Mental health is one of the most perplexing, fascinating, and concerning issues in modern society. When the human brain malfunctions, it is often a result of complex, interconnected factors involving the whole body. In this fascinating account, we dig deeper and discover some of the most startling, lesser known, and downright weird facts about both well-known and very obscure mental disorders.

10 Schizophrenia Is Connected To The Shape Of Your Mouth

We often put a dividing line between mental health and physical health. Psychiatrists tend to focus on behavior, but a look at physiology might also prove useful in diagnostics. Recent studies suggest that schizophrenia may be correlated with a slightly wider hard palate, which is on the roof of your mouth. What that suggests is that doctors could find ways to look at physical traits to diagnose schizophrenia. Even more importantly, it means that schizophrenia is likely part of a larger developmental disorder than we once thought—one that contains both physical and mental symptoms.

Researchers noticed that these hard palate deformities usually show up in conjunction with mutations and genetic flaws that trigger specific sets of symptoms. Schizophrenia is considered to be an extremely complex illness by the Schizophrenia Association of Canada, which notes the complex, biochemical nature of the illness, and its roots in neurotransmitter and amino acid disruptions. This complexity has led to speculations that schizophrenia might actually be a number of disorders masquerading as a single one.

9 Autism Is Strongly Linked To Seizures

Autism has a history of misunderstandings. In the past, it was considered at different times a type of schizophrenia and the result of neglectful parents. While autism is more clearly understood in the present time, it is still a complex disorder with surprising complications. As a matter of fact, autism might be strongly linked to more serious symptoms than we once thought—while one or two percent of children will statistically experience seizures growing up, up to 38 percent of autistic children are affected by potentially dangerous seizures at some point in their lives.

A prospective study published in the library of the National Institute of Health found that only a third of the children had their first seizure before the age of two. For the rest of them, an epileptic seizure could suddenly occur at any point in life. This work followed the same children for over a decade, and helped to give some credence to the idea that there’s a definite link between autism spectrum disorders and seizures.

8 Shocking Rates Of Mental Illness In Younger Populations

Although it’s not true in all cases, mental illness is often associated with distinctly “unnatural” behavior. However, leading authorities show that being “normal” is less common than we seem to think. According to findings published by the World Health Organization, up to 20 percent of children and adolescents suffer from a mental illness in some form. That’s a surprisingly high number for a population which is usually—and perhaps wrongly—stereotyped as being fit and healthy.

Canadian medical literature notes that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are most likely to experience mental illness out of any demographic, and mental illness is the second leading cause of premature death or disability in Canada. Commonly reported illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. It’s also not uncommon for drug use to trigger a latent mental disorder—or, conversely, for emerging symptoms of a mental disorder to trigger drug use as a form of self-medication.

7 Mental Illnesses Can Destroy Your Body

Mental illness isn’t just a problem with your mind—it can also lead to serious physical diseases. Most concerning are probably the statistics that point to increased rates of heart disease in mental health patients, for example, while anxiety disorders may cause muscle and back problems. Symptoms of anxiety, along with disorders like Tourette’s syndrome, can also cause physical damage from repetitive stress injuries.

A lot of this can be traced back to a neurochemical imbalance. Toxic hormones released by the endocrine system under stress can cause huge amounts of damage to the tissues and organs in your body. According to several studies by psychiatric services, individuals with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or depression were 2.6 times as likely to develop cancer. On top of that, studies quoted by Johns Hopkins University noted that those suffering from a serious mental illness had a 50 percent greater risk of hospital visits due to injury than the general population, with a 450 percent increase in death rates from injury compared to the general population.

6 Korsakoff’s Syndrome

Mental illnesses often arise from unexpected places. From a medical standpoint, one of the more interesting mental illnesses is known as Korsakoff’s syndrome. This disorder affects memory in a manner similar to Alzheimer’s, and results from a serious deficiency in thiamine, or vitamin B1. The disorder is largely seen as a complication of excessive drinking, which may deplete B1 levels and cause severe cases of nutrient malabsorption. The distress this puts on the brain can cause confusion, slowness of speech, and forgetfulness.

The most bizarre aspect of this disorder, which is associated with greater degrees of brain damage as it progresses, involves confabulation episodes. In other words, people with Korsakoff’s have been observed making up lies and stories for no reason. But they’re not actually lying—they actually believe the fake stories they’re telling. Korsakoff’s syndrome is usually considered a long-term disorder, although acute thiamine deficiency can lead to coma or death if not treated promptly. AIDS and serious metabolic disorders may also cause thiamine deficiency, with equally serious effects.

5 Stress Shrinks The Brain

We tend to think of mental illness as a malfunction, so to speak, and brain injury as a separate, physical problem. But you don’t have to take drugs or experience physical trauma to suffer brain damage. Brain damage may result from excessive levels of cortisol and other toxic chemicals produced by our still-primitive animal body. A large number of animal species, including humans, hold reserves of drug-like chemicals that provide many short-term benefits to survival through their involvement in the fight-or-flight response.

However, long-term stress, or the presence of a stress-inducing mental illness in modern life, can cause chronic, long-term release of these chemicals. Cortisol—the “stress hormone”—can kill brain cells directly, impair general brain function, and even make the brain smaller through cellular atrophy. Researchers have also found that a reduced ability in elderly patients to control cortisol levels may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease because of the neurological degeneration those increased cortisol levels cause.

4 Autism And Physical Development

Autism is usually seen as a stand-alone mental disorder that has long been a source of controversy among medical practitioners. However, autism incidence also shows a surprising correlation to physical factors, such as birth size and head development. Some studies published in the July 2003 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that children with autism tend to be born with slightly smaller heads. However, cranial growth and physical brain development rates then overtake the norm until the head and brain are abnormally large for a time.

They also found that certain brain components in autistic children may be larger than those in control groups. Later, the growth catches up, so that autistic adults have a fairly typical brain-to-body proportion—in other words, autistic children often enter life smaller, but grow faster than other children. Physical factors associated with autism aside, the cause of autism is still a mystery. One study suggests that autism rates are higher in US counties with more rainfall. Despite the connection, they still haven’t discovered why that’s the case. It could be something as simple as the fact that with more rain, children spend more time exposed to household chemicals indoors.

3 Depression Is Surprisingly Environmental

Depression is usually seen as some form of internal imbalance of the mind. However, studies suggest that depression in human beings may be profoundly influenced by our living environment. According to a 2011 study in the Nature journal, city dwellers suffer from a rate of depression that’s 39 percent greater than rates of depression experienced by rural dwellers.

Decreased levels of essential fatty acids through dietary factors, such as low fish intake, have also been correlated with depression. In addition, urbanites are 21 percent more likely to have anxiety, while rates of schizophrenia are nearly doubled in cities. Scientists noted that city dwellers had increased activity in the cingulate part of the brain, which affects the ability of the brain to regulate stress. It appears that continued strain from urban environments stresses out the body, leading to mental health challenges in some people.

2 Pure Obsessions

Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects a significant percentage of the population. However, it is likely misunderstood in many cases, because only the visible signs are well known. In fact, OCD is often present in a more insidious form known as pure obsessions, where violent or disgusting thoughts flood the brain and cause significant distress. A person with this widespread—but underreported—form of OCD may experience repeated thoughts that shock even them, and often have to try to “change the channel” mentally to get rid of the thoughts.

This so-called “Pure O” form of anxiety disorder exists where no obsession-related action occurs. It’s usually characterized by something incredibly violent, like a random thought to pull out a knife and stab their coworker. They don’t want to do that, but the thought runs through their heads anyway. Usually, they’re just as disgusted by their thoughts as anyone else would be. At the same time, people suffering from “Pure O” don’t compulsively repeat actions, which is what you usually picture when you think of someone with OCD.

1 Nerve Damage, Mental Health, And Socialization

As we’ve mentioned several times, mental illnesses could be far more physical than once thought. Researchers have already determined that reduced production of myelin, a nerve-protection fiber, is associated with degenerative neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. In recent studies at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, loss of myelin sheathing on nerve fibers has been found to be linked to the development of mental illnesses.

Myelination is a highly physical, electromechanical component of the nervous system. It’s responsible for insulating nerve fibers and allowing efficient transmission of brain signals. While mental health studies often put a lot of attention on the neurotransmitters themselves, it seems that the condition of the “wiring” is also pretty important. Even stranger is the fact that myelin damage may be caused by environmental and social factors. Studies done on mice indicate that myelin production can become impaired as a result of social isolation. The effects are not limited to young mice, either—in the studies, the development and maintenance of myelin levels in adult mice was impaired as well.

Christopher Stephens is a graduate student of science and busy freelance writer and naturalist on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. He is the birding tour leader for Pacific Rainforest Tours and writes for Island Healthworks.

This week the world lost guitar god Eddie Van Halen after he passed away of throat cancer aged 65. He’s been remembered as a once-in-a-generation musician with remarkable talent.

Van Halen’s albums and tracks are legendary already, but Eddie’s lightning-quick fingers and fret-tapping technique was revolutionary. But there’s a lot more to Eddie and Van Halen than most know.

