Cringeworthy paper cuts aside, the realm of pain is packed with freaky facts. There is the horror of the world’s most noxious bush, why flesh-destroying bacteria really hurt, and the family that cannot be hurt. Agony has a sweet side, too. Some pain feels good, and then there is a walk more popular (and crippling) than fire walking.

Things can also get exceptionally weird. There are people who experience the suffering of others, experiments that produce fake agony, and the robots taught to feel pain.

10 Financial Stress Causes Pain

In recent years, researchers noticed a curious thing. As economic insecurity rose, so did complaints of physical discomfort. To see if there was a link, several studies were gathered and analyzed. The umbrella project was thorough: Researchers looked at the lives, worries, and pain levels of thousands of people.

They were divided into six studies that used different methods, but all arrived at the same conclusion. It physically hurts to be financially insecure. Online surveys, consumer panels, and laboratory volunteers faced questions about finances, unemployment, and consumption of painkillers. Some even endured painful tests.

In 2016, the results showed that stress kicked in when income was too low or people feared an insecure future or a lack of control in their lives. Anxiety has similar neural mechanisms to those responsible for pain. This could explain why cash-strapped volunteers reported buying more painkillers during hard times than those who felt financially secure.^[1]

9 Why Pain Feels Good

Some people enjoy eating chilies so hot that it sets their sinuses on fire. Others love painful sex. In 2013, researchers wanted to know why agony can feel good. They found 18 volunteers willing to suffer. The participants were given two tests plus a warning before having their arms burned.

The first test only zapped them with two degrees—no pain and heat equal to holding an uncomfortably hot mug. During the second test, they were mildly stung (the hot mug level) or given very painful burns. The volunteers rated the “mug” as worse during the first session but pleasurable during the second.

To understand this change, researchers studied MRI scans. Throughout both experiments, the participants’ brain activity had been recorded. Surprisingly, when volunteers knew they had avoided something worse (like the painful burn), the brain dulled its pain region and heightened the areas for pain relief and pleasure.

That was why a bad experience from the first test felt good in the second. Somehow, after expecting the worst, feeling emotional relief made the weaker burn pleasurable.^[2]

8 Hijacked Pain Receptors

Several strains of bacteria cause the terrifying “flesh-eating disease,” but Streptococcus pyogenes is the most rampant. Technically called necrotizing fasciitis, the deadly disease comes with a high mortality rate. One would expect a gruesome condition like fasciitis to hurt. In fact, it is excruciating. The real reason behind the agony was found in 2018, and it was scary.

With a freaky intelligence, the bacteria hijacks the victim’s pain receptors to escape their immune system. It starts during the early stages of infection when S. pyogenes releases a poison. The toxin manipulates neurons to unleash pain and a peptide that stops the immune system from attacking the bacteria. This allows the disease to flourish.

Oddly, a beauty fad might help. Scientists turned to Botox (Botulinum toxin), a protein injection that smooths out wrinkles. In infected mice, Botox blocked the hijacked nerve signals from interfering with the immune system.^[3]

7 Swearing Is A Painkiller

All languages have one thing in common—scarlet words. Cussing is as old as the mountains, and there might be an interesting reason behind its longevity. Swearing, which is a common response to injuries, boosts pain tolerance.

In 2009, scientists warily considered the possibility. Since sailor-speak often exaggerates pain, they thought it would lower tolerance instead. Around 64 volunteers agreed to find out the truth. All they had to do was hold their hands in ice water for as long as possible.

The first time, they swore until the room’s paint peeled. During the second time, they had to repeat one word with which they would describe a table. Something normal, like “wooden” or “furniture.” To the surprise of the researchers, cussing kept the participants’ agonized hands underwater for longer.^[4]

A plausible theory suggested that cursing is an aggressive act. This could activate the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that allows greater pain resistance.

6 Thermal Grill Illusion Twist

The thermal grill illusion is a pain experiment. A volunteer’s middle finger is chilled to around 20 degrees Celsius (68 °F). At the same time, the ring and index fingers are warmed to 40 degrees Celsius (104 °F).

This combination produces a burning heat in the middle finger. This illusion happens as the brain tries to understand three fingers simultaneously sending signals about pain and different temperatures. The “heat” in the cold finger happens when the outer fingers with their real heat block the skin’s cooling receptors. These receptors usually lessen pain. But thus overwhelmed, the brain thinks the cold middle finger is burning.

