Benjamin Franklin once quipped that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. In the face of mortality, some artists choose to leave a lasting echo for the world, and that’s where our 10 obscure farewell collection comes in. While a few names like Bowie’s Blackstar dominate the conversation, there’s a treasure trove of lesser‑known final records that reveal how creators confront their own endings.

10 obscure farewell Albums: A Journey Through Final Recordings

10. Goodbye (Gene Ammons)

Gene Ammons, affectionately called “The Boss” or “Jug,” was a towering tenor saxophonist whose sound blended jazz, R&B, and soul. Those who knew him described a gentle giant who, during the ’50s and ’60s, cut tracks for Prestige alongside legends like Donald Byrd and John Coltrane.

After a seven‑year heroin possession sentence, Ammons was freed from Statesville Penitentiary in 1969, already battling emphysema and an enlarged heart. In March 1974, just five months before his death, he laid down the sessions for Goodbye in New York City (March 18‑20). The record, a collection of smooth jazz standards, now serves as a poignant title for his swan song.

By that point Ammons was keenly aware of his deteriorating health; metastatic bone cancer had taken hold. A broken arm from a gig in Oklahoma City forced him home, where doctors confirmed the grim diagnosis. He succumbed to bone cancer and pneumonia in August 1974, leaving behind a final, heartfelt farewell.

9. Airbusters (Hip Linkchain)

Willie Richard, better known on stage as Hip Linkchain, earned a reputation in Chicago’s blues scene for his stripped‑down, no‑frills guitar work. Hailing from Mississippi, he migrated north, joining the Chicago Twisters in 1959 and occasionally recording solo material.

In 1989 the album Airbusters hit the shelves, compiling sessions from 1984‑87. The record showcases driving riffs, raw vocals, and marks the final studio effort from Linkchain. The last tracks were laid down in May 1987, and two years later, in May 1989, the guitarist passed away from mesothelioma—an illness that typically grants a survival window of four to eighteen months, suggesting he was already feeling its effects during those final recordings.

8. Traveling Through (Dick Curless)

Nicknamed the “Baron,” Dick Curless was a baritone‑voiced country crooner famous for his eye‑patch and relentless touring. The 1965 hit “A Tombstone Every Mile” cemented his place on the Billboard country charts, where he amassed over twenty entries.

In 1994, Curless entered Rounder Records’ Brookfield studio to record Traveling Through. The album blends gospel, country, and blues in a stripped‑back fashion, featuring heart‑wrenching ballads such as “Crazy Heart” and the reflective “I Never Go Around Mirrors.” Another standout, “I Don’t Have a Memory Without Her,” tells a son’s tribute to his mother.

While laying down these tracks, Curless felt an unexplained malaise, unaware that stomach cancer was already taking hold. Six months later, on May 25 1995, he died at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Togus, Maine. The cause of his stomach cancer remains a mystery.

7. Spirit Touches Ground (Josh Clayton‑Felt)

After dropping out of college in the winter of ’87‑’88, Josh Clayton‑Felt headed to Los Angeles and co‑founded the alternative rock outfit School of Fish, eventually signing with Capitol Records. The band dissolved, and Clayton‑Felt pivoted to a solo career, releasing his debut on A&M in ’93‑’94, followed by a second album, Inarticulate Nature Boy, in ’96, which failed to meet sales expectations.

At the tail end of December 1999, while working on new material, Clayton‑Felt was rushed to the hospital with severe back pain. Doctors diagnosed late‑stage choriocarcinoma, an aggressive testicular cancer. The disease progressed rapidly, sending him into a coma and, a month later, claiming his life on January 19 2000 at age 32.

His final work, Spirit Touches Ground, emerged posthumously. The mixing and mastering wrapped up just a week before his diagnosis, implying that during those final sessions he was already grappling with the intense pain and fatigue of his illness.

Despite the tragedy, the album stands as a testament to Clayton‑Felt’s resilient creativity, offering listeners a glimpse into what might have been had he enjoyed more time.

6. Hymns That Are Important to Us (Joey Feek)

Born in 1975 to a musically inclined father, Joey Martin (later Feek) moved to Nashville in the late ’80s, initially working at a horse‑vet clinic. It was there she met future husband Rory Lee Feek, and together they formed the duo Joey + Rory, blending country roots with heartfelt storytelling.

