YOU ARE HERE: HOME / ALL / TOP 10 STRANGE, INTERESTING, AND UNIQUE

BIOGRAPHIES

Top 10 Strange, Interesting, and Unique Biographies

17

It’s always interesting to read about people that have made an impact on history. A

large collection of strange, inspirational and unique life stories exist. For this article I

have selected ten biographies that examine a wide range of topics and experiences. I

chose individuals that provide intriguing facts and unparalleled life experiences. Some

of the cases are mysterious, while others are humorous and shocking. These people

were selected without any strict guidelines, and from a wide range of areas. Please feel

free to contribute your own interesting life stories.

10. Edward Mordrake

Edward Mordrake was reportedly a young man that lived during the 19th century. At

birth, Edward was stricken with a bizarre medical condition. He was born with an extra

face on the back of his head. The face could laugh and cry, but not eat or speak. Edward

begged his doctors to have the “demon head” removed, because it whispered Satanist

language to him at night. However, no doctor would attempt it. The description of

Edward Mordrake’s condition is somewhat similar to those of Chang Tzu Ping and

Pasqual Pinon. Both Mordrake and Pinon are featured in The Book of Lists(1976).

Sadly, Edward Mordrake committed suicide at the age of 23. It is hard to establish the

true facts behind his condition because of the lack of reliable medical records. His birth

was not recorded and conflicting accounts exist regarding his suicide, as well as the

placement and position of his extra face. Much of what is known about Mordrake is

based on oral retelling. A viral image does exist that supposedly shows Edward, but the

picture can’t be authenticated. In 2002, Tom Waits wrote a song about Edward

Mordrake titled “Poor Edward” for his opera Alice.

Interesting Fact

Craniopagus parasiticus is a medical condition in which a parasitic twin head with an

undeveloped body is attached to the head of a developed twin, giving the impression of

two heads. There have been ten documented cases of this phenomenon. However, at

least eighty different accounts have been written about in history.

Source

9. Barry Bremen

Barry Bremen was a West Bloomfield, Michigan insurance and novelty goods

salesman. He is known in the sports world as The Great Imposter. From the period of

1979 to 1986, Bremen posed as a Major League Baseball umpire at the World Series, a

player in a MLB All-Star Game, a player in a NBA All-Star Game, a referee in the NFL, a

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and a professional golfer. He also posed as an Emmy

Award accepter. Barry lived by the motto of “no guts, no glory.” However, his advice to

other impostors: “Don’t do it. It’s against the law. Stay away. This is my act.”

On February 4, 1979, Barry Bremen wore a Kansas City Kings uniform and got on the

floor during warm-ups for the NBA All-Star Game. He was eventually called out by All-

Star Otis Birdsong, who played for Kansas City and said to Bremen: “How come you’re

on my team and I don’t know you?” On July 17, 1979, with the help of telecaster Dick

Schaap and Kansas City Royals third basemen George Brett, Bremen snuck onto the

field dressed in a New York Yankees uniform at the MLB All-Star Game. He shagged fly

balls in the outfield for a half hour and attempted to pose for a group picture with future

Hall of Famers Brett, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, Gaylord Perry, Dave

Winfield, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, and Tommy Lasorda.

At the 1980 World Series, Bremen dressed as an umpire and walked out to home plate

with the actual umpires before he was discovered. In 1981, he posed as a line judge

referee at Super Bowl XV. At the 1979 U.S. Open, Bremen (who had a 7 handicap)

played a practice round with Wayne Levi and Jerry Pate. He returned for an encore at

the 1980 U.S. Open, where he played so poorly in a practice round that a spectator asked

the United States Golf Association how such a lousy golfer had made it through

qualifying. In 1985, Bremen played a practice round with Fred Couples, Jay Haas, and

Curtis Strange at the U.S. Open.

Interesting Fact

At the 1985 Emmy Awards in Pasadena, Bremen suddenly arose from a front-row seat

and accepted a Best Supporting Actress award from a confused Peter Graves. The

Emmy was meant for Hill Street Blues actress Betty Thomas. “Betty would like to thank

everybody for this award, especially Dick Schaap.” Bremen was arrested and fined $175

for his stunt. He later apologized to Thomas, telling her he had thought she wasn’t there

to accept the award.

