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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 6, 2017 21:25:23 GMT -5
The 66 Most Infamous People In History
We're back again once more for another list from the annals of history. This time around, we'll back taking a look at the most infamous people of all time - murderers, thieves, drug lords, dictators, the list goes on.
Like previously, frankthetriviaman and I will be hosting, but feel free to add anyone* you like if you have an idea for the list. Please remember that the list is not an all-time set in stone one - it's more of a collective 'worst hits of history', though the Top 10 is definitive, no ands ifs ors or buts.
If you want to comment on this list, use the 'Comment' button until we finish so as not to disrupt the flow of the list.
We hope you enjoy our list of The 66 Most Infamous People Of All Time.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 6, 2017 22:00:19 GMT -5
66) Pope Stephen VIWhile you may find it unusual for this list to start with a Pope of all people, context is the key. He is responsible for one of the most heinous acts in the history of the Papacy- the Cadaver Synod. In January 897, he exhumed the body of his penultimate predecessor- Pope Formosus. In a very politically motivated event, Stephen VI exhumed the body of the late Pope, and put it on trial, accusing Pope Formosus of perjury and lying in order to get to the Papacy. After the trial, the body was found guilty and Pope Formosus' papacy was posthumously revoked. He was stripped of his Papal vestments, the three fingers on his right hand which he used to give blessings with were cut off and the body tied to weights and thrown into the Tiber River. Though the Cadaver Synod ruling was later overturned, and Pope Formosus reburied in Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Stephen VI's act is one of many that highlights the difference between the Popes of today and the Popes of the middle ages, and unfortunately is a dark moment in the history of the Catholic Church. In subsequent years, the act of exhuming the deceased and putting them on trial was banned.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 6, 2017 22:11:33 GMT -5
#65: Varg VikernesThe Norwegian black metal scene has had plenty of infamous people within its ranks, but none more so than Varg Vikernes. Whilst he is one of the most influential black metal musicians thanks to his solo project Burzum, he was misanthropic and a supporter of and ultimately found guilty of committing church burnings. Add to that the fact that he killed Mayhem guitarist Euronymous - he still says to this day that it was self-defense, but unless stabbing someone 23 times is what you do in Norway, I don't really see how it's self-defense... - and you have yourself one hell of an infamous musician.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 7, 2017 1:31:02 GMT -5
#64) Eric HarrisOn April 20, 1999 the United States was shocked to hear that two high school students had entered a school with guns and killed 13 people and injured another 24. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed the Columbine High School Massacre then killed themselves afterwards. Though many theories were discussed as to why they did it, psychological research into the two revealed chilling details. Harris displayed traits of being a psychopath and Klebold had depression, and perhaps had been influenced by Harris into doing the massacre. Harris takes the place for, according to the evidence, being the Psychopath responsible for killing 12 students and a teacher, wounding 24 others, and influencing a fellow student to join him on a murder spree
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 7, 2017 1:42:18 GMT -5
#63: Elizabeth BรกthoryVampires aren't real, you say? Think again. Countess Elizabeth Bรกthory has been labelled by Guinness World Records as the most prolific female murderer, and while the exact number of victims is unknown, this cold blooded femme fatale is said to have killed some 650 young girls in her lifetime. What'd she do with them, you ask? According to legend, the "Blood Countess" bathed in and drank the blood of her victims to keep her youth. Whilst there is some debate as to whether or not that is in fact true, Countess Bathory has become a legendary figure in folklore, and is one of the best-cited real life vampires, alongside the ruthless Vlad Dracula (but more on him later).
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 7, 2017 23:24:22 GMT -5
62) Benedict ArnoldIf there is one name synonymous with treachery, it is Benedict Arnold. Originally a General in the Continental Army, he attempted to sell West Point to the British, and defected to their side, becoming a brigadier general in the process. Though after the war the British treated him with Ambivalence, in the States he was despised as a traitor, even though his plot was eventually uncovered and West Point ultimately remained in enemy hands.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 7, 2017 23:40:19 GMT -5
#61: Judas IscariotWhen it comes to infamous traitors, arguably one of the first names to come to mind is that of Judas Iscariot. According to the Bible, the Apostle betrayed Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane with a kiss on the cheek for only 30 pieces of silver. Whilst he later hanged himself in remorse, "Judas" and a "Judas kiss" have become synonymous with treason.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 8, 2017 0:04:01 GMT -5
60) William Randolph HearstThough not a tyrant, traitor, murderer or savage by any means, Hearst's claim to infamy came through his control of the American Press as one of the most prolific publishers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A sensationalist, he frequently relied on yellow journalism to sell stories, and in arguably one of the most despicable moves in history, he over-sensationalized the explosion of the USS Maine as an act of Spanish sabotage (later research concluded the Maine probably blew up due to a fire among its ammunition stocks), thus leading to the Spanish-American War in 1898. His power over the press glorified or vilified, depending on what message he wanted to send, rather than report the news fairly and accurately.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 8, 2017 0:13:30 GMT -5
#59: Vidkun QuislingWhen it comes to traitors, one of the most despicable in history is Vidkun Quisling. This Norwegian pretty much sold over his country to the Nazis in the 1940s, and set up a government which was pretty much nothing more than a marionette held in control by Hitler and his gang. After the fall of the Third Reich, Quisling was tried, found guilty, and executed by firing squad. The term "quisling" has become synonymous with treason, and the man is thought of highly by very few people.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 8, 2017 0:20:43 GMT -5
