If you think that Guantanamo is hell on earth for criminals who are locked up for heinous crimes, you may swallow your words when you find out how those accused of committing a wrongful deed and asserted by the ruler came to meet their end. In short, inhumane is the word of the day. From maiming to boiling the perpetrator alive, there are the most shockingly creative ways that justice was apparently served. You will be glad to be living in modern times where being thrown in a jail with a tub of petroleum jelly is the most scary part of serving your sentence.
Judas Cradle
Sounds like a metal band, no? Well, this is no Iron Maiden, this is a medieval torture device known as the Judas Cradle. The victim was tied by the hands and legs and made to dangle above the pyramid-like structure. As the person fell asleep and his/her body began to relax, the tip would poke the genital area. This device was used for those who were accused of being against the Catholic church or following paganism. You wouldn’t get impaled altogether, but the slow force of the pyramid head would hurt the gentle human parts.
Rat Torture
Game Of Thrones fans would be familiar with the scene where Arya Stark, Gendry and Podrick are locked up in Harrenhall and where she is picked up by Tywin Lannister to be her cup bearer, but not before she witnesses random prisoners being picked up for torture. One of the methods was the infamous rat torture. The person was made to sit with a bucket of rats tied to his/her stomach. The end of the bucket was slowly heated and the scurrying rats would literally gnaw their way out of the scalding bucket through the person’s abdomen, resulting in a scary death of torn guts.
Brazen Bull
Another horrifying and slow death was meted out through the Brazen Bull. As the name suggests, a hollow carved brass bull was placed over a fire and the victim shoved inside. As the bull heated up, the person would literally be roasted alive inside the bull, while tube fittings made their agonized screams sound like a raging bull. It is said that the creator met his end through his own invention, after he was craftily led to enter the bull by an appalled king who was justifiably shaken by the creation. However, many victims would later be led to their own heated fate in a similar way.
Iron Maiden
So, since we spoke about this earlier, we need to “Up The Irons!”. Here is another torture device made of nightmares: think, sealed in a spiked coffin. And no, it isn’t punk mummy art. A standing iron coffin shaped like a human was where the prisoner was led and then the coffin door would shut tight, causing the victim to be nearly suffocated in the small space, not to mention speared through in the front and back. It would take a while before the person bled out or ran out of oxygen, whichever happened first. Good news, if any, is that there is no sufficient evidence to suggest anyone was made to endure the maiden.
The Rack
Braveheart comes to mind when one thinks of this method of torture. During the Medieval ages, the prisoner would be bound at both ends – the hands and legs and executioners would crank the ropes so that the victim’s limbs would be torn from their body in what would be a frightening way to die. Imagine the pain, suffocation and noise as you realized your own body was literally being torn apart.
Chinese Water Torture
We all know the modern water boarding torture maneuver by interrogators today. In the past as well, water was used to harm victims and lead them to a slow death, but not before going completely insane in the process. The Chinese, known for their twisted ways of meting out a painfully prolonged death, used to tie a victim’s head in a small box-like device and drops of cold water would one by one drop on to the top of the head. It slowly froze the person’s brain, but not before they went mad with the sensation.
It’s been 104 years since the unsinkable ship, Titanic, collided with an iceberg and met with a tragic fate. The incident that killed hundreds of people and stayed imprinted in our memories has inspired many things – James Cameron to make an Oscar-winning epic love story on the ship and a Titanic II being built and set for a voyage in 2018. However, there were many theories, stories, controversial topics and heartbreaking stories that emerged from the original “ship that even God cannot sink”. Let’s take a look at the Big Secrets From The “Unsinkable” Titanic:
The true heroes of the Titanic – the crew and orchestra
If you saw the Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet flick (of course you did!) you would have noticed the scene where the band keeps playing Amazing Grace as a harrowed and jittery crowd tries to make its way to the lifeboats. Well, this happened in real life as well. While a priest stayed back to hear confessions and give the last rites to those bound to their fate in a watery grave, the orchestra played calming music to ease the tension in the air.
Chef Charles Joughin of the Titanic who survived after hitting a bottle of rum
There was a chef of the Titanic who drank himself sorry after hearing about the largest ship ever built not making it to shore. But it looks like all that rum did him good because he was the only one who survived for 2 hours in the freezing Atlantic waters as his body temperature, coupled with the alcohol kept him warm. Let’s toast to that!
The rich and the selfish passengers of the Titanic
To say that the rich and privileged on the Titanic were a pompous bunch is an understatement – the lifeboats that were provided to them on priority were not filled to capacity and could have saved so many more passengers. Alas, their allergy to the poorer lot resulted in so many more deaths. There was also a drill before the maiden voyage to teach passengers how to use lifeboats, but that was cancelled for some random reason.
Sorry for the blurry image. But this is the original iceberg that was the cause of Titanic’s fate.
The infamous iceberg that caused the biggest tragedy for civilians at sea had been floating around since 1000BC. And as a matter of fact, it might still exist today. And it seems that if the captain had spotted the iceberg just 30 seconds earlier, they could have avoided the tragedy. The binoculars that would have helped were safely locked away and the keys were apparently lost.
Titanic was one of the most epic movies ever made, directed by James Cameron and won 11 Oscars
And to speak again about the blockbuster movie by James Cameron – it won a total of 11 Oscars, though none for acting. The song My Heart Will Go On by French-Canadian singer, Celine Dion was favorited by every citizen of the earth – except for Kate Winslet who hated it and in typical British pomp said that she feels like vomiting when she hears it.