Top 20 Best Rock Bands Of All Time

10 Van Halen was first called The Broken Combs

Van Halen have had countless incarnations, with eight different members throughout their almost 50-year history. But they’ve also had plenty of identity changes, having originally been known as the Broken Combs when Eddie and Alex formed a band in high school in 1964. With Eddie on violin and Alex playing sax along with school mate Kevan Hill on cello, they played at school lunchrooms.

The Broken Combs lasted two years, before they moved up a few notches on the hard rock scale. In 1972 they called themselves The Trojan Rubber Co, before changing to Genesis. Given the name Genesis was being used by a popular English band, they changed again, this time to Mammoth, but again realized it was being used, albeit this time by a smaller LA band. They finally settled on Van Halen in 1974, allegedly driven by lead singer David Lee Roth, not either of the brothers despite the obvious link to their surname. Apparently one of the other name options was Rat Salade. Bullet dodged!^[1]

9 Gene Simmons wanted to call them Daddy Longlegs

Van Halen and Gene Simmons linked up in 1977 after the Kiss singer watched them live with well-known radio DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. Simmons would produce a 10-song demo tape for Van Halen, before their breakthrough self-titled debut album in 1978.

The group hoped the partnership with Simmons would help them get their break in the industry but ultimately it didn’t prove fruitful. Amid all that, Simmons is understood to have wanted them to re-name themselves again, this time to ‘Daddy Longlegs’ for reasons not disclosed. Long story short, Simmons couldn’t land a record deal for Van Halen so they went their separate ways. They also wisely stuck with the name Van Halen. But who knows, maybe the arachnid name may have grown on us?^[2]

8 Eddie & Alex were born in Amsterdam

They’ve always been seen as the hard rock band with ground-breaking guitar solos from Pasadena, LA. But it’s often not known that both Eddie and Alex were born in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and emigrated with their parents to the United States in their early years.

The brothers’ father, Jan, was actually a Dutch jazz musician. Jan was a talented pianist, clarinetist and saxophonist. In 1962, Jan and wife Eugenia relocated the family to LA, encouraged by stories from family members who’d previously emigrated. They left with only 75 guilders which equated to around US$40 at the time.

Interestingly, Van Halen’s song ‘Amsterdam’ on 1995 album ‘Balance’ wasn’t actually written by the Amsterdam-born brothers, but instead by latter lead singer Sammy Hagar.^[3]

7 Eddie met his first wife at a Van Halen gig

It’s rather cliché, but Eddie and his actress first wife Valerie Bertinelli crossed paths for the first time at a Van Halen concert in Louisiana. Valerie wasn’t really a big Van Halen fan either, instead dragged to the show by her brother Patrick, before she bumped into Eddie backstage tuning his guitar. She said it was love at first sight.

“I looked at him and he looked at me and that was it,” she said. “My heart melted.” In a story similar to that from ‘A Star Is Born’, they caught up after the concert and spent the night talking for hours.

Valerie was then a relatively well-known actress on popular US sitcom ‘One Day At A Time’, so Eddie soon moved in with her in the Hollywood Hills. They married not long after in 1981, but divorced in 2007.^[4]

6 Van Halen are in the Guinness Book of Records

It may come as a surprise, but Van Halen hold the mark for the highest-paid single appearance of a band in the Guinness Book of Records. In 1983, Van Halen appeared at the US Festival for 90 minutes, which was worth a stunning US$1.5 million. Some fans may argue this proves Van Halen are the biggest rock band in the world!

Van Halen headlined Heavy Metal Day of the three-day festival organized by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Memorial Day Weekend in southern California. They got top billing, and money, ahead of the likes of David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, The Clash and U2.

A radio station figured out that that equated to Van Halen making $275 per second, but Eddie rebuked that comment when he spoke to Guitar World years later. “What he didn’t realize is that we put every penny of that into the production,” Eddie said. “We didn’t make a f**king dime when it was all over.”^[5]

10 Weird Jobs That Legendary Rockers Had Before Becoming Famous

5 Eddie lost 1/3 of his tongue to tongue cancer

Eddie eventually lost his battle with illness this week but it all started in 2000 with tongue cancer. He subsequently underwent surgery on his tongue which removed one third of it. He was remarkably declared cancer-free in 2002 but more recently he suffered from throat cancer.

Known as a notoriously heavy drinker and smoker from his teenage years, Eddie actually pointed the blame for his tongue cancer at guitar picks. He claimed: “I used metal picks – they’re brass and copper – which I always held in my mouth, in the exact place where I got the tongue cancer.

“I was smoking and doing a lot of drugs and a lot of everything. But at the same time, my lungs are totally clear. This is just my own theory, but the doctors say it’s possible.” Either way, the loss of a third of his tongue never affected him musically.^[6]

4 “Jump” is the band’s only US number one single

When you look up Van Halen on Spotify, you’ll find some massive hits with more than 70 million streams, including “Jump”, “Panama”, “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Hot for Teacher” and “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love”, so it’ll come as a surprise to know that only “Jump” went number one in the US.

Three of those aforementioned anthems came off the monster hit album “1984” with “Jump” getting the most attention thanks to Eddie’s ridiculous guitar solo. “Panama”, “I’ll Wait” (both from “1984”) and “Finish What Ya Started” got as high as 13 on the Billboard charts and number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks list. Popular 1988 track “When It’s Love” got as high as five.

Van Halen’s breakthrough hit “Runnin’ With The Devil” may have been later voted by VH1 in the top 10 greatest hard rock songs of all-time but it only reached a peak of 84th on the US charts.^[7]

3 Eddie’s son was named after Mozart

It’s relatively well known that Eddie’s son Wolfgang joined the band in 2006, replacing Michael Anthony as their bass player as a teenager. Wolfgang, now 29, remains part of the band to this day.

But what’s little known is that the inspiration behind his birth name was to pay homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Van Halens grew up in a musical household and their father Jan provided a classical music background, which included exposing the boys to Mozart’s work.

Interestingly, Eddie’s full name is Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, with his middle name in honour of Ludwig Van Beethoven, as Lodewijk is the Dutch version of the German name Ludwig. While Eddie started a rock band, he always had an attachment to classical music from his youth and he passed that on, albeit in name only, to his son.^[8]

2 “1984” never went no.1 on the charts

When you think about Van Halen albums, you usually think about “1984” given some of the singles which it included. However, despite its universal appeal and longevity, the album never actually managed to be number one on the Billboard charts in the USA.

The big reason was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” couldn’t be bumped. It’s worth noting, “Thriller” was released in December 1982, while “1984” came out in January 1984, but MJ’s album sat number one on the Billboard charts for an astonishing 37 weeks, from February 26, 1983 to April 14, 1984. For five of those weeks, “1984” sat as number two but could never bump MJ off the top spot.

But Eddie can take some comfort and joy in the fact he provided the guitar in massive hit “Beat It” on Jackson’s album, meaning he technically did get that number one spot.^[9]

1 Eddie never technically learnt how to read music

In a 2012 interview with Esquire, Eddie admitted this fact. “I went to Pasadena City College, junior college, just for music,” Eddie said. “But I never learned how to read (music). For scoring and arranging, a Henry Mancini book was the bible. And I never read it, of course.”

Eddie instead claimed he watched his instructors’ fingers and had “good ears” for picking up the subtleties of music. He’d mimic them and improvise at recitals and competitions which he’d often win. It’s clear he was blessed with musical talent but his musician father’s influence was significant. He was also schooled by Lithuanian choirmaster Stasys Kalvaitis in his youth. Either way, Eddie improvised and it worked for him for his whole life.^[10]

10 Rocking Facts About Bands From The Golden Age Of Music

It’s been said that far too many of us, especially today, live in our own bubbles. If you only limit your experience to one media source, one kind of cuisine, or one genre of movie, then you’re missing out on so much. It also skews your understanding of anything outside your bubble and makes you think maybe those things are less prominent or less popular than they really are. Sometimes you can be convinced something is very rare and obscure when the exact opposite is true. 

10. Bioluminescence May Be The Most Common Kind of Communication on Earth.

As humans, we tend to be a little biased towards our own species when it comes to something like communication. We’re the only species that has language, after all, clearly, we’re masters of communication. But language and communication are not the exact same thing. 

As much as speech or the written word may seem like the most common form of communication in the world, there’s compelling evidence that it’s not the case. Thanks to the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean and all the life that exists down where the sun never reaches, there is a more commonly used tool to communicate – bioluminescence. While it seems weird and obscure to us on the surface, that’s just because it exists in a world we don’t spend a lot of time in.

Research has shown that “76% of creatures in the water column and 45% of those living on the bottom” have found a way to make their light shine in a way that communicates meaning to others. 

Light signals generated by creatures that have never even seen the sun can be used to hunt prey and let others know about prey. Some fish will even produce light on the spectrum that is invisible to their prey fish so they can hunt while literally keeping their dinner in the dark. 

Luminescence can also identify potential mates, warn off predators, and most anything that non-light displays might do for creatures that live where natural light is available. Numbers are always a little bit sketchy when you’re dealing with things that live so far removed from us but it’s been deemed potentially the most common form of communication in the world. 