In 2014, Feek received a cervical cancer diagnosis. After surgery and a year of remission, the disease resurfaced. While undergoing treatment, Joey and Rory recorded a series of hymns in a hotel room, culminating in the album Hymns That Are Important to Us. The collection features a moving rendition of “When I’m Gone,” among other sacred tracks.

The following year, Joey announced that her cancer had become terminal and she would cease treatment. She lived long enough to see a Grammy nomination for one of the album’s songs before passing away in March 2016. The record closes with a reprise of “When I’m Gone,” echoing the duo’s earlier work.

5. Pop Crimes (Rowland S. Howard)

Australian guitarist Rowland S. Howard first gained fame alongside Nick Cave’s early projects, including The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party. Known for his long hair, all‑black wardrobe, and a signature walking stick, Howard carved a niche as an avant‑garde guitarist.

For years he battled hepatitis C, and in 2003 a liver cancer diagnosis forced him onto a transplant waiting list. He succumbed to hepatocellular carcinoma in December 2008. The following year, his final record Pop Crimes was released, quickly earning a cult following despite modest sales.

Recorded throughout 2008, the album drips with darkness and haunting atmospheres, featuring a stark cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Nothin.” It remains a poignant testament to Howard’s artistic vision in his final months.

4. Man of My Word (Johnny Adams)

Born in 1932 in New Orleans, Johnny Adams—dubbed “the Tan Canary”—scored his first minor hit in 1959 with “I Won’t Cry.” After a brief stint with Atlantic Records in the ’70s, he rose to national prominence in the ’90s, collaborating with icons such as Dr. John, Duke Robillard, and Harry Connick Jr.

In 1998, following a prostate cancer diagnosis, Adams entered the studio to record what would become his swan song, Man of My World. The sessions were fraught with the pain of his illness, yet produced a powerful R&B record highlighted by the moving track “This Time I’m Gone for Good.” Critics praised its depth and authenticity.

Sadly, Adams’ battle ended that September when he passed away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, leaving behind a legacy of soulful storytelling.

3. I Can Dream (Max Merritt)

New Zealand’s Max Merritt blended soul and R&B into a distinctive sound, fronting the Meteors and scoring hits like “Slippin’ Away” and “Hey, Western Union Man.” After stints in England and the United States, he earned the nickname “King of Soul” in Australia during the ’60s and ’70s.

In April 2007, Merritt was hospitalized and diagnosed with Goodpasture syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks kidneys and lungs. He faced ongoing health struggles and financial pressures until his death in September 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Just before his passing, Merritt completed the posthumous album I Can Dream. Featuring ten tracks written between 2002 and 2020, the record was recorded in part at Colin Hay’s studio, offering a reflective closing chapter to his storied career.

2. 77 Trombones (Blowfly)

Known for his raunchy parody songs, Clarence Reid adopted the outrageous moniker Blowfly, becoming “hip‑hop’s weird, dirty uncle.” While his real name saw releases in funk, soul, and R&B alongside acts like KC & the Sunshine Band, Blowfly’s explicit parodies pushed boundaries, even earning him a claim as the first rapper to be banned.

On January 12 2016, Blowfly announced a terminal cancer diagnosis that led to multi‑organ failure. That same day he revealed his final record, 77 Trombones, slated for posthumous release. Four days later, on January 16, he succumbed to the disease, leaving the album as his final, unapologetically bold statement.

1. Warehouse Summer (i_o)

Garrett Falls Lockhart, better known as i_o, made waves in the electronic dance scene, especially after his 2019 collaboration “Violence” with Grimes. He followed up with the ambitious EP trilogy 444 in 2020.

Later that year, i_o signed with Armada Music, but tragedy struck in November 2020 when he died suddenly at age 30 from Hashimoto thyroiditis, an autoimmune thyroid disorder. His estate swiftly released what is likely his sole posthumous album, Warehouse Summer.

The fourteen‑track collection showcases a blend of house and techno, featuring titles such as “Hold Me Down” and “Prayers,” cementing i_o’s lasting impact on the EDM landscape.

Tirades, meltdowns, and spectacular blow‑ups – call them what you will. The reality is that none of us can honestly claim we’ve never once lost our composure. It happens to everyone, and unfortunately for a few famous faces, it happened while a camera or tape recorder was rolling. Sit back, relax, and get ready to hear ten people absolutely losing the plot. WARNING: the clips below contain language that may offend.

