History is filled with all sorts of people, some were deemed great while some were deemed downright strange. Most individuals were deemed weird due to their eccentricities, circumstances and medical oddities. We have compiled a list of the weirdest people in history.
Let us take a look at The 9 Weirdest People In History.
1) Gloria Ramirez- The Toxic Lady
The first person in our list of the weirdest people in history is Gloria Ramirez a.k.a the Toxic Lady. On the evening of February 19, 1994, Ramirez, was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the emergency department due to severe heart palpitations. Additionally, she was suffering from late-stage cervical cancer. The medical staff injected her with drugs to try to bring her vital signs to normal. However, nothing worked.
The staff then disrobed her only to find that her body had a strange oily sheen. Some even noticed a fruity garlic odour coming from her mouth. Subsequently, the medical staff started fainting and experiencing shortness of breath and muscle spasms.
Ramirez died later that night and in all 23 people became ill and five were hospitalized. After her death, a hazmat team put the body in a sealed aluminium casket. Later, the press dubbed Ramirez “The Toxic Lady” as no one could go near the body without repercussions.
Initially, the cause of the incident was said to be mass hysteria. However, an investigation led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory suggested that Ramirez had been self-administering dimethyl sulfoxide as a treatment for the pain. But it underwent a series of chemical reactions in the hospital and converted into dimethyl sulfate, an extremely toxic substance. Although this is a widely believed theory, it is still a matter of debate in the scientific community.
2) Tarrare- One of the weirdest and gluttonous people in history
Another one of the strangest people in history was Tarrare. A man noted for his insatiable hunger. In fact, he could eat a meal fit for 15 people! Ironically, despite eating large amounts of food, he was emancipated. Tarrare was constantly hungry since childhood. Due to this, his parents kicked him out at a young age. He then went to Paris right before the French Revolution. There he became a showman and parlayed his uncontrollable hunger into a career— eating unusual things for entertainment. He ate everything from lizards to large stones.
Subsequently, during the French Revolution, General Alexandre de Beauharnais decided to put Tarrare’s capabilities to military use. He hired him as a messenger, with the intention to swallow military secrets and deliver them behind enemy lines. However, Tarrare failed and was captured by the Prussians who severely beat him and returned him to the French lines. Tarrare was then admitted to the hospital where he resorted to drinking blood and eating the bodies at the morgue. In the end, he allegedly ate a toddler and that’s when the hospital threw him out. Tarrare died of multiple illnesses around the age of 27.
3) Adam Rainer- The only person in history who was both a dwarf and a giant
Another person on our list of the weirdest people in history is Adam Rainer. He was born in Austria to average-sized parents. Subsequently, at the age of 18, he decided to join the army but was deemed too short and weak. At the time his height was 4’6.3″. He tried again the next year as his height then measured 4’8.3” inches. But was rejected again. Rainer was considered a dwarf as he was below 4’10”.
However, this was to change by the time he was 21 years old. That was when he hit a dramatic growth spurt and by the time of his death measured 7’10”. This was due to a medical condition known as acromegaly, which causes an overproduction of growth hormones in the body. Thus he is the only man in history to be classified as both a dwarf and a giant.
4) Hetty Green- The frugal Witch of Wall Street
The irony about Hetty Green is that despite being the richest American woman during the late 1900s, she was deemed the “greatest miser”. Despite her vast fortune, Green lived an extremely frugal life. She refused to pay for hot water or buy expensive clothes. Additionally, Green was extremely paranoid, often taking lengthy detours from her office to home to shake off imaginary stalkers. Moreover, due to her dour clothing, she was given the moniker “the Witch of Wall Street”.
However it’s not the thriftiness that deems her as one of the weirdest people in history, but it is its extent. For example, when her son broke his leg, she attempted to fix it on her own and when that didn’t work, she searched for a free clinic. Ultimately, the poor boy’s leg had to be amputated because his case became incurable.
