10. Africanized Bee

Known colloquially as ‘Killer Bees’, Africanized Bees are (unsurprisingly) feared by many people. A hybrid breed of European (Italian and Iberian) Bee breeds as well as larger African Honey Bees, the breed caused pandemonium across the US in the early nineties as the spread from the south northwards wreaking havoc on, well, pretty much anything that annoyed them really. Inflicting far more misery upon their fellow bees than on humans, these particularly confrontational insects have become known for the genocide of existing European breeds. Considered dangerous due to their fondness of swarming, a good few people die as a result of their activity each year.

9. Tsetse Fly

Also known as tik-tik flies, the Tsetse is a breed of insect capable of mass human death. Annually, it is estimated that they cause as many as 300,000 human deaths each year, most typically through their prize ability to successfully spread infectious and detrimental diseases. The most common such disease is Trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness. This parasitic condition can affect human beings as well as animals, and acts to aggressively attack first the lymph system, and later the central nervous system itself. Tsetse flies are indigenous primarily to the African continent, and as a result this is where they cause the most death to humans.

8. Cone Snail

Despite being miniscule in stature, relatively harmless in looks and belonging to the quite placid sounding Coninae  family of aquatic molluscs, the Cone Snail can do a hell of a lot of damage if rubbed the wrong way, literally. Possessing a reservoir of rather volatile toxins, most commonly used in the stunning and consuming of prey (usually small fish), the Cone Snail is capable of firing a harpoon-like barb at impressive velocity in pretty much any direction. Though attacks on humans are rare, they have been known to cause the untimely deaths of a scuba-diver or two in their native Pacific Ocean. Essentially contaminating human blood to the point of reflexive rejection (loads and loads of regurgitation and diarrhoea, basically) the toxins possessed by the Cone Snail cause almost instantaneous reaction. Add to the aforementioned nausea, headache, weakness, seizures respiratory failure and even coma, as well as the fact that you’re likely to be bobbing about helplessly in the ocean when this goes down, and you get a pretty good idea of just how these tiny molluscs are capable of causing death.

7. Stone Fish

Continuing on the theme of unsuspecting barbarous and toxic sea-creatures, the Stone Fish would likely get on very well with the Cone Snail. In fact, it’s even possible the two have met, as the Stone Fish too enjoys the warm coastal areas of the Indo-Pacific. Though lacking an ability to project its venomous barbs directly towards its intended target, the Stone Fish does possess a couple of separate, yet equally impressive skills- namely camouflage and habitat transition. With the ridiculous ability to blend in to its surroundings with ease, the creature’s already tricky-to-distinguish profile is enhanced even further. On top of this, the Stone Fish may leave the water, taking up a role as a miscellaneous rock on a beach for a period of up to 24-hours. If stood on, the fish uses the victims own wait to leak nasty venom directly into the bloodstream- often causing crippling pain and sometimes even fatality.

6. Black Mamba

Far from being the only snake with a gift for causing pain, suffering and eventually death, the Black Mamba just may be the most notorious. Named so as a result of the black interior of its mouth, this creature is native to Eastern Africa and can range in size from 8ft to 10ft long. One of four snakes categorised as ‘mambas’, the Black Mamba is the second largest venomous snake in the world, behind only the King Cobra. Delivering its incapacitating venom with both ferocity and speed, most who encounter the creature’s wrong side are dead within a matter of minutes.

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10. Substance Abuse

Referring to an exposure to elicit substances whilst in their mother’s womb as well as later in life, it is widely believed that children who grow up in an environment which advocates such abuse are not only more likely to suffer from the onset of particular mental conditions, but from substance dependence themselves later in life. Whether sustained alcohol intake acts to affect the growth and natural development of an unborn child, or the heroin addiction of an infant’s parents ensures that they are emotionally destabilised for good, FBI statistics suggest that around 70% of serial killers experience problems linked with substance abuse early on in life.

