Getting drunk is never technically a good idea, but it’s definitely a popular pastime for many of us. If you’re a responsible drinker, then that’s okay! Don’t drive, don’t hurt yourself, don’t hurt anyone else, try not to text your coworkers and things should work out fine. But we’re not here to talk about the responsible drinkers.

There are some people in the world for whom getting drunk is an even worse idea than normal. Doctors, for instance. Pilots. And soldiers. There are a few soldiers in history who should have stuck to milk. 

10. General James Ledlie Got Drunk Before the Battle of the Crater 

In the military, you have a command structure. Many people are on the bottom and a few are on the top. You hope that, at the very top, the person in charge of how the military runs, and how a battle unfolds, is smart, calm, and sober. That’s not always the case, and it wasn’t at the Battle of the Crater in 1864.

The battle took place during the Civil War, and General James Ledlie was a former engineer working with the Union Army. Before his involvement, there was an ongoing issue with Petersburg in Virginia, which became known as the Siege of Petersburg.

A colonel came up with an idea to end the siege by digging a mine and filling it with explosives. This would blow up enemy lines and clear the path to the city. General Grant was ready to use the explosion to seize the town and declare a victory. A day before the mission, the unit selected to lead the charge was replaced by the unit run by Ledlie. He got the job by drawing straws.

Ledlie was not a good soldier if the fact he’s been described as a “drunken coward” is any indication. 

Four tons of explosives went off, the biggest explosion in history to that point. It created a 130-foot by 75-foot crater. It was also 35 feet deep. Many soldiers died instantly, and the force stunned others. Ledlie was drunk and hiding in a bunker when he was supposed to lead the charge. His men ran right into the crater instead of around it. The result was a bloodbath. Thousands died and Ledlie, who never joined the fight, was dismissed from service.

9. Van Zandt County Tried to Secede, Then They All Got Drunk and Captured

Back in the 1860s Texas was all about seceding. Or it was an idea that was popular at the time, at least. But not everyone was on board with that plan and, so the story goes, the people of Van Zandt County voted to secede from Texas. One of those “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” scenarios. 

The county tried to secede first when Texas left the US during the Civil War and then again but this time not just from Texas, but from everything. The county formed its own rebellion and declared war on the United States. 

Because of the rural location of the county, troops could not reach Van Zandt to quell the uprising so after war was declared, no one fought back. That was essentially a win by forfeit and what do you do when you win? You celebrate. So, everyone in the Free State of Van Zandt got drunk.

The next day, federal soldiers moved in and pretty much arrested the entire drunken county. Some of them escaped but by that time the idea of war was not floating anyone’s boat so they settled back in as proper American citizens.  

8. Soviet Soldiers Drank the Cooling Alcohol Needed for the Mig25 

Russians have a bit of a reputation as heavy drinkers and stories like this one will not change that perception at all. Back in the Soviet days, Russian troops had jets called the Foxbat, or the MiG-25. These were interceptors and recon jets and they were as fast as anything. But they were also nicknamed the Flying Restaurant. 

The MiG used alcohol for a lot of things. It was a hydraulic fluid; it cooled the engines; it de-iced the planes and because it was so important they kept a hell of a lot on board. There was a 132-gallon tank of it on board and Soviet troops were known to dip in and drink some when the opportunity arose. The fact that they ended up giving it a nickname ought to be some indication of how often it happened. 

7. Three Russian Soldiers Got Drunk and Blew Themselves Up at a BBQ

In 2023, three soldiers on a supply run in the middle of the Russian war with Ukraine decided to have a stopover at a house party, complete with a barbecue. The group was three out of five who had a few days to head out for supplies and used their downtime to get a little drunk and grill up some meat.

At some point, the drinking led to arguing. While two soldiers left, the three that remained pulled out a grenade and things got out of hand when it went off, killing all three of them. It’s not clear how or why it went off. Whatever the reason, it’s a solid demonstration of why you shouldn’t get into drunken fights with people who have grenades. 

6. US Soldiers in WWII Mixed “Torpedo Juice”

With a name like torpedo juice you know this has to be good. Or horrifying. Or maybe both. In any case, in the modern world, you can go to a bar and order a torpedo juice right now. What you should get is a simple cocktail made of alcohol and pineapple juice. The basic makeup can change a little — maybe you want rum, or vodka, or gin. Who knows? But that’s it. Two parts booze to three parts juice. So what does that have to do with torpedoes?

Back in WWII, sailors on submarines were more hard up for drinks than most since, you know, they were underwater. A sub didn’t have a ton of storage space for booze at the best of times and, if they were on a mission, what little they might have had would inevitably run out. But the torpedoes on board used 180 proof grain alcohol as fuel, and it was more or less drinkable.

Once the Navy found out sailors were pinching the booze, they tainted it with croton oil to make it give the men cramps and diarrhea, and, well; they underestimated how much a man in a metal tube under the sea wants to drink. They simply had to distill the booze over again, remove the oil, and add juice to taste. Thus, torpedo juice was born. 

5. Charles Jenkins Got Drunk and Defected to North Korea

Some people make terrible decisions when they get drunk. And then there’s Charles Jenkins who defected to North Korea. That ought to put all of your poor decisions in perspective.

Jenkins was stationed along the border between North and South Korea in 1964 when he was just 24. After 10 beers, he told his squad he’d heard a noise that he was going to check out and that was the end of that. He surrendered to North Korean officers because he was afraid of being sent to Vietnam. 

Once in the country, he got to spend seven years studying the writing of Kim Il-Sung until he memorized it, in Korean. They also cut off his army tattoo with scissors. They forced him to marry a Japanese woman who had also been held against her will. They eventually fell in love for real and when North Korea released some Japanese prisoners years later, Jenkins’ wife was one. He, and their children, were later allowed to join her. That was in 2004, 40 years after his arrival.

4. A Town Escaped Destruction in the Thirty Years War Because of a Drinking Contest

You have to respect someone who can perform an incredible feat of strength, endurance, or drinking. It’s just hard not to. The mayor of the German town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of those people who deserves respect. He saved the entire population of his town because he was an absolute monster at drinking wine. 

In 1631, during the Thirty Years War, a Catholic named Count Tilly planned to sack and destroy the protestant town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The people tried anything to get him to leave but there was only one deal he was willing to make. They had given him a tankard of local wine that held 3.25 liters. If anyone in town could chug the whole thing, he’d leave. 

The mayor, with the powerhouse name of Bürgermeister George Nusch (Burgermeister basically means mayor), took up the challenge and downed that remarkable volume of wine in a single gulp. And, being a time of honoring one’s word, the Count left the town as he found it. 

3. A Spanish Invasion Ended When the Invading Brits Got Too Drunk at a Winery

In 1625 things in Spain could have gone badly for the locals if not for the fact Brits really like to drink. A pair of noblemen had convinced Charles I that invading Spain would be a fine idea and maybe they’d get rich off of Spanish gold at the same time. One man, George Villiers, had a beef with the Spanish who hated him so much on his previous visit that they’d asked the King to execute him.  So they hatched a scheme and set off for Spain.

Nearly everything that could go wrong did. Storms forced many of the ships back and also were avoided by the Spanish so there were no ships to loot. The British were running out of food and water and had to land at a city sacked years in the past that had long since improved its defenses – Cadiz. 

The British couldn’t get past the wall so they plundered the abandoned buildings outside. There was no food, but they found stores of wine and proceeded to get incredibly drunk. By the time the Spanish arrived, all the British were drunk. Those that could escaped, and over 1,000 were slaughtered, probably still very inebriated. The expedition returned to England with nothing.

2. In 1916, Thousands of Drunken Aussie Soldiers Caused a Riot

Australia is known as a pretty tough place and the Aussie population are no strangers to enjoying a frosty, adult beverage now and then. They’re also known as a sometimes unruly bunch, which may explain the events of the 1916 Soldier’s Riot.

About 3,000 Aussie troops stationed in Sydney were already displeased with their lack of space, lack of leave time, and lack of alcohol in the canteen. Someone then informed them, on Valentine’s Day, that they were going to be doing four and a half hours more of training per week, putting them over 40 hours total. The men did not approve.

The Australians immediately left camp and went on strike. 3,000 of them headed into Liverpool, a small suburb of Sydney, and trashed the place. They broke into businesses, filled anything they could with alcohol, and trashed anything that sounded German. 

The events turned violent, soldiers clashed with police and at the end of the day several were injured and one man died.

The events of the day ended up leading to a report on the military camp in Liverpool which suggested liquor should not be provided to soldiers from local hotels or public houses.

1. During Their Celebrations After the End of WWII Russia Ran Out of Vodka

Back to Russia for one last tale of absolutely epic drinking that seems like an impossible feat. There was once a time, at the end of WWII, when Russians ran out of vodka because they drank it all in celebration of the end of the war.

