evil Queen following soon after. Captain Hook and Emma have their own moment as well.

The Wicked Witch (Rebecca Mader) gave an outstanding performance of “Wicked Always Wins” with fans going wild over it and calling it the best song of the episode.

4 Dawson’s Creek

Dawson’s Creek has become somewhat of a joke in the years that followed its cancellation. This is thanks in no small part to James Van Der Beek, aka Dawson, and his terrible crying face which has spawned hundreds of memes. The dreadful dialogue also didn’t do the show any favors.

There were some musical moments in the teen drama too. Some quite good, others quite terrible. There was a drama-laden rendition of “Daydream Believer” that unleashed a thick cloud of teen angst and a drunken duet by Dawson and Andie that was more cringe than song.

A fitting performance in Season 1 by Joey Potter of “On My Own” from Les Miserable, had some fans reaching for the tissues. Potter was often teased about her shy and prude-like demeanor and this led to some pretty memorable music moments when she eventually let loose. In this clip she sings “I Hate Myself For Loving You” alongside Chad Michael Murray’s character Charlie, to the great delight of the audience.

3 Stranger Things

The very last thing anyone expected while watching Netflix’s Stranger Things 3, was for any of the characters to spontaneously burst out into song. But this is exactly what happened during a very tense scene in the finale of the third season. While the Mind Flayer is wreaking havoc in Hawkins and Hopper and Joyce impatiently await the code (Planck’s constant) needed to unlock a safe, Dustin and his long-distance girlfriend Suzie start singing “The NeverEnding Story” at Suzie’s insistence.

The result is a fantastic performance of the song by the two teenagers and one of the most unforgettable moments that fans still excitedly talk about as they await the arrival of the fourth season of the hugely popular series. Interestingly, this moment almost didn’t happen as the song wasn’t the first choice for that particular scene. Before settling on “The NeverEnding Story”, the show’s creators considered using the Ent’s song (The Ent and the Ent-Wife) from The Lord of the Rings.

2 Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a great soundtrack featuring songs by Sarah McLachlan, Joss Whedon, Christophe Beck, Garbage and Alison Krauss. The show was presented as a low-budget supernatural comedy when it first aired on The WB in 1997. No one expected much from it. Little did they know what an impact the show would have and that it would soon become a pop culture force to be reckoned with.

Naturally, the show explored a relationship between Buffy and a vampire (Angel) and later on between Buffy and bad boy vampire, Spike. Much the same as the somewhat modern-day Team Jacob and Team Edward, there was definitely a Team Angel and a Team Spike with some Angel fans leaning more towards Spike as the seasons progressed.

During the seventh episode of the sixth season, the plot centers around a demon compelling the people of Sunnydale to randomly break into song, and, in doing so, reveal hidden truths. Buffy sings of her ‘boring’ life when she performs “Going Through The Motions” and there is a big closing number with everyone singing “Where Do We Go From Here?”. There are several other hits in the episode with a fan favorite being “Rest in Peace” sung by Spike.

1 House

Gregory House is still one of TV’s most iconic anti-heroes. The show House has been nominated for several awards, including SAG, Emmys and Golden Globes and holds the distinctive title of being the most watched TV show in the world in 2008. Hugh Laurie, who brought Gregory House to life, has stated that playing the character was a nightmare and that at first, he didn’t believe that House could be a main character. Hugh Laurie is also pretty much the last TV actor you would expect to start singing at any given time.

And yet, House dons a top hat and magician-looking suit and sings a creepy version of “Get Happy” with Lisa Edelstein’s character, Lisa Cuddy. He can definitely sing, but the eyeliner and weird cinematography is hugely disconcerting.

Top 10 Best Recent TV Comedy Series

The lowly sock. We don’t often think of it as a pivotal part of our daily attire. But when socks matter, they really matter. Whether as mechanical prevention for debilitating injuries like blisters or frostbite or as an indicator of social and economic status, socks carry more importance than just the weight of our bodies upon their soles.

Soldiers, athletes, and monarchs have all walked into history wearing socks, and occasionally, the socks themselves helped make history. Read on to learn of 10 instances when socks shaped world history.

