5 Reasons Why China's Military is Weaker Than You Think

China, otherwise known to the rest of the world as the Sleeping Giant, is one of the few developed nations with a massive armed force dwarfing many of its Asian neighbors. 
Historically, China was a country that experienced invasions, civil wars, and rebellions testing its government’s military and its capabilities to protect the interest and security of the country. In the 21st Century, China made seemingly non-stop efforts to modernize itself in competition with western counterparts.

With no fewer than 2.3 million men and women in its armed forces and another 800,000 individuals in its reserves, China may have the numbers to intimidate, but it has been mired in controversy. This raises questions of whether or not the country can participate in global expeditions like the hunt for Osama Bin Laden or sending forces to help countries during disasters. Today we are doing just that and investigating the 5 reasons why China's military may be weaker than we think!

#5 — Weak Foundations

In a report done for Congress’ bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, it revealed that China’s military gains over the past decades have been “impressive overall, and the [People’s Liberation Army] is clearly becoming an increasingly professional and capable fighting force.”

However, despite these impressive strides, the report concludes that the “PLA suffers from potentially serious weaknesses. These shortcomings could limit its ability to successfully conduct the information-centric, integrated joint operations Chinese military strategists see as required to fight and win future wars.”

Written by China experts at the Rand Corporation, the report further states that knowing these vulnerabilities will be valuable to deter conflict or defeat China should war arise against the nation.

Most of these institutional weaknesses include poor command structures, low-quality personnel, and corruption in the ranks that also involve top officials in the military and the government. However, one of the main problems that were caused by this structural weakness is China’s ability to conduct joint military operations with other countries like the United States. This is partly due to its problems integrating advanced weaponry and conducting proper training to its personnel.
To put this picture into perspective, the People’s Liberation Army still conducts what is called long-distance maneuver training at speeds that are determined by how fast the next available cargo train can send its tanks and other arms forward. In a world where mobilizing your troops and transportation by air, moving them by train is an antiquated system that worked back in the First World War.

China may claim they have a nuke, but with its questionable ability to introduce modern weapons, it’s a little bit scary that they can push that shiny, red button anytime by accident or worse.
A chilling revelation of the report details how Chinese armed forces are quite vulnerable to cyber-attacks that could disrupt its “informationized” — high technology — armaments from its aircraft to its missiles. At the mildest, a cyber-attack may cripple their technology if not actually remotely launch their arms to other countries.

#4 — Confusing Loyalties

It’s common knowledge — or common sense — in most countries around the world that their armed forces are sworn to loyalty to their own governments regardless of the nation’s political affiliation or ideology.

It’s a different story with the Chinese military, however. According to the US Congressional Research Service, the People’s Liberation Army is “not a national army belonging to the state. Rather, it serves as the [Communist] Party’s armed wing.” Which brings confusion because who then is considered as the country’s official military? Top ranking members of the PLA, especially its generals, are also members of the Communist Party. In a nutshell, it would be as if members of the Republican and Democrat parties have their own armed forces.

From the very start of a PLA soldier’s career, he is sworn to protect the Chinese Communist Party and the ideology that it stands for NOT the constitution of the land or its people. To say the least, the PLA may be seen as the world’s largest guerrilla army because of a political bias that the members of the Chinese Communist Party strictly enforce.

Also, the PLA is missing one of the most important characteristics of an armed force: joint command. This is when members of the military, air force, navy, and marines can work together when needed as well as be able to know what the other branch is doing. In China, this is an important element missing in their structure. 

While there have been claims from Chinese media and some government agencies that a joint command system is being established in its military, other reports conflict it saying the opposite.
Without having a clear joint command system, it would be difficult in times of war or conflict, for any military to communicate with each of its branches. And for a country with what’s considered to be the world’s largest standing army, lack of communication can spell disaster.

#3 — Poorly Equipped Soldiers

To date, the Pentagon says that it costs about $17,500 to equip a single soldier of the US Armed Forces. This includes high tech weapons, advanced gear, body armor, and all other bells and whistles.  These guys mean serious business and they are dressed for the part.