The end of the war was announced on the radio at just after one am on May 9, 1945. The entire country went ballistic and, a mere 22 hours later when Stalin made his address to the nation, no one had an ounce of vodka left to their name. Reports said no one had any left in stock on the 10th. 

People were in the streets in pajamas getting drunk and everyone seemed to be getting drunk with everyone else, even those who never normally drank. In fairness, production had been limited because of the war so there was already less vodka in the country, but the celebration ensured that everyone had to start from scratch to get new stuff.

Music stirs emotion.

Different melodies evoke feelings of sadness, joy, defiance, relaxation, fear and more. Researchers are even conducting ongoing studies to solve what they call “the mystery of how music can evoke so many nuanced emotions.”^[1]

On this list are just a few of the songs that have made people cry, laugh, feel victorious, and stand united all over the world.

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10 For a chuckle – “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” – The Offspring

There are quite a few hilarious songs out there, guaranteed to get a least a chuckle or two from even the most hardened music fan. These include “Axel F” by Crazy Frog, “I Can’t Dance” by Genesis, “Witch Doctor” by Cartoons and “Barbie Girl” by Aqua. Some feel that “I’m On A Boat” by Lonely Island featuring T-Pain is one of the funniest songs ever written and performed. Others prefer “White & Nerdy” by “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Those who love the 90s (and punk rock in particular) however, pretty much agree on The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly For A White Guy.” for a little amusement.

9 To be instantly annoyed – “Baby” – Justin Bieber

There are hundreds of contenders for ‘most annoying song ever’. They are listed on the internet in dozens of articles and include songs such as “Who Let The Dogs Out”, repetitive dance tunes like “I’m Blue” by Eiffel 65, “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus, and just about anything ever sung by Nickelback. Of course, there is also “Friday” by Rebecca Black that evoked such strong feelings in music fans around the world that the comments cannot be repeated here (fun fact: four years later she was redeemed by a brilliant performance on a TV talent show).

But for a list like this, we should probably look to the one person that seemingly had the ability to p——— off the entire world in 3 minutes and 39 seconds, at the tender age of 16. Yep, it is Justin Bieber and his song “Baby.” (The official music video has 11 million dislikes on YouTube)

8 For a chill-out moment – “Pure Shores” – All Saints

If you need a time out and a bit of a calming tonic after being annoyed by the previous song, why not give “Weightless” by Marconi Union a try, or chill out to “Watermark” by Enya. If you’re not into instrumental music, you can always listen to “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay. These songs are all part of a list of 10^[2] that scientists came up with and are said to be the most relaxing songs in the world. Adele also made the list with “Someone Like You”, but if you need a dreamy vibe to shake off all thoughts and sounds of Bieber, “Pure Shores” by All Saints might just be the song for you.

7 To get pumped up – “Immigrant Song” – Led Zeppelin

There is nothing like a good rock song to get you amped up (once you’re done chilling to the sound of the All Saints, that is.) Just think “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and “We Will Rock You” by Queen. Some people like listening to a medley of rap artists and whatever rock band they love, while others stick to hard rock or even heavy metal. There are an infinite number of options for a list like this, because there are so many amazing bands and singers out there.

If you need a song to get you pumped before an exciting event or just to kick your exercise routine into high gear, “Immigrant Song” will probably suffice. Especially this live version from the 70s.

6 For that rebellious streak – “They Don’t Care About Us” – Michael Jackson

Over the years, many bands and solo artists simply couldn’t stand by and let atrocities happen without protesting. These protests usually took the form of songs that became instant classics worldwide. Well-known protest songs include “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Idioteque” by Radiohead, “Zombie” by The Cranberries and “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan.

If you feel like raging against the machine and feed your rebellious side for a bit, you may want to add “American Idiot” by Green Day to your playlist or perhaps “Take The Power Back” by Rage Against The Machine. One of the most popular protest songs still played on radio stations around the world, is “They Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackson. The lyrics hold up to this day and might just satisfy your defiant streak.

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5 For goosebumps (not in a good way) – “Sweet Dreams” – Marilyn Manson

Horror movies use eerie soundtracks to amp up the fear factor. Besides these soundtracks, there are also some truly scary songs out there, with terrifying lyrics. This includes the ominous “Hamburger Lady” by Throbbing Gristle, “One” by Metallica and “Frankie Teardrop” by Suicide.

In 2010, an online poll put Marilyn Manson’s music video of his cover of “Sweet Dreams” at the top of a list of scariest music videos. Add his very creepy vocals to that and you have a freaky song you might want to listen to in broad daylight only.

4 To celebrate a victory – “We Are The Champions” – Queen

Sometimes life goes so well in general, that people just feel like breaking out into song. And there are perfect songs to amplify those types of moments. For instance, if you’ve struggled to find a new job and out of the blue you are offered a dream position. Or you are given a travel opportunity of a lifetime. Some triumphs are far more personal; perhaps you have survived a terrible disease or started a new life after a messy divorce. Tunes such as “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John would make for an awesome life theme song in situations like these.

This best soundtrack for any type of victory, however, must be “We Are The Champions” by Queen. Freddy Mercury possessed the perfect vocal to create the stirring melody, especially during live performances. The song is so awesome, scientists back in 2011 declared it to be the ‘catchiest song’ in music history.

3 For a little happiness – “Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina & The Waves

Some songs just put a smile on your face. Neuroscientists have determined that the ‘happiest’ songs are always slightly faster than the average song and the lyrics are either utter nonsense or about a happy event. Their ultimate feel-good playlist includes “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys and “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. The ultimate happy song however, is the one that will have you tapping your toes in no time: “Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina & The Waves.

2 For those days when a good cry is in order – “Fix You” – Coldplay

It’s customary for many people to put on a sad song when they’re feeling down, and just have a good cry. People who are lonely often listen to sad songs because they identify with them and it sometimes makes them feel less alone and less misunderstood. Sometimes a person doesn’t even have to feel down, for a song to release all kinds of emotions and cause tears to flow involuntarily. Whether you are feeling the need to cry it all out to a sad soundtrack or just love melancholy music, a song like “Fix You” by Coldplay is bound to get your tear ducts going.

“Fix You” is universally accepted as one of the saddest songs ever written. Chris Martin wrote it for Gwyneth Paltrow to comfort her after the death of her father.

1 For a ray of hope – “We Are The World” – Artists for Haiti

2020 was definitely a year in which many people lost their hope that things will ever get better. Covid-19 followed us into 2021, and there is just no telling when this pandemic will finally be over. Throughout history, whenever hardships and disaster struck, music would be the one thing that united the world and inspired people to make a difference. If you are in dire need of a little hope and inspiration to make the start of 2021 just a little brighter, even if just for a few minutes, listen to this live version of “We Are The World” as sung by Artists for Haiti. The song was recorded by several music artists in 2010 and released as a charity single after the Haiti earthquake. The song and music video exemplify the strength of the human spirit in the face of dire circumstances and might just provide that little bit of inspiration we all need right now.

+ “We Are The World” – USA For Africa

“We Are The World” was originally written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and recorded by supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. The original version is still the most beloved, and when watching the video of all the well-known artists singing together, it is easy to see why.

We may even get a new version in lieu of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the suggestion was already put forward by Lionel Richie early in 2020.

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It’s no surprise that the universe is a violent arena of destruction. After all, it was born out of the grandest “explosion” that was ever possible. The Big Bang materialized out of nothing and for no reason, producing exotic matter with energies of trillions and trillions of degrees. About 400,000 years later, the universe settled down into stable hydrogen, helium, and a dash of lithium and beryllium. But the peace didn’t last long, and chaos soon resumed.

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10 A quasar that eats the equivalent of a star every single day

Imagine the power required to destroy and consume our Sun. Now imagine a celestial body doing that every single day. An entity like that exists, and it’s called J2157.

J2157 is the fastest-growing black hole ever discovered. And it’s unimaginably massive: 34 billion-times the mass of the Sun. It’s also the brightest quasar yet discovered, a ravenous star-destroyer devouring the equivalent of one star per day.

And it’s just as mind-warpingly distant as it is destructive: 12.5 billion light-years from Earth. It wasn’t expected that such an early black hole, from the days when the universe was about a billion years old, should be so massive.

To get an idea of just how stupidly monstrous J2157 is, it’s 8,000 times more massive than Sagittarius A*, the 4-million-solar-mass black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. Even with the equivalent of 4 million suns in its belly, Sagittarius A* would need to consume more than 60 percent of the Milky Way’s stars to become as massive as J2157.^[1]

9 A planetary collision births a world of iron

The cosmos is full of world-shattering acts of interplanetary violence. But planetary collisions create new worlds: bizarre ones, ten-times as massive as Earth and made mostly of metal.

Kepler-107c resides in the Kepler 107 system, which contains four planets orbiting a Sun-like star, 1,700 light-years away. And by measuring the shift in wavelengths of light arriving from Kepler 107, astronomers detected the first-ever evidence of a planetary apocalypse occurring outside the solar system.

