Welcome to our deep‑dive into the top 10 health hoaxes that thrive on fear‑selling. In the age of viral memes and click‑bait headlines, a surprising number of “conditions” have been fabricated—or wildly exaggerated—to line the pockets of marketers. Below we unpack each of these alleged ailments, separate fact from fiction, and show you why you don’t need to buy the hype.

Why the top 10 health myths matter

10 Some People Falsely Believe That Wi‑Fi Is Dangerous Or That They Have A Specific Intolerance

A growing chorus claims to suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), insisting that the invisible waves emitted by Wi‑Fi routers and mobile phones are making them chronically ill. Some even petition governments for disability benefits based on these claims.

France and Sweden have, in isolated cases, granted benefits to people reporting this condition, largely because officials misread World Health Organization (WHO) statements. The WHO did acknowledge that people experience symptoms, but it stripped out the “electromagnetic” component, noting there is no solid evidence linking Wi‑Fi or similar signals to any specific health issue.

Research points to the nocebo effect—a phenomenon where the belief that something is harmful triggers real physical symptoms. In other words, if you’re convinced Wi‑Fi is poisonous, your body may start feeling ill, even though the signal itself is harmless.

While scientists are still probing any subtle long‑term impacts of constant mobile‑phone use, the consensus is that Wi‑Fi exposure is minimal and not a serious health threat.

9 Gluten Sensitivity Is Probably The Most Overhyped ‘Disease’ Ever

Gluten‑free diets have become a cultural craze, with many proclaiming that gluten makes them feel sluggish, nauseated, or generally unwell—often without any medical verification. A surprising number of self‑diagnosed “gluten‑sensitive” individuals never see a doctor to rule out celiac disease or a wheat allergy.

Recent headlines have suggested that research validates gluten intolerance, but those studies actually reveal that many people who test negative for celiac disease still report symptoms after eating gluten. The missing piece? The nocebo effect again—people are told gluten is bad, they believe it, and consequently feel ill.

Researchers suspect irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) plays a major role. In double‑blind trials, IBS patients who claimed gluten triggered their discomfort showed no difference between gluten‑containing and placebo foods, indicating gluten isn’t the primary culprit.

The consensus is that wheat and many other foods can be tough on sensitive stomachs, but gluten itself isn’t uniquely harmful. If you suspect a problem, get a proper medical diagnosis before cutting gluten entirely.

8 Your Body Does Not Need Its ‘Energies’ To Be Balanced

Terms like “negative energy” and “positive vibes” have seeped into everyday conversation, suggesting we each carry an invisible aura that can be tuned or re‑aligned. This belief fuels a lucrative industry of self‑proclaimed Reiki practitioners who claim they can channel their own energy to heal others—sometimes even from miles away.

Despite the mystical language, there’s no scientific basis for a distinct energy field surrounding the human body. While we do generate metabolic energy to perform tasks, this isn’t an emanating force that can be measured or manipulated in the way Reiki claims.

When someone starts talking about magnetic or heat emissions from your aura and how they can balance it, you’re likely listening to a fraudster or an extremely delusional individual.

7 Halitosis Is A Made‑Up Disease Imagined By Listerine To Sell More Product

Bad breath, or halitosis, is often treated as a serious social anxiety trigger, prompting countless trips to the dentist and a shelf full of mouthwashes. In reality, the condition isn’t life‑threatening and doesn’t meet the criteria of a disease.

Historically, Listerine was marketed as a surgical antiseptic. When sales plateaued, the company coined the term “halitosis” and launched a massive advertising campaign that played on personal insecurities, effectively creating a perceived health problem to boost product sales.The strategy worked: people began obsessively polishing their breath with Listerine and minty gums, even though regular brushing and occasional mints are sufficient for most.

6 ‘Detoxing’ Your Body Is Not A Real Thing—It Is Pushed By People Trying To Sell Useless Products

Detox supplements and crash diets promise to flush mysterious toxins from your system, promising a “clean slate” for your health. The marketing hype paints a picture of a body clogged with poison, awaiting a miracle drink.

