We’ve done it again. The writer the big
boss likes the least has gone down the rabbit hole on Wikipedia so we could bring you
another video of disturbing Wikipedia pages. Don’t worry, they’ll be able to sleep
again without a nightlight...someday. Number 8 on our list is a town that you
probably wouldn’t want to vacation at, that is even if you were allowed to.
8. The Real Silent Hill In north central Pennsylvania, the
town of Centralia has been on fire for the last 59 years. Yes, you heard us
correctly, the town has been burning since 1962. From the mid 1800’s through the Great Depression,
the majority of the residents living in and around tiny, rural Centralia made their living by
mining rich deposits of anthracite coal. As the coal industry dwindled, the area was left
with several abandoned underground coal mines. While there are competing theories as to how
the fire started, the generally accepted version is that on May 27, 1962, some firefighters were
cleaning up the local landfill by burning trash. Unfortunately the fire at the dump sparked a
larger fire in a coal seam beneath the town. Since then, the fire has spread, causing the
ground under Centralia to become extremely hot, reaching over 900 degrees F (482 C) in some spots.
At times noxious fumes leaking from sinkholes has sickened residents. Several attempts were made to
excavate and put out the fire, but to no avail. Some of the abandoned coal mines
stoke the fire and at this point, it would be incredibly expensive
and also extremely dangerous to figure out which mine tunnels are
fueling the fire and close them off. Over the years, authorities have
relocated--sometimes forcibly, the majority of residents. Today Centralia is a ghost town. It’s
become a popular destination for urban explorers and also served as the creepy inspiration
for horror movie franchise Silent Hill. If you think that’s bad, our next topic
involves something fundamental that all creatures must do to survive and how amazingly
horrible life becomes when you can’t do it. 7. Fatal Insomnia
What if every night you have trouble falling asleep? You’re exhausted,
but everything you try such as warm milk, calming music, meditation and sleeping pills
doesn’t really help. You move through your days in a daze; confused, disoriented, fatigued. In the
middle of ordinary tasks, you suddenly nod off for seconds at a time and then you jerk back awake.
Your insomnia grows worse night by night. You begin to slur your words, you see hallucinations.
You have sudden episodes of sweating profusely. Your whole existence longs for the sweet embrace
of restful slumber, but you cannot find relief. Such are the symptoms for sufferers
of an extremely rare disorder, fatal insomnia. As time goes on the insomnia
increasingly grows worse. Suffers may develop dementia, coordination and speech problems.
Other symptoms include constipation, an elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, as
well as menopause for women and impotence for men. There is no cure for this disease, although at
least one patient was able to slow symptoms with a variety of strategies, including vitamin
therapy, meditation and a sensory deprived, controlled sleep process. Fatal insomnia
results in death within a few months to a few years after the onset of symptoms, the
average length to demise being about 18 months. While the average age of the sufferer is 50, the
disorder has been diagnosed in patients 18-60. Diagnosis of fatal insomnia is suspected based
on symptoms. Patients undergo sleep studies, PET scans and genetic testing to receive
a more complete view of symptoms. However, a suspected case of fatal insomnia can only
be confirmed by a brain autopsy after death. A disease where your body slowly shuts
down because although you long to, you’re simply unable to do a natural bodily
function is incredibly disturbing in our book. Our next disturbing topic involves one of the
most beautiful and remote places on earth. Sadly, it’s becoming polluted in a crazy, macabre
way due to humans trying to achieve a goal. 6. Green Boots
Many climbers set out with dreams of conquering Mount Everest; however sometimes the mountain
conquers them. Number 6 on our list of Even More disturbing Wikipedia Pages is Green Boots.
Nicknamed for the bright green Koflach mountaineering boots on his feet, Green Boots is
the body of an unidentified climber who perished in a limestone alcove cave at 27,900 ft (8,500
m) on Mount Everest. He’s become a landmark on the main Northeast ridge route of Mount Everest
and expeditions climbing from the north side pass by him. Green boots is believed to be
Tsewang Paljor, one of 8 climbers who died in a blizzard during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.
Green boot isn’t the only corpse on the mountain. Over 300 people have died climbing Mount Everest
and some 200 remain on its slopes. In fact, an area just below the summit is nicknamed ‘Rainbow
Valley’ because of the many corpses laying there wearing brightly colored mountaineering
apparel. It is incredibly expensive, labor intensive and dangerous to the rescuers to
retrieve a corpse. Some climbers think that the dead should be left where they lie out of respect
for the dead climbers’ love for the mountain while others see the corpses as a macabre
warning to know one’s limits with nature. Number 5 on our list of disturbing Wikipedia
pages is one of the most shocking events to take place at the end of the 20th century.