A crash of cosmic bodies birthed Kepler-107c, which measures about 1.5 Earth-radii but is made of 70 percent iron, by mass. It’s super-dense, holding 12.6 grams of material per cubic centimeter, compared to Earth’s modest 5.5.

107c has a similarly-sized but lighter (only about 3.5 Earth-masses) sibling, Kepler-107b. Its density is a more Earth-like 5.3 grams per cubic centimeter. And its iron core only accounts for 30 percent of its mass.

This suggests that the unexpectedly-iron rich Kepler-107c suffered a major collision at speeds of nearly 40 miles per second. The accident stripped Kepler-107c’s light silicate mantle, leaving a scarred, iron core with little else on top.^[2]

8 A black hole is ripped from its galaxy

Black holes dictate the structure of the universe. With their immense gravity, they lay the foundation for massive galaxies by literally punching a dent in the fabric of space-time. And that’s why they’re usually found in the center of galaxies.

But celestial forces can wrench even black holes from their galaxies and send them hurtling through space. Which is what happened to black hole XJ1417+52. It was spotted by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM Newton X-ray observatory, two space-born instruments that observe the universe in, you guessed it, X-rays.

Black hole XJ1417+52 is located 4.5 billion light-years away in the outer reaches of a galaxy called GJ1417+52. It’s throwing off a stupendous amount of X-rays and smashing two cosmic records: it’s 10 times farther away and 10-times brighter (in X-rays) than any rogue black hole yet discovered.

XJ1417+52 has the mass of 100,000 Suns and once anchored its own galaxy. But that galaxy collided with the much bigger galaxy GJ1417+52, which stole the black (along with its orbiting stars.^[3]

7 Galaxies tear each other apart around the Milky Way

The Milky Way has many smaller satellite galaxies attracted to its monstrous pull. And the two most famous, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), smashed into each other a few hundred million years ago.

And the damage from that ancient collision is still occurring. The southeast portion of the Small Magellanic Cloud, or “Wing,” is floating away from the rest of the galaxy. The stars populating this region are moving in the same direction and at similar speeds, preserving the evidence of a collision hundreds of millions of years ago.

If the stars were moving in a perpendicular direction, it would suggest that the SMC and LMC passed each other closely, but didn’t collide. But the runaway region of the SMC is moving toward the LMC, proving that the two galaxies collided head-on.^[4]

6 Gravity dismantles small galaxies

Speaking of bad things happening to the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), it’s dying before our eyes. Some galaxies die glorious Viking deaths, torn apart by the gravity of some more massive object. But the SMC is dying a slow and undignified death.

Even though the 200,000 light-year-distant SMC is one of the farthest objects visible to the unaided eye, it’s still not massive enough to retain all of its gas and dust. So it’s quickly hemorrhaging its life support, hydrogen gas, into space.

The galactic assassin is gravity because the SMC doesn’t command enough of it. For every single star that the SMC produces, it loses ten times that amount in gas.

But the SMC may yet enjoy a warrior’s death and earn its place in galactic Valhalla. Researchers believe it will be absorbed by the Milky Way before it dissolves into nothingness. Many other small galaxies will not be as lucky.^[5]

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5 Solar systems throw planets thrown toward their star

Our innermost planet, Mercury, orbits the Sun in 88 days. But numerous observed super-Earths complete an orbit around their stars in just a few days. And now, new evidence points to a strange phenomenon that sends unsuspecting planets hurtling toward their sun.

Solar system formation is, not surprisingly, tricky, with many forces at play. Magnetic forces, collisions small and large between swirling bodies, and good-old gravity are among the primary shapers. And when conditions are just right, these forces can push multiple planets into a conga line toward their star.

The disk of particles that planets are born from, and the planets themselves, occasionally get locked into synchronized orbits. This “resonance” occurs as the planets and disk push and pull on each other.

And the planets go tumbling inward. They gradually migrate to the inner reaches of their solar system, ending up in an orbital berth that’s too hot and barren to form planets.^[6]

4 Clusters of galaxies smash into each other

Clusters of galaxies are zipping through space at millions of miles per hour. Sometimes they smash into each other and merge. Some ridiculously rare times, four galaxy clusters combine into one of the most massive structures the universe may ever see.

About 3 billion light-years from Earth, the universe is assembling a massive mash-up of clusters called Abell 1758. Each cluster contains potentially thousands of stars, and they’ve all been caught in an irresistible gravitational embrace.

Abell 1758 is split into two pairs of clusters. In the northern pair, the two clusters already swung by each other in the previous 300 million years. And they mixed their heavy elements together in a gravitational swirl, like a cosmic pinky swear, promising they’ll reunite once again.

The sonic boom-like shockwave from the ancient encounter reveals the mind-boggling forces at play. The clusters, each a collective body of thousands of stars, passed each other at 2-3 million miles per hour. Gravity is pulling them back together again and will eventually smoosh them into the other two galaxy clusters, forming a quadruple-cluster-deluxe.^[7]

3 Black holes gorge and spew like a fountain

Black holes appear to be surrounded by a calm donut-shaped disk. But in reality, black holes are vomiting super-hot matter all over themselves, like a fountain.

When presented with a Golden Corral-amounts of gas and dust, even the most voracious black holes can’t consume it all. The debris accretes into a disk of in-falling gas, which plunges into the black hole’s maw with ferocity. It’s heated to millions of degrees and stripped into its constituent atoms and ions, which are expelled back into the galactic environment.

Some of the black hole’s throw-up escapes into space and is never seen again. But some of the insanely-hot atomic gas is pulled back in by the insurmountable gravity to continue the cycle, circulating like water through a city fountain.^[8]

2 Millions of stars explode into life as galaxies collide

Galactic collisions invoke images of destruction. And even though galaxies may be torn apart, and stars flung into space, collisions also ignite a mass birthing of stars. The earliest example comes from when the universe was a youthful billion years old,

Even at the dawn of time galaxies, were already locked into a chaotic celestial mosh pit. Two of these galaxies, located 13 billion light-years away, have crashed into a gassy blob known as B14-65666. The bi-galactic blob isn’t huge. Its two constituents combined are only about 10 percent the mass of the Milky Way, which is expected at such an early stage in space-time.

But despite its size, the blob is 100 times more active with star-birth than our own much more massive galaxy. Galactic pile-ups cause the compression of vast clouds of gas, triggering bursts of stellar birth by literally smashing stars into life.^[9]

1 Jupiter-like planets are roasted to death

NGTS-10b is the closest-orbiting hot Jupiter ever discovered. This gas giant is 20 percent bigger and twice as massive as Jupiter. And it zooms around its 10-billion-year-old parent star so closely and quickly that its year only lasts 18 hours.

When a planet is so close to its star that a year is 25 percent shorter than an Earth day, that planet is probably scorchingly hot. And NGTS-10b is getting roasted. Luckily, its star is 1000 degrees colder than our Sun. And 70 percent less massive. But, to scale, the planet is 27 times closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.

So the average temperature on NGTS-10b is only around 1000 degrees Celsius (1800 degrees Fahrenheit). But since it’s (probably) tidally locked, the temperatures differ wildly between the permanent-day-side and the permanent-night-side.

As we see it today, NGTS-10b could be serving the very last portion of its death sentence. In only 10 years, astronomers might be able to watch NGTS-10b’s final death-dive, as it spirals into its star’s fiery bosom.^[10]

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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 2010’s, as they’re now being called, have been eventful to say the least. If we’d have to sum them up, we’d say that it was a decade of widespread – and permanent—change around the world. Economic instability, civil wars and general social unrest dominated the headlines in many countries, though we also made massive strides in areas like space exploration, medicine and memes. From the emancipation of the gay community around the world (at least on paper) to the violent revolts in the Middle East that changed the region forever, the decade was a rather versatile mix of groundbreaking events.

See Also: 10 Incredible Photographs That Won The Pulitzer Prize

This was also the decade when journalism went out of the professional newsroom and on to the streets. Because of the rapid rise of social media and widespread accessibility to mobile phones, some of the best coverage of major events of the decade came via photographs and videos captured by amateur bystanders, rather than acclaimed photo journalists.

From widely-shared images of the Arab Spring to our first photographic glimpse of the surface of Mars, here’s the decade summed up with ten of its most powerful photographs.

10 Chile Protests, 2019

In the photo: Protesters in Chile below a mural in Santiago, protecting themselves from tear gas in the midst of a brutal crackdown by the police and military forces.

2019 alone saw many parts of the world—from Hong Kong to Ethiopia to Venezuela—erupt in protests and uprisings against their respective governments on a variety of issues. Few of them, however, have been as impactful and popular as the one in Chile. It’s being called Chile’s worst unrest in recent decades, which is saying something as Chile – much like the rest of South America – has seen its fair share of unrest in the past.