Source

8. Tommy Burks

Tommy Burks was a farmer and Democratic Party politician in Tennessee, United

States. He served in the Tennessee State Senate from 1978 until his murder in

1998. Born in Cookeville, Tennessee, Burks was one of the most conservative

Democrats in the state legislature. He opposed the teaching of evolution in school

science classes, legal abortion, gambling, and a state lottery. On October 19, 1998,

Burks was assassinated by his Republican Party opponent, Byron Looper, less than a

month before his likely re-election. Looper was found guilty of shooting Burks in the

face outside his Tennessee farm.

Byron Looper is currently serving a life sentence in Morgan County Correctional

Complex. After his murder, Burks’ wife Charlotte ran for his seat and won. She did not

campaign, but defeated Looper by a landslide margin, receiving 95% of the

vote. Charlotte Burks became the first Tennessee State Senator to win as a write-in

candidate and one of few American politicians to accomplish the feat. Charlotte Burks

was reelected in 2002 and 2006 with no substantive opposition. In 2010, when

Republicans picked up many seats in the General Assembly, Burks won re-election to a

4th four-year term by a margin of just 183 votes over her Republican opponent, Gary

Steakley.

Interesting Fact

Only four U.S. senators have been assassinated in history, two of them being State

Senators. They are David Ramsay (South Carolina State Senator, 1815), Huey Long

(United States Senator from Louisiana, 1935), Robert F. Kennedy (United States Senator

from New York, 1968), and Tommy Burks (Tennessee State Senator, 1998).

Source

7. Heinrich Müller (Gestapo)

Heinrich Müller was a German police official under the Weimar Republic and Nazi

Germany. He became chief of the Gestapo, which was the political secret state police of

Nazi Germany, and was involved in the planning and execution of the

Holocaust. Heinrich was known as “Gestapo Müller” to distinguish him from another

SS general named Heinrich Müller. As Gestapo and Chief Of Operations, Müller played

a critical role in the suppression of all forms of resistance to Hitler. He was highly

involved in the Holocaust and responsible for the extermination of the Jews in

Europe. In April 1945 Gestapo Müller was among the last group of Nazi loyalists

assembled in the Führerbunker in central Berlin as the Red Army fought its way into the

city.

Müller was last seen in the bunker on the evening of May 1, 1945, the day after Hitler’s

suicide. Hans Baur, Hitler’s pilot, later quoted Müller as saying, “We know the Russian

methods exactly. I haven’t the faintest intention of being taken prisoner.” From that

day onwards, no trace of Gestapo Müller has ever been found. He is the most senior

member of the Nazi regime whose fate remains a mystery. In 2001, the Central

Intelligence Agency’s file on Müller was released under the Freedom of Information Act

and it documents several unsuccessful attempts by the U.S. to find him. The search for

Gestapo was complicated by the fact that “Heinrich Müller” is a very common German

name.

Interesting Fact

The CIA apparently remained convinced that if Müller had survived the war, he was

being harbored within the Soviet Union. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed in

1991 and their secret archives were opened, no new evidence emerged. It remains

unlikely that Müller, who was born in 1900, survived the war.

Source

6. Semir Osmanagic

Semir Osmanagic is an author, amateur archaeologist, and contractor in metalworking,

residing in Houston, United States. He is best known for promoting the Bosnian

Pyramids theory. The theory states that a collection of cluster formations near the

Bosnian town of Visoko, northwest of Sarajevo, is the largest pyramid valley on

Earth. The hill named Visocica became the focus of international attention in October

2005 following a media campaign promoting the idea that it is human-made. The 213-

meter (699 ft) Visocica hill, upon which the old town of Visoki was once stood, is shaped

like a pyramid.

In 2006, Osmanagic started a massive archeological dig at the site and his subsequent

excavations have uncovered what he claims is an entrance plateau and tunnels, as well

as stone blocks and ancient mortar which once covered the structure. Osmanagic has

named Visocica Hill the Pyramidof the Sun and two nearby hills, the Pyramid of the

Moon and the Pyramid of the Dragon. Two other structures have been identified, the

Pyramid of the Earth and the Pyramid of Love. Newspaper reports have quoted

Osmanagic as saying the pyramids were constructed by ancient Illyrian inhabitants of

the Balkans from 12,000 BC to 500 BC.

