Throughout history, there have been inventions created for harmful, dangerous, or ethically questionable purposes. These inventions range from weapons of mass destruction to unethical medical experiments, leaving a dark mark on the history of innovation. Here is a list of 20 scary inventions many believe should be forgotten.
Nuclear Weapons
Capable of massive destruction and long-lasting radiation effects, nuclear weapons release energy through nuclear reactions, either fission (splitting atomic nuclei) or fusion (combining atomic nuclei). The explosive power of these weapons can be equivalent to thousands or even millions of tons of TNT, resulting in massive immediate destruction and long-term damage.
Chemical Weapons
These use toxic chemicals like mustard and sarin to cause harm or death, and their effects can be highly debilitating. From wrecking the nervous system to having painful skin infections, chemical weapons can leave a harsh impact behind. Their ability to cause widespread and indiscriminate suffering, combined with long-term health and ecological consequences, makes them one of the most feared and condemned inventions.
Biological Weapons
Biological weapons are some of the most ethically troubling inventions in human history. They use pathogens or toxins like anthrax to inflict disease and death on a large scale, targeting humans, animals, or plants. Their potential to cause widespread and uncontrollable outbreaks of deadly diseases, along with the profound suffering they inflict, screams volumes for the necessity of global efforts to eliminate these weapons and prevent their use.
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is basically a herbicide and defoliant chemical used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. It is composed of two herbicides: 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), and it contains significant amounts of dioxin (TCDD), a highly toxic compound. Agent Orange was used to remove forest cover and crops that could conceal enemy forces, leading to the destruction of millions of acres of forest and farmland. The legacy of damage left by it still echoes into the present.
Eugenics Programs
It is a set of beliefs and practices that aspire to improve a human population’s genetic quality. The most notorious eugenics program, which led to the Holocaust, where millions of Jews, Romani people, disabled individuals, and others were exterminated in the name of racial purity, is still looked back at with dread and shame.
Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The study exploited a vulnerable population that had limited access to healthcare and relied on the PHS for medical treatment. Six hundred African American men (399 with syphilis and 201 without the disease, serving as controls) were used as guinea pigs between 1932 and 1972. Many participants suffered severe health issues, including blindness, mental illness, and death, due to untreated syphilis.
Thalidomide
Initially pitched as a sedative and remedy for morning sickness in pregnant women, it also caused severe congenital disabilities in thousands of children between the 1950s and 1960s. It also caused psychological trauma to survivors and witnesses, including survivors’ guilt, anxiety, and PTSD.
Waterboarding
Waterboarding involves strapping the subject to a board, covering their face with a cloth or plastic, and pouring water over their face and breathing passages. This induces a sensation of drowning and suffocation. Its use has been widely criticized by human rights organizations, legal experts, and many governments as a breach of international law and fundamental human rights.
Electroshock Therapy (abusive use)
In the 1920s, electroshock therapy, then known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), was in its early experimental stages and was used in ways that we now recognize as abusive. ECT was used not only for severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and depression but also for conditions such as homosexuality and political dissent. It was often administered without the use of anesthesia or muscle relaxants, leading to extreme pain and physical trauma for patients.
Lobotomy
Lobotomy is a psychiatric procedure that involves surgically severing connections in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, often through the insertion of a sharp instrument such as a pick or an orbit class. It was developed in the early 20th century as a treatment for various mental illnesses. Still, it became notorious for its harmful effects and ethical controversies. It represents a dark chapter in the history of psychiatry, marked by misguided attempts to treat mental illness and the profound suffering inflicted on countless individuals.
Landmines
Landmines are explosive devices placed in or on the ground to target enemy personnel or vehicles. They pose a persistent and deadly threat to civilians in conflict-affected areas worldwide, causing widespread casualties, hindering development, and perpetuating cycles of poverty and instability. Efforts to eradicate landmines, including clearance operations, victim assistance, and advocacy for international treaties, are crucial for mitigating their humanitarian impact and creating safer, more resilient communities.
Cluster Bombs
Cluster bombs are munitions that contain multiple smaller submunitions or bomblets. They are designed to disperse over a wide area and inflict damage on various targets, including personnel, vehicles, and infrastructure. They represent a grave humanitarian concern due to their indiscriminate nature and long-term impact on civilian populations.
Napalm
It is a flammable liquid used in warfare, causing severe burns and widespread destruction. Napalm typically comprises a gelling agent, such as aluminum soap, mixed with a volatile liquid fuel, such as gasoline or diesel. The use of napalm and its horrifying effects can cause lasting psychological trauma to survivors and witnesses, including survivors’ guilt, anxiety, and PTSD.
The Iron Maiden
The Iron Maiden is a reputed medieval torture device, often depicted as an iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior, designed to enclose and impale a person. While it has become an iconic symbol of medieval brutality, its historical accuracy and actual use are subjects of debate. While it has become an iconic symbol of medieval brutality, its historical accuracy and actual use are subjects of discussion.
The Rack
The Rack is one of the most notorious and widely recognized instruments of torture from medieval and early modern Europe. It was designed to dislocate a person’s limbs by stretching their body. It was widely used during the medieval period, especially in the context of judicial torture, to extract confessions, punish, or intimidate.
The Brazen Bull
The Brazen Bull, also called the Bronze Bull or Sicilian Bull, is one of the most torture devices from ancient history. Designed to roast its victims alive, it exemplifies the extreme cruelty of some ancient punitive practices. The device was ingeniously designed so that the victim’s screams would be converted into sounds resembling the bellowing of a bull through a series of tubes and openings.
Scold’s Bridle
The Scold’s Bridle, also known as the branks or brank’s bridle, was a punitive device used in early modern Europe to discipline and publicly humiliate women accused of being “scolds” or other disruptive behavior. The device was locked onto the head of the accused, and they were often led through the streets or displayed in public to amplify their humiliation.
Spanish Donkey
The Spanish Donkey consisted of a triangular wooden board or beam, often with a sharp edge or point along the top. This “donkey” was supported by legs or placed on a frame. The victim was stripped and made to straddle the pointed edge of the device as if riding a horse. Weights were often tied to their feet to increase pressure, causing severe pain and injury. It gained notoriety during the Spanish Inquisition, where it was used to extract confessions or punish those deemed heretics or enemies of the Church.
Dalkon Shield
The Dalkon Shield was a plastic, multi-armed IUD developed to be inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. It had a shield-like shape and was equipped with a multifilament string. The device would cause severe health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), uterine perforation, and septicemia (blood infection). The multifilament string design facilitated bacterial entry into the uterus, leading to infections.
Cyanide Pills
Cyanide pills, often known as suicide pills or “L-pills,” are tablets containing a lethal dose of cyanide. This highly toxic chemical can cause death rapidly upon ingestion. They have been used historically by spies, soldiers, and individuals seeking a quick death to avoid capture or interrogation. Cyanide pills typically contain compounds like potassium cyanide (KCN) or sodium cyanide (NaCN), which release hydrogen cyanide gas when ingested.