In 2015, scientists found that the brain also became confused when volunteers crossed their fingers. When the middle finger crossed over the index finger, the burning subsided. When the index finger was cooled down, the middle and ring fingers received heat, and the middle once again crossed over the index, the burning became worse.^[5]

5 Mirror-Touch Synesthesia

Human senses can overlap. This phenomenon is known as synesthesia. Some people taste words. Others experience color with sound or when reading words.

A pain-related version is called mirror-touch synesthesia. Physical contact ignites certain brain regions. When observing another person being touched, the viewer’s brain activates similar areas. This is normal for everybody. In those with mirror-touch synesthesia, this mechanism is overactive. They actually feel what they see.^[6]

When seeing a couple kiss, their lips might tingle. While pleasant sensations are part of this sensory overlap, it must be the most painful type of synesthesia. Even watching violent movies can be a difficult experience.

In 2007, a study discovered something interesting. Researchers asked a group of mirror-touch people to fill out a questionnaire specifically designed to measure empathy. Not only did they score higher than those without the condition, but they were almost super-empathetic. For some reason, they have an unusually intense ability to put themselves in others’ shoes.

4 World’s Most Painful Plant

Forget about taking a gympie bush home. This is no pot plant. Found in the Australian rain forests, this shrub is taller than a man and grows furry leaves soft enough to invite a touch.

Bad idea. The hairs are filled with a mysterious poison. Once touched, they unleash excruciating agony.

A man stung in 1941 had to be restrained for three weeks in the hospital. Another killed himself to escape the pain. A scientist who got stung likened the experience to simultaneously being burned by acid and getting electrocuted.^[7]

The sadistic shrub can torture a victim for up to six months, which is how long the hairs can stay under the skin. When the area is pressed or washed, the pain flares up again. Even museum workers have to be careful. Samples stored well over 100 years ago can still cause burns.

Merely standing near a gympie is asking for trouble. After 20 minutes, something causes violent sneezing, nosebleeds, and possible respiratory trauma. It is so noxious that scientists working in close proximity to the bush must regularly replace their face masks. Although never proven, a likely theory suggests that the hairs can become airborne.

3 Family With No Pain

For years, scientists were dumbfounded by the Marsili family from Italy. They do not experience pain like the rest of humanity. Broken bone? Seconds later, they feel fine. Fractures go unnoticed. For at least three generations, the Marsilis felt neither pain when burned nor discomfort when sick.

There was a downside. Sometimes, they never realized a serious injury had taken place. The person would continue with his daily life, which delayed treatment and aggravated the condition.

In 2017, blood samples revealed the cause. A gene called ZFHX2 carried a mysterious mutation. To test the gene, two groups of mice were bred to either have the mutation or lack ZFHX2 completely. Those with the missing gene had a higher pain tolerance, but the mice with the mutation felt no pain at all.

The mutation remains poorly understood but could play a role in the disruption of pain signaling. Scientists aim to unravel this mystery and use the information to develop relief for patients with chronic pain. Speaking of being cured, the Marsilis said that they would refuse the offer to experience pain like everyone else if researchers find a way to reverse the rare syndrome.^[8]

2 LEGO Walking vs. Fire Walking

A recent craze is LEGO walking. Similar to fire walking or strolling over glass, a person must walk barefoot over a bunch of toy bricks. The colorful challenge is highly popular at events, workshops, and entertainment outlets. This is odd considering that walking over the blocks hurts more than doing a fire, glass, or ice walk. Russell Cassevah found this out the hard way.

In 2018, he entered the Guinness World Records after completing the world’s longest LEGO walk. After limping an incredible 834 meters (2,737 ft), Cassevah received a certificate and a medic for his bleeding feet. Nobody has tried to break the record since.

Toy bricks may sound safer, but hot coals cannot burn when properly prepared and the walker moves at a quick pace. Similarly, glass walks are designed to avoid cuts. The shards are small and strewn in a thin layer, allowing walkers to flatten them safely.