In truth, the term “detox” in medicine refers to supervised withdrawal from harmful substances, not a cleansing of vague, undefined toxins. The alleged “toxins” in commercial detox products are vague and often nonexistent.

Your liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin already work tirelessly to eliminate waste and harmful compounds. For example, alcohol is metabolized by the liver without any special juice.
If you truly suspect a dangerous buildup, it’s a medical emergency—not a reason to guzzle a pricey cleanse.

5 Vaginal Douching Is Completely Unnecessary

Vaginal douching, once promoted as a hygiene practice, actually has only a few centuries of widespread use. Early on it served as a crude form of birth control, employing harsh chemicals like vinegar that could irritate delicate tissue.

Later, advertising campaigns—think Lysol‑style promotions—suggested that regular douching prevented odor and kept women “fresh.” Over time, the practice became a generational habit, despite medical consensus that the vagina self‑cleans.

Disturbing the natural pH balance through douching can increase infection risk and other complications. Health professionals uniformly advise against it, but cultural inertia keeps the practice alive for many.

4 Hucksters Are Playing Up The Dangers Of Fluoride And Trying To Sell People Special Water Filters

Fluoride’s reputation has morphed into a polarizing controversy, amplified by pop‑culture references like “Dr. Strangelove.” Some claim the mineral poisons our bodies, damages developing brains, and even causes cancer.

These alarming assertions often stem from studies conducted in regions with multiple water‑quality issues—such as certain parts of China—where fluoride isn’t the sole variable.

Extensive worldwide testing shows fluoride is safe at the levels used in public water supplies; the only noticeable effect is a mild, cosmetic whitening of teeth if over‑exposed.

Nevertheless, a niche market thrives on selling premium “fluoride‑removing” filters, exploiting parental fears for profit.

3 Depression Is A Very Real Disease, But The Majority Of Those Diagnosed Do Not Actually Fit The Bill

Depression and major depressive disorder are undeniably real, backed by a wealth of scientific evidence. However, a Johns Hopkins study of nearly 6,000 diagnosed individuals discovered that under 60 % truly met clinical criteria for major depressive disorder.

Antidepressant prescriptions in the U.S. have surged by 400 % over two decades, with more than 10 % of adults and teens on some form of these medications. While many benefit, a sizable portion may be receiving drugs without a proper diagnosis.

For those whose sadness stems from life stressors rather than clinical depression, counseling or lifestyle changes might be more effective. Unnecessary antidepressant use can disrupt the brain’s serotonin balance, potentially leading to serotonin syndrome or, in extreme cases, seizures.

Thus, while depression is a serious condition, accurate diagnosis is crucial to avoid overtreatment.

2 Trypophobia Is Not An Official Disorder And Is Very Played Up By Peer Pressure

Trypophobia—an aversion to clusters of holes—has exploded online, garnering clicks and shares. Yet no reputable psychologist or psychiatrist recognizes it as a distinct phobia, and the handful of studies are small and inconclusive.

Psychiatrist Carol Mathews of UC explains that the reaction is more about priming and social contagion than a true fear. Images of tightly packed holes are typically paired with disgust‑inducing content, training viewers to feel revulsion.

Since many of the featured pictures (think sliced cantaloupe) would gross out anyone, the response is likely disgust, not a pathological fear.

1 Showering On A Daily Basis Can Be Bad For Your Health—It Is More About Smell And Expectations

Daily (or even multiple‑daily) showers have become a cultural norm, driven by marketing that equates natural body odor with social failure. Shampoo and conditioner giants profit from our insecurities, selling the idea that we must cleanse constantly.

Scientific evidence suggests excessive washing strips away beneficial skin bacteria, upsetting the delicate microbiome that protects us from disease. Historically, frequent bathing only became common in modern times, and many societies thrived without daily showers.

While hygiene is important, rinsing with plain water when you’re not actually dirty can preserve your skin’s natural defenses. In short: you don’t need to shower obsessively—just when you truly need to.

