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All That's Interesting •

The Surprising Stories Behind The People With History's Highest IQs, From A Bar Bouncer To A Remorseless Killer

Over the years, intelligence quotient tests, or IQ tests, have been seen as a way to quantify a person’s brainpower. In general terms, the higher a person’s IQ, the more intelligent they are. Naturally, this has sparked conversations about who has the highest IQ in the world — and whether that individual should be considered the smartest person in the world.

Famed physicist Albert Einstein’s name often comes up in conversations like these. He had an estimated IQ of 160, but that is not the high...
Medium •

Where did all the third spaces go?

For centuries, human society revolved around the idea that we lived our lives in three “places.” American sociologist Ray Oldenburg identified a person’s “first place” as their home and the people living in it. One’s “second place,” Oldenburg said, was their workplace, where they also happened to spend most of their time awake.But it was the “third place” that allowed human civilization to thrive. Third places are social environments that foster community: cafes, bars, churches, libraries, parks...
All That's Interesting •

Ken McElroy Bullied The People Of Skidmore, Missouri For Years — Then The Town Conspired To Kill Him

“I heard shooting and got down. Didn’t see a thing.”

This was the response investigators received time and time again when they questioned residents of the small community of Skidmore, Missouri about the death of Ken McElroy.

It wasn’t a secret that McElroy was disliked in his community. Throughout his life, McElroy had been accused of dozens of crimes, including but not limited to assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, burglary, and animal cruelty.

Despite his litany of crimes, h...
All That's Interesting •

Inside Bob Ross' Military Career — And How It Led Him To Become The Soft-Spoken Painter We Know Today

Bob Ross is most widely known for his curly afro and “happy accidents” as the host of The Joy of Painting, a half-hour instructional television show that ran for over a decade from 1983 to 1994. But before Ross was a television staple in homes across the country, he was a U.S. Air Force military training instructor.

And Bob Ross’ time in the military wasn’t short-lived. He enlisted at age 18 and spent 20 years in the service, ultimately rising to the rank of master sergeant.

It may be surprisi...
Medium •

4 Absolutely Wild Conspiracy Theories People Actually Believe

Every week, I host a comedy/conspiracy podcast with my friend, which means I’ve spent a lot of time researching conspiracy theories over the past month.If I’m being honest, I was worried I’d find theories so compelling I’d start to believe them. What if, during my research, some of the evidence began to… make sense? Could I get sucked in like so many others before me? Would I start believing the Earth is flat because I’ve never seen it from space myself?Fortunately, this didn’t happen. Diving in...
Medium •

I Wrote 1,200 Articles. Then AI Stole My Job.

Back in early 2021, I quit my bartending job to pursue a writing career. At the time, it seemed like a sensible decision. I booked a few consistent freelance clients, actively published to this platform, and seemed to be on the right track, despite being fairly clueless about what, exactly, I was supposed to be doing.Eight months later, my financial situation changed. I took on a part-time job at a used bookstore, which I left three months later, after my grandmother expressed concerns over my m...
All That's Interesting •

Five Candidates For The World's Deadliest Serial Killer Ever, From 'The Monster Of The Andes' To England's 'Dr. Death'

In recent years, the term “serial killer” has become a point of morbid fascination. From Netflix series to podcasts, the cultural obsession with these criminals — and how their dark minds work — has reached an all-time high. But while names like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy have risen to the forefront of pop culture, their victim count doesn’t come close to that of the world’s deadliest serial killer.

Throughout history, some criminals have turned murder into a grim profession, accumulating vic...
All That's Interesting •

'My Son Is A Monster': How 13-Year-Old Paris Bennett Murdered His Little Sister To Make His Mother Suffer

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and/or images of violent, disturbing, or otherwise potentially distressing events.

“My son is a monster, and because he is a monster, I have lost my daughter,” Charity Lee wrote in her private journal. Less than a month earlier, on Feb. 4, 2007, her 13-year-old son Paris Lee Bennett had done the unthinkable: He had brutally murdered his 4-year-old sister Ella in the family’s Abilene, Texas home.

That wasn’t all, though. In the hours before th...
All That's Interesting •

Was The Breaking Wheel The Most Gruesome Execution Device In History?

To this day, the breaking wheel stands as one of history’s most gruesome methods of execution. Largely reserved for the worst criminals, its purpose was to inflict maximum pain and suffering, often before a large crowd.

Those condemned to this punishment were either broken by the wheel or broken on the wheel. In the first, an executioner dropped a wheel on the victim to break their bones. In the second, the victim was tied to a wheel so that an executioner could systematically break their bones...
All That's Interesting •

Anna Genovese, The Fearless Mob Wife Who Split From Her Husband — Then Testified Against Him In Open Court

In the criminal underworld of 20th-century New York, men like Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Frank Costello ruled with iron fists. But among the top ranks, one woman carved out her own empire: Anna Genovese.

A formidable force, Anna ran her own network of illicit gay bars in New York City, and even dared to testify against her estranged husband, Vito.

Even with her power, though, Anna Genovese faced serious challenges. Her marriage was tumultuous at best, and outright abusive at worst. And accord...
All That's Interesting •

Hitler And Stalin Are Two Of History's Worst Dictators — But They May Not Have Been The Deadliest

Historically, dictators have been known for their cruelty, abuse of power, and willingness to kill anyone who gets in their way. But of all of history’s worst dictators, there are a few who stand out as particularly vile.

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is likely the first who comes to mind, given that he and his genocidal regime organized the Holocaust, but Hitler is shockingly not responsible for the highest number of deaths in history. And while the exact death tolls from these authoritarian figure...
All That's Interesting •

Inside The Real History Of Prohibition And How It Changed The United States Forever

Prohibition was a strange time in American history. Ultimately a social experiment, Prohibition was a constitutional attempt to legislate morality that came with many unintended consequences.