However, a LEGO walk cannot flatten out. The bricks shift under a walker’s weight, stabbing exceptionally hard edges into the 200,000 receptors found in the foot. This unhappy combination is the reason why stepping on even a single LEGO brick can be excruciating.^[9]

1 Robots That Feel Pain

In 2016, scientists crossed another threshold in robotics. The development—robots capable of experiencing pain—could save human lives. Robots that recognize sources of pain can warn people who are nearby that they might be in danger.

Agony-weary equipment could also minimize repair costs. Pain is a warning system. (Hey person, stop running, you just broke your leg.) This same response can tell a robot to stop working when there is a threat to its system, preventing the costly damage from blundering on.

To do the job, researchers developed an artificial nervous system capable of sensing and reacting to things that cause pain. Robots that experience pain exactly like humans are still a distant dream.

However, the 2016 prototype was impressive. It was a robot arm fitted with a fingertip. The latter had a sensor modeled on human skin and could recognize pressure and temperature.

Based on the extremity of each (originating from sharp or hot objects), the arm made decisions. Slight pain made the arm retract until the feeling disappeared. Then the robot returned to its original task. Severe pain forced the arm into lockdown mode to await human assistance.^[10]

Many believe that patients before the early 20th century had to endure dental repairs, tooth extractions, or general surgery in agony, largely unrelieved except by slugs of whiskey or wine. Archaeology suggests that such was not the case—at least, not for everyone.

Some of our ancient ancestors were quite creative when it came to medicine. Although we don’t know exactly how they acquired their knowledge and beliefs, they made good use of natural substances when it came to relieving or blocking pain.

10 Opium

As far back as 3400 BC, opium poppies were grown in lower Mesopotamia. The ancient Sumerians called the poppy Hul Gil (“joy plant”), suggesting that its euphoric and anesthetic properties were known to them.

The knowledge involved in collecting poppies and extracting opium from them passed from the Sumerians to the Assyrians to the Babylonians to the Egyptians. By 1300 BC, the ancient Egyptians were cultivating their own poppies. The opium trade thrived during the reign of pharaohs Thutmose IV, Akhenaton, and Tutankhamen.

In 330 BC, Alexander the Great brought opium to the Persians and the Indians. Starting around 1300, opium’s use was suppressed throughout Europe as “demonic,” but by 1527, it was again employed for medicinal purposes.

As an anesthetic, opium was a great boon. But it was also used for recreational purposes and was involved in smuggling, drug trafficking, and other criminal enterprises. To this day, depending on its use, opium continues to be regarded as a benefit or a menace to society.^[1]

9 Henbane

Like some other herbs and flowers used for medicinal purposes, Hyoscyamus niger, which is better known as henbane, can have psychotropic effects. Even so, it’s been used as an anesthetic since ancient times.

Like other Hyoscyamus species, henbane contains both atropine (a poison found in plants of the nightshade family that is used as a muscle relaxant) and scopolamine (a poisonous alkaloid used to prevent vomiting, calm individuals, or induce sleep). Henbane was used in the first century AD to allay pain.

In ancient Turkey, henbane was called beng or benc. Taken as a pill or smoked, it was used to relieve toothaches, earaches, and other maladies.

As a toothache remedy, henbane was used to fumigate the mouth. After a patient rinsed his or her mouth with warm water, henbane seeds, which are especially rich in atropine and scopolamine, were sprinkled over hot coals. The rising smoke entered the mouth, alleviating the pain of the toothache.^[2]

8 Acupuncture

The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (c. 100 BC) is the first text in which acupuncture is set forth as “an organized system of diagnosis and treatment.” Written partly in a question-answer format, the document presents questions by the emperor, who is answered by his minister Chhi-Po.

The document is likely based on centuries-old traditions embedded in Taoist philosophy. It mentions life force channels (meridians), a concept important to treating various conditions by inserting needles in precise locations associated with these channels.

The practice fell into disfavor in the 17th century and was outlawed in 1929. It became respectable again in 1949, when it was reinstated as a medical alternative. Thereafter, the use of acupuncture spread to Japan and throughout Europe and the United States, although little clinical research supports acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating pain or other conditions.^[3]

According to theory, a variety of needles are inserted into any of hundreds of points throughout the body to balance the flow of yin and yang through the body’s meridians.

