Carly Silver lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Carly Silver - Lists at Ranker

History

Even if armor <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=r708jrX2pjMC&amp;pg=PT87&amp;dq=aj+jacobs+sannyasin&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjwl9eY9NnUAhWEej4KHbzLD5AQ6wEIJTAA#v=onepage&amp;q=aj%20jacobs%20sannyasin&amp;f=false">seems</a> like a good idea for warriors heading into battle, some don't believe&nbsp;that it's necessary. In fact, there have been&nbsp;plenty of&nbsp;naked armies in history.&nbsp;The ancient Greeks stripped down before they fought in boxing and wresting matches, in line with the general nudity&nbsp;of the gymnasium. Similarly, the people of the Nuba Mountains in modern Sudan often wrestle&nbsp;naked as a sacred practice.&nbsp;Some warriors fought nude&nbsp;for religious or psychological&nbsp;reasons. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/viking-berserker-facts/philgibbons">Berserkers</a> hailing&nbsp;from Scandinavian cultures&nbsp;honored their god by stripping completely - they also intimidated their opponents by going commando. Over the generations, there has&nbsp;been&nbsp;lots of&nbsp;nudity in combat.

11 Historical Warriors Who Fought Nude

11 Historical Armies That Fought Completely Naked

Carly Silver

Sean Combs

Sean &quot;Diddy&quot; Combs, man of many names and many more dollars, occupies a place in pop culture few others can match. Plenty of cool Diddy stories exist which exemplify his incredible, over-the-top career and lifestyle, and a few of them happened&nbsp;before he hit it big. In fact, his first moniker, Puff Daddy, actually stems from a childhood nickname. Apparently even before fame, Diddy already thought quite highly himself. Throughout all of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/sean-combs-names/amylindorff" target="_blank">Sean&nbsp;Combs's&nbsp;name changes</a>, he held his title as a record label exec.&nbsp;Fun facts about Diddy include his monumental influence on music of the '90s and 2000s.&nbsp;More than a music mogul, Diddy holds stakes in&nbsp;liquor,&nbsp;fashion, restaurants, and television. As a result, Diddy now stands as one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wealthiest-rapper-ceos-and-entrepreneurs/whatevayoulike" target="_blank">wealthiest rappers-turned-CEOs</a>.With all these accolades and riches, naturally a couple of dark Diddy&nbsp;facts also exist, including the infamous Bad Boy Curse people say follows the label. Regardless of how you view him, one cannot deny the influence of Diddy not just on music but on American pop culture in general. When you're Diddy-big, the stories just follow you.

20 Surprising Things You Never Knew About Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Things You Never Knew About Diddy

1990s

The <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-albums-of-the-1990s">1990s</a>&nbsp;marked the era of epic girl groups. From major international tour-de-forces like the Spice Girls and&nbsp;TLC&nbsp;to lesser-known names such as Brownstone and Wild Orchid, these females were musical forces to be reckoned with. But what happened to these '90s girl groups, especially&nbsp;'90s&nbsp;girl&nbsp;groups&nbsp;who&nbsp;were&nbsp;one-hit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-90s-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music">wonders</a>?Some '90s girl groups who were great <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music">one-hit wonders</a>&nbsp;arguably became more notorious&nbsp;for the way they split than their music. A few onetime groups splintered into successful solo acts - Wild Orchid yielded Stacy &quot;Fergie&quot; Ferguson, who headed to the Black Eyed Peas not long after. Beyond their music, R&amp;B sensations like 702 and Brownstone featured several eventual stars of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-reality-shows/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">reality TV shows</a>. But whether you remember the groups or not, you'll definitely recognize these hits.Vote up your favorites from this list of great songs by '90s girl groups.

13 Amazing Songs From '90s Girl Groups You've Probably Forgotten

Forgotten Girl Group Hits Every '90s Kid Will Remember

One Hit Wonders

The &#39;90s were <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-albums-of-the-1990s">an especially amazing&nbsp;time</a> for music fans, with the radio waves dominated by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/forgotten-90s-girl-group-hits/carly-silver">girl groups</a>,&nbsp;boy bands, and solo stars. Plenty of male pop&nbsp;groups rose to international prominence, but what were&nbsp;the top&nbsp;&#39;90s boy band hits?&nbsp;The list of great songs by &#39;90s boy bands is pretty much endless.&nbsp;

Today, throwback groups like New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys still tour, while the members of supergroups like *NSYNC went the solo route. But other groups made their mark on the &#39;90s scene&nbsp;too. R&amp;B royalty 3T had fans that would do &quot;Anything&quot; for them, while sexy soul stars like Silk and Next encouraged ladies to &quot;Freak Me&quot; and get &quot;Too Close.&quot; British-based bands like 5ive as well as Irish imports Westlife&nbsp;all had an impact on the charts. And then there were &#39;90s boy bands who were <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music" target="_blank">one-hit wonders</a>, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-90s-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music">like</a> All-4-One (remember them?)&nbsp;or Shai.

