SEE ALSO: Top 10 Eerie Recordings 10 Alessandro Moreschi, Only Recorded True Castrato The Castrati were men who were forcibly castrated at an early age in order to ensure that they would not experience the hormonal changes of puberty that lead to the lowering of the male voice. This meant that as adult men they sang like a modern soprano (they retained their boy soprano voices). After the Catholic Church ensured that all nations banned the practice, Pope Leo XIII took the remaining Castrati into the care of the Sistine Chapel Choir to guarantee them a quiet life (at the time they had become the subject of ridicule)....

One of the foremost professional soldiers of his day, Alba was the commander in chief of Charles V army. Despite diminishing trust in Alba, Charles’ heir, Phillip II sent Alba as an emissary to France to hold negotiations with Catherine de Medici. With an anti-Protestant policy, it is believed that Alba helped lay the groundwork for the massacre of French Protestants on St. Bartholomew’s Day, 1572. In 1567, Alba was dispatched as governor of the Spanish Netherlands following the outbreak of popular unrest....

But let’s closely examine some of the traditions that are associated with this festive holiday and how they got started in the first place. Chances are, a lot of what you thought about Saint Patrick’s Day is wrong. You might turn green with astonishment . . . 10 The Diaspora The mass emigration, or diaspora, of the Irish throughout the world in the 19th century during the Potato Famine from 1845 to 1849 spread their gritty, stalwart heritage to distant, foreign shores....

10 Mayakka Skunk Ape The skunk ape is a hominid cryptid that is said to inhabit Florida. It is often described as a bipedal primate with long, dark hair that has a very foul odor. It’s thought to live in the swamps around Florida, and there have been numerous sightings. In 2000, a mysterious woman sent two photos to the Sheriff’s Department in Sarasota County, Florida and wished to remain anonymous....

10 Poison Dart Frog The backs of the poison dart frog ooze a slimy neurotoxin that is meant to keep predators away. Each frog produces enough of the toxin to kill 10 humans, though, strangely, in captivity, the frogs do not secrete this poison. The frogs are brilliantly coloured and live mainly in Central and South America. [Wikipedia Article] 9Cape Buffalo Cape buffalos weigh 1.5 tons and, when faced by danger, attack head on with razor sharp horns....

Anyone who has read this book will appreciate its inclusion here; if for no other reason than the axe scene (in which the protagonist chops off one of his feet with an axe – this is the hobbling scene in the movie). That scene aside, the pages upon pages of descriptions of the pain suffered by the bedridden main character, coupled with the psychological torment as he tries to move through the house unnoticed, make this a much deserved entry....

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Animals You didn’t know were Venomous Be it in their mouths, their butts, or their claws, so many creatures from invertebrates right up to things that may or may not be a mammal have developed the ability to inject us with venom that can do anything from rot our skin to liquefy our organs with a single dose! Those unlucky enough to receive a bite or a sting from venomous creatures can suffer anything from a little swelling to death, and every extravagant, showy horror in between....

10 The Malawi Terror Beast Panic is not just a natural human emotion; it is an event that can ruin a community. Many cases of mass hysteria have innocuous or even unidentifiable origins. A brief bout of brain fog due to a cold can send a classroom of impressionable youths into a full-blown fit of sympathetic (and escalating) symptoms, often accompanied by a spurious conspiratorial/supernatural explanation. This isn’t one of those cases....

But some addictions have stronger withdrawal symptoms than others, causing discomfort to the user while taking the drug or doing the activity, thwarting any attempts to quit. Here is a list of the top ten most uncomfortable addictions. 10 Process Addictions Process addictions include sex, gambling, gaming, and food, which curiously don’t always make the hard drugs list but are uncomfortable. Also called behavior addictions, these addictions carry all the sociological and psychological consequences of addiction but lack severe physical symptoms associated with substance abuse....

10 Griffin (or Gryphon) The griffin is normally characterised as a lion with the head and wings of an eagle. It was thought to be a particularly strong creature as the lion is the king of beasts and the eagle is the king of birds. In ancient times it was considered the protector of the divine. The creature was seen in civilisations as early as the Minoan civilisation (2700BC to 1450 BC)....