2019’s protests, however, erupted due to a wide range of issues that had been gradually developing over the years; from rising inequality to excessive privatization of education. They have been unprecedented in terms of participation, especially from the youth. At its peak, around one million people were on the streets, though that hasn’t sat too well with the government.The military and police forces have been accused of human rights violations like sexual assault, torture, excessive use of force and extra judicial killings of journalists. The crackdown has been so brutal that in many cases, tear gas or rubber pellets caused many people to go partially or fully blind.

9 Eruption Of Eyjafjallajökull, 2010

In the photo: Ash and lava erupting out of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull in the backdrop of Northern Lights.

While it may sound like a non-event to most non-Europeans, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland dumped a large amount of ash into Europe’s atmosphere, and the effects could be felt in far off countries, too. According to some, it caused the largest disruption of air services since World War 2.

The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull also posed other problems. It’s usually followed by the eruption of its sister volcano, Katla, within a span of a decade, as their magma chambers are interconnected. That is rather concerning, as that one is assumed to be far deadlier and more impactful, and its eruption could even have global consequences.

8 Baton Rouge Protests, 2016

In the photo: A young woman with a rose standing against a fully-armed anti-riot police force, as protests against racially-motivated police brutality intensified in the U.S.

The photograph isn’t just significant because of the moment it was taken, it also sums up the state of civil unrest around the world at that time. Peaceful protesters have been, throughout the decade, met with excessive force and the full might of the state’s armory on little or no provocation, from Ukraine to Syria to Iran. While the death count wasn’t as high in the U.S. and many other European countries, police brutality took the form of a spate of unprovoked and unauthorized murders, which were often racially motivated. Protests against it were also often met with force.

It intensified the conversation around the appropriate amount of force police should be allowed to use, causing many states to take a variety of measures like installing permanent cameras on all police vehicles.

7 Osama’s Death, 2011

In the photo: Former U.S. president Barack Obama and his Security team receiving live updates on Osama’s capture and eventual death.

By far one of the most iconic photos of the last decade, it was a visual representation of the culmination of the War on Terror, and its effects were felt across the world. Many countries other than the U.S. participated in the war, though it was Osama’s capture and punishment by death by U.S. Marines that really put the conflict to an end. That particular conflict, at least, as terrorism around the world is still going as strong as it was in 2011. Regardless, bringing Laden to justice did a lot to lower the morale of Al Qaeda’s lower ranks, bringing relative stability to many parts of the Middle East and South Asia.

6 Libyan Revolution, 2011

In the photo: A rebel fighter celebrates as they move in on the loyalist forces in Ajdabiya, Libya.

For the Middle East, the decade started with a series of violent uprisings – now collectively known as the Arab Spring—in many countries. The issues were as diverse as the people out on the streets across the vast region, and its effects could still be seen in socio-political movements around the world. It was the first revolution – and a successful one, too, in many countries – that was broadcast almost entirely through social media; a trend that would be adopted in all subsequent protests of the decade.

What started as peaceful organization of protesters in Morocco, Tunisia and nearby countries in early 2010 soon snowballed into a widespread series of violent and armed uprisings against deep-seated structural issues. Some of the most violent fighting took place in Libya – as well as Syria, though we’ll get to that one in a bit – where large regions of the country took up arms against Muammar Gaddafi’s government. He was eventually ousted and rather brutally killed by the rebels, as a final act of defiance against what the people saw as an authoritarian and corrupt government.

The ripples of the Libyan revolution – and the Arab Spring in general – could be still felt around the world. Many places in the Middle East are still reeling from the after-effects of the various wars. Moreover, massive chunks of the civilian population have been rendered homeless – and, in some cases, stateless – due to consistent, still-ongoing conflict across the region.

5 Paris Terrorist Attacks, 2015

In the photo: Spectators move into a soccer pitch as a series of explosions are heard outside the Stade de France, marking the beginning of the deadliest terrorist attacks in France’s history.

There were few events in the decade that changed geo-politics—especially in the western world—like the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. While the city had already experienced Charlie Hebdo shootings earlier in the year, the coordinated attacks by ISIS at multiple civilian centers in Paris held a more ominous warning – no place, even the heart of Western Europe, is safe from ISIS. OF course, ISIS has been all but defeated by now, though it was still a strong force back in 2015. Moreover, the attacks influenced far more profound changes in European politics and public opinion.

The Paris attacks turned popular opinion against immigrants, as this was also the year that saw a resurgence in the popularity of far-right parties across Europe. This was also the year that many European countries started wondering if keeping borders open was the best idea. This debate on immigration has already had far-reaching consequences, like Brexit, and continues to shape policymaking around the world.

4 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, 2010

In the photo: Fire crews trying to contain the fire on the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, just off the shore of Louisiana.

The Deepwater Horizon was, at the height of its operations, one of BP’s biggest oil rigs, which is what made its explosion and eventual oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico even more concerning. It has been widely claimed to be the biggest environmental disaster in the history of the U.S., pumping nearly 210 million gallons of oil in the ocean. While we don’t even know the full extent of its impact yet, we know that it has caused widespread abnormalities in the already-endangered species found in the region and devastated entire ecosystems in the affected regions.

The spill sparked a conversation on the shadier operations of Big Oil around the world, as public opinion – especially in the Southeast states most impacted by the spill – quickly turned against offshore drilling and fracking.

3 Unite The Right Rally, 2017

In the photo: The image that became inherently associated with the far-right Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

The Unite the Right in Charlottesville was seen as the biggest show of strength from the far right around that time, though that’s not accurate. Far bigger – and far Nazi-er – rallies had already taken place in European countries like Poland and Germany. The Charlottesville rally – initially called to protest the removal of Confederate General Robert. E. Lee –was noteworthy for bringing the growing divide between the global right and left to global attention.

The rally was criticized for its racist and discriminatory slogans, and, interestingly, many of the people identified from the photographs eventually lost their jobs. Regardless, the rally—or rather the fierce opposition to it from local student groups—ended up making an impact on the national psyche. The divide between the protesters and counter protesters reached its peak when a Unite the Right protester drove his car into a large group of protesters, killing one person and injuring many others. The rally drew criticism – as well as praise, depending on the country it was coming from – from state leaders around the world.

2 The Afghan Woman, 2010

In the photo: Bibi Aisha features on the cover of TIME magazine, sparking a global conversation around women’s rights, especially in conflict zones.

There are few photos that get imprinted in public memory like this one taken by Jodi Bieber in 2010. It depicts a young Afghan girl called Bibi Aisha, who was around 18 years old at the time it was taken. Her nose and ears had been mutilated by her husband and his family members, and was left for dead before being rescued by American aid workers nearby.

The photograph served as a global reminder of the atrocities women still face around the world, and has won many coveted awards – including the World Press Photo, 2010—since it was published on the cover of TIME magazine.

1 Syrian Civil War, 2011—present

In the photo: A 70-year old Mohammad Mohiedine Anis sits in his destroyed bedroom and listens to some music on his vinyl player, as the government’s forces take back many of the rebel-held areas across Syria with unprecedented force.

The Syrian Civil War has been one of the – if not THE – most pivotal events of the last decade. While civil unrest and violence had been on the rise in Syria for quite some time, the sheer degree of violence unleashed by both the sides since the beginning of the war in 2012 was unprecedented, in scale as well as ferocity. The war against Assad’s regime has been so huge in scale that some experts have even compared it to a world war, as many countries around the world have had a role to play in it. Geo politics aside, it also caused huge changes in the demographics of the region, as well as politics of other countries.

For one, the exodus of millions of refugees fleeing from the war has massively contributed to other major world events, and continues to be a talking point in many countries. More importantly, though, the Syrian Civil War saw the involvement of many countries in proxy roles, giving it a sort of a ‘world war’ vibe. In its early days, American fighters accidentally gunning down Russian or Iranian planes was a real possibility, which would have turned the limited conflict into a global war. While it started as an uprising, much like the other revolts of the Arab Spring, it soon turned into a sectarian conflict with far-reaching and devastating consequences for the region.

It isn’t that unusual for real-life couples, even spouses, to appear in movies together. Some of them have frequently teamed up, like Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz or the late Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. What is much more unique is when such couples so convincingly project the kind of passion or hostility on screen together that makes us wonder if we are getting a glimpse of what things might be like behind closed doors. Here are 10 of the most powerful movie scenes between real-life spouses.

Related: Top 10 Couples Who Met Their Fates Together

10 Far and Away

Nicole Kidman and her first husband Tom Cruise co-starred in three very different films together, including Days of Thunder, Far and Away, and Eyes Wide Shut. While there are several powerful scenes between the two in the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut, they are dominated by Kidman, who has some very meaty monologues.

