Life went through some incredible changes when the first cities were built. Up until then, nearly every person had to work as a farmer or a hunter, moving from place to place in a constant struggle to survive.

All that changed about 7,000 years ago, when Sumer, the first civilization, began. For the first time in human history, people moved into the safety of a walled city. For the first time, they didn’t have to hunt or farm. They could become builders, astrologers, and teachers. They could develop things that, until then, no one had ever even dreamed of.

The last ruler of China’s Shang Dynasty knew how to relax. When he and his Queen wanted to unwind, they would head to his pleasure palace and take a dip in their lake of wine.

That wasn’t just a cute name. King Zhou Xin’s lake of wine, it’s said, stretched more than two kilometers across in each direction. It was big enough that the emperor could take a canoe out and paddle his way around a sea of liquor.

[Read the full article at Ancient Origins.]

Henry Lucas and Ottis Toole are either the worst serial killers in American history or the worst liars. They were a pair of star-crossed lovers who traveled across America murdering, raping, burning, and even cannibalizing everyone who crossed their paths. And if Henry Lucas is be believed, they killed thousands.

It’s one crime’s strangest and most unnerving stories. The truth is as murky as it comes but the things we know for sure are twisted enough to turn anyone’s stomach.

[Read the full article at All That Is Interesting.]

Necklacing was a horrible way to die. Mobs would put a car tire around the arms and neck of their victim, wrapping them up in a twisted parody of a rubber necklace. Usually, the massive weight of a tire was enough to keep them from running, but some took it even further. Sometimes, the mob would chop off their victim’s hands or tie them behind their back with barbwire to ensure they couldn’t get away.

Then they would set their victims on fire. While the flames rose and seared their skin, the tire around their necks would melt and cling like boiling tar to their flesh. The fire would still burn on, even after they’d died, incinerating the body until it was charred beyond recognition.

[Read the full article at All That Is Interesting.]