Best Ghost Photographs

While trying to decide which ghost photos are the “best” is largely an exercise in subjectivity, it’s difficult to know which ones are the best with any degree of objectivity. These are the photos I consider the most authentic “captures” of ghosts ever caught on film, but I leave it to you to decide for yourself how real they may be. Of course, I realize that almost any photo can be hoaxed, but many of these were taken many years or even decades before digital cameras and the advent of Photoshop and other photo manipulation software came on the scene, making them somewhat more difficult to fake than it would be today.


10. The Queensland Photo, 1946

Taken in 1946 in Queensland, Australia by a mother who was taking a picture of her teenage daughter’s grave. Nobody was in sight at the time, but when the picture was processed the image of a child appeared, apparently sitting on the grave. The mother does not recognize the child, thereby reducing (though not entirely eliminating) the possibility that it’s a double exposure.


9. The S.S. Watertown Faces, 1924

This famous photo taken in 1924 apparently shows the faces of two recently deceased crewmen appearing in the waves alongside the merchant ship S.S. Watertown. Normally I’m not a big fan of faces appearing in grainy photos due to the brain’s tendency to make order out of chaos (known as “matrixing”) but this case is different in that the faces were seen by numerous members of the crew for several days beforehand and were positively identified as those of two crewmen who suffocated while cleaning out an oil tank a few days earlier. The Burns Detective Agency analyzed the negative for fakery and found none.


8. The Wem Fire Apparition, 1995

This famous photo of a young girl looking out from a raging fire was taken during a 1995 structure fire at Wem town hall in Shropshire, England. Shot from across the street by a local photographer, nothing unusual was seen at the time but once the negative was developed he noticed what appeared to be a young girl standing in the doorway of the burning building. Firemen found the photo so disturbing that they sifted through the ashes afterwards searching for the remains of a body but found nothing, leaving everyone wondering who the girl may have been. Not surprisingly, there is a bit of local folklore which claims that a young girl named Jane Churm accidentally burned the town hall to the ground in 1677 when she dropped a candle, and her ghost has been reputed to haunt Wem town hall ever since. Once a firebug, always a firebug I guess.


7. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, 1991

One of those “too-good-to-be-true” photos, this one actually has a pretty good pedigree because it was shot by a professional paranormal investigator (and notice it was also taken in broad daylight, as opposed to most cemetery investigations which are almost always shot at night). The picture was taken at the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Illinois by the Ghost Research Society on August 10, 1991. Photographer Mari Huff was using high-speed monochromatic film in the area where their equipment had detected several electromagnetic anomalies, and captured this image of a woman in period costume—complete in a burial shroud of the era—sitting on a gravestone. Note that parts of her lower legs appear to be transparent. Looks staged, I know, but then what’s a real ghost supposed to look like?


6. The Corroboree Rock Spirit, 1959

Taken by Reverend R.S. Blance at Corroboree Rock near Alice Springs, Australia in 1959, this famous photo has been around for many years and defies explanation to this day. It wouldn’t be difficult to fake this photo with modern photo manipulation software (i.e. Photoshop) but it would have been nearly impossible to do in 1959.


5. HMS Daedalus Photo, 1919

Another classic and one of the better captures, this photograph from 1919, taken by retired RAF officer Sir Victor Goddard, shows his squadron from the Royal Navy vessel HMS Daedalus. Notice the transparent face peering around the man in the upper left corner of the photo. Several men from this squadron identified the face as belonging to mechanic Freddy Jackson, who had been killed two days earlier when he accidentally walked into a spinning propeller blade. His funeral had taken place earlier that day. Apparently, Freddy didn’t want to miss all the fun.


4. Toys-R-Us, 1978

This shot has one of the best pedigrees among spirit photos because it was shot under carefully controlled circumstances with numerous witnesses present, making fakery especially difficult. Taken in 1978 at a Sunnyvale, California Toys-R-Us store known for an inordinate amount of paranormal activity, the picture was shot by the crew from the TV program That’s Incredible! The infra-red film image of the young man leaning against the wall was NOT seen by any of the people present at the time, nor does he appear in the high speed footage shot from the same vantage point at the same time. There’s a story that in 1869 a young man died at the location where the store now stands from a accidentally self-inflicted axe wound, which might explain his unusual clothing.