Critics of the procedure suggest that its effectiveness as an anesthetic and as an agent for treating other conditions is mostly due to placebo effects. However, it’s possible that some acupuncture points could be “trigger points that [do] stimulate physiological responses in the body.”

7 Mandragora

One of the first anesthetics to actually render patients unconscious appears to be Mandragora. Greek physician Dioscorides (AD 40–90) wrote of this effect in the first century AD when referring to Mandragora wine. The wine was made from the mandrake plant and caused a profound sleep to overtake surgical patients. Dioscorides described the sleep thus induced as “anesthesia.”

In 13th-century Italy, Ugo Borgognoni (Hugh of Lucca) introduced the use of the “soporific sponge” (aka “sleep sponge”) to induce an anesthetic sleep. “A sponge was soaked in a dissolved solution of opium, Mandragora, hemlock juice, and other substances [before being] dried and stored.”^[4] After being moistened, it was held over the patient’s nose until its fumes caused him to lose consciousness.

6 Datura

Although it was derived from a poisonous plant, Datura (thorn apple or jimsonweed) was a popular ancient pain reliever and sleep inducer. It’s mentioned in medical texts by Dioscorides (AD 40–90), Theophrastus (370–285 BC), Celsus (fl. AD 37), and Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79).

The drug had several serious side effects. A drachma (3.411 grams) taken with wine could cause hallucinations, while two drachmas could cause madness for as long as three days. Greater quantities could cause permanent insanity or even death.

Although Datura was effective in relieving patients’ pain during ancient surgical procedures, it also resulted in their deaths when it was improperly administered. For this reason, another popular name for Datura is “Devil’s apple.”^[5]

5 Ethylene

At the oracle of Delphi, the Pythian priestess of Apollo uttered prophecies after inhaling gases from fault lines beneath the Sun god’s temple. Those gases might have included ethylene, an anesthetic administered through inhalation.

In 1930, ethylene was being hailed as the “new” general anesthetic. It would replace chloroform, which was on its way out due to serious post-op effects such as sudden death, and ether, which often resulted in nausea and vomiting following surgery.

According to a surgeon who’d used ethylene in 800 surgeries, the substance rendered patients unconscious within “three to eight minutes . . . usually without any excitement or feelings of suffocation.” The patient recovered from its effects just as quickly once the anesthesia mask was removed.

The use of ethylene had many other benefits, too. Since ethylene was “less toxic on the nervous system or body cells,” it was also unlikely to produce headaches. It didn’t irritate the patient’s lungs, adversely affect blood pressure, or cause excessive bleeding or post-op sweating. Ethylene also produced less acidosis (excessively acidic tissues or body fluids) and rarely caused gas pains.^[6]

However, ethylene did have some drawbacks. On the minor side, it had a fleeting odor. More seriously, it was extremely explosive, which ruled out its use with thermocautery (cauterization with a heated instrument), the presence of open flames, and surgery in an X-ray room.

But ethylene could be used for any other type of operation. No doubt, Apollo’s priestess would have agreed with the surgeon’s assessment of the vaporous anesthetic.

4 Cannabis

As far back as 2900 BC, Chinese Emperor Fu observed that cannabis was known to be a pain reliever. The herb was among the entries in the Rh-Ya, a 15th-century BC Chinese pharmacopoeia that was essentially an encyclopedia of drugs. From China, the practice of using cannabis to alleviate pain spread to other regions of the world.

About 1000 BC, Indians began to mix cannabis with milk to create a painkiller known as Bhang. Later, cannabis was used to alleviate pain associated with earache, swelling, and inflammation.

By AD 200, Hua To, a Chinese doctor, prepared an anesthetic by mixing cannabis with resin and wine, making the abdominal, loin, and chest surgeries he performed almost painless.^[7] By AD 800, Arabic physicians used cannabis to relieve the pain of migraine headaches.

3 Corydalis Plant

In ancient China, the tubers of the Corydalis plant were dug up, boiled in vinegar, and used to alleviate the pain caused by headaches and backaches. A member of the poppy family, the Corydalis plant grows mostly in central eastern China.