When you hear the phrase top 10 weirdest, you probably picture oddball inventions or quirky internet trends. But the truth is far stranger: real people are cashing in on some truly bizarre commodities. From selling something as intimate as virginity to bottling fresh air for a smog‑choked city, these ten ventures show that if there’s a demand, there’s a dollar sign attached.

Exploring the Top 10 Weirdest Ways to Make Money

10 Virginity

Sex has always been a commodity, but virginity occupies a special, almost mythic niche. In many cultures it’s treated like a trophy, a badge of purity that can fetch a hefty price. Some women choose to keep their virginity under lock and key until a buyer comes along, turning this deeply personal milestone into a financial lifeline. The payoff can be life‑changing, covering everything from tuition to a down‑payment on a first home.

One astonishing case even made headlines when a woman reportedly sold her virginity for a staggering $3 million. That kind of windfall can erase student debt, fund a business venture, or simply provide a cushion of comfort—proof that, for some, the price of purity is literally priceless.

9 Air

We all take air for granted, but in parts of the world where pollution chokes the skyline, clean oxygen becomes a premium product. In places like China, where smog can turn a simple breath into a health hazard, entrepreneurs have begun bottling pristine air and shipping it to desperate consumers. The concept sounds absurd, yet the demand is very real.

Enterprises in the U.K. and Canada have set up “air farms,” cultivating fresh, pollutant‑free air in controlled environments and sealing it in airtight containers. For a city dweller suffocated by smog, a can of pure air can feel like a slice of heaven—and a lucrative market for those who can supply it.

8 Toilet Paper

Answering nature’s call is usually a private affair, but a growing niche market treats bathroom essentials like haute couture. Luxury toilet paper now comes in colors, patterns, and even puzzles, catering to consumers who want their restroom experience to be as stylish as the rest of their lives.

The most extravagant example is the 22‑karat gold‑infused tissue from Toilet Paper Man, valued at $1.3 million. In places like Dubai, where opulence is a way of life, such gilded rolls are paired with golden thrones—turning a mundane task into a statement of wealth.

7 Human Waste

It sounds bizarre, but a single stool can be a lifesaver. Patients battling Clostridium difficile—a deadly gut infection responsible for thousands of deaths annually—often receive fecal transplants. Healthy donors provide their stool, which is processed and introduced into the patient’s intestines to restore a balanced microbiome.

In 2015, an MIT researcher sold his own stool for roughly $1,000. However, not just anyone can become a donor; strict health screenings, travel restrictions, and lifestyle criteria (no recent antibiotics, no obesity, etc.) ensure only the safest samples make it to the lab.

6 Professional Mourning Services

Grief is a universal experience, but in many cultures it’s also a profession. Professional mourners are hired to cry, wail, and even stage dramatic gestures at funerals, providing a theatrical display of sorrow that comforts the bereaved and satisfies cultural expectations.

These mourners often research the deceased’s life to personalize their performance, delivering heartfelt eulogies, dramatic falls, or even leaping into graves on command. While common in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the practice is spreading to Europe and the U.S., where families are willing to pay for authentic‑looking lamentation.

5 Used Underwear

For most people, the thought of handling someone else’s intimate apparel is repulsive, but a dedicated fetish market turns this aversion into profit. Buyers—mostly men—seek out used women’s underwear, paying a premium for items that are tight, well‑worn, and even stained.

Prices can reach $50 per pair, and the trade has even inspired vending machines in Japan (later shut down by authorities). The market’s appetite for such “personal” items proves that even the most private of garments can become a cash cow.

4 Breastmilk

Human breastmilk isn’t just for newborns; it’s a commodity that some lactating mothers sell for a tidy sum. While the primary market serves infants whose mothers can’t produce enough milk, a secondary market exists for adults with a peculiar craving for human milk.

Platforms like OnlyTheBreast connect donors with buyers, facilitating transactions that raise both ethical and health questions. Nevertheless, the practice remains lucrative, with mothers earning money while providing a vital nutrient to those in need.

3 Life Horror Moments

Most people keep their darkest experiences to themselves, but a niche of storytellers turns trauma into cash. Magazines and newspapers pay for first‑hand accounts of near‑deaths, illnesses, or betrayals, often demanding photos or proof to verify authenticity.

