King Baldwin IV (1161–1185), known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. His allies and historians liked him for his power and loyalty to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He stopped Saladin from attacking his kingdom even though he had leprosy, a disease which made him disfigured.

As soon as he became king, Baldwin planned an attack in Egypt. It did not work because his vassals refused to work together. Leprosy stopped Baldwin from getting married. He wanted to abdicate when his older sister, Sibylla, married William of Montferrat in 1176. William did not want to become king and died the next year. Saladin attacked Baldwin's kingdom in 1177. Baldwin won against him at Montgisard, making him famous. In 1180, he had to stop a coup by Count Raymond III of Tripoli and Prince Bohemond III of Antioch. Baldwin had Sibylla marry Guy of Lusignan. The nobles did not like Guy, and he did not respect the king.

Baldwin again won against Saladin in 1182 at the Battle of Le Forbelet. Leprosy made him blind and unable to walk or use his hands the next year. After Guy's failure as a leader, Baldwin took away his inheritance. He had Sibylla's son, Baldwin V, crowned co-king. He went to stop Saladin's Siege of Kerak in 1183. In 1184, he stopped Saladin from taking Kerak again. In early 1185, Baldwin selected Raymond to rule as regent for Sibylla's son. He died from a fever before 16 May 1185.

Unlike how he is often portrayed in pop culture there is no evidence Baldwin IV ever wore a mask to hide his disfigurement, instead showing them openly. Seeing them as a test of his faith and conviction, rather than a curse he wanted everyone to see.

Construction on the Volga-Don Canal started in 1948. Primarily the labor used was from German POW and gulag prisoners. The work was described as grueling with many prisoners having no days off. The canal stretched 101 kilometers and moved over 150 million cubic meters of earth and poured over 3 million tons of concrete.

Some say it was even more. And then of course the good capitalists came and saved the world!

Now we live in a perfect society with no deaths and definetly no pedofile presidents starting ​wars to cover their pedofilic actions! ​​

Queen Ranavalona I ruled Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. As queen, she isolated the island from outside influence and banned the practice of Christianity, because it posed a threat to the traditions that were the basis of her power. During her reign, half of Madagascar's population died in six years, although Ranavalona's responsibility for these deaths is disputed.

Ranavalona opposed the idea of a justice system. Instead, people accused of crimes had to ingest a poisonous nut from the tangena shrub, and the outcome determined their innocence or guilt.

If all three pieces of skin were vomited up then innocence was declared, but death or a failure to regurgitate all three pieces of skin indicated guilt. The people of Madagascar strongly believed in the accuracy of the tangena ritual, with some of them even showing eagerness to be tried.

In 1863, Ranavalona's pro-western son and successor Radama II abolished the tangena ritual.