The scientific community has completely dismissed the Bosnian Pyramids theory. A

collection of prominent archeologists and historians have come forward to say that the

so-called pyramids are nothing more than natural formations with no sign of human

building. Additionally, scientists have criticized Bosnian authorities: “This scheme is a

cruel hoax on an unsuspecting public and has no place in the world of genuine

science.” The current target of the project is to complete the six-year excavation by

2012. According to Osmanagic, the date is in order to “break a cloud of negative energy,

allowing the Earth to receive cosmic energy from the center of the galaxy.”

Interesting Fact

According to Semir Osmanagic, the Bosnian pyramid complex consists of five main

structures. They are each about 1.5 miles apart, geographically forming a perfect

equilateral triangle. He says the five pyramids are connected by what is the world’s

most extensive underground tunnel network. It was also discovered that the very top of

the Pyramid of the Sun emits a continuous energy beam at a frequency of 28 kilohertz

(ultrasonic frequency) in a radius of 13 feet. Even more astonishing is that tests showed

the intensity of the focused energy beam gets stronger at higher elevations above the top

of the pyramid, this seemingly contradicts our physical laws which state that the energy

should be stronger closer to the source.

Source

5. Edwin Booth

Edwin Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout the

United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespeare. In 1869

Edwin founded Booth’s Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was modern for

its time. He was a celebrity during his day and some historians consider Edwin the

greatest American actor, and the greatest Hamlet, of the 19th century. However, he is

usually remembered today as the brother of John Wilkes Booth, the man who

assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. After John Wilkes shot President Lincoln in

April 1865, the infamy associated with the Booth name forced Edwin to abandon the

stage for many months. At the time of the assassination he was feuding with John

Wilkes and disowned his younger brother after the event, refusing to have his name

spoken.

Interesting Fact

In a bizarre coincidence, Edwin Booth saved Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert from

serious injury or even death on a train platform in Jersey City, New Jersey. The exact

date of the incident is uncertain, but it is believed to have taken place in late 1864 or

early 1865, shortly before Edwin’s brother assassinated Abraham Lincoln. The event

occurred while a group of passengers were purchasing their sleeping car places on the

train station platform. The platform was about the height of a car floor, and there was a

narrow space between the platform and the car body. As the train moved, Robert

Lincoln was pushed into the open space and Edwin grabbed him by the coat collar and

pulled him to safety. Upon turning to thank his rescuer, Robert recognized the man as

Edwin Booth, whose face was well known.

Source

4. Ricky McCormick

Ricky McCormick is a man that died in St. Charles County, Missouri. His body was

discovered on June 30, 1999. At the time of his death, Ricky had a collection of

encrypted notes in his pocket. All attempts by the FBI’s Cryptanalysis and Racketeering

Records Unit (CRRU) and the American Cryptogram Association have failed to decipher

the notes, which are listed as one of the CRRU’s top unsolved cases. On March 29, 2011,

the FBI issued an appeal for help from the public in obtaining the meaning of the

messages.

Ricky McCormick was a high school dropout who suffered from chronic heart and lung

problems. He was unemployed, on disability welfare, and 41 years old at the time of his

death. Originally, McCormick’s death was not labeled a homicide and there was no

indication that anyone had a motive to kill him. In 1999, he was not reported missing by

anyone and Ricky’s body was discovered by someone driving along a deserted field

road. News stories in 1999 did not mention anything about the cipher messages, which

were not announced until 12 years later.

Investigators believe the notes in McCormick’s pants pockets were written three days

before his death. The two notes are written in an unknown code consisting of “a jumble

of letters and numbers occasionally set off with parentheses” and are believed by

the FBI to possibly lead to those responsible for McCormick’s death. The case is bizarre

as McCormick’s death was never officially listed as a murder. The FBI’s interest in the

case after 12 years is intriguing.

Interesting Fact

According to members of his family, McCormick created encrypted notes since he was a

boy. Nobody had the ability to decipher the codes and McCormick would not speak

about them. The FBI has received a large response from the public and has set up an

extra Internet page to handle the traffic.

Source

3. Aristotle Onassis

Aristotle Onassis was a prominent Greek shipping magnate. He was born in Karatass, a

suburb of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey) to Socrates and Penelope Onassis. During his

lifetime, Onassis was involved in a wide variety of business operations, including the

exportation of tobacco and whaling. On October 20, 1968, he married Jacqueline

Kennedy, widow of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. It was reported that Onassis

offered Mrs. Kennedy $3 million (US) for herself and $1m for each son in return for

marriage. After Onassis’ death, Jacqueline would receive $150,000 each year for the

rest of her life.