10 The First Socks Were Worn With Sandals

Today’s classic fashion faux pas was actually the first method of wearing this clothing item. The earliest-known knit socks are from Egypt, dating back to the 3rd–6th centuries AD.

Most of sock history occurred in colder climates, so why there were socks in ancient Egypt is a mystery. These were constructed of knitted wool, often in bright colors, with a division between the first two toes to allow for use with sandals. Basically, they were the first fashion socks because they were probably not needed for warmth.

The Romans also wore socks with their sandals. Bare-toed Roman soldiers suffered in damp northern climates like Britain, and archaeological evidence (the Vindolanda tablets) shows they would write home to request more socks be sent.

How do we know they wore them with sandals? A dig in Britain turned up a sandal with fabric fibers caught on pieces of metal inside the shoe. So, yes, this world-conquering empire expanded at the hands of armed warriors on the frontiers who wore sandals with socks.

9 Queen Elizabeth I’s High Standards For Socks Delayed The Industrial Revolution

The queen of England was known to enjoy high-quality silk stockings. At the time, all stockings, hose, and socks were handmade and understandably expensive.

In 1589, a man named William Lee approached her for a patent on a new automated knitting loom for stockings. The stocking he presented as an example failed to impress Elizabeth, who thought them shapeless and rough. She turned him away, citing fear that the machine would take jobs away from her subjects.

King Henry IV of France had no such qualms and offered Lee financial support. Lee eventually moved to Rouen where he built a stocking frame factory, which became the first major step toward the mechanization of the textile industry.

8 Blue Stockings Rise From Common To Elite

The original blue stockings were inferior socks made of undyed, grayish, worsted yarn and worn as common everyday socks. They received a famous promotion in 1756 when Benjamin Stillingfleet received a message from educated salon-hostess Elizabeth Vesey.

“Don’t mind dress! Come in your blue stockings,” she replied to his declined invitation to attend her events on the basis of not owning fine enough clothing. “Bluestockings” was quickly adopted to describe the new society of intellectuals who stood less upon formality and gender roles and more upon the sharing of ideas.

Two centuries earlier, mention is made of Mary, Queen of Scots, wearing blue stockings to her execution. Perhaps this was in defiance of the known preference for white silk stockings by Elizabeth I, who had signed Mary’s death warrant.

At the time, blue stockings were in vogue in France, where Mary had spent her childhood. Mary’s execution stockings were light sky blue, embroidered with silver thread, and held up by green garters.

7 The Original Luddites Were Sock Knitters

Imagine spending your apprenticeship and working career perfecting the fine art of sock knitting. Now imagine some guy named William Lee goes and invents a machine to steal your job.

The initial Luddites were simply afraid of losing their paychecks. The story goes that a young sock-knitting apprentice named Ned Ludd smashed two stocking frame machines in 1779 and became a poster boy for the movement.

Textile workers began destroying equipment and burning factories all over Britain. In 1811, they began to organize—meeting at night and practicing drills. They clashed with the British military on several occasions.

By 1861, Parliament had made their brand of mischief a capital crime. Today, the term “Luddite” is used in reference to anyone who is opposed to technology and progress on the grounds that it is bad for the economy and society.

6 Sammy Sosa Got His Start With A Sock

Samuel Sosa Peralta had a poverty-stricken childhood in the Dominican Republic. After his father died when Sammy was seven, he helped support the family with odd jobs. His first brush with baseball came at 14 years old with a glove made of a milk carton, a branch for a bat, and a ball made of balled-up socks covered in tape.

The Texas Rangers signed him at 17, and he went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Cubs, and the Baltimore Orioles. Although his career was littered with controversies, Sammy still broke several world records for home runs and joined Babe Ruth in the standing of hitting over 50 homers in three separate seasons.

5 Socks Win Wars

In 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, the American army’s feet were in very rough shape. It was getting colder and colder, food was scarce, and most soldiers’ feet were bloody from the lack of socks and shoes.

