10Erotic Pilgrim Badges During the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic pilgrims could often be seen wearing special pilgrim badges on their clothes, hats, or around their neck to show others that they had undertaken a sacred journey. Erotic badges were a twist on these religious insignias. They explicitly depicted the male and female genitalia in the most imaginative forms possible. Phalluses with legs and feet and crowned vulvas were common. Some of these pins further satirized normal pilgrim badges by depicting vulvas fully clad as pilgrims or two vulva pilgrims walking hand in hand....

More than merely recycling, these innovators have come up with surprising ways to transform plastic waste into something else entirely. For example, used plastic has been turned into items such as vanilla flavoring, protein powder, and bricks stronger than concrete. 10 Plastic Bottles Converted into Vanilla Flavoring In the category of killing two birds with one stone, scientists are working to solve the problem of plastic bottle waste at the same time as they deal with the world’s high demand for vanilla flavoring....

10When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go Ron Tuitt, 56, who taught second grade in the Paterson Public School District in New Jersey, was placed on administrative leave in November 2010 after it came to light that he used his classroom as a restroom on numerous occasions. School officials learned that Tuitt had a habit of urinating in plastic bottles in front of the children, afterward handing the bottles to the second graders and instructing them to take his waste to the boys’ bathroom to discard it....

10 The Great Fire Of Meireki According to the story, in January 1657, Edo (modern-day Tokyo) was plagued with tuberculosis. A particular kimono seemed to be spreading the disease, as three successive owners died from TB after wearing it. On January 18, a Buddhist monk set the garment on fire. A gust of wind snatched it away, and it set the temple roof ablaze. The fire was said to have spread from there, giving the fire its other name—the “long-sleeved kimono fire....

For every unsettling or tragic event in history, there has been another that was kind and profound. Humanity has a lot of good within its nature. We have evidence of human compassion millions of years ago, we currently perform remarkable acts of kindness every day, and we will likely continue to far into the future. This list collects ten of those moments throughout history, ten examples of mercy and charity that will restore your faith in humanity....

See Also: Top 10 Reasons We Should Revive the Dark Ages For clarity, when I say “ancestors” I mean the generations up to (roughly) the time of the end of World War II; for most us that means our great (or great-great) grandparents: modern people—just not as modern as us. 10 Save The Planet While the most common plastic today (polyethylene) was actually invented in 1898, it didn’t go into general production until the 1930s....

To the authoritarian, laws surrounding hate, blasphemy, terrorism, and political dissent are a gold mine of free speech–stomping weapons. From the atheist bloggers of Bangladesh to the anti-government protesters of Venezuela, many around the world live in fear of persecution, imprisonment, and even death. With its undying reverence for free speech, the United States remains the envy of the “unfree world.” But there is something going on with America’s close ally, Great Britain....

10 American Diplomat Took A Prostitute To Meet The Queen Of England Civil War General Daniel Sickles was a man surrounded by controversy most of his life. His most notorious moment came when he killed his wife’s lover and got away with it by pleading temporary insanity. The lover was Philip Barton Key II, son of national anthem composer Francis Scott Key. Sickles’s marriage had attracted attention before this, though. He had married Teresa Bagioli when he was 33 and she was only 15....

In this list, we pull back the rotten coffin lid covering some of the most horrendous torture murders in modern history. In each of the cases covered here, the murderer or murderers took a perverse pleasure in sexually and emotionally humiliating their victims. They also spent hours, days, and even weeks reducing their victims to mere pulp and sinew. These sadistic crimes show without censor the true horror of the human animal....

10 British Missionaries And Ugandan Tribes Missionaries have often been among the first Europeans to reach previously “uncontacted” peoples. For example, missionary work made inroads into Southern and Central Africa before those regions began to be colonized. Most people have heard of the famous African explorers and missionaries Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone. A less known and less fortunate British missionary of the same era is Bishop James Hannington. In October 1885, Bishop Hannington was traveling with a supply caravan to meet fellow missionary Alexander Makay....

It’s surprising that a lot of people really don’t wear watches. Casinos know this and aren’t about to assist people in keeping them punctual. It’s a fact that when someone is engaged in an activity time seemingly drifts by at a faster pace for them, and you will rarely see humans more engaged than in a casino. Whether it be at a slot machine, table game, or poker table, most are in a trance-like state while chasing their dreams....

Some have referred to this condition as babies being born “impregnated.” While this is definitely not the proper term, the concept isn’t too far off, as when fetus in fetu occurs, one would-be individual is wholly inside the developing fetus of another. Sometimes, this condition is not noticed, and a single baby is born with another individual completely engulfed within them. Here are ten twisted facts about fetus in fetu, the rare birth condition in which one individual is born with another fused entirely inside them....

Although Americans do a good job of keeping our furry friends as pets, others elsewhere think that these animals are just another source of protein. Cats have also been used to make all sorts of unconventional and unbelievable things, including telephones, drones, pianos, and even spy gadgets. 10 A Telephone In 1929, Professor Ernest Glen Wever and Charles William Bray, two Princeton University scientists, made a telephone out of a cat....

10 Australia Fired The First Allied Shot On September 4, 1939, the morning after Great Britain declared war on Germany, a boat passed by a fort at Point Nepean. The fort’s personnel called for it identify itself, and when it refused, they became panicked that it might be a German ship, bringing the war to Australia. The fort launched a warning shot across the bow of the ship, sending what some consider to be the first Allied shot of World War II....

Even today, many people believe that some individuals are just violent and there is no sense in trying to understand it or do anything about it. Others have sought deeper explanations to understand the underpinnings of violence. Enlightenment liberalism has taught us that people are sensible, rational creatures who occasionally err on their noble paths and in their pursuit of a life worth living. Later, existentialism spelled out a philosophy of the individual in crisis, terrified of his own existence and responsibility....

10 Sarah Ann Ottens In 1973, the University of Iowa dorm where Sarah Ann Ottens lived was almost empty because most students had departed for the spring break holiday. Sarah had stayed on campus to make a little extra money as a waitress. She intended to go home to visit her family in Illinois later in the week. Until then, she had the key to a friend’s dorm room and would sometimes stay there instead of her own room....

This week, we look at a few inspirational stories of people helping other people deal with the extremely cold weather that struck parts of the world. There is also a touching reunion from World War II, a kid philanthropist, a new island rich with life, and the recovery of Sweden’s crown jewels. 10 Chilling At Jamaica Inn The famed Jamaica Inn in Cornwall, UK, opened its doors to over 100 people who got stranded in the snow....

There are several stories this week of elderly people who prove that age is nothing but a number. A neighborhood bands together to help a deaf girl while a hockey ref fights against Alzheimer’s with a little support from AC/DC. 10 The Senior Junior Ranger A centenarian became a junior ranger of the Grand Canyon National Park to encourage newer generations to protect and learn about the great outdoors. Rose Torphy made her first trip to the Grand Canyon back in 1985....

10We Evolved To Drink In our bodies today, an enzyme called ADH4 processes whatever alcohol we consume. Other primates have the enzyme, but it acts differently in many of them—and many of them can’t process alcohol like we can. Chemist Steven Benner, recreating enzymes present in our earliest ancestors, noted different types of ADH4 along our evolutionary tree. He traced our version back to a split in the tree 10 million years ago, when the gorilla and the ancestors of the chimpanzee branched off from other primates like lemurs and the orangutan....