Wondering what happened to these &#39;90s boy bands? Flashback with these forgotten hits&nbsp;and vote up your favorite retro song.

15 Unforgettable Hits From '90s Boy Bands You've Probably Forgotten

15 Forgotten Boy Band Hits Every '90s Kid Will Remember

Nick Carter

The '90s boy band wars were fierce. Fans of 'NSYNC&nbsp;fought for their group's supremacy over their arch-rivals, the Backstreet Boys. Both bands had mega hits that took over the airways; both had their own heartthrob&nbsp;('NSYNC with Justin Timberlake, BSB with Nick Carter). But&nbsp;what happened to Nick Carter?The baby-faced blond branched out on his own, and Nick Carter&nbsp;stories&nbsp;populated the tabloids throughout the '00s. He appeared in a reality <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-e-tv-shows/voteable?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">show on E</a>!, starred in some mediocre movies like his fellow <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/boy-band-members-who-act-now/alexandra-plesa" target="_blank">former boy banders who act</a>, and released a few unsuccessful albums. Periodically, Nick reunited with the Backstreet Boys to perform their <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-backstreet-boys-songs/voteable" target="_blank">big hits</a> on tour and put out new music.And&nbsp;where&nbsp;is Nick&nbsp;Carter&nbsp;now? He's still playing up his pop star past, helming a television series about putting together the next great boy band. But Carter's personal life has taken a turn for the better, too - all proving that you can't keep a good Backstreet Boy down.

What Happened to Nick Carter?

What Ever Happened To Nick Carter?

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII might be famous for <a href="/list/gruesome-executions-time-of-henry-viii/jeffrichard">killing two of his wives</a>, but there was a lot more to the life of this early modern monarch than marital madness. So just who was <a href="/list/actors-who-played-henry-viii/gordon-cameron" target="_blank">Henry VIII</a>? <a href="/list/henry-viii-decline/setareh-janda" target="_blank">A superior&nbsp;athlete, a guy who liked to strut around and show off his gorgeous legs</a>, a talented musician who might have composed a song or two, and an all-around egomaniac. But there are other things that raise the question of &quot;What did Henry VIII do&quot;?

In great contrast to his later break from the Church in Rome, Henry was once fervently pro-Pope, so much so that he went to the mat for the Holy Father and got quite the honor. In his spare time, he arranged marriages for close relatives, played a lot of tunes, and loved animals. And that&#39;s just the beginning of the odd facts about Henry VIII. Keep reading to find out more <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-the-reign-of-henry-viii-facts/alby-thompson" target="_blank">bizarre things about the life of Henry VIII</a>.

16 Strange Facts About Henry VIII You Didn't Learn in History Class

16 Strange Facts About Henry VIII You Definitely Didn't Learn in History Class

Entertainment

Soap operas are known for their out-of-this-world plots and crazy characters, but some stories are so bizarre they take the cake. Even <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-soap-operas-of-all-time/ranker-tv" target="_blank">the greatest soap operas of all time</a> have had their share of weird moments.From the medical (a stalker implanting embryos into her own womb)&nbsp;to the environmental (remember Luke and Laura&nbsp;trying to stop the Cassadines from freezing the world on General Hospital?)&nbsp;these&nbsp;insane soap opera stories and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-soaps-most-shocking-moments/thecelebritycafe" target="_blank">shocking moments</a> have helped win daytime a legion of fans. And that's not to mention the over-the-top supernatural twists. There are plenty of time travel plots, alien visitations, and magical mishaps on these shows.From zombie heiresses to extraterrestrial teenagers, this list has them all. But it's up to you to determine&nbsp;the craziest soap opera plots and weirdest moments on daytime soaps.

The 15 Craziest Soap Opera Storylines Ever Written

The Most Illogical, Absolutely Crazy Soap Opera Storylines Ever Aired

Jennifer Lopez

The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-actresses-of-the-year/alex-alvarez?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous female celebrities</a> are always called divas, but there are plenty of stories out there to suggest that Jennifer Lopez really is mean. From tales of outrageous demands&nbsp;like speedboats and roses&nbsp;to allegedly never talking to people in the service industry, there are plenty of&nbsp;rude Jennifer Lopez stories. Such dark J. Lo stories even focus on&nbsp;her latest <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/jennifer-lopez_s-loves-and-hookups/celebrityhookups?ref=nodelyrel&amp;pos=4&amp;a=0&amp;l=1281515&amp;ltype=n&amp;g=1" target="_blank">relationship</a>: She supposedly has a list of orders that new beau Alex Rodriguez must follow.

