10 Most Notorious Stains in History

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Everyone has their own stain tale. Like that time your cousin tripped down the stairs with a bottle of ketchup. The resulting mess looked like a bloody crime scene … and required professional carpet cleaners to fix. You even had to repaint the ceiling to cover up the red disaster.

But those types of stain stories usually remain confined to the family. No one outside the circle is really interested in hearing about your drunken relatives making a mess with condiments.

Throughout history, however, there have been some truly monumental stains. Stains that no amount of laundry detergent can scrub out of our shared narrative. Stains that may have altered the course of countless lives.

For better or worse, those kinds of stains are the hardest to remove. Not only do they irreparably damage clothing and other materials, but their most enduring impact is on our collective consciousness.

Keep reading, and you’ll discover 10 of the most infamous stains to ever mark human belongings—and our memories too.

10: Shrouded in Mystery

The Shroud of Turin stands as one of the most disputed pieces of fabric in human history. This rectangular linen artifact displays a haunting image of a naked man with his hands gently folded over his groin. The exact process by which this image was transferred to the fabric remains a mystery.

The cloth is centuries old, likely dating back to the Middle Ages. Many believe the image on the cloth depicts Jesus of Nazareth, suggesting that the cloth served as his burial shroud. Supporters of this theory point to details in the image, including reddish stains, which some interpret as evidence that the man died from crucifixion.

However, the reddish stains are perplexing. Scientists remain uncertain whether these discolorations occurred during the man’s burial or if they emerged later, possibly due to environmental factors or chemical reactions.

The mystery surrounding the Shroud is what keeps it endlessly captivating. For both religious individuals and secular scientists, the stains on the Shroud of Turin are enigmatic symbols that are likely to fuel debate and intrigue for generations to come.

9: The End of an Infamous Tale

In 1932, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker fell into each other’s arms, and together, they became infamous outlaws, driving across America, robbing banks, and leaving a trail of death behind them. Along the way, they murdered law enforcement officers and civilians, always staying one step ahead of capture.

They sped across the countryside in their cars, hiding in the backwoods when necessary. After two years of violent crime sprees, the authorities launched a relentless manhunt to capture or eliminate Bonnie and Clyde and their gang. In 1934, the final showdown occurred in Louisiana, where police ambushed the duo on a secluded road. Both were killed in a hail of bullets.

Some personal belongings were retrieved from their car, including one of Bonnie’s bloodied silk stockings. This item, along with other objects such as a screwdriver and an aspirin tin, was auctioned off in 2012 for $11,400.

8: The Chair That Saw History

In April 1865, the American Civil War was nearing its end. A Union victory seemed inevitable, but die-hard Confederates were not yet ready to relinquish their fight. John Wilkes Booth, one such individual, devised a plot he believed could shift the tide in favor of the South.

His plan was to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William H. Seward. Booth believed that the resulting chaos would destabilize the North and re-energize the secessionist movement.

On April 14, Booth, a famed actor, snuck into the balcony of Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln and his wife were attending a performance of "Our American Cousin." Booth shot Lincoln in the head, and the president collapsed forward onto his rocking chair, which became drenched in blood.

After being confiscated as evidence during the criminal trial, the chair was eventually returned to the widow of Harry Ford, the theater's owner. In 1929, the chair was auctioned off for just $2,400, and was purchased by none other than Henry Ford. To this day, the chair stands as a lasting symbol of Lincoln's dedication and ultimate sacrifice.

7: A Tragic Icon of Fashion

On November 22, 1963, the United States was struck with horror as President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The tragedy was filmed, showing the president being shot, while his wife, Jackie, desperately tried to shield him with her body.

During this harrowing moment, Jackie's pink Chanel suit became stained with her husband's blood. The wool suit, with navy blue trim and a matching hat, quickly became an emblem of a lost era of innocence and idealism, shattered by the bullets of a murderer. It remains one of the most iconic and infamous pieces of clothing in American history.

In the wake of the assassination, Jackie steadfastly refused to change her clothes. She wore the blood-stained suit two hours later when Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office. When people urged her to change, she responded, "Let them see what they've done." She wore the suit for the rest of the day and night, only changing the following morning.

The suit is now kept in a secret location, off-limits to the public until at least 2063, marking a full century since JFK's tragic death.

6: The Cursed Queen

In 1774, at the age of just 19, Marie Antoinette ascended to the throne of France. Her marriage to Louis XVI seemed like a fairy tale come true. It all began years earlier when she signed her name on the marriage certificate, marking the start of her royal journey.

As Marie-Antoinette wrote her signature, a drop of ink splashed onto the top of her name. This mishap has been attributed to the young queen's nervous excitement as she took her first steps into the powerful world of royalty.

However, her later downfall ensured that this signature became forever tied to one of history's most infamous examples of poor handwriting. Initially adored by the people, Marie Antoinette was later condemned for her lavish lifestyle and alleged indifference to the suffering of her people.

When the French revolution took full force, the monarchy was overthrown, and both Louis XVI and his queen were dethroned. Marie Antoinette met her tragic end at the guillotine, where she was executed on October 16, 1793.

5: Bloody Brothers

In the Book of Genesis in the Bible, a tale of murderous envy unfolds, where a coat becomes a lasting emblem of humanity's cruelty.