What began as a progressive reform movement championed by temperance advocates and religious groups quickly devolved into a period full of speakeasies, bootleggers, unregulated liquor, and the rise of organized crime.

The so-called “noble experiment” — a term coined by President Herbert Hoover — ended up...
All That's Interesting •

Inside The Real History Of Prohibition And How It Changed The United States Forever

Prohibition was a strange time in American history. Ultimately a social experiment, Prohibition was a constitutional attempt to legislate morality that came with many unintended consequences.

What began as a progressive reform movement championed by temperance advocates and religious groups quickly devolved into a period full of speakeasies, bootleggers, unregulated liquor, and the rise of organized crime.

The so-called “noble experiment” — a term coined by President Herbert Hoover — ended up...
All That's Interesting •

How 'Unsolved Mysteries' Helped Solve The Disappearance Of Missy Munday

Missy Munday seemed to have everything going for her. Bright and dedicated to her studies, the 15-year-old straight-A student ranked in the top 10 percent of her class at Hancock High School in Maryland, played on the basketball team, and was an active member of the Future Homemakers of America. But everything changed in the spring of 1986.

It began with Jerry Strickland, a smooth-talking stranger in his 20s who arrived in Munday’s hometown, claiming that he wanted to build an orphanage. Instea...
All That's Interesting •

Meet Walter Wick, The Photographer Who Created The Magic Behind The 'I Spy' Books

Most people might not immediately recognize the name Walter Wick, but they are most assuredly familiar with his work. In 1991, Wick began collaborating with writer Jean Marzollo to create a series of books that would go on to sell millions of copies worldwide: the I Spy picture riddles.

Wick began as a commercial photographer, but by the 1980s, he’d started creating photo illustrations and puzzles for books and magazines. That hobby expanded into an incredible career, and today, he’s celebrated...
All That's Interesting •

George Nichopoulos, The Controversial Doctor Who Supplied Elvis Presley With Thousands Of Prescriptions

In his final years, Elvis Presley was in noticeably poor health. Although he had initially tried to avoid using any drugs, his time in the army had introduced him to amphetamines, and since these were prescription drugs, not street drugs, the rock star convinced himself it was safer. By the 1970s, however, he had expanded his drug intake to a number of other medications.

And, of course, someone had to write the prescriptions.

That person was usually George Nichopoulos, a.k.a. “Dr. Nick,” Elvis...
All That's Interesting •

Billy Milligan, The Serial Rapist Whose ‘Multiple Personality Disorder’ Saved Him From Jail

In October 1977, 22-year-old Billy Milligan was arrested for kidnapping, robbing, and raping three female Ohio State students. But what should have been a relatively straightforward conviction instead became a shocking acquittal. Milligan was found not guilty — because psychiatrists believed that two of his “other personalities” had committed the crimes.

During psychiatric evaluations, doctors found that “Billy” was just one of 24 personalities living in Milligan’s mind. Two of the others, Rage...
All That's Interesting •

The Rise And Fall Of Jack Johnson, The Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion Known As The 'Galveston Giant'

Few boxers fought as hard, in and out of the ring, as Jack Johnson. Standing more than six feet tall, and with exceptional reflexes, Johnson’s athletic prowess was a tour de force in boxing, but rising to prominence as a Black man in early 20th-century America often brought trouble — and that was certainly the case with Johnson.

After he became the first Black American world heavyweight champion, racists were outraged. They could not — would not — tolerate a Black man holding such a prestigious...
All That's Interesting •

The 'Loneliest House In The World': Inside The Isolated Lodge On An Uninhabited Island South Of Iceland

Perched on a remote island near Iceland, battered by North Atlantic winds and surrounded by nothing but the endless ocean, stands a solitary white building often referred to as the “loneliest house in the world.”

This isolated structure has garnered significant interest over the years, with various rumors and legends spreading about its history. Some say it was built by a billionaire survivalist as a bunker to ride out a zombie apocalypse. Others believe it belongs to Icelandic singer Björk.

H...
All That's Interesting •

Inside The Untimely Death Of Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes — And The Car Accident That Caused It

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was one of the most prominent American musicians to come out of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Notable for her standout performances as a member of the R&B group TLC, the rapper served as the group’s chief lyricist and her influence can still be felt, as songs like “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls,” and “Creep” remain popular today.

Offstage, Lopes was known for her advocacy and her controversy. She used her prominence and TLC’s music to draw attention to serious issues like gang...
All That's Interesting •

Hannah Upp, The Woman With Dissociative Fugue Who's Been Missing Since 2017

The disappearance of Hannah Upp in New York City in 2008 launched a frantic search. The 23-year-old was missing for almost three weeks before she was thankfully found safe. But then Upp vanished again in 2013. And again in 2017. And, sadly, she remains missing to this day.

However, her disappearances had nothing to do with foul play.

Upp had experienced multiple episodes of what is known as dissociative fugue, a rare psychological condition characterized by sudden amnesia and identity loss. Pe...
All That's Interesting •

Randy Roth, The Charming Thief And Murderer Who Killed At Least One Of His Wives To Claim Life Insurance

Randy Roth was married four times. Two of those marriages ended with his wife’s death.

First was his second wife Janis Roth, who fell to her death during a hike at Beacon Rock. The second was his fourth wife Cynthia Baumgartner Roth, who drowned in Lake Sammamish — the very same lake where Ted Bundy had abducted two women a few years before.

In both instances, Roth was the only witness. In both instances, he had the bodies cremated as quickly as possible.

At first, it seemed as if Roth may ha...
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