While some claim Jennifer Lopez is a diva, others, including Lopez herself, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/why-jennifer-lopez-doesnt-want-to-be-called-a-diva" target="_blank">have&nbsp;argued</a> she&#39;s no different than any <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/young-jennifer-lopez-pictures/cari-fortier?ref=nodelyrel&amp;pos=6&amp;a=0&amp;l=1281515&amp;ltype=n&amp;g=1" target="_blank">other famous person</a>, but that, unlike white males, she&nbsp;gets slammed in the media for her actions. Still, the J. Lo rumors abound. Here are some of the most outrageous stories.

10 Crazy Jennifer Lopez Stories That Show She Is A True Diva

Jennifer Lopez Is Just As Big Of A Diva As You've Always Suspected

Mary Magdalene

Jesus Christ is famous for never having married, but he had some close lady pals, including alleged repentant sinner Mary Magdalene.&nbsp;Dan Brown's novel-turned-blockbuster film&nbsp;The Da Vinci Code&nbsp;brought the idea of Mary Magdalene marrying Jesus and having a secret love child to the masses.But this popular notion isn't really based in real scholarship... or is it, especially in an <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evidence-for-moses-parting-the-red-sea/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">era</a> of people <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-is-the-pilate-stone/carly-silver" target="_blank">looking</a> for <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/physical-evidence-of-noah-s-ark/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">archaeological evidence of biblical stories</a>?&nbsp;Was Mary&nbsp;Magdalene a real person? Historically,&nbsp;who was Mary&nbsp;Magdalene, and what&nbsp;evidence is there for her existence?&nbsp;Although there is no physical&nbsp;archaeological evidence that either Jesus or Mary Magdalene existed -<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/14/what-is-the-historical-evidence-that-jesus-christ-lived-and-died" target="_blank"> it's all literary</a> - most scholars believe that these two really did exist. What's up for debate, then? The exact nature, actions, and sayings&nbsp;of the people depicted in the Gospels and other early religious documents vary,&nbsp;depending on the text.What is this ancient&nbsp;proof of Mary&nbsp;Magdalene?&nbsp;Mary Magdalene appears in a few of the canonical Gospels - the four big ones, of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - where she is one of Jesus's most important followers. She witnesses the Crucifixion and receives divine direction to spread the Good News. In later <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/craziest-parts-of-the-gnostic-gospels/rachel-souerbry" target="_blank">legends</a>, she is said to have kissed Jesus and traveled to France or Turkey to spread Jesus's message, and some sources even claim her skeleton still survives in a church in southern France or <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stone-box-holds-only-trace-of-crucifixion/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">in Israel.</a> Tracking down her whereabouts is almost as exciting as a Dan Brown novel.

Here's All The Physical Evidence Of Mary Magdalene That We've Got So Far

Who exactly were the Picts? They were&nbsp;a mysterious group of people&nbsp;who resided in what is now northern England and southern Scotland and&nbsp;popped up in the annals of Roman history in the first few centuries CE. Although not a great deal is known about the Picts, historians do know that they&nbsp;caused quite a bit of trouble for the Romans, who were trying to conquer every inch of land possible. However,&nbsp;there are plenty of Pict facts aside from their Roman relationships.Here are some things you didn't know about the Picts. For one, they were extremely talented artists; for another, apparently, a lot of Scotsmen count the Picts among their direct ancestors.&nbsp;And did you know that the first king of Scotland might have massacred the Picts&nbsp;to take power?&nbsp;Most importantly, the&nbsp;ancient Picts might not have thought of themselves as a single group of people. So, who were these fascinating Pict warriors who gave the Romans a run for their money? Read on to find out.

14 Cool Facts About The Mysterious Picts Of Northern Scotland

14 Facts About The Picts, A Scottish Tribe That Gave The Roman Empire Hell

Rome

<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/biggest-empires-ever-history/melissa-sartore?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The Roman Empire</a>, which lasted for around 1,500 years,&nbsp;stands as one of the most significant examples of the rise and fall of a civilization&nbsp;in human history.&nbsp;And while it would have been fascinating to meet epic Roman emperors&nbsp;like Caligula or Commodus, in reality, <a href="/list/what-was-life-like-in-ancient-rome-golden-age/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">living at the time of their reigns</a>&nbsp;probably wouldn&#39;t have been so great. In fact, the nasty realities of ancient Rome &ndash;&nbsp;from tapeworms to mass enslavement &ndash; create a pretty unappealing picture of life at the time.