3. The Lord Combermere Photo, 1891

This well known photo—and perhaps one of the oldest examples of a bonifide spirit photo—was taken in the Combermere Abbey Library in 1891 by Sybell Corbet. The exposure length was approximately one hour, and the figure of a man appears to be sitting in the armchair located in the foreground (it’s difficult to make out, but a head and arm can just be made out sitting in the chair). At the time this photograph was being taken, Lord Combermere (a top British cavalry commander) was being buried four miles away and the house was said to have been locked and empty at the time. Additionally, those who knew Lord Combermere claim the figure looks exactly like the man, so we have to wonder if the old gentleman wasn’t simply just visiting his old “haunt” one last time.


2. The Chinnery Photo, 1959

When visiting her mother’s grave in 1959, Mrs. Mabel Chinnery decided to finish off the roll of film by taking a picture of her husband seated in the car. When the roll was developed, a female figure appeared, sitting in the back seat. Mrs. Chinnery and several family members insist that the female figure is that of her mother, who appears to have taken her customary place in the back seat and is patiently waiting to be driven home. A photographic expert examined the print and declared it to be neither a reflection nor a double exposure. Notice that “mom” appears to be a pretty solid ghost, with no hint of transparency or light from the rear windows shining through her. Even her glasses appear to reflect light!


1. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, 1936

Perhaps the most famous of all ghost photos, this highly controversial shot was taken in1936 by photographers sent by the London magazine Country Living to take some interior shots of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. What’s also interesting about this shot is that in contrast to most photos in which the figure is not seen until after the film is developed, the spectral figure of a woman descending the stairway was seen seconds before the gshutter was snapped. The negatives on this photo have been scrutinized by literally hundreds of experts (and no small number of skeptics) who can find no evidence of it being either a hoax or a double exposure. Still considered by many to be the best “capture” ever taken.

J. (Jeff) Allan Danelek, a resident of Lakewood, Colorado, has been a Fortean writer on a number of paranormal subjects since 2002. To see more spirit photos or to read articles on a range of curious subjects, visit Jeff’s website at www.ourcuriousworld.com.

6 Weirdest Facts About Breasts

We men really do love breasts: we talk about them, brag about touching them and apparently now write extensive comedy articles about them for the internet. Many women might think it’s juvenile on our part to obsess so much over nothing more than a pair of meat sacks filled with fat, but there are many stories out there which support our collective theory that breasts are just plain awesome.

So sit back and relax, here are the 6 weirdest facts and tales about breasts.


6. Small Knockers

Almost Got Vietnamese Bikers Banned From the Roads

In 2008 the Vietnamese government was seriously considering banning all females whose chests measured less than 28 inches from riding their motorbikes on public roads. Allegedly this was a bid from the Ministry of Health aimed at making sure that the people behind the handlebars remain healthy, but it’s quite obvious that they were just trying to pressure the women into getting boob jobs.

If you have ever interacted with a Vietnamese person or saw one of those oriental X-rated movies on the adult You Tubes that everybody’s talking about, then you know that eastern Asian females don’t really carry around a pair of huge portable airbags on their chests. In that region small breasts are not the sign of sickness, they are the sign of (a little bit depressing and flat) normality, and it almost cost thousands of ladies the use of their Vespas.

In 2009 however, the proponents of this bill finally got smacked over the head by their wives and the idea died out.



5. Breasts Can Become Bigger Via a Cellphone Ringtone

Speaking of smaller breasts from East Asia, it somehow seems appropriate that the inventor of the first noninvasive breast augmentation procedure that probably works, hails from Japan. For a number of years now Dr. Hideto Tomabechi has been preoccupied with 2 things: sounds and breasts, and in 2008 he combined his 2 passions into the “Rock Melon” – a ringtone which supposedly causes titties to gain in size if you just listen to it.

Dr. Tomabechi has designed the “Rock Melon” sound to carry with it a subliminal cry of an infant child, which allegedly works on a woman’s brain causing it to instinctively switch to motherhood mode, making her chest jugs fill with milk. After listening to the tone 20 times a day for a couple of days, one of the good doctor’s test subjects reported her breasts grew in size by almost an entire inch!

The only question that remains is: why aren’t we feeding this sound through every loudspeaker in the country?