9. Sexual Abuse

Not many people would argue with the perspective that the people we become in adulthood largely, though perhaps not wholly, depends on the nature of our upbringing. Whilst substance abuse can act to hinder the psyche of a child through isolation, negligence and physical abuse, the matter of sexual abuse is very different. Whilst the term may suggest it, sexual abuse in this setting does not solely refer to direct physical abuse. Though such abuse is unfortunately common, it is not the only sexually themed form of childhood torment likely to influence a future killer. Acts of humiliation in relation to the likes of masturbation, the witnessing of the abuse of parents or close relatives, or just about anything else that prohibits healthy growth in relation to this most sensitive and natural of human functions can all have adverse effects.

8. Loneliness

Whilst loneliness and isolation may be considered natural amongst grown-ups, they are states which can be extremely detrimental to the rounded development of a child. The ability, or lack thereof, to forge meaningful relationships with other people is often what sets serial killers apart from their societal neighbours. It is widely believed that most serial killers grow up in environments that are unstable as a result of warring family members. This home life then transfers to other areas of their life, such as school, and soon they find themselves friendless and at the mercy of playground bully’s. Resentment and disregard for others and their feelings comes next, followed by the fulfilment of hateful urge and fantasy.

7. Animal Abuse

It is believed that a great deal of serial killers, in fact 99% of them, complete childhood apprenticeships in their trade upon animals. As violent fantasies and tendencies develop within the increasingly warped mind of a troubled child, they are likely to seek appropriate animals as necessary targets upon which to vent their torturous desires. What’s more, due to the typically dysfunctional settings in which children performing such acts grow up in, their behaviour is likely to go largely un-noticed.

6. Trouble With Employment

Opinions tend to vary more-so with regards to this characteristic than with any others on the list. Whilst FBI research maintains that serial killers need not be considered to have any specific troubles when it comes to the world of work and holding down a job, there is countless research which suggests they do. Presumably, this characteristic stems from the fact that social and academic exclusion during education leads to a disregard for the institutions importance rather early on in life. Under qualified for more professionally orientated roles, serial killers are then left with more menial unskilled societal roles.

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10. Surplus Apollo Missions

Following the successful conclusion of the space race in the July of 1969, the US National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) launched six more Apollo missions to the moon, the last of which was Apollo 17 which was launched on December 7^th, 1972. Perhaps the most notable of these surplus missions was that of Apollo 13, the crew of which managed to survive an oxygen tank explosion whilst on their way to the moon.

9. The Ballpoint Pen Was Invented During the Space Race

Perhaps not the most exciting fact I could muster on the topic, however interesting nonetheless. After scratching their heads for a number of months, as well as spending around $1million (which back then was more a lot more than it is now) on research, expert researchers at NASA came up with the prototype for the ballpoint pen- intended to eliminate problems caused by zero-gravity conditions. Funnily enough the Soviets had a similar problem, though came up with a much more cost effective option- using a pencil.

8. The Russians Took an Early Lead

In October 1957, the Soviet space programme took an early lead, and in many ways signalled the true beginning to the space race when they successfully launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. This early incarnation of what would eventually become the technology upon which most modern communications are now built, was just 22 and a half inches in diameter, weighing in at relatively modest 183 pounds. In terms of instruments, the Sputnik carried only a radio transmitter designed to transmit on the 15-meter short-wave band.

7. Sputnik 3 Was the Size of a Moon

Maybe a little bit of an over-exaggeration in terms of literal speaking, however far from it if we consider the generational differences between Sputnik 3 and its aforementioned generational elder. Launched in the spring following the success of Sputnik 1, Sputnik 3 was a much vaster mission, in terms of size, duration and ambition. Orbiting Earth an estimation 10,000 times over 682 day period, Sputnik 3 returned to its home planet in the April of 1960. Given the satellites size for the time, sizing up and 5×11 feet and weighing in excess of a ton, Premier Khrushchev is said to have stated at the time ‘America sleeps under a Soviet moon’. I bet that did a lot to calm the escalating tension.