There are&nbsp;nearly unlimited examples of Roman squalor.&nbsp;Despite their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermae">vaunted baths</a>, the Romans still had a host of parasites and diseases.&nbsp;Some of their medical remedies were absolutely disgusting (as in dung, anyone?). Emperors, not exactly the paragons of virtue they purported to be, seduced siblings and marrying children.&nbsp;Even <a href="http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub369/item2071.html">tasty dinner dishes</a> were made out of repellant things, ranging from&nbsp;dolphin meatballs&nbsp;to flamingo&nbsp;tongues. Such disgusting conditions in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-roman-emperor-facts/pierce-nahigyan" target="_blank">Imperial Rome</a>&nbsp;are enough to make anyone queasy.

The Most Disgusting Things About Living in Imperial Rome

16 Disgusting Details Of Every Day Life In Ancient Rome

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Netflix drama&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;portrayed the ups and downs of the marriage of&nbsp;Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver" target="_blank">Queen Elizabeth II</a>, as well as its place in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/british-royal-family-scandals/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">British royal scandals</a>. In&nbsp;The Crown,&nbsp;viewers&nbsp;<a href="http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a12775104/why-is-prince-philip-not-king/" target="_blank">see that&nbsp;the Queen</a>&nbsp;made Prince Philip a prince so he could be above the law, unable to be subpoenaed to testify in the divorce trial between Eileen Parker and her husband&nbsp;Michael Parker&nbsp;(Prince Philip's equerry and best friend). Prince&nbsp;<a href="http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a14444166/mike-parker-eileen-parker-divorce-the-crown/" target="_blank">Philip and Parker</a>&nbsp;became close while in the Navy together in 1942, then went on leave together in Parker's native Australia.Prince Philip and Parker palled around a great deal, but it wasn't until Eileen filed for divorce in 1957 that things changed. The Prince Philip/Michael Parker bond&nbsp;remained tight, but the scandal of a divorce close to the royals changed things; Parker resigned, Prince Philip became a British&nbsp;prince, and any secrets between them stayed dormant. Bad press from the&nbsp;Parker divorce haunted the royal family for some time.

The Unsavory History of How Queen Elizabeth Made Prince Philip A Prince To Evade The Justice System

How A Divorce Scandal Led To Queen Elizabeth II Giving Her Husband A Royal Title

Pop Culture

Your genealogy can offer a fascinating new perspective on family history. Famous people seem to agree, and the rise of reality television means fans can discover new information about their favorite stars alongside them.Celebrities on Finding Your Roots&nbsp;can trace their lineage back generations with the help of host Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Revelations from Finding Your Roots&nbsp;range from the random, like Tina Fey's distant connection to Ben Franklin,&nbsp;to the horrible, like Ben Affleck's relatives owning slaves. Similarly,&nbsp;celebrities on Who Do You Think You Are? also uncover new branches of their family trees. The show followed Susan Sarandon as she discovered her grandmother's scandalous past, and connected Sarah Jessica Parker to a colonial tragedy. And then there's Brooke Shields – a dive into her family's past revealed a surprising royal pedigree.From shocking secrets to funny coincidences, here are the most jaw-dropping celebrity revelations from Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots.

The Most Shocking Revelations Celebrities Had On Finding Your Roots 

The Most Shocking Revelations Celebrities Had On Finding Your Roots, Ranked

Sure, you might know the famous movie quote &quot;I am Spartacus!,&quot; but who was the&nbsp;real&nbsp;gladiator Spartacus? He was a Thracian-born&nbsp;mercenary-turned-probable deserter who was sold into slavery in the first century BCE, becoming a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ancient-roman-gladiator-facts/aaron-edwards" target="_blank">gladiator</a> at a famed school in&nbsp;Italy. In 73 BCE, Spartacus and about 70 of his pals fled their bondage; over the next few years, they gathered tens of thousands of slaves in a conflict against Rome.The Spartacus slave revolts&nbsp;were also dubbed the Third Servile War. Although they ended badly&nbsp;in 71 BCE – &nbsp;the Spartacus slave wars ended in Spartacus's death and 6,000 crucified rebels –&nbsp;this gorgeous gladiator inspired future generations in his crusade against tyranny, his feats – and his physique – becoming more impressive with each re-telling of his story. Check out Stanley Kubrick's&nbsp;1960 film Spartacus or the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which ran from 2010-2013, for some visuals of this muscular progression.

