Did you, pandas, know that a breast implant once saved a woman from a bullet? Well, you learn something new every day. I'm sure this list of strange and scary facts is a treasure trove for enthusiasts of curiosities.
The Morbid Knowledge X account has over 1 million followers and only a year has passed since its inception in October 2022. The account also has a website called Morbidful, "the ultimate destination for those who love to delve into the dark and morbid world of true crime, horror, and everything in between." We warn you, though – some entries in this list are not for the faint of heart, so proceed at your own risk, pandas.
#1
In 2012, a 24-year-old Kenyan man who worked at an orphanage called Anthony Omari woke up to find 3 machete-wielding thugs breaking in.
He took on all three men at once and chased them outside, where the fight continued. But unfortunately, Anthony would take a machete to the face.
Despite this, he successfully fought the attackers off, ensuring the children's safety, and then collapsed.
Luckily, he survived but needed stitches for the 11-inch gash across his face.
Upon hearing about his struggle, Ben Hardwick, a 21-year-old Penn State student interning at a nearby facility, went to talk to him.
Inspired by the story and deeply worried about Omari and the children's safety, Hardwick shared the man's story on Reddit, seeking $2,000 in donations to help build a larger fence for protection.
Within the first twenty-four hours, he received $65,000 in donations.
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379points
#2
In 2008, a Quaker parrot named Willie alerted his owner, Megan Howard, that a toddler she was babysitting started choking on her breakfast.
When 2-year-old Hannah began to turn blue, the bird squawked loudly to get Megan's attention. Then he started saying 'Mama baby' repeatedly.
Megan hurried to Hannah and performed the Heimlich maneuver, ultimately saving her life.
Megan later expressed that if Willie hadn't alerted her, she might not have come out of the bathroom in time, as the child was already turning blue.
For saving the child’s life, Willie was awarded the local Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award.
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370points
#3
In 2006, a man offered a hitman $50,000 to eliminate his wife, Susan Kuhnhausen, using a hammer and staging it as a failed robbery. However, when the hired assailant arrived and assaulted her, Susan fought back, ultimately strangling and killing the hitman.
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328points
The Morbidful universe is not just the aforementioned website and the X page. They also share stories on Instagram under the account named Morbidfull. There's also a YouTube channel where you can find videos of unsettling and spooky stuff in their signature style.
The Morbidful team describes themselves as a dedicated team of writers and researchers. They aim to bring their readers "the most fascinating and bone-chilling stories from around the world."
#4
For the last two decades, Chen Si has dedicated his weekends to patrolling the Nanjing bridge, which spans over China's Yangtze River. His mission is to prevent individuals from taking their lives by jumping into the waters below.
He is known as the ‘Angel of Nanjing’ because so far he has saved over 400 people.
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319points
#5
Grover Krantz was an anthropologist who donated his body to the Smithsonian Museum to show how skeletons can be educational tools. His only condition was that he wanted his loving dog next to even after death.
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297points
#6
Born on September 23, 1988, Matthew Robinson faced significant challenges from birth, being blind and paralyzed from the neck down due to oxygen deprivation.
Despite doctors' grim prognosis of only a few hours, Matthew defied expectations, living a remarkable 10-and-a-half years.
When Matthew passed away in 1999, his dad decided his gravestone should depict Matthew in his truest form and signify hope rather than grief.
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296points
The project operates on the premise that there are people who are intrinsically interested in the darker side of the human psyche. It's for people interested in exploring the psyches of serial killers, the supernatural, and haunted places. Historical stories with macabre and bizarre elements also have their place in the Morbidful universe.
"Our blog is not for the faint-hearted, but for those who are brave enough to explore the depths of human darkness," the website's bio reads. "With regular updates and new stories added every week, you can be sure that there will always be something new and fascinating to discover on Morbidful."
#7
In 2018, a heroic dad, Brad Lewis, saved his youngest son from a fatal fall from a balcony by jumping after him and cradling him to his chest, taking the brunt of the impact. He suffered a fractured skull among other injuries.
The incident happened when his son fired a toy Nerf gun and chased after the bullet onto the balcony - only for him to slip and lose his footing.
Both Brad and his son made a full recovery.
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274points
#8
In 2017, 70-year-old Lawrence Ripple robbed a Kansas City bank, then sat down in the lobby saying he would rather go to jail than to live with his wife any longer. He was sentenced to house arrest.
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263points
#9
During a medical procedure in 2020, Dagmar Turner performed her violin while surgeons operated to remove a tumor from her brain's right frontal lobe. This unique act aimed to help surgeons avoid harming the brain region responsible for coordination and delicate hand movements, crucial for her musical abilities. Thankfully, the surgery was successful.
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251points
Morbidful has 1.2 million followers on X and 136k on Instagram. They're part of the booming interest in true crime and supernatural stories. According to the Pew Research Center, 34% of adults in the U.S. who listen to podcasts say they regularly listen to shows about true crime.
#10
Photo from 1999, taken amid the Kosovo War, shoes Mustafa Xaja, an Albanian man who had lost his two children and was desperately trying to find them.
Sometime after, the Newsweek journalist who took the photo, returned to Kosovo and journeyed to Mitrovica, Mustafa's hometown.
The reporter located Mustafa and inquired about his family. Astonishingly, Mustafa confirmed that his wife and children were alive and they reunited.
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228points
#11
A note containing the final request of 50-year-old former NFL safety Dave Duerson that he left when he ended his own life on February 27, 2011. His brain, as he suspected, was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of the concussions he suffered during his playing career.
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201points
#12
In 2017, Yang Ming, a 37-year-old, was thrown backward onto a protruding metal rod after accidentally coming into contact with a live wire at a construction site.
His coworkers opted to leave the pole in place and quickly transported him to the hospital, where surgeons could safely extract it.
Ming underwent a successful seven-hour surgery at Sichuan University West China Hospital, during which the protruding rod was safely removed. Fortunately, the rod missed all vital organs, and he survived.
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177points
Assistant professor at the University of Oregon Whitney Phillips teaches three reasons why people are so drawn to the genre of true crime. First, it's the mystery element. Differently from books and movies, "true crime allows audience members the chance to feel invested in a real mystery unfolding before them."
#13
The Siberian Ice Maiden, also known as the Princess of Ukok, is a mummy of a woman with tattoos from the 5th century BC, Republic of Alta, Russia.
The Body of Princess Ukok, who died aged 25, had several tattoos on her body, including a deer with a griffon's beak and a Capricorn's antlers. The tattoos have been perfectly preserved for 2,500 years.
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169points
#14
In 1935, in the town of Gulf, NC, a pregnant Alton Jourdan fell into a well and gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Frank. The infant remained under water for 45 minutes without breathing until both were rescued. The child lived.
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168points
#15
In 2016, a 26-year-man from the U.K., named Ben Innes, was on an EgyptAir flight to Cairo.
During the flight, a passenger named Seif Eldin Mustafa, hijacked the plane, wearing a vest packed with explosives and carrying a detonator.
The hijacker demanded that the pilot land the plane in Cyprus instead of Egypt. The pilot obliged fearing the terrorist would detonate the bomb if he didn’t.
Upon arriving in Cyprus, Seif Eldin released 52 out of the 55 terrified passengers but kept 3 passengers as well as 4 of the plane's crew on board as hostages.
Among these remaining 7 was Ben Innes.
Ben decided to walk up to the hijacker and then ask him if he could take a selfie. Although slightly bewildered, the hijacker allowed him to take the picture.
Thankfully, the bomb turned out to be fake. Seif Eldin was arrested and the remaining 7 people on board were freed.
When questioned about why he took the photo, Ben explained that he was attempting to remain optimistic. He reasoned that if the bomb turned out to be real, he felt he would have nothing to lose anyway.
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158points
Secondly, there's an element of interactiveness in the experience. You can be sitting on your couch at home and trying to solve the mystery. The third explanation, according to Phillips, is the reason why true crime's biggest demographic is white women.
#16
On 19th of September 1991, in the Ötztal Alps, the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC was found. According to researchers, Ötzi, also called the Iceman, was killed due to the presence of an arrowhead embedded in his left shoulder and various other wounds.
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154points
#17
The skeleton of Harry Eastlack, a man that suffered from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a genetic disorder that resulted in any injury being "repaired" by turning into bone.
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154points
#18
A U.S. marine gives a cigarette to an injured Japanese soldier, buried in the sand at the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
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140points
The same research by Pew Center claims that women are almost twice as likely to be fans of true crime podcasts. 44% of women among regular podcast listeners in the U.S. opt for true crime, while the percentage of men is only at 23%.
#19
In the 1930s, two scientists, Winthrop Kellogg and his wife Luella conducted a cross-rearing study, in which a 7 month old chimpanzee named Gua was raised alongside their 10 month old human child, Donald.
For nine months, Gua and Donald were raised as "brother and sister,” and the parents recorded their development.
At around the 6 month mark, Gua was recorded as being able to learn many human behaviors quicker than Donald, but unlike Donald, Gua was unable to speak or form any words.
The experiment was abruptly stopped 9 months in because Donald started to mimic the noises Gua made and had started behaving more like a chimp.
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135points
#20
This is the last known photo taken of raggae legend Bob Marley before he succumbed to cancer on May 11, 1981. He was on his way home to Jamaica, but never made it. He passed away at a hospital in Miami at the age of 36. His final words to his son Ziggy were “Money can’t buy life.”
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134points