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10. Earthrise, 1968

As the fourth picture of Earth to be considered one of NASA’s greatest ever photos, Earthrise was taken during the Apollo 8 mission, 1968. The endeavor was a groundbreaking event that set the tone for mankind’s eventual landing on the moon. This image was taken while the crew of the Apollo orbited the moon during Christmas time. Their public broadcast on Christmas Eve was the highest viewed television program at the time. The mission was meticulously documented, including the audio track of when the “Earthrise” picture was taken. Listening to the audio while looking at the picture provides a clear imprint of the awe these guys felt when documenting this event. As you listen, try to wipe clean the desensitized characteristic of a generation diluted by pop culture and cookie cutter music. Back when “Earthrise” was taken, people still knew how to dream. Like the original “Blue Marble” picture, “Earthrise” inspired environmental activists to fight for preservation of a vulnerable Earth.

9. The Blue Marble

There have been updated versions and variations of this image through the years (one other makes the list), but this original was taken December, 17, 1972 by the crew of Apollo 17. This photo quickly gained authority through the presence of Antarctica—it was the first time that the path of an Apollo mission allowed for the frozen continent to be featured in a picture taken from a space shuttle. Apollo 17’s trajectory kept the sun behind the spaceship and so revealed a fully illuminated Earth. Contrary to some claims, this wasn’t the first photo that encapsulated the earth. However, it was released during a movement of environmental activism. “The Blue Marble” portrayed an Earth that was not so untouchable and durable as first perceived; it looks rather fragile and weak in the midst of endless black space.

8. Blue Marble 2012

Like any great movie, “The Blue Marble” picture received its long-overdue remake forty years later.  Even though the official image shows the Americas (can you blame them?), NASA was a good sport and released a sister photo of the eastern hemisphere. The difference between this picture and its predecessor is that “The Blue Marble 2012” is a composite image. What you see before you is the ultimate result of compiling data from the Suomi NPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite. The data used for the image was a result of six full orbits of the earth and stands as one of the best quality images of Earth to this date—a feat worthy of its predecessor.

7. Black Marble

I promise this list is not the “Top Ten Pictures of Earth”, and that this will be the final “marble” picture to be featured. Like “The Blue Marble 2012”, “The Black Marble” was taken from the Suomi NPP satellite. This set of photos showed, in great detail, all of the lighting visible to the space at night. Go figure that most of it was man-made. These images serve as a stark reminder of mankind’s growing presence on the Earth. The process to produce this image was both laboriously and technically intensive. Once mastered, the techniques behind this photo have led to a variety of different photos of the Earth at night. One of the more famous variants of this night time photography of the earth was taken during Hurricane Sandy.

6. “Pillars of Creation”, 1995

Throughout the space exploring years, NASA’s most consistent and vital utility (without a doubt) has been the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). HST should be featured on a credit card commercial documenting how much it cost (well over a billion dollars during its seven year manufacturing) to put in the air versus the pricelessness of its production. This highly sophisticated image taker has been orbiting Earth since 1990, and has returned to us some incredible photos—particularly of deep space. “The Pillars of Creation” is one of these priceless pictures that feature elephant trunks, or distinct columns of interstellar matter and gas an estimated 7,000 light years from Earth. Click here to view the Pillars’ place in the Eagle Nebula which houses an impressive array of relatively young stars. All of the Eagle Nebula’s stars were generated from the same giant molecular cloud near the same time. Pictures like this one remind us that we share the Milky Way Galaxy, let alone the entire universe, with a vast menagerie of spectacles and wonderments.