Compensation ranges from $200 to $2,000 per story, and savvy negotiators can even secure joint deals with multiple publications, turning personal tragedy into a profitable venture.

2 Blood Plasma

Plasma—the liquid component of blood—powers life‑saving therapies, and donors can earn money by supplying it. Unlike whole‑blood donations, plasma collection involves separating the fluid and returning the cells, allowing donors to give twice a week.

Eligibility requires being at least 18, weighing over 110 lb, and passing health screenings. Payments vary from $20 to $50 per session, scaling with the donor’s weight and the volume extracted, making it a steady side hustle for many.

1 Selling Weird Jewelry on Etsy

Jewelry is traditionally associated with sparkle and elegance, yet Etsy’s marketplace is flooded with creators who specialize in the bizarre. From earrings fashioned from deer teeth to rings that mimic human teeth, the platform hosts a plethora of unsettling, eye‑catching accessories.

Advancements in 3D printing have expanded the possibilities, allowing artisans to craft soap‑shaped body parts or denture‑inspired pieces that attract a devoted following. Sellers often generate passive income, proving that even the creepiest of creations can find a lucrative niche.

The internet has turned into a colossal, never‑ending garage‑sale‑on‑steroids, and with that comes a parade of truly odd listings. Below you’ll find the 10 bizarre things that have actually been posted for sale online, ranging from a massive whale carcass to a claimed human soul. Some of these offers are probably tongue‑in‑cheek, others may be earnest – the line is blurry, and the absurdity is real.

10 Bizarre Things You Won’t Believe Were Up for Sale

10 Sperm Whale Carcass

In May 2014 a massive, unwelcome visitor washed ashore near Cape St. George, Newfoundland – a 40‑foot (12 m) dead sperm whale. The town was suddenly tasked with disposing of the gargantuan body. After a failed attempt to rent a 50‑ft (15 m) boat for towing, the whale lingered in the surf, growing ever more odorous. Desperate, Mayor Peter Fenwick turned to eBay, hoping to find someone willing to take the carcass off their hands.

Fenwick clarified that the goal wasn’t profit but simply to off‑load the massive corpse. Bids climbed to about $2,000 before eBay intervened, citing a policy that bars the sale of animals – living or dead. Canadian law also forbade the transaction, as the whale was an endangered species. Ultimately, a fortuitous high tide, strong swells, and a westerly wind pushed the whale back out to sea, ending the saga without a buyer.

9 A Human Soul

The idea of swapping a soul for cash might sound like a plot twist, but eBay has a very literal policy against it. When asked why, the platform replied, “If the soul does not exist, eBay could not allow the auction because there would be nothing to sell. However, if the soul does exist then, per eBay’s policy on human parts and remains, we would not allow the auctioning of human souls.”

Believe it or not, people have tried. In 2008 a member of the band Paradigm listed his own soul for £25,000.50 (roughly $37,500 at the time), promising updates on the soul’s condition, a share of his band’s earnings, annual birthday cards, and even a clause allowing the buyer to repurchase the soul for £100,000,000 (about $150 million). The listing was promptly removed, but the story lives on as a testament to the lengths some will go to monetize the intangible.

8 Poop

Even the most revolting bodily by‑product has found a niche market online. Companies like MailPoop.com sell boxes of dog feces as gag gifts, pricing a 2‑lb (1 kg) bundle from a 110‑lb (50 kg) dog at a modest $20, complete with a photo gallery of the dogs in the act. For those seeking a more “serious” prank, ShitExpress.com ships sealed containers of horse, gorilla or elephant dung, often accompanied by a snarky note such as “One steaming pile from me to you” or “I hate your guts.” The note even tries to soften the blow, urging the recipient to reflect on their own behavior before judging the sender.

These products toe the line between novelty and nuisance, but they demonstrate that virtually anything can be commodified when a creative seller finds the right audience. Whether you’re looking for a quirky present or a revenge‑gift, the internet seems ready to deliver a fresh batch of excrement.

