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r/HolyShitHistory

In 1503, Lisa del Giacondo of Florence commissioned a portrait from a local artist to celebrate the birth of her second child. Despite waiting years, she never received her painting. Today, the world knows her as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, the most famous woman in the history of art.
▲ 146 r/HolyShitHistory

In 1503, Lisa del Giacondo of Florence commissioned a portrait from a local artist to celebrate the birth of her second child. Despite waiting years, she never received her painting. Today, the world knows her as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, the most famous woman in the history of art.

u/Chemical-Elk-1299 — 6 hours ago
▲ 32 r/HolyShitHistory

A November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site, Operation Buster–Jangle "Dog". It had a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT, and was the first U.S. nuclear field exercise conducted with live troops maneuvering on land. Troops shown are 6 mi (10 km) from the blast.

u/Particular-Cat-8031 — 5 hours ago
▲ 285 r/HolyShitHistory

The Turner Diaries is a 1978 white supremacist race war novel written by William Luther Pierce (pictured) under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. The book inspired numerous hate crimes and acts of terrorism, including the 1984 murder of Alan Berg and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

u/GustavoistSoldier — 8 hours ago
▲ 2.0k r/HolyShitHistory

On September 14, 1977, Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, kidnapped her Mormon missionary ex, Kirk Anderson, and held him captive for 3 days, allegedly raping him repeatedly. Afterwards, she became a tabloid celebrity and faced no legal consequences as she jumped bail before the trial started.

u/Ill_Definition8074 — 18 hours ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 7.6k r/HolyShitHistory+1 crossposts

From 1915 to 1926, Encephalitis Lethargica, also called sleeping sickness, spread worldwide. It left people frozen, awake but unable to move or speak. Around half a million became trapped in their own bodies. Then, as quickly as it arrived, the illness disappeared without a clear reason.

u/SelfCareIsFake — 1 day ago
▲ 1.7k r/HolyShitHistory

In 1534, an apocalyptic cult led by Jan van Leiden, a former tailor, seized the German city of Münster, abolished all money, made polygamy mandatory under pain of execution, and turned the town into a total nightmare.

u/Fanta_gbai — 1 day ago
▲ 938 r/HolyShitHistory+8 crossposts

Pope Formosus and Stephen VI by Jean Paul Laurens, depicting the Cadaver Synod of 897, when the corpse of Formosus was exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial in the Lateran Basilica

u/aid2000iscool — 1 day ago
▲ 162 r/HolyShitHistory

The notorious conqueror Timur met then 29-year old Saray Mulk for the first time after he defeated his enemy Amir Husayn and captured his harem, including Saray, for himself. She had no special station in Husayn's harem, but became Timur's favorite, and acted as his advisor, confidante and regent.

u/PeasantLich — 1 day ago
▲ 1.1k r/HolyShitHistory

When humanity nearly disappeared, the eruption of the Toba volcano left between 1,000 and 7,000 humans alive. 74,000 years ago

u/ZaiusC — 1 day ago
🔥 Hot ▲ 5.4k r/HolyShitHistory

On September 22, 2006, 16-year-old Cassie Jo Stoddart was killed by two boys, both 16, whom she thought were her friends. They said they were inspired by the movie 'Scream.'

u/My-Knees-Hurt-Again — 2 days ago
▲ 88 r/HolyShitHistory

In 1994, Islamic terrorists Ramazi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II, blow up 11 airliners to kill approximately 4,000 passengers, and crash a plane into the CIA headquarters. This plan was never carried out, but an airplane was blown up (aftermath below).

u/GustavoistSoldier — 1 day ago
▲ 4.7k r/HolyShitHistory

On 25 January 1998, American tourists Tom and Eileen Lonergan were abandoned by their dive boat in Australia’s Coral Sea, with their absence unnoticed for two days. Despite a massive search, only a few tattered clothes and Tom’s desperate final message were ever found

u/Chemical-Elk-1299 — 2 days ago
▲ 4.0k r/HolyShitHistory

US Marine approaches a Japanese soldier on Iwo Jima, March 16, 1945. The soldier had been burried for 36 hours in a shell hole, pretending to be dead, with a live grenade just inches from his hand.

u/Dr-Klopp — 2 days ago
▲ 454 r/HolyShitHistory+1 crossposts

Frank F. Gibson, 1305 Linden St. Western Union Telegraph Co. Messenger No. 7. 14 years of age. 1 year in service. Visits houses of prostitution. Guides soldiers to segregated district. Smokes. Still at school and works from 8:30 P.M. to 12:30 A.M. Wilmington, Delaware / by Louis W. Hine, May, 1910.

u/CryptographerKey2847 — 2 days ago
▲ 1.9k r/HolyShitHistory+1 crossposts

Diane Downs under arrest after shooting her 3 children on this day in 1983. She had staged a carjacking and shot eight-year-old Christie, seven-year-old Cheryl, and three-year-old Danny. Cheryl died, Christie and Danny survived with life-altering injuries.

u/dannydutch1 — 2 days ago
▲ 84 r/HolyShitHistory+1 crossposts

Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro (right) with his vice President & military minister Juan Vicente Gomez, early 1900s. Gomez would soon overthrow Castro in 1908, ruling the country for 27 years until his death in 1935. He was often known as "the Catfish" or "the Tyrant of the Andes" (1782x1183)

u/zig_zag-wanderer — 1 day ago
▲ 2.6k r/HolyShitHistory

This is a photo of Rhoda Derry in an insane asylum. Rhoda was born to a well-heeled farming family and grew up a healthy, normal girl, but her life took an unexpected and tragic turn once she reached the tender age of 16 and began dating a boy from a neighboring farm.

u/sirenoleg — 3 days ago
▲ 258 r/HolyShitHistory

In September 1983, Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry introduced Sharia law in Sudan. Consuming alcohol became punishable by public flogging, and theft was punished by amputation. The picture below depicts a man who suffered cross amputation (severing someone's right hand and left foot).

u/GustavoistSoldier — 2 days ago