8 Creepy Facts From History That Will Make Your Skin Crawl

There's no end to the creepy nonsense in this world. If you thought millennials piercing their buttholes was the weirdest thing that could happen to mankind, think again and look back at the gruesome bloody history we've charted as a civilization. We've all heard of the macabre methods of torture that were used back in the ancient world. The users of Reddit came together to answer the creepiest historical facts they know and one read is enough to make your skin crawl. After reading this, you'd be thankful we are only piercing our buttholes.

1. The Graveyard Keeper Had A Tough Job 

“It used to be super common to be [accidentally] buried alive before medical practices advanced. They would make coffins with air vents and a bell to ring if you wake up for someone up top to see.” Reddit user

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl© Ancient Pages

2. Screwed For Life, Eh? 

“The Little Albert experiment, one which aimed to find if fear was ingrained in our brains or taught by parents. A baby was shown various things: puppies, rabbits, rats, masks, burning newspapers, etc. Being a child, he had no reaction to any of them. Following this, he was presented with soft, fluffy things, while a gong was slammed loudly with a hammer from behind a curtain to scare the child. The child developed a phobia of white, fluffy things. Chances are Little Albert is still alive and psychologically f****d as a result of this experiment."

- Reddit user

3. Missed Both – The Revolution And The Bullet. 

“When French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre realized he was to be executed, he attempted suicide. He shot himself in the mouth and when they took him to the guillotine, the executioner ripped off the bandage from his wounded jaw causing him to scream in agony before the crowd until the guillotine killed him.”

- Reddit user

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl© Wikimedia Commons

4. Back In The Day When Unprotected Sex Saved Your Life. 

 “Getting an STI in WWI got you sick leave so many Allied forces would visit Parisian brothels, get an STI, and were sent home.”

- Reddit user

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl© oldpicz

Sexually-transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea were a pretty big deal back then and ensured a break from the battlefield. Probably the reason why the French sanctioned brothels for soldiers fighting in the war. 

Creepier than this were the syphilis experiments in Guatemala, where soldiers, prostitutes, and prisoners were infected with syphilis to study the progression of the disease if left untreated. Over 30 people were recorded to have died of the experiment.  

5. To Be Honest, This One Is Too Gory To Believe. 

“In WWII, the Nazis had a lot of trouble attacking Russia in any season other than summer, most notably spring because the ground was too muddy for marching and for tanks. How the Russians managed this was by this by taking the dead from both sides and their Nazi POWs and lay them down next to each other and froze them solid so they would have a usable road.”

- Reddit user

6. The Romans used human urine as part of a mouthwash or toothpaste. This is because urine contains ammonia, which is a natural cleaning agent. For this purpose, it was often used by the Romans to make laundry cleaning agents, toothpaste and teeth whiteners! 

One question: Why do our WCs not clean themselves then?

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl© Ancient Pages

7. In the 16th and 17th centuries, many Europeans (especially the wealthy kind) consumed parts of the human body (which included bones, the skull and even blood) believing it cured them of diseases. The term for it is medicinal cannibalism. Fat and bones were often extracted from corpses, even Egyptian mummies, for the same purpose. For example, powered human skull mixed with chocolate was used to treat bleeding. As far as human blood was concerned, it had to be as fresh as it could be. Enough said.

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl© All That Is Interesting

8. Saving The Worst For The Last. Brace Yourselves. 

Some people in the 21st century eat pineapple on pizza. *shudders*

Creepy Facts From History That'll Make Your Skin Crawl

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Photo: © Thinkstock/Getty Images (Main Image)

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