7 Belly Button Lint

Garage‑sale enthusiasts often stumble upon items no one else would consider worth a penny. While eBay is awash with repurposed goods like empty egg cartons and used makeup containers, some sellers push the envelope even further. One Baltimore hobbyist posted a trade‑offer seeking a muscle car, motorcycle, rifles, gold coins, or cash in exchange for his collection of multicolored belly‑button lint, each batch sealed in plastic with dates of collection. He warned only serious bidders should apply, a claim that sparked both amusement and disbelief.

The internet is also home to countless other oddities: 72 free Taco Bell mild‑sauce packets listed for $18, a battered iPhone 7 advertised as “Works great and turns on. Just needs the screen repaired” for $500, a rusted “portable fire pit” (essentially a chair base with a fire pit attached) for $100, and a “rare” peanut containing four nuts priced at $500. These listings highlight the eclectic mix of trash‑to‑treasure conversions that populate online marketplaces.

Among the most eyebrow‑raising is the Baltimore man’s lint trade, which reads like a modern‑day alchemist’s catalogue: colorful fluff gathered over months, sealed, and offered in exchange for high‑value items. Whether anyone took him seriously remains a mystery, but the listing perfectly captures the bizarre creativity of internet sellers.

6 Single‑Use Plastic Bag

When nostalgia collides with environmental guilt, the result can be oddly marketable. Sellers have listed discontinued relics like VHS tapes, vintage Care Bear keychains, and even a 2019‑model pencil (sans eraser) for $49, banking on the notion that such items are “old” and therefore valuable. One particularly whimsical listing showcased two frozen snowballs claimed to be from the “biggest snowfall in NYC history” (January 2016) with a price tag of $10,000 plus $2,000 for shipping, though no verification method was offered.

In a tongue‑in‑cheek move, an Australian entrepreneur framed a single‑use plastic bag, captioned “We banned single‑use plastic bags this time last year,” and listed it for $250 as “The Last Plastic Bag.” The seller joked that it might take millennia for anyone to feel nostalgic for such a mundane object, inviting future collectors to imagine a world where plastic bags are museum pieces.

5 Harambe‑Shaped Flamin’ Hot Cheeto

Humans love spotting familiar shapes in random objects – a phenomenon known as pareidolia. This fascination has turned snack foods into coveted collectibles. In 1994, Diane Duyser sold a cheese sandwich that seemed to depict the Virgin Mary for $28,000 after preserving it in a plastic case for a decade. The market for such “miraculous” edibles only grew.

One Texas buyer paid $1,350 for a cornflake shaped like the state of Illinois, later hiring a courier to retrieve it from Virginia. Other cornflake curiosities include an “world’s largest” piece that arrived in three fragments and an Australian‑shaped flake that fetched over $200. These culinary oddities prove that geography can be edible.

Religious imagery also appears on food. In 2005, a pierogi bearing Jesus’ face sold for $1,775. Since then, Jesus has been spotted on banana peels, sour‑cream‑and‑onion chips, burnt fish sticks, pizza crusts, and even grilled cheese. One particularly viral piece was a Cheeto shaped like Jesus walking, fetching a respectable sum.

The snack‑scene culminated in 2017 when a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto molded into the likeness of the infamous gorilla Harambe sold for nearly $100,000. The sale came a year after Harambe’s tragic death at the Cincinnati Zoo, underscoring how pop‑culture tragedy can translate into bizarre collector’s items.

4 Country Jacuzzi Hot Tub

Beyond physical goods, the internet also markets services that border on the surreal. Companies now offer “invisible” partners – you fill out a questionnaire, pick a stock photo face, and receive text messages from a fabricated boyfriend or girlfriend. For a fee, the faux lover can even send gifts on holidays, though no intimate content is ever promised.

Other niche services include fake job references, alibi generators, professional wedding guests, paparazzi for a day, and even “rental wives” who will cook, clean, and keep you company – all without any romantic commitment. One seller even posted a self‑deprecating cake‑decorating ad, joking about criticism and promising to improve after “constructive feedback,” complete with a photo of a cake topped by a bizarre winged Joan River‑like figure.