5) Carl Tanzler- A man who never stopped loving his “one true love” even after her death
Our list of the weirdest people in history is incomplete without Carl Tanzler, the man who loved a corpse. Yes, you read that right! During his childhood, Tanzler had visions of his “one true love”; a beautiful foreign woman with dark hair. On April 22 1930, while he was employed at the Marine hospital, a 22-year-old Cuban woman came to the hospital for treatment from tuberculosis. For Tanzler this was love at first sight, as she matched the description of his true love.
However, the woman Elena “Helen” Milagro de Hoyos, died shortly after. But this did not stop Tanzler who removed her body from the mausoleum. He then did several things to preserve the corpse and even slept with it every night! Hoyo’s body was eventually discovered and Tanzler was arrested. However, after a psychiatrist examination, he was deemed mentally unstable and released. But Tanzler’s obsession continued until his death. He created a death mask and a life-size model out of her and spent the rest of his life with it. Read some bizarre facts about Carl Tanzler here: 11 Bizarre Facts About Carl Tanzler- The man who loved a corpse.
6) Li Ching-yuen- One of the weirdest people in history
Li Ching-yuen was a Chinese herbalist who is known for his extreme longevity. He is said to have died three days after his alleged 256th birthday in 1933. He allegedly had 23 wives and produced over 200 descendants during his lifetime. Yuen himself claimed to be born in 1736 while other records suggest 1677. However, his true date of birth was never determined. When asked about his secret, he replied “Keep a calm heart, sit like a tortoise, walk quickly like a pigeon and sleep like a canine”.
Subsequently, in 1930, Professor Wu Chung found records stating that the Imperial Chinese Government had congratulated Yuen on his 150th and 200th birthday. Ultimately his extreme longevity deems him as one of the weirdest people in history.
7) Diogenes the Cynic- A Greek philosopher deemed as one of the weirdest people in history
Diogenes the Cynic was definitely one of the strangest people in history. He was essentially one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. Diogenes was born in either 412 or 404 B.C., in Sinope. Subsequently, he was forced into exile from Sinope with his father. He then went on to live in Athens where he began practising extreme anti-conventionalism. Additionally, he made a virtue of poverty and threw away all his possessions save a bowl for food and drink. He begged for a living and lived in a large ceramic jar in the marketplace.
Additionally, he regularly sat in on Plato‘s classes, often sabotaging his lectures by eating too loudly or masturbating in class. Despite being a controversial figure, Diogenes is known as one of the wisest Greek philosophers in history.
8) Joshua Norton of San Francisco a.k.a Emperor Norton
In 1859, Joshua Norton suffered a mental breakdown after losing a fortune in his business. Subsequently, he declared himself as Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. He then went on to issue numerous decrees regarding the governance of the United States and its political makeup. Additionally, he also dressed as a military leader for the rest of his life. Although his decrees were ignored by the leaders, they were considered ‘wise’. Some of his decrees were that the United States Congress be dissolved by force and a bridge be built from Oakland Point to San Francisco, via Goat Island.
The citizens of San Franciso were quite respectful to Norton. Many people even supported him and the police officers saluted him as he walked by. Moreover, Norton issued his own money in promissory notes, which were accepted by some establishments in San Francisco.
When he died in 1880, there was great public mourning and during his funeral, more than 10,000 people paid their respects.
9) Anneliese Michel- The inspiration for the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The last one on our list of the weirdest people in history is Anneliese Michel. When Michel was 17 she began suffering from convulsions. It was then that doctors diagnosed her with Grand Mal epilepsy. However, soon, Michel began experiencing devilish hallucinations while praying. Additionally, she also began hearing voices saying she will “rot in hell” and that she is damned. In 1975, convinced that she was possessed her parents sought out priests for help. They initially refused, but priest Ernst Alt agreed to help and got a local bishop to consent to exorcism.
Over the next 10 months, the priests conducted around 67 exorcisms on Michel. Moreover, she claimed that numerous demons possessed her, including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero and Cain. Subsequently, during the 10 month period, Michel’s body began to deteriorate and she eventually died due to malnutrition and dehydration on July 1, 1976. Ultimately, Michel’s parents and the priests were charged with negligent homicide for her death. They all were found guilty and were sentenced to six months in jail.
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