9. Sweethearting Is One of the Most Common Kinds of Retail Theft

Retail theft losses were $112 billion in 2022. That’s a lot of loot missing from Walmart shelves. But retail losses do come in more forms than just someone smuggling Goldfish crackers out of the self-checkout. Shoplifting accounts for a lot of retail theft, but almost equally popular is sweethearting.

In 2018, the National Retail Federation determined that employee theft was responsible for 33.2% of retail losses annually. A sizeable chunk of that is what’s called sweethearting. So the employee doesn’t actually steal the item from work. Instead, a friend or family member comes in to buy it and the employee either discounts it without permission or gives it to their friend for free. 

According to a survey on the practice, 67% of employees admitted to doing it in the two months before the survey and the cost has been estimated to reach as high as $80 million.  

8. Walking is the Most Common Leisure Activity 

Do you like to go for walks? There’s a sort of reputation that walking, one of the most simple and mundane things a person can do, is the realm of old and boring people. There’s a stereotype about senior citizen mall walkers, for instance. And many seniors indeed enjoy walking malls for the ease, amenities, and safety of doing so. But walking is a lot more popular than all that.

Walking is literally the most common physical activity for adults in America. In some ways, it’s so obvious that it seems easy to overlook. If you think about your favorite physical activities, you might be inclined to overlook walking as, for many it’s as commonplace as breathing or blinking, but that’s kinda the point. People who do nothing else are still walking. 

While transportation makes up 29% of the purpose behind walking, 50% of people reported doing it as a leisure activity in 2010. The CDC stats claimed it as high as 65% for women and 62% for men by 2015.

7. The $100 Bill is the Most Common Form of US Currency

If you still use cash to go shopping, you know that a lot of stores won’t accept one hundred dollar bills. This has been an issue for years and one reason is that hundred-dollar bills are popular with counterfeiters so stores don’t want the risk. 

For most people, this isn’t a problem because, when you do have cash, how often are you carrying hundreds? Well, statistically, they’re the bills you should carry because they’re the most common form of currency in the US.

In 2017, the $100 bill surpassed the $1 bill as the most widely circulated note. If you’re not seeing a correlation in your wallet, fear not. The second half of this fact is that most of the $100 bills are circulating outside of America. American hundreds are huge in other countries, especially for use in black market deals and other criminal enterprises. They’re small, super light, easy to transport, and easy to hide while also being high value. They’re perfect for all your legitimate and illegitimate cash needs.

6. The Most Common Form of Entertainment for School Shooters is Written

School shootings have been a nightmare in the United States for far too long. Each time one occurs the potential reasons and solutions will be discussed by pundits and talking heads and surely most of us would agree nothing effective ever gets done.

In researching the people who commit these horrible crimes there is a firm belief in the public at large, thanks to media reporting and statements made by those same talking heads that certain media is to blame. In particular, video games often take the rap. Music and movies also have been getting the blame since Columbine in 1999. 

According to the FBI, about 27% of shooters exhibit interest in violent movies which is remarkably low. A more common interest? Writing. The largest group, 37%, showed interest in violence through their own writing including poetry and essays. So if you were looking for warning signs, you’d do well to worry less about Call of Duty and horror movies and more about journals and short stories.

5. Faro Was the Most Common Kind of Gambling in the Old West

If you’re a fan of Wild West movies and shows, then you’ve probably sat through more than your fair share of poker scenes. Even video games like Red Dead Redemption have poker as part of the storyline. Kenny Rogers famously gave us the song and movie combo of The Gambler. As such, the poker/Western thing has been linked in pop culture for decades now.

Ironically, poker was not all that popular in the Old West. The most popular game of the time was called faro, and in the modern world, it’s all but extinct. Faro was in every single gambling house and no other game, including poker and craps, has managed to match the popularity it once had.

According to the good folks at Bicycle cards, the game dates back to the court of Louis XIV. By the time of the Civil War, there were 150 gambling houses in Washington DC and Faro was the big draw at every single one. 

The game involves a banker against whom all other players play. Players bet on a card from ace up to king. The banker is then dealt a card and all players, as a whole, are dealt a card. If you bet on the banker card, you just lost. If you bet on the player card, you won. There’s a little more to it than that but, in a nutshell, that’s how it worked. It was fast, easy, and everyone loved it. 

4. An Herb Called Laser Was One of the Most Valuable and Common in Ancient Rome

Back before lasers meant “pew pew” they were an herb in ancient Rome. It may not even be a living thing anymore as it seems to have been harvested to extinction. But once upon a time, laser was everywhere and in everything. 

Also called silphium, the plant was a wild crop that grew near modern-day Libya. For years it was the region’s biggest export and made the city that harvested it one of the wealthiest in the Mediterranean.

Caesar kept 1,500 pounds of resin from the plant in Rome’s treasury and it was worth its weight in silver. It was apparently used as medicine, as a seasoning for food, for perfume, and basically anything you could think of doing with a plant. And because of that widespread use with no consideration for sustainability, it was harvested right into extinction.

3. Plasma is the Most Common Form of Matter

If you’re of a certain age, you were taught that matter comes in three forms; solid, liquid, and gas. Later, science classes taught that there’s a fourth form called plasma. So, there are four kinds of matter. Unless you took more advanced science, then there’s degenerate matter, Bose-Einstein condensate, and quark-gluon plasma. But that’s it—seven kinds of matter. Okay, there may be closer to 30, but never mind those. Let’s stick with the top four.

If you have to decide which state of matter is most common, you might want to guess liquid. Lots of water on earth, right? But there’s also lots of solid and probably lots of gas it’s just hard to see. Lucky for you we’re not making you guess. The most common form of matter is plasma. You rarely see it sitting on the lawn, but there’s a lot of it out there. In fact, 99% of matter is believed to be plasma. 

Plasma is very similar to a gas, but it’s so hot that it strips away the bulk of the electrons and the rest is an ionized gas. It’s the stuff of stars and nebulas and all that bright, shiny space stuff we love in Star Trek and Star Wars. If you can see it in space, it’s probably plasma. Also, if you can’t see, it’s still probably plasma. 

2. Opus Number One Is the Most Common Hold Music

Have you ever heard that crazy, synthy hold music on the phone that has a soft percussive beat in the background? If you’ve ever been on hold, you absolutely have because that’s one of the most-heard pieces of music in the world. That hold music, the most common hold music in the world, is used by over 65 million Cisco corporate phones around the world. 

The music, called Opus No. 1, was written by a 16-year-old named Tim Carleton in his parent’s garage back in 1989. Some years later a friend of his was working at Cisco and remembered the track. He called Carleton up and asked if he’d be cool with letting the company use it as their hold music, and he was. Odds are he had no idea it would spread across the world and still be used decades later, but here we are. 

1. Lysol Was Once the Most Common Form of Suicide in Australia 

Suicide is a very serious issue and if you’re dealing with depression or other issues that make you want to self-harm then we absolutely encourage you to find someone you can trust to talk to and get help. 

Historically, there have been many ways people have gone about taking their own lives, and in the current world firearms are still the most popular method. About 52% of people use a gun to take their own life. But, as we said, methods have changed over time.

In Australia back in 1911, Lysol inexplicably became the most common choice for people looking to take their own lives. It was cheap, easy to obtain, and extremely toxic, all of which made it a simple option for anyone who wanted to follow through on the act.

Thanks mostly to Hollywood, many Wild West outlaws have reached folk hero status. Even today, people know gangs like the Wild Bunch, the Dalton Gang, or Billy the Kid and his Regulators, and their reputations are such that many would tremble at the thought of going back in time and meeting any of them in person.

But history doesn’t treat everyone equally. When some figures are pushed to the front, others are necessarily relegated to the background. These next entries are not well-remembered today, but their exploits formed a fascinating contribution to the lore of the Wild West.

10 The Rio Grande Posse

The Rio Grande Posse, active during the 1870s and 1880s, was also known as the John Kinney Gang after its founder and leader. Kinney, a military man, was discharged from the US Army in 1865 and started his gang, focusing primarily on cattle rustling and robbery. The gang contained members who would go on to become more prominent figures of the Wild West. They included Jesse Evans, who went on to form his own gang, and Charles “Pony Diehl” Ray, who later joined Curly Bill Brocius during his famous fights against the Earp brothers.^[1]

The Kinney Gang’s defining moment came in 1878, when it took part in the Lincoln County War, fighting against Billy the Kid and his Regulators. According to legend, Kinney got part of his ear shot off by Billy during a gunfight. When the feud was over, some of the men stayed with Kinney, while others broke off and joined Evans’s new gang.

The end of the posse came in 1883, when Kinney was arrested for cattle rustling. By the time he was released, everyone else was either dead or in jail. Kinney avoided returning to a life of crime and instead joined the Army again during the Spanish-American War.

9 The Bummers

While most of the West’s infamous groups made a name for themselves through cattle rustling, robberies, and gunfights, the Colorado Territory was plagued by a less ambitious bunch. They were a group of lowlifes, losers, and layabouts known as the Bummers, headed by Eddie “Shooter” Coleman.