Perhaps the most outlandish offering is a DIY “country Jacuzzi hot tub” advertised for $9,500. The seller proposes cutting a ¾‑inch steel tank in half, attaching a four‑person seat, an air‑tank for bubbles, and mounting the whole contraption over a trench‑fire pit. He claims the water will heat in two hours and stay warm through the night – a steep price compared to a standard Jacuzzi that costs roughly $3,000 less for comparable features.

3 Whiff of Brangelina

Science‑fiction meets commerce in the “air‑in‑a‑jar” craze. In Mel Brooks’ 1987 film Spaceballs, a character opens a can of “Perri‑air” to breathe clean, unpolluted air. Decades later, Vitality Air bottles mountain air from Alberta, Canada, selling eight‑liter containers for $32 after a 2014 eBay sale fetched $169. Similar offerings include British air for $113 and a bag of Brooklyn‑hood air that fetched $20,100.

Celebrity‑linked air commands even higher prices. In 2015, a Ziploc bag allegedly containing air from a front‑row Kanye West concert during his Yeezus tour started at $5 and, after 90 bids, sold for $60,100. The seller boasted that the bag might even contain “Kanye’s breath.” Kim Kardashian famously tweeted, “Wow, he can sell anything!” after the sale went public.

Even the infamous power couple Brangelina made it onto the market. In 2010, a jar claimed to hold the exhalations of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as they walked by a red‑carpet event sold for $523. While there’s no proof the jar actually captured their breath, the transaction illustrates how far collectors will go to own a literal “piece of fame.”

2 Crypts Near Marilyn Monroe’s

Celebrity memorabilia has always been a hot market, but the obsession extends to the dearly departed. In the 1960s, Beatle fans turned everything they touched into souvenirs: ashtrays, bath mats, even the water from a pool they swam in, dubbed “Beatle Water.” Their sheets were cut into 7,200 squares, each sold with a certificate noting which Beatle slept on that patch. Recent auctions have fetched $150 per set of four swatches.

Modern oddities include Scarlett Johansson’s used tissue sold for $5,300, Justin Timberlake’s untouched French toast at $3,154, Lady Gaga’s fake fingernail for $13,000, and William Shatner’s kidney stone reaching $25,000. Britney Spears’ memorabilia ranges from a chewed gum sold for $14,000 to a half‑eaten egg‑salad sandwich at $520 and a pregnancy test for $5,000.

Marilyn Monroe’s posthumous items are especially macabre. In 2010, three of her chest x‑rays from a 1954 hospital stay were auctioned: the frontal view fetched $25,000, while each lateral view sold for $10,000. Monroe rests in a mausoleum at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park, sharing the space with a crypt above her purchased by baseball legend Joe DiMaggio during their brief marriage.

After DiMaggio’s divorce, he sold the crypt directly above Monroe’s to entrepreneur Richard Poncher. Upon Poncher’s death in 1986, he requested to be buried face‑down so he could forever gaze upon Monroe. His widow, Elsie, honored this wish, turning his coffin onto its back. In 2013, Elsie sought to clear a $1.6 million mortgage by auctioning Poncher’s crypt with a starting bid of $500,000. Bidding surged to $4.6 million, but the highest bidder backed out, and the remaining 11 bidders above $4.5 million also withdrew.

Another widow later listed a nearby crypt for $250,000, but received no offers. Meanwhile, Hugh Hefner purchased the crypt next to Monroe’s for $75,000, sparking outrage when he was buried beside her in 2017, given his magazine’s unauthorized use of Monroe’s 1948 nude photograph.

1 Grandma’s “Denchers”

Online marketplaces can become battlegrounds for personal drama. In 2008 a woman discovered a condom wrapper and a pair of unfamiliar panties on her bed, presumably her husband’s. Since eBay forbids the sale of used intimate items, she posted a photo of the pair, noting the wrapper was “size small,” and later attempted to auction her husband’s Harley Davidson for a mere 99 cents. A shock‑jock’s wife similarly tried to off‑load his $45,000 Lotus Esprit Turbo for 77 cents in 2013.

