Author: Dustin Koski

The multiple, controversial attempts to ban immigrants and refugees from Syria has had millions questioning how much the United States of America lives up to its ideals of religious tolerance. While it’s important for a country to take a long, hard look at itself, it’s also important to give a real, thorough look at the…

It’s inspiring to hear stories of people using hard work, intelligence, and charisma to assemble great and powerful forces to accomplish amazing things. But we’re not about that with this list. This is about people being sneaky or full of chutzpah to take on opponents in better positions. These stories have all the satisfaction of…

Deserts are nature’s perfect hiding places for strange things. The climate can be so hostile to traverse that few people will risk dying after a few hours exposure in the hopes of finding something worthwhile. The lack of even basic of life forms, like bacteria in some deserts, mean that bizarre and mysterious objects can…

As of 2008, for the first time in human history about as many people live in urban areas as suburban or rural ones. That means there are a lot of people who think that they deal with greater levels of traffic, more crime, more overcrowding, and higher costs of living than residents of places they…

With the march of progress still going strong (despite some people feeling that certain recent events represent major setbacks), all these future female leaders and other achievers will do well to have some good role models to aspire to. This list is not about that. Here, we’re looking at women that got into the limelight…

Aside from possibly Greece’s Oracle of Delphi, the Vestal Virgins devoted to the Roman goddess Vesta, ruler of the Hearth, are the most famous ancient cult in European history. Yet most people don’t really know much about this esteemed group, even though they were one of the most enduring organizations in Roman history. Its name,…

Even as American values change and history is continually revised by new discoveries, George Washington remains one of the most venerated figures in human history. A highly esteemed soldier and general who became a pioneer politician, he appeals both to the intellectual types and those who liked to prove their worth through combat. Unfortunately, for…

Even leaving aside the pop culture jokes about Skynet from the Terminator series and similarly-themed science fiction that provides a violent robot revolution, the future of automation has some unsettling possibilities. On the most practical level, there’s the potential impact many more jobs becoming automated will have on the economy for the working class. There are…

When you see someone take a headshot in film or television, you usually don’t question that they’re dead pretty much on the spot. With such a vital organ, the impact of a bullet should mean that even a round that, even if it doesn’t directly pass through the cerebellum (the area of the brain that…

The issue of how the United States of America will deal with undocumented people entering its borders is so hot that many Americans were willing to embrace a ridiculous campaign promise as of building a wall between the United States and Mexico in hopes of addressing and potentially solving it, something thoroughly debunked in media…

In 2014, a spokesperson for Clowns of America International named Glenn Kohlberger contacted publications such as The Hollywood Reporter to express grievances over the character Twisty in the TV program American Horror Story. He said that a portrayal of a person dressed as a clown, committing mass murder, was only going to make it harder…

As TopTenz has covered in other articles, the past was in some ways so much worse than we can relate to. But let’s not assume that it was all terrible, or that everyone was too stupid to make life better for themselves. Our heads are full of flawed beliefs about the past. These myths are…

In the wake of multiple high profile violent events, the pressure is on to enforce tighter gun control. In the wake of such grief, that the call would go out for excessive policies was almost inevitable. Many have seized on this as an excuse to caricature those that are anti-gun as being people out of…

There’s something that seems to continue to please audiences and critics about the thought that, at some point in a film, TV show, or other production, something that normally would be faked to make it easier and safer for the actors was not simulated. Real danger because the actors got too into performing the scene. Stunts…

Let’s be honest here: most of the people who are going to read this probably don’t have the fortitude to join the regular military. Between the combination of stress and boredom that is serving a real tour of duty in armed services, most of us wouldn’t even begin to hack it (ourselves included). Still, at least…

These days there seems to be a lot of pushback against nostalgia culture. Anyone who talks about how great the entertainment was back when they were kids can expect quite a few people telling them just how lousy their childhood shows and music were. However right either group may be, while looking at today’s pop culture geared…

NOTICE: The content of this page is safe for work. We’re here to learn, after all.  The cultural taboos against viewing and producing pornography are eroding so much so that celebrities are now openly dating adult video stars. Sure, some performers make a point of reforming, but society is more accepting of the business than…

You probably don’t know their faces, but millions of people know their voices better than they do the voices of their own family. For nearly the past century, these performers brought life to iconic cartoon characters and excited audiences about upcoming films and shows, all without having to spend any time in the hair and…

Exercise. Cosmetic surgery. Publicists. These are just a few of the things people will endure in the hopes of becoming the sexiest people alive and getting all the fame and wealth that could come with it. But for some people they either get stuck with it or they achieved that status in ways we or…

Ninjas became a pop culture staple by the late 20th century. Like the Shaolin monks, they were practically able to defy physics with how well-trained and deadly they were. For decades, movies portrayed them as superhuman killers while insisting there was something with spiritual depth about their practices. As a result, all sorts of misconceptions…

For most of us, as far as our vehicles go, putting a GPS in is all the pioneering technology we need. Maybe we’d consider getting a supposedly more environmentally friendly vehicle, but that would be pushing it. When it comes to personalizing our rides, a toy on the dashboard or a bumper sticker usually suffices.…

There are now more than three hundred million guns in the United States of America alone. At the end of World War II in 1945, the Soviet army was shelling Berlin with 43,000 artillery pieces. So whatever your opinion on how they should be regulated in America, guns have been a gigantic part of human…

What is the most reliable source of beauty in photography? If you believe Instagram users and what they upload, then apparently it’s good meals. Many others would probably argue that it’s the human body. Sculpture and architecture are both pretty good contenders, too. But here at Toptenz, nature is the real best model a photographer…

Despite living a life that was in many ways more modest than most of ours, Van Gogh the painter has become a larger than life figure. His paintings have sold for such high prices, and stories like the removal of one of his ears have completely overshadowed the real person and the true nature of…