4. Sufficiently Big Melons Can Keep You Out of Prison

You would think that the only way breasts could keep anyone from doing jail-time is if that person went back to the judge’s chambers and let him touch them for a couple of minutes. But luckily there are less sad examples of the twins providing legal representation in court, as was the case with Serena Kozakura.

In 2007 Serena Kozakura, 38, was convicted of property destruction after she allegedly kicked in the wooden doors to an unnamed man’s apartment and trashed it to hell. However, during a reenactment of the crime, Kozakura proved that the hole someone made in the door was way too small for her and her impressive 44-inch chest to crawl through.

Based on just that, the woman was acquitted. It’s probably safe to say she will never curse her massive knockers ever again after it turned out they are her own personal pair of top notch defense lawyers. Oh breasts, is there anything you cannot do?


3. Hooters Are Getting Huger

A few years ago some UK researchers turned to the world and said “We have good news and we have better news”. The good news was that someone actually gave them money to study boob sizes around the world. The better news was that their findings showed that, worldwide, breasts are getting bigger and bigger.

Just in the UK alone, the average bra size had gone up from 34B to a way juicier 36C. As for the rest of the world, breast sizes had been continuously going up for the last 10-15 years, averaging now almost an entire cup bigger than just a decade ago. If this trend continues, someday we might actually need an M-cup bra size.

Plastic surgeries must have some part in this, but diet and lifestyles cannot be ignored. We definitely eat more and exercise less now, and all that fat has to go somewhere – the fact that it seems to be going mainly to breasts is the best evidence that God exists and that he loves us.

2. There Do Exist Women with Three Breasts

A big part of any boy’s life is catching the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie “Total Recall” one night after his parents went to sleep and witnessing that scene with the 3-breasted alien hooker. For many of us that has been a defining moment of our childhoods, the start of a journey to find a girl with 3 fun-bags on her chest. Sadly, we later realized that they just don’t exist…

Or so we thought. Thanks to a wondrous example of life imitating art it turns out that some women can have 3 breasts. The medical condition is called “polymastia” or “supernumerary breasts” and works just like the superfluous nipple bit. Some supernumerary breasts (see, even science knows that those are “super”!) might not even make their presence known until puberty, that special time when a polymastic girl first starts to resemble a prostitute from a cheesy Sci-Fi movie.

Location wise, polymastia can manifest itself virtually anywhere on the front of the body, hopefully somewhere between the first and second boob. So that’s one accurate prediction “Total Recall” has made. Now, where are our virtual reality machines?

1. Breast Implants Can Save Your Life

The comparison of boobies to automobile airbags is as old as breast fascination itself. Cavemen probably made that joke in their cave drawings. But it turns out it might not just be sexism on the men’s part, because in at least one documented case, a woman’s life was saved in car crash when her silicone augmented breasts acted as airbags-like cushioning devices.

In 2006 a women from the Bulgarian city of Ruse was in a pretty horrific car accidents that left both cars totaled. She and the other driver survived but in her case it was thanks solely to those bigger plastic tits which took upon themselves the force of the impact, rupturing right there on the spot and leaving the women alive, though heavily deflated.

If it wasn’t for them, the woman might have hit the steering wheel full on, damaging her internal organs and maybe even banging up her heart a little. This is an obvious sign that Evolution wants our women to have bigger knockers. Maybe later down the line car companies will get rid of airbags altogether and simply offer free boob jobs to female drivers with each purchase.

People in the Sloping Street

Here is a series of more personal publicity photographer Romain Laurent. Entitled “Tilt”, this work is based on many people in the sloping street. More pictures in the future.

Easter in Romania

Although Romania does not have a national religion, Greek-Orthodoxism is widespread (87%), making Orthodox Easter one of the most important holidays.

Easter is considered an extremely important holiday in Romania, celebrating Jesus Christ's Resurrection three days after his crucifixion. It is a celebration of tradition and church going, preceded by the Holy Week (The Passion of the Christ).

Orthodox Holy Week Rituals

Great Thursday is also named Black Thursday and it marks the beginning of the Passion of Christ.

Tradition says that on this particular day the doors of heaven and hell open and that the loved ones who passed away come back to celebrate Easter with their families. This is also the time when the Easter eggs are being painted in different colors. Housework is absolutely forbidden on Black Thursday.

Great Friday is a day of fasting and remembering the terrible sufferings of Jesus Christ (Passion Friday). Most people go to church to confess their sins to the priest.