11 Facts About Spartacus, the Gladiator Who Led An Uprising

11 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Spartacus

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

In the Harry Potter series, Hogwarts's&nbsp;Sorting Hat places new students into one of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-hogwarts-houses/amylindorff" target="_blank">four different houses</a>. It traditionally reads the minds of those wearing it and identifies their key qualities, placing them in the house whose members best personify those characteristics. Most of the antagonists in the&nbsp;Harry Potter&nbsp;series - Tom Riddle (AKA Voldemort), Draco Malfoy, and even Severus Snape - belonged to&nbsp;Slytherin.<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-in-hogwarts-houses/rebecca-shortall" target="_blank">Famous folks love sorting themselves</a> into one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/hogwarts-house-by-zodiac-sign/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">four fictional houses</a>;&nbsp;in fact, there are tons of&nbsp;celebrities who are total Slytherins. Each possesses traits typified by Slytherins, ones that can be good or bad, depending on they are used. Who are these famous people who would be sorted into Slytherin?&nbsp;For example, musicians Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj&nbsp;possess the Slytherin trait&nbsp;of being ambitious, hard workers.&nbsp;Other&nbsp;stars who belong in Slytherin, like Kris Jenner or Donald Trump, long&nbsp;thirsted for power and thrust themselves into our&nbsp;lives in unwelcome ways. Let's dive deep into discussions of which&nbsp;celebs are Slytherins and why.

15 Celebrities Who Are Total Slytherins

Hollywood is full of celeb brothers and sisters, but not everyone can be famous. There are tons of&nbsp;non-famous people with famous <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-celebrity-siblings/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">siblings</a>&nbsp;who pop up&nbsp;now and then on celeb gossip sites. For example, did you know that pop powerhouses Britney and Jamie-Lynn Spears aren't the only scions of the Spears dynasty? In fact, their oldest sibling is Bryan, who's produced for both his siblings.And then there's Braison Cyrus, the brother of pop star Miley Cyrus. He doesn't seem likely to remain one of the&nbsp;unknown siblings of well-known siblings, as he's gaining fame as a model and singer. As far as&nbsp;unknown brothers of stars, don't miss Andrew Wilson, sibling of funnymen Luke and Owen. And then there are the&nbsp;unknown sisters of stars - have you heard of Alana Hadid? She's a&nbsp;stylist and the older&nbsp;half-sister of models Bella and Gigi&nbsp;Hadid.Whether they're the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-black-sheep/evan-lambert" target="_blank">black sheep</a> of their families or rising stars themselves, these unknown siblings of celebrities have names worth knowing.

Unknown Extra Siblings With Two Or More Famous Brothers And Sisters

14 Unknown Siblings From Extremely Famous Families

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Have you ever wondered where award-winning&nbsp;mystery author Anne Perry finds&nbsp;inspiration for her novels? She doesn't have to look any further than her own past. Perry is a crime novelist who killed as a teenager. In 1954, Anne Perry, formerly Juliet Hulme, and her best friend Pauline Parker murdered Pauline's mother, Honora Rieper, near Christchurch, New Zealand. The murder was vicious, and the girls appeared to show little remorse after they committed the crime.While Anne&nbsp;Perry isn't the only <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-have-killed-people/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">notable person&nbsp;who has killed</a>, the Parker-Hulme&nbsp;murder case, brought into the spotlight by the film&nbsp;Heavenly Creatures,&nbsp;is notorious. The teenage best friends were so obsessively close to one another&nbsp;that&nbsp;when Pauline's mom wouldn't let her move to South Africa with Juliet, the pair decided to kill her. After serving five years in jail, Hulme changed her name and reinvented herself as a bestselling novelist named Anne Perry, but the story of her murderous past is truly dark.

How Crime Author Anne Perry Ironically Murdered Someone In Real Life

Crime Author Anne Perry Murdered Her Best Friend's Mother As A Teen

Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II ruled from 1952 to 2022. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/royals-with-scandalous-relatives/carly-silver">Real-life royals</a> are often stereotyped as prim and proper, but fascinating facts and stories about Queen Elizabeth II reveal an intriguing personality. First off, there's her family to consider. She was never expected to rule Britannia (her uncle abandoned the throne to marry the woman he loved), but became the country's sweetheart once she entered the public eye. And Elizabeth's little sister Margaret caused some scandal with her love affairs and outspoken ways.&nbsp;But the list of&nbsp;weird things about the Queen of England doesn't stop there. She was obsessed&nbsp;with corgis for most of her life, starting when her dad gave her Susan, her very first pup,&nbsp;in the 1940s. A devoted horsewoman&nbsp;and outdoorswoman, Elizabeth would have happily lived as a farmer's wife, but she was destined for other things. And when you delve into the secret life of Queen Elizabeth, perhaps the strangest fact of all emerges: She was actually quite funny. It just goes to show you that royals are normal people, too, despite the dazzling jewels and dizzying <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/funny-titles-of-nobility/jacob-shelton">titles</a>.

