10 Most Disturbing True Stories in History

Top 10 Most Disturbing True Stories in History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Disturbing True Stories in History.

For this list, we’ll be looking at creepy, haunting and downright bizarre tales from throughout human history. Before proceeding, keep in mind that many of the stories on this list will deal with violence, gore and death, so please consider this your content warning.

What is the most horrifying true story you’ve ever heard? Be sure to share with us in the comments below.

#10: Villisca Axe Murder House

While this wasn’t the most famous disaster of 1912, it is the most disturbing. On the morning of June 10, 1912, Mary Peckham of Villisca, Iowa, noticed that her neighbors, the Moore family, had not yet come out of their house to do their morning chores. She and Josiah Moore’s brother Ross investigated the Moore home, only to discover that the two parents, four children and two young guests had been murdered. The grisly crime attracted nationwide attention, even taking over newspaper headlines. Although there were several suspects connected to the murders, the crime ultimately remains unsolved more than a century later.

#9: British Pet Massacre

There is no shortage of horrifying tales related to World War II, but one of the worst started before the war even broke out. In preparation for food shortages during the upcoming war, the British government distributed pamphlets titled “Advice to Animal Owners” to the public. The pamphlet suggested that pets should be moved to the countryside if possible. Of course, this option was not feasible for everyone, and the pamphlet encouraged owners to “humanely destroy” their pets if necessary. It even had an advertisement for a pistol that could be used for the task. Within a week, approximately 750,000 pets were euthanized. We’re definitely going to hug our fur babies extra tight tonight.

#8: The Tucker Telephone Device

It’s no secret that the US justice system needs a major overhaul, but at least this horrifying practice is no longer in place. In the 1960s, the Tucker Telephone was invented by A.E. Rollins. The resident physician at a prison farm in Arkansas, Rollins transformed a crank phone into a powerful torture device. Inmates at the prison were attached to the telephone, which would shoot electrical currents through their bodies. The sessions lasted until the inmates were on the edge of losing consciousness and caused irreversible damage to organs and mental health. Although the device’s use was discontinued in 1968, its effects remained with its victims for the rest of their lives.

#7: The Life of Locusta

Considered by some to be the first recorded serial killer in history, this notorious poisons expert was a favorite weapon among Roman emperors and empresses. Locusta’s reputation for being a skilled poisoner landed her in prison by the year AD 54. While she was imprisoned, the empress Agrippina the Younger allegedly recruited Locusta to help her poison her husband. Agrippina’s son Nero, who was notorious for his cruelty, tortured and threatened Locusta until she gave him poison to help him secure his place as emperor. Nero later released Locusta from prison and gifted her with an estate and a horde of students. Locusta was ultimately executed by Nero’s successor Galba.

#6: Attack of the Dead Men

World War I was filled with nightmarish stories of human brutality, especially when it came to chemical warfare, but this one is hands down the most disturbing. During this 1915 battle between German and Russian troops, the German forces bombarded the Russian soldiers with chlorine and bromine. These poisonous gasses devastated the Russian troops, burning their skin and causing them to cough up blood. Nevertheless, the Russian soldiers marched forward, determined to continue fighting the army that had poisoned them. Their gruesome appearance terrified the German troops, who believed they were being attacked by zombies and subsequently fled from them.

#5: The Imprisonment of Elisabeth Fritzl

We’ve discussed some absolutely evil people throughout this video, but this story shows the darkest depravity of mankind. In 1984, eighteen-year-old Elisabeth Fritzl disappeared without a trace. Weeks later, her mother Rosemarie received a letter from Elisabeth where she claimed to have run away. However, Elisabeth was trapped in the Fritzl home, held captive in a basement chamber by her own father Josef for more than two decades. The monstrous Josef assaulted his daughter, forcing her to give birth seven times. Josef stole three of the children and claimed they had been dropped off at the Fritzl doorstep. Elisabeth was finally able to escape in 2008, and Josef is serving a life sentence.

#4: Operation Wandering Soul

War brings out the worst in people, and this particular effort definitely highlights that horror. During the Vietnam War, the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion of the United States Army psychologically tortured the Việt Cộng forces by broadcasting sounds of dying soldiers. Like many cultures around the world, Vietnamese culture calls for proper burials to allow souls to move on and prevent hauntings. The sounds of the dying soldiers echoing throughout the jungle terrified the Việt Cộng forces, who believed they were being haunted by the souls of their fallen comrades. The ghost tape not only caused psychological damage but led to many defections from the Việt Cộng.

#3: Joan of Arc & Gilles de Rais

In both religion and history, Joan of Arc is remembered as a hero and a symbol of unwavering faith and courage. However, one of her top companions-in-arms, Gilles de Rais, is remembered as a monster. Despite fighting alongside the virtuous Joan of Arc, de Rais led a wicked life after the saint was burned at the stake in 1431. The following year, de Rais began psychologically torturing, assaulting, murdering and mutilating children in horribly gruesome ways. De Rais was arrested in 1440 and executed shortly thereafter. It is suspected he committed between 100 and 200 murders, but some estimates go as high as more than 600 victims.

#2: Buried Alive

Nowadays, we are lucky enough to have medical advancements and testing to determine whether or not a person has actually passed away and usually be right about it. However, in the past, people did not always have access to means to ensure a body was actually unoccupied before burial. Because of this, many people were buried alive, usually as the result of a condition called catalepsy, which renders patients rigid and unresponsive. In the 1800s, there were numerous reports of people accidentally being buried alive, only to be discovered too late. Even as recently as 2020, patients have been taken as far as the funeral home before their still-alive state was discovered.

#1: Mount Vesuvius

The AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius is well known, but scientists and historians have recently uncovered the true horrors the volcano’s victims faced. Although Pompeii is the most famous, it was far from the only town impacted by the disaster. Herculaneum was located only a few miles from the volcano and was in the direct path of its hot lava and gas. Mount Vesuvius perfectly preserved the skeletons of its victims in Herculaneum, allowing scientists to study their bodies in detail. The heat from the eruption caused people’s blood to boil, flesh to melt and, maybe most horrifying of all, skulls to explode. Although they perished within seconds, the image alone is disturbing enough to keep us awake at night.