Human history is filled with incredible and heartwarming moments,
however, it is also filled with scary moments that will creep you out.
5 -
Chicxulub
Asteroid 66 million years ago the earth was struck by
the Chichxulub Aesteroid which has been credited with the extinction of the dinosaurs. The asteroid
created a crater that is over 90 miles wide, the original landing site has since been submerged
underwater however the events of that day are no less creepy. The crater is located beneath the
Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico and in recent years, scientists have used cutting edge
techniques to analyse fragments and learn more about what happened on that scary day in history.
In 2016 geologists from the University of Texas trekked 12 miles deep in order to collect a core
sample. The sample was hundreds of metres long and it took teams of geologists working together to
successfully analyse it. The head of the project, Sean Gulick told the Smithsonian “We interpret
this section to represent the first day post impact, which by definition of the geologic time
scale, makes it the first day of Cenzoic since the Cretaceous ended the moment the asteroid struck.”
This asteroid didn’t just wipe out the dinosaurs, it took out hundreds of other
types of prehistoric life forms as well as having a huge impact on the environment.
Lizards and mammals were affected greatly by these sudden changes
and caused many species to evolve differently to adapt to the new landscapes.
The Chicxulub Asteroid was a scary time in history and scientists have estimated that
it hit the earth with the approximate force of 191,793 gigatons of TNT. A force billions of
times more powerful than anything humans have ever been able to replicate within our history.
Scientists warned that if the Chicxulub Asteroid was to fall to earth today, we would enter one of
the scariest and darkest times in human history. The asteroid would create airblasts powerful
enough to destroy entire continents as well as spurring volcanic eruptions for decades to come.
4 - Yang Liwei Yang Liwei holds the title of the first person to
be sent into space by the Chinese Space Programme in 2003. Liwei had spent decades in training,
first joining as a fighter pilot in 1987, his hard work and dedication paid off and by 1998
he had been selected to train as an astronaut. Liwei was incredibly proud of his achievements
and he couldn’t believe that one day, he would be going into space. He believed that these
achievements would put him into the history books forever, however, a creepier historical event has
since overshadowed his achievements and his name is now known for a different reason.
Liwei got word that he had been chosen for the launch of the Shenzhou 5 flight one day before
they were due to depart earth. Despite this, Liwei rose to the challenge and became the first person
to be sent into space by the Chinese Space Programme. However, when Liwei was just days
into his maiden voyage, he began hearing a disturbing noise coming from the spaceship.
In an interview for BBC News, Liwei recalls the creepy moment saying “I heard someone
knocking on the body of the spaceship just as knocking on an iron bucket with a wooden hammer.
It neither came from outside nor inside the spaceship.” He peered outside to see
what could have been causing the noise, however, eerily, he saw nothing. He was
completely alone on the spaceship and was now terrified of these creepy, mysterious noises.
After returning to earth, Liwei told his colleagues about the mysterious sound
and they tried to recreate it, however, they were unable to.
They hit the outside of the spaceship with various objects and even made sounds inside,
but Liwei told them that the sound couldn’t be matched. He even told future astronauts about the
mysterious sounds so they could be prepared for them. According to the astronauts of the Chinese
Space Programme, those who have been sent to space have heard the mysterious sounds too.
The verdict is still out on this creepy historical event as sound requires a medium
to travel and space is a vacuum. Experts have tried to debunk this theory, however,
nobody has ever come to a solid conclusion about what Liwei heard on his first, solo trip to space.
3 - Gordon Cummins
World War II will forever go down as one of the scariest times in human history,
the geopolitical landscape of Europe was forever changed both during and following the war
and it led way to many changes throughout the world. Men and women on both sides fought
in this conflict but there is a creepy story hidden deep beneath the tales of World War II.
Not much is known about Gordon Cummins early life other than that he was born in February 1914
in York, England. By 1939, he had enlisted in the Royal Air Force and took great pride
in being a part of the armed forces and fighting back
the invading German army. He often made claims to his fellow soldiers
that he came from a noble bloodline and picked up the nickname “The Count”. This
claim was never verified and soon after he would find himself with a more disturbing nickname.
Cummins used the cover of darkness to his advantage.
During the Second World War, Britain would have total blackouts at night, this was to prevent the
German Air Forces from finding them and targetting them during a period known as “The Blitz”.