What is it that separates the legends from the rest? It’s that they stay in our hearts and minds through their untimely deaths. Overdoses, accidents, murders – unwanted circumstances took away our favorite stars while they still shined their brightest. Here is a list of Musicians Who Died Before Their Time…
Dimebag Darrell – Pantera, Damageplan
A guitarist whose fingers danced across the fretboard, Darrell “Dimebag Darrell” Abbott is probably one of metal’s most famous musicians. He was part of the cowboy metal band, Pantera and had a promising career ahead of him with the new-formed Damageplan that he co-founded with his brother. He was truly a man of raw talent. However, his prolific career was cut short on that fateful day, December 8, 2004. A deranged fan stormed the stage and point-blank shot the guitar maverick before taking a concert-goer hostage. He was later shot and killed by a police officer. Dimebag may have been slain, but there is no doubt that his memory and the work he left behind will forever stay with his fans.
Have you ever wondered how food from commercials always look so fresh and juicy and when you see it in reality it represents a flattened piece of processed food? How do companies manage to advertise mouthwatering products but are unable to deliver in reality? Well, their secrets are hidden no more – we unveil the reality behind the illusion of good advertising and photography:
Cakes often look springy and fluffy for a very hard reason – there’s cardboard between the layers of sponge. The outer parts of the cake are then smothered with frosting and other delicious paraphernalia to give us a hankering for a sweet slice of dessert heaven.
Advertisers deceiving us with cardboard cakes
Our favorite cookie, in good times and bad, Oreos has been there to keep company with our glass of milk. Though everyone loves the original biscuit sandwich – two dark chocolate cookies with a delicious vanilla cream in the centre – Oreos have come up with a long list of “Limited Edition” flavors that really puts other competitors to shame. All hail the Oreos Flavored Cookies. Which Of These Oreos Flavors Have You Tried?
Filled Cupcake Oreo
The Filled Cupcake Oreo came with the regular two dark chocolate biscuits on the outside and chocolate on the inside, with white cream in the core. Though it does sound exciting, there were many saying that it tasted like a regular chocolate with vanilla Oreo and ultimately didn’t live up to its hype. But that’s a good idea in any case, no?
It’s always exciting to come across your doppelgänger and wonder how another ugly person is surviving in this vain world (LOL). They say that you have 7 look-alikes around the globe, and when it comes to Hollywood, that world is smaller than we would imagine. There are several stories of celebrities who find their regular-life doppelgängers who have to have to live in the shadows just because they resemble an attention-seeking celeb. But imagine if you were a celebrity in Hollywood and you had your doppelgänger in the same industry! Looks like tinsel town has it’s types. Check out these Celebrity Look-Alikes!
Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie
Though one star is bigger than the other, there is no denying the uncanny similarity between Margot and a much-older Jaime. They are from different parts of the world even – Margot is from Australia, but damn, these beauties could easily be mistaken for the other any day!
Jaime Pressly – Margot Robbie
They say it’s a man’s world. But that’s not completely true – because there are kickass women in history who have invented some of the things that we can’t live without even today. For example, did you know a woman invented the Chocolate Chip Cookie? What would your life be without Chips Ahoy! and how would you kill time with friends without some Monopoly? Yes, the board game was created by a woman as well! Check out these Fantastic Inventions By Women and prepare to be amazed…
When you were child (and even now as an adult) you may have loved your Spongebob Squarepants time on Nickelodeon. Bikini Bottom was the place to be! Though many cartoons have come and gone, Spongebob Squarepants remains the cartoon love of many people. Here we give you 5 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Spongebob Squarepants. Prepare to be amazed!
Krusty Krab is the joint of Bikini Bottom that serves up Kelp Fries and Krabby Patties. What are the patties made of btw? No, you don’t get cows down there, and munching on something fishy would mean that Spongebob and company were cannibalistic! So, when the creators were asked the secret ingredients, it was revealed that they are actually Vegetarian! PETA must be so proud of Mr. Krabs! Also, the shape of Krusty Krab resembles a lobster trap from Maine! Creative, isn’t it?!
If you thought that your comfy life is in shambles, wait till you read what citizens of North Korea have to put up with under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-Un. In a modern world, it is a wonder how all of these archaic activities are still permitted, and why no one is trying to stop this madness of indoctrination, brain washing and subduing rule. Read on to find out 5 Everyday Activities Of The West Banned In North Korea:
Remember when we cried as kids because our parents told us to “stop watching TV” after we were in front of the idiot box for hours on end? Think about the North Koreans the next time you start to whine or your ungrateful kids complain. In North Korea, the only TV you are allowed to watch is 24/7 State propaganda. No HBO. No Netflix. No TV that has not been manufactured by the mad men in the government. It seems that in the past couple of years over 100 people have been executed for watching television.
Image Source: moviepilot.com
Hollywood’s favorite man, Tom Hanks and fellow actress, Rita Wilson have been married now for over 27 years! That’s something hard to imagine in the film industry, what with Hanks being surrounded by beautiful leading ladies as well. But it seems that this union is here to stay. In an interview at the Outfest Legacy Awards in Los Angeles, he was asked about the secret to a long marriage. “I wish there was a secret, you know,” he said, “We just like each other. You start there.” If that isn’t adorable enough, he added, “I still can’t believe my wife goes out with me.” And we melt in a puddle.