These cathartic listings often contain humor and spite. An Oklahoma City resident advertised her husband’s riding lawnmower for $500, quipping, “It’s got fewer miles than his girlfriend. Barely used unlike his cheap girlfriend… It’s a lawn tractor. Not sure what that means; the only plowing he did was on her.” Another seller offered a free $1,600 couch‑loveseat set that was a month old but riddled with rips, boasting, “We fought, I moved my stuff to a storage unit, he bought new couches, I murdered them all… We made up, hahahaha.”

In 2016, a British woman fled with another man, absconding with her husband’s vehicle while leaving behind a 2004 Smart Roadster she deemed “an absolute disgrace of a car fit only for a person with little or no dignity.” The husband sold the roadster and other personal belongings on eBay, claiming he’d use the proceeds to fund drinking and hire a prostitute.

Fast forward to 2020, a woman browsing a used‑fashion marketplace fell in love with a T‑shirt modeled in a bedroom. After contacting the seller, she realized the bedroom belonged to her boyfriend. The seller apologized and, astonishingly, asked if she still wanted the shirt.

Finally, a grandchild, fed up with a grandma who habitually borrowed money and never repaid, listed her dentures on Facebook Marketplace for $100, describing them as “very clean, like new.” The bizarre ad underscores how family feuds can spill into public listings, turning even dental prosthetics into auction items.

Tobacco companies get a bad rap, presumably because they make profits by giving people all sorts of cancer. This article probably isn’t going to help their case, since we’re talking about nothing but the horrible depths they’ve sunk to keep cancer profitable, but it sure is interesting.

10. Free Cigarettes For Soldiers

Smoking and the military have such a close relationship, the subject has its own Wikipedia page. Soldiers love themselves some tobacco-based produce. But have you ever wondered why? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that tobacco companies long ago realized that the military represented a huge potential market, full of highly-stressed individuals with many hours of downtime.

Realizing this, some tobacco companies lobbied to have cigarettes made a standard part of a soldier’s rations, which said tobacco companies gladly provided for free. Though this may seem nice on the surface, the move was an incredibly shrewd one since, although they did give away a lot of their stock for free, they ensured that soldiers would be hooked and buying their brand, long after they left the military.

9. Suppressing The World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is kind of a big deal when it comes to matters of world health. Obviously. The WHO is incredibly powerful and respected, and able to affect change on an almost-global scale.

And tobacco companies couldn’t care less about any of that jazz. In secret documents leaked to the WHO, it was revealed that several massive tobacco companies have been undermining the efforts of the WHO for years. The range and scope of the tactics used is pretty staggering, but in a nutshell, tobacco companies threw money at things that threatened their profits until they went away. The things they wanted to go away, by the by, were the people trying to cure cancer, which makes them the exact opposite of Bill Gates.

8. Trying To Take Down China

It’s a pretty safe assumption that China will eventually run the world; sorry, Beyonce. However, standing up to the ever-present Chinese menace is a lone hero: big tobacco companies. As reported by Reuters, tobacco companies in China have deliberately resisted raising their prices, and even infiltrated anti-smoking groups, to ensure that Chinese citizens remain hooked and in turn get all of the cancer.

If that’s not evil enough for you, they’ve also refused to put health warning on their packs. Then again, if people don’t realize that the things that taste like kissing an old person’s couch are bad for you, they probably don’t know how to read anyway. Thanks for giving us a fighting chance, tobacco!

7. Paying Scientists To Play Down The Link Between Smoking And Alzheimer’s

The list of diseases and physical maladies that smoking helps cause is so long, the physical exertion of writing them all down would give us early-onset arthritis, and who wants that? Suffice to say, it’s real real long.

However, one disease that has constantly emerged in the papers is Alzheimer’s. And yet, every now and again, a paper would emerge that suggested that smoking was somehow beneficial to people suffering from the condition. When someone actually investigated this claim, they found that every single person or scientist that had made such a claim had undisclosed links to the tobacco industry. Because of course they did.