However, the scenes are much more balanced in the 1992 historical romance epic Far and Away. The love-hate relationship between Shannon (Kidman) and Joseph (Cruise), who are both feisty and strong-willed characters, brings considerable fire to the screen. The aristocratic Shannon is desperate to leave Ireland to start a new, independent life in America. Despite their clashes, she implores the working class Joseph to accompany her as a servant and protector.

The most powerful scene the couple has is when jealousy over another woman provokes Shannon to verbally deride Joseph. His pride wounded, he, in turn, lashes out at Shannon, who ignores his warnings to drop the matter, and continues to egg him on. Joseph reacts by picking up Shannon and dumping her, fully clothed, into a bathtub full of water.^[1]

9 The Woman in Red

Comedic actors Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner were a soon-to-be-married couple when they worked together on the 1984 romantic comedy farce The Woman in Red. Wilder plays the middle-aged would-be philanderer, Theodore Pierce, who is chasing after gorgeous model Charlotte (Kelly LeBrock), hired for a campaign by the ad agency where Theodore works.

In between his shenanigans with Charlotte, he inadvertently offends a co-worker, Ms. Milner (Radner), by appearing to toy with her affections due to some misunderstandings. After standing up the dowdy, socially awkward Ms. Milner one time too many, Theodore witnesses her wrath when she vandalizes his car right in front of him. The typically sweet, lovable Radner is very effective in managing to silently project rage as she slowly keys his car, glaring at him viciously, while Theodore seems genuinely terrified. ^[2]

8 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

When it comes to movies featuring the all-time greatest marital rows, director Mike Nichol’s classic 1966 satiric drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is right up there with The War of the Roses. The difference is Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? stars not only a real-life married couple but also one known for having a stormy relationship off-screen: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. If the characters they play, George and Martha, had enjoyed the romantic passion that Liz and Dick experienced, their marriage would have been much more enjoyable. However, George and Martha were not nearly as appealing as the actors who played them.

It’s difficult to say which scene in this big screen adaptation of Edward Albee’s play is the most powerful. While the attempted strangulation at the diner comes close, another less violent but more complex scene stands out the most. In the scene dubbed “Getting Angry, Baby?” Martha proceeds to emasculate George and viciously humiliate him in front of their guests, describing what a failure he has been until a seething George finally explodes. Burton and Taylor pull off this very challenging scene beautifully.^[3]

7 Dark Passage

Set in San Francisco, the 1947 romantic thriller Dark Passage, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, centers on Vincent Parry (Bogart), a man wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife. After escaping from prison, he is aided by new acquaintance Irene Jansen (Bacall), who believes him to be innocent and is particularly sympathetic because her own father had been in a similar position. Of course, a romance between Vincent and Irene develops as in all of Bogart and Bacall’s movies together, utilizing their on-screen chemistry to the fullest.

One of the most unique things about this picture, which is mostly shot from Vincent’s perspective, is that for the first 30 minutes, we do not see his face until after he has plastic surgery to disguise himself. The most powerful scene between Vincent and Irene is when the two actors portraying them are not technically sharing the screen but talking to each other on the phone. On the run again, Vincent is telling Irene of his plan for them to be together. Up until this point, Bogie and Bacall have played it pretty cool as usual, but now they successfully convey a range of emotions including anxiety, longing, sadness, and tenderness.^[4]

6 El Cantante

What could be a better vehicle to showcase former celebrity couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony than the 2006 music biopic El Cantante about salsa legend Héctor Lavoe and his turbulent marriage to the sexy, dynamic “Puchi.” This story, marked by so much tragedy and turmoil, offers up plenty of powerful scenes, but the most dramatic of these takes place just after the funeral of their adolescent son when Hector tells Puchi that he wants to break up.

Reflecting on their toxic lifestyle, he points out their constant drug use and lack of communication as reasons to end the marriage. Puchi reacts by railing against Héctor for choosing to end things at a time like this, accusing him of being “selfish” and then telling him he can never leave her. Anthony’s performance is sad and subdued, while Lopez’s is explosive, providing a stunning contrast.^[5]

5 Much Ado About Nothing

Former spouses Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh co-starred in a number of films together, including the paranormal thriller Dead Again and the comedy Peter’s Friends. They also found themselves paired together in a 1993 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which offers some very challenging scenes in which reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick match wits during acerbic and often fiery exchanges.

One particularly dramatic scene is when the two characters, who have been bickering throughout, finally proclaim their mutual love. Just a moment after this revelation, the tone of the scene swiftly changes when Beatrice asks Benedick to show his love for her by killing her enemy Claudio. When Benedick refuses, Beatrice not only doubts his love but erupts in a fury, recounting how Claudio has harmed her. All the joy and tenderness of the scene are quickly replaced with bitterness, anger, and cynicism.^[6]

4 Ali

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith display passion on screen in multiple scenes of the 2001 biopic Ali, but the most compelling is likely the slow dance scene during which iconic Muhammad Ali (Smith) and future wife Sonji (Pinkett Smith) are getting to know each other. While it is low-key compared with the spicy bedroom scenes and the dramatic arguments, it is a compelling moment in its magic between the two as we see so clearly how captivated they are by one another, almost as though they are under a spell.^[7]

3 Loving Pablo

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem have appeared in nine feature films together since the early 1990s, three of which were made since the couple was married in 2010. However, the volatile 2017 crime drama Loving Pablo arguably features the most powerful scene between Cruz and Bardem. The film is based on the true events from journalist Virginia Vallejo’s memoir Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar about her romantic relationship with notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.

The scene that stands out is when a desperate Virginia goes to visit Pablo in his private prison to ask him for financial help so she can flee the country and start a new life following threats due to her well-known association with him. When he responds with cruelty, Virginia breaks down crying and talks about how vulnerable she is with no one to protect her. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cruz pointed out this scene when she was asked which scene from Loving Pablo was the most emotional. The actress said it was “the most difficult” for her.” She went on to say, “I was always very, very worried about that scene.” ^[8]

2 The Long Hot Summer

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward starred in seven films together, including such memorable movies as Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Paris Blues, and The Drowning Pool. Married for 50 years, the couple was a solid team off and on screen. Their first picture together, The Long Hot Summer (1958), featured especially powerful scenes, as the title hints. This romantic drama set in Mississippi and based partially on three works by William Faulkner centers on Ben, a sly, charming young man accused of barn burning who becomes involved with the wealthy, powerful Varner family. Woodward plays one of the two daughters, the straight-laced but intense school teacher, Clara. Her father, Will (Orson Welles), identifies with Ben and wants her to marry him.

Although the pretty and intelligent Clara is obviously attracted to Ben, she is very much opposed to marrying him. While alone with Ben at a picnic, she makes it clear that she values herself and all she has to offer too much to be used as a pawn by Ben and her father. Woodward is very compelling in the delivery of her impassioned speech. However, despite his comparably minimal dialogue, Newman holds his own, radiating a cool strength and self-assurance.^[9]

1 The Taming of the Shrew

The 1967 adaptation of the Shakespearian comedy The Taming of the Shrew, re-teaming Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, has a much lighter tone than most of their other projects together. Still, even this essentially humorous movie features some of the couple’s most powerful scenes. This could have something to do with the fact that it was helmed by opera director Franco Zeffirelli. There is a lot of fighting in this film, as the title suggests. Taylor plays the shrew Katharina, and Burton is cast as her fortune-hunting, caddish groom Petruchio, who struggles to tame her.

While there are some emotional scenes later in the film, the most powerful one is near the beginning when Petruchio chases Katharina through her father’s house, as she violently refuses to marry him. Persistent and clever Petruchio proves he might just be her match. Besides the bold performances from both actors, there is plenty of great physical comedy, including a shot of Burton and Taylor falling through a roof.^[1]

Whether it’s fancy houses, jewelry, expensive toys, or the accumulation of money, the game of wealthy, powerful people trying to outdo each other has been going on throughout history. Of course, this kind of behavior isn’t limited to the super-rich, and it must be remembered that there are plenty of those in the higher income brackets known for their philanthropy.

However, stories of shockingly decadent and outrageously lavish lifestyles have always drawn a lot of interest. From rivalries to grand gestures to simply showing off, these are 10 times rich people tried to top each other.

10 Alice and Alva Vanderbilt

Many families are competitive, but few have taken their rivalries to the level of sisters-in-law Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt (married to Cornelius Vanderbilt II) and Alva Vanderbilt (married to William Kissam Vanderbilt). During the late 19th century, the two women tried to top each other with the construction of elaborate summer homes in Newport, Rhode Island. These structures, called “cottages,” were more like palaces.

Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt between 1888 and 1892, Alva’s Marble House was completed first. Although much of it was marble, and it was said to be modeled on the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles, it would seem that Alice managed to top her with the same architect. Hunt designed The Breakers, a 70-room, five-story, all marble and steel house, 62,482-square-feet with a view of Easton Bay. Both houses are representative of the Gilded Age, and you can visit them to peek into this familial rivalry.^[1]

9 Richard Burton Outbids Aristotle Onassis

Although Richard Burton was an actor from Wales and Aristotle Onassis was an enormously wealthy Greek shipping tycoon, the two men had a surprising amount in common. This included their ostentatiously lavish lifestyles, a taste for celebrated women, and the willingness to spend astronomical sums on jewels for their lady loves.

