Why is the island of Poveglia, Italy considered haunted?
The island of Poveglia, Italy, was used for plague quarantine.
What is a “mellified man”?
In ancient times, an elderly person would sometimes volunteer to become mummified in honey. After a century, these “mellified men” were then edible, and their remains were said to cure ailments.
True or False: Harvard University owns a book bound in dragon skin.
Dragons don’t exist, so Harvard couldn’t own a book bound in their skin. They do, however, own a book bound in human skin, which is ten times worse.
In 1934, a 203-foot tsunami hit what European town?
The tsunami disaster in Tafjord Norway became the basis for the horror film The Wave.
True or False: The 1958 film The Blob is modeled after a true story.
In the 1950s in Philadelphia, police officers examined an object that had fallen from the sky. Reports say it was purple and oozed a sticky liquid, but it soon disintegrated. This encounter became the foundation for the film The Blob.
What is the “Codex Gigas” better known as?
Legend says that the Code Gigas, better known as the Devil’s Bible, was written in a single night after a man sold his soul to the devil.
In January 2017, an asteroid passed very close by to Earth. What was its name?
The 100-foot asteroid named AG13 was closer even than the moon when it passed by Earth, but scientists only found out about it two days before it could have hit us. Not a comforting thought!
True or false: dentures used to be made out of horse’s teeth.
Dentures weren’t made out of horse’s teeth, but they actually used to be made out of something much more gruesome: human teeth.
What strange habit was NOT popular in Victorian England?
Victorians loved post-mortem photography, turning their deceased loved ones into jewellery, and tattoos, but jewel-encrusted teeth were less common.
What is a “Rat King”?
As gross as it sounds, a “Rat King” really is an entanglement of rats.
True or False: A Nightmare on Elm Street is based on a true story.
Wes Craven got the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street after reading an article about a boy who died in the middle of his nightmare.
What strange thing do the Toraja people do with the bodies of their deceased?
The Toraja people believe that death is a long process, and they sometimes don’t have funerals for their deceased loved one until months or years after their passing. In the meantime, they keep the body wrapped in cloth.
Where did the biggest tsunami in history hit?
The largest recorded tsunami in history hit Lituya Bay in Alaska in 1958. It was 1,720 feet tall.
Hundreds of years ago, why did people take the moss “usnea” from corpses?
When bodies were left on the battlefield (and elsewhere), “usnea” moss began to grow on them. People believed this moss was imbued with the spiritual qualities of the dead men, and that it had medicinal properties.
True or False: in Ancient England, people drank and ate out of the tops of skulls.
Before the standardized use of cups and bowls, there’s evidence to suggest that people in England sipped their liquids and ate their food from human skulls.
What movie trailer was banned from theaters when audience members reportedly ran out of the room after viewing it?
When the original trailer for the classic horror movie The Exorcist came out, audience members had a violent reaction, reportedly running out of the theater. The trailer was soon banned from public viewings, though it is available online.
What is prosopagnosia?
Stroke victims sometimes suffer from prosopagnosia, which is the inability to remember or recognize faces, even those of your best friends—or your own.
What’s housed in the Ven Haven museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky?
The Ven Haven Museum is home to an enormous collection of dolls—and not just any dolls, but ventriloquist dummies.
What was “ceruse” in Queen Elizabeth I’s beauty regime?
“Ceruse” was a lead and vinegar mixture that Elizabeth used to put on her face—not a great combination to put near your eyes, unless you actually like cracked skin (and a whole host of other ailments).
What is Robert the Doll best known for?
Robert Eugene Otto got Robert the Doll around 1904, and it has since gained a reputation for being haunted. People say Robert the Doll has caused multiple accidents, especially if he’s not treated with proper respect.
What did “safety coffins” do?
In the 18th and 19th centuries, people were increasingly worried about being buried alive. In response, multiple versions of “safety coffins” were produced, which allowed anyone buried alive inside to alert people aboveground that they weren’t dead yet.
After the deaths of four of its actors, including its child star, what film was said to be cursed?
Four people died shortly after Poltergeist was released, including Heather O’Rourke, the film’s child star; she passed away at only 12 years old.
What is so strange about the Pacu fish?
Because of its omnivorous diet, South America’s Pacu fish has surprisingly human-like teeth.
What is a teratoma?
A teratoma, or a “monstrous tumor,” is a bundle of leftover cells that can split away and settle in a foreign region when a baby is still just a foetus. This is one reason why some people find tumors full of hair and teeth in strange parts of their body.
Where is the Sedlec Ossuary, or The Church of Bones, located?
The Sedlec Ossuary sits just outside of Prague in the Czech Republic. After the town’s cemetery started getting too full, the church leaders began to turn the extra bones into religious décor.
What creepy feature did the 1960s Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland contain?
When Disney was first making the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, they weren’t satisfied with how the fake skeletons looked, and bought real skeletons from UCLA to display. Though they now claim they’ve replaced all of the skeletons with synthetic ones, some people still swear there are a few real skeletons lurking around on the ride.
What title was Joseph Merrick better known by?
Joseph Merrick, or The Elephant Man, was likely born with proteus syndrome, a congenital disorder that disfigures the body. He was put in a freak show and toured around the world.
What does the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia display?
The Mutter Museum is dedicated to showcasing medical advancements and human anatomy, including some very unsavory bits like mutations, tumors, and medical anomalies. Not for the faint of heart!
True or False: Ancient Romans believed that drinking fresh gladiator’s blood could cure epilepsy.
The Romans believed that drinking gladiator blood could cure epilepsy. They even thought that drinking a gladiator's blood would help them absorb his powers.
What is “Charles Bonnet Syndrome”?
When people start to go blind, they sometimes experience “Charles Bonnet Syndrome,” which are visual hallucinations.
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From life’s gory details to its strange twists of fate, you know a lot about the dark side of existence, and you face it head on. Keep delving deep.
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Quiz
The world is a scary place, and sometimes the truth is more terrifying than fiction. Horror movies, thriller novels, and fictional criminals have nothing on what can happen in real life. Although we often have a morbid fascination with the darker side of existence, how much do we really know about it? Delve deep into your inner demons and come out the other side of this quiz.
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