6. Making Smoking Fashionable

Smoking is cool and everyone knows it, because there’s nothing cooler than having erectile dysfunction and smelly eyebrows. Back in the heyday of smoking, Lucky Strike Cigarettes noticed that sales of their brand were lagging. So they hired one Edward Bernays to help them. Bernays noticed that Lucky Strike’s packaging was an incredibly garish green color. Realizing that people are largely idiots, he concluded that the ugly color was the reason people weren’t smoking Luckies. When Lucky Strike refused to change their packaging, Bernays decided that he’d simply make green fashionable.

Which he did, by throwing a green-themed ball. When all the biggest movers and shakers of the day were pictured wearing green, sales of Lucky Strike brand cigarettes shot up, simply because green was now awesome, because pretty people were dressed in green one night. Again, people are idiots.

5. Trying To Defraud The Government Of A Billion Dollars

Though smoking arguably causes the government untold billions in healthcare costs, it also makes it a fair chunk of change in taxes, which pay for things like roads, hospitals and policemen. Then again, it also probably pays for the things that cure all the people dying of cancer because of smoking, but we should probably digress before our heads begin to hurt.

Over in Canada, a former tobacco executive, Stan Smith, was caught red-handed conspiring to smuggle millions of cigarettes, the estimated tax on which would have been in excess of a billion dollars. Don’t worry though, because Mr Smith definitely got his just deserts, by which we mean he sold out all of his co-workers, and got off scot-free. Justice!

4. Targeting Children, Then Denying It

The argument about whether tobacco companies target children has always been hotly contested, by which we mean tobacco companies have been shady as hell about it, while hiding behind a constant shield of highly-paid lawyers.

For example, it was constantly argued that Joe Camel (a spokescamel for Camel Cigarettes) was aimed at children. Though Camel Cigarettes naturally denied the claim, critics countered with the fact that Mr. Camel was equally as recognizable to children as Mickey Mouse, and that he rode a skateboard. Camel responded by telling the critics to shut the hell up. Because that’s how you win an argument.

3. Convincing Women To Smoke, For Feminism

Back in the early days of smoking, the market was almost entirely limited to men. However, this wasn’t an ideal situation for tobacco companies, as their potential consumer base was effectively cut in half. They needed a hero, they needed a cowboy. They needed Edward Bernays. Again.

Bernays quickly got on the case, by leaking a story to the press that, during a parade, some women would be lighting “torches of freedom,” to pave the way for female equality. What he didn’t tell them was that said women were stooges, paid by a tobacco company to smoke in public. When the images of said women hit the papers, millions of women were exposed to the message that, in order for them to be equal to men, they had to smoke. So they did, because advertising totally works, if you’re willing to sell your soul to Satan.

2. Supporting Human Rights Abuse

With all the damage and death that smoking causes, how they’re made is oftentimes ignored. However, one human rights group decided to look into how British American Tobacco’s cigarettes were made, and found that they directly profited the brutal military dictatorship in Burma.

BAT countered the claims, by stating that their factory represented valuable jobs to the Burmese people, to which human rights groups responded by saying that BAT were only paying said workers 17 pence (25 cents) a day, or a third of what other comparable jobs in the area were paying. BAT quickly bowed out, and withdrew from the country.

1. Refusing To Inform People About How Dangerous Smoking Is

Nowadays, it’s virtually a universally-accepted fact that smoking is bad for your health. However, saying your product kills people isn’t a savvy business move, which is why a number of tobacco companies simply downplayed the hell out of, or outright lied about, exactly how dangerous their products were.

For example, they massively downplayed the dangers of “low-tar” cigarettes, advertising them as less dangerous than their full-tar (read: manly) cigarettes. Turns out, this was a complete and utter lie; saying low-tar cigarettes are less dangerous than full-tar ones, is like saying a shotgun blast to the chest is less harmful than one to the face.

When the government demanded that such companies issue full and frank public apologies at their own expense, Big Tobacco fought the decision so hard, that the first time you probably heard about it was right now, when we mentioned it in this article.