They mostly targeted a mining settlement called Auraria, today a part of Denver. The Bummers usually resorted to petty theft and vandalism, taking advantage of the fact that the territory had not been incorporated yet and lacked any official law enforcement. At night, they would get loud, drunk, and rambunctious, firing their guns in the air as a display of intimidation toward the law-abiding citizens of the town.

Eventually, the Bummers went too far. Over the Christmas holiday of 1859, the ne’er-do-wells stole a farmer’s wagon full of birds intended for Christmas dinners, triggering the colorfully named Turkey War.^[2] The townsfolk had finally had enough and gathered a vigilante posse. The two groups clashed. One Bummer was killed during the fight, and a few more were promptly lynched. The rest of the gang got the message—they left town and went their separate ways.

8 The Innocents

The Innocents were either the most vicious, bloodthirsty gang in the history of the Old West or patsies who were used by an equally bloodthirsty group of vigilantes. It all depends on who you ask.

First, the official version: The Innocents were a group of highwaymen active throughout the Montana Territory during the gold rush, preying on travelers carrying gold between cities. They were led by a corrupt sheriff named Henry Plummer and had killed over 100 people before they were stopped by a vigilante group. Most of the Innocents, sheriff included, wound up hanging from trees following brief trials or, in some cases, no trials at all.

That was the official story for over a century, but historians in recent decades began to question if the Innocents were such a prolific gang or, indeed, if they existed at all. There are records of multiple gold robberies and murders during that time, but little evidence connects them together, let alone implicates one single gang. The dozens of alleged victims of the Innocents were cut into pieces and buried, burned, or dumped under ice, but none of them were found. Neither was their stolen treasure.

The official story was believed for so long because it came from a reputable source. Many of the vigilantes became prominent figures of Montana’s early years as a state. This included Thomas Dimsdale, Montana’s first newspaper editor and the author of The Vigilantes of Montana.^[3]

People’s opinions of the Innocents were exemplified perfectly by Sheriff Henry Plummer’s posthumous trial in 1993. The verdict split 6-6, ending in a mistrial.

7 The Jennings Gang

The Jennings Gang was proof that, even in the Wild West, not everyone was cut out for a life of crime. Formed by lawyers-turned-criminals Al (pictured above) and Frank Jennings, the eponymous gang was initially feared because it also included former Wild Bunch member Richard “Little Dick” West. However, the gang’s short-lived criminal career only spanned a few months in 1897.

Active in Oklahoma, they tried to rob a few trains, stores, and a post office, but none of their heists proved financially fruitful. One general store only had $15, and during one train robbery, they blew up an empty safe. Given their criminal incompetence, the gang was soon arrested. Only “Little Dick” managed to escape, and he died in a gunfight a year later.

More interesting was Al Jennings’s career following his five-year stint in jail. After receiving a presidential pardon in 1907, Jennings got into politics and successfully won the Democratic nomination for Oklahoma County attorney in 1912. He ran on a platform of honesty, openly talking about his criminal past.

While Jennings didn’t win, he attracted the attention of Hollywood and launched his fourth career as a silent film actor. His filmography included two dozen acting credits, including a starring role in a 1914 biopic about his life titled Beating Back. Jennings put his newfound popularity to good use and ran for governor Oklahoma. He finished third out of six in the Democratic primaries.^[4]

6 The Red Jack Gang

The Red Jack Gang was active in the early 1880s, targeting stagecoaches along the San Pedro River in Arizona. The leader was “Red Jack” Almer, noted for his ginger hair and pale complexion, which gave him a youthful, almost feminine appearance.

Although the gang pulled off several successful heists, their most memorable haul came on August 10, 1883, when they robbed a Florence-Globe Stagecoach carrying a Wells Fargo strongbox holding a fortune in gold. Prior to the robbery, Almer got on the stagecoach as a passenger to ensure it was transporting valuable loot. Conflicting reports say that he either got off before the robbery or stayed on and somehow signaled his partners. According to one colorful legend, Red Jack also took advantage of his appearance by wearing a dress and disguising himself as a woman to deflect suspicion.^[5]

Whatever the truth might be, the gang made off with thousands of dollars in gold, which was never recovered. However, their exploits also put the law on their trail, and several posses tracked them down one by one. Almer himself was killed in a gunfight by Earp associate Sheriff Bob Paul.

5 The Ketchum Gang

Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum (pictured above) started out his criminal career with his older brother, Sam, in the mid-1890s. The two were rumored to have been behind the 1896 disappearance and presumed murder of Texas senator Albert Fountain and his eight-year-old son, Henry. The brothers were involved in a bloody shootout that same year after robbing a store. The owner, Levi Herzstein, rounded up a small four-man posse and pursued the criminals. A gunfight ensued, in which Levi and a companion were killed, and the other two barely escaped with their lives.^[6]

As the Ketchum Gang grew, they began targeting trains and stagecoaches. By this point, the gang included several prominent outlaws who would go on to join Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, such as Ben “Tall Texan” Kilpatrick and Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan.

In 1899, the gang, led by Sam Ketchum, robbed a train without Tom. Although successful, they were pursued by a posse and engaged in a gunfight where several members were either killed or fatally injured, including Sam.

Shortly thereafter, Black Jack tried to rob a train single-handedly. However, the conductor recognized him and blew off his right arm with a shotgun blast. Afterward, Ketchum was captured and arrested. The violent man met a fittingly violent end. His hanging was botched, and Ketchum was decapitated in front of a shocked audience.

4 The Dodge City Gang

Unlike other entries on this list, the Dodge City Gang had high aspirations and aimed to dominate the political and economic life of a booming Las Vegas, New Mexico, through corruption, intimidation, and violence.

The gang was active for a few months in 1879. It was mostly composed of gunslingers who fought together during Railroad Wars in New Mexico. The leader was Hyman Neill, also known as Hoodoo Brown.^[7] He parlayed his reputation as a gunfighter into a position as justice of the peace with the promise of stamping out corruption. Instead, he installed his fellow gunslingers into positions of law enforcement. Joe Carson, “Mysterious” Dave Mather, and Dave Rudabaugh became chief of police, deputy marshal, and policeman, respectively.

Carson was soon killed in a shoot-out. Despite their successful positions, the gang members couldn’t refrain from the occasional robbery. Eventually, a deputy named John Sherman assembled enough honest men to catch the criminals in the act. Most of them were arrested. Mather was acquitted and went on to build a fearsome reputation as a gunfighter before vanishing from the history books. Although Hoodoo Brown didn’t take part in the robbery, the people knew he was involved, and an angry mob ran him out of town.

3 The Jack Taylor Gang

Active throughout the Arizona Territory and Mexico during the mid-1880s, the Jack Taylor Gang gained a fearsome reputation for being cruel and quick to draw. They once murdered four passengers during a single train robbery and four more train crew members on different occasions.

The beginning of the end for the gang came in 1887, in Mexico, when the eponymous leader was captured by Rurales and sentenced to life in prison.^[8] The rest of the gang returned to Arizona. However, this brought them under the purview of Cochise County sheriff “Texas” John Slaughter, who was tipped off to their presence, swiftly rounded up a posse, and went in pursuit.

There were four members left: Manuel Robles, Fred Federico, Geronimo Miranda, and Nieves Deron. Foolishly, they thought they could hide out with relatives and visited Robles’ brother in Contention City. Slaughter learned of this and stormed the house where Deron and Robles were sleeping, prompting a gunfight. Deron was killed, and Robles, although shot, managed to escape and rendezvous with Miranda and Federico later. The men left Arizona and moved again into Mexican territory.

All three remaining members of the Jack Taylor Gang met their end later that year. Robles and Miranda both died in a shootout with the Mexican Rurales. Federico shot a deputy sheriff and was captured and hanged soon after.

2 The McCanles Gang

The event that took place on July 21, 1861, at Rock Creek Station, Nebraska, became known as the McCanles Massacre. According to certain accounts, three men acted in self-defense against a ruthless gang looking to start trouble. Others, however, contend that the McCanles Gang never really existed and that those same three men committed cold-blooded murder to get out of a debt. Whatever the truth might be, the shootout helped start the legend of Wild Bill Hickok.

David McCanles (pictured above) owned the property that the Rock Street Station was built on and where a then-unknown James Butler Hickok worked as a stock tender. According to the popular story, he was also a ruthless outlaw who terrorized the region with his gang. On that fateful day, McCanles and two of his men, James Woods and James Gordon, came to collect payment from the station manager, Horace Wellman. When the manager didn’t have the full sum, McCanles turned violent and tried to kill him.

Luckily for Wellman, Hickok and another stock tender named Brink were present and jumped to his aid. In the ensuing shootout, McCanles and his two henchmen were gunned down. Hickok was later charged with murder but acquitted.

There’s another version of the story, one told by McCanles’s 12-year-old son Monroe, who was there but wasn’t allowed to testify due to his age.^[9] He claimed his father and his men came unarmed and were gunned down without provocation by Hickok, Wellman, and Brink. Wellman then tried to kill Monroe with a hoe but missed, and the boy managed to make a run for it.

