Wikipedia is the Internet's go-to when it comes to knowledge. It doesn't matter if you're browsing for school, for fun, or falling into a weird rabbit hole, Wikipedia always has your back. The site claims it gets around 10,000 pageviews every second, with editors all around the world performing an average of 16 edits every second.
Although many people think of Wikipedia as a source of interesting facts and knowledge, there's plenty of creepy content on the site as well. The subreddit "Creepy Wikipedia" is a community that collects articles that make people "shiver with fear or disgust." Here are some of their best entries in the form of true crime, mysterious disasters, and heart-breaking real-life stories found on the Internet's encyclopedia.
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#41
Branson Perry was a young man from Skidmore, Missouri who disappeared without a trace on April 11, 2001. He was last seen by a friend who was visiting him. He told her that he was going to return a pair of jumper cables to the shed and was never seen again.
The disappearance of Branson Perry occurred on April 11, 2001, when the 20-year-old vanished from his hometown of Skidmore, Missouri. On the afternoon of his disappearance, Perry was at his house with a female friend, cleaning the residence in anticipation of his father’s return from the hospital. At the same time, two men were outside in the driveway working on a vehicle. Around 3:00 p.m., Perry told his friend he was taking a pair of jumper cables out to a shed on the property. He was never seen again.
The case immediately presented baffling clues. When police first searched the property, the jumper cables were missing from the shed. However, two weeks later, the cables inexplicably reappeared just inside the shed door. Extensive searches of the surrounding fields, farms, and abandoned buildings yielded no traces of Perry. The case drew national interest and later gained further notoriety because Perry was the cousin of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a pregnant Skidmore woman whose brutal 2004 murder became a widely publicized international news story.
Over the years, several disturbing leads and dark theories emerged. Investigators looked into local drug acquaintances and explored a potential connection to Jack Wayne Rogers, a man later imprisoned for child pornography and performing illegal surgeries. Police discovered message board posts on Rogers' computer detailing a first-hand account of the assault and murder of a man matching Perry's description, though Rogers denied any involvement and was never charged in the case. Over the years, authorities have executed deep ground excavations based on tips and noted they have identified primary suspects, but the case remains an unsolved mystery
The disappearance of Branson Perry occurred on April 11, 2001, when the 20-year-old vanished from his hometown of Skidmore, Missouri. On the afternoon of his disappearance, Perry was at his house with a female friend, cleaning the residence in anticipation of his father’s return from the hospital. At the same time, two men were outside in the driveway working on a vehicle. Around 3:00 p.m., Perry told his friend he was taking a pair of jumper cables out to a shed on the property. He was never seen again.
The case immediately presented baffling clues. When police first searched the property, the jumper cables were missing from the shed. However, two weeks later, the cables inexplicably reappeared just inside the shed door. Extensive searches of the surrounding fields, farms, and abandoned buildings yielded no traces of Perry. The case drew national interest and later gained further notoriety because Perry was the cousin of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a pregnant Skidmore woman whose brutal 2004 murder became a widely publicized international news story.
Over the years, several disturbing leads and dark theories emerged. Investigators looked into local drug acquaintances and explored a potential connection to Jack Wayne Rogers, a man later imprisoned for child pornography and performing illegal surgeries. Police discovered message board posts on Rogers' computer detailing a first-hand account of the assault and murder of a man matching Perry's description, though Rogers denied any involvement and was never charged in the case. Over the years, authorities have executed deep ground excavations based on tips and noted they have identified primary suspects, but the case remains an unsolved mystery
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#42
The 1888 Schoolhouse Blizzard is notable for its incredibly sudden arrival during a warm work/school day, trapping many within it, and making it the 10th deadliest winter storm on record. Teachers generally kept children in their schoolrooms. Exceptions nearly always resulted in disaster.
The Schoolhouse Blizzard (also known as the Children's Blizzard) struck the U.S. Great Plains on January 12, 1888. The storm was precipitated by the collision of an immense Arctic cold front with warm, moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico. This caused temperatures to drop from above freezing to −20 °F (−29 °C) (and as low as −40 °F in some areas) within a few hours. Accompanied by hurricane-force winds and powdery snow, visibility on the open plains was reduced to zero. With an estimated 235 to 1,000 fatalities, it is one of the deadliest winter storms in history.