Why These Top 10 Infamous Outbursts Captivate Audiences

10 Dennis Green

Dennis Green, usually praised for his calm demeanor while coaching the Arizona Cardinals from 2004‑2006, showed a completely different side after a disastrous loss to the Chicago Bears. The Cardinals surrendered a 20‑point lead in under twenty minutes, and Green’s post‑game press conference turned into a full‑blown tirade. The clip later resurfaced in a popular Coors Light commercial, immortalizing his fiery outburst for posterity.

9 Ed Harris

During a press conference for the film “A History of Violence,” Ed Harris abruptly shattered the room’s levity with a startling display of aggression. The footage was edited in a way that omitted any explanation, leaving viewers to wonder what provoked the sudden shift from calm to hostile in the acclaimed actor’s demeanor.

8 Bob Dylan

Extracted from the 1965 documentary “Don’t Look Back,” this scene captures a seemingly casual party in Bob Dylan’s hotel room that erupts when someone knocks, demanding answers about a broken glass that’s been tossed onto the street. While Dylan initially appears irritable, his concern quickly becomes clear: he’s worried someone could get hurt by the stray shards.

7 Lily Tomlin and David O. Russell

Set pieces went flying on the set of “I Heart Huckabees,” where Lily Tomlin and director David O. Russell clashed from day one. The clip shows props hurtling through the air as Tomlin and Russell exchange heated words, while a bewildered Jason Schwartzman remains seated, unflinching as chaos whizzes past his head.

6 Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Pop‑icon Björk, known for her avant‑garde artistry, let her animal instincts take over at Bangkok International Airport when a reporter pressed her for comment. She lunged at the microphone‑wielder with the ferocity of a mother bear defending cubs. Later, she issued a public apology for the aggressive encounter.

5 Casey Kasem and Snuggles

Sometimes the most unexpected personalities erupt. In this rarely‑seen clip, legendary disc‑jockey Casey Kasem loses his composure over a seemingly trivial matter involving his beloved pet, Snuggles. The normally smooth‑talking voice‑over star erupts, proving that even the calmest voices can snap when provoked.

4 Bill O’Reilly

Before becoming the face of his own eponymous show, Bill O’Reilly cut his teeth as an anchor for “Inside Edition.” During a behind‑the‑scenes moment, he unleashed a famously profane rant that quickly spread across YouTube, delighting audiences across the political spectrum.

3 Buddy Rich

Jazz drumming legend Buddy Rich earned a reputation as a temperamental genius. Secretly recorded tapes captured his explosive tirades, in which he hurled vicious insults and even threats at his own band members. These recordings later inspired comedy sketches by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with some of Rich’s most colorful lines finding their way into the sitcom “Seinfeld.”

2 Michael Richards

The “Seinfeld” star Michael Richards famously destroyed his reputation with a three‑minute, racially charged rant at a comedy club in November 2006. Unlike most entries on this list, the clip offers no humor—only a stark, shocking glimpse of a beloved comedian’s downfall.

1 Orson Welles

Once Hollywood’s golden boy, Orson Welles’ career dwindled to narrating TV‑dinner commercials. In his most infamous clip, Welles records a voice‑over for a frozen peas advertisement, his ego as inflated as ever, even as he reads the bland script. 

This final clip comes from the “Animaniacs” segment featuring Pinky & Brain. The brainy character, modeled after Welles, delivers a spot‑on parody of the frozen peas commercial, cementing Welles’ lasting influence on pop culture.

When you think about how most people meet their end, you probably picture something fairly ordinary—a car crash, an illness, or perhaps old age. Yet history is littered with a handful of truly baffling demises that defy logic and make you wonder, “What were they thinking?” This roundup of the 10 most absurd deaths ever recorded showcases the weirdest, most ironic ways that fame, hubris, or sheer bad luck sent people to their final curtain.

Why These 10 Most Absurd Deaths Still Capture Our Imagination

From daring athletes who tried to out‑swim nature’s fury to ancient lawmakers who suffocated under a crowd’s applause, each tale is a reminder that even the most celebrated lives can end in absurdity. Let’s dive into each bizarre finale, ranking them from the least to the most outlandish.

10 Matthew Webb

Professional swimmer Matthew Webb earned his place in the history books by becoming the first person to cross the English Channel in 1875. After a string of exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic, he announced in 1882 that his next goal would be to brave the churning rapids at the base of Niagara Falls.