1 The Reynolds Gang

The true nature of the Reynolds Gang is disputed, but few would argue against the fact that they had a fascinating history mostly forgotten today. They were Confederate soldiers who became outlaws, targeting the Colorado Territory. Led by Jim and John Reynolds, they primarily robbed coaches passing through the Kenosha Pass and weren’t above shedding blood from time to time.

Some historians contend that the gang remained loyal to the Confederacy. They were under military orders to disrupt Union supply lines, and the stolen money was to be saved and sent back to the Confederate Army. Whatever the real story, people eventually had enough and formed a posse. They caught up to the gang on July 31, 1864, and a gunfight ensued. One outlaw died, and five others were captured shortly. Only John Reynolds and Jack Stowe managed to escape into New Mexico.^[10]

Afterward came another bit of controversy. The official story said that the prisoners were gunned down during a failed escape attempt. However, an inquiry by Confederate sympathizers revealed that the men were chained to a tree and executed under the orders of Colonel Chivington, the same man who orchestrated the Sand Creek Massacre.

Fast-forward seven years, and John Reynolds was partnered with a man named Al Brown. After being fatally injured during a gunfight, Reynolds allegedly told Brown where he buried the money stolen with his gang. Brown traveled to Mount Logan but was unable to find the loot due to a landslide altering the landscape. Since then, treasure hunters have been eagerly searching the area, hoping to uncover Reynolds’s lost treasure.

The idea of using contraceptives is as old as time. Due to the advanced medicine of today, we have many forms available to suit anyone’s needs, but this wasn’t always the case. From stealthy pessaries to handcrafted condoms, the birth control devices of old range from ineffective to bizarre.

The first birth control clinic in the US was opened in 1916 in New York City by Margaret Sanger, an advocate for the right to contraceptive use.^[1] The approval of such offices appears to have been controversial even back then, as the first one had a difficult time finding doctors and was quickly shut down after its initial opening. Still, professionals carried on with their work in the pursuit to find and refine contraceptive methods. Their efforts have transformed into the popular techniques we now use today.

While it is difficult to find surviving contraceptive devices of old due to most of the materials being small and made of biodegradable substances, a glance at record books and historical populations gives hints to the fact that some form or other of birth control was most likely in use among different cultures throughout the course of history.

10 Breastfeeding

It is common knowledge that ovulating women can get pregnant unless they are using some form of contraceptive. This cycle can be affected by stress, fluctuating hormones, poor diet choices, and other medical conditions, though. When women do not menstruate for three months or more, it is then considered abnormal and called amenorrhea. The state when a monthly cycle is interrupted is not always a cause for concern and can even occur naturally.

One natural event that results in a woman not ovulating is pregnancy. A lesser-known fact is that if a woman nurses a young baby of fewer than six months old, there is a reaction within the brain from the suckling process that can stop her body from releasing an egg. The process ensures she is not able to become pregnant while still caring for a newborn. To take advantage of this natural period of infertility and utilize it as a form of birth control, a woman can continue to breastfeed her baby at regular intervals using the Lactation Amenorrhea Method, or LAM.

In ancient times, LAM was not only well-known but commonly practiced. Purposefully or not, a woman would sometimes maintain the breastfeeding cycle for up to three years to keep from becoming pregnant. The natural use of this technique particularly kept nomadic families to relatively small sizes, making it easier to maintain their roaming lifestyle.^[2]

9 Animal Intestines And Fish Membranes

The use of condoms is not new, though it is difficult to nail down exactly when they first became popular because the materials used were biodegradable and often did not survive the wear of time. It was realized early on, though, that a protective covering could help prevent pregnancy, and over the years, multiple forms were tested. Animal materials won the prize and were widely regarded as the most effective and readily available. Interestingly enough, though, the condom was used more frequently to protect against venereal diseases instead of pregnancy, as conditions such as syphilis were common and widespread. A well known tenth-century Persian physician, Al-Akhawayni Bukhari, would even recommend a gallbladder to his patients as protection against illness.

When the use of condoms became more popular, pharmacies began to regularly stock certain brands and styles. One of the common brands was the “goldbeater.” Made of animal intestines, the thin material was originally developed for use in processing gold leaf, hence its given name. However, the finely pounded skin was also found to be perfect for use as a condom because it was reasonably waterproof and flexible and had great durability.

While all of these materials worked well and were readily accessible, a fish membrane, specifically the swim bladder, became the condom of choice for its superior quality and protection against pregnancy and syphilis.^[3]

8 Silphium And Related Flora

Silphium is a now-extinct plant due to its popular use as a natural contraceptive in the ancient world. Thought to be related to the fennel family, the plant grew in the area of what is now modern-day Libya and was cultivated for its resin. Because of its extreme effectiveness and desirability, images of the flora even appeared on the currency of the civilization where it was most popular.

Unfortunately, the plant was quickly used up, and the exact family to which silphium belonged is still uncertain, though it has been speculated to perhaps still be in existence as a misidentified flower. Interestingly, the seed of the silphium plant is depicted as being heart-shaped, leading a few to believe that the plant may have become the modern-day symbol of love.^[4]

Another couple of plants known to cause abortions and infertility are pennyroyal and Queen Anne’s lace. The oil and seeds of these weeds are used in some medicines, cooking applications, and herbal remedies. The danger in the use of pennyroyal, though, is that the amount needed to cause an abortion can also cause kidney and liver damage. Queen Anne’s lace is a little bit safer if you know what you’re doing but is also technically classified as a poisonous plant.

Another problem with these supplements is that they can easily be confused with different and more deadly versions. Despite the foreboding issues, both types are still used by herbalists and in poor communities.

7 Lysol Douches

A douche is known today as a feminine hygiene product, but it was also widely thought to be usable as a method of contraception when first introduced. As a douche is used to “wash out” the inside of the vagina, the idea was that sperm, too, would be rinsed out after coition. In fact, the idea is completely backward and could actually help push material up into the uterus and assist with pregnancy.

Another issue with douching as a method of contraception is that the water used inside a douche used to be mixed with disinfectants like Lysol.^[5] This was considered the same as using spermicides; however, regular washing changes the chemical composition of the inner vaginal walls. As this part of the body is naturally a hostile environment for sperm, the process most likely left ladies’ insides more vulnerable to diseases and pregnancy than before the wash.

6 Plant Resin And Animal Feces

A tried and true natural spermicide can be made from a paste of acacia tree gum and honey. Acacia ferments and produces lactic acid, which will kill sperm if they come into contact with it.

The mixture was soaked in cotton and placed into the vagina in ancient Egypt, but this wasn’t the only natural spermicide that was popularly used.^[6] Everything from crocodile to elephant dung has been rumored to work and were also utilized often throughout parts of Asia.

5 Rythmeter

During the early years of the 1900s, birth control was more controversial than ever. On the one hand, there was an entire church following completely against contraceptives, and on the other, people were realizing that a substantial financial burden could be avoided merely by having fewer children. For this reason, scientists were looking closely into the science of contraception and exactly when a woman was and wasn’t fertile.^[7]

The problem was that most doctors studied animals and assumed women’s systems were the same; they soon found this not to be true. Upon the realization that doctors had been basing their observations off inaccurate subjects, scientists began delving further into the mystery of a woman’s fertile period. From these studies, a technical device known as a “Rythmeter” developed.

The complicated-looking wheel was meant for a woman to use as a calendar of her menstrual cycle and was supposed to help calculate when she was in a safe “rhythm” of infertility. Unfortunately, every body is different, and a lot of outside factors can come into play when trying to calculate virility. Although it was popular, compared to actual contraceptive devices like condoms, it was by far not the most effective.

4 Cervical Caps

The cervical cap has been around for centuries and only fell out of popularity recently because condoms and the pill became more widespread. However, it is making a comeback as a formidable means of birth control.

Usually used with another spermicide, the cervical cap is smaller than a diaphragm and creates a barrier around the cervix that sperm cannot get through. Through the centuries, such devices have been produced, even en masse, in the form of leather, metal, and plastic. One of the most famously creative ones, though, may have come from the notes of Giacomo Casanova.

Casanova, one of the more prominent historical figures known for his charm, noted in his memoirs the use of half a lemon as a cervical cap. Accompanying this with either a goat bladder or linen condom was one of his tried and true methods to prevent pregnancy. The acidity of the lemon most likely acted as a natural spermicide and probably accomplished its task relatively well.^[8]

3 Electrocautery

For years, multiple types of sterilization techniques have been tested in the medical world in an attempt to limit populations and to prevent those with medical issues from getting pregnant. Today, tube tying is particularly common for women, especially after having children, as a way to prevent a family from growing any larger. The primary benefit of this method is that it can often be undone, but this was not always the case.

One technique that was often endeavored and used in the late 1800s was that of electrocautery.^[9] Cauterization by the use of running electricity through metal rods was not uncommon, and it only made sense that this could be performed on the fallopian tubes. Using electrodes to seal off the pathways was meant to prevent eggs from becoming fertilized.

The technique was not necessarily known for being successful and caused more concern for safety than anything. However, it was popularly attempted for decades.

