Throughout history, plenty of people have walked the earth with evil intentions. Some of these individuals were coldhearted murderers. Others were insatiable serial killers. Some found pleasure in sexually assaulting different victims. Others made their mark by ruling over nations as dictators. Some of these disturbed humans are loathed by people around the world for assassinating presidents or participating in terrorist attacks. Becoming one of the most hated people in world history isn’t an easy feat to accomplish. You have to be willing to do some incredibly deranged things to snag such an unsavory title.
Interestingly enough, sometimes wicked actions don’t encourage society to completely despise you. Take Ted Bundy, for example. He was a serial rapist and murderer who attracted a fan club of obsessed women. For some reason, loads of unhinged females wanted a chance to date him. He tied the knot with a woman named Carole Ann Boone while he was still incarcerated.
Jeffrey Dahmer is another example of someone with a diabolical mind who was never as hated as he should’ve been. In 2017, a movie titled “My Friend Dahmer” premiered. Its storyline encouraged viewers to sympathize with Dahmer — regardless of his heinous crimes.
The way the world decides which scum of the Earth individuals should be hated, and which will maintain a seemingly decent reputation is quite bizarre. Fortunately, most people who wreak havoc on society don’t get off so easy. To gather this list of the most hated people in world history, 24/7 Tempo consulted several crime-related sources. These include Real Clear History, The Collector, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and History Collection. (Click here to uncover the 26 countries with the most known serial killers.)
Adolf Hitler
Millions of Jewish, Romani, and Polish people were slaughtered during the time of the Holocaust. The Holocaust undoubtedly wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Adolf Hitler. He led his army of Nazis down the path of abuse, deportation, and murder.
It was all because he was fueled by racism and hatred. Hitler believed the Aryan race was superior compared to all other ethnicities. Based on his particular ideology, he preferred people with blonde hair and blue eyes. Folks with blonde hair and blue eyes was considered racially pure in his eyes. That truth was especially relevant with women.
In total, Hitler and his team of Nazis ended the lives of 17 million people during the Holocaust. The majority of those people were Jewish. The Nazis made it happen through methods of mass shootings, gas chambers, and brutal beatings.
Osama bin Laden
When Americans think back on the most devastating moments in U.S. history, the events of September 11, 2001, often come to mind. Osama bin Laden was the terrorist who organized 9/11, down to the very last detail. The terrorist attack killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania.
It’s presumed that a fourth plane was headed directly for the White House. The passengers on board heroically fought back against the terrorists before letting that happen. Prior to 9/11, the deadliest attack on American soil went down at Pearl Harbor six decades before 9/11.
Bin Laden’s cunning organization and execution of his 9/11 plans will forever be remembered as one of the darkest moments in world history. Detainees from Guantánamo Bay provided insights about Bin Laden’s whereabouts, which is how he was ultimately discovered by the U.S. military. He was shot and killed inside his compound in Pakistan.
Jeffrey Epstein
The crimes of Jeffrey Epstein became publicized within the last decade. His evil doings went on for much longer than that, though. In 2019, Epstein was arrested based on charges relating to sex trafficking and inappropriate relations with minors. His charges were so terrible that he was denied bill before his trial took place.
Epstein’s case was more high-profile than most because he had connections with members of the royal family, well-known celebrities, and politicians in high positions of power. He owned a small private island in the United States Virgin Islands where he would assault underage girls.
Epstein’s death was labeled a suicide after his body was discovered in his jail cell. Conspiracy theorists aren’t convinced he killed himself, though. They strongly believe he was murdered to protect the identities of the noteworthy people he was connected with.
Richard Ramirez, also known as The Night Stalker
Between 1984 and 1985, Richard Ramirez wreaked havoc in the state of California. Ramirez, who’s also known as The Night Stalker was a serial killer, rapist, and burglar. He murdered at least 13 people, but there’s a high probability his death toll could be higher.