58) Gary RidgewayBetter known as the Green River Killer, he was found guilty of murdering 49 different people, but confessed to murdering nearly twice as many. During the 1980s and 1990s he targeted women and girls in Washington State; mostly prostitutes, but also runaways and other vulnerable targets. His primary means of death was strangulation by hand. To this day, he remains the worst serial killer in the United States by confirmed kills.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 8, 2017 0:27:58 GMT -5
#57: John Wayne GacyJohn Wayne Gacy was just your average dad, just your average children's performer, just your average serial killer. Unbeknownst to his friends and family, Gacy sexually abused, tortured, and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men before being caught. The "Killer Clown" became one of the most infamous serial killers in history, especially because he once dressed up as "Pogo the Clown" for children's parties and charity events. He was eventually executed in 1994, but not before becoming one of the most hated men in America, and giving his family a very frightful shock.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 8, 2017 0:56:22 GMT -5
56) Bernie MadoffOnce a respected Wall Street financier and stock broker, his reputation came crashing down when it was found that he was running the largest known Ponzi scheme operation to date. It is estimated that he scammed his "customers" out of as much as 65 billion dollars with the fraud he committed. He pleaded guilty to 11 federal crimes and was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 8, 2017 1:02:26 GMT -5
#55: Napoleon BonaparteAs far as dictators go, Napoleon wasn't the worst, but the remains that he led a conquest to take over Europe and had that been successful, the world. This general who became emperor of France was even exiled but returned, finding true defeat only at the Battle of Waterloo. He's famous around the globe and you'll find him in almost any history textbook.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 8, 2017 1:14:02 GMT -5
54) Hulagu KhanThough not as well known as his grandfather Ghengis Khan, Hulagu left his mark on history with his annihilation of Baghdad in 1258, the Cultural capital of that part of the world. Libraries, hospitals and palaces were destroyed and irrigation canals buried among other atrocities. Though later punished by Berke Khan, Hulagu's destruction of Baghdad is often regarded as the end of the Islamic Golden Age in that part of the world
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 8, 2017 1:30:09 GMT -5
#53: Karl MarxWhatever your ideas on communism are, there's no escaping the fact that Marx was a little piece of sh*t. Sitting around the library all day trying to figure out how to change the world, he let his own family fall apart. Two children died of disease, one committed suicide, if you heard about "Marx loved the little children" think again. And I haven't even gotten to his twisted communistic way of thinking. Sure, he had some good ideas, but for the most part the bastard didn't f***ing help.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 11, 2017 16:52:13 GMT -5
52) Gavrilo PrincipThough the name is not known, his act is all too infamous. On June 28th 1914 this Serbian, who was part of a nationalist group known as the Black Hand, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in what was to be part of a master plan to free the South Slav provinces of Austria-Hungary in order to form a united Yugoslavia. His act of assassinating the Heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne caused a chain reaction that lead to World War I, the deviating period often considered to be the first modern war.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 11, 2017 21:35:47 GMT -5
51. Lee Harvey OswaldDid Oswald kill Kennedy? We'll never really know for sure, but most agree that he did. An American-turned-Soviet-turned-American, he apparently shot Kennedy and a police officer before being captured in a movie theater. Two days later he was shot by Jack Ruby in front of the police and press. This is one man who really made the world stand still... twice.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 12, 2017 20:14:27 GMT -5
50) Theophilus "Bull" ConnorOne of the most infamous figures in American History, this Conservative Southern Democrat supported segregation and opposed the Civil Rights Movement. As the Commissioner of Public Safety for Birmingham, Alabama he intentionally held back police protection from Civil Rights protesters so Klansmen could beat them up, and encouraged the use of fire hoses and attack dogs against peaceful protesters, including children. He was so intent on opposing desegregation, he ordered the closure of 60 parks rather then follow a federal order requiring public spaces to be desegregated. His actions received much media coverage, and his heinous acts enraged Americans, increasing support for the Civil Rights movement, and eventually leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
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Post by Biblically Accurate Angel on Apr 12, 2017 21:54:53 GMT -5
#49: William T. ShermanGeneral Sherman can either be seen as a hero or a demon. On the one hand, his "March to the Sea" was, from a military standpoint, an important move, and helped the Union win the war against the Confederates. On the other hand, he burned down the homes of and even killed and wounded innocent people. Was his "total warfare" strategy good or bad? It's all in the eye of the beholder.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Apr 12, 2017 22:17:35 GMT -5
48) Joseph McCarthyWhen we think of "witch hunts" we probably think of something akin to the Salem witchcraft trials. But alas, they also happened well into modern America. In the 1950s the one thing most Americans feared more than anything else was communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy was at the forefront of investigations into people who were considered to be communist spies or sympathizers. Thousands of lives and careers were destroyed thanks to the work of McCarthy, since people were often accused with minimal, or no evidence at all. It is because of his role in what has come to be known as the Red Scare that "McCartyism" became a term referring to making accusations of treason or subversion without proper regard for evidence.
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