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10. Man’s Wedding Ring Deflects Bullet

It is becoming a common debate whether the institution of marriage is growing outdated. For Donnie Register, his marriage literally saved his life. Mr. Register was at the register when two armed men stuck him up. Confusion happened and Donnie lifted his left arm towards his assailants. A gun was leveled at his head and went off. The bullet hit his wedding band and was redirected away from his vital area. Pieces of the bullet remain lodged in nonthreatening locations of his finger and neck tissue. Donnie’s experience proves that the life-saving capabilities of cherished valuables are not simply a tv show cliché. This experience might not be as miraculous as the rest of the list, but it serves as an example of where luck meets the astounding in everyday life.

9. Mary Appears on a Florida Finance Building

It seems that the Virgin Mary is always getting her jollies through this miracle thing. Sometimes she shows up in the most random of places. This is exactly what happened in 1996, when she decided to pop her image on an office building in Clearwater, Florida. Her image started dull and grew in distinction over a series of months. The image stuck in the glass windows and the building was soon purchased by Shepherds of Christ Ministries. A statue was erected outside and visitors poured in by the truckload. Sadly, all good miracles come to an end and someone eventually knocked out the glass panes bearing Mary’s head with slingshot. Whether religious or not, most people believe that this manifestation was a curiosity that should have been preserved. Our world is so much more interesting with effigies on office buildings.

8. Boy Comes Back Alive For a Short Time

Imagine you are at a wake for a loved one while a eulogy is being read. Suddenly, the same lifeless body that had been laid out all day suddenly rises, asks for water, and lays back down dead as ever. This roller coaster of emotion is precisely what happened to the family of Kelvin Santos, in Brazil, 2012. Kelvin miraculously sat upright looking to his father for something to drink. The resurrection was miraculous, but it ranks low on our list because of what happened next. Before his father could fathom seeing his son alive again the moment was robbed from him. What followed is a dramatic protest of the hospital that had initially pronounced him deceased. The truth behind the events that transpired in this episode are so far unexplained, and so remain a bittersweet, modern miracle.

7. Nature is Miraculous: The Kiwi Gives Birth

Let us not overlook the inconceivability of nature’s design. Natural systems, unseen energies and a huge collection of evolutionary curiosities have scientists searching for answers and then more questions that those answers beg. From creatures that glow in the dark to frogs that can be frozen only to unfreeze and hop away alive as happy as can be. There are many bizarre things that nature throws our way, but I have chosen the kiwi’s process of birth. The kiwi lays the largest egg (and probably the largest anything) per body mass on earth. This egg is almost the size of an emu’s, the largest bird in Australia. The egg weighs 16 oz! The above image speaks for itself. Nature provides us with some truly phenomenal stuff.

6. Incorruptible Corpses: Rita of Cascia

The incorruptible corpse is a truly phenomenal, if not painstakingly long to decipher, event. Basically, someone dies, and for whatever reason their corpse is either unburied, uncovered, or otherwise observed. The catch is that when these bodies are viewed they look as if they had literally just died. Even more surprising is that there are a number of these corpses, many of them even being over a thousand years old. The competition to make this list was stiff, but ultimately Rita of Cascia took the prize due to the lore surrounding her. It has been reported and verified that her body actually moves from time to time. The extent of this spectacle is skeptically debated, but there are indisputably times where her face needs to be readjusted, usually her eyebrows and eyes that have a habit of opening.

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As well as being very dangerous, sinkholes are also a very dramatic geological feature. Where they occur in the wild, they can even be beautiful. Either way, it is a fascinating phenomenon, so we present our Top 10 Most Interesting Sinkholes

10. Cave of Swallows, Mexico

This amazing, cave-like hole has been known to locals since the dawn of history, but was only explored by outsiders in 1966. Caused by water erosion along a fault line, it is the largest known cave shaft in the world and at 370m deep, it could fit the Chrysler Building into it. It’s a popular spot for extreme sports fans – you can abseil down it in 20 minutes, or jump with a parachute in 10 seconds. Only problem is, it takes an hour of hard, vertical climbing to get back out. So not one for amateurs!

