Curiosities

Hmmm... Can we estimate how many ships and airplanes were lost in the Bermuda Triangle? Have their disappearances resulted from human error or weather phenomena? Let’s try to find out. We have a curious story of the S.S. Cotopaxi. This ship vanished in 1925, traveling from Charleston, South Carolina, to Havana. It never reached its destination. Years later, in the 1980s, a wreck was found 40 mi off St. Augustine, Florida. Since specialists could not precisely determine what and where it came from, they nicknamed it “Bear Wreck”. It took many additional years of work, done mainly by marine biologists, to identify that this ship was indeed the missing S.S. Cotopaxi. This was confirmed in January 2020. How did the ship just reappear? And how did it get there, since this mysterious shipwreck isn’t even in the Bermuda Triangle?

Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. More than 1,300 Earths could fit inside this gas giant. It’s also two and a half times more massive than all the other planets of the Solar System — combined! But if you think this is mind-boggling, I’ve got some great news for you! Very recently, a team of astronomers has discovered a much, much bigger planet with the help of the Subaru Telescope and the NASA Hubble Space Telescope.It’s a Jupiter-like protoplanet orbiting a very young star called AB Aurigae. The star is probably still forming and is no more than 5 million years old. For comparison, our Sun is 4.6 billion years old. The young star is located around 531 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Auriga.

Sometimes, while going about our daily lives, we come across strange things that confuse us because we don’t understand what they’re used for. But luckily, we have a large group of people on the Internet who know a lot and are happy to explain and solve the mysteries of these fascinating phenomena.

What do you call a person who can write with either hand equally well? How can you reach with your tongue into your nose from inside? And WHY would you even do that?! See further if you have a real superpower! About a third of all people can raise one eyebrow: left or right. It’s a great way to send a playful signal to someone while telling a joke. But the ability to raise both eyebrows separately is much rarer. If you’re not among them, that’s because you cannot yet control and move the corresponding muscles. But this skill can be developed. Stand in front of a mirror, hold one eyebrow with your hand and lift the other up and down. And then do the same with the other eyebrow. This will help you learn moving them separately.

When we come across vintage items, our imaginations instantly light up with thoughts of their possible worth. The allure of these objects lies in their age and the stories they hold, which can make them quite valuable. But here’s the exciting part: now and then, you might stumble upon incredible gems selling for a couple of dollars at yard sales or thrift stores!

Want to figure out together what a cross sea phenomenon is? It’s not a body of water that gets angry all of a sudden if that’s what you’re thinking. (Ha. It was what I was thinking!) It’s more like the ocean playing a game of chess with itself, creating these beautiful square waves. But beware, it’s not just a harmless game! These waves can be seriously dangerous, especially for swimmers and boaters.Imagine being caught in the middle of two opposing swells, waves coming at you from all directions. That’s a cross sea — also called “square waves” — and it can appear and disappear within minutes, making it even more unpredictable and hard to navigate through. They’re more common in shallow waters, like off the coast of France’s Isle of Rhé or on the beaches of Tel Aviv, but they can pop up anywhere around the world.

If you landed on Mercury, the first thing you’d notice would be how close it is to the Sun. It’s actually the closest planet to the big ball of fire and the smallest. But it’s not the hottest planet. Venus takes credit for that. It takes Earth 365 days to orbit the Sun, and it takes Mercury more than 3 months. Well, 88 days, to be exact. The days are boiling hot, with the temperature reaching above 800 °F (425 °C). But on the other side of the planet that the Sun doesn’t reach, the temperatures drop to −300 °F (-180 °C). Mercury’s atmosphere can’t hold any heat when it’s nighttime, just like a desert. Deserts have no atmosphere, which is why they have no moisture, and no clouds or rain.If you manage to get from one end of the planet to the other and always stay in between the scorching heat and freezing cold, then you can survive. But oxygen isn’t a friend to Mercury’s atmosphere. So you’d just live for as long as you can hold your breath. Plus, there’s a magnetic field that has solar winds from the Sun that create plasma tornadoes.

You travel along the coast of the North Atlantic. In your jeep, you’re driving through the jungles and plains, taking amazing pictures of wildlife for your blog. And then you accidentally come upon a place that isn’t marked on any map. It’s a bay with an azure coast. No human has ever set foot here.You’ve discovered a huge footprint of an unknown creature on the sandy beach. The size of the print is more than half of your vehicle. Suddenly, out of the tropical forest that borders with the beach, you hear a deafening roar. Palm trees crack and break as an unknown monster comes out of the jungle. To understand what it is, let’s go back to the past.

Bzzzzz. Ouch. There’s hardly a person who’s never been stung by a bee. It’s definitely not a pleasant feeling. But bees aren’t normally angry creatures — you probably just scared the little guy! These insects are super important for pollination. Their existence is one of the main reasons why our plants keep growing. Bees only sting when they feel threatened. If you get stung, it might mean you’ve come too close to them — or, more importantly, that you’ve come too close to their hive.

The airplane involved was a Beechcraft Bonanza single-engine aircraft. Onboard, pilot Bruce Gernon had two passengers: his father and business partner. They took off from Andros Island in the Bahamas and headed northwest for the Florida coast. It was December 4, 1970.

You come to sunny California and go for a hike in the Santa Lucia mountains. There, you have a strange, unpleasant feeling. As if... someone’s watching you... You look around but don’t see a single soul. That’s when you glance at the tops of distant mountain in front of you, and your heart skips a beat... Up on the peaks, you can see the outline of a giant humanoid figure. Arms stretched out with a magnificent full rainbow circling it. This mysterious figure is dressed in all black. You can’t make out any facial expressions or detail, but you can see it moving! Then, it vanishes right before your eyes!

We’re headed to the Middle East. There’s a large desert there, and it’s completely dark. Except for one spot — a big circle that glows with a bright orange light — the Darvaza Crater. And it’s basically just a giant gas burner. Years ago, geologists found gas here, and they started mining for it. But when they excavated, they came across a void underground. The void collapsed, and it formed a crater. This crater is as wide as half a soccer field and as deep as a five-story building. Gas began to come out of the cracks in the crater and since animals were often grazing in this area, the geologists decided to set these gas streams on fire to exhaust the source. Geologists thought the fire would be over in a day or two. But if you come here now, you’ll see this gateway to the underworld is still burning. And it’s been going on for almost 50 years.

They said it was the most technologically advanced ship. They said it was unsinkable. And when it sank, they made a movie about it. These were the main reasons why the Titanic disaster became world famous. But unfortunately, this is not the only large-scale shipwreck. And, sadly, there have been cases much worse than the tragedy of the Titanic.

A mechanic from Illinois was called out to tow a crashed vehicle. As he approached the upside-down Ford Ranger, suddenly he was struck with inspiration. Now, most people would only see a wrecked car, but this guy saw a whole new type of vehicle. He then took two pickups, a Ford Ranger and a Ford F-150. Then, he spent 6 months working on a strange new vehicle. With the two cars combined, he created the illusion that there was only one. With enough room for passengers, it’s even legally approved to drive along the road. With the four wheels on top all spinning autonomously in line with the ones on the road, he creates confusion wherever he drives. Yeah, and it looks quite weird even perfectly parked.

The holiday season usually means we all anticipate relaxing by the beach or exploring new countries with our loved ones. But booking hotels and traveling can be extremely stressful, and sometimes a great vacation can become a nightmare if the hotel you’re staying at isn’t what you expected. Luckily, these 15 hotel employees shared invaluable trade secrets to tell you what to expect behind the scenes.

Black holes. The most terrifying, mysterious, and fascinating objects in the Universe. Eternally hungry, they eat everything in their path and are constantly expanding. But how small and how big can a black hole be? Let’s find out. It’s not very easy for a black hole to be born. Most often they’re just a result of a massive star ending its life cycle. If you take a star and squeeze it very, very hard, at some point it cannot withstand the pressure anymore. So it collapses and turns into a black hole.

The plane had been in the air for a mere 25 seconds when the pilots noticed weird noises and bizarre vibrations. They tried several ways to improve the situation, but nothing worked. The engine surges continued. And just over a minute into the flight, when the plane reached 3,000 feet, both engines failed: first, the right one; two seconds later, the left one. The pilots decided to return to the airport they had just left. At the same time, they tried to restart the engines. Nothing seemed to work. The flight crew made a decision to pitch the plane down and then level it off. Perhaps it could help them gain some speed for the glide! But soon, they realized they wouldn’t make it to the airport. Was the plane going to crash?! That’s when the Miracle at Gottröra occurred.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Antarctica? Most likely, “cold, snow, ice, and penguins.” Yet, this is one of the least explored regions in the world that hides many strange and unique things. Check them out.

It all started with a minor change on our planet. At first, people noticed the Moon had become brighter and a little bigger. But nobody paid attention to this. The Moon affected tides all over the world. The water flooded the beaches, but it wasn’t a tragedy. A lot of fish came close to the shores. People found giant squid, anglerfish, and other creatures next to the coast, although they usually live in the dark depths. New, stranger things happen every day. Birds no longer fly to the south in winter. They gather in huge groups flying around cities with no purpose. The Moon used to help them navigate in nature, so they can’t figure out which way to fly anymore.

If you could get into the time machine and travel back to 1969, you’d see something spectacular! What you’re looking at isn’t some random desert. It’s one of the most powerful waterfalls — completely dry! In the summer and fall of 1969, the American side of Niagara Falls stayed without water. It lasted 6 months. Researchers wanted to study the rock face of the falls. They were afraid it was going to become too unstable because of erosion. Erosion is the process when natural forces, such as water and wind, wear away earthen materials. For example, if you see glacial ice become muddy, it means erosion is happening.