A large collection of rumors exist surrounding the life of Aristotle Onassis. The

Gemstone File is a series of documents by American writer Bruce Porter Roberts (1919–

1976). The series claims that suppressed information has played a major role in shaping

world events since the 1950’s. The documents propose that Aristotle Onassis, Joseph P.

Kennedy, and other prominent figures were involved in various schemes to forward a

vast global conspiracy, involving the Mafia and corrupt politicians, oil and drug cartels,

and rogue military operations. It posits that early in 1957, Aristotle Onassis had Howard

Hughes kidnapped from his Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow and Hughes suffered a

massive brain injury during the event.

The papers claim that Hughes was subsequently made a virtual prisoner by Onassis on

Skorpios Island and was regularly injected with morphine. Meanwhile, Onassis took

over the operation of his financial affairs, including airlines and U.S. defense

contracts. One controversial aspect of the Gemstone File is the accusation that Aristotle

Onassis was the man behind the election of John F. Kennedy as President, and

subsequently, Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. According to Bruce Roberts’ Gemstone

papers, Lee Harvey Oswald was a participant in the JFK assassination plan. He was

linked to the Central Intelligence Agency and Mafia connections in New

Orleans. However, his role was that of a patsy. The Gemstone File names Jimmy

Fratianno, Johnny Roselli, and Eugene Brading as the real shooters.

Interesting Fact

When Robert F. Kennedy decided to run for the Presidency in 1968, the Gemstone

papers say that Aristotle Onassis had him murdered. A man named Sirhan Sirhan was

allegedly hypnotized and set up to be the shooter. However, Sirhan’s shots missed the

senator. According to the documents, the real shooter was Thane Cesar, a security

guard at the scene.

Source

2. Leo Major

Corporal Leo Major was a Canadian soldier in the Regiment de la Chaudiere in World

War II. He is the only Canadian in the British Commonwealth to have been awarded the

Distinguished Conduct Medal twice, and the only Allied soldier to be awarded two

DCMs in two different wars (World War II and Korea). The story of his

accomplishments is impressive. During a reconnaissance mission on D-Day, Leo Major

captured a German armored vehicle by himself. The vehicle contained German

communication equipment and secret German Army codes that were valuable to the

Allied attack. Days later, Leo killed four German soldiers in an ambush. During the

event one of the Nazis managed to ignite a phosphorus grenade and Major lost one of

his eyes. Despite strict orders, he refused to be evacuated.

In the summer of 1944, Major single-handedly captured 93 German soldiers during the

Battle of the Scheldt in southern Holland. In February 1945, he was involved in an

accident when a military carrier he was traveling in got struck by a tank mine. Major

claimed to remember a loud blast followed by his body being thrown into the air and

smashed down on his back. He broke his back in three places, shattered both ankles,

and four ribs. A week later Major left the hospital and soon joined up with his old

command. In 1945, Leo Major played a large role in the liberation of the city of Zwolle,

Netherlands from Nazi control. He also fought in the Korean War, where Major won

another Distinguished Conduct Medal for capturing and holding a key hill (Hill 355).

Interesting Fact

Leo Major died in 2008, but he is still remembered as a hero by Canadians, Dutch, and

pretty much anybody who can appreciate a war hero. Today, Major’s military unit offers

a yearly award in his honor to the toughest company in the regiment. The people of

Zwolle continue to teach the story of Leo Major in their public school curriculum.

Source

1. Henry Darger

Henry Darger was a reclusive American writer and artist who worked as a custodian in

Chicago, Illinois. Darger’s work has become one of the most celebrated examples of

outsider art, as he was self-educated and did not achieve notoriety until after his

death. Henry has become famous for his posthumously-discovered 15,145-page, single-

spaced fantasy manuscript called The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is known as the

Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child

Slave Rebellion, along with several hundred drawings and watercolor paintings

illustrating the story.

Darger’s work contains many religious themes. The Realms of the Unreal is about a

large planet around which Earth orbits as a moon and where most people are Christian

(mostly Catholic). The majority of the story concerns the adventures of the daughters of

Robert Vivian, who are seven sisters and princesses of the Christian nation of

Abbieannia and who assist in a daring rebellion against the evil John Manley’s regime of

child slavery imposed by the Glandelinians. The book took Darger over six decades to

complete and extends over 15 immense, densely-typed volumes of 15,145 total pages.

