12 Amazing Events That Happened Only Once
As soon as you take a closer look at the familiar world around you, you’ll find a lot of new, interesting and sometimes wonderful things in it. Believe it or not, there are many once-in-a-lifetime events that happen all the time and continue to astonish us even years later. One of them, for example, was the laughter outbreak of 1962, when more than a thousand people couldn’t stop laughing at the same time.
Bright Side has collected the most vivid examples of such wonderful events to share with you.
Timothy Brown, who has recovered from AIDS.
An American citizen, Timothy Ray Brown, also known as “The Berlin Patient”, is considered to be the first man in the world who killed his AIDS.
In 2007, Brown had a primitive blood cell transplantation. His donor had a rare genetic mutation which provided him with AIDS virus resistance.
3 years after the operation, the virus was not found in Brown’s blood cells and tissues, even though he had stopped receiving AIDS therapy beforehand.
Niagara Falls was left waterless in 1969.
In 1969, the USA and Canadian governments had to take steps to stop the erosion of Niagra Falls.
In June of 1969, Niagara Falls was made to flow through an artificial corridor in order to create a dike and strengthen the slopes at the top of it.
The main event, of course, was the waterfall without water itself. Thousands of tourists went there to see the dry Niagara Falls with their own eyes.
The laughter outburst in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in 1962.
This case of mass hysteria is not the single one in the world’s history but is the only one that has been recorded.
The outburst started on January, 30 in 1962, when three girls — Christian school pupils — started the uncontrollable laughter. The school was closed but the outburst traveled.
The phenomenon lasted for 18 months, 14 schools were closed, and more than a thousand people “caught” this epidemic.
Some scientists believe that the reason for such an event was due to overly strict rules and teachers. This laughter outburst seems to have been some sort of a protest among children.
The Lake Nyos accident
Lake Nyos after the limnological catastrophe.
On the 21st of August, 1968, the Nyos Lake became a murderer. A huge amount of carbonic oxide was released into the air and a poisonous fog went down the mountain hill.
As a result, over 1,700 people died as well as many animals and birds. The gas traveled a distance of 88,500 ft, leaving no chance for any living organism to survive.
Scientists say that the reason this happened is most likely from huge amounts of gas from the bottom of the lake or from underwater volcanos. Today the lake and its gases are regularly drained out.
The disappearance of the Norfolk Regiment
Field officer, Frank Reginald Beck
In August of 1915, Norfolk Regiment squadrons attacked the Anafartha Village (Turkey). On their way the soldiers entered a strange “mist cloud”, and when they came out, 267 people had disappeared.
In 1918 after Turkey had been defeated, the UK government demanded that the regiment (which was supposedly captured) be returned back home. The thing is, these soldiers were not only free, but they hadn’t even been seen on the battlefield.
Those who witnessed the phenomenon said that the cloud didn’t even change its shape, notwithstanding the wind. Some of them also saw several of these “mist clouds” after the Norfolk Regiment entered the strange area.
The devil’s footprints in Devon.
“Devil’s footprints”. The picture in The Illustrated London News, 1855.
This incident probably happened in February of 1855 in Devon. It was here that some strange footprints appeared in the snow. These were hoof-shaped prints and the root was also unusual. The prints were found even on some roofs and chimneys of the surrounding houses. Even with all of that, citizens claimed that they didn’t hear any noises, including the sounds of walking along any rooftops.
However, no proficient scientists had any chance to check the phenomenon as the snow melted the prints down. There is a common opinion that the footprints could have been left by some high jumping animals since there are a known species of mice that jump high, leaving exactly the same hoof-shaped prints. All the rest was done by human imagination. People created a scary legend and connected it to the Devil’s night visit.
An Australian girl changed her blood type.
Demi-Lee Brennan, a 9-year-old Australian girl, became the first recorded human being to change her own blood type. It happened after an operation that gave her a liver transplantation from a male donor.
In several months the doctors were surprised to see her Rh changing from negative to positive.
The reason for this change could possibly lie in the liver stem cells of the donor replacing the girl’s existing ones. This probably was a result of a weak immune system of the girl that had been influenced by the virus in her blood.
The lead masks case
It happened on the 20th of August in 1966. 32-year-old Manoel Pereira da Cruz and 34-year-old Miguel Jose Viana were mysteriously found dead near the Vintem Hill.
Both men were formally dressed but their faces were wrapped in lead masks. No sign of death by violence was found. There was also a bottle of water, a handkerchief, and a short note with the following phrases: “16:30 — be at the arranged place. 18:30 — take a cap. After that...”. The rest of the text was unreadable, except for the words, “lead/protect/wait for the signal/mask”. There is a supposition that the whole phrase read, “Protect your face with a lead mask and wait for the signal.”
According to the autopsy results, no trace of radiation, signs of poisoning or other deadly causes were found.
Their relatives claimed that both men were fond of spiritualism and non-scientific research. They were also the members of some secret society. This secret community tried to establish relations with aliens, which was probably the exact thing the two friends were doing at the moment of their death.
Ricky Mccormick’s notes
Ricky Mccormick was a 41-year-old American man whose body was found dead on the 30th of June, 1999 on a cornfield almost 78.8 ft away from his house. This was really strange because Ricky had no car, and of course, had nothing to do on the cornfield. Although they failed to discover the cause of his death, the police were intrigued by the notes found in the victim’s pockets. There are unreadable letters, which are believed to be a kind of coding.
The notes cannot be decoded even now, so the FBI invites all people to try discovering what the letters mean. The only rule is that you should know English very well.
Chronic diseases and a header are among the possible causes of Ricky’s death. However, there is no precise explanation because when the body was found, it was already quite decayed.
D.B. Cooper
The photofit of Dan Cooper
Dan Cooper is one of the most famous criminals in the world. In 1971 he stole a Boeing 727 and demanded $200,000 for it.
Inside the plane, Cooper passed the air-hostess a note saying he had a bomb and was ready to activate it. He wanted only $200,000 and two pairs of parachutes. This was the most unusual request according to the FBI, as they couldn’t understand why he needed four parachutes. Was there an accomplice aboard?
Cooper ordered the pilot to get off the plane but ended up jumping out himself. He was never seen again.
The FBI has a supposition that the jump was made while the plane turned into the storm zone, which is why nobody saw it. Either way, Cooper just vanished and was never found.
Edgar Allan Poe’s secret toaster
Edgar Allen Poe’s secret toaster was a mysterious person who visited Poe’s grave every year on the writer’s birthday.
However, this person didn’t simply visit the grave, there was a whole ritual that was performed. Early in the morning, a man (supposedly) in black clothing with his face covered by a scarf and a cane in his hands appeared at the cemetery. The stranger would then give a toast at the writer’s grave, leave three red roses and a tap bottle of Martell brandy.
In 2010, the stranger stopped appearing for the first time in 50 years. There is an assumption that the tradition was stopped on the 200th birthday of the writer.
The Iron Mask prisoner
The Man in the Iron Mask is a mysterious prisoner who was transferred from one prison to another, several times in the 16th century. The reason this story became famous, was because the writer, Voltaire described it in his “The Age of Louis XIV” novel. There was a theory that the prisoner was the king’s twin brother. That is why he had to wear a mask which was, by the way, velvet and not made of iron. Over the years, rumors declared him The Man in the Iron Mask.
Another theory claims that it was really Peter the Great under the mask, and instead of him, it was his clone that returned to Russia to rule the country.
Do you know any amazing one-of-a-kind stories like these? Tell us about them in the comment section below!
Preview photo credit wikimedia.org