The first woman Ramirez murdered was a 79-year-old widow. Despite her shocking age, he wasn’t set on seeking out older victims. Another one of his victims after her was a nine-year-old little girl. One of the creepiest things The Night Stalker did was leaving satanic symbols at the crime scenes whenever he finished his attacks.
Ultimately, he was discovered after carelessly leaving a fingerprint at a murder locations. He was chased by police until they finally tracked him down. As he awaited his lethal injection on death row at San Quentin State prison, he was diagnosed with cancer. He died from the disease in 2013 before facing capital punishment.
Ariel Castro
Ariel Castro’s is a hated man in history for his perverse and evil crimes. Castro kidnapped three young woman and held them captive for a little over decade. The woman eventually escaped and are now living their lives in the real world. Their names? Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight.
While the three women were in captivity, they were repeatedly, raped, and assaulted by Castro. The menace kept them locked up in chains, and at one point he was forced to help deliver Berry’s child. Prior to that, he starved, punched, and kicked Knight in the stomach to induce a miscarriage.
Eventually, Berry used her chance to escape when Castro forgot to lock the front door. After Castro was arrested, he killed himself in 2013 inside his prison cell. He was found hanging from his bedsheet instead of serving life behind bars.
Joseph Stalin
From 1922 until 1952, Joseph Stalin was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By the time the 1930s rolled around, he was a full-fledged dictator. It’s been estimated that 23 million people died under Stalin’s rule. Stalin’s economical plan destroyed food production across the country, which led to massively widespread starvation.
Stalin continued to eat whatever meals he wanted throughout the day while people were dying from famine. Anyone who tried to oppose Stalin was quickly executed for trying to fight back. His death was officially declared a hemorrhagic stroke, but some historians are convinced he was poisoned by someone from his own team.
John Wilkes Booth
Before becoming one of the most hated man in the world, John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor. He made a living putting on stage sh0ws with a prominent 19 Century group from Maryland. He was never a fan of former President Abraham Lincoln, since Booth was a confederate sympathizer. The killer was furious about the abolition of slavery and decided to take it upon himself to murder Lincoln.
On April 14, 1865, Booth was informed that Lincoln and his wife were planning to attend a play called “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater later that night. He took the news and ran with it by setting up plans to assassinate Lincoln. He ultimately succeeded by shooting Lincoln in the head. Booth later died by gunshot from a bullet belonging to a soldier named Boston Corbett.
Saddam Hussein
The most disturbing and heinous crimes that Saddam Hussein is recognized for include illegal imprisonment, torture, and murder. He served as the president of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. Instead of acting like a president of the people, he behaved as a brutal dictator. Hussein used mustard gas and nerve agents to kill more than 30,000 Iraqi citizens during his reign.
Some international organizations believe his unreported death toll is closer to 60,000 Iraqi citizens. The US government claims they raided Iraq to bring Hussein’s reign to an end, collect weapons of mass destruction, and provide the Iraqi people with freedom. He was eventually captured at Baghdad International airport before he was executed by hanging on December 30, 2006.
Charles Manson
There’s something beyond daunting about the way cult leaders function. Somehow, they can charm people into bending to their will. They’re charismatic, manipulative, and cunning. All of these words perfectly describe Charles Manson. The cult leader was in charge of “The Manson Family,” a cult based out of California during the late 1960s.
Manson convinced his followers to go on a killing spree at the time. The spree included the murder of a pregnant actress named Sharon Tate. Manson was captured by police and charged with grand theft auto in 1969. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death before the supreme court updated his sentence to life in prison.
While he was behind bars, Manson began suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding in 2017. Soon enough, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest before the colon cancer could fully spread through his body.
Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates is hated around the globe for the monstrous actions she took on June 20, 2001. She drowned all five of her children in a bathtub citing satan as her motivation. Her kids were aged between six months and seven years old. Many eyewitnesses at her trial spoke highly of her with confusion about how she could commit such a heart-wrenching crime.