2 Rue, Pepper, And Pomegranate Seeds

Muslim scholar Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi suggested a mixture of rue juice and pepper to be taken as the historical equivalent of a morning after pill. The herbal concoction was supposed to induce abortions, but the efficacy is up for questioning.^[10]

The Greeks, on the other hand, believed pomegranate seeds would reduce fertility, and it has been scientifically shown that rats that are fed the fruit do become less fertile.

1 Lead And Mercury

Perhaps the most truly dangerous contraceptive was seen in ancient China. Women in imperial times would intentionally drink metals such as mercury and lead to ensure that they didn’t become pregnant.^[11]

Today, we know that such substances would not only render you infertile but also make you extremely sick or crazy, result in organ failure, or cause other permanent damage. Unfortunately, the practice was relatively effective at preventing pregnancy and is known to have been in widespread use throughout the course of history.

A freelance writer of content and copy living the dream of a digital nomad. Learning skills and exploring new places is my favorite hobby.

The Wild West, or the Old West, refers to the period of western expansion in United States history, roughly from the late 19th century and early 20th century. While most of us today only know it as a fictional aesthetic, the period was full of real violence and lawlessness, especially along the frontier regions. The unique characteristics of that time gave rise to numerous powerful Wild West gangs, some of which were known for their brutality and scale of violence. 

10. Soap Gang

The Soap Gang was a group of conmen led by Jefferson Randolph Smith II, better known as Soapy Smith. It was formed in 1879 in Denver, Colorado, and quickly gained fame for their innovative con jobs. Smith was a skilled con artist specializing in many scams, including the ‘Prize Package Soap Sell’ racket, which involved selling bars of soap to a crowd with a chance to win a valuable prize inside. Of course, he’d always have a member in the crowd to buy the soap at a higher price, convincing others into putting their money into worthless soaps.

The Soap Gang gained fame in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as they traveled from town to town throughout the American West defrauding locals and visitors alike. They were especially active in the towns of Skagway and Juneau, Alaska, during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-1899. 

The gang’s downfall came in 1898, when a group of vigilantes known as the Committee of 101 in Skagway, led by a man named Frank Reid, decided to pick bounties against some of the criminals in town, including members of the Soap Gang. Soapy Smith and several members were killed in a shootout at Juneau Wharf.

9. Dalton Gang

The Dalton Gang, also known as the Dalton Brothers, was a group of outlaws that gained fame during the latter part of the 19th century. It was formed in 1890 in Oklahoma by four brothers, Bob, Emmett, Grat, and Bill Dalton, with other members like Bill Doolin and George “Bitter Creek” Newcomb joining some time later. They were feared for their daring train and bank robberies across the American West, and could be called one of the most dangerous gangs of the time.

Their most famous robbery was that of the C.M. Condon & Co. Bank in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1892. The gang was confronted by lawmen and citizens during the robbery, resulting in a shootout that left several members and civilians dead. It became known as the Coffeyville Raid and further cemented the gang’s reputation as ruthless criminals. Their final heist came in 1894, when they attempted to rob two banks simultaneously in the town of El Reno, Oklahoma. It ended in disaster, with most of the gang members killed or captured. 

8. Archer Gang

The Archer Gang was active in central Indiana and parts of Illinois and Kentucky during the mid 19th century. Formed by brothers Thomas, Mort, John, and Sam, they robbed banks and other businesses in towns throughout large parts of Indiana. They’d also rob stagecoaches, trains, and other travelers on the roads, sometimes even resorting to stealing cattle and horses from unsuspecting residents of small towns.

The members of the Archer gang were mostly farmers and millers who turned to robbery and crime during hard financial times. Many civilians and other regular folk died or disappeared due to their activities, particularly in the Martin County region. Their reign ended in 1886, when three of the Archer brothers were arrested by law enforcement in the town of Shoals. Before they could be tried, however, they were broken out by local vigilantes and lynched nearby.

7. Reynolds Gang

The Reynolds Gang was a short-lived group of criminals and outlaws operating in Colorado during the 1860s. It was named after brothers James and John Reynolds, gaining popular attention in 1864, when local newspapers in and around the South Park region started talking about their early crimes. Most of the members were experienced criminals and ex-Confederate soldiers, executing a number of high-profile robberies and murders in the area until they were brought down. 

Because of their Confederate past, the Reynolds gang was associated with many local stories and legends of lost treasures, despite their relatively short existence. The Reynolds brothers and many of the gang’s members were arrested and eventually shot in the summer of 1864, bringing a quick end to their exploits.

6. Rufus Buck Gang

The Rufus Buck Gang lived in Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. It was formed in 1895 and consisted of Rufus Buck, a Creek Indian, Lewis Davis, Sam Sampson, and brothers Maoma July and Lucky Davis. They were known for robberies, murders and assaults, and were particularly notorious for their level of brutality. 

The Rufus Buck Gang gained attention in July 1895, when they first robbed Fort Smith and violently murdered the marshal in charge. Their list of crimes includes rape and torture, as they terrorized the region for many months. When members of the Rufus Buck gang were finally  captured on August 10, they were almost lynched by the locals. All of them were eventually put on trial and sentenced to death at Fort Smith, Arkansas. 

5. McCarty Gang

The McCarty gang was headed by Tom McCarty, and included his brother Bill McCarty and nephew Fred McCarty. Their first operation was robbing the Wallowa National Bank in Enterprise, Oregon, followed by many other heists and robberies in and around Colorado. 

While the McCarty’s were great at evading law enforcement, they were ultimately downed by a bunch of civilians during a raid in Delta, Colorado in September 1893. While they had partly succeeded, the heist ended in the death of the cashier, resulting in an armed fight between the locals and the gang’s members. Bill and Fred were shot dead in the resulting violence, bringing an abrupt end to the McCarty gang. While Tom managed to escape the law and settle down as a sheepherder in Montana, he was also killed in a gunfight around the turn of the century. 

4. Calton Gang

Also known as The Cowboys, the Caltons were a family of outlaws and cattle rustlers living along the Mexican border during the late 19th century. It was an early form of organized crime in the area, and the gang members mostly included people from the Carlton family living in Tombstone, Arizona. They were infamous for robberies, murders, and other forms of crime in the border regions, and are still remembered as one of the most feared outlaw groups in Arizona’s history.

The gang was involved in a number of crimes, including a high-profile gunfight against rival gang members that resulted in the death of William “Billy” Clanton. The gang’s rivalry with the Earp brothers and their allies led to a series of violent confrontations now known as the Earp-Clanton feud. Even after the gang’s downfall, the Clantons remained an influential ranching group in the region for a long time.

3. Ketchum Gang

The Ketchum gang was named after its leader, Black Jack Thomas Ketchum, along with his brother, Sam, and other members like Will Carver, Elza Lay, and Ben Kilpatrick, who was also associated with Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. Active during the late 1890s, they were known for robberies of all kinds in small towns in the New Mexico region.

One of their most famous robberies happened in Folsom, New Mexico, when members Sam Ketchum, Will Carver, and Elzy Lay decided to carry out a heist without Black Jack Ketchum. While they managed to rob about $50,000, the group was pursued by a posse led by Sheriff Edward Farr. Sam Ketchum was seriously wounded in the ensuing shootout, though the other members were able to escape to a nearby hideout. Some of them were later arrested, or went on to work with other gangs in the region. Black Jack Ketchum was arrested on August 16, 1899 during an attempted robbery, and was eventually hanged in Union County, New Mexico. 

2. Daly Gang

The Daly Gang was a group of thugs operating out of a saloon in Aurora, Nevada between 1862 and 1864. Founded by “Three-Fingered Jack” McDowell and John Daly, they quickly gained a reputation for beatings and murder in and around the Aurora region. Apart from the regular stagecoach and bank robberies, they also targetted the goldfields springing up between Aurora and Carson City during the gold rush period.

It was one of the most powerful gangs in the region’s history, though their terror ultimately came to an end when they murdered a man named William R. Johnson in a gruesome manner. As a result, the citizens of nearby towns formed a local civilian committee and attacked McDowell’s saloon on February 5, 1864. After the fight, all of the gang’s members were arrested and hanged outside the Armory Hall in Aurora. 

1. Mason Henry Gang

The Mason Henry gang operated in the San Joaquin Valley in Santa Cruz County, California during the mid-1860s. Named after its leaders, John Mason and Jim Henry, the gang posed as Confederate partisan rangers, but were, in reality, a band of ruthless criminals who committed robberies, thefts, and murders throughout the southern part of the valley.

The Mason Henry gang was involved in several high-profile robberies, including the theft of a large amount of gold from a stagecoach. They also murdered several people, and despite their efforts to portray themselves as Confederate soldiers, the gang’s actions quickly earned them a reputation as ruthless outlaws among local civilians.

Their downfall came in September 1865, when a posse led by the local sheriff pursued and engaged them in a shootout near Panoche Pass. Several members were killed in the ensuing battle, including Henry and Showalter, bringing an end to the famous-yet-short-lived Mason Henry gang.

The sports documentary miniseries The Last Dance received critical acclaim and captured every sports fan’s imagination as it concluded on Netflix recently. It was a compelling account of what made Michael Jordan and the 1990’s Chicago Bulls great.