17 Weird Facts You Never Knew About Queen Elizabeth II

The Longest-Ruling Queen In History Was Never Supposed To Take The Throne

Mummies

<a href="/list/chinas-lady-dai-mummy-mystery/jessika-gilbert" target="_blank">Everyone loves a good mummy</a>, but one of the most fascinating stories about these wrapped legends doesn&#39;t have anything to do with the likes of King Tutankhamun&nbsp;or <a href="/list/facts-about-inca-ice-woman-juanita/lisa-a-flowers" target="_blank">Juanita</a>. One of history&#39;s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-famous-mummies-really-looked-like/christy-box?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous mummies</a> is &quot;Unknown Man E,&quot; found at the ancient Egyptian site of Deir el-Bahri. But this, one of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scariest-movies-of-all-time/harper-brooks?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most scary</a> mummies ever found, is better known to the world as the &quot;Screaming Mummy.&quot;

This bizarre mummy features a thrown-back head and an open jaw in what looks like a blood-curdling scream. But what&nbsp;happened to Egypt&#39;s Screaming Mummy, and why is he yelling? Archaeologists analyzed the mummy and his wrappings and have reasoned he might have been a disgraced prince named Pentawere. This&nbsp;ancient conspiracy involved a minor queen trying to put her&nbsp;son, Pentawere, on the throne, while overthrowing his dad, Ramesses III, in the process. The plot was eventually discovered and Pentawere forced to commit take his own life... but what happened to him?&nbsp;Perhaps archaeologists discovered his body when they uncovered&nbsp;the Screaming Mummy!

The Horrifying Story Behind "The Screaming Mummy"

The Horrifying Story Behind 'The Screaming Mummy'

As the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver" target="_blank">ruler</a> of the United Kingdom is in her 90s,&nbsp;it can be difficult to imagine Queen Elizabeth II young. Furthermore, the long list of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/queen-elizabeth-actors/ranker-film" target="_blank">actresses who played Queen Elizabeth</a> means you likely host&nbsp;many different likenesses of her majesty in your mind's eye.&nbsp;A beauty in her youth, Queen Elizabeth II's early life was rocked&nbsp;by the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, at which point&nbsp;the former Princess Elizabeth of York found herself thrust&nbsp;into the spotlight at a young age as the crown's new heiress. Since the Queen has&nbsp;sat the throne for a whopping 65 years, the longest of any monarch, it means that&nbsp;tons of Queen Elizabeth II young photos exist for your viewing pleasure.Some&nbsp;Queen Elizabeth II young photos show her with her future husband&nbsp;Prince Philip, while others depict Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II as&nbsp;a&nbsp;kid with her mom, sister, and dad. The latter pics - Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II&nbsp;childhood pictures - offer a rare glimpse of domestic bliss, as do snaps of&nbsp;pictures&nbsp;of Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II young with&nbsp;her growing family. All of them depict a woman who, whether she knew it then or not, now stands as one of the most recognizable names in history. That's as good a reason as any to bend the knee.

18 Photos of Young Queen Elizabeth II You've Never Seen Before

Young Photos of Queen Elizabeth II You've Never Seen Before

Money

Throughout history, wealthy&nbsp;people &ndash;&nbsp;like many <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-monarch_s)/reference" target="_blank">notable kings</a>&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;had extravagant weddings. For these inestimably costly ceremonies,&nbsp;pre-celebration festivities often&nbsp;included very lavish dowries on behalf of the new brides. Sometimes, these nuptials that involved famous dowries took place between <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank">weird royals</a>&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;like uncles and nieces and already closely related cousins.&nbsp;But who had the&nbsp;biggest&nbsp;dowry&nbsp;in&nbsp;history?

A fair number of medieval and early modern princesses and archduchesses were given lots of land as their dowries, and their husbands wed them for the promise&nbsp;of significant revenue&nbsp;from these properties. Sometimes, these territories were so vast they&#39;re nearly unthinkable. For example, Eleanor of Aquitaine&nbsp;brought the rulership of most of southwestern France &ndash;&nbsp;her duchy of Aquitaine&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;to both of her husbands. Anne of Denmark wed Eleanor&#39;s descendant, James VI of Scotland/I of England, and brought the Orkney Isles with her. But was this the&nbsp;biggest&nbsp;dowry&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;world?

Other wives have brought a ton of cash with them to their newly minted husbands. Modern-day royal Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, apparently brought $200 million to her husband, while Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza&nbsp;gave her spouse, Charles II of England, trading rights all over the world.

The Most Lavish Dowries In History

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan is perhaps the most famous martial artist in American cinema. The star of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jackie-chan-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference" target="_blank">blockbusters</a> like the&nbsp;Rush Hour&nbsp;trilogy and&nbsp;Kung Fu Yoga,&nbsp;Chan set Hollywood ablaze in the late &#39;90s and early 2000s&nbsp;with his amazing stunts and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jackie-chan-most-dangerous-scenes/zack-howe" target="_blank">dangerous movie scenes</a>. Despite his fame, there&#39;s&nbsp;likely a lot you don&#39;t know about Jackie&nbsp;Chan. For instance, he wasn&#39;t always a movie star, either in the United States or his native China.