In addition, Henry Darger wrote an eight volume, 5,084-page autobiography

entitled The History of my Life. He wrote a 10-year daily weather journal, assorted

diaries, and a second work of fiction provisionally titled Crazy House. Darger is well

known for his watercolor paintings and drawings. Despite his unusual lifestyle and

strange behavior, Henry is not generally considered to have been mentally ill. His

behavior was erratic and greatly depressed. In the last entry of his diary, before his

April 1973 death (at the age of 81 years) Darger wrote: “I had a very poor nothing like

Christmas. Never had a good Christmas all my life, or a good new year.”

Interesting Fact

Darger’s work is among the highest-priced of any self-taught artist. In 2001, The

American Folk Art Museum in New York City opened a Henry Darger Study Center. His

art now commands upwards of $80,000 per drawing.

Source

Related Top 10 Lists:

Top 10 Pioneers Of The Internet

IIama in Times Square, New York – Write a Caption Contest

Top 10 Asteroid Impacts On Earth

Top 10 Strangest Musical Instruments

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Chess

147

Prev: Top 10 Bank Robberies of the 21st Century | Next: Top 10 Most World Famous

Canadians

POSTED BY BRYAN JOHNSON ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 AT 12:01 AM

FILED UNDER ALL, HISTORY, IPHONE

Joker's Whereabouts Discovered During 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Kristen Stewart Won't Be Invited Back For Snow White Sequel

10 Technologies You Won’t Believe Got Banned By Governments

Top 10 Most Paused Movie Moments

12 Now Famous People You Didn't Know Were in Movies You've Seen

14 Awesome Star Wars Shirts

The 10 Biggest Movie Mistakes

The 11 Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers

John Mayer's Hologram

Demi Moore Has A New Young Boyfriend

Worst Baseball Stadium Entertainment?

Requiem For Breaking Bad

Girl Brags About Selling Girl Scout

Cookies , Then...(Ouch)

10 Surprising Facts

About Google

15 Popular Internet

Image Memes Explained

Help Me Out Here!

Comments

17 Responses to “Top 10 Strange, Interesting, and Unique Biographies”

1. Peter Boucher says:

February 20, 2012 at 3:14 pm

Here is a good one. Ferdinand “Fred” Demara, (b. December 21, 1921 – d. June 7,

1982). He posed as a Benedictine Monk, A Priest, A Prison Warden, A Teacher, An

Editor, A Cancer Researcher and a Military Surgeon. He wrote his autobiography and it

soon became a movie entitled “The Great Imposter” starring Tony Curtis.

Reply

2. Peter Boucher says:

February 20, 2012 at 3:19 pm

I would like to add Ferdinand “Fred” Demara (b. December 21, 1921 d. June 7, 1982).

Fred posed as an impersonator of a Benedictine Monk, A Priest, A Prison Warden, A

Teacher, A Newspaper Editor, A Cancer Researcher and a Military Surgeon. He wrote

his Autobiography which then became a movie entitled “The Great Imposter” starring

Tony Curtis as Fred.

Reply

3. BryanJ says:

February 20, 2012 at 4:48 pm

Albert Ostman

Albert Ostman was a Canadian prospector who was supposedly abducted by a

Sasquatch and held captive for six days. The event took place near Toba Inlet, British

Columbia in 1924. He did not tell the story until 1957.

In 1924, Albert Ostman went on vacation to Toba Inlet near Powell River, British

Columbia. He was searching for a lost gold mine located around the area. As Ostman

lay asleep one evening a Sasquatch purportedly picked him up and carried him off

while he was in his sleeping bag. Ostman was carried in his sleeping bag across country

for 3 hours by the Sasquatch. The Sasquatch dropped Ostman down on a plateau.

Standing around him was a family of 4 of the creatures.

Albert was kept captive by the Sasquatch. The captors were 3 adults and a child which

held Ostman captive for six days. One of the Bigfoots was reported as being 8 feet tall.

Ostman did not use his gun on them as they had done him no harm. He stayed with the

Bigfoot family for a week. Ostman ate “sweet tasting grass” that they gave him.