Tradition says that bread should not be baked and trees should not be planted on this day. The house should be very clean and all the food ready for Easter day.


Easter Food and Traditions

Easter eggs are usually painted on Great Thursday.

Initially, the only color was red, to symbolize the blood of Jesus, but now all colors are used, with different meanings.

In rural areas, people paint different images of Christ, angels or a cross on their Easter eggs or use plant imprints; Easter egg painting is an art that is widely recognized in Romania.

Easter cake (Pasca) is thetraditional cake that is usually baked on Saturday, Easter Eve. It is round, with a cross-shaped middle braid that represents the crucifixion of Christ. It is made made of cheese, egg yolk and raisins. Some people place coins inside the cake for good luck.

The Easter lamb, steaks and meat pies are traditional dishes. Together with the Easter eggs and the cake, the meat is placed on the dinner table on Saturday evening, before midnight.

At midnight, everybody goes to church to attend the Ressurection service (Invierea Domnului).

The priest lights his candle first, after which all the people light their own candles from the first one with the "light of Jesus's life". They take these candles at home and give the "light" to the members of the family that did not attend the service.

Everybody has dinner after the midnight service, with the lit candles on the table. The candles are kept for the entire year, as they are supposed to protect the house and people's health. The tradition of knocking the eggs must be respected: two people hold eggs in their hands and they break the other person's egg saying "Jesus is Alive" (Hristos a Inviat). The person that has their egg broken is considered weaker and must give their egg to the "winner."

On Monday and Tuesday people visit their relatives and bring lamb, Easter cake and painted eggs for lunch or dinner to celebrate the Resurrection. For the next 40 days, people greet each other with "Christ is Alive" instead of the common greetings.

Easter is a celebration for the soul, it is a period of spiritual insight and improving oneself. It teaches us to be good, kind and to respect everyone and everything that surrounds us. The sacrifice of Jesus Christs is the symbol of pure love and hope.

Philippine Easter Rituals of Crucifixion

 Bloody Filipino Observances for the Atonement of Sins

 Each Easter in the Philippines, Christians make a grueling march on Good Friday to atone for their sins through self-flagellation and crucifixion.

In the Philippines at the Easter season, Roman Catholics practice the extreme ascetic rituals of flagellation, cutting,wearing crowns of thorns, bearing crosses, and crucifixion, emulating the passion of Christ. These Christian Filipinos are Roman Catholic, although the Church does not officially approve of these observances.
Purpose Behind the Ascetic Rituals

The purpose of performing these rituals is to ask forgiveness for the sins committed over the year for oneself and one’s family -- a type of penitence. In following the last painful events in the life of Christ, these people feel a closer connection with their religion and their God, and a feeling of ease or forgiveness for their sins.

Ascetic practices, or what might be called “mortification of the flesh” can be seen in some religious sects. This was shown in the Opus Dei (a controversial Roman Catholic organization) character in the fictional work The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday, 2003). This Opus Dei assassin practiced mortification of the flesh in order to bring his body under subjugation of his spirit.

Some Christian ascetics believe that the apostle Paul taught asceticism in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:13 "If you live after the flesh, you shall die, but if through the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live." The Catholics believe that this means that mortification or self-inflicted acts of pain will end the disease of the soul.

While Christ’s atonement was to pay for all men’s sins, the Catholic belief is that men should also do something in the expiations of their own sins, which sacrificing acts are pleasing to God. Protestants do not practice such extreme asceticism, but do practice fasting for somewhat similar reasons.


Easter Rituals in the Philippines

Each year in the Philippines, particularly in Pampanga Province, men and women take part in the passion plays of torture and crucifixion as symbolic of the suffering of Jesus Christ. At the end of the march on Good Friday, with self-flagellation, whipping and cutting of the flesh by officials, and carrying heavy crosses. Each year, over a dozen people are actually hung on crosses.

Crucifixion is an extremely painful form of torture and death. The Filipino crucifixion followers are either tied to the crosses or actually nailed there. They are not left on the crosses to die, as was the practice during ancient times by the Romans and other civilizations worldwide generally from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 4th century C.E.. In actual crucifixions, people usually died from asphyxiation or heart failure.

Most Filipinos attest to the feeling of worship, forgiveness and cleanliness that occurs through the process of their painful Easter rituals. They generally practice self-flagellation and crucifixion to atone for their sins.

