10 “Popular” Poisons
It used to be that poisoning was the murder method of choice for those cunning villains who wanted to “get away with it.” However, following advances in forensic science, poisoning no longer allows murderers any anonymity. Nowadays, the use of poison is so easily detectable it is comparable to the murderer writing a confession. “And, to think, I could have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for those pesky CSI investigators.”
10. Castor Bean
- Castor Bean Plant
When you consider that castor oil is used as a food additive in candy and chocolate, it’s disconcerting to discover that the fruit of that plant, the castor bean contains a supertoxic level of the poison ricin. As little as one bean, well chewed, could prove fatal. However, according to figures from the American Association of Poison Control Centres (AAPC) only two Castor Bean fatalities were recorded in the period from 1999 to 2004.
VERDICT: Flava Beans or Castor Beans? Perhaps it would be best to just go for a meal with Dr Hannibal Lecter.
Top 10 Most Famous Preserved Body Parts
The final resting places of most historical figures are highly guarded and viewed by many as shrines or at least veritable cash cows for the societies guarding them. For a very few of those figures, some of their remains have been “preserved” for posterity, the sake of science or just egotistical reasons. Sure anyone can see a dinosaur bone in a museum, but wouldn’t you rather see the brain of a famous scientist or the shattered bone of a martyred revolutionary?
The order of this list was derived from the relative popularity of the dead historical figure along with the circumstance of how or why the “artifact” was preserved.
10. Dan Sickles’ Leg
A Union general who lost his leg to a cannon at the Battle of Gettysburg, Major General Dan Sickle was not a brilliant man. After seeing high ground in front of his troops, he ordered them to move about a mile away, which was more indefensible and where they were effectively decimated. His leg was hit by a cannonball and had shattered, but he persevered until his leg was amputated that afternoon. Sickles’ leg and the cannonball are displayed at the American National Museum of Health and Medicine since he remembered that the Army Surgeon General was building a display of morbid anatomy along with the projectiles that caused it. Too bad this insubordinate’s legacy lives on because of that directive.
Top 10 Inventions in History
Although humans are not alone as tool using animals, we are definitely the planet’s designated experts in the field. Our use of invention, or the innovation of altering an object or process in new ways, may be what truly defines us as a species. Every once in a long while, something is invented which changes, in some small way, the very nature of our lives. Over time, this has made us unique among the animals. While little inventions come out every day, it is these big ones that move us forward into whatever the destiny of mankind turns out to be.
This list can’t help but be relative and therefore controversial. As always, be kind and appreciate the effort even if you disagree.
10. Alcohol
Near as we can tell, people have been brewing alcoholic drinks for about the last 12,000 years, making booze one of the first human inventions. That is, if you consider it a human invention, as some animals are known to consume fruits that have naturally fermented, and may even become alcoholics. Alcohol has many uses in many fields, but as a drink it is particularly important. The alcohol in wine and beer kills most microorganisms, which historically made it safer to drink than water in the ancient world. And without alcohol, we’d have no excuse to explain why we got caught singing karaoke naked.
Top 10 Researchers who Experimented on Themselves
Being a scientist, doctor or a researcher takes dedication and a sometimes a thirst for knowledge…at any price. These ten researchers took the ultimate challenge and tested their theories on themselves, sometimes with fatal results. Here are the top 10 researchers who used themselves as lab rats.
10. Jonas Salk (b. 1914 d. 1995)
Known universally for his 1952 breakthrough in polio vaccination (released to the public in 1955), Salk was a truly altruistic researcher who genuinely worked toward the betterment of mankind. After successful inoculations with monkeys, Salk tested his polio vaccine on himself, his wife, and even his children. When asked who owned the patent to the vaccination, Salk was astonished at the idea that anyone would want to make a profit off of a much-needed cure. Today in the United States, Albert Sabin’s oral polio vaccination is used exclusively.
Top 10 Infectious Diseases
Warning: Some of the images and video may be disturbing. The common cold has no cure. Scientists have been trying for centuries to find the cure, which would undoubtedly make our lives easier. However, the common cold has nothing on these 10 infectious diseases. The diseases are, for lack of a better word, so viral that there is a high percentage chance that you will die from the complications. Some of these diseases have vaccinations, some have preventive measures while others are simply deadly with little chance of survival. To be included on this list, the virus has to have been a major cause of death in history with ranking based on fatality rates and impact worldwide. However, if a disease has been contained it will be lower on the list.
10. Smallpox
This variola virus had many forms and continues to be a required vaccination for many countries. Smallpox in its worse forms - hemorrhagic and flat – had the highest fatality rates with only a 10 percent or less chance of survival. Fortunately this disease has been the only one on this list to be completely eradicated from nature since it is only contagious through humans.
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