A milder tourist activity is watching the birds that the cave is named for. Every morning, they fly out in circles until they reach the opening, and in the evening they glide back in in a kind of free-fall. It’s a beautiful spectacle and less dangerous than hurling yourself off the edge!

9. Red Lake Croatia

Another beautiful natural structure now, with this water-filled sinkhole near the city of Imotski, Croatia. Named “The Red Lake” because iron oxide has colored the surrounding cliffs a red-brown color, it is 530m deep and is the 3rd largest in the world.

It’s also home to a rare species of fish known as Delminichthys adspersus. This fish has occasionally been found in neighboring lakes and streams, suggesting that there is some kind of underwater passage between this lake and others.

8. Xiaozhai Tiankeng, China

One of the deepest sinkholes in the world, at 662m with near-vertical walls, Xiaozhai tiankeng was formed when the carbonate rock was eroded by rain and washed away, leaving a huge chasm in its place. “Tiankeng” is a word in Chinese that refers to an especially large sinkhole, and can mean “heavenly pit” or “sky hole”.

It’s a pretty amazing tourist attraction, and almost untouched. Worth a visit for keen geologists!

7. Macungie Sinkhole, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania was recently named one of 7 states most at risk of sinkholes. And the 1986 appearance of this sinkhole in the village of Macungie is a good example of why Pennsyvanians should be very worried about that.

At lunchtime on June 23, a section of road just collapsed, leaving a gaping hole 87 feet across and 41 feet deep. Luckily, no-one was driving on that stretch of road at the time and so no-one was hurt. Had it happened a few meters away, near the houses, it would have been disastrous. As it was, it caused huge amounts of damage to the sewage and water systems, and the repairs cost $450,000. Research after the event threw up photos from the 1940s and 50s that showed sinkhole-like ponds in the area, so it was concluded that the local geology lent itself to forming sinkholes. Bet the home insurance is pretty expensive in Pennsylvania now too!

6. Bimmah, Oman

After an inconvenient, messy sinkhole like the Pennsylvanian one, it’s nice to know that sinkholes can still be things of beauty. This one, dubbed ” World’s most stunning sinkhole” by a British newspaper is in Oman and measures 40m wide. Tourists flock to see it and take a swim in it, aided by steps cut into the rock. Apparently, it also contains tiny fish that will nibble swimmers’ toes, in a similar way to a fish pedicure. A foot-nibbled outdoor swim in a sinkhole? It would certainly be a memorable one!

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10. Seat Fuel Tank

The Seat Fuel Tank is ranked tenth because it is the one invention on this list that never went ‘live’. It was too tempting to include at least one contraption that was such a fail that it hardly made it off the drawing board. The Seat Fuel Tank represents this class of failed ideas with pride. Kenneth Brock will forever be remembered as the man who suggested fighter pilots strap into a seat filled with fuel. In theory, Mr. Brock was probably right: the extra fuel capacity could mean longer flight distances. However, try to convince the pilot to strap into his own personal bomb. Any jet that would implement Mr. Brock’s design would be the first to have a pilot eject because of an emergency only to have the fire follow him into the atmosphere.

9. Otto Lilienthal’s Glider

First, it must be mentioned that this guy was called the Glider King and sported king-sized marbles to do the things he did. Otto made gliders and tossed himself off high places in the name of progress. His work would later be referred to as instrumental by the Wright brothers, two boys from North Carolina who didn’t fail. Be that as it may, Mr. Lilienthal died during a gliding flight. His legacy is that he made the possibility of flying man practical, if not a bit hazardous. With a last name reminiscent of a Middle-earth elf, Otto Lilienthal is the one person on this list that might make a top ten list of inventors as well as the one before you. Here is an example that the road to inventive greatness is paved in cobblestones of failure.