According to Ostman the female Sasquatch washed and stacked leaves. Albert escaped

by making the large male Sasquatch groggy by feeding him some snuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ostman

Reply

4. BryanJ says:

February 20, 2012 at 4:58 pm

Seth Kinman (1815-1888)

Seth Kinman was an early settler of Humboldt County, California. He was a master

hunter and famous chair maker. He stood over 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and was known for his

hunting prowess and his brutality toward bears and Indians. Kinman claimed to have

shot a total of over 800 grizzly bears, and, in a single month, over 50 elk. He was also a

hotel keeper, barkeeper, and a musician who performed for President Lincoln on a

fiddle made from the skull of a mule.

Known for his publicity seeking, Kinman appeared as a stereotypical mountain man

dressed in buckskins on the U.S. east coast and selling cartes de visites of himself and

his famous chairs. The chairs were made from elkhorns and grizzly bear skins and given

to U.S. Presidents. Presidents so honored include James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln,

Andrew Johnson, and Rutherford Hayes. Kinman may have had a special relationship

with President Lincoln, appearing in at least two of Lincoln’s funeral corteges, and

claiming to have witnessed Lincoln’s assassination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Kinman

Reply

5. Dennis says:

February 20, 2012 at 5:52 pm

One of the best lists-Extremely interesting and well done.

Reply

6. Bast says:

February 20, 2012 at 11:29 pm

Great list!

Reply

7. Meee says:

February 21, 2012 at 1:28 pm

Awesome list. I don’t know about the others, but they could have done more research

for Leo Major, it seems he just read the badass of the week article. It is hard to find new

information on him, but it only gets more insane as you dig things up. I believe that the

at the time he lost his eye, he was fighting eight German SS soldiers. And he didn’t just

play a large role in the liberation of Zwolle, he is THE liberator. When his friend Willie

Arsenault was killed outside of Zwolle while Leo and him were on a recce mission, Leo

pretty much went berserk. He strapped 3 machine guns to his back, grabbed a sack of

grenades, and ran around ambushing patrols, setting fires, and creating explosions. He

attacked the SS HQ and burned down the Gestapo HQ. Most sources say he captured

80-100 German soldiers throughout the night, but it is possible he could have captured

around 150. He created so much noise that the Germans thought they were being

attacked by a giant force, and they retreated from the city. Remember, Zwolle is a

provincial capital city, with about 50,000 citizens and 1000 German soldiers occupying

it at the time.

And the hill he captured in Korea… it seems just as impressive to me as his liberation of

Zwolle. 10,000 American soldiers had to retreat from the hill from 40,000 Chinese

soldiers. They tried retaking the hill but failed. So they sent Leo, leading his team of 20

French-Canadians. When they recaptured the hill, they were counter-attacked by

14,000 Chinese soldiers for 3 days until reinforcements arrived. Major had been told to

retreat but he refused and held his ground. He just died in 2008.

Sorry for the rant lol, but Leo Major simply amazes me.

Reply

8. Peter Boucher says:

February 22, 2012 at 3:48 pm

I have had a very big interest upon the Kennedy Conspiracies since I was a teen. No.3,

Aristotle Onassis is a very big surprise to me, but when it comes to the theories of JFK

and RFK being assassinated, It really doesn’t surprise me. But offering Jackie O $3

million dollars to marry him ? I find that to be chauvinistic and very pigheaded, then

again, Jackie O wasn’t the most approachable person as well and I am sure there may

be some conspiracies about her as well.

Reply

o Dennis says:

February 22, 2012 at 5:00 pm

I don’t know why she married Ari but it probablty was the power thing because three

million dollars would have been walking around change for Jackie–Her

father,Blackjack Bouvier, had more money than the Kennedys and her sister was

married to royalty.

Reply

9. BryanJ says:

February 23, 2012 at 2:20 am

J. D. Tippit (1924-1963)

J. D. Tippit was a police officer with the Dallas Police Department who, according to

two government investigations was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald 45 minutes

after he assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Oswald’s initial arrest was for Tippit’s

murder, not Kennedy’s.

15 minutes after JFK was assassinated, J.D. Tippit received a radio order to move into

the central Oak Cliff area of Dallas. At approximately 1:11–1:14 p.m., Tippit pulled

alongside Lee Harvey Oswald who was walking on East 10th Street in Oak Cliff.