General George Washington wrote to Congress repeatedly through the fall and winter, pleading for supplies and specifically mentioning socks each time. Upon receiving a description of the soldiers’ feet from her husband, Rhoda Farrand of Parsippany, New Jersey, organized a group of women to knit hundreds of warm wool socks.

Then she traveled with her son to deliver the socks to the troops gathered at Morristown. The years 1777–78 are considered the turning point of the war in favor of the American rebels.

World War I and II soldiers were also laid low by their feet. Trench foot accounted for up to 40 percent of casualties in some engagements, often causing permanent damage. Trench foot is necrosis of foot tissue caused by long-term exposure to excess moisture. This is easily prevented by frequent changes of socks to keep feet dry.

The problem in World War I was supply. The US textile industry couldn’t keep up, and volunteers across the country knit socks for soldiers by the thousands. The supply of socks was fine in World War II. But the problem continued to plague the ranks in lower numbers as soldiers were reluctant to take the time to care for their feet. Eventually, improvements in waterproof boot technology largely solved the problem.

4 Socks Kept Thomas Jefferson Standing

This founding father was plagued by infirmities. Severe osteoarthritis, headaches, and bouts of diarrhea kept Thomas Jefferson in bed for days. He hated the cold and suffered more severely in colder temperatures.

So he had his slaves make him socks. Very nice socks, embroidered with his initials and a number, theoretically to keep track of them. As the socks wore out, he had them opened up and sewn inside his waistcoats for extra insulation. A French ambassador once penned a complaint that Jefferson had greeted him at the White House wearing a casual frock coat and stocking feet.

Ironically, Jefferson spoke of himself as a hale and hearty individual. At age 75, he boasted that he had only lost one eyetooth (a claim that is probably not true due to his jaw pain recorded in 1808).

He also said that he rode his horse 10–13 kilometers (6–8 mi) per day. Finally, Jefferson claimed that his ability to ward off colds was due to bathing his feet in cold water every day—at which point, we assume he put on his socks.

3 The Jamestown Colony Needed Better Socks

The Virginia Company advised using the following list of clothing for men headed out to found the Jamestown Colony: one knit hat, three shirts, three lightweight suits, one waistcoat, three falling bands, one pair of garters, four pairs of shoes, and three pairs of silk stockings.

Arriving in 1607 to a much colder climate than expected, these men lost most of their population over the winter of 1609–1610. They were on the verge of abandoning the settlement when ships with fresh supplies and more colonists arrived.

A broadsheet published in England in 1622 was titled The Inconvenients that have happened to Some Persons which Have transported Themselves from England to Virginia without Provisions Necessary to Sustain Themselves. It went on to say: Take warmer clothes. By the 1630s, each arriving settler brought four warm woolen stockings as part of a much warmer wardrobe.

2 The Bloody Sock

Curt Schilling pitched for the Boston Red Sox from 2004–07. (He sat out the 2008 season due to a shoulder injury.) But it was a tendon injury that got the most attention.

Schilling helped the Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years with a recurring ankle injury. A tendon injury occurred in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. As a result, he pitched his worst game of the season.

For Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, a quick surgery temporarily tacked the offending tendon in place for seven innings. Even so, the surgical wound seeped blood through his sock the entire game and caught the attention of the national media.

Afterward, conspiracy theories abounded as to whether the blood seen on the sock was real. In 2014, Schilling posted a graphic photo online of his ankle that had been taken the day of the game to put rumors to rest. In 2013, the sock from Game 6 sold at auction for $92,613 to an anonymous bidder.

1 Walter Cronkite’s Shocking Socks

President Richard Nixon was the first US president to visit China since the formation of the People’s Republic of China. The move changed the balance of Cold War politics and economics in massive ways and sent fresh images of China back to the US for the first time in 25 years.

The newscasters who went with the president had an awful time. Neither the totalitarian government of China nor Nixon himself would give them anything newsworthy to work with. All the tours were carefully staged and bland.

The wooden toilet seats at the hotel were recently relacquered and still quite sticky, literally removing skin when sat upon. And Walter Cronkite’s socks kept shocking him. Yes, Cronkite had electric socks that were supposed to keep his feet warm, but they were malfunctioning and kept shocking him at unexpected moments.