10 GMOs Are Used to Create Frankenfoods One of the most common myths about GMOs is that they are used to create “Frankenfoods.” The vast majority of GMOs are used for things like making crops resistant to pests or making them healthier or more suitable for harsh environments. Watch this video on YouTube These so-called Frankenfoods are foods that have been genetically modified to behave in an “unnatural” way. Some examples of foods labeled Frankenfoods are:...

Many desserts started as savory dishes and were only affordable by the rich. Some desserts did not even use sugar for sweetener, unlike the sugar laden desserts we have today, but all of these sweet treats that are loved today started somewhere. 10Custard Custard has been used as a base or filling for several desserts including crème brules and some ice-cream bases. It is also enjoyed on its own or heated and poured over warm puddings....

10Brazilian Mayor Runs Entire Town Through WhatsApp While elected officials are sometimes corrupt or ignorant, it is very rare that they are simultaneously both. One of the most egregious examples of this happened in the backwater Brazilian town of Bom Jardim, where the corrupt mayor siphoned off $4 million from the town budget and used WhatsApp to run her government. While she lived the good life and partied in the state capitol more than 200 kilometers (124 mi) away, she used messages to send instructions to officials....

Depending on your views and the specific situation, this rough treatment can be either righteous justice or rights violations. Regardless, at times, the powder keg has blown (sometimes literally), and prisoners have staged full-on riots. These rarely end well. This list ranks ten of the most interesting prison riots ever. Whether by virtue of their brutality, their infamy, their legacy, or their utter insanity, they’ve earned their spot here as the top 10 prison riots....

But guess what? A lot of them are true. Are you that one person who says, “What is Game of Thrones?” Then we encourage you to break out your inner child and watch this show full of fairy-tale princes and princesses and all the happy endings that come with it. 10 Perkeo And Tyrion Lannister Everyone’s favorite Game of Thrones (GoT) character, Tyrion Lannister, has the healthiest dose of wit in the show, matched only by his love of wine....

Now, it probably won’t happen in the dramatic, explosive way typically portrayed in the movies. However, major potential exists for such an outbreak—particularly if a virus suddenly mutates and causes what we can only term a “zombie infection.” In fact, an outbreak of this kind could lead to a desperate situation. See Also: Top 10 Zombie Apocalypse Conspiracy Theories 10 The CONOP 8888 Files In 2014, Gordon Lubold came into possession of intriguing classified US military documents dated April 30, 2011....

Today, these concepts enjoy cultlike status. More than half a century after his death, many people are continuing Reich’s work to tap into the natural energy of not just the Earth but the universe itself. 10 Weird Examples Of Pseudoscientific Technology 10 The Connection To Sexual Energy And Ancient Wisdom Born in 1897 in what is now Ukraine, Austrian doctor Wilhelm Reich was an ardent subscriber to the ideas of Sigmund Freud....

Inquisition [Catholicism] The Medieval Inquisition is a series of Inquisitions (Roman Catholic Church bodies charged with suppressing heresy) from around 1184, including the Episcopal Inquisition (1184-1230s) and later the Papal Inquisition (1230s). It was in response to large popular movements throughout Europe considered apostate or heretical to Christianity, in particular Catharism and Waldensians in southern France and northern Italy. These were the first inquisition movements of many that would follow....

Even if he didn’t write the plays and sonnets ascribed to Shakespeare, which he almost certainly did, this Oxfordian believes Edward DeVere is one of the most fascinating characters in English history. Before turning twenty-five, he lost his inheritance to his stepfather, whom his mother married soon after his father’s death, accidentally killed an innocent while engaging in swordplay, and was kidnapped by pirates and nearly walked the plank. Does any of this sound familiar?...

In perhaps the most famous of sports curses, the Red Sox decision to sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 brought down an 83-year championship drought. Before the trade, the Red Sox had won five World Series, the Yankees none. From the trade to 2003, the Yankees won 26 series, the Sox zero. The curse’s reputation was enhanced by the Red Sox repeatedly coming close and falling short. The team made four World Series appearances (1946,1967,1975,1986) and each went the full seven games....