Oswald walked over to Tippit’s car and apparently exchanged words with him through

the open vent window. Tippit opened the door and started to walk around the front of

his car. As he reached the front wheel on the driver’s side, Oswald drew a .38 Special

Smith & Wesson Victory revolver and fired four shots in rapid succession, hitting Tippit

three times in the chest. He then walked up to Tippit’s fallen body and shot him directly

in the head, fatally wounding him.

Since the Warren Commission Report was published in 1964, some researchers have

uncovered evidence and witness testimony that calls into question some of the

Commission conclusions regarding Tippit’s murder. Some of this evidence indicates

that Oswald may have had an accomplice in the killing, or that possibly Tippit was

killed by an assailant other than Oswald.

Reply

10. BryanJ says:

February 23, 2012 at 2:23 am

Park Young Seok (1963-2011)

Park Young-Seok was a South Korean mountaineer. He is the first person in the world

to complete the True Adventure Grand Slam. During his lifetime, Seok climbed the

world’s 14 Eight-thousanders, the Seven Summits, and visited both poles. He holds the

Guinness World Record for climbing six of the 8,000-meter Himalayan peaks within

one year, and another record for reaching the South Pole on foot in 44 days, self-

sufficient and without any food re-supplies.

He climbed Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri,

Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, and

Shishapangma.

Park went missing on October 23, 2011 while attempting a new route on Annapurna.

His team decided to abort the climb at around 6400 meters due to heavy rock fall and

went missing during the descent. Despite a dangerous and daring rescue operation to

find the climbers, no signs were found. The Korean Alpine Federation called off the

rescue operation for Park and his team on October 28, 2011. He leaves behind a wife

and two sons.

Richard C. Weaver

Richard C. Weaver is a Californian man known by the nickname “Handshake Man.”

Weaver has earned notoriety for frequently bypassing the US Secret Service and

shaking the hand of the United States President. Weaver claims to have shaken the

hand of four US Presidents after Jimmy Carter. However, with little evidence of such

events, it is unknown if these instances actually occurred.

One event occurred at the 1997 inauguration of Bill Clinton where Weaver managed to

shake Clinton’s hand. The incident led the Secret Service to prepare for his return in

2001. However, in 2001 Weaver was able to bypass security and meet the recently

inaugurated George W. Bush. During the event, Weaver handed George W. bush a coin.

The Capitol Police took the matter seriously as a breach of security.

Weaver says the handshakes are used as a way of passing “notes from God” to the

presidents. According to his site, Weaver is a born-again Christian who believes that

God has directly spoken to him and calls himself a “modern day prophet.” On February

6, 2003 Weaver attended the National Prayer Breakfast meeting and was able to hand

Bush an eight page typed letter about Iraq “from God.” In 2005, Weaver was arrested

on an outstanding warrant related to this event. In late 2008, Weaver stated that he

would not attempt to shake Barack Obama’s hand and has not yet done so.

Reply

11. BryanJ says:

February 25, 2012 at 11:03 pm

Aleksandr Karelin

Aleksandr Karelin is a Hero of the Russian Federation. He was a dominant Greco-

Roman wrestler for the Soviet Union and Russia. Karelin is generally considered the

greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. He was born as a 5.5 kg (12 lb) baby and

went undefeated in international competition (spanning from 1987 to 2000). After

going 13 years undefeated and six years without giving up a point, he lost to American

Rulon Gardner in the gold-medal match at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Karelin was revered for his extraordinary strength and is perhaps the strongest human

to ever compete in athletic competition (pound for pound). He competed at the heaviest

weight class of his day, 130 kg (286 lb). He was 6-feet-3 1/4 inches tall. Karelin’s

conditioning and quickness combined with his dominance of the sport, led to him being

known as “The Experiment.” When asked why he thought he was called that, Karelin

noted that others don’t understand because “I train every day of my life as they have

never trained a day in theirs.” When asked for a reply, the reported just shook his head.

Reply

o Peter Boucher says:

February 26, 2012 at 1:48 am

Aleksandr Karelin was one imposing figure and I did see the match on TV pitting him

and American Rulon Gardner. Its really too bad what happened to Rulon when he

endured his snowmobile “accident” in which some of his toes had to be amputated due

to frost-bite. But you have written a very good synopsis of the man known as “The

Experiment” Its mind blowing to think that he never lost in 13 years, but even more so

never giving up a point in 6 years. Kudos to you, my friend.

