North Korea has never been known for progress or leading the world in anything, except perhaps the stifling of ideas and creativity. In the mid-1980’s, North Korean leadership wanted to change that by building something massive – something that would be world-renowned. It was to symbolize progress for North Korea and introduce Western investors. A hotel taller than any other in the world was decided upon, and in 1987 construction by the Ryugyong Hotel Investment and Management Company began. It was planned to be completed in 1989 in time for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, but developers faced every possible hurdle and by 1992 the project was abandoned. Read more…
Exactly how big does a land-based vehicle need to be to qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records as largest in the world? How about 315 feet tall, 740 feet long, and weighing over 31 million pounds? Yep, that should do it! The Bagger 293 is a giant bucket-wheel excavator built in 1995. It requires a crew of five to operate and can move over 8.5 million cubic feet of earth per day. To put that in perspective, that is the equivalent of being able to dig a hole the length of a football field over 80 feet deep… in a day. Read more…
In the early 1970’s, the Varosha quarter in Famagusta, Cyprus was one of the Mediterranean’s most popular and glamorous tourist destinations. The bright blue waters and beautiful sandy beaches were draws for such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot. Population of the area grew to about 39,000 people, but by the end of 1974 the town would be conquered by Turkish troops, fenced off completely, and have a population of zero. Today the former millionaire’s playground resort still stands vacant and fenced off, guarded by Turkish soldiers and doubtful to open anytime soon. Read more…
Ever wonder where those old used computers end up? How about all those old CRT monitors, cell phones, keyboards, and PDAs? We’re told when we drop off our old electronics for recycling that they will be properly disposed of; in some cases we pay recyclers to take our old computer parts, just to make sure we dispose of them the correct way. It is easy to wipe our hands of these discarded items, feeling we’ve done our part – but have we? What we don’t know is what the “recyclers” do with these parts and where the discarded items end up. You never hear about electronic waste sites, but perhaps it is time we start paying more attention… Read more…
Much less serious than the Dancing Plague (but equally as humorous) was the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962. On January 30th, three girls at a boarding school in Kashasha, Tanzania began laughing. The laughter spread like wildfire throughout the school, affecting nearly 60% of the students. Symptoms of those affected lasted from a few hours to 16 days. The behavior was so disruptive, the school was forced to close down. Read more…