Others Who Self-Flagellate

The Filipinos are not the only modern group to practice self-flagellate in the name of religion. It is also seen by the Shi’ite Muslims as they commemorate the passion of Imam Husayn and other martyrs at the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century C.E. Catholic monks and nuns practiced self-flagellation since medieval times as a reminder of the suffering of Christ. In modern days Los Hermanos Penitente of Colorado and New Mexico practice self-flagellation, the bearing of crosses, and actual crucifixion like the Filipinos.

It was reported by a nun who looked after Pope John Paul II , that he practiced self-flagellation, and the sounds of the whip on his flesh could often be heard from his living quarters.

Sources:
New World Encyclopedia

The Fifteen Secret Tortures And Sufferings Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

(Revealed to the pious, God-loving Sister Mary Magdalen of the Santa Clara Order, Franciscan, who lived, died and was beatified in Rome.)

Jesus filled the wish of this Sister who desired ardently to know something about the secret sufferings which He endured the night before His death. (This devotion is approved and recommended by His Holiness Clement II, 1730-1740.)



"The Jews considered Me as the most wretched man living on earth so that is why:

 

 

 

(1) They fastened My feet with a rope and dragged Me over the stepping stones of the staircase, down into a filthy, nauseating cellar.

(2) They took off My clothing and stung My body with iron joints.

(3) They attached a rope around My body and pulled Me along on the ground, from end to end.

(4) They hanged Me on a wooden piece with a slipknot until I slipped out and fell down. Overwhelmed by this torture, I wept bloody tears.

(5) They tied Me to a post and pierced My body with various arms.

(6) They struck Me with stones and burnt Me with blazing embers and torches.

(7) They pierced Me with awls: sharp spears tore My skin, flesh and arteries out of My body.

(8) They tied me to a post and made Me stand, barefoot, on an incandescent metal-sheet.

(9) They crowned Me with an Iron crown and wrapped My eyes with the dirtiest possible rags.

(10) They made Me sit on a chair covered with sharp pointed nails, causing deep wounds in My body.

(11) They poured on My wounds liquid lead and resin and, after this torture, they pressed Me on the nailed chair, so that the nails went deeper and deeper into My flesh.

(12) For shame and affliction, they drove needles into the holes of My uprooted beard. Then they tied My hands behind My back and led Me walking out of prison with strikes and blows.

(13) They threw Me upon a cross and attached me so tightly that I could hardly breathe anymore.

(14) They threw at My head as I lay on the earth, and they stepped on Me, hurting My breast. Then taking a thorn from My crown they drove it into My tongue.

(15) They poured into my mouth the most immodest excretions, as they uttered the most infamous expressions about Me.



    Then Jesus added:

    "My daughter, I desire that you let everyone know these FIFTEEN SECRET TORTURES, in order that everyone of them be honored."

    "Anyone who daily offers Me, with love, one of these sufferings and says with fervor the following prayer, will be rewarded with eternal glory on the day of judgement."

    

PRAYER

    "My Lord and My God, it is my unchangeable will to honor You in these FIFTEEN SECRET TORMENTS whn you shed Your Precious Blood: As many times as there are grains of sand around the seas, as grains of wheat in the fields, as blades of grass in the meadows, as fruit in the orchards, as leaves on the trees, as flowers in the garden, as stars in the sky, as angels in Heaven, as creatures on earth. So many thousands of times may You be glorified, praised and honored, O most love-worthy Lord Jesus Christ - You Holiest Heart, Your Precious Blood, Your Divine Sacrifice for mankind, the Holiest Sacrament of the Altar, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the nine glorious choirs of Angels and the Blessed Phalanx of the Saints, from myself and everyone, now and forever, and in the eternal ages.

    In like manner, I desire, My dear Jesus, to give You thanksgiving, to serve You, to repair and atone for all ignominies, and to offer You my soul and body as Your Possessions forever. Likewise, I regret all my sins and beg Your pardon, O my Lord and my God. And I offer You all the merits of Jesus Christ to repair everything, to obtain a happy dying-hour and the deliverance of the souls from Purgatory. This prayer I desire to renew at each hour until my death O lovable Jesus. Sweet Savior, fortify my resolution and permit not that neither wretched men nor Satan destroy it. Amen."