In China, however, due to the PLA being mired in corruption within its ranks and stuck in the politics of the Communist Party, their soldiers are not as fancy. According to reports, a single soldier of the Chinese military is allotted about $1,500 for his entire gear and almost half of that amount goes to just his gun.

And some of the equipment that they do have no longer fit their new recruits. Saying that “the average Chinese soldier is two centimeters taller and five centimeters thicker around the waist than 20 years ago,” the Chinese research from its General Armaments Department is faced with an odd predicament where their soldiers can’t even fit comfortably in their tanks – which, also, is a matter of interest regarding their capabilities.

Even though China is now spending about $120 Billion per year on their military, a large chunk of that spending goes to reconfiguring and modifying old or currently existing equipment that not only makes it unreliable for use, but also dangerous to the poor soldier who has to use it.

To make matters even worse, among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China reportedly has never built their own aircraft carriers. What they do have are the ones that were purchased from the Ukraine and refurbished. It was almost immediately docked after launch to engine failure.

#2 — Not Trained for Combat

Every year, it is reported that the Chinese military recruits over 6 million individuals for training. While this may be a red flag to many nations, it would have been a lot more impressive and imposing if these recruits did not disappear after a month.

According to an article by The Diplomat, “The ‘mystery warriors’ are really just college freshmen… first-year university students all across China participate in their mandatory training before the start of classes.” What’s even more interesting is the method in which these students are trained. “There are compulsory lecture series,” reports The Diplomat, “in which students are introduced to national defense strategy and the latest in Party doctrine.”

The last part of the statement seems to be the main meat of military training in the PLA and appears to be the only solid foundation in which recruits to the army are groomed. In China, soldiers seem to be trained less to become soldiers and more on being educated to keep their loyalties to the Communist Party. Political and ideological indoctrination comes first and foremost before, let’s say, combat training or learning how to use a rifle. PLA recruits are strictly required to devote 20 to 30 percent of their training on political and ideological indoctrination, studying Party propaganda and revolutionary literature; and during induction training, this requirement is raised to 40 percent of their time.

Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you would like to see it – Chinese ground troops do not see a lot of action these days and the last conflict that they have been directly part of was in 1989 at Tiananmen Square.

#1 — Low Recruiting Standards

Students wishing to join the PLA go through a rigorous physical and medical examination in order to determine if they are fit for battle. Unfortunately, and this is coming from the Army Recruitment Office of Beijing, 60 percent of students and applicants fail the exam. The problem, according to them, is that many of these students and applicants are: overweight, underweight, weak, or have terrible eyesight.

It was because of these reasons, among many others, that the government decided to lower the bar for recruitment. The standards were lowered in 2008 and then again in 2011. Whatever the underlying reason is – whether to meet a recruitment quota or create the illusion that the PLA steadily grows in number every year – recruits that pass the terribly low standards are poorly equipped and not entirely at their top physical best to be in combat.

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Sources:
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-military-weaknesses-revealed/
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-chinese-military-is-a-paper-dragon-8a12e8ef7edc
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-powerful-chinas-military-really-12591
http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/chinas-deceptively-weak-and-dangerous-military/?allpages=yes
http://www.reckontalk.com/10-signs-chinas-military-is-weaker-than-you-think/

5 Reasons Why Jackie Chan May Not Be a Nice Guy

One way or another we have all seen his movies and have been entertained by his antics mixed with his Martial Arts skills on screen.

He has been cast next to some of Hollywood’s successful (and not so successful) actors and played parts in films ranging from the iconic to the downright laughable.

Jackie Chan has no doubt become a household name around the world and why shouldn’t he? With classics such as Drunken Master and roles in family-friendly movies like the Kung Fu Panda series, he’s an all-around talented guy; but underneath all that fame and glamor, what if there is a different man that we don’t really know? What if, Mr Nice Guy is not-so-nice at all?

Today we talk about the 5 reasons why Jackie Chan may not be the nice guy we thought he is.