It turned out that Burton was just getting warmed up when he purchased the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond for his wife at the time, film star Elizabeth Taylor. So when a 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond went on the market, Burton was interested, as was Onassis, who was shopping for wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s birthday. Onassis decided that her gift had to be at least 40 carats because it was her 40th birthday.

When the thrilling auction was held in 1969, Onassis dropped out at $700,000. So it boiled down to Burton’s rep, who was given a limit of $1,000,000, and Robert Kenmore of Kenmore Corporation, which owned Cartier Jewelers. Kenmore won the diamond for $1,050,000. However, Burton quickly bought the stone from Cartier for $1.1 million, naming it the Taylor-Burton Diamond.^[2]

8 Gloria Guinness Shows Up Babe Paley

Two of the 20th century’s most famous socialites, Babe Paley and Gloria Guinness, were part of writer Truman Capote’s exclusive clique of wealthy, glamorous female friends known as “swans.” However, sometimes they behaved more like cats toward one another.

During their longstanding rivalry, Paley did her best to make sure everyone knew about Guinness’s shady past as a nightclub worker in Mexico. But Guinness was a worthy adversary who embarrassed and upstaged her frenemy when they vacationed together on the Guinness’s yacht. She tricked Paley, telling her to only pack casual clothes. Then, on the very first evening, “Gloria emerged from her luxury cabin dripping in jewels and glittering fabrics, all while insisting the group go to a formal dinner,” according to Factinate.^[3]

7 Katy Perry’s Bid for Orlando Bloom

It’s unusual to hear about a wealthy person outspending someone for a good cause, but that’s what happened when pop star Katy Perry paid $50,000 at a charity auction in 2018 for a date with Orlando Bloom. According to People, the event was to raise “money to help Malibu rebuild following the devastating California wildfires.” She outbid a woman who had offered $20,000.

At first, Perry was actually on stage trying to help auction off the lunch date with Bloom but then apparently had “second thoughts.” The most ironic part is that Bloom and Perry were already dating at the time, so she didn’t need to buy a date with him. But it was evidently worth it to her to prevent another woman from going out with her man.^[4]

6 Battle of the Skyscrapers

In what came to be known as “The Race into the Sky,” architect H. Craig Severance, who was designing a building for banker George Ohrstrom, competed with William Van Alen. Van Alen was designing the headquarters for the Chrysler Corporation to build the tallest building in the world. This wasn’t just a professional rivalry. The two men were former business partners whose association had ended badly.

Severance was so determined to outdo Van Alen that he added an additional two stories to the original plans and eventually added another 20 meters (65 feet), making the 62-floor building the tallest. However, the victory was short-lived as Van Alen had a trick up his sleeve. He added a 38-meter (125-foot) spire to the top of the 246-meter (808-foot) Chrysler Building, thereby winning the competition. Ironically, just one year later, in May 1931, the 381-meter (1,250-foot) tall Empire State Building, designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, beat out the Chrysler Building for the record, remaining the tallest building until the completion of the World Trade Center in 1973.^[5]

5 The Tobacco Heiress vs. The Dime Store Heiress

Doris Duke, born into a tobacco empire, and Barbara Hutton, who inherited a fortune generated from Woolworth’s 5 and 10 Cent Stores, were among the world’s wealthiest women. Their extravagant, outrageous lives were closely covered by the media, beginning in the 1930s. The heiresses started out as friends but later became bitter rivals. They frequently competed over men. This included when Duke flirted with Hutton’s ex-husband Cary Grant, which was followed up by Hutton marrying Duke’s ex-husband, Dominican diplomat and playboy Porfirio “Rubi” Rubirosa.

One particularly blatant example of Hutton using her wealth to try to steal a man from Duke was when she called Duke’s jazz musician boyfriend, Joe Castro, with an impressive offer, saying: “I’d give you more than she would. If you were with me, you’d have a symphony orchestra,” according to Town & Country.^[6]

4 Another Round of Duke vs. Hutton

During a rare time when the famous heiresses were actually getting along, Doris Duke invited Barbara Hutton to her home in Hawaii. However, Hutton, who was used to having her own way, turned out not to be a very gracious guest.

She didn’t care for the furnishings, so instead of merely giving Duke the name of her decorator, she used Duke’s absence as an opportunity to remove the furniture, which included priceless Asian artwork, replacing it with modern Japanese décor. When Duke came home, she reacted by throwing Hutton out.^[7]

3 Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller

Steel titan Andrew Carnegie and oil baron John D. Rockefeller had a long rivalry, fueled on Carnegie’s part by a hunger for revenge. Carnegie blamed Rockefeller for the “1873 crash that hurt his biggest customers, the railroads.” He also held Rockefeller responsible for the death of his mentor, Thomas Scott, who died just a few years after the crash. Carnegie’s goal was to amass a bigger fortune than Rockefeller and replace him as the richest man in the world. In his effort to accomplish this, Carnegie went into business with the ruthless former coal baron Henry Clay Frick, who helped grow their steel company by buying out competitors.

However, Frick’s irresponsible actions while building an “exclusive men’s club for the rich and famous” led to the horrific 1889 Johnstown Flood that killed 2,209 people. After that, Andrew Carnegie, a member of the club, re-evaluated his priorities. No longer ruled by greed and vengeance, Carnegie launched into the generous philanthropy he is remembered for today.^[8]

2 The Nouveau Riche Vanderbilts Break into High Society

Once upon a time in old New York, the iconic Vanderbilts, who made their fortune in the railroads, were looked down on as “new money” and refused entry into high society by the old guard, which was ruled by Mrs. Astor. This was distressing, particularly to the social-climbing Alva Vanderbilt. However, what the family lacked in pedigree, they often made up for in unabashed extravagance. The thing that finally wore down Astor was her daughter’s desperation to be invited to Vanderbilt’s spectacular costume ball held as a housewarming party for Cornelius and Alva’s French chateau-inspired New York townhouse.

The now legendary ball on March 26, 1883, in which guests wore custom-made costumes, dressing as historical and mythical figures, was over-the-top opulent. The ballroom of their Fifth Avenue home was completely transformed into a “fairyland.” There were vases and baskets filled with myriads of roses, and the rooms were decorated in gold and silver. The Vanderbilt spent $65,000 on champagne, catering, and cigars alone. The entire party cost $240,000—an estimated $7 million in today’s dollars.

In order to score seats at the hottest ticket in town, Astor swallowed her pride and left her calling card at Vanderbilt’s house, signalling that the Vanderbilt family was movin’ on up.^[9]

1 William Randolph Hearst Tops Everyone

The controversial, larger-than-life publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst, best known today as the inspiration for Citizen Kane, topped just about everybody when he built the fantastical and unbelievably lavish Hearst Castle or La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill) on his vast San Simeon, CA, ranch. Designed by architect Julia Morgan in the Mediterranean Revival style, La Casa Grande (The Big House) comprises “115 rooms—including 38 bedrooms and 41 bathrooms—and has a cathedral-like facade, complete with two bell towers.”

With an interior décor and architecture that was inspired by European palaces and churches, the mansion features a huge collection of antiques and artworks. The grounds included what was once the largest private zoo. Hearst’s estate is something you would expect to only find in a movie, so it’s fitting that it became the playground of Hollywood A-listers like Charlie Chaplin, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Gloria Swansen, and Clark Gable, who would attend elaborate parties hosted by Hearst’s mistress, actress Marion Davies.

Hearst could be very competitive in his professional life. His fierce rivalry with Joseph Pulitzer is well documented. However, the most compelling part of his legacy may be his home, which makes most other famous showplaces look shabby by comparison.^[10]

Throughout mythology, there are hundreds of women, many of whom show immense power. These women are often very quickly demonized in the eyes of both contemporary and modern societies when we, in fact, often celebrate their male counterparts for similar actions. Here is a list of ten women from mythologies around the world who have been demonized for their displays of power.

10 Lilith

When discussing the topic of demonization and powerful women as a whole, it feels only fitting to begin with the first woman and the original of Adam in Mesopotamian, Abrahamic, and Judaic mythology and religion. Lilith was said to be created by God from the same dust as her husband, Adam, as his equal. She was gifted the Garden of Eden as her home, where, as God commanded, she acted as a steward to the land and animals. For a short time, Lilith and Adam lived in harmony within Eden until Adam decided he was superior to Lilith and attempted to assert his dominance over her.

Adam commanded that Lilith was to lay beneath him during acts of intimacy, but believing them to be equals, Lilith refused. When the first man tried to push the matter, it is said that either Lilith ran from him and the garden or that she sprouted wings and flew to escape his advances. When told of this, God sent three angels to pursue Lilith and bring her back to the Garden. However, when they discovered her, she had changed.