According to modern scientists, it’s an effective analgesic because it contains dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB), a natural painkilling compound. “This medicine goes back thousands of years, and it is still around because it works,” said Olivier Civelli, a pharmacologist at UC Irvine.^[8]

Ancient Chinese doctors believed that the Corydalis plant remedied pain because it improved the flow of the life force chi. Current research has shown that DHCB acts in a way similar to that of morphine. However, DHCB acts on receptors that bind dopamine rather than on morphine receptors. Also, unlike morphine, DHCB is not addictive.

Ironically, a plant used for centuries in China may provide new ways to alleviate pain in modern patients. Scientists believe that the DHCB produced from the Corydalis plant’s tubers may become the drug of the future in combating several types of pain.

2 Carotid Compression

One of the means of alleviating pain was to render a patient unconscious. Ancient doctors sometimes squeezed the carotid arteries in their patients’ necks, thereby reducing, if not temporarily shutting off, the blood flow from the heart to the brain.

Aristotle wrote of the effectiveness of carotid compression in causing unconsciousness. “If these veins [sic] are pressed externally, men, though not actually choked, become insensible, and fall flat on the ground.”

The ancients’ awareness that unconsciousness could be produced in this fashion is indicated by the fact that the word karotids or karos means “to stupefy or plunge into a deep sleep.” Rufus of Ephesus (c. AD 100) claimed that the neck arteries were called carotid arteries because the compression of them caused stupor or sleep.

A sculpture on the south side of the Parthenon in Athens shows a centaur compressing the left carotid artery of a Lapith warrior. This also indicates that the ancient Greeks were aware of the effectiveness of this technique in rendering an individual unconscious. The same maneuver that was used in war was sometimes employed in medicine.^[9]

1 Willow Bark

For centuries, the bark of the willow tree was used as an anti-inflammatory remedy that relieved pain. White willows grew along the Nile’s riverbanks, providing a ready source of bark.

The Ebers Papyrus, a compilation of medical texts dating from about 1500 BC, described the bark’s use as a painkiller. The ancient Chinese and the ancient Greeks also used willow bark for this purpose. Dioscorides noted its power to reduce inflammation.

Modern research suggests that willow bark is an effective painkiller because it contains salicin, “a chemical similar to aspirin.” Studies have also found willow bark to be more effective in treating pain than aspirin and at lower quantities. Due to its effectiveness, this centuries-old remedy is still used to relieve pain due to headache, backache, and osteoarthritis.^[10]

Gary Pullman, an instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, lives south of Area 51, which, according to his family and friends, explains “a lot.” His 2016 urban fantasy novel, A Whole World Full of Hurt, available on Amazon.com, was published by The Wild Rose Press.

At the end of Furious 7, as Dom Toretto walks away from the beach, the song “See You Again” starts playing. It continues on as he drives along an empty road, halting at a stop street. He then hears a car pulling up beside him and looks up to see Brian O’Connor grinning at him. A montage of Brian’s F&F scenes fills the screen. As the two men pull away from the stop street, they drive alongside one another until each eventually go their own way, while the song continues to play. As the scene fades and the screen turns white, the words “For Paul” appears.

When this scene played in movie theaters for the first time, audiences were in tears as they took in the lyrics of the song and bid Paul Walker a final goodbye. The song by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth is one in a long line of songs and covers underlined by tragedy and pain.

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10 The Cranberries – “The Icicle Melts”

On February 12, 1993, a month before his third birthday, James Bulger was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool by two 10-year-old boys. The boys took the toddler to a railway line 2.5 miles away, where they tortured and killed him. The boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, were convicted of the murder in November 1993, making them the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history.

When Dolores O’Riordan heard of the tragedy, she was shattered. Pouring her feelings into her songwriting, she wrote the song “The Icicle Melts” as a reaction to James’ murder. During an interview in 1994, she explained that the case had moved her so much that she had to write a song about it.

Some believe to this day, that O’Riordan was against abortion and that the song was actually about being pro-life. However, it has been commonly accepted that “The Icicle Melts” was written as a response to the horrific murder of little James Bulger.

9 Kesha – “Praying”

In 2011, the DAS case against Kesha revealed that the singer had alerted several people in her life in 2005 that Dr. Luke, former producer and head of Kemosabe Records, had engaged in ‘unethical and unlawful actions against her.’ These actions included allegedly raping her in his hotel room in 2005 after giving her a date-rape drug.

