#1 On Sept 5, 1942, During WWII, Petty Officer Charles Jackson French Swam 6–8 Hours Off Guadalcanal Island, Towing A Raft Of 15 Wounded Sailors After USS Gregory Was Sunk
#2 In 1887, A Bored New York Reporter Named Nellie Bly Talked Her Way Into A Notorious Asylum To Observe How Women Were Treated After Being Declared Insane
#3 In The 1940s And 50s, Canada Ran Secret Nutrition Experiments On 1300 Indigenous People, Including 1000 Children, In Residential Schools
In the 1940s and 50s, Canada secretly ran nutrition experiments on Indigenous people, mostly kids trapped in residential schools. Around 1,300 people, including 1,000 children, were used as human lab rats without consent.
Researchers led by government officials and famous doctors like Frederick Tisdall deliberately kept already starving children malnourished. They withheld dental care and medical treatment just to see how bad things would get. Some kids were given vitamin supplements; others were left to suffer without help.
Survivors later described brutal punishments, including being forced to eat their own vomit. Some children died slowly from hunger and neglect while researchers recorded the results.
These experiments happened in schools like Alberni, Shubenacadie, and St. Mary’s, and in remote Indigenous communities. Most victims never knew they were part of a study. Their suffering was written up in scientific papers.
The Canadian government kept it hidden for decades. It only came to light in 2013 when historian Ian Mosby exposed it. It’s one of the darkest chapters of Canada's history.
Many of the grim stories you’re reading are likely a byproduct of the dark triad personality. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s a psychological theory formulated in 2002 by researchers Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin Williams.
The theory suggests three distinct yet overlapping traits that explain specific negative behaviors. These three traits are Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism.
#4 In 1946, A Local Election In Tennessee Was Run By Corrupt Politicians Who Used Deputies To Arrest Voters And Hide The Ballots In The Jail
#5 A Man In 1835 Was Digging A Duck Pond And Accidentally Uncovered A 104-Foot Tunnel Made Entirely Of Seashells
It’s a 104-foot passage covered with 4.6 million shells arranged in patterns, and its origin remains a mystery even now. You can still walk through it today.
#6 Carlos Montezuma (Born Wassaja) Was Sold For $30 At Age 5
Narcissism is the most widely known trait on this list. It’s the type of behavior you will notice in the entitled people stories you’ve likely read on this site. By definition, this personality trait involves selfishness, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration.
As explained by the Cleveland Clinic, anyone can have narcissistic tendencies. However, the behaviors are much worse in some people, warranting experts to diagnose them with a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
The Cleveland Clinic also clarifies that while someone with a dark triad personality may have narcissistic inclinations, they may not necessarily fit an NPD diagnosis.
#7 This Is A Prisoner Registration Photo Of Krystyna Trześniewska, A Polish Girl Who Was Sent To Auschwitz In December 1942
#8 In June 2010, North Korean Journalist Kim Dong-Cheul Smuggled Rare Footage Of Rural Life In The Country To The Japanese Media
#9 Anarcha Westcott In The 1840s Was Forced To Undergo About 30 Experimental Surgeries By Dr. J. Marion Sims, Who Wrongly Believed Black People Did Not Feel Pain
You’ve likely heard a person refer to someone as a psychopath. But in case you’re unsure of the definition, it’s a trait that points to the lack of empathy. The individual may also be bold and impulsive, and may display antisocial and criminal behavior.
In case you also confuse psychopathy with sociopathy, the main difference is that the former has genetic roots and brain differences, while the latter is often a result of environmental factors like childhood neglect.
#10 In 19th-Century Louisiana, Black Women Were Locked In Prison Cells With White Men
#11 In 1979, Marion Stokes Began Recording TV News During The Nonstop Coverage Of The Iranian Hostage Crisis
#12 In 1984, A Cult Carried Out The Largest Biological Attack In U.S. History By Spreading Salmonella On Food And Doorknobs In A Town In Oregon
Machiavellianism is a personality trait marked by cynicism, manipualtion and disregard for morality, all for the sake of self-interest, status, and power. It’s a concept stemming from the writings of 16th-century politician Niccolò Machiavelli and his infamous book “The Prince.”
Much like psychopathy, Machiavellianism involves the lack of emotion and empathy. However, it isn’t considered to be a mental disorder.
#13 Queen Elizabeth II's First Cousins (Left) Katherine Bowes-Lyon And Nerissa Bowes-Lyon (Right)
#14 There Was A Disease That Left People Awake But Unable To Move Or Speak. Many Were Trapped Inside Their Own Bodies, And It Vanished Without Anyone Ever Understanding Why
Some stayed trapped inside their bodies for years while others died within weeks. In all, more than half a million people were affected before the disease vanished as suddenly as it appeared, and no one ever figured out why.
#15 On 23 May 1901, French Police Received An Anonymous Tip That A Woman Was Being Held Against Her Will In A Poitiers Home
You may have come across someone who displayed signs of a dark triad personality. And according to psychologist Dr. Susan Albers, keeping distance from the person is the best option, even if it is someone you’re close to.
“Create distance between you and that individual. That way, you’re protecting yourself financially, physically, and emotionally,” she said.
#16 In The 1970s, June And Jennifer Gibbons Only Spoke To Each Other. They Mirrored Every Move, Wrote Dark Stories, And Shut Out The World
They were called the Silent Twins. Doctors, teachers, and even prisons couldn’t break their silence.
#17 Howard Carter Opening The Shrines Enclosing The Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s Sarcophagus For The “First” Time In Over 3,000 Years, January 4th 1924
That said, the 50-year-old, self-trained Egyptologist was meticulous and, compared to many of his contemporaries, more respectful of ancient remains. Carter resigned from the Egyptian Antiquities Service after siding with Egyptian guards during a dispute with tourists. His careful documentation and methods ultimately preserved a remarkable amount of the tomb’s 3,000-year-old artifacts, many of which might otherwise have been damaged or lost.
#18 From 1869 To 1995, An Insane Asylum Hid 427 Patients’ Suitcases In An Attic, Then Tried To Destroy Them, Until Museum Curator Craig Williams Stopped It
#19 In 1933 In Key West, X-Ray Technician Carl Tanzler Stole The Body Of His Former Patient, 22-Year-Old Tuberculosis Victim Elena De Hoyos
#20 On April 1, 2014 — Dutch Tourists Kris Kremers And Lisanne Froon Vanished While Hiking The El Pianista Trail In Panama
