Number 15. Children For Sale
This image has been floated around the internet for a while, and there’s actually a pretty
valid story that goes along with it. A couple by the names of Ray and Lucille had been struggling
to support their 4 children properly. As times continued getting harder and they were unemployed
and evicted from their apartment, in the year 1948, they made a decision that had to be
very hard for parents to make. They chose to auction off their children. August 4th
1948, 6-year-old Lana, 5-year-old Rae, 4-year-old Milton, and 2-year-old Sue Ellen, sit on porch
waiting to be purchased. As extreme as this seems as an option, Ray and Lucille assumed
their children could be bought by a rich family and be taken care of, and they could use the
money to get back on their feet. As you can see, Lucille is turned away sobbing as her
children are seemingly unaware of what’s to come. Sue Ellen later reunited with her
older sister Rae, Milton was adopted by an upper class family, and the baby in Lucille’s
womb at the time of the photo was also adopted out to a very caring family. Although this
story has a happy ending for the most part, selling children due to poverty is a terrifying
and unrealistic though that was actually a daunting reality for this family.
Number 14. Tiny Handcuffs When now 40-year-old Shane Murray was a child
visiting family in Kansas, his grandfather gave him a very strange gift. Murrays grandfather
presented him with a shoebox, and inside the box was a very rusted and very old pair of
hand cuffs. Even more peculiar, the handcuffs were half the size of a normal pair. His grandfather
joked that the cuffs were used to take young Native American children to school. He held
on to those tiny cuffs, rarely ever touching them, for about 30 years. However, Murray
claims that the cuffs would move around his home on their own. He would find them laying
out in the open, without having ever disturbed them. He even claimed that they began to speak
to him in a way. Every time he passed the Haskell Indian Nations University, which he
lived near, he would think of the cuffs and could imagine them saying “Take us home!”.
Murray eventually gave into these haunting thoughts and turned the cuffs over to the
Universities Cultural Center, where he learned the truth behind them was that they were likely
used on children during the assimilation of native Americans. After Murray gave away the
cuffs, he claims to have slept for two days, finally feeling the huge burden off of his
soldiers. Number 13. Satan’s Dungeon
This photo surfaced on the web a couple years back, and rumors began floating with it that
it was a location for a group of Satanists to perform sacrifices and other rituals. The
wall reads “Satan, I love you!” in German. The truth behind the photo isn’t as creepy
as we’d like to think, but it’s still very unsettling. This is actually an underground
bunker that was used during World War 2 by German Nazi’s. The underground system stretches
for miles and is very popular amongst ghost hunters, historians, and teenagers looking
to get spooked. Although the satanic stuff is likely a joke, there have been reports
of real ghostly and evil activities going on in these bunkers. There were likely thousands
of Nazi’s that died bloody deaths in these underground rooms, if you’re a believer
in spirits getting stuck on this Earthly realm, then you can guarantee these hateful spirits
are still wandering the halls of these bunkers. Number 12. The Amityville Child
In November of 1974, Ronald DeFeo Junior killed his entire family in a colonial style home
located in Amityville, Long Island. Roughly a year later, a family of 5 moved into the
home, but only stayed for a month before fleeing as they claimed to have been haunted by powerful
spirits. This tragedy sparked a series of novels and movies following the investigations,
and especially the paranormal possibilities. This particular photo has been titled “Amityville
Ghost Boy” and is one of the more popular pieces of evidence associated with the Amityville
investigations. An investigator that was working with professional demonologists Ed and Lorraine
Warren, said the photo was taken at random, and the child that appears was not anywhere
on the premises. Many claim that is the ghost of one of the DeFeo children, while others
stick to a claim that it’s a visual apparition of demonic energy. Regardless of who or what
is in the photo, it’s one of the creepiest and popular ghost photos in history and only
adds to the mysterious nature of the happenings inside the Amityville Horror House.
Number 11. R. Budd Dwyer Yet another Historically notorious photo is
of former Senator R. Budd Dwyer just before he shot himself. Dwyer was involved in a scam
which lead to workers being overcharged in taxes. He had been found guilty of receiving
bribes of over 300,000 dollars. On January 22nd 1987, the day before his prison sentence
was set to begin, he called for a press conference. The night before this conference, he wrote
a short suicide note that read "I enjoy being with [my wife] so much, the next 20 years
or so would have been wonderful. Tomorrow is going to be so difficult and I hope I can
go through with it." He was, of course, referring to his suicide. The press conference began
and he gave a speech that claimed he had been framed and was not ready to serve an unfair
prison sentence for crimes he did not commit. He abandoned the rest of the speech that he
had written and reached for an envelope which held a gun. He put the gun upward and said
"Please, please leave the room if this will affect you." Some people ran out of the room,
some pleaded with him to not go through with it, and a few people approached him. This
particular photo was taken by a reporter who was approaching him, as you can see he is
saying “No, go back” as he didn’t want anyone else to be hurt by the gun shot. He
put the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger. Several news station cameras captured
the suicide and it was aired through many channels later in the weeks that followed.
