TOP 10

10 Needlefish When wading cautiously into the ocean, any apprehension we experience likely forms the mental image of a shark, and the possibility of being bitten. However, a more bizarre danger lurks. Growing up to 3 feet in length, Needlefish  are exceedingly thin hunters with an almost heron like bill. Needlefish may swim at speeds of over 30 knots, and may cause fatal collisions with humans. In 1977, a child was pierced by a needlefish in Hawaii, while fishermen in the Philippines fear them above sharks. Several other exceedingly disturbing deaths have followed, including one swimmer whose eye was pierced, causing a fatal brain injury. 9 Common Adder Although its lethality does not compare to the Cobra or Rattlesnake, the presence of a venomous and potentially deadly viper in Britain may come as a surprise. While nearly all venomous snakes occur closer to the equator, the Common Adder inhabits the hedgerows, meadows and moors of the English country side, and frequently  bit...

10 Eric Smith January 22, 1980 “You may think I’m a threat to the well-being of society. And I can understand why you would feel that way. The fact is that I’m not. I’d be an asset to society.” At 13, Eric Smith was bullied because of his thick glasses, freckles, long red hair and one other quality: He had protruding, elongated ears. These were believed to be a side effect of medicine his mother had taken for her epilepsy when she was pregnant. Police charged Smith with the murder of a four-year-old boy named Derrick Robie. The younger child had been strangled, had large rocks dropped on his head, and had been sodomized with a small stick. When asked why he did it, Smith cannot give a definite answer. A psychiatrist diagnosed Smith with intermittent explosive disorder, a condition in which a person cannot control inner rage. Smith was convicted and went to prison. As of today, he’s been in prison for six years and has been denied parole five times. 9 Joshua Phillips March 17, 1984 ...

Stanford Prison Experiment 10 The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological study of human responses to captivity and its behavioral effects on both authorities and inmates in prison. The experiment was conducted in 1971 by a team of researchers led by psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University. Undergraduate volunteers played the roles of both guards and prisoners living in a mock prison in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. Prisoners and guards rapidly adapted to their roles, stepping beyond the boundaries of what had been predicted and leading to dangerous and psychologically damaging situations. One-third of the guards were judged to have exhibited “genuine” sadistic tendencies, while many prisoners were emotionally traumatized and two had to be removed from the experiment early. Finally, Zimbardo, alarmed at the increasingly abusive anti-social behavior from his subjects, terminated the entire experiment early. 9 The Monster Study The Monster Study was...