8. Thalidomide

Darn you, morning sickness, and your natural symptoms of being pregnant! Have no fear, just eat a pill of thalidomide and rest easy. The only drawback is a high likelihood that your offspring will spin a wheel of fortune and pop out with one of many birth defects this drug causes. During the 1950s and 1960s, over 10,000 children were born with deformed limbs among other health complications. It turns out that taking this morning sickness pill is the equivalent of putting Chernobyl in your mouth. Surprisingly, tests are being done with this drug to help with cancer and AIDS. Good luck with that one.

7. Ford Pinto

Never has Ford been as riddled with criticism and lawsuits as when the Pinto roamed the streets. The Pinto has been a lock on most “worst car” lists from magazines to blogs and beyond. Legend has it that the placement of the Pinto’s fuel tank increased the likelihood of a rear end collision resulting in a fiery roast of the occupants inside the vehicle. Other faults have been noted in the Pinto’s brakes, transmission, and suspension. Twenty-seven had been credited to the vehicle’s faulty design. Constant criticism and media attention caused Ford to recall the Pinto in 1978. The Ford Pinto’s heyday of terrorizing the streets was over, but the car continues to live in pop culture as a metaphor for ill-conceived vehicles.

6. Olestra

It seems as if every failed invention is based off a failed promise and Olestra (aka Olean) is no different. A magical substitute for fat that adds no calories or cholesterol to products, Olestra became all the rave during the 1990s. It was especially common among prepackaged, frozen snacks. Suddenly, people were wondering where their loose stools, tummy cramps, and excessive diarrhea was coming from. FDA issued a label warning of these potential side effects in 1996. In spite of large opposition, the FDA repealed these labels due to an experiment they ran. It was concluded that Olestra did not have as an adverse effect as many thought. Eventually, the debate turned to the rats for an answer. It turns out that the rats which ate a mixed diet of Olestra potato chips with regular put on more weight than rats that ate regular chips alone—go figure. Olestra is now banned in many countries and regions such as Canada and the European Union.

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So, say you’re an astraphobe, i.e. you’re scared of lightning, which states are best avoided? We’ve taken data from the National Weather Service to bring you the Top 10 States to avoid if you’re scared of lightning.

10. Colorado

Let’s start with home of the Rockies, Colorado. As you look at the statistics for the number of strikes Colorado receives, it seems way down the league from some of the other states. With average yearly flashes of 517,539 it’s only 17th on the list for regularity, and when it comes to strikes per sq mile of state, it’s only 32nd!So why does it appear on the list of ” Most dangerous states“? Maybe because there are 394 recorded deaths and injuries for the state! Yup, when it comes to death by lightning, Colorado’s stats are impressive. There were 24 deaths from 2002 through 2011, which made it the second most deadly state in that time period. When it came to deaths per million people, it also came 2nd.For a state with such low occurrences of lightning, that’s a high mortality rate. It might be because so much of Colorado is mountainous – if you’re caught on an open mountain top during a lightning strike, it’s a pretty grim situation. So if you’re visiting Colorado and you’re not keen on lightning, stay away from those mountains!

9. Missouri

Next up, we have the “Show Me State” – home to both gentle rolling hills and the Ozark mountains. In some ways, it’s the opposite to Colorado being 4th on the number of overall strikes 1997-2011, but with a relatively low death rate. 2012 saw no deaths at all and 16 between 2002 and 2011. It’s also 7th on flashes per square mile, so there’s a good chance that if you moved to Missouri you’d see some lightning action. But if you’re lucky, you won’t die from it! Especially if you hang out in the lower regions of the state.

8. Arkansas

And now onto Missouri’s neighbor, Arkansas which shares the Ozarks with Missouri. The state’s topography is widely varied, from its highest point at 839m (Magazine Mountain), to just 17m at the Louisiana border. With 7 lightning deaths between 2002 and 2011, it’s only 14th on the death per population chart, despite being the 5th most prone to strikes on the strikes per square mile chart. So, a mixed performance from a mixed state. What else would you expect from somewhere so varied that it has a reputation for hillbillies yet also produced a president? Arkansas is never predictable!