Witnesses described her as a “super mom” and couldn’t understand how this happened. To top it off, Yates was also highly educated with a bachelors degree in nursing and a valedictorian title from her high school years. In court, Yates claimed that her kids were not “righteous,” which is what encouraged her to drown them. She was able to avoid prison time because found not guilty by reason of insanity. As of now, Yates remains in Kerrville State Hospital.
Harold Shipman, also known as Dr. Death
Doctors are medical professionals people are supposed to rely on and trust. Harold Shipman stripped away his chances of being trusted by humanity when he chose to embark on a life of serial killing. Shipman, who’s also known as Dr. death, used high doses of diamorphine to end his patients lives. In total, he killed 250 people who were seeking medical care and treatment from him.
This serial killer was caught after murdering a patient named Kathleen Grundy. He was named the sole beneficiary of her will, which automatically turned him into a person of interest. Grundy was decently healthy before her sudden death by the hands of Shipman. The murderous doctor was sentenced to life in prison. He hung himself in his cell in 2004 instead of serving his time.
John Wayne Gacy, also known as The Killer Clown
Another American serial killer who classifies as one of the most hated people in world history is John Wayne Gacy. The twisted man lived as a rapist, torturer, and murderer near Chicago, Illinois. 33 of his victims have been confirmed, but there’s a chance there were more innocent lives lost. His nickname was “The Killer Clown” because he worked as a clown performer for one of his day jobs.
Gacy’s victims were young men and boys who he’d sexually assault before ending their lives. Strangulation and asphyxiation were his two top methods of choice. Gacy was a diagnosed sociopath who remained on death row for 14 years after his trial ended. His execution took place on May 10, 1994, from a lethal injection.
Mao Zedong
As outlandish as this fact might sound, Mao Zedong was a sick dictator who killed more people than Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. It’s estimated that anywhere between 49 and 78 million people died under his rule. He was a Communist leader, Chinese revolutionary, and political theorist in charge of the People’s Republic of China. Zedong enforced labor camps, execution quotas, and brainwashing tactics on the youth.
Zedong would’ve stayed in power longer if it wasn’t for his death by natural causes. In 1976, he endured multiple heart attacks at the age of 82. The Chinese government ordered the residents of the country to observe a week of national mourning following Zedong’s death. Since millions of people died under Zedong’s reign of neglect and abuse, he’s considered one of the most hated men in history.
Lee Harvey Oswald
When former President John F. Kennedy was elected into office, many Americans started believing they’d see positive changes. The 35th US president was beloved for his articulate speeches, aesthetically pleasing charm, and apparent confidence. When he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, it came as a shock to just about everyone’s system.
Lee Harvey Oswald is the man who killed Kennedy from the sixth floor window of a Texas School Book Depository. Oswald served as a marine before returning home to the US to commit this sickening crime. Investigators did their due diligence to find out if Oswald committed the act by himself. They came to the conclusion that he didn’t have any backup.
When a store manager in Texas saw Oswald sneaking around after the shooting, he reported Oswald’s location to police. Oswald was arrested to be placed on trial. Before his trial could take place, Jack Ruby shot Oswald on live television as Oswald was being transported away from a Dallas police station.
David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam
David Berkowitz is a serial killer who also known as Son of Sam. The American psycho went on a killing spree between 1976 and 1977 while he was in his mid-20s. He used a 44-caliber revolver to shoot innocent people who were sitting in their cars. Before Berkowitz started shooting people in 1976, he also stabbed and unidentified woman in 1975 with a hunting knife.
That same year, he stabbed a 15-year-old girl named Michelle Forman six times. Fortunately, she survived the attack. Berkowitz made claims that he was part of a satanic cult after he was behind bars. He also claimed that he suffered from paranoia and delusions while standing trial.
Regardless of the excuses he spewed, Berkowitz was still found guilty. The serial killer is still alive today at 70 years old serving a life sentence at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility. Click here to find out more about the 30 most notorious serial killers and they’re chilling methods.