The battle between Kesha and Luke continued for several years, with Kesha claiming that Luke forced her to release “Die Young” after receiving major backlash for the song’s lyrics. In 2014 Kesha filed a lawsuit against Luke claiming he sexually assaulted and hit her and that the aftermath of the traumatic event saw her suffering from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Luke responded by filing a countersuit against Kesha, her mother and manager Jack Rovner for defamation. Lady Gaga was dragged into the mess when she told a radio presenter during an interview that she’d been sexually assaulted by an unnamed music producer at the age of 19. Gaga however never confirmed that she was referring to Dr. Luke.

Lawsuits and fighting continued, with disturbing emails released in 2017 in which Luke appears to force Kesha into dieting. Luke exited as CEO of Kemosabe Records that year.

After his departure, Kesha released her first solo song since the lawsuit titled “Praying.” And even though the fighting between Kesha and Dr Luke still continues in 2021, this song is the one bright light throughout all of the darkness.

Kesha said that the song was about hoping that anyone, including abusers, can heal.

8 George Strait – “I Believe”

On December 14, 2012 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother and then set off for the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown where he massacred 20 first-graders and six teachers before turning the gun on himself. A motive was never established, but it was claimed that Lanza had extensive mental health issues that prevented him from interacting in a normal way with other people.

In 2013 country music singer George Strait, who lost his own daughter in a car accident in 1986, paid tribute to the victims of Sandy Hook by writing a beautiful song called “I Believe.” He was hesitant at first, not wanting to offend the victim’s families by using the tragedy as inspiration for the song but his wife eventually convinced him to do it.

7 Gary Levox – “She’s Going Places”

In one of the most frustrating criminal trials in history, 22-year-old Casey Anthony was found not guilty in 2011 of the first-degree murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. While her daughter was missing, Casey displayed almost no emotion and continued to party around town. When Caylee’s body was finally discovered and the investigation turned into a search for a murder suspect, all evidence seemed to point to Casey. Still, when the time came for a jury to convict her, there just wasn’t enough of said evidence to conclusively determine that she was guilty. Had things gone the other way and she’d been found guilty prosecutors would have pursued the death penalty as punishment.

Lead vocalist of country pop trio, Rascal Flatts, released a re-written version of a song called “She’s Going Places” in tribute of Caylee Anthony in 2011. Cledus T. Judd and Jimmy Yeary rewrote the lyrics and they all wanted to ensure that there would be no focus on Casey Anthony, but that the tribute would only be about little Caylee.

6 Elton John – “Candle in the Wind”

Songwriter, Bernie Taupin, was a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe and after co-writing Elton John’s hit song “Tiny Dancer” he started thinking about the best way to write a tribute song to her, without it coming off as tacky.

Out of these thoughts, the beautiful ballad “Candle in the Wind” was born. The title and lyrics of the song was inspired by a tribute to Janis Joplin in which the same phrase was used. The song was meant to be a heartfelt look at the life of Marilyn Monroe, and Taupin later said that the lyrics could also have been about James Dean, Montgomery Clift or Jim Morrison who were all cut short in the prime of their life.

Fast forward to 1997, when the shocking death of Princess Diana reverberated around the world, Taupin and Elton John decided to rework the lyrics to the song as a tribute to the princess. Elton performed it during Diana’s funeral and the song was also released as a single, becoming the best-selling single of all time in the UK.

Elton John never performed the reworked version of the song again, and vowed to only do so should one or both of Diana’s sons ask him to do so.

5 DJ Sammy – “Heaven” 9/11 remix

The song “Heaven” was written and recorded in 1983 and first appeared on the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album that same year. “Heaven” was inspired by the band Journey’s track “Faithfully”, and became Bryan Adams’ first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2001 DJ Sammy released a dance cover of the song which quickly reached number one on the UK Singles chart. A stripped-down “Candlelight Mix” version saw the light in 2003. Also in 2003, the KKXX radio station in California recorded a tribute version of the song to commemorate the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. A former program director asked his daughter to read words off a script while he recorded her. These words were interspersed with the original chorus of the song.

“Heaven 9/11 Remix” became one of the most requested songs in the radio station’s history and was soon played on radio stations worldwide.