#5 — The Beijing Connection

In one of his public appearances, Jackie Chan opened himself up to criticism from Hong Kong and the international press in an interview on a Hong Kong TV show. “We Chinese need to be controlled,” he said. “We know our country has many problems. We [can] talk about it when the door is closed. To outsiders, [we should say] ‘our country is the best’.”

This remark sparked outrage in the city-state. Once a colony of Britain, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 but maintains an autonomous form of government and economy far different from Beijing. For one, residents in Hong Kong enjoy much freer access to information and the internet whereas their counterparts in the mainland have to bear with strict censorship from the government.

On different occasions and interviews, Chan is known for making sweeping comments against calls for more freedom in China.

“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not,” Chan said when asked during the Boao Forum for Asia about his stance on the suffocating control of the media by the Beijing government on the mainland. “If you’re too free, you’re like the way Hong Kong is right now. It’s very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic... I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want,” he said.

These words were warmly received and applauded by Beijing, but pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong were deeply provoked and offended with some legislators labeling Chan a “racist.”

In answer to Chan’s statements, veteran pro-democracy legislator Albert Ho said, “People around the world are running their own countries. Why can’t China do the same?”

This was not Chan’s first foray into making a clear stand on Beijing.

Even though he was critical of the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing in 1989, he has — quite ironically — taken a much more pro-Beijing stance in later years.

#4 — Biting the Hand that Fed Him

There is no doubt that Jackie Chan has been one of the most successful Asian actors in Hollywood.  Since the Hong Kong star’s debut into the silver screen in the 70s, his career has been stellar up until the early 2000s.

Although despite his success and a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame to commemorate his talents, a report published Chan allegedly stating that America was the most corrupt country in the world.

This remark may have spelled the end of his career in the United States and gave his later films a thorough decline in quality and audience reception.

The internet was quick to give a response to Chan’s supposed statement with several sites and communities calling for a “huge boycott of Jackie Chan’s films no matter how much they make small children squeal with enjoyment.”

#3 — In the Business of Making Business

Movie stars are rich. That is possibly a universal truth. What with the paychecks they receive from their movies, residuals from syndication and advertising, and the businesses they put up almost everywhere on almost anything from perfumes to restaurants, celebrities are always loaded, and Jackie Chan is no exception.

Chan practically gets involved in almost every aspect of show business. For the most part, he has directed, produced, and sang the soundtracks to his own films. With more than 100 films and about 25 albums in his portfolio, Chan is literally everywhere – and these days, he has started his own K-Pop group called JJCC.

However, Chan’s entrepreneurial side goes beyond show business. In the controversial Panama Papers leak, it was revealed that Chan had an intriguing relationship with officials of the Chinese Communist Party.  The papers also exposed a few of Chan’s interesting secrets involving Hong Kong and mainland China.

It was said that Chan allegedly had ties with wealthy businesses in Hong Kong, most notably Albert Yeung of the Emperor Group that acquired land to build the Beijing Emperor Group Center in 2006 but the project’s promotion did not begin until 2015, nine years after the acquisition; an acquisition that supposedly involved Chan who said, in 2014, that he did own a piece of land in the mainland.

Online communities in Beijing believed the land that Chan was talking about was, in fact, the one for the Beijing Emperor Group Center — land that was allegedly acquired by Chan and Yeung in 2006 through the sacked Vice Mayor of Beijing, Liu Zhihua.

#2 — The Not-So Environmental Advocate

“Who said Beijing had no blue skies? Such blue skies, green fields…” This was a caption appended to a photo shot by Chan and posted on Chinese social media Weibo in the midst of the heated debate about Beijing’s pollution crisis.

The backlash was almost instantaneous when the online community took no hesitation in calling Chan out with comments generously sprinkled with profanity.

It is known the world over that Beijing has been one of the most polluted cities in the globe with a smog count reaching 993 micrograms per cubic meter in the Xizhimen area alone. The people on the mainland and those living near and within city limits are subjected to the smog on a daily basis, affecting their health no matter what their age.