Critics warned that the stunt bordered on suicide, and they were right. On July 24, 1883, donning the same bright red trunks that had carried him across the Channel, Webb leapt from a modest ferry he had rowed to the middle of the river. The whirlpool swallowed him almost instantly, and four days later his body was recovered. An autopsy revealed that the pressure of the water temporarily paralyzed his muscles, preventing him from breathing or moving. Though celebrated for his swimming feats, Webb’s legacy serves as a cautionary tale about biting off more than one can chew.

9 Pausanias

The Spartans are famous for their ruthlessness, but even they could make puzzling strategic choices. Pausanias, who stepped into the role of regent general after his uncle King Leonidas fell at Thermopylae, quickly earned a reputation as a tyrant and faced accusations of colluding with Persia against his fellow Greeks.

Although he was twice cleared of treason, rumors persisted, and eventually Spartan authorities sent troops to seize him. Rather than flee, Pausanias hid inside a temple dedicated to Athena, assuming the sanctity of the site would protect him. The Spartans honored his assumption, sealing the temple’s entrance and trapping him inside. He starved to the brink of death, and when finally released, he collapsed and died on the spot.

8 Gruffydd ap Llywelyn

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn’s life was a series of unlucky turns. Born out of wedlock to Llywelyn the Great and his mistress, he should have enjoyed the same rights as any legitimate son under Welsh law. However, when Llywelyn arranged a marriage with the English king’s daughter, he agreed that Gruffydd would be disinherited in favor of any future offspring from that union, and the boy was placed in King John’s custody.

Gruffydd endured three imprisonments. After his release, his half‑brother Dafydd, fearing a claim to the throne, locked both Gruffydd and his own son away again. On Saint David’s Day in 1244, Gruffydd attempted a daring escape by fashioning a rope from sheets and climbing down from his tower. The makeshift rope snapped, and he plummeted to his death.

7 Draco

Draco, the infamous Athenian law‑giver, is remembered for his draconian code that prescribed death for even minor offenses. Though his statutes were brutally strict, he remained popular enough to be exiled only after his rule ended, spending his final years on the island of Aegina.

Ironically, the very people who suffered under his harsh laws caused his own demise. While delivering a speech at an Aeginetan theatre, the audience gave him a rousing standing ovation, showering him with hats, cloaks, and other garments—a customary gesture of admiration in ancient Greece. The sheer volume of clothing piled onto him, and he suffocated under the weight of the crowd’s applause.

6 Arthur Aston

Sir Arthur Aston, a Royalist commander during England’s Civil War, suffered a severe mishap in September 1644 when he was thrown from his horse, breaking his leg. The injury became gangrenous, necessitating amputation, after which he was fitted with a wooden prosthetic limb.

Following King Charles I’s execution in 1649, Aston led a garrison of roughly 3,000 men at either Drogheda or Tredagh against Oliver Cromwell’s forces. The defense collapsed, and only a handful escaped. In a grim twist of fate, the victorious Parliamentarians used his own wooden leg as a weapon, beating him to death with it.

5 Heraclitus

The ancient philosopher Heraclitus, whose musings influenced Plato and Aristotle, met a death as peculiar as his ideas. Suffering from dropsy—a condition that causes fluid to accumulate and swell—he believed that exposing himself to heat would evaporate the excess water.

To that end, he buried himself in a mound of fresh cow dung, hoping the warmth would draw out the fluid. Unfortunately, the stench and stickiness made it impossible for him to extricate himself, and he perished, unable to free himself from the very “solution” he had devised.

4 Clement Vallandigham

Clement Vallandigham, a prominent Ohio lawyer, found himself entangled in a dramatic courtroom demonstration that ended in tragedy. In 1871, he was defending Thomas McGehan, accused of murdering Thomas Myers during a barroom brawl that had erupted on Christmas Eve.

To prove his point that Myers might have accidentally shot himself, Vallandigham staged an experiment in his hotel room. He placed a pistol—identical to the one used in the case—into his pocket, mimicking Myers’ alleged position, and pulled the trigger. Unbeknownst to him, he had grabbed his own loaded firearm rather than the unloaded evidence gun, and the shot killed him instantly, turning his defense into a fatal mishap.

3 Sigurd the Mighty

Vikings are celebrated for their ferocity, but even the fiercest warriors could fall victim to a mundane injury. Sigurd the Mighty, Earl of Orkney, had forged an alliance with Thorstein the Red and was waging campaigns across Scotland, where he clashed with a local noble named Maelbrigte.

After defeating Maelbrigte, Sigurd mounted the enemy’s severed head on his saddle as a trophy. While riding northward, the jagged teeth of the skull caught his leg, causing a deep scratch. The wound became infected, and the resulting illness claimed his life, proving that even a triumphant Viking could be undone by a simple scratch.