4 Johnny Cash – “Hurt”

Trent Reznor explained on Netflix’s Song Exploder that he’d always felt like an outsider and that sadness and a sense of abandonment always seemed to follow him. He also felt ill-equipped to deal with fame and all of these emotions let to the writing of the heartbreaking song “Hurt.”

In 2002, Johnny Cash recorded a haunting cover of the song, which provided a different interpretation of the lyrics. Cash, whose health was failing him at the age of 70, sang the words almost as if he knew that his life would end soon. The music video, considered today to be one of the saddest music videos of all time, was shot in February 2003, Three months later, Cash lost his wife. In September 2003, Johnny Cash passed away.

His final album American IV achieved gold status in the US.

3 Maren Morris – “Dear Hate”

On June 17, 2015 21-year-old Dylann Roof walked into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He opened fire on congregation members who were attending a Bible study, killing nine.

Two days later, singer Maren Morris wrote “Dear Hate”, and recorded it a year later. She hadn’t released it however, because she felt that it wasn’t the right time.

On October 1, 2017 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire upon a crowd of festival goers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people. When Morris heard the news, she was devastated and posted the song online in tribute of the victims, saying that she realized that day there would never be a right time. She went on to write a lengthy Instagram post which included the following: “Hate is everywhere, and I’m sick of not doing enough. In the darkest tunnel, there is still love & music. That’s what it’s here for. Here is Dear Hate. Any cent I see from this I’m donating to the Music City Cares Fund.”

2 Led Zeppelin – “All my love”

Led Zeppelin were (and still are) one of the most popular rock bands in the world. The band gave the world unforgettable songs such as “Immigrant Song”, “Whole Lotta Love”, and “Stairway to Heaven.”

Frontman, Robert Plant, suffered a great tragedy in 1977, when he lost his five-year-old son Karac due to illness. His wife had called him during the band’s American tour and told him that she was very worried about Karac because he’d suddenly become sick. It was a mere two hours later when Plant received another phone call, informing him that his son had died.

In his grief, Plant was ready to give up his career, but he eventually pushed through, working with his band members on Led Zeppelin’s final album, In Through The Out Door. One of the most memorable songs on that album was the tribute song to Plant’s son titled “All My Love.”

The song was recorded in one session, because Plant couldn’t bear to sing the emotional words over and over.

1 Oslo residents – “Children of the Rainbow”

Pete Seeger released the American folk and children’s song “My Rainbow Race” on his Rainbow Race album in 1973. The song was translated into Norwegian as Barn av regnbuen which means Children of the Rainbow and it became the sixth-highest selling single in Norway in 1973.

On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people by detonating a van bomb in Oslo and then opening fire on the participants of a summer camp on the island of Utøya. Breivik, who identifies as a fascist and a Nazi, claimed during his trial that “Children of the Rainbow” was an example of Marxist propaganda and that it was “brainwashing” Norwegian children.

Norwegian singer-songwriter, Lillebjørn Nilsen, who had translated the old American folk song, stood up in defiance of these remarks and arranged a mass performance of the song during Breivik’s trial. More than 40,000 people in Oslo alone stood together to sing the song, and more people joined in from squares across the country.

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Throughout history, human beings have created extremely cruel torture devices designed to cause huge pain. While some of these devices were designed to face a slow, painful death, many inflicted so much pain and left such damage that the victims died of blood-loss or infections. Many torture methods and contractions, like the head crushers, breast ripper, or crocodile shears, which were designed to deform the victim, but ended up killing the victim. But many torture devices left the victim to deal with lifelong agony and deformity. Let us take a look at Cruel Torture Devices Designed to Cause Huge Pain.

10 Most Cruel Torture Devices of All Time:

10. Scold’s Bridle

16th century Scotland and England used Scold’s Bridle on women considered as witches, shrews or scolds, particularly for public humiliation. It was an iron mask which attached to a helmet. The contraption was attached to the head of the woman, and the bridle-bit, which measured 2” long and 1” wide, and was studded with spikes, would be inserted into the mouth. This effectively stopped the person from speaking or even moving the tongue, or she would undergo cause immense pain.

9. Tongue Tearer

A Tongue Tearer looked like an extra-large pair of scissors. It was used to cut off the tongue of the victim without any effort. The mouth of the victim would first be forced open using a device called a mouth opener. After that the Tngue Tearer, made of iron, would be used to firmly clasp his tongue with the rough grippers of the device. The tongue of the person being tortured would then be twitched uncomfortably. Then, after tightening the screw, tongue would be torn out roughly.