But after all his years of international success, what happened to Jackie&nbsp;Chan? Though you may have heard otherwise, Chan is alive and well. He shared stories from his eventful life in the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/revelations-from-the-jackie-chan-memoir/ryan-sargent" target="_blank">memoir</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D6VWQVD/ref?&amp;tag=rankercom2679826-20" target="_blank">Never Grow Up</a>;&nbsp;more importantly, Chan continues to act (just check out our <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jackie-chan-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference" target="_blank">Jackie Chan movies list</a> for proof).

What Ever Happened to Jackie Chan?

Inside Jackie Chan's Storied Life And Career

Bands/Musicians

Teen pop artist Hoku&nbsp;was a one-named singer and&nbsp;two-hit&nbsp;wonder. Two big songs defined&nbsp;Hawaiian performer Hoku&#39;s&nbsp;music career:&nbsp;&quot;Another Dumb Blonde&quot; from the 2000 Nickelodeon&nbsp;film,&nbsp;Snow Day,&nbsp;and &quot;Perfect Day&quot; from the Legally Blonde&nbsp;soundtrack. But like many&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-forgotten-teen-pop-acts/mal1" target="_blank">teen pop acts</a>&nbsp;of the 1990s and early 2000s, she was a fleeting presence on the music scene. Perhaps you want to learn what happened to Hoku or&nbsp;other fun facts about her life, both before and after she went all &quot;Blonde&quot; and &quot;Perfect.&quot;

Hoku certainly has&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/most-musically-gifted-children-of-musicians" target="_blank">musical DNA</a>: her dad was the late singer, Don Ho. After she moved to&nbsp;California from Hawaii, her vocal talent&nbsp;drew comparisons to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. But&nbsp;Hoku&nbsp;reportedly stepped away from mainstream pop because she&nbsp;wanted to maintain a wholesome image&nbsp;due to her faith; she is now a married mom who is deeply&nbsp;involved in her California church.

She&nbsp;still sings&nbsp;and might&nbsp;surprise us with another hit, albeit in the inspirational musical category.

What The Heck Ever Happened To Hoku?

Ashanti

In the early 2000s, radio&nbsp;airwaves resounded with the hip-hop and R&amp;B stylings of artists signed to record label Murder Inc., including artists&nbsp;Ja Rule, Lloyd, and Ashanti. But after the Inc. went bottoms-up, many of those once-big names faded from the scene, the &quot;Princess of Hip-Hop and R&amp;B&quot; herself among them. What happened to Ashanti?

As of 2018, Ashanti is still working with <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-ja-rule/carly-silver" target="_blank">Ja Rule</a>&nbsp;on their &quot;I Love the 2000s&quot; tour. As &#39;90s nostalgia makes fans remember those glory days of R&amp;B, Ashanti during the 2010s&nbsp;has been in high demand. For a time when she first dropped off the main stage, she allegedly abandoned her Inc. colleagues (depending on whom you&#39;re asking) and went on to have a few minor hits, but kept pretty busy otherwise. Eagle-eyed fans might notice, though, that&nbsp;rapper&nbsp;Nelly is no longer around. Ashanti&#39;s breakup with Nelly was reportedly acrimonious, but the singer has put those days behind her.

Through it all, Ashanti&#39;s career path maintained a solid trajectory&nbsp;as she consistently releases&nbsp;music - some on her own label - and even appeared on Broadway. Though early predictions Ashanti&nbsp;would <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/arts/music-the-solo-beyonce-she-s-no-ashanti.html" target="_blank">outperform</a>&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;&nbsp;as the queen of the music industry didn&#39;t necessarily stand the test of time, Ashanti&#39;s been doing just fine on her own.

Whatever Happened to Ashanti?

Unscripted

Even the rich and famous get fed up sometimes. It&#39;s understandable when Hollywood stars get annoyed with paparazzi in their faces or <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-with-fan-photo-opinions/jonathan-kantor" target="_blank">selfie requests</a>, but you&#39;d think they&#39;d be a bit more patient when they have <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/sad-celebrity-stories/jessica-defino" target="_blank">encounters with fans</a>. Unfortunately, some famous people&nbsp;were apparently&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-were-jerks-before-they-were-famous/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">jerks even before they were famous</a>. These are the rudest celebrities according to fans.

Fan stories about rude and mean celebrities can be pretty shocking. Christian Bale has reportedly made children start bawling while heartthrobs like Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson seem to be new-generation nasty towards the adoring masses who made them famous.