2 Bobby Leach

Bobby Leach earned fame as a stuntman by becoming the second person—and the first man—to barrel‑roll over Niagara Falls in 1911. At age 53, he survived the plunge, emerging with a broken jaw and two shattered kneecaps, yet he proudly declared that he had achieved the greatest ambition of his life.

His daring career, however, met an anticlimactic end in 1926 while traveling in New Zealand. Leach slipped on an orange peel, re‑injuring a previously broken leg. The wound quickly became gangrenous, and he died a few days later, a far less spectacular finale than his famous Niagara feat.

1 Franz Reichelt

Franz Reichelt, a tailor‑turned‑inventor, was convinced that his parachute‑like coat could safely bring a person down from great heights. In February 1912, after officials permitted a mannequin test, Reichelt decided to jump from the Eiffel Tower himself, despite police presence and onlookers below.

The experiment proved disastrous. The “parachute suit” failed to generate any meaningful drag, and Reichelt plummeted to the ground, where the impact killed him instantly. His tragic end underscores the perils of overconfidence in untested inventions.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the planet is now seeing natural catastrophes at triple the rate they occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, and each event is growing larger and more ferocious. The surge is taking a massive toll, especially on low‑income nations that lack the resources to bounce back.

10 Home Videos That Capture Nature’s Fury

The Philippines, a sprawling archipelago in Southeast Asia, lives under the constant threat of volcanic eruptions, tremors, typhoons and the cascade of hazards that accompany them—tsunamis, floods and landslides. Nestled on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country endures more than 2,000 quakes each year, and since 1951 the seismic activity has claimed over 4,800 lives, not counting the tsunamis that often follow.

This silent clip captures a group of friends lounging in a local pool when a magnitude‑6.1 quake rattles Luzon. The water churns violently as the ground shakes, trees sway, and nearby structures tremble, before the tremors fade after roughly a minute.

While the shaking was modest compared with the Philippines’ historic quakes, the rippling water vividly illustrates the earth’s violent motion. Eighteen souls perished in the event, yet everyone captured in the video managed to escape unharmed.

9 Volcano—Whakaari, New Zealand

Whakaari, commonly called White Island, is a privately owned volcanic islet off New Zealand’s northeastern coast. Despite being the nation’s most active volcano, it remained a popular tourist hotspot until a catastrophic eruption in December 2019.

Weeks of heightened seismic readings preceded the disaster, yet no official alerts were issued. Two tour groups boarded boats that afternoon; just as the first group finished its visit and the boat pulled away, Whakaari erupted, sending a towering plume of rock, steam and scorching gas soaring twelve‑thousand feet into the sky.

Allessandro Kauffmann’s footage shows the very boat that had just left the island turning back to aid any survivors. Rescue crews hesitated because of the danger of further eruptions, though three brave helicopter pilots launched independent rescue missions, later facing charges from New Zealand’s WorkSafe agency.

In total, 47 people were stranded on the island when the super‑heated gases engulfed them; 22 lost their lives, and many survivors endured life‑altering burns.

8 Tsunami—Indonesia

Indonesia, much like its neighbor the Philippines, sits in a precarious spot on the Pacific Ring of Fire. With over 17,500 islands—most uninhabited—and 120 active volcanoes, the nation regularly endures earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and soil liquefaction.

On 28 September 2018, a 7.5‑magnitude quake struck off Sulawesi’s Palu coast, triggering a massive underwater landslide that generated a 23‑foot tsunami. Early‑warning systems failed, leaving residents unprepared as the wave crashed into Palu, while simultaneous soil liquefaction swallowed entire structures. More than 2,000 people died and over 4,200 were injured.

Just two months later, the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted, causing its southwest flank to collapse into the sea. The resulting water displacement birthed another tsunami in the Sunda Strait, which struck western Java and southern Sumatra at 8:30 pm local time. A home‑recorded video from a seaside concert in western Java shows the pop group Seventeen performing for about 200 fans when the wave surged from behind, killing over 400 people. The singer survived but lost his bandmates and his wife.

7 Flood—Henan, China

The phrase “once‑in‑a‑lifetime weather event” has become commonplace, especially as places like New York or Germany, historically spared from extreme floods, now confront unprecedented deluges. In July 2021, Henan Province in China experienced exactly that.

Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, received a full year’s worth of rainfall in just three days, submerging the city. The most harrowing moments unfolded underground, where commuters found themselves trapped in subway cars as water surged up to their necks. Fourteen subway passengers perished, and many more are believed to have died across the province as videos emerged of people swept away.

The featured clip shows a train carriage with its doors sealed while brown water rises rapidly around the passengers. Eventually, the trapped riders escaped to safety, though countless others were not as fortunate.

6 Wildfire—Manavgat, Turkey

In the United States, summer wildfires have become almost routine, so news of similar blazes abroad often slips under the radar. Yet the global increase in wildfire incidents has forced many to recognize that this is not a solely American problem.

The video from Turkey follows restaurant workers who, after delivering food to firefighters battling a blaze in the Manavgat countryside, attempt to drive home. The surrounding forest ignites, closing in around them and forcing a retreat. They manage to evade the flames unharmed, though the fire claimed at least eight lives and injured hundreds nationwide.

5 Hurricane—Florida, USA

Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida on 10 October 2018 as a category‑5 storm, one of the most powerful to strike the eastern United States. The cyclone inflicted roughly $25 billion in damage and directly caused 16 deaths.

Undeterred, a resident of Callaway filmed a comprehensive home video documenting the devastation. In a brisk 15‑minute reel, viewers watch his entire neighborhood shredded by 150‑mph winds, concluding with a walkthrough of a street reduced to a heap of broken branches and shattered roof tiles.

4 Landslide—Kachin, Myanmar

The footage originates from an illegal jade mine in Myanmar’s Kachin State, a region long marked by resistance against the Burmese military and a haven for illicit activities such as drug production, smuggling and unregulated mining.

During an unusually heavy rainstorm, a miner lifted his phone and captured a massive landslide that cascaded down the valley like a tsunami, ultimately killing more than 162 people.

3 Sinkhole—Florida, USA

The saying “I wish the ground would swallow me up” is never meant to be taken literally, yet sinkholes occasionally turn that metaphor into a grim reality. While rare, they can suddenly open beneath an unsuspecting person.

Jeffrey Bush, a 36‑year‑old Floridian, was winding down for the night when the floor beneath his bedroom gave way, dropping him into a newly formed sinkhole. He shouted for his brother, who rushed to help, only to discover Jeffrey and his bedroom’s contents had vanished into the abyss.

Rescue crews used a pole equipped with a camera and microphone to communicate with Jeffrey, documenting the harrowing scene. Tragically, he did not survive and his body could not be retrieved. The sinkhole was later filled, the house and two neighboring homes were demolished, and the area fenced off. Two years later the same sinkhole reopened, though no one was injured the second time.

2 Avalanche—Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal

Avalanches arise from various triggers: gradual snow accumulation, deliberate explosives, or distant natural disasters that destabilize slopes. In April 2015, a magnitude‑7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, shaking Kathmandu violently and setting off a massive avalanche on Mount Pumori.

While the tremors at Everest’s base camp were insufficient to harm the 2,000 climbers there, the quake’s shockwaves dislodged ice and rock, sending a torrent down Mount Pumori that completely buried the base‑camp campsite.

The video captures the sheer force of the icy blast, showing how the cameraman and his companion narrowly escaped by diving into their tent just in time. At least 20 people died and hundreds were injured in the avalanche.

1 Tornado—Illinois, USA

The final clip arguably showcases the most terrifying tornado footage ever recorded. Captured by 84‑year‑old Clem Schultz from his bedroom window, the video begins as Clem and his wife notice a twister forming behind their Illinois home.

Living in a tornado‑prone region, the couple initially assumed the funnel would pass harmlessly to the west. Clem fetched a lantern, then, noticing the vortex gaining speed and size, started filming. As the tornado roared and slammed into the house, the camera cut to black.

Amazingly, Clem survived the monstrous twister, though his wife was among the two victims killed. Numerous others were injured, and 24 homes were completely destroyed.

Everything has a beginning and for a lot of things they’re pretty easy to figure out. You can look at the first film by a certain director or actor, the first book by a writer, the first appearance of your favorite fictional character. It’s usually very cut and dry. That said, every so often a thing rises to popularity and then you find out later it’s a lot older than you at first imagined and the origins can be rather unexpected. 

10. The Soup Nazi was Referenced Before Seinfeld in Sleepless in Seattle

Seinfeld was known for having a lot of really quirky and interesting supporting characters who stood out as much or even more than the main cast. Some only appeared in one or two episodes but are still referenced to this day, years after the show went off the air. Arguably the most famous of all of these characters was the Soup Nazi. 

