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To learn more about some of these terrible historical figures, we reached out to Alan Bellows of Damn Interesting, a site dedicated to sharing fascinating information about science, history and psychology. Alan was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss some figures that he believes didn't get what they deserved.
"Most people will know the obvious examples—the ruthless dictators who relinquished mortality before justice apprehended them: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Augusto Pinochet to name a few," he shared. "There are also controversial examples, such as Christopher Columbus, who enslaved, mutilated, and executed indigenous people after discovering the Americas. And Henry Kissinger, who engaged in 'statesmanship' mostly by instigating wars and overthrowing legitimate governments."
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Alan also named several lesser known evil historical figures. "Du Yuesheng, an orchestrator of the Shanghai massacre. On 12 April 1927, members of his Green Gang murdered as many as 5,000 political enemies. He was exiled, but lived the rest of his life in wealth and comfort," he shared.
"The American Liberty League, who attempted to recruit a World War I hero in a coup against the US government," Alan added. "The administrators of the Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, a study started in 1932 to monitor the progression of syphilis in a Black population. In the mid 1940s penicillin was discovered, and it was found to be an effective cure for syphilis, but the study administrators kept this a secret from the test subjects, and warned local doctors not to provide the medication. Even after the study was forced to shut down due to public outcry, none of the administrators were ever charged."
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Thankfully, however, some people who have committed atrocities did get their comeuppance. "One example that comes to mind is Thomas Midgley," Alan shared. "One of his inventions was leaded gasoline, which caused the whole planet to become polluted with neurotoxic lead."
"He knew about lead's ill effects, even suffering some of them himself due to his close contact with it. Nevertheless he deliberately misled the public about the danger. He later invented CFCs, the spraycan propellants that famously damaged the ozone layer," Alan continued.
"Midgley received nothing but praise for these inventions during his lifetime, the ill effects did not become evident until later. In his middle age, he was disabled by polio, so he invented a system of motorized pulleys to help him navigate his bed. He was later found strangled to death by a malfunction of his own invention," he added. "While he never faced true justice, one could argue that he did receive poetic justice."
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