In the narrative, Jacob gave his beloved son Joseph a coat of many colors. The coat quickly sparked jealousy among his brothers, who resented their father's favoritism and feared that Jacob intended for Joseph to become the leader of the family.

The eleven brothers hatched a plot against Joseph. They kidnapped him and sold him to a group of slave merchants. To deceive their father, they covered Joseph's coat in goat's blood and showed it to Jacob, hoping to make him believe that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Jacob was convinced and mourned deeply for his son.

Meanwhile, Joseph overcame his captivity and rose to power, becoming one of the most influential figures in Egypt. Eventually, he was reunited with his father, and the two shared an emotional reunion. The story remains a timeless reflection of sin, suffering, and redemption in human history.

4: Toga Party for the End Times

Julius Caesar was a skilled politician and military leader, and as he gained more power in the Roman Republic, he aimed for even greater heights. Following a period of civil war, he emerged as the dominant figure in Rome.

He placed numerous allies into the Senate, effectively establishing himself as a dictator. Caesar then launched a comprehensive series of reforms, commissioning artists to create representations of himself, which were displayed across the empire.

Caesar's ambitious rise to power didn't go unnoticed. A faction of around 60 senators conspired to assassinate him in an effort to protect the republic. When the time came, they surrounded him and struck him down.

Despite his autocratic ways, Caesar was beloved by many Romans. During his funeral, Marc Antony raised Caesar's bloodstained toga, waving it to incite the crowd's fury, possibly as part of a strategy to seize power for himself.

Today, the expression "waving the bloody shirt" is used to refer to invoking the sacrifices of martyrs or to attack political rivals. This phrase can be traced back to the brutal betrayal of Rome's most powerful leader.

3: Broncos and Bloody Gloves

The saga began with a slow-motion police chase featuring a white Ford Bronco weaving through Los Angeles, Calif. This escalated into the most sensationalized murder trial ever. The result was an acquittal... and a liberated O.J. Simpson stepping out into the limelight of his tarnished fame. Throughout, Americans and the world were forced to follow every detail of Mr. Simpson's infamous bloody glove.

In June 1994, O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered outside her Los Angeles home. Evidence found at the crime scene pointed to Simpson as the prime suspect. Among the key pieces of evidence were a pair of dark leather gloves. One glove was found at the scene, while the other was discovered near Simpson’s home, soaked in blood.

DNA testing confirmed that the gloves were stained with the blood of Simpson, Brown, and Goldman. During the trial, the defense attorneys famously had Simpson try on the gloves, which did not fit. The prosecution argued that the gloves had been soaked in blood, then frozen and thawed multiple times, causing them to shrink.

However, the damage was already done. The ill-fitting gloves left a lasting impression that the prosecution couldn’t overcome, and Simpson was acquitted of the murders, even though several jurors (and millions of viewers) later stated they were convinced of Simpson’s guilt.

2: The Junked Trunk

In July 2008, two-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony was reported missing. At that time, no one could have predicted that her disappearance would spark one of the most unusual and widely scrutinized legal cases in history.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a parent who reported the missing child, but her grandmother who made the 911 call. Even stranger, this call didn’t occur until 31 days after Caylee had disappeared. During that time, her mother Casey had been telling people that her toddler was with a nanny.

The delay in reporting her daughter missing raised immediate suspicion. Even more troubling was the fact that the trunk of Casey's car reeked of decomposition and had a mysterious stain. Casey was charged with first-degree murder, and months later, Caylee's duct-taped body was discovered buried near the family’s home.

Investigators found that the stain in the trunk contained fatty acids consistent with the decomposition of human remains. Additionally, traces of chloroform were found in the car’s carpet, a substance capable of rendering someone unconscious.

The trial featured hundreds of pieces of evidence, including Casey's own contradictory statements, which revealed that she had lied to the authorities repeatedly.

Despite all the evidence, including the disturbing stains in the trunk, the jurors were not convinced that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. They decided Casey could not be convicted, and she was acquitted in July 2011, sparking a media storm and public outrage.

1: The Case of the Messy Dress

Unpaid internships often get criticized these days, but back in the late 1990s, a White House internship, a little blue dress, and some lack of discretion were all it took to propel someone into stain history.

In 1995, Monica Lewinsky began an internship in Washington, D.C., and soon after, formed a relationship with the married President Bill Clinton. She spent so much time around him that her supervisors transferred her to the Pentagon to prevent any accusations of misconduct.

However, Lewinsky made the mistake of confiding in her co-worker, Linda Tripp, about her sexual encounters with the president. She even mentioned that one of her dresses still bore the bodily fluid stains from one of their encounters.

As it turned out, Tripp despised Clinton. She realized that a stained dress containing DNA evidence of infidelity could create major problems for the president. So, she secretly recorded her phone conversations with Lewinsky and handed the tapes over to authorities.

Clinton used every verbal trick in the book to deny his affair with Lewinsky. However, when confronted with the DNA evidence found on the dress, he had no choice but to admit to an "improper relationship" with the intern.

The scandal didn't bring down his presidency in the way Tripp and his other adversaries hoped. Yet, Lewinsky would forever be remembered for her little blue dress, which created an enormous and enduring mess.