Bizarre Torture Methods

In Medieval times, they sought out ways to cut back on crime. Instead of letting the criminals sit in a jail cell, like today, they would use different torture devices. These devices came in all shapes and sizes and were meant to scare other would be criminals into not doing the crimes committed by the person being tortured. Let’s check these weird torture methods


10. The Brazen Bull

This device was designed in Greece by Perillos of Athens. He was a brass founder and he cast the shape of a hollow bull with a door on the side. This condemned person was shut in the bull. There was a fire lit underneath the device and because it was brass it became yellow hot, which would cause the person to roast to death. It was configured with tubes and stops, so when the person was screaming it would sound like the bull was raging.

http://www.perillos.com/brazenbull.html


9. The Breaking Wheel

This wheel of torture was used to kill criminals and it did that very slowly. This device was a large wagon wheel. The criminal would be tied to the wheel, where the punisher would proceed to use a hammer to break the bones of the other person. Once that was completed, they were left there to die and even the birds would peck at their flesh until death was complete.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel



8. The Rack

This device is an oblong rectangle with a wooden frame. It was raised from the ground with a roller either at one end or at both ends. One end had a fixed bar, where the feet were locked onto it, and the other end had a moveable bar, where the hands were tied to it. It had a lever that was used as the interrogation progressed. It was on a lever and pulley system that would eventually cause the joints of the person being tortured to dislocate and then separate. Eventually, the muscle fibers userbin, ligaments, and cartilage would break separating the limbs from the body of the condemned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_(torture)


7. Judas Cradle

This torture device is a pyramid shaped seat. The victim is placed on top of it, with the point inserted into an orifice, then they are very slowly lowered onto it. The condemned was usually naked in order to add to their humiliation. This device was thought to stretch the orifice or to slowly impale the person. The stretching of the orifice would cause pain, rips and tears, which would eventually cause death.



6. Coffin Torture

This device was used in the Middle Ages. The condemned would be placed in the metal coffin and left there for the appropriate amount of time. Depending on the crime, the person could be left in there to die, while animals ate their flesh or they would be placed on public display, which would cause their death. The people that would surround the person in the coffin would throw rocks and poke the person with objects until they finally became deceased.

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


5. Iron Maiden

This iron cabinet with a hinged front was made to be a tall upright cabinet that would enclose a human being. It would have a small opening, which was closeable, so the interrogator would be able to open and close it at their will. They would then poke the bodies of the person with a sharp object. They would use knives, spikes, or nails and the person inside was forced to remain standing in one position, ultimately causing their demise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_maiden_(torture)



4. The Knee Splitter

The whole purpose of this device was to make a person’s knees useless. It was used in mainly during the Inquisitional period of time. This device was faceted with spikes, from three to twenty of them, and depending on the crime committed, depended on the number used. IT had a handle the torturer would use to close the device. The spikes would mutilate the skin and begin to crush the knee. They would also use the device on elbows, arms and the lower legs. There were even instances that they would heat the device to cause a maximum amount of pain. Death wasn’t a result of this device, but it the person refused to cooperate they would use other means.

http://www.occasionalhell.com/infdevice/detail.php?recordID=Knee%20Splitter



3. Heretic’s Fork

This device was used during the Spanish Inquisition. It has two forks at opposing ends of a metal rod. One of the forks would be placed under the chin, piercing the skin, and the other end would be piercing the flesh in the upper chest. It didn’t puncture any vital organs, so death would not take place during the use of this method, but it made talking and neck movements impossible. While wearing this device a person’s hands would be tied behind their backs, so they could not escape it. It would harm the person’s neck and, often times, spread diseases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heretic%27s_fork



2. Saw Torture

This method was used to torture and kill the condemned person, which were typically accused of witchery, adultery, murder, blasphemy, or theft. The accused was hung upside down. This slowed down the blood loss by forcing the blood to the brain and it humiliated the person. This type of torture could last for several hours. Some of the victims would be cut completely in half, while some would only be cut up to their abdomen in order to prolong their deaths.

http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/misc/torture/25.html



1. Thumbscrew

This was used to get a confession from the offenders. The fingers of the person were placed in the device and crushed by the torturer turning the handle on the top. It could last for a very long time and it was very painful. This was also used to crush a person’s toes. They even made bigger versions of this device used to crush feet, knees, elbows and even heads.

http://that-shane.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-decided-to-continue-posting-torture.html

Written by Harmony Stalter