They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. It need not be done immediately and may be more satisfying if planned and if it unfolds slowly but surely. Of course, it can also be done in a knee jerk manner. Think of Tom Brady’s cleats up slide against the Baltimore Ravens defense in response to its rugged play, or Larry Bird throwing the ball into Bill Laimbeer’s face as revenge for the roughhousing tactics of the Detroit Pistons.
Sometimes, revenge can be downright nasty and cyclical. A Serbian patriot once assassinated an Austrian archduke as revenge for Austria’s occupation of his land. Austria took revenge by starting World War I. After the war, the Allied powers took revenge by imposing massive fines and taking away land from the losing countries. One of them was Germany, which led to Hitler’s rise to power and who took revenge against France by making them sign their surrender in the same train where Germany gave up in World War I. Germany then had to pay war reparations to the Allies and to the Jewish people after World War II.
Do you want more? Here is a list of the top 10 best revenge stories of all time.
1. Lorena Bobbitt vs. John Bobbitt
She could only take so much. She had endured her husband’s violence and abuse. She was also a victim of marital rape. One night, Lorena Bobbitt decided that enough was enough after her husband came home drunk and abused her yet again. She got hold of a knife and cut off her husband’s penis. Ouch! She then drove off and threw it out of her car window. The penis was later retrieved and surgically reattached. Their marriage, however, was irreparable. Via: therichest.org
2. U.S. Troops vs. Nazi Soldiers
War can bring out the worst in people, be it the losers or winners. Nazi Germany built several concentration camps to massacre Jews and other enemies of their state. One of them was Dachau, a camp in Bavaria that was captured by the Americans towards the end of the war. After seeing all the dead inmates, the American troops took matters into their own hands and mowed down up to 75 unarmed German soldiers who had already surrendered. Via: therichest.org
3. Katie Collman vs. Anthony Stockelman
Child molesters are some of the worst kinds of criminals. Anthony Stockelman of Indiana was one such beast and he got sentenced to prison for abusing and killing Katie Collman, a girl who was merely 10 years old. Unfortunately for him, a cousin of his victim was also incarcerated in the same prison. One day, he woke up with a tattoo on his forehead that read “Katie’s Revenge.” Talk about a sex offender register, Stockelman is now on its list for the rest of his life. Via: therichest.org
4. James Annesley vs. Richard Annesley
His Irish family was loaded with huge amounts of wealth, not to mention a noble title. He also had a greedy uncle who wanted it all. The uncle, Richard, was alleged to have poisoned his brother, Arthur, who was also the father of James. Richard then had James kidnapped and sent to the United States as an indentured servant. James worked off the debt and returned to Ireland to confront his uncle. As a result, Arthur’s reputation was destroyed, with the cases filed against him in court decrying him as a schemer and scoundrel. Via: therichest.org
5. Cora Crippen vs. Hawley Crippen
She was married to Dr. Hawley Crippen, an unfaithful husband who was having an affair. Cora left Hawley and lost contact forever. Hawley then had the temerity to declare that his wife had passed away. He sold all her jewelries and set sail from London to the United States with his mistress. Cora’s friends felt something amiss and reported the matter to Scotland Yard. A decomposing body was found in the cellar. Hawley was arrested and executed for Cora’s murder in 1910. Nearly a century later, forensic examination confirmed that the body was not Cora’s. Hawley was therefore executed for a crime he did not commit. Via: therichest.org
6. Dave Carroll vs. United Airlines
Dave Carroll is a guitarist for the band Sons of Maxwell. When airline baggage handlers broke his guitar during a trip to Nebraska, he filed a complaint but was given the runaround. He then released three songs talking about how United Airlines breaks guitars. Within a week of the song’s release, United’s stock value dropped by about 10 percent. Via: therichest.org
7. Aaron Burr vs. Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton authored most of the Federalist Papers and served as the first Treasury Secretary of the U.S. He was also a backroom dealer who could make or break a politician. One of those he consistently broke was Aaron Burr, who lost the presidency to Thomas Jefferson because of Hamilton. When Hamilton got in the way again during Burr’s run for the New York governorship, Burr decided to challenge Hamilton to a gun duel. Hamilton lost and died in July 11, 1804. Via: therichest.org
8. Catholics vs. Protestants
Catholicism was losing its flock, land and power because of the Reformation. When Catholics and Protestants, called Huguenots, gathered in Paris for an interfaith wedding in 1572, the French Catholic king took advantage and ordered the killing of 4,000 Huguenots in Paris and 100,000 in the rest of France. It came to be known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, as it occurred during the feast day of the saint. Via: therichest.org
9. Naganori vs. Kira Yoshinaka
He was a Japanese nobleman who was forced to commit suicide after a dispute with Kira Yoshinaka. His 47 samurai bodyguards had a vow to avenge his death. So off they went to see Yoshinaka and demanded that he commit suicide as well. When he refused, they cut off his head and placed it on the tomb of Naganori. With their vow fulfilled, 46 of them committed suicide. The last one either died or was pardoned. Via: therichest.org
10. People vs. Alan Ralsky
Alan Ralsky was fond of sending out junk and spam emails. When critics learned of his actual address, they gave him a dose of his own medicine by signing him up for junk mails. Ralsky ended up receiving hundreds of pounds of junk mail everyday. Even worse for him, he got convicted to 51 months imprisonment for a stock manipulation scheme. Via: therichest.org
The Top 10 Best Revenge Stories of All Time
