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Gabija Palšytė

50 Of The Creepiest Photos Ever Taken In History, As Shared On This X Account

Context is everything. Without it, some seemingly innocent images might not even make you do a double-take. But when you know more about what’s pictured, your reaction can be completely different. Raw. Visceral. Full of fear. On the other hand, some photos ooze evil and immediately turn on our fight or flight (or freeze or fawn) response.
Today, we’re featuring some of the creepiest photos ever taken, as shared on the immensely popular @fasc1nate account on X, formerly Twitter. Scroll down to take a peek at them, and be sure to share your thoughts on the photos in the comments at the bottom of this post.
Warning: this list is not for the faint of heart, as some topics are very sensitive.

#1 The Haunting Look Of An 18-Year-Old Russian Girl After Being Liberated From Dachau, April 29, 1945

Image credits: historydefined.net

#2 Motel Manager James Brock Pours Muriatic Acid In The Monson Motor Lodge Pool To Evict Black Swimmers, 1964

Image credits: historydefined.net

#3 The Nuclear Shadows Of Hiroshima

Image credits: fasc1nate

The BBC notes that even some objectively ordinary things (e.g., dolls, clowns, mannequins) can have creepy connotations

According to Dr. Coltan Scrivner, a behavioral scientist and horror expert, the feeling of creepiness is something that almost anybody can resonate with. “If you say you’re creeped out, most people will know exactly what you mean.” It’s incredibly relatable.

#4 In 1907, A British Sailor Is Seen Unshackling An Enslaved Man Who Had Been Chained For Three Years

Image credits: historydefined.net

#5 British Pows After Their Release From Japanese Captivity In Singapore, 1945

Image credits: historydefined.net

#6 The Start Of The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Image credits: fasc1nate

Research shows that creepy things tend to be ambiguously threatening. A 2015 study into the psychological nature of creepiness found that it might arise in the gray area where things might or might not be dangerous.

Many people find things like mannequins, dolls, and clowns to be particularly creepy. They feel that these (objectively innocent) things have an underlying current of malevolence.

#7 Survivors From The 87th Floor Of The World Trade Center (North Tower) Wandering In The Dust After The Collapse Of The South Tower – New York City, September 11, 2001

Image credits: historydefined.net

#8 Child Patients Sit Bound And Tied To A Radiator Inside The Psychiatric Hospital In Deir El Qamar, Lebanon In 1982

Image credits: historydefined.net

#9 A Pod That Allows A User To Take Their Own Life. At The Push Of A Button, The Pod Would Fill With Nitrogen Gas, Rapidly Lowering Oxygen Levels

Image credits: historydefined.net

Dr. Scrivener told BBC Bitesize that in real life, clowns paint on smiles, but on TV, dangerous clowns often paint on frowns. “This sends mixed ideas about whether they’re actually safe,” the scientist explained.

Meanwhile, clowns, dolls, and mannequins can scare some folks because of the uncanny valley phenomenon. In short, it’s related to how people feel uncomfortable when they see something that looks almost like a human being… but not quite.

#10 A Chinese Woman Whose Feet Were Bound From Childhood, Late 1800s

Image credits: historydefined.net

#11 The Last Photo Taken By Bill Biggart, The Only Journalist Who Lost His Life. Covering 9/11

Image credits: historydefined.net

#12 Coal Miners Returning From The Depths After A Days Work, Belgium, C. 1900

Image credits: historydefined.net

It’s not just people, creatures, and things that can scare us. Landscapes, like lonely forest roads, can unsettle us as well. “Humans are social creatures so if you’re out by yourself and you see no one is there, it’s a great question to ask, ‘Why is nobody else here? Is there something wrong with this place? Is it dangerous?’” Dr. Scrivner said.

#13 The Last Moments Of A Man Who Jumped In A Tiger Enclosure, 2014

Image credits: fasc1nate

#14 Photograph Of Ted Bundy Having Fun With Kids In His Neighborhood

Image credits: fasc1nate

#15 Acute Radiation Sickness, Photos Taken In A Specialized Clinic, Soviet Union, After The Chernobyl Disaster Of April 26, 1986

Image credits:

Music, sounds, and silence can have a similar effect. However, context is vital here. “When a door creaks open that’s only creepy when you’re by yourself. It signals that something or someone may be pushing it slowly,” the scientist pointed out.

Alternatively, in a house full of people you know, a poorly-oiled door would be a minor annoyance at worst. Why? Because you feel safe and at ease.

#16 The Last Photo Before The Dyatlov Pass Incident

Image credits: fasc1nate

#17 Josie (6 Years Old), Bertha (6 Years Old) And Sophie (10 Years Old) Worked Regularly At The Maggioni Canning Company

Image credits: historydefined.net

#18 A Photograph From 2019 Shows Two Colombian Soldiers Giving A Final Salute As They Free Fall. The Rope That Was Carrying Them Suddenly Broke During An Airshow

Image credits: historydefined.net

The viral thread, created by the curators running the @fasc1nate account, was immensely success, at least as far as internet fame is concerned. It caught a lot of people’s attention. At the time of writing, the post was viewed a whopping 2 million times.