The photo and the comment posted by Chan may seem trivial to some, but it has a heavy handed, and insensitive effect on the people who are actually experiencing pollution that can potentially be lethal to them.

#1 — Daddy Issues

Celebrities will always have their personal lives dragged into the limelight one way or another. Since they are such public personalities, it seems to follow that whatever form of privacy they wish for is not possible.

The same goes for Jackie Chan. However, there is a different and more interesting story to the beloved star.

In 2015, a recently re-surfaced interview showed Chan talk about his relationship with Taiwanese actress Joan Lin, his wife for more than 30 years. In the interview, he said that he had only decided to marry her after she became pregnant with their son, Jaycee.

“It was an accident which conceived Jaycee,” Chan says, according to Asia One. “I had never thought of getting married, but felt it was akin to being forced to marry.” What an insult!

Of course, the rumors that Chan has had many other girlfriends while married to Lin were no surprise. He was said to have also been in an affair with Elaine Ng, a former beauty queen, to whom he fathered a daughter named Etta in 1999.

Calling his affair with Elaine a mistake, Chan said that he “only committed a fault that many men would commit.” Meanwhile, Etta says that her relationship with her father was practically non-existent and only saw Chan as “just a stranger.”

Chan’s reputation as a father continued to slide in 2014 when his son, Jaycee, was arrested after police officers raided his apartment and seizing more than 100 grams of marijuana: an offense that landed him six months behind bars.

After his release, Jaycee found it difficult to find employment after being blacklisted by several companies. In an effort to carve out a career path for his son, Chan gave his son a newer image even proposing to work on an album with him.

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Sources:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-shouldnt-get-more-freedom-says-jackie-chan-1671337.html

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2042308-panama-papers-reveal-jackie-chans-clinging-to-super-rich-chinese/?expvar=004&utm_expid=.5zxdwnfjSHaLe_IPrO6c5w.1&utm_referrer=

http://shanghaiist.com/2017/04/11/jackie_chan_forced_marriage.php

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2014/03/10-reasons-why-you-want-to-punch-jackie-chan-in-the-face/

5 Weird Services You Can Buy Online in China

The world of commerce is a strange, strange place. Enterprising people wanting to make a living and earn a buck or two can think of creative ways to sell a product or service, and China is no exception.

Being a quirky country, you would think that with a strict government people are restricted from selling goods and services, but that is not the case. From live crabs that can be bought in vending machines to animal brains you can buy online, China has one of the most colorful marketplaces in the streets or on the internet.

So in today’s list, we are counting down to the 5 weirdest services you can buy in China whether it’s online or in a physical store.

#5 — Robot Chef Service

Chinese food is awesome. Each dish is a one of a kind gastronomic experience. No wonder that the cuisine has endured for thousands of years, but these days, China has stepped it up a bit more and introduced robots into the equation. Yes, robots!

Besides, everything seems to taste better when it is prepared by the skillful hands of a cold, metallic automaton and it is a growing trend in the country.

In 2011, an inventor named Cui Runquan created a robot named “Chef Cui” that is programmed to prepare shaved noodles, a popular food item in Chine where noodles are shaved by hand from a block of dough and then boiled. Selling for about $2,000 each, these Chef Cui robots are being mass produced and have sold more than 3,000 units.

A fast food chain in Shanghai, on the other hand, made the bold decision to use robots as the chefs in the kitchen. Obviously, the benefit to having these mechanized cooks is efficiency since a single robot can wash pots and pans, combine the ingredients, cook, and plate the order in three minutes. Impressive, right?

But if cooking robots aren't your cup of tea, then head on down to a place called the Dalu Robot Restaurant and have your food served by robots. Programmed like clockwork, the six server robots follow a rotation system that allows them to efficiently serve the restaurant’s twenty-one tables before returning to the kitchen for the next wave of orders.

#4 — Traffic Jam Stand-ins

With a population of 1.3 billion people, it would be a miracle if traffic runs as smooth as a well-buttered pan.