On the show, the Soup Nazi runs a soup restaurant with an intolerant iron fist. Customers who refuse to adhere to the rules are banished for life, hence the joke title he’s given. But the character was based on a real man named Ali Yagenah.

Yagenah ran a famous soup restaurant in Manhattan and he was known to have a temper. The man’s nickname in real life was the Soup Terrorist. As a character, he was actually referenced two years before Seinfeld in the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie Sleepless in Seattle. Though it’s brief, Ryan’s character talks about wanting to do a story on a guy in New York who makes the best soup but is also the meanest man in America. The writer of the movie, Nora Ephron, is from New York and Yagenah had been profiled in the New Yorker a few years earlier. 

9. The First F-Word Was Used in Text Back in the 1300s 

The F word is one of the most enduring words in the English language and to this day it’s still considered taboo by many, despite the fact it’s over 700 years old now. Few words have that kind of longevity when most of “polite” society has to refer to it by the first letter. 

The first written record of the f word comes to us from the year 1310 when it was transcribed as part of a court case. The previous earliest reference was much later, in 1475.  It’s also 100% not what you’d expect, either. There was a man called Roger F-bythenavele who, and this is just speculation, may have been a guy who was really bad at having sex or just someone known to be a dimwit who got saddled with a creative nickname so well known they put it in legal documents. Either way, it’s kind of amazing. 

He’s referenced 7 times in the document using that name. The case was not relevant to his name and seems to mostly be about his failure to appear for an earlier case though the nature of that isn’t mentioned. 

8. Nerd Was First Used by Dr. Seuss 

The word “nerd” is so ubiquitous these days that businesses employ it to advertise things like computer services. It rose to real prominence in everyday usage in the 1970s and likely hit its peak in the ’80s with films like Revenge of the Nerds. By that point the meaning of the word, as someone who is unattractive and socially awkward was pretty widely understood. 

Nerd didn’t evolve on schoolyards with bullies, however, it came from one of the world’s most well known authors. Dr. Seuss first coined the word back in 1950, at least as far as print usage is concerned. There it was featured in his work “If I Ran a Zoo” and in context it’s just a nonsense word that has no relation to the current meaning. 

It’s been mentioned that a 1951 Newsweek article also makes reference to teens calling each other nerds, and that the term has come to replace “drip” or “square” as an insult, so it’s likely that Suess didn’t pull the word out of the ether, but he was the first to put it to paper. 

7. Romans Used Yin Yang Symbolism Before China

The Ying Yang symbol is one that is strongly tied to east Asian culture. You can find it all throughout the Western world as a kind of pseudo-spiritual symbol used in jewelry and art that generally represents balance and harmony. The concept of what the symbol represents dates back thousands of years in China but the iconography does not. In fact, it first appeared in Rome about 700 years before it did in China.

The symbol was used in some Roman shield patterns but has nothing to do with the meaning of the yin yang or Taoism in general, as none of that would have been known to the Romans at the time. Instead, it was a case of coincidence or, less likely, someone saw the design from the Roman shields and felt it well represented the idea and adapted it to their own needs. If the symbol did have any deeper meaning for the Romans, it has since been lost to history.

6. Harry Potter Was a Character in a Fantasy Story Years Before JK Rowling’s Books

Harry Potter is one of the biggest entertainment franchises in history and the movies, including the Fantastic Beasts spinoffs, have grossed over $9 billion so far. The books have made another $7.7 billion. 

If you were to describe the story in very general and vague terms, you might say it’s a fantasy series about someone named Harry Potter who lives in a world with trolls and goblins and such. And, based on that limited description, you’d also be describing the 1986 film Troll, which vastly predates the more popular franchise. Filmmaker John Buechler would later claim he invented Harry Potter, the stories had a lot of similarities, and that JK Rowling ripped him off. He even planned to release a remake/sequel called Troll: The Rise of Harry Potter Jr., which never came to fruition after Buechler died.

Rowling and the studio behind the well known Potter films disagreed that they’d stolen anything and, if you’ve seen both you’d be hard pressed to believe the boy wizard was inspired by the ’80s B-Movie, but the fact remains it genuinely was a story about a magical world and a boy named Harry Potter, many years before the more well known version. 

5. Donald Duck’s Sister Was Created in the 30s

Disney has a stable of well known characters that date back decades but some of the originals and most iconic include Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. Donald had his own corner of the Disney-verse featuring three nephews named Huey, Dewey, and Louie, which implied that — somewhere — Donald had a sister. 