Are the pressures of fame simply too much? Or do these celebrities <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-hate-their-fans/evan-lambert" target="_blank">secretly hate their fans</a>? Whatever the case, these&nbsp;terrible encounters with rude stars will make you gasp. Check out the meanest celebrities according to fans below.

Maybe Ask Someone Else For An Autograph

The 21 Rudest Celebrities (According To Fans)

The Rudest Celebrities In Hollywood, According To The Fans Who've Met Them

Diana, Princess of Wales

Former butler Paul Burrell was privy to all of the British Royal Family&#39;s secrets in the &#39;90s - especially those of the late <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rare-princess-diana-photos/katejacobson" target="_blank">Diana, Princess of Wales</a>, who was also his boss. Diana,&nbsp;&quot;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/princess-diana-moments/kelly-patrick" target="_blank">the People&#39;s Princess</a>,&quot;&nbsp;and Burrell were allegedly more than just boss and employee, though; according to him, they were close friends who confided their secrets to one another.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/princess-diana-breaking-news/alby-thompson" target="_blank">Diana&#39;s tragic passing</a>&nbsp;brought forth Burrell&#39;s revelations about life with the princess.&nbsp;He released books and gave numerous tell-all interviews, exposing the most intimate of secrets about the late royal, reportedly ranging from Diana&#39;s&nbsp;issues with Prince Charles to her eating disorder. The man who was once Princess Diana&#39;s butler became a celebrity and media personality&nbsp;in his own right.&nbsp;Here are some of the most scandalous tidbits about <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-crown-princess-diana-affairs/jim-rowley" target="_blank">Diana&#39;s life</a>, at least according to Burrell.&nbsp;

The Most Shocking Details Princess Diana's Butler, Paul Burrell, Has Revealed About Her Life

The Most Shocking Details Princess Diana's Butler Has Alleged About Her Life

Anne Boleyn

You&#39;ve likely heard tales of Anne Boleyn, the alluring woman who convinced King Henry VIII of England to give up his wife and child, break from the Catholic Church, and marry her. And she was the mother of one of the most renowned monarchs in British history, Elizabeth I.&nbsp;But there&#39;s a lot more to Anne than just her personal affairs, many of which were magnified or inaccurately portrayed by those with a political agenda after her death. So,&nbsp;who was Anne Boleyn really?

The life of Anne Boleyn was anything but boring.&nbsp;Anne was a brilliant, engaging young woman with the best education her family&#39;s position at court could provide. She served under many of the royal women in Europe, was&nbsp;known for her wit, and loved all things French. And once she married <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/violent-medieval-monarchs/carly-silver" target="_blank">King Henry VIII</a>, Anne did anything - absolutely anything - to keep her marriage intact. An Anne Boleyn biography might also mention her family&#39;s affairs with her husband, her religious fervor, and rumors that her ghost&nbsp;still haunts people. All in all, there are some weird Anne Boleyn facts.

Strange Facts About Anne Boleyn

18 Facts About The Dramatic Life Of Anne Boleyn

Historical Figures

History is full of figures who skillfully&nbsp;manipulated&nbsp;those who loved them for personal advancement. From ancient Rome to early modern England,&nbsp;19th century Germany&nbsp;to&nbsp;Peter the Great&#39;s Russia -&nbsp;these&nbsp;are just some of the&nbsp;most famous gold diggers and schemers in history.

Quite a few of these notorious figures started life humbly. For example, Peter the Great&#39;s true love, Catherine I, was born to a Lutheran pastor in Lithuania - and her real name wasn&#39;t even Catherine,&nbsp;it was Marta! And it&#39;s not just the women. There were plenty of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-egregious-male-gold-diggers/mark?utm_expid=16418821-310.smDnXTH_QT6V93qtvQFoXw.0&amp;utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ranker.com%2Fapp%2Fsearch.htm%3Fq%3Dgold%2520digger" target="_blank">historical men</a>&nbsp;accused of scheming their way to the top. Take <a href="http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/jconroy.html" target="_blank">Sir John Conroy</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;an Irish soldier who worked his way into&nbsp;the good graces of Victoria, Duchess of Kent (mother of&nbsp;Queen Victoria) and became her advisor.

Some schemers weren&#39;t exactly shy about taking favors from their lovers or manipulating those in their life, either. <a href="http://www.thoughtco.com/alice-perrers-facts-3529651" target="_blank">Alice Perrers</a>, mistress of England&#39;s King Edward III during his old age, reportedly extracted every last penny she could from her dying love&nbsp;-&nbsp;she even got her hands on some royal jewels! And while there was no single original political schemer, the Byzantine empress Euphemia certainly reaped the rewards of seducing&nbsp;Justin&nbsp;I.

Discover the stories behind the&nbsp;most interesting&nbsp;and successful&nbsp;schemers throughout history.

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