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 from an airplane without a parachute.

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Town for sale, needs TLC: Klomino, Poland

Sometimes Interesting

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.

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Population Density Nightmare: Kowloon Walled City

Sometimes Interesting

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.

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Voynich Manuscript: World’s Most Mysterious Document?

Sometimes Interesting

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?

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Diamond in the Desert: Kolmanskop, Namibia

Sometimes Interesting

Once a thriving diamond-mining town, Kolmanskop is now abandoned, fighting a constant battle against the sandstorms and Mother Nature in the Namibian desert. Founded in 1908 when a rail worker in the area discovered a diamond, Kolmanskop enjoyed nearly fifty years of history until the town was all but abandoned in 1954 when the diamond mines finally dried up.

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The Only Unsolved Airline Hijacking in U.S. History: D.B. Cooper

Sometimes Interesting

November 24^th, 1971. An unknown man extorts $200k from Northwest Orient Airlines in Washington after taking a Boeing 727 hostage. He releases all the hostages in Seattle upon receipt of the ransom money. He then instructs three of the crew to continue flying on to Mexico. Only the man had no intention of flying to Mexico. He dons a parachute, opens the rear stair of the 727, and jumps out into the cold and rainy night. Despite an exhaustive investigation with full FBI involvement, the man has never been identified, the bulk of the money never located, nor the crime solved. This also stands as the only unsolved airline hijacking in American history.

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Unsolved Death from 1948: The Somerton Man (The Taman Shud Case)

Sometimes Interesting

The day was December 1st, 1948. Around 6:30 a.m. on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia, passerbys found the body of a man laying on the beach. Some witnesses claimed they saw him on the beach the night before, but since they thought they had seen his arm move, they thought he might be homeless or drunk and pressed on. By the next morning the next witness knew something was wrong and called police.

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Beginning of the blog

Sometimes Interesting

Lorem ipsum….. Just kidding. I actually took the time to edit the default first post on the blog. So what is Something Interesting? I spend many hours reading and researching mysterious and odd things throughout history. Wikipedia binges are a daily habit for me. Consider this part diary of research, part desire to spark discussion of interesting pieces of history and events you may not have known about. I also hope to learn about new things and places from some of the readers – I can’t hope to find everything interesting on my own – so by all means if you know of something that fits the bill, send it to me! In addition, you can follow me on Twitter @SomeInteresting And without further ado, off we go

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