7. Oklahoma

Here’s another Mid-West state, made famous by the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in 1955. The “Sooner State” lies mostly on the Great American Plain, but also has a few small mountain ranges. It’s a cultural melting pot, with more than 25 Native American languages spoken, as well as immigrants from Germany and the UK.

The state is known for its thunderstorms and where thunder goes, lightning follows! It’s 3rd on the list of overall strikes for 1997-2011, with a yearly average of 1,055,748 strikes. But there were only 4 deaths between 2002 and 2011 and only one in 2012 (Ray Marshall, in his driveway). So that’s a pretty low ratio of deaths per strike! Clearly, the people of Oklahoma are well versed on how to survive a lightning strike.

6. Michigan

This is a strange one – it’s listed as the second most dangerous state when it comes to lightning strikes, with 732 recorded deaths and injuries. But it’s only 31st on the table when it comes to the number of strikes per square mile, and it’s annual average is a relatively tame 300,955. It’s also number 30 on the list of deaths per million people, based on only 6 deaths between 2002 and 2011. And none at all last year! So why so many deaths and injuries?

It probably has something to do with something that happened in Leslie (Ingham County) in August 1975. Large numbers of people were gathered at a campground, when lightning struck, injuring 90 of them. Being outside when lightning strikes is a dangerous occupation, so all the outdoor pursuits offered by the Great Lakes may have contributed to the large proportion of injuries there. The Government of Michigan advises sheltering in a valley or ravine and avoiding tall trees if lightning threatens to strike. It also advises not staying in a boat or swimming if you’re caught in a lightning storm, but that’s not too helpful if you’re already out on the lake. Basically, check the forecast before you go!

But it’s less likely that you’ll be hit by lightning in Michigan than in 30 other states, so it’s probably not worth worrying too much about. Enjoy your outdoor vacation!

The post Top 10 US States to Avoid if You’re Afraid of Lightning appeared first on Top Ten Lists.

So, it’s lucky we have celebrities who are brave enough to speak out about their alien encounters. Celebrities seem to be more prone to spotting UFOs and being abducted by aliens than us normal folk, but maybe that’s because aliens identify them as the leaders of the race. Or maybe it’s because they take more drugs than other people. Who knows? But lets take a look at the Top 10 celebrities who have had Close Encounters of the Alien Kind.

10. William Shatner

Now, here’s a man who believes his own publicity. Having convinced a generation of TV lovers that the future would look like the 60s but in space, Shatner found himself having his very own alien encounter. Following a bike crash in the Mojave Desert, he saw a shadowy figure beckoning to him and it led him to what looked like a silver disc hanging in the sky. He later denied that the incident ever happened, but the wording of his denial was so confusing that no-one knows for certain what he was even trying to say.

However, he is insistent that aliens do exist, saying “In my mind, there is no doubt that the universe teems – teems! – with life in all its forms.” He might have just spent too much time on the Star Trek set, but this is a man who’s sure that there is something Out There.

9. Mick Jagger

Now, I may have mentioned the possibility that some of these celebrities overindulged in drugs at some point in their career. The Rolling Stones frontman would be a prime example of that – at the height of their fame in the 60s, the Rolling Stones partied harder than anyone else. While camping at Glastonbury with Marianne Faithfull, he saw a “rare, luminous cigar-shaped mothership.” (according to Michael C.Luckma). Jagger subsequently installed a UFO detector on his estate, and it went off every time he left home, leading him to conclude that the surrounding area was full of electromagnetic energy.

Clearly, the aliens were as interested in Mick as he was in them. The year after Glastonbury, they visited him again, hovering over the ill-fated Altamont concert. Any correlation with the amount of Class-A substances in his system was purely coincidental.