#19 A Photo Of A Possibly Shell-Shocked Soldier During Wwi

Image credits: historydefined.net

#20 Halloween During The 1930s

Image credits: fasc1nate

#21 Alison Parker, A Young Journalist, Met A Tragic End During A Live Television Broadcast In 2015

While conducting an interview, she and her cameraman, Adam Ward, became the targets of a former coworker, who shot them. The image shown here captures a moment from that last interview.

Image credits: historydefined.net

Unusual, bizarre, and even macabre content can captivate a lot of people because it touches on taboo topics. People tend to have a strange fascination with figuring out the mystery behind strange and even uncomfortable content, whether that’s photos, videos, or stories.

#22 This Photo Captures 28-Year-Old Marcy Borders, A Bank Of America Employee At The World Trade Center As She Takes Shelter In An Adjacent Office Building Following The Collapse Of The South Tower

Image credits: historydefined.net

#23 This X-Ray Reveals A Tear Gas Canister That Was Fatally Embedded In A Protester’s Brain During Anti-Government Protests In Iraq In 2019

Image credits: historydefined.net

#24 A Photo Taken Shortly Before A Huge Wave Hit The Shore During The Devastating 2004 Tsunami

Image credits: historydefined.net

The @fasc1nate account itself is very widely known on X. It’s followed by a jaw-dropping 3.3 million users. It has amassed this large following over more than 11 years of posting since its inception in 2013. The account is part of the wider ‘History Defined’ internet and social media project.

#25 A Doll With Two Faces

Image credits: fasc1nate

#26 A Mickey Mouse Gas Mask For Children During Ww2, 1942

Image credits: fasc1nate

#27 The Mask Worn By Dennis Rader (Btk) When Carrying Out His Attacks

Image credits: fasc1nate

Which of the photos featured in this list creeped you out the most, Pandas? What is the most frightening thing you’ve ever experienced in person? Would you have been creeped out by some of these images if you didn't know the context behind them?

If you’re not too spooked out, share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

#28 Jean Libbera, Aka “The Double-Bodied Man,” Had His Parasitic Brother, Jacques Libbera, Connected To Him From His Chest-Stomach Area

Image credits: historydefined.net

#29 A Female Omothymus Spider In Malaysia

Image credits: fasc1nate

#30 Btk Killer Takes A Photo With His Daughter

Image credits: fasc1nate

#31 Princess Diana Her Bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones And Driver Henri Paul Shortly Before The Fatal Crash

Image credits: historydefined.net

#32 A Tunnel Rat Explores A Hole Between “Floors” Of A Viet Cong Tunnel System

hese changes in elevation were among the most dangerous situations for tunnel rats because they could not ensure no traps or enemies were present before going through

Image credits: historydefined.net

#33 An X-Ray Of The Pelvis Of Albert Fish Reveals Needles He Had Inserted Into His Pelvic Area For Pleasure

Image credits: historydefined.net

#34 The Modern Remains Of A Kindergarten Classroom After The Chernobyl Disaster

Image credits: fasc1nate

#35 Richard Ramirez In Court

Image credits: fasc1nate

#36 Photo Of Jeffrey Dahmer At High School With A Fellow Student

Image credits: fasc1nate

#37 Taken At The Michigan Carbon Works Factory In Rougeville, The Pile Of Bison Skulls In This Photo Was Slated To Be Processed And Used In Making Products Like Bone Glue, Fertilizer, Bone Ash, Bone Char, And Bone Charcoal

Image credits: historydefined.net

#38 Unidentified, The Picture Is Believed To Have Been Taken By Rodney Alcala, Serial Killer And Sex Offender

He had a collection of pictures of many anonymous people, some of whom were his victims. It is not known who this woman is or if she is alive

Image credits: historydefined.net

#39 A Baseball Team Of Prisoners Whose Executions Were Delayed Only As Long As They Kept Winning, C. 1910

Image credits: historydefined.net

#40 De Beer Mine Worker Is X-Rayed At The End Of His Shift Before Leaving The Diamond Mines. In Kimberley, South Africa, October 1954

Image credits: historydefined.net

#41 A Photo Of Clowns Found At An Abandoned Old Folks Home

Image credits: fasc1nate

#42 A Trapper Boy, One Mile Inside A Mine In West Virginia, 1908

Image credits: historydefined.net

#43 Police Excavate The Backyard Of Gary Ridgeway

Image credits: fasc1nate

#44 Magician Joe Burrus Is Lowered To A “Grave” In A Casket As He Prepares To Perform A Stunt. Burrus Passed Away After The Casket Collapsed Under The Weight Of The Concrete Poured On Top Of It

Image credits: historydefined.net

#45 A Japanese Soldier Wades Into The Sea Off Cape Endaiadere, New Guinea, With A Grenade Against His Head Moments Before It Goes Off, Defying An Australian Soldier Calling On Him To Surrender, December 18, 1942

Image credits: historydefined.net

#46 Picture Of A Man With Schizophrenia Before And After His Lobotomy

Image credits: historydefined.net

#47 The Last Security Footage Of 17-Year-Old Kendrick Johnson Walking Inside The Gym Of His High School On January 10, 2013. The Following Day, His Body Was Found Rolled Up In A Gym Mat

Image credits: historydefined.net

#48 A Drawing Of Ed Gein Done By John Wayne Gacy

Image credits: fasc1nate

#49 Ted Bundy’s Yearbook Photo From 1965

Image credits: fasc1nate

#50 Btk Decorates A Christmas Tree With His Daughter

Image credits: fasc1nate

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