This was heavily enforced in London where Cummins was stationed, with people going door to door
every evening to ensure that every household had their blackout curtains shut and their lamps off.
Under the cover of darkness, Cummins began attacking women
one by one, leaving them to be found in the morning when the sun had finally risen.
There were no street lights at night, as even the smallest sliver of light
could give away key locations such as factories or army bases. On February 9th 1942,
42-year-old Evelyn Hamilton was found in an air raid shelter on Montagu Place, London.
Her handbag that contained approximately £80 had been stolen but there were no other
signs of anything missing. Police suspected that her body had either been placed there
or the person responsible targeted her inside of the shelter as he knew she was alone. The next day
on February 10th 1942 35-year-old Evelyn Oatley was found in her flat under similar circumstances.
Police now knew that the hunt was on for their man and for the residents of London,
this was one of the creepiest times in history to be a woman. The man known as “The Blackout
Ripper” would strike twice more and left fingerprints at one of the scenes which
Police analysed and noted that he appeared to be left-handed. On Feburary 14th 1942 Cummins
assaulted Greta Hayward as she was walking through Piccadilly Circus. Thankfully,
Greta was able to escape and in the ensuing chaos, Cummins left behind his RAF issue gas mask.
The gas mask was handed over to the Police and finally, they had their first break in the case.
The Police consulted the RAF who informed them that the gas mask belonged to Gordon Cummins.
Two days later on February 16th 1942, Cummins was arrested and charged in connection with
the crimes. After deliberating for just 35 minutes the jury found Cummins guilty
on all counts after fingerprints found at the scene matched his.
2 - George Washington
Resurrected
George Washington is one of history’s most pivotal figures and his actions changed the course of
modern American history and politics forever. However, did you know that there is a creepy
historical moment linked to George Washington that very few people talk about? Following his passing
on December 14th 1799, people across the country mourned the loss of their first-ever president.
Washington had changed the course of American history a great deal and whilst he may not have
been popular with everyone, one thing is for certain, and that was that he was known to all.
Washington had made a promise that he would see in the year 1800 with his people and vowed to
never break that promise, sadly, he passed just weeks before he was able to make this come true.
Naturally, his wife was heartbroken but so too was another person, Dr William Thorton.
Dr Thornton, the man who had designed the United States Capitol Building
was also a physician and wanted to use his skills to bring his dear friend back
to life. This would give way to one of the creepiest moments in modern U.S history.
Dr Thornton believed that he could resurrect Washington
and bring him back to life safely. The Dr. had been called to Washington's bedside
shortly before his passing, however by this point, there was nothing that he was able to do for him.
According to Dr Thornton, Washington’s passing had been a combination of a loss of heat,
air and blood so, in his mind, the same things could be used to bring him back.
He first planned to thaw out Washington's body by submerging it into warm water,
once this part was complete, he would pump air back into his lungs.
The last step was to give Washington an infusion of hot blood. Thankfully,
Dr Thornton was stopped by concerned colleagues before he was able to go forward with his plan.
1 - Victorian Mourning Jewellery
It’s no secret that the Victorian’s were fascinated by the morbid and macabre and
they are responsible for their fair share of creepy history. There is one particular practice
that gained popularity during the Victorian period that might just leave you completely creeped out.
The practice of mourning jewellery predates the Victorian’s by around 200 years as the Georgian's
are to be credited with the invention of mourning jewellery. However, it never really took off
amongst all classes of society until Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria was heartbroken at the
passing of her husband, Albert and decided to use a Georgian method of creating a keepsake of him.
As previously mentioned, mourning jewellery was created by the Georgians, however, when everyone
saw Queen Victoria wearing some, they wanted to recreate it for themselves. After Albert passed,
Queen Victoria had a lock of Albert’s hair made into a brooch. This quickly became
a trend with the people of Victorian England making their own complete with macabre designs.
The hair would be placed into the middle of the brooch that was encased with glass or other clear
material. The brooch would most often be made of Jet (a type of coal from Whitby, England) although
other materials were used for those who were unable to afford it.
With richer families displaying their status by using precious metals and gems.
The demand for these brooches became so high
that tonnes of hair had to be imported to keep up with demand as most families were
unable to obtain locks of hair from their passed loved ones. Historians have estimated
that 50 tonnes of hair were imported into England every year by the mid 19th century.