The video can even be found today, on Youtube and other video sharing sites. Despite policies
against them, such historically powerful footage often slips through the cracks.
Number 10. TV Message In 2015 someone uploaded this photo of their
tv, with a story claiming they were browsing the channels when their tv froze up and this
message was stuck on the screen, before it suddenly turned off and back on. While some
people claim that this photo is either faked or the tv just froze up at a very convenient
time, others seem very convinced that this was a message caused by a paranormal spirit
or even demon. In the world of the paranormal, it’s a pretty common idea that spirits have
the power to possess and control electronics such as phones, tvs, and computers. Although
these types of hauntings are a little rarer, they have been recorded a few times. It would
be great to know more about the story behind this photo and the person it was affecting.
Number 9. Nail Scratches in Auschwitz The Holocaust is something that comes up a
lot when you’re on the topic of “disturbing” because it’s one of the most disturbing
things in our history as humans. The complete genocide of over 11 million people, is not
just a blemish of the face of history, it’s a scar. As if the thought of such a mass number
of people dying isn’t enough, remember the fact that before they died they were shipped
off to concentration camps, which were only a step above hell. These camps starved, tortured,
and dehumanized their victims. All over the world, and internet, we see sick examples
of what happened within the fences of these camps. From photos, to artifacts, to victims
sharing their experience, there’s never been a doubt in history of just how sick these
camps were. This photo was taken from the concentration camp Auschwitz, in Poland. While
this photo was taken in 2004, it still speaks in the same volumes as it did the day after
Auschwitz was discovered by troops. This photo was taken in one of the several gas chambers
on sight, and as you can tell it is of fingernail scratches along the wall. Camp Nazis would
stuff hundreds of people into the relatively small chambers, completely naked, with the
promise of a refreshing shower, only to gas them to death. These nail scratches are the
last hopeless attempt at a survival in a world composed of pure evil and hatred.
Number 8. Home On the topic of the holocaust, here’s a
photo of a young girl drawing her home. Of the millions killed during the genocide, the
highest death toll goes to the children. When they arrived at the camps, they were often
sent directly to gas chambers if they were too young to do labor or offer any specialized
skills. In fact, when Auschwitz was liberated, of the 9,000 people freed from the confines
of their barbed wire cages, only 450 of them were children. Most of the children saved
from this point had been born in captivity, or at least had spent the majority of their
life there. This young girl, Tereszka had grown up in the camp and was very mentally
disturbed and not developed properly for her age. This photo was taken in a special home
in Poland that aimed to help these disturbed children. Tereszka had been asked to draw
her home, and these scribblings were what she illustrated. Furthermore, the look in
her eyes as she peers at the photographer tells a whole story that her upsetting drawing
doesn’t even being to cover. There’s no word on this young girl, and how her life
turned out, though we can assume she was haunted by dark memories of a childhood for the rest
of her life. These disturbing souvenirs of the holocaust travel the earth and float on
the web, as a reminder to never let the past repeat itself.
Number 7. Cult Town This photo was taken on the Island of Miyakejima
in Japan where over 1,750 volcanoes erupted that left the island covered in ash and air
much too thick to breathe without a gas mask. Before all of it’s residents were pushed
out in 2000, everyone was forced to wear gas masks nearly 24/7. This led to some pretty
creepy yet amazing photos. Crowds for parties all adorning their masks, bride and groom
doing the same, and school children running on the ashy playground with their masks strapped
on tight. This town surely looks like something out of a horror film, and the real life horrors
of the town are even worse now. There are virtually no residents left on the island
and the town is what resembles a post-apocalyptic stand still, with a dusty layer covering the
cars in the middle of the roads and the entirely abandoned homes. It’s truly a ghost town
with only memories of a once thriving society. Number 6. Man Begging For His Life
The 2002 Gujarat Riots were a series of very violent events over a three-day period that
occurred in the west Indian state of Gujarat. For several months following this event there
were even more riots that broke out against Muslims. These riots resulted in the death
of at least 790 Muslims alone. This particular photo was taken of a man in the crowd of a
violent outbreak, begging for his life. There was never any more information on this man’s
life and whether or not he was a victim of the tragic riots, but his expression is enough
to fill the viewer with a sense of the events surrounding this time period. Aside from the
men being beaten and shot to death, the women and children were also victims of gang rape
and torture. So it’s likely this man was not just a common victim about to be shot,
but had also lost most of, if not all of his family before his life came to this point
of desperation. Number 5. Chernobyl’s Elephant Foot
In the town of Pripyat, Ukraine a nuclear power plant exploded and fatal levels of radioactive
particles were released into the air. While this disaster happened in 1986, the town is
still deserted, frozen in time and deemed unsafe. One of the most interesting photos
to come from Chernobyl is of a mass known as “The Elephants Foot” is a mass of nuclear
fuels, melted metal, sand, and concrete. Many scientists and even some very stupid explorers
have dived into the room that contains this mass. It is said that only 3 minutes within
100 feet of the foot will cause severe sickness and possibly even death. However, human curiosity
and humanity’s need for scientific solutions keep people coming back to test the glob and
take photos of it. Scientists believe that testing this deadly foot of radioactivity
will lead to discoveries in how to combat fatal nuclear chemicals, and how to renew
the town known as Chernobyl. Number 4. Travis Alexander
This young man was dating a woman named Jodi Arias. Alexander and Arias had been together
for about 2 years, during this time they moved in together and even planned to get married
not far down the road. On June 4th 2008, Travis Alexander was murder while in the shower.