8. Lead Sprinkler

A Lead Sprinkler was one of the cruel torture devices designed to cause huge pain. The device was usually filled with molten lead, though other liquids such as tar, boiling oil, water, etc., were also used, at high temperature, which could severely scald skin. The victim was tortured using this device by dripping the hot and burning content onto the stomach or other parts of the body, including the eyes. Even molten silver would be poured on the victim’s eyes, to produce the most fatal effects.

7. Knee Splitter

Knee Splitters were employed in the 12th century, during the Inquisition. The contraption had two wooded blocks with spikes. The number of spikes ranged from 3 to 20, and depended on the gravity of the crime committed by the person being punished. These spikes are driven into the flesh of the victim, and once the spikes are embedded into the victim’s leg, the blocks are drawn closer to each other using two large screws, to slowly pulverize the knee, just as the device’s name suggests.

6. Thumb Screws

Thumb Screws, also called Pilliwinks, were used in Medieval Europe as a cruel torture devices designed to cause huge pain. It was used to crush the thumb, fingers and toes of the victim, which were inserted into the contraption, with screws cranking down to pulverize the digits. Sometimes, the crushing bars would have spikes to intensify the pain. Weirdly, during Renaissance eras of England, these were used to straighten and elongate a woman’s fingers, to make them elegant.

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5. Heretic’s Fork/Neck Torture

Heretic’s Fork was metal device with two bi-pronged forks attached to a belt strapped round the victim’s neck, with one fork pointed to the chin, and the other to the sternum, while the victim remained suspended. The device prevented sleep, because, the prongs would pierce their throat and chest if the head dropped. The Neck Torture worked similarly, with a metal or wooden device studded with spikes around the victim’ neck preventing eating, lying down, or any other activity.

4. Scavenger’s Daughter

Queen Elizabeth I used Scavenger’s Daughter, also called Skeffington’s gyves, invented by a Brit named Skevington, against Protestants accused of treason. The apparatus had an iron hoop. The victim had to to sit on one half of it, with the other half crushing him further into an involuntary rigid crouch, as the screw would tighten the hinge in the middle. This would eventually crack the victim’s ribs and breastbone and dislocate the spine. It could even lead to bleeding from fingertips and face.

3. Rack/Horse/Strappado

The Rack, used in Europe, came in many forms, like the Horse. Basically, the victim would be tied down, as a mechanical device, tightened the rope to dislocate the joints, often long enough to tear the limbs off. In case of a Horse, the victim was to the top of a beam, i.e. Horse-back, facing up, while, pulleys below tightened the ropes. The Strappado, used in Palestine, does not have a base for the body to lie on, but the tied arms were wrenched out of the joints of the hanging prisoner.

2. Pear of Anguish

Pears of Anguish were metal tools, mainly for women. Different kinds were inserted into the vagina of a woman, or the mouth or throat of the person being tortured. Shaped like a pear, the device had four ‘leaves’ which were operated by a screw at the top. Once inserted into the orifice of a person for abortion, witchery, miscarriage, homosexuality, adultery, blasphemy, lies, etc., to spread it open, tearing the muscles, causing permanent internal damage, or to dislocate or break jawbones.

1. The Judas Cradle

Judas Cradle was torture device, not designed to kill, but to inflict pain and humiliation. With a steel collar attached to the victim’s waist, a pyramid-shaped tool would be impaled into his intently stretched orifice. The pressure caused excessive pain. The torturer could lift the victim with rope and pulley system and lower him again, driving the penetrative part deeper into the victim. Torture sessions lasted for days. Also, the device was rarely washed, causing life-threatening infections.

The physical conditions in which the victims were left from the cruel torture devices designed to cause huge pain would not only incapacitate them, but also screamed of their criminal history, almost always, even if the crimes were as trivial as petty theft, or they were not criminals, at all, and yet were punished on the basis of just accusation, or for alternate sexuality. Though not a frequent happening, death occurred, too. If that didn’t happen, the torturers and punishers made sure that these torture devices were supplemented with other forms of painful torture and humiliation.

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