What made the blizzard exceptionally lethal was its suddenness and timing during work and school hours on what had started as a remarkably warm winter day. Many people, including thousands of children attending rural one-room schoolhouses, were caught completely unaware. Teachers who attempted to walk their pupils home often met with disaster, such as Lois Royce, who became lost just 82 yards from her boarding house, resulting in the freezing deaths of her three students. Conversely, some teachers became heroes; Minnie Freeman successfully guided 13 children a mile and a half through the blinding storm to safety, an exploit later commemorated in song and a mural in the Nebraska State Capitol.
The Schoolhouse Blizzard (also known as the Children's Blizzard) struck the U.S. Great Plains on January 12, 1888. The storm was precipitated by the collision of an immense Arctic cold front with warm, moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico. This caused temperatures to drop from above freezing to −20 °F (−29 °C) (and as low as −40 °F in some areas) within a few hours. Accompanied by hurricane-force winds and powdery snow, visibility on the open plains was reduced to zero. With an estimated 235 to 1,000 fatalities, it is one of the deadliest winter storms in history.
What made the blizzard exceptionally lethal was its suddenness and timing during work and school hours on what had started as a remarkably warm winter day. Many people, including thousands of children attending rural one-room schoolhouses, were caught completely unaware. Teachers who attempted to walk their pupils home often met with disaster, such as Lois Royce, who became lost just 82 yards from her boarding house, resulting in the freezing deaths of her three students. Conversely, some teachers became heroes; Minnie Freeman successfully guided 13 children a mile and a half through the blinding storm to safety, an exploit later commemorated in song and a mural in the Nebraska State Capitol.
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#43
Kelly Thomas was a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia who lived on the streets of California. He was beaten to death by six members of the Fullerton Police Department while screaming for his father on July 5, 2011.
The killing of Kelly Thomas occurred on July 5, 2011, when a 37-year-old homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia was severely beaten by six Fullerton Police Department officers in California. Confronted after a report of vandalism, an uncooperative Thomas was threatened by Officer Manuel Ramos before the encounter escalated into a violent, 10-minute struggle. Captured on surveillance video, the unarmed Thomas was repeatedly struck with a flashlight, tased, and heard begging for his life. He suffered severe facial fractures and suffocated from chest compression, slipping into a coma and dying five days later.
The incident sparked massive protests and a recall of city council members, becoming a national symbol of police brutality against the mentally ill. Three officers were criminally charged—Ramos with second-degree murder, and Corporal Jay Cicinelli and Officer Joseph Wolfe with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force. In January 2014, a jury acquitted Ramos and Cicinelli of all charges, prompting prosecutors to drop the case against Wolfe. While no officers were criminally convicted, the city of Fullerton ultimately paid $5.9 million to settle wrongful death lawsuits filed by Thomas's parents.
The killing of Kelly Thomas occurred on July 5, 2011, when a 37-year-old homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia was severely beaten by six Fullerton Police Department officers in California. Confronted after a report of vandalism, an uncooperative Thomas was threatened by Officer Manuel Ramos before the encounter escalated into a violent, 10-minute struggle. Captured on surveillance video, the unarmed Thomas was repeatedly struck with a flashlight, tased, and heard begging for his life. He suffered severe facial fractures and suffocated from chest compression, slipping into a coma and dying five days later.
The incident sparked massive protests and a recall of city council members, becoming a national symbol of police brutality against the mentally ill. Three officers were criminally charged—Ramos with second-degree murder, and Corporal Jay Cicinelli and Officer Joseph Wolfe with involuntary manslaughter and excessive force. In January 2014, a jury acquitted Ramos and Cicinelli of all charges, prompting prosecutors to drop the case against Wolfe. While no officers were criminally convicted, the city of Fullerton ultimately paid $5.9 million to settle wrongful death lawsuits filed by Thomas's parents.
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