China has one of the world’s most notorious traffic jams that last for hours and even weeks! It’s no joke that traffic jams of such a magnitude can cause serious blows to businesses because of the delays they cause, but some are turning lemons into lemonade.

We have all heard of a service where others stand in line for you at the movies for that crowded midnight screening or for those hot concert tickets everyone's been waiting for.

In China, they take this in a weird yet almost practical step further. Several Chinese entrepreneurs had a big idea of creating a service where you can call someone to stand-in for you in case you get stuck in a horrible traffic jam.

The service is quite simple. When you are stuck in a potentially hopeless gridlock, all you have to do is call the service and give them your location and information. Two men on a motorcycle will arrive shortly after placing the call. The Traffic Jam Stand-in will sit in the car for you and drive it wherever you want while you ride the motorcycle there super fast!

For the meantime, the service is mostly offered around the region of Wuhan in Central China where traffic is known to be one of the worst in the country.

#3 — Hire a Boyfriend or Girlfriend

Well, technically you can’t buy a boyfriend or girlfriend, but you can rent one for a day or however long you want!

Having a relationship is a big deal in China pressuring young singles, especially during family gatherings where such questions are often asked.

This created a business opportunity where people can hire someone to be their significant other to fend off unwanted snooping from nosey relatives. The service does not come cheap, however, as prices typically are at a minimum of 1000 RMB per day. Not only that, the amount only covers the “rental” service. A boyfriend or girlfriend will be at your side for that price, but if you want to push the illusion further, additional charges will be made for things like hugs, hand holding, and the like.

Also, should the “renter” require the boyfriend or girlfriend to stay longer than a day, then he or she is responsible for accommodations, food, transportation, etc. While there might be a degree of temptation to this service, sexual favors are not part of the bargain.

#2 — Hire a White Guy

We kid you not. In China, you can actually hire a white person.

Following the same vein as “Hire a Boyfriend or Girlfriend,” renting a White person, a real-live Caucasian, serves the market of businessmen more than those who are looking for an arranged date to bring to your mom’s birthday.

In China, it is generally believed that Western businesses and businessmen are successful compared to any part of the globe and for a Chinese entrepreneur to be seen standing next to a foreign “business partner” is a sign of status and success. It’s a little bit superficial, but if it works for the system, then the people behind this is milking the cash cow quite comfortably.

With this service, Chinese businessmen, whether seasoned or fledglings, can hire an actor to stand in as a business partner at whatever function that he is required to attend. Most of the time, the actor is just asked to stand next to the one who hired him or her and not say a word, creating the illusion that he does not speak a single word of Chinese in a conspicuously Globalized world of business. In fact, these actors come armed to the teeth with fake business cards, wearing sharp suits that make them appear as big shots in their respective “industries”.

Sometimes though, the actor will be asked to play a small role such as deliver a speech. One actor named Jonathan Zatkin recalls an experience where he was paid to deliver a speech at an opening of a local jewelry store and say “how wonderful it was to work with the company for 10 years”.

Zatkin also reveals the requirements of the job are quite straightforward: You have to be White; you don’t have to know Chinese or speak unless you are asked, and you have to look like you just got off a plane when you arrive at an event.

#1 — Virgin Tea

Our top spot may not technically be a service that anyone may take advantage of, but it is something that a few entrepreneurs and large scale tea plantations have benefitted from.

One of these plantations is the Jiuhua Tea Plantation in the Henan province who has published a job posting looking for female virgins with C-cup breasts to “pick tea by grabbing the leaves with their lips and dropping them in a basket nestled between their breasts.”

According to a plantation spokesperson, this requirement follows an ancient Chinese legend about how tea leaves were delicately plucked and collected by the mouths of fairies. With this supernatural method, the tea is believed to be infused with magical properties such as the virility and purity of virgins.

Since fairies and pixies are hard to come by in a tight global economy, the Jiuhua Plantation opted to hire female virgins, believing that it will yield the same results as their elfish predecessors.