But there were some obscure facts along the way, which didn’t make the final cut.

10 Of The World’s Most Bizarre Sports

10 He’s technically from New York

It’s a little-known fact that Jordan was actually born in Brooklyn, New York at Cumberland Hospital. He didn’t live in the Big Apple for long, as it was when he was a toddler that his parents, James and Delores, moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where his obsession with basketball developed. The Jordans only resided in New York for 18 months, while father James undertook mechanic’s training on the GI Bill where he studied airplane hydraulics.

MJ’s formative years were in North Carolina, so he definitely never regarded New York as his home. After his playing career with both Chicago and Washington, Jordan bought a stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, in his home state of North Carolina. He still owns a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets (they reverted back to their original name in 2014) to this day, thus is his attachment to the state.^[1]

9 He grew four inches in one summer as a teenager

In Jordan’s sophomore year at Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington he tried out for the varsity basketball team but missed out as he was too short at 5’11” (180cm). Given his father was only 5’9″ and mother was 5’6″, it didn’t look good for Michael.

The following summer he exploded in height, growing four inches (10cm) to 6’2”. He’d already started to dominate with his junior varsity team and trained intently on breaking into the varsity team but his growth spurt only helped his cause. He succeeded, started averaging big points, grew even more to 6’3” and eventually made the 1981 McDonald’s All-American Game. Next stop was college basketball.^[2]

8 He studied cultural geography at college

Given his prodigious talent, Jordan accepted a basketball scholarship in 1981 at the University of North Carolina. It’s hard to believe it, but Jordan enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts with a Geography major. He studied Basic Writing, Selected Math, Beginning Tennis and Elementary Portuguese in his first term in fall 1981.

With his star on the rise after dominating college basketball and winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, Jordan opted to delay his final year and enter the 1984 NBA Draft. He joined Chicago, but actually returned to North Carolina in 1986 to complete his Geography major. It’s understood his interest in cultural geography developed during a 1983 trip to Venezuela with the US Pan American team.^[3]

7 Why he wore 23

Jordan’s number 23 is iconic and has spawned many copycats in his honour, such as soccer’s David Beckham, cricket’s Shane Warne and basketball star LeBron James. So why did Michael choose the number 23?

The number carried significant sentimental importance for Michael, whose role model as a youngster was his brother Larry, who was older than him by 11 months. Larry played for their high school varsity basketball team and wore the number 45. Michael eventually made that team and chose to halve the 45, wearing 23. Thankfully 22.5 wasn’t available.

Of course, MJ wore both 23 and 45 during his NBA career, as highlighted by The Last Dance when he returned after his first retirement, only to surrender the latter jersey during the 1994-95 NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals after a sledge from Orlando’s Nick Anderson when he said “number 45 doesn’t explode like number 23 used to”.^[4]

6 He once wore number 12 in the NBA

It’s a quirky fact that in a match against the Orlando Magic in the 1989-90 NBA season he wore the number 12 jersey. The story goes that Jordan’s jersey was stolen from the visitors’ change-rooms at Orlando’s Amway Arena some time between Chicago’s gameday morning shoot-around and when they arrived pre-game at about 4:30pm.

Despite the fact that the visiting change-rooms was locked up airtight, somehow Jordan’s jersey had gone missing, prompting an arena-wide search. It’s also believed there was a PA announcement across the venue asking fans if they may donate a Jordan shirt which would fit him! Nothing came to fruition and Jordan, albeit agitated by not having his preferred kit, settled for an unnamed number 12 jersey. It didn’t faze him on court, as he scored 49 points although the Bulls went down 135-129.

A recent Orlando Magic video claimed that one of the Bulls’ personnel hatched an elaborate plan to steal the 23 jersey through a ceiling tile.^[5]

Top 15 Worst Sports Moments of All Time

5 He had a “Love of the Game” clause in his contract

At the very start of Jordan’s NBA career he had an unusual clause put in his first professional contract with the Bulls which enabled him to play basketball against anyone, anywhere and anytime. It’s remarkable to think general manager Jerry Krause enabled this to happen, given the risk of injury but Jordan retained it due to his passion for hoops.

It’s understood to literally apply to any situation, from exhibition games to pickup games. Jordan spent countless hours at Wilmington’s Empie Park during his high school days challenging anyone to a game. He embraced playground hoops during his college days and carried that on after graduation in 1986 and 1987, including alumni matches.

It’s believed the clause was removed at some point in the 90s under a new collective bargaining agreement. But during the filming of ‘Space Jam’ in 1995, Warner Brothers erected a facility for Jordan to play basketball, which was highlighted by The Last Dance as matches involving plenty of NBA stars, such as Reggie Miller. MJ just loved to play, and win.^[6]

4 Miami Heat retired his number

Yes, you read that right, the Miami Heat, whom Jordan played a collective total of zero games for, retired his number 23. Remarkably it was also the first time in franchise history that the Heat had retired a number.

Miami retired the number before Jordan’s final game at their home venue, the American Airlines Arena, on April 11 2003, erecting a jersey which was half-Chicago, half-Washington.

Heat coach Pat Riley said on mid-court: “In honor of your greatness and for all you’ve done for the game of basketball—and not just the NBA, but for all the fans around the world—we want to honor you tonight and hang your jersey, number 23, from the rafters. No one will ever wear number 23 for the Miami Heat. You’re the best.” The Heat is the only team other than Chicago to retire his number.^[7]

3 His divorce was the largest celebrity settlement

Jordan married his first wife Juanita Vanoy in 1989 but they split in 2002, before reconciling and then eventually divorcing in 2006. It was claimed that the divorce settlement was worth US$168m, which went down as number one on the Forbes’ list of ‘The 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces’. According to Forbes, Jordan was worth US$525m in 2009.

Jordan was allegedly guilty of infidelity during the marriage, although the couple’s lawyers said publicly that the split was “mutual and amicable”. Besides for the US$168m, he also paid more than US$2m in legal fees.

Since then, actor Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore trumped that settlement with an even more expensive divorce.^[8]

2 He donated a significant lawsuit settlement to charity

In 2015, after a six-year court battle, Jordan received a multimillion-dollar settlement for a lawsuit against supermarkets Dominick’s and Jewel-Osco for the unauthorized use of his name in an advertisement in a 2009 edition of Sports Illustrated. The settlement was undisclosed, although he’d previously won a jury verdict worth US$8.9m against Dominick’s, so it was significant.

Jordan vowed that he’d donate all of the money, once he’d paid his attorneys, to charity. “The 23 charities I’ve chosen to make donations to all support the health, education and well-being of the kids of Chicago,” Jordan said. “Chicago has given me so much and I want to give back to its kids — the city’s future.” For Jordan, the case wasn’t about the money, but instead to protect his image rights.^[9]

1 Same wedding venue as the Trumps

Jordan’s second wife Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto did not feature in The Last Dance. In fact, his first wife Vanoy was also completely absent while his children barely featured in it either. However, Jordan met Prieto well after his playing career, first locking eyes in a nightclub in 2007 when Michael was 44.

Miami raised Prieto and Jordan moved in together in 2009 and the NBA superstar proposed during the Christmas break in 2011. The couple eventually married in 2013 in Florida, with Tiger Woods and Spike Lee among the guest list, while Robin Thicke and Usher both performed.

The venue, an Episcopal church called Bethesda-by-the-Sea, was also where future US President Donald Trump married Melania in 2005. Jordan and Prieto have since had two children together.^[10]

10 Sports Superstars Who Ruined Their Careers

About The Author: I am a Media/Communications professional and long-time Australian freelance journalist, having written for global publications including AAP, Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and many more. Follow me on Twitter @BenSomerford.

Europe is made up of around 50 sovereign countries at the moment. It covers nearly 4 million square miles and European society has mostly shaped the modern world thanks to its historical influence over every other region on the planet in the past 500 years or more. To put it bluntly, Europeans have had their fingers in a lot of pies for a long time. And with all that history there have been a lot of things going on that most of us didn’t even realize.

10. There’s a Knighted Penguin

Once upon a time, knights legitimately fought in battles against other knights with swords and shields and the whole medieval aesthetic that we’ve come to know mostly from movies. To this day the Queen of England can still make somebody a knight if they’ve shown some kind of exemplary character and service, though it’s most often reserved for ceremonial purposes and occasionally will be doled out to people like actors and singers.

As it happens, the rules for becoming a knight are not entirely stringent and any king or queen who wants to play a little fast and loose with how they knight someone can go ahead and do so. After all, who’s going to tell their sovereign leader that they can’t knight someone if they want to? And that’s very possibly how Sir Nils Olav ended up getting knighted back in the year 2008 by King Harald V of Norway. 

Nils Olav was a soldier in the Norwegian guard. In 1982 he ranked as a Corporal. He was promoted to sergeant in 1987, regimental sergeant-major in 1993, honorable regimental sergeant-major in 2001, colonel-in-chief back in 2005, and then in 2008 he was knighted. That seems like a pretty impressive rise through the ranks, and is even more impressive when you realize that Sir Nils Olav is a king penguin and not a human.