She was crouched in a cave and was birthing monstrous children—demons. The angels commanded her return, but Lilith refused, so the angels said they would kill 100 of her children each day until she returned. In revenge, the myth states Lilith took to Hell as the mother of demons. It is believed that she is responsible for the death of young children—who she swore not to hurt if they bore an amulet inscribed with the names of the three angels—and the birth of stillborn babies. Although she became a demon, Lilith’s actions were to protect herself. Thus she was removed from future religious texts, but she is still viewed as a feminist icon today.^[1]

9 Medea

This sweet but psycho princess story is one of magic, anger, and gore—a tale that, if a man were to have committed her actions, would hardly have been commented on. In Greek mythology, Medea was the granddaughter of Helios, Titan god of the sun. She was raised on the island of Colchis, a land of witches, monsters, and dragons, by the cruel necromancer, Aeetes. So her upbringing was questionable, to say the least.

Her life wasn’t much improved when the hero Jason arrived on her father’s shores demanding his most prized possession, the Golden Fleece. It was at this moment that the goddess of love, Aphrodite, enchanted Medea so that she fell in love with Jason. Medea used her magic to help Jason in his quest, he managed to steal the fleece, and they escaped, but only after Medea had chopped up her brother and thrown his body parts into the ocean to slow down her father’s pursuit.

Later in their tale, to win Jason back his kingdom, Medea tricked three girls into killing their father. And finally, after years and children, Jason announced he was cheating on and leaving Medea even after all she had done for him. Instantly, Aphrodite’s love voodoo spell was shattered, as was Medea’s mind. So in a fit of rage, she slaughtered Jason’s new love and her own children, taking their bodies and flying away in a dragon-flown chariot.^[2]

8 Morgan Le Fey

Originally Morgan Le Fey (the Faerie) was a healer to King Arthur in the Arthurian legends. However, as her powers grew throughout the tales, her character was manipulated from a physician dedicated to helping others to one of the most wicked sorceresses of legend. Throughout her tale and as her power grew, Morgan had various affairs and began to use her magic to try and bring about the fall of Camelot and her half-brother Arthur.

She attempted to split up his marriage with Guinevere, trapped him in the Faerie land, and even escaped her comeuppance by transfiguring herself and her companions to stone for years before becoming flesh once again. Her final act of evil was sending a cursed robe to Arthur and Guinevere, but this failed when they requested a serving girl put it. Unfortunately, she immediately went up in flames.^[3]

7 Morgause

Perhaps even worse than her sister, Morgan, Morgause also begins her tale as a Faerie healer. However, as her powers grew, her actions grew even more heinous than those of her sister. Morgause married King Lot of Orkney and visited Camelot. Although she knew of her half-brother, King Arthur, he did not know of her. She lured him to her bed, and together they conceived Mordred.

Despite Arthurs’s attempts to later have his son killed, Morgause raised him in secret and taught him that his father was a cruel man who stole her birthright, the throne of Camelot. After many years, the characters of Morgan and Morgause were merged into one being, a Faerie healer whose power scared men. And thus, she became an evil enchantress.^[4]

6 Pasiphaë

This queen of Crete was the daughter of Helios and a minor goddess of the sun revered by all. It was only when her power as a witch was discovered that she was demonized. Immediately, she was forced to marry a mortal man and then was cast aside by the gods. Humans also feared her for having a power they could not understand. To make matters worse, her husband then proceeded to offend the gods, resulting in her being cursed to mate with a bull, thus creating the minotaur.

Rather than her husband being blamed—as he rightly should have been—Pasiphae was cast aside by her people and her husband. Her husband, Minos, then took various lovers and did not hide it, humiliating her further. And so, as a woman who knew her worth, Pasiphae enchanted Minos so that when he reached a moment of climax with these girls, he would ejaculate scorpions into them, and they would die. These later actions are why people have deemed her evil when it was her husband and his actions that drove her to such extremes.^[5]

5 The Morrigan

Within Celtic myths and legends, no deity is feared more than the Morrigan (Phantom Queen). She is a goddess of three parts: Nemain (havoc), Macha (war), and her crow form, Badb (death). It was said that the Morrigan would stalk battlefields as a goddess of fate, war, and death and pick the warriors who would live or die in a battle. She would appear before soldiers washing blood-stained armor if they were destined to die. So she was seen as an evil omen and was feared greatly.

She was a gifted shapeshifter and was known to favor changing into the crow. The Morrigan was one of the Tuatha De Danann, the folk of the Goddess Danu. The warrior race of gods and ferocious warriors were one of the six groups of people that, over the course of history, are said to have settled in Ireland according to the Lebor gabála Érenn (or Book of Invasions) dated to about the 11th century. ^[6]

4 Ereshkigal

Known by other names, including Allatu and Irkalla, Ereshkigal was a goddess in Mesopotamian mythology who was captured by the demon dragon of the Underworld Kur—a name synonymous with the Underworld. Many gods traveled to rescue the goddess, but by the time they had slain Kur, Ereshkigal had settled into her role as the goddess and new queen of the Underworld.

As she gained power from this title, people instantly began to demonize Ereshkigal. Her name and the name of the Underworld changed to Irkalla, and her actions became questionable. She even goes as far as to kidnap the war god, Nergal, and force him into marriage—much like Hades did in the Greek myths. It is even said that Ereshkigal was the basis for Kore, who later became Persephone.^[7]

3 Nyx

There is no deity in Greek mythology more feared than Nyx, the goddess of Night. Born from Chaos—or Phanes and Ananke, depending on the source—alongside Erebus (Darkness) and Gaia (Earth,) Nyx resided deep in the Underworld. As the sun set each day, Nyx would leave her palace in a chariot pulled by black horses and throw a veil across the world, shrouding it in the darkness of night. Although Nyx does nothing inherently evil, she was feared by all, even Zeus. He dared not chase after Hypnos when he ran to Nyx, his mother, for protection.^[8]

2 Loviatar

Like most deities of death, disease, and the Underworld, Loviatar was greatly feared within Finnish mythology. She had great power and is described as a blind, wretched daughter with a black heart intent on releasing wicked spirits upon the Earth. Despite being a virgin in all the myths, she is the mother of all diseases and is said to be hideous. When her appearance and intent are compared to her male counterparts in other mythologies, such as Hades, Thanatos, or Osiris, it brings into question why it seems that they are peaceful and, in some cases, attractive. In contrast, as a woman with power, she is described as an evil and ugly hag.^[9]

1 Circe

The final woman in this list may be the most well-known witch in western literature, another daughter of Helios treated even more unfairly than her sister Pasiphae. Circe discovered her magic (power outside of her godly abilities) quite early, and she indeed did questionable things with it at the beginning, such as transforming the beautiful Scylla into a monster out of jealousy. When the gods discovered that she held such power, her punishment was far worse than her siblings—the two boys receiving none and Pasiphae being forced to marry a mortal.

Circe was sent to the remote island of Aeaea alone, where she was trapped surrounded by wolves and lions, which she spent time taming. Circe remained content on her island for many years in solitude until Odysseus and his men arrived on her shores. Fearing an attack from the strangers–which “heroes” were well known for–she transfigured Odysseus’s crew into pigs.

For this, she was labeled evil and greatly demonized when she was merely protecting herself and her home from any attack she believed to be coming. The demonization of Circe can be seen in her punishment. She, a powerful woman, was banished to an island to be alone for all time, and her sister was forced to marry below her status and was humiliated. On the other hand, her two brothers were allowed to roam free, Aeetes founding Colchis and Perseis traveling to conquer other lands.^[10]

In the surveillance state era you might think the Golden Age of organized crime is over, but gangs are very much thriving – even some of the old ones. They’ve just adapted. While some still manage to evade the law, others are enabled by governments. And some are so embedded in the fabric of their society, they’re like de facto governments themselves.

Based on their revenue, membership, and/or global distribution, here ten of the most powerful today.

10. CJNG

The killing of Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel in 2010 left a power vacuum in the drug trafficking underworld, with rival factions battling for control of Jalisco. It was out of this frenzy that the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) emerged.

As its name suggests, the CJNG really is a new generation of Mexican drug cartel. For one thing, it’s highly resilient – continuing to expand despite the capture of multiple leaders and bank accounts. For another, it’s even more violent than its ultra-violent forerunners. Right from the beginning, Jalisco saw a spike in murders, missing persons, and mass graves. Victims included not only rival gang members (such as Los Zetas (“the Zs”)), but also police and public officials. Attacks were fierce and sophisticated, using machine guns and grenade launchers and even downing helicopters. To ensure all members are capable of the actions required of them, training for the CJNG involves kidnapping, torturing, murdering, and eating people – and new members may be as young as 12. At the same time, though, the CJNG reaches out to ordinary citizens with its PR campaigns.

