10The Inspiration For A Nightmare On Elm Street Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare On Elm Street is among the most terrifying horror movie villains. Unlike some shambling zombies or a chainsaw-wielding maniac, he cannot be escaped because he lurks in your dreams. With his scorched visage and bladed fingers, Freddy found all kinds of gruesomely ironic ways to dispatch his teen victims. Writer and director Wes Craven named Freddy after a childhood bully, but the inspiration for the story is far scarier....

Many people in the past distrusted cemeteries because they attracted the wrong sort of people and the wrong sort of attention. Whether for mischief, profit, or other reasons, more than a few unsavory characters have done their best to make final resting places anything but restful, as these ten cases illustrate. 10 In The Way As men were busy digging trenches for new water pipes in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1903, one of them cut through the top of a coffin....

The Marathon des Sables (MDS) (Marathon of the Sands) is a six-day, 254 km (156 mile) ultramarathon, which is the equivalent to six regular marathons. The longest single stage (2009) is 91 km (55 miles) long. This multiday race is held every year in the southern Moroccan desert. It is considered the toughest foot race on Earth. The first event of the Marathon started in 1986. RAAM is the American answer to Europe’s Tour de France, yet the races differ....

The most notable and frighteningly successful example of a modern-day cannibal in the United States is none other than the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. If you thought that the list ended with this well-known man-eater, be prepared to confront some more of the most despicable cannibals in contemporary America. Note: We aren’t kidding when we say this list is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned....

It was submitting to a life of long days, mediocre meals, horrendous sanitation, separation from the rest of your family, and a high likelihood you wouldn’t see your freedom again. Workhouses were dark, dismal places, and some heartbreaking stories came out of them. 10 The Andover Workhouse Scandal We all know that conditions in the workhouses were grim. The general populations of Georgian and Victorian Britain knew it, too. But there’s a difference between having a general idea that workhouse life was difficult and actually hearing about some of the specific horrors that occurred....

Here, we detail 10 of the most fascinating and gruesome historical British massacres that have taken place in the name of conquest or just sheer bloodlust. 10 The Harrying Of The North William the Conqueror successfully invaded Britain in 1066 and spent most of the rest of his life attempting to consolidate his power in one way or another. Three years after his initial invasion, his most notorious attempt came in the form of the Harrying of the North....

Regardless of your position, there’s plenty of archaeological evidence that at least some of the characters existed and that the Bible often refers to actual events that took place in real places. Among the remains of the many civilizations that rose and fell in the lands of the Bible, scholars have found that many of them are relevant to the Old and New Testaments. And surely, there are more waiting to be uncovered....

Fortunately, historians and archaeologists have taken the time to track these things down. Thanks to their tireless work, history will never forget those moments so vital to human development—like the one when the first fart joke was cracked. 10 First Drinking Straw Was Made Of Gold3000 BC Drinking straws aren’t one of those things you imagine coming hand in hand with the dawn of civilization. But the cheap plastic bending tubes you use to keep your clumsy kid from spilling have been around since the world’s first empire—although back then, they were a lot fancier....

SEE ALSO: 10 Facts That Are Only True Depending On Where You Live 10 Nero Figuratively Fiddled While Rome Burned If you Google “history misconceptions,” you’ll find more than a few articles saying that Nero didn’t fiddle while Rome burned. “The fiddle hadn’t been invented,” most of these articles say. “How could Nero have played the fiddle if it did not exist?” Even we have been caught out with this one!...

Here, in this list, murder is highlighted. Tragically, murders have happened in dorm rooms throughout the world for decades. Roommates have been bludgeoned to death, stabbed, shot, and poisoned. Dorm roommates have been killed out of anger, out of spite, and out of jealousy. Some dormitory murders were planned well in advance; some occurred in the heat of the moment. All kinds of dorm room murders will be discussed here....

Gravensteen, or the Castle of the Counts, was built in the late 1100s along the Lieve River in Ghent, Belgium. The castle has served many roles throughout history—the royal seat of the counts, a courthouse, even a textile factory—but in the late Middle Ages it went through its darkest period: a house of torture. We got the opportunity to tour the castle and see firsthand the torture devices still inside....

10 Sewn Into a Donkey If you’re looking for cruel and unusual forms of torture, you don’t have to look any further than ancient Rome. Take, for instance, a torture that was described by both Apuleius (The Golden Ass) and Lucian (Lucius, or the Ass): A donkey would be killed, its belly sliced open, and the entrails removed. The accused was then stripped of clothing and stuffed into the animal’s belly....

What you may not realize is that the plots of some horror films were derived from true happenings recorded in history. The following are a few of the stories behind some of the most watched scary movies out there. And be warned: There will be spoilers. 10 The Exorcist The Exorcist tells the story of 12-year-old Regan and her film star mother Chris. After playing with a Ouija board, Regan is possessed by a demon and starts showing symptoms of anxiety and depression....

If you’re a company and you need to keep things secret, it seems your only real option would be to completely cut your business off from the outside world. But even that might not be enough, as you’re about to learn. 10AOL Leaks The Search History Of Over 650,000 Users For three solid days, AOL hosted a file containing three months’ worth of detailed search queries from over half a million of its users....

Some mascots have survived the test of time, dating back to the early 20th century, while others are long-forgotten. This list combines the two groups and explores the extraordinary stories behind the creation and existence of ten various mascots. 10 The MGM Lion It would be rare to find someone who doesn’t recognize MGM’s mascot. Before the opening credits of their films, a lion can be seen roaring, before fading into the darkness with the “MGM” logo....

In the early world, dreaming was a source of fascination, and understanding one’s dreams was as important as understanding the waking world. Today, dream interpretation is of little significance. However, it is important to note the influence dreaming had on early mankind, which has carried over into today’s society. From cultural importance to biological function, dreams have played a vital role in the shaping of humanity—a role that is typically overlooked....

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways Video Games Secretly Save The World 10The Antarctic Chess Murder The Soviet Union began sending scientific expeditions to Antarctica in 1955. From then until the nation’s eventual dissolution in 1991, a total of 36 teams trudged into the frigid wasteland under the Soviet flag. Life on a desolate Antarctic research station is notoriously difficult, but sometimes the isolation really gets under your skin. In 1959, an Antarctic chess game descended into a bloodbath when a Soviet researcher dismembered his opponent with an axe....

What if we don’t even really exist? Don’t panic! You’re fine, but some people don’t think so. So here are ten conspiracy theories about the world we live in. 10 The End of the World as We Know It If you’re still waiting for the infamous doomsday(s), give it up. Apparently, the world has already ended, and we all just missed it. Yup, the ancient Mayan prophecy is said to have been fulfilled in 2012....

Despite the setback, the telescope is working again. Among other intriguing finds, it has discovered another 1,000 exoplanets, which are planets that orbit a star other than our Sun. 10The Exoplanet With The Longest Year If you feel that your birthday doesn’t come around quickly enough, be thankful that you don’t live on Kepler-421b. Of all the exoplanets that have been discovered so far, Kepler-421b has the longest year on record....

But for an animal that lacks resources, seeks total dominance, sees the offspring unfit to survive, or simply feels threatened, killing and eating its young is often necessary. 10Bottlenose Dolphins Dolphins are one of the more beloved mammals in the ocean. Often described as intelligent, dolphins are advanced in hearing, communication, and vision. Because of the permanently plastered “smile” that dolphins exhibit, it is easy to assume that these animals are harmless....