These days Sir Olav lives in the Edinburgh Zoo and as of 2016 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier. So he’s actually transcended knighthood. Not bad for a penguin.

In case you’re wondering how a penguin has managed to live this long, it’s worth pointing out that the current Sir Nils Olav is actually the third of his name. The rank, titles, and name just get passed down.

9. Germans Eat 800 million Currywurst a Year

Say what you will about the Germans but those people know how to eat unhealthy food. Two of Germany’s greatest contributions to the culinary world have been beer and sausage. And this isn’t just performative, they take the stuff to heart. For instance, Germans are said to eat in the neighborhood of 800 million currywurst sausages every single year. 

A pork sausage topped with curry powder and ketchup, 70 million of these are consumed by the folks in Berlin alone. Keep in mind that the population of Germany is about 83 million. So essentially everyone in Germany eats close to 10 currywurst sausages per year.

It’s also worth remembering that this is one kind of sausage. In Germany there are about 1,500 different kinds of sausages that you can find. It’s a popular street food and you can find it in nearly every restaurant as well. There’s a restaurant called Bratwurstglocklein im Handwerkerhof that has been cooking bratwurst since the year 1313. Arguably, sausage is in German blood. Maybe literally. 

8. One in Three European Women have Neanderthal Genes

Research in the year 2020 discovered that one in three women have a receptor for progesterone, which is a gene variant associated with increased fertility, less bleeding during early pregnancy, and fewer miscarriages. That’s significant because this particular gene didn’t come from humans. This gene is from Neanderthals which our ancient ancestors interbred with back in the day. 29% of European women have one copy of this Neanderthal receptor and 3% have two.

This isn’t the only Neanderthal gene variant that modern humans have been discovered to carry, but the proportion of women who have inherited this gene is 10 times greater than for most other Neanderthal gene variants. That’s led researchers to conclude it’s been a benefit to us and that’s why it continues to be passed down rather than bred out over time.

7. Europe has a Bison Population

In the 16th Century there were somewhere around 30 million bison in North America. By the late 1800s there were less than a hundred left in the wild. Thanks to conservation efforts there are up to around 31,000 wild bison roaming North America today. And what most people don’t realize is that Europe has had a wild bison population this entire time.

The European bison is a little bit different than its North American cousin and bears more resemblance to domestic cattle. Studies of this animal we’re not super easy to conduct because, by the time anyone cared to look into them, they were just 50 of them left in the wild. Two populations of European bison survived to the 20th century. One was located in the northern Caucasus Mountains in Russia and a larger population was in Poland’s Bialowieza Forest. The Polish bison were protected in a reserve. In the 16th century the Polish King had made it a capital offense to poach bison. Unfortunately a lack of genetic diversity was spelling doom for that population, not to mention that during the First World War Germans occupied the forest and we’re killing the bison for food. The population of 600 was whittled down to 9 bison by the end of the war.

By 1927, the Caucasus population was gone and there were only 12 European bison left in the world. Today, after extensive and well-regulated breeding, the Bialowieza forest is home to a population of about 600 bison once again. Across the continent there are more than 7,500 animals. 

6. Blasphemy is Illegal in 13 European Countries

The pious among us are often reluctant to take the Lord’s name in vain, whatever god it is that they may believe in. Any sort of blasphemy is frowned upon by the most devout but, in general, many states leave that up to the individual. Freedom of religion is abundant in many European nations, so it’s somewhat surprising to learn that blasphemy is still illegal in 13 European nations.

Countries such as Scotland and Northern Ireland have anti-blasphemy laws on the books, as well as Poland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, and Italy among others. That’s not to say that the laws are frequently rolled out and if you stub your toe and yell at Jesus you’re on your way to the slammer, but they haven’t been hibernating either. A Greek blogger was sentenced to 10 months in prison back in 2012 for committing blasphemy. A Polish sculptor got 6 months community service for making a blasphemous sculpture in 2002, and a German physics teacher got a 500 euro fine in 2016 for his blasphemy, so it still happens now and then.

5. Women Wore High Heels to Emulate European Men

If you were to ask people to make a list of clothes that they think make a woman look sexy there’s no doubt that at some point someone would tell you high heeled shoes. High heels are synonymous with an elegant, sexy look and ironically that comes from a tradition in Europe in which women were trying to look more like men. Go figure.

Once upon a time, high heel shoes were strictly the purview of a fancy man about town. Royalty and high society fellows would wear them. The King of France would wear shoes with red heels and only those in his court were allowed to use that color. At the time, it was both rare and spoke of power. Heels were also useful for soldiers as they help keep your feet in the stirrups when you were riding a horse so that you could more easily stand and fire a bow. 

At some point in the 1600s, women began adopting what were at the time men’s fashions. It was a fashion craze that saw them wearing epaulettes on their shoulders, cutting their hair short, and smoking pipes. Among the other habits they adopted was wearing high heel shoes. As time went on, the high heels were adopted as more of a unisex fashion statement rather than a masculine one. And, eventually, this shifted to being strictly the domain of women. 

4. Europeans Once Considered Forks Sacrilege

In the Western World the idea of trying to eat a meal these days without a fork is perplexing at best. If you have a nice steak on your plate, you need a knife and fork to get through it. But like anything, the fork had to have been invented at some point in time and adopting it as regular cutlery was not a simple transition for some people. In fact, once upon a time, a fork was considered an affront to God himself. Or herself. Believe what you will.

Word is that back in the year 1004 Maria Argyropoulina, Greek niece of Byzantine Emperor Basil II, was going to be married in the city of Venice. When she arrived for what was surely a remarkable State dinner she brought with her a case of golden forks. The Venetians had never seen such a thing before and the local clergy were far from impressed. She was condemned for using them at the wedding feast with the clergy saying “God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks—his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to him to substitute artificial metal forks for them when eating.” No word on their opinion about spoons.

3. 18th Century Europe Was Plagued by Grave Robbers

No doubt every culture in every generation is plagued by its own set of societal problems. A few years back there were some communities in the United States that banned people from wearing saggy pants. We all have problems to face. And in Europe during the 18th century one of those big problems with grave-robbing. 

Known as Resurrection Men, there were an inordinate number of people who would head out to cemeteries and dig up fresh cadavers so that they could sell them to hospitals and doctors for medical research. Remember, this was a time when anatomy was one of the most fascinating aspects of medical science and the taboo over studying the dead, and particularly any workings of a human body, had faded enough that it was acceptable for medical professionals to do this. Study the bodies, that is, not necessarily steal corpses from graveyards.

In an effort to calm pad this rash of corpse thievery, a cemetery security industry popped up. Things like cemetery guns were installed by the surviving family members of the recently deceased that would shoot anyone who attempted to dig up the body and got close enough to trip the wires that would set the gun off.

2. Dancing Mania

There’s a famous episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which a musically-inclined demon shows up in Sunnydale and the entire cast is forced to live out a musical. They sing and dance and the conceit of the demon is used to actually explain how this would work in a real-world scenario. Most musicals just take for granted that people break into synchronized dance routines all the time. It’s a fun twist on the idea and it offers up an explanation for why something like that might happen. But if you want an even weirder story, you can go back in time to 1374 Germany when a case of dance mania broke out that caused average people to simply break into dance for no good reason.

According to witness accounts, this plague, known as St. John’s Dance, caused people to leave their houses enjoying each other hand in hand. They would dance and twirl about in the streets literally to the point of exhaustion. And then it spread.

Outbreaks of Dancing Mania occurred over the course of several hundred years and affected thousands of people across Europe. There was never a super accurate explanation for why it happened, or why it went away either. Some have postulated in later years that this was a symptom of ergot poisoning, which is caused by mold in bread. Others have guessed that it wasn’t really an illness at all and it was just kind of a weird social venting of stress that happens spontaneously and everyone went along with it even though they pretended to not know why. Kind of like a mass hysteria thing. 

1. Europeans Ate Mummies 

The history of medicine is not a pretty thing when you look at it across the board. Science is never born fully formed and there’s a lot of trial and error. There’s also a lot of terrible, horrible mistakes and wilful ignorance. There are still people in the world who think taking the horn off of a rhino and grinding it down helps them with their libido. And in that vein, once upon a time in Europe, there were those who felt that their health could be improved if they were to grind up a mummy and consume the dust. 

During the Middle Ages it was believed that Egyptian mummies were prepared with bitumen, which you may know as asphalt. Inexplicably this was thought to cure all manner of diseases. If you had a skin condition you could rub mummy dust on it. If you had a digestive problem you could eat the mummy dust. We’ll probably never know exactly how many mummies were ground up and consumed by Europeans, who were convinced of the health effects but the fact that there was more than one should tell you all you need to know.

Europe is made up of around 50 sovereign countries at the moment. It covers nearly 4 million square miles and European society has mostly shaped the modern world thanks to its historical influence over every other region on the planet in the past 500 years or more. To put it bluntly, Europeans have had their fingers in a lot of pies for a long time. And with all that history there have been a lot of things going on that most of us didn’t even realize.

This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!