The job requirement is as equally colorful as the legend the plantation takes stock into: the women are not allowed to touch the leaves or the basket with their hands for fear of some earthly contamination. Also, on top of the rather specific C-cup requirement, women who are interested in applying for the position should not have any visible scarring, wounds, or skin conditions.

The job requirements and description could be seen as ludicrous by outsiders but what’s even more bizarre is that there actually are women who are willing to sell their services for the plantation.

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Sources:

http://listverse.com/2013/02/19/10-craziest-things-you-can-buy-in-china/

http://boreburn.com/weirdest-things-you-can-buy-in-china/14615/

http://www.echinacities.com/expat-corner/5-Strange-Things-You-Can-Buy-From-Chinese-Websites

Sixth Senses You Always Had But Never Noticed

If you have ever seen the 1999 mystery-thriller movie starring Bruce Willis, you would know how terrifyingly creepy it is to have a sixth sense. In this case, that is the ability to see ghosts.

However, actually, there is more to the so-called sixth sense that many people do not know about, and it is not always eerie. More so, they do not exist in just a few people, but in most of us. They are more like superpowers that we knew nothing about because we never paid enough attention.

In this video, you will find out that we are all super humans. Moreover, our senses can be used in more ways than we ever knew.

So sit back and relax as we help you discover some of the sixth senses you have always had but never noticed.

#5 — Our Skin Can Smell… And Heal Itself

From a very young age, we have been told that humans can smell through the nose. However, what most of us do not know is that the same olfactory receptors that allow our nose to smell is also present in other parts of our body, such as the liver, gut, heart, and yes, the skin.

In an experiment conducted by the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, they tested how the main skin cell type called keratinocytes would react to scents. They cloned this receptor and exposed it to various odors of Sandalwood, an ancient East Asian perfume and healing agent often used in aromatherapy.

Here, they found that instead of sending a message to the brain, like what usually happens with the nose, some of the scents prompted the keratinocytes to divide and migrate, as if they are healing themselves. One scent, in particular, the Sandalore, showed the most ability to heal. Researchers say that exposure to Sandalore radically increased the migration and proliferation of cells by 30%.

However, they also discovered that olfactory skin receptors are not as receptive as those from the nose. For the healing process to work, one would need to have the concentration of these scents to be a thousand times higher than the normal level.

Sadly, that would be too dangerous for our noses. Moreover, scientists have yet to find a workaround on the smelling and healing processes of our skin.

#4 — Know If Water is Hot or Cold by Listening to it

You probably never noticed this because you were paying attention to something else - perhaps the smoke that comes out of the cup as you fill it up with hot water, or the breezy feel as you pour cold water in a glass - but actually, you can know whether water is hot or cold even when your back is turned, just by listening to it.

In an experiment done by British Science presenter Steve Mould, he proved that there is a difference in the sound that cold and hot water make, and we are capable of identifying it.

Mould says heat energizes the molecules and changes the viscosity of liquids, causing a high-frequency sound when being poured. While the cold water's molecules, which are less energized, tend to stick together, causing a low pitched sound.

It all boils down to the difference in viscosity or the water's thickness. Moreover, subtle as they may be, our awesome brains have come to learn to distinguish these sounds after hearing them so often.

#3 — Humans Can Hear Better Underwater than Fish

On a daily basis, we are capable of hearing frequencies of only up to 20 kilohertz. Pitiful really, when compared to other mammals. Even dogs can hear up to 40 kilohertz, and bats at a whopping 110 kilohertz.

But worry not, we are not as pathetic underwater. U.S. Navy Researchers found that divers' hearing capability enhances once they take the plunge. Why? No, it is not because they are demigod children of Poseidon. But because they start hearing through their bones.

Most of the time, we humans hear through air conduction. In this process, sound waves travel through air, enter our ear canals, and go through our eardrums, which then causes vibration.

Next to the eardrum are three small, connected bones. One of which is the stapes, which, upon vibration