Reply

12. BryanJ says:

February 25, 2012 at 11:04 pm

Phoenix Jones

Phoenix Jones is the leader of a ten-member citizen crime-prevention patrol group who

call themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement, operating out of Seattle and

Lynnwood, Washington. In a CBS news broadcast, Jones was shown entering a back

room of an unnamed comic book store in which he changed into a costume which

consists of a Dragon Skin bulletproof vest and stab plating, as well as equipment

including a stun baton, pepper spray or tear gas, handcuffs, and a first aid kit.

Jones says that all members of the Rain City Superhero Movement have a military or

mixed martial arts background. He does not condone other people dressing up and

fighting crime. On Sunday, January 2, 2011, in Lynnwood, Phoenix Jones stopped and

chased away a car thief as the car owner stood by in shock. On September 24, 2011, in

the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Phoenix Jones doused a man with pepper spray

after he attempted to steal a bus.

In another incident, Phoenix Jones came to the defense of a potential fight victim. In

their report, the police called it a case of “questionable use of pepper spray”, but the

victim later told the Seattle Times that Jones was indeed a hero who had saved him

from “a potential beat-down.” On November 27, 2011, near the Belltown neighborhood

of Seattle, Phoenix Jones and crew followed a man accused of stabbing another man.

They prevented the attacker from fleeing until the Seattle police arrived.

On December 30, 2011, in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Phoenix Jones and his

crew provided police with valuable evidence on a New Years Eve shooting. When asked

if he would have someone arrested for smoking marijuana, Jones said he considered it

a low priority, and that he has no problem with people using drugs, but wants drug

dealers to “sell somewhere else.” In reality, Phoenix Jones is a man named Ben Fodor.

Benjamin Fodor holds an 11-0-0 record in unsanctioned amateur mixed martial arts

fights and a 4-0-0 professional fight record.

Reply

13. BryanJ says:

February 25, 2012 at 11:06 pm

Candace Newmaker (1989-2000)

Candace Newmaker was a victim of child abuse, killed during a 70-minute attachment

therapy session. The treatment used during the session included a rebirthing script, in

which Candace was suffocated to death. In April of 2000, Candace and Jeane

Newmaker traveled to Evergreen, Colorado for a $7,000 two-week “intensive” session

of Attachment Therapy with Connell Watkins.

Following the script for that day’s treatment, Candace was wrapped in a flannel sheet to

simulate a womb and told to extricate herself from it, with the apparent expectation

that the experience would help her “attach” to her adoptive mother. While being told to

free herself, four adults used their hands, feet, and large pillows to resist all her

attempts to free herself. She complained, pleaded, and even screamed for help and air.

In a recorded script of the events, Candace stated several times during the session that

she was dying.

Forty minutes into the session, Jeane asked Candace “Baby, do you want to be born?”

Candace faintly responded “no,” this would be her last word. A year later, Watkins and

Ponder were tried and convicted of reckless child abuse resulting in death and received

16-year prison sentences. Watkins was paroled in June, 2008, under “intense

supervision” with restrictions on contact with children or counseling work, having

served approximately 7 years of her 16-year sentence.

Reply

o joey says:

June 8, 2012 at 6:23 pm

man, i just got really ticked off reading this

Reply

14. BryanJ says:

February 25, 2012 at 11:07 pm

Eugen Weidmann (1908-1939)

Eugen Weidmann was the last person to be publicly executed in France. In 1937, he

decided to murder and kidnap rich tourists visiting France to steal their money. The

murder trial of Weidmann, Million, Blanc and Tricot in Versailles in March 1939 was

the biggest since that of Henri Désiré Landru, the modern-day “Bluebeard”, 18 years

earlier. On June 17, 1939, Weidmann was beheaded outside the prison Saint-Pierre in

Versailles.

The “hysterical behavior” by spectators was so scandalous that French president Albert

Lebrun immediately banned all future public executions. Unknown to authorities, film

of the execution was shot from a private apartment adjacent to the prison. British actor

Christopher Lee, who was 17 at the time, witnessed this event. Executions by guillotine

in France continued in private until September 10, 1977, when Hamida Djandoubi was

the last person to be executed.

Read more: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-strange-interesting-and-unique-

biographies.php#ixzz23cB0NjTn

Read more at http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-strange-interesting-and-unique-

biographies.php#t0cPPSKlyobTQyjy.99