Curiously the catalyst for this event was a natural wonder that the earth probably won’t
experience again for close to 2,533 years. 5. Heaven’s Gate Cult
In the late 1990’s the Comet Hale–Bopp passed close to earth and was visible to
the naked eye for a record 18 months. Professional and amatuer astronomers worldwide tracked the
comet’s path across the heavens. Also tracking the comet was Heaven’s Gate, a cult waiting for
the right moment to put their plan into action. Responding to a tip, on March 26, 1997,
deputies of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department discovered a scene of mass suicide. 39
members of Heaven’s Gate, including the leader, Marshall Applewhite, committed a coordinated
series of ritual suicides in order to join what they believed was an extraterrestrial spacecraft
following Comet Hale–Bopp. Marshall believed the UFO would take their souls to another "level
of existence above human", which he described as being both physical and spiritual.
All 39 were found wearing identical black shirts and sweatpants, brand new
black-and-white Nike Decades athletic shoes, and armband patches reading "Heaven's Gate Away
Team". The identical clothing represented unity, while the Nike Decades were chosen simply
because the group “got a good deal”. News of the deaths motivated at least one copycat
suicide by a member of the public not affliated with the group. In the months after the mass
suicide event, at least three more members of Heaven's Gate cult commited suicide.
Currently, former members of Heaven Gate’s continue to maintain the group's website
and media presence. The website explains the group’s rationale for committing suicide, saying
"Hale–Bopp brings closure to Heaven's Gate ... Our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is
finally coming to conclusion—'graduation' from the Human Evolutionary Level. We are happily prepared
to leave 'this world' and go with Ti's crew.” The culmination of the Heaven’s Gate Cult was
wild, but the next topic is insane. The appalling politically driven actions of a leader had an
unexpected twist and ultimately the end result was very different than originally intended.
4. Cadaver Synod In January of 897, Pope Formosus was made to
appear at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome and stand trial. He was accused of perjury,
violating canon law, and several other crimes. It was a politically motivated event, orchestrated
by rulers asserting their power. However, this trial was unusual--Pope Formosus was dead;
in fact he had died some seven months earlier. However, by order of the current pope Stephen VI,
the corpse of Formosus was exhumed from his tomb and brought to the papal court for a trial.
He was propped up on a throne and a deacon was appointed to answer on Formosus’ behalf,
since he clearly couldn’t answer himself. Once the trial had concluded, Formosus was judged
to be guilty and his papacy was retroactively nullified. Stephen had the corpse stripped of
its papal vestments and then cut off the three fingers of Formosus’ right hand that in life he
had used for blessings. Also, Stephen formally invalidated all of Formosus' acts and ordinations.
Formosus’ corpse was then buried in a graveyard for foreigners. But that wasn’t insulting enough.
They dug him up once again, tied weights to his body and threw him into the Tiber River.
But that wasn’t the end of Formosus; his corpse washed up on the banks of the river. A
rumor began to circulate throughout Rome that the corpse was performing miracles. Public opinion
turned against Pope Stephen. A mob rose up, removed him from power and imprisoned him. In the
summer of 897, Stephen VI was murdered in jail. In December 897, Pope Theodore II convened
another synod which undid the Cadaver Synod and restored Formosus’ ordinations. He ordered
that Formosus’ corpse be dressed in Papal regalia and be reburied in Saint Peter's Basilica.
So eventually Formosus received restorative justice. Unfortunately, in our next story
there was little justice for the victim and what happened to the murderer
after the crime is pretty unbelievable. 3. The Kobe Cannibal
Sadly there are many killers who have committed a host of horrific crimes
that we could have included in this video. However we decided to include only Issei
Sagawa, nicknamed the Kobe Cannibal. Not only was his crime incredibly disturbing, but
the public’s reaction was disturbing also. In 1981, in Paris, Japanese exchange PHD
student Issei Sagawa murdered his Sorbonne classmate Renée Hartevelt. He then spent
the next several days mutilating, violating and cannibalizing her corpse. He was caught by
French police soon after dumping two suitcases containing some of Renée’s remains near a lake.
Issei’s wealthy father hired a lawyer for his defense. After two years of pre-trial
detention, Issei was found legally insane. Declared unfit to stand trial, he was ordered
to be held indefinitely in a mental institution. Interested in Issei’s case, popular author Inuhiko
Yomota visited him. Issei shared his written account of committing murder with Inuhiko,
who got the recollection published in Japan under the title In the Fog. The public had avidly
followed the case and Issei’s book sparked a macabre media frenzy. The French authorities,
tired of the publicity, deported Issei to Japan. Upon arrival, Issei was immediately
committed to Matsuzawa Hospital in Tokyo. Psychologists examined him and declared
him sane, finding that sexual perversion was his only reason for murder--in other
words they thought Issei was just evil. The charges against Issei in France had
been dropped, the court documents sealed and unavailable to Japanese authorities. Thereful
Issei could not be legally detained in Japan. On August 12, 1986 he simply checked himself
out of the hospital; having been imprisoned for just about 5 years for his crime. Despite
criticism, Issei has remained free since then. For several years Issei was quite the cause
celebre. Everyone wanted to interview this sophisticated, erudite monster. He was frequently
invited to be a guest speaker and commentator. Photographers took publicity photographs of
him eating meat and painting nude models. He wrote more books about his own crime and
other murders. Also, he dined at restaurants and wrote food reviews for a magazine.