8. John Lennon

Another musician who may have experienced drug-fuelled hallucinations is the Beatle John Lennon. In 1974, he was in New York with his companion May Pang, when they both saw a blimp-sized object, topped with a red light, moving down the East River. Apparently, they both knew it was a UFO.

That wasn’t John’s only encounter with extra-terrestrials. According to the British magician Uri Geller, John encountered some aliens in his New York apartment, who showed him his entire life in movie-form and gave him an object to remember them by. May Pang also says that John thought he’d been abducted by aliens as a child in Liverpool, and that’s what made him different to other people. So did he die in December 1980 or was it also a cover-up so that the aliens could come back and get him? Who knows?

7. Fran Drescher

Of course, it isn’t just celebrities from the 60s that have seen aliens. Actress Fran Drescher, of “Happily Divorced” fame, reckons that she saw an alien while driving down a road with her Dad in Junior High. The encounter left her with a small scar on her hand. But, this is the spooky part – her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson has the exact small scar, in the exact same place. Co-incidence? Fran thinks not. In fact, she sees it as proof that they were destined to meet – they had both had the same alien experience at the same time, before they knew each other.

Peter Marc Jacobson isn’t so convinced on the alien claims, and has claimed that Drescher scarred herself with a drillbit. But maybe he’s just covering up the aliens’ existence….his ex-wife certainly thinks so!

6. Muhammad Ali

Another acquaintance of John Lennon’s who claimed to have had paranormal encounters. The boxing legend saw several UFOs, but the most famous example is the one he saw while jogging in Central Park with his manager. He saw a glowing, bright light which he was convinced was a UFO. His manager claims not to have seen it, but still believes that UFOs exist, saying; “If you look into the sky in the early morning you see them playing tag between the stars.”

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10. Space Cargo Delivery

Whilst the thought of human venture into space was most likely considered impossible until the advent of the 20^th century, the prediction that we’d be relaying cargo deliveries back and forward out into the great unknown must have arisen at some point since the moon landings in 1966. We’ve been carting stuff around our own planet for the best part of a millennium in the name of international trade, and so I suppose it’d make sense that when we get to space we’d inevitably have to do the same. As of last year, NASA have been running missions to various space stations with the sole intention of restocking supplies and equipment.

9. Artificial Retinas

Thought to be one of the more incurable of human ailments, blindness has been noted as completely irreversible (in most cases) throughout history. The idea of implanting an artificial retina into the skull of someone who is completely blind sounds like something from a James Cameron movie, right? Had it been suggested a half century ago I highly doubt that the technology would have been forecast to take much of its shape by 2012. Though still in its very early stages, this transplant treatment was carried out on two blind British men last year- and helped them to regain a fair amount of their vision.

8. Self Driving Cars

Despite being one of the most un-imaginative ideas amongst what I like to call the ‘classic’ future predictions (hover-boards and robot butlers comprising the rest of the list), 2012 saw the human race take one stride closer to attaining this as a reality. Three US states made the autonomous vehicles legal last year, leading to the anticipation of more following in the near future. Now legal in Florida, California and Nevada- self-driving cars are expected to greatly reduce the amount of road traffic accidents occurring on our nation’s roads and highways as a result of their GPS, radar and sonar capabilities.

7. Robot Attends School

With the advent of skype, facetime and other various video calling technologies, professionals have been able to hold conference with each-other from opposite corners of the planet. 2012 noted the application of this idea to the field of education when a six-year-old boy from New York State began sending a robot to school in his stead as a result of his dangerously potent allergies. Of course there were those who were sceptical to begin with- yet the ‘experiment’ continues to prove effective.

6. Cyborg Athletes

2012 was of course an Olympic year, with the ancient games landing in London, England during the summer. As if there wasn’t enough to celebrate over the course of the games, last year’s event boasted its own little piece of history when South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius became the first amputee to race alongside able bodied competition. He was able to do so as a result of his advanced prosthetic ‘cheetah’ legs which remarkably allowed him to compete alongside some of the world’s fastest men.

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