He was stabbed about 29 times, his throat was slit, and he had been shot once in the
head. During the investigation there was evidence of Arias calling his phone several times throughout
the night and not being able to get through. A damaged digital camera was also found, that
included sexual images of Alexander and Arias, this chilling photo of Alexander in the shower
the night of his death, and an image of what was declared to be his corpse lying on the
shower floor. There was also a bloody handprint on the shower wall that included both Arias
and Alexander’s DNA. Arias finally claimed that she killed him in self-defense, after
a fight about the camera being damaged. However, this was the 4th or 5th variation of her story
which led to a lack of validity, and autopsy’s showed that it was very unlikely Alexander
was the attacker as he had many defense wounds. The autopsy also showed that the gun shot
occurred after death, which helped to rule self-defense out. Through a trial that lasted
until 2013, nearly 5 years after the homicide took place, Arias was found guilty. This photo
of Travis in the shower, is the last photo of him alive. The confusion, surprise, and
blissful ignorance on his face is pretty chilling when you consider what’s coming his way.
Number 3. Shirley Ann Bridgeford In March 1958, when she was merely 24 years
old, Shirley Ann Bridgeford came in contact with a sick man that would become known as
the “Glamour Girl Killer”. Shirley met Harvey Glatman through a dating service known
as “Patty Sullivan’s Lonely Hearts’ Club”. Shirley and Glatman, going by the
alias George Williams, made plans to go out on a date. When Glatman arrived to pick up
the young and beautiful Shirley Ann, he decided to change plans on her. He told her he wanted
to take her on a romantic drive around the countryside. Shirley sheepishly agreed and
Glatman took her to a very remote area in the country, where he wasted no time beginning
his devilish scheme. He ordered her to get out of the car and strip down. Before strangling
her, her raped and photographed her. He even took a few more photos of her lifeless corpse
before he left the scene of the crime. This photo was taken just before he raped her,
and there are more gruesome photos readily available all over the internet. Shirley was
the second of Glatman’s three victims, who he raped and murdered from 1957 to 1958. He
was finally arrested in October of 1958, and later executed through asphyxiation by gas
in California roughly a year after his arrest. Number 2. Columbine School Picture
The Columbine High School shooting is one of the most notorious mass shootings in history.
This tragedy pretty much sparked the disturbing trend of mass shootings, and also led to a
major lockdown in school security. When it comes to disturbing and tragic things, The
Columbine Massacre always makes its’ way onto our lists. Maybe it’s because we want
to learn more about the horrifying truths of this world, or maybe it’s because it’s
a generally popular subject. People have dedicated their lives to studying the shooters, Eric
Harris and Dylan Klebold. This photo surfaced not long after tragedy struck, it was taken
not long before the teens overtook the school and went on their killing spree. The most
unsettling thing about this photo is that, whoever saw this first probably assumed it
was just a couple of kids being silly in a school picture, until a few weeks later they
took the lives of 13 people. Number 1. Hiroshima Shadows
In 1945, America dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. At least 80,000
people died instantly, 35,000 were injured and in a years’ time a total of 60,000 more
innocent people would die from after effects such as cancer. When this massive bomb, ironically
named “Little Boy”, blasted a bright flash of death buildings that didn’t incinerate
immediately were charred. If someone was standing in front of a wall at the time, the radiation
would not fully reach that wall and the dark outline of a person could be seen. These shadows
still remain in some places, a macabre reminder of lives ones lived, before a huge blast wiped
out thousands with hardly a seconds warning. These shadows are histories photos that will
force the viewer to think of the figure standing. Was it a man? A woman? Maybe even a child?
Did they know what was coming? As quick as the flash of a camera, their life was stolen
from them, with hardly any pieces left behind.