Active throughout Mexico, the CJNG now has an international network including contacts in South and Central America, the US and Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia, and China.

9. Wo Shing Wo

The Wo Shing Wo has been steadily expanding since the 1990s when police started paying more attention. The gang has spread throughout Hong Kong as well as around the world with a significant presence in San Francisco.

It is, of course, a triad – a Chinese gang named for the unity of heaven, man, and earth. While the Wo Shing Wo is known mainly for its involvement in illegal gambling, triad activities also include: drug trafficking; protection rackets and extortion; wildlife smuggling; fraud and counterfeiting; loansharking; cyberscams; and money laundering. Not all their activities are illegal, however. Triads are also involved in legitimate businesses (nightclubs, casinos, bars, etc.) and even the production and distribution of movies. Triads simply exist to fill a gap in the market – or provide services the government doesn’t.

Today, Wo Shing Wo has over 20,000 members.

8. Black Axe

“Nigerian prince” scams may seem comically naive, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. They’re part of an expanding global empire of crime, in which members share “formats” or blueprints for ways to rob people online. 

The most powerful of the cybercrime gangs originating from Nigeria is Black Axe – a cult-like organization involved in human trafficking and brutal murders as well. Members, called Axemen, coordinate online, sharing photos of recent killings and mutilations – usually of rival gang members. Internationally, their activities are thought to generate billions of dollars. In Canada alone in 2017, authorities uncovered a money laundering scheme worth more than $5 billion. And it’s not clear how many others exist; Black Axe is active in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, among other regions, and is thought to have more than 30,000 members. This is thanks to their organization, such as splitting the world into “zones” – each with a local “head” to which “dues” are payable before revenue can be returned to Black Axe’s base in Benin City. In Italy, for example, the gang cooperates with the local mafia.

Now more than four decades old, Black Axe tends to recruit university undergraduates in Nigeria – many of whom, facing one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, are desperate for opportunities and contacts. Initiation (“bamming”) reportedly involves a symbolic death and rebirth — a savage naked whipping with bamboo followed by crawling between the legs of other gang members and emerging to songs and chants. With members in the Nigerian armed forces, academia, religious establishment, law enforcement and politics, Black Axe is extremely difficult to combat at home.

6. Sinaloa Cartel

Famously associated with the drug lord El Chapo, the Sinaloa Cartel is today the largest and most powerful of Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations. According to Fortune in 2014, its annual revenue is estimated to be upwards of $3 billion. But it may be much more, with operations in more than 50 countries. Unlike other cartels, which have branched into other areas, the Sinaloa cartel has remained firmly focused on drugs – especially cocaine, meth, heroin, and cannabis.

Because of its non-hierarchical structure, lacking any single leader or kingpin, the Sinaloa cartel has resisted efforts to destroy it. This is also thought to have facilitated its global expansion, with many local groups operating semi-independently around the world. Members are often bound, however, by blood relation or marriage. In fact, it began as an affiliation of farming families. Another characteristic of the Sinaloa cartel is its preference for non-violent solutions – preferring to bribe but still prepared to kill. This is in stark contrast to its number one rival today, the CJNG.

6. Camorra

Thought to be centuries old (older than Italy, in fact), the Camorra mafia controls the city of Naples. Such is its influence that Neapolitans, who call it “the system”, tend not to testify against it – as if it were the government itself. It might as well be; the gang provides not only work but protection to the people. It also owns much of the city through debt, dominating the lives of many citizens.

Membership includes 100 “autonomous clans” and around 10,000 “immediate associates”, as well as a larger base of dependent clients and friends. Annual revenue from combined operations (including in the Americas and Europe) was estimated in 2014 to be $4.9 billion. 

Contrary to popular belief in the rise of other gangs in Naples, Camorra is still in control of the city. Among its enterprises there are the piazzas or drug bazaars – fortified apartment blocks with dozens of lookouts and a clandestine system for exchanging drugs and money that makes police raids basically pointless.

5. ‘Ndrangheta

Long thought to be non-hierarchical or horizontal in structure, similar to the Sinaloa Cartel, ‘Ndrangheta is now known to have a single central kingpin, or capo crimine (“head crime”). In fact, this is the mafia associated with New York City’s real-life inspiration for The Godfather, Carlo Gambino.

Surrounding the capo is the ‘Ndrangheta’s governing body, the crimine. Below them are the “colonels”: the mastro generale (“general master”), capo societá (“head of the society”), and contabile (“accountant”). Then there are the ‘ndrine or clans – usually families of at least 49 members – in charge of local territories. The ranking system is closely tied to Catholic saints, and initiations are known as “baptisms”.

As of 2014, ‘Ndrangheta’s operations across 30 countries and 60,000 members were thought to generate $66.4 billion a year – or 3.5% of Italy’s GDP. That’s more than the country’s biggest bank UniCredit. And if ‘Ndrangheta were a country itself, it would make more money than Luxembourg.  Activities mainly include drug trafficking and “illegal waste disposal”, but also gambling, extortion, prostitution, gun-running, and counterfeiting.

4. Sun Yee On

Triads in China date back to the 17th century when they worked in secret to restore the Ming dynasty to power. Though unsuccessful in that aim, they continued to operate below the radar and, by the 1960s, triad membership in Hong Kong had grown to an estimated one-sixth of the population. 

Traditionally, triads are honor-based societies – an alternative to corrupt institutions. Sun Yee On, however, is a notable exception to the rule. Formed in the early twentieth century, members are solely interested in self-preservation and wealth. Though its main rival is Wo Shing Wo, for example, and fighting is common, it’s not above teaming up to make money. Similarly, in WWII, it cooperated with the Japanese.

By the 1970s, Sun Yee On had 47,000 members. In the 80s and 90s, it took over Hong Kong’s film industry, and today its influence extends to senior government officials. Its precise annual revenue is unknown but is thought to be hundreds of billions, in part because it controls 12% of the global heroin supply.

3. 14K

The 14K triad is thought to be the largest by far in terms of membership and has been active in Hong Kong since the 1940s. Officially, police attribute its resilience to its pyramid-like structure, its alertness to undercover operations, and the public demand for its services (which include heroin, illegal migration, and gambling).

Unofficially, however, the 14K and other triads are aided by government officials. This is nothing new; in 1984, CCP leader Deng Xiaoping openly expressed his willingness to work with organized crime – praising their patriotism and honor. In fact, triads have provided protection for CCP officials overseas. In return, the government ignores some of their more questionable activities, like the smuggling of drugs, wildlife, and people through the Golden Triangle “special economic zone” (SEZ).

As recently as 2020, former 14K leader Wan Kuok-koi (aka “Broken Tooth”) acted as a dignitary himself, meeting with the president of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea to discuss plans for a new SEZ as part of China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ trade network.

2. Solntsevskaya Bratva

The Solntsevskaya Bratva (or “Solntsevo fraternity”) rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union to become the most powerful of the Russian mafias. Although it controls banks and businesses in Russia, it’s virtually invisible on the streets – so much so that some think it doesn’t exist.

Part of this is down to discretion. The leadership is thought to comprise twelve individuals who meet secretly in different locations around the world. But it’s also because its activities are kept in check by the Kremlin, while at the same time enabled by the Russian elite, or “kleptocrats”. Similar to the triads in China, Russian gangsters have been embedded in the political establishment ever since Stalin first employed them to rob banks and raise funds for revolution. In the 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russia’s subsequent entry to the capitalist free market was a “feeding frenzy” for gangs. Ultimately, they helped shape the new status quo. Nowadays, there’s no clear line between crime and state. The trafficking of drugs and humans is almost seamlessly combined with legitimate business enterprises.

1. Yamaguchi-gumi

For many years, police have sought to destroy the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza – “one of the most feared crime syndicates in Japan”. From its fortress-like headquarters, it runs the world’s largest and wealthiest gang or, as some would put it, “Japan’s second largest private equity group”. Members are known to gather insider trading information, as well information to blackmail powerful politicians and executives, through a network of hospitality workers. Other activities include drugs trafficking, fraud, theft, and violent crimes.

However, they also run legitimate businesses and humanitarian groups. For a criminal gang, they actually have a very public image in Japan – from office buildings and business cards to fan magazines and “comic books about their exploits”. This is a far cry from its origins as a loose labor union of dock workers in early twentieth century Kobe. This yakuza also bucks many of the usual stereotypes, with younger members tending away from tattoos, chopping off their pinkies, and so on to avoid identification as gang members. Gang warfare involving shootouts has also become much less common. The penalties for firearm possession are just too severe to make sense to the new generation of yakuza.

Nevertheless, Yamaguchi-gumi operations extend throughout Asia and into the United States. Domestically, the gang also plans to expand into Tokyo – historically not their territory. Despite the more punishing laws in Japan and internal splits, it remains dominant both at home and abroad.