However there were those who criticized the media frenzy surrounding Issei. During the early
2000’s it became harder for Issei to find work, although he continued to be interviewed and
generate public interest. More recently, health problems have kept the
aging Issei out of the public eye. He lives alone and receives daily care
from his younger brother or caregivers. If you’ve been eating while watching this
video, you may want to put down your food for this next disturbing Wikipedia page.
Don’t say that we didn’t try to warn you. 2. Casu Marzu - Rotten Cheese
There are a lot of let’s say...unique dishes out there such as Hákarl or fermented
shark and Rocky Mountain Oyster or bull testicles. But in our minds a traditional Sardinian
cheese called Casu Marzu is at the top of the list of disturbing things you can eat.
Casu Martzu literally means ‘rotten’ or ‘putrid’ cheese. It starts out as a regular wheel
of pecorino. Part of the rind is removed to allow cheese flies to lay eggs in
the cheese. Once the eggs hatch, the translucent white larvae eat through the cheese
and expel an acid from their digestive system. The acid breaks down the cheese's fats and makes
it soft and runny. A wheel of Casu Martzu is ready to eat when it’s completely colonized by maggots
and has reached a late stage of decomposition. It generally takes the tiny worms 1-2 months
to produce the desired effect in the cheese. Traditionally Casu Martzu is served with
flatbread and a glass of robust red wine. The strong smelling soft cheese is infested with
hundreds of maggots which jump and writhe in your mouth as you eat it. That is if you can get it to
your mouth. When the cheese is sliced or scooped out of the rind, the maggots react. They protect
themselves by coiling up and springing up to half a foot (15 cm) away from danger. So while lifting
some Casu Martzu towards your mouth, maggots could leap on your face. Some aficionados chill their
cheese to slow or kill the larvae. Others place the cheese in an airtight container to suffocate
them to death just before eating so they don’t have to deal with the leaping larvae problem.
Even worse than maggots jumping on you the cheese may be contaminated with nasty bacteria
such as salmonella. It can trigger allergic reactions in some eaters. There’s also the
possibility that the maggots will survive your stomach acid and colonize your intestines,
causing intestinal myiasis. The symptoms can be horrible-abdominal pain, fever, vomiting,
gastric lesions, anal itch, and bloody or maggoty stool. This is why some have called Casu
Martzu the most dangerous cheese in the world. The EU has actually banned Casu Martzu due to food
hygiene-health regulations. Offenders caught with the cheese face heavy fines. This has not
prevented a black market for Casu Martzu. Our final choice for a disturbing Wikipedia
page is the shocking tale of a man who earned himself a place in infamy because he
believed death was not a hindrance to love. 1. Carl Tanzler
Carl Tanzler, a radiology technologist, was living an ordinary life in Key
West, Florida when a life changing event happened. On April 22, 1930, Karl met local
beauty Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos when she came to the Marine hospital for
an examination. He fell head over heels. Elena was eventually diagnosed with tuberculosis,
an infectious disease which generally impares lung function. While treatment options have since
improved, in the 1930’s TB was frequently fatal. Karl treated Elena with his self-professed
medical knowledge, trying a variety of medicines. He also showered her with gifts and
allegedly confessed his love to her. It’s not known whether Elena returned his affections.
Despite Karl’s best efforts, Elena passed away on October 25, 1931. A heartbroken Karl
paid for her funeral, and with the permission of her family had an above ground mausoleum
built. Karl visited Elena almost every night. One night in April 1933, Karl broke into
Elena’s mausoleum and stole her body. Allegedly Karl claimed that when he sat by
her grave and serenaded her with a favorite Spanish song, Elena’s spirit would visit him
and tell him to remove her from her grave. Karl fitted the bones of Elena’s corpse together
with piano wire and stuffed her body cavity with rags so that she maintained her original
form. As her skin decomposed, Karl replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and plaster
of paris. He also gave her corpse glass eyes. Karl dressed the corpse in
stockings, jewelry, and gloves, and kept it in his bed. He used large amounts of
various perfumes, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor and slow decomposition.
Elena's sister Florinda heard rumors of Karl sleeping with the disinterred body of her sister.
In October 1940, she confronted him at his home. Elena's body was eventually discovered. Florinda
alerted the authorities, and Karl was arrested. Karl was examined and found mentally competent
to stand trial on the charge of "wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing
a body without authorization”. However, eventually the charge was dropped as the statute
of limitations for the crime had run out. The case drew a media frenzy. Perhaps
surprisingly, Karl was sympathetically viewed as an eccentric romantic by the public.
Elena's body was examined by doctors and then was temporarily put on public display at a funeral
home. Eventually she was returned to the cemetery where she was reburied in an unmarked grave, in
a secret location, to prevent further tampering. Karl used a death mask to create a life-sized
effigy of Elena, and lived with it until his death at age 75 on July 3, 1952. Some claim that Karl
managed to switch bodies and that he lived with the real body of Elena until he passed away.
Check out the original Disturbing Wikipedia Pages video here:
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