Archive
What Happened to the Mary Celeste?
The Mary Celeste was a merchant ship that was discovered on December 4th, 1872, floating unmanned and abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. She had been at sea for over a month when found and had over six months’ worth of food and supplies on board. The cargo and personal belongings of all on board were untouched (including valuables), although a lifeboat was missing. What happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste remains unknown to this day, and as such she has become the archetypal ghost ship in history. Read more…
Italian Ghost Town: Craco, Italy
Craco is a commune and medieval village located in the Region of Basilicata and the Province of Matera, about 25 miles inland from the Gulf of Taranto at the instep of the “boot” of Italy. The medieval village of Craco is typical of the hill towns of the region with mildly undulating shapes and the lands surrounding it sown with wheat. Around 540AD the area was called “Montedoro” and inhabited by Greeks who moved inland from the coastal town of Metaponto. Tombs have been found dating from the 8th century suggesting the original settlement dates back to then. Today, earthquakes, landslides, and a lack of fertile farming land have contributed to the abandonment of Craco. Read more…
The Manhattan of the Desert: Shibam, Yemen
Deep in the middle of Yemen lays a town nearly two-thousand years old that pioneered skyscrapers. Shibam, a town of about 7,000 people, was founded sometime around the 3rd century AD. The town was built in its unique way to help protect residents from regional Bedouin attacks. Enormous clay walls were built around the city and residences were built upward rather than outward. Shibam is often referred to as “the oldest skyscraper city in the world,” and is one of the oldest examples of vertical urban planning. Read more…
Falling From Airplanes
Imagine being seated in the back of a plane and, while you’re flying at 33,330 feet, the plane blows up in mid-air. After being knocked unconscious, you later wake up to find yourself on the ground and in much pain – but still alive, the only survivor. This is precisely what Vesna Vulović claimed, and for this she holds the Guinness Book World Record for having survived the highest fall without a parachute. Read more…
Over 200 Dead Bodies on Mount Everest
As of mid-2011, Mount Everest has claimed the lives of over 216 known mountain climbers. The area above 26,000 feet is called “the Death Zone”, where breathing fresh oxygen from canisters is necessary for all but the most experienced climbers. The atmospheric pressure is about a third of that at sea level, meaning there is about one third the amount of oxygen to breathe. The air is so thin recovery of bodies has proven impossible. Given this, many victims lay where they took their last breath.
Town for sale, needs TLC: Klomino, Poland
The village of Klomino (located in northwestern Poland) is the only “official” ghost town in Poland. Originally known as Westfalenhof, it was a large garrison and training ground of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. After the war the village (then renamed Grodek) was a base for the Red Army, and for many years it existed only on Russian military maps. Since the Red Army withdrew its forces from Poland in 1993, Klomino has sat empty and deserted.
Population Density Nightmare: Kowloon Walled City
Originally built as a Chinese military fort, the Kowloon Walled City became a residential enclave after the New Territories were released to Britain in 1898. The population boom occurred after World War II, when the Japanese occupation drove prostitution, gambling, and drug use out of downtown Hong Kong and into Kowloon. In 1987, its population numbered 33,000 within its 6.5-acre borders. Read more…
The Voynich Manuscript: World’s Most Mysterious Document?
Ever wonder what holds the title as “world’s most mysterious manuscript?” How about one written in the early 15th century comprising 240 pages – complete with illustrations – in a piece by an unknown author in an unknown language? Sound interesting? We thought so too, so we had to find out more. Read more…