In 2017, the DuckTales cartoon which featured the three nephews and Donald’s uncle Scrooge McDuck got a reboot and they finally decided to give the boys a mother. She’s shown in painting in an episode and referred to as mom and then, in 2019, the character Della Duck debuts, voiced by Paget Brewster. 

But the boys did have a mother long before this; it’s just that Disney never did anything with her. The first reference to their mother, who’s name was Dumbella at the time, dates back to 1937. She made an appearance later in a Dutch comic in which the triplets are named Kwik, Kwek and Kwak, but was never seen anywhere else until the recent cartoon. 

4. The Ring of Invisibility Was First Used by Plato

Arguably the most important plot device in the Lord of the Rings books by Tolkien is the One Ring itself which is, also arguably, its own character despite not being a living being. It has an active influence over events and without it the plot cannot move forward. It’s an essential element, and it’s also very heavily borrowed from Plato. This was very much on purpose.

Tolkien would have been familiar with Plato’s Republic and the Ring of Gyges. In Plato’s tale, a shepherd receives a magical ring that makes him invisible. Using this ring he kills the king and takes over the realm. It was Plato’s point that invisibility and anonymity are essential keys to corruption and the difference between a just and an unjust person was only someone’s ability to be invisible and anonymous. Take what you will from that proposition as it relates to the internet. 

The parallels to Lord of the Rings are clear. The One Ring absolutely corrupts everyone who comes in contact with it. Only the simple, innocent Hobbits can withstand its sway long enough to get it to Mt. Doom and even then, Frodo loses himself in the critical moment. 

3. The NY Times First Mentioned Hitler Back in 1922

The history of World War II has been covered extensively and from countless angles. Many people in the aftermath, and still today, wanted to know how anything like that could have happened. And, more specifically, how could Hitler have happened. 

Stories about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the deaths of millions of Jews were making headlines in 1942. The war itself had started just three years earlier, and Hitler became Chancellor in 1933. 

Part of the problem was what the world knew about him before things escalated to an all out world war. The New York Times wrote about Hitler for the first time in 1922. He had only been in the German political world since 1919 at that time and became the leader of the Nazi party in 1921. Outside of Germany he was still relatively unknown.

The Times piece notes Hitler was a good orator and also made a lot of anti-Semitic speeches which the author dismissed saying that “well-informed sources confirmed the idea that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so genuine or violent as it sounded, and that he was merely using anti-Semitic propaganda as a bait to catch masses of followers.”

2. Palpatine Was Outed as the Emperor Before the Original Star Wars Film Was Even Released

The big reveal in the original Star Wars trilogy is the identity of Darth Vader. The Emperor’s identity is never really contemplated at all, he’s just the Emperor. But he never really has a name at that time, either. No one calls him Palpatine in that original trilogy and the actor, Ian McDiarmid, did have some serious makeup on to make him look creepy.

Fast forward to the prequel trilogy in the 1990s and Chancellor Palpatine is a full-fledged character played, again, by a much older Ian McDiarmid. He’s initially portrayed as good, and slowly suspicion is cast over him until finally there’s a scene in which Yoda and Mace Windu discuss the Sith master and apprentice relationship and the movie just comes out and shows you Palpatine. 

Some fans would have known ahead that Palpatine was the Emperor just because they paid attention to the actors or they even recognized the voice. But for many, this was a surprise reveal. However, the actual reveal came well before the prequel trilogy and, weirdly, before the original trilogy. Palpatine’s first appearance, and the revelation that he’s the Emperor, was months before the original Star Wars movie came out in Alan Dean Foster’s novel Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker.

1. “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” Predates the Bible

There are a lot of sayings, proverbs and aphorisms that get quoted all the time to dispense wisdom or at least a sort of cliched version of it. The popular saying “God helps those who helps themselves” has been around for centuries and means, in general, that you have your own power and agency to do things in your own life. 

A number of people believe the saying comes from the Bible, possibly even quoting Jesus. According to one pastor, a survey of American Christians determined 68% of them believe that saying has a Biblical origin. In truth, the saying is actually much older.

You can trace “God helps those who help themselves” back to Aesop’s Fables, where you can find it in the tale called “Hercules and the Wagoner.” There it’s sometimes translated as “Heaven helps those who help themselves” and was written around 550 BC, so quite some time before Jesus may have ever uttered any similar words.