The craziest tech the CIA ever invented 🧵

1. Heart attack gun: In 1975, the CIA unveiled a gun that fired a dart made from a frozen mixture of water and a toxin. Powered by electricity, it had an effective range of up to 100 meters. The only indicator of being shot was a small red dot at the point of entry. The official cause of death in such cases would be listed as a heart attack, making the murders appear natural. 2. Miniature 35-mm Tessina film camera: This compact camera, hidden in a pack of Parliaments, was one of the smallest and quietest options available during the 1960s for undercover operations.

Chilling and disturbing movie facts that will haunt you forever 🧵

1. Isla Fisher almost drowned for real while filming “Now You See Me” (2013). In the water tank scene, her chains got stuck, and she couldn’t get out. She started panicking and screaming for help, but the crew thought she was just acting. 2. The jaw-snapping ‘reverse bear trap’ in “Saw” (2004) was completely real and fully functional. Luckily, it was never actually triggered on an actor, but if it had been… well, it would’ve worked exactly like in the movie.

In the 1920s, a doctor became famous—and incredibly wealthy—by convincing the world he had discovered the secret to youth and vitality.

His method? Transplanting monkey testicle tissue into aging men.

This is the bizarre story of Dr. Serge Voronoff... 🧵
Serge Voronoff was a Russian-French surgeon obsessed with aging.

He believed that transplanting animal organs into humans could restore strength, intelligence, and even extend life.

His focus soon turned to the glands—specifically, testicles.

In 1965, six schoolboys were stranded on a desolate island in the Pacific Ocean, forced to survive for over a year after their boat was lost at sea.

They faced hunger, injury, and the relentless forces of nature.

But what happened in those 15 months was beyond anything anyone imagined... 🧵
Seeking adventure, six friends from Tonga—Sione, Kolo, David, Stephen, Luke, and Mano—decided to run away from their strict Catholic boarding school.

Without a boat of their own, they stole one from a local fisherman.

This is Josef Menšík, the last owner and knight of Strakonice Castle in Dobrš.

In 1938, he stood alone to confront a convoy of Nazi tanks, wearing only medieval armor and riding a horse.

This is his story... (thread) 🧵 Born in 1870 in the Bohemian Forest, Menšík developed a fascination with history from a young age.

In 1911, he purchased the crumbling Dobrš Castle and dedicated his life to restoring it.

He rejected modern conveniences, living without electricity, and filled the fortress with medieval artifacts, many of which he smuggled from abroad.

In 1974, Marina Abramović performed 'Rhythm 0', a performance art piece in which she remained motionless for six hours, allowing the audience to do anything to her without resistance.

On a table beside her were 72 objects. Some were harmless, like a rose and grapes. Others were dangerous, like scissors, a scalpel, and a loaded gun.

Here's what happened to her... (thread) 🧵
The audience was invited to use the objects however they wanted. Abramović gave simple instructions:

“I am the object.
You can do anything to me.
I take full responsibility.”

At first, the audience was gentle. They handed her flowers, kissed her cheek, or touched her lightly.

The atmosphere was calm.

Creepy sea creatures that look unreal 🧵

1. Viper Dogfish (Trigonognathus kabeyai) is a deep-sea shark with needle-like teeth, lurking in the mesopelagic zone at depths of 200–1000 m. 2. Pacific Footballfish (Himantolophus sagamius) is a deep-sea anglerfish with a bioluminescent lure, living at depths of 300–1200 m.

People with the most unusual skin color.

A thread 🧵
1. Lola Chuil is a teen with very dark skin and striking, doll-like features.

How horror movie actors look without makeup 🧵

1. Valak – Bonnie Aarons (The Conjuring 2, 2016) 2. Samara – Daveigh Chase (The Ring, 2002)

Unbelievable cases of missing people who were found when all hope was lost 🧵

1. In May 2019, Amanda Eller was lost for 17 days in the woods of Maui after a short hike. Without a phone, food, or water, she survived on berries, stream water, and sleeping among leaves. A rescue helicopter eventually found her at the top of a waterfall.
2. Eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was abducted in 1991 while waiting for the school bus. Eighteen years later, a parole officer discovered her during an investigation. Jaycee had been forced to bear two children with her captor and was kept in a series of tents and sheds in his backyard.

Celebrities that look like entirely different people before fame 🧵

1. Sam Smith
2. Kaley Cuoco

Sexual carvings on medieval churches ⛪️

1. On the walls of Cologne City Hall, Germany, hidden under a larger statue of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, there is a carving from around 1410 showing a man performing oral sex on himself. 2. A carving of a demon consuming a naked man at St Michael the Archangel, Laxton, Nottinghamshire, England.

The most extreme body modifications in the world: before and after 🧵

1. Anthony Loffredo aka The Black Alien before and after. 2. Dennis Avner aka Stalking Cat before and after.

The most bizarre pregnancies in history 🧵

1. Lina Medina of Peru became the youngest confirmed mother in history at age 5 in 1939. She suffered from precocious puberty, and her pregnancy remains a mystery as she never disclosed the father's identity. 2. Rajo Devi Lohan from India became the world’s oldest mother in 2008 at 70 years old after undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). She gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Creepy facts about your favorite authors 🧵

1. Lewis Carroll, author of "Alice in Wonderland," wanted to marry an 11-year-old girl named Alice Liddell when he was 31. His obsession with her is widely believed to have inspired his famous story.
2. Fyodor Dostoevsky, author of "Crime and Punishment," was sentenced to death by firing squad in 1849. His sentence was commuted at the last moment to four years of hard labor.

Bizarre practices and traditions around the world 🧵

1. In Denmark, if you reach the age of 25 and aren't yet married, you get tied to a chair and pelted with cinnamon.
2. In India and Malaysia, devotees pierce their bodies with hooks and skewers in a dramatic act of devotion during the Thaipusam festival.

Creepy historical photos that will haunt you forever 🧵

1. 34-year-old Homer Peel kisses his 12-year-old bride, Geneva, on the courthouse steps in Madisonville, Tennessee, June 25, 1937. 2. Photo of a girl with her slave, Brazilian Empire, 1880.

The most creative Halloween costumes ever 🧵

1. 'Carrie Halloween costume 2. Vincent van Gogh and Starry Night Painting Halloween costume

Famous paintings that inspired iconic movie scenes:

A thread 🎬

1. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), directed by Guillermo del Toro
Reference to: Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya 2. Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Reference to: House by the Railroad by Edward Hopper

Who are the most EVIL musicians of all time?

A thread 🧵

1. "GG" Allin was an American punk rock musician known for his extreme live performances, which included acts like self-mutilation, defecating on stage, and assaulting audience members. Allin, infamous more for his behavior than his music, died of a drug overdose at 36, after years of claiming he would commit suicide on stage.
2. Ian Watkins is a Welsh convicted sex offender and former lead vocalist of the rock band Lostprophets. He was sentenced to 29 years in prison in 2013 for multiple sexual offences, including the assault of young children and babies, with an additional ten months for having a mobile phone in prison.

Greatest archaeological discoveries ever:

A thread 🧵

1. A stunning 2,000-year-old Roman mosaic was unearthed on the bank of the Euphrates River in Turkey. 2. In 2021, archaeologists unearthed the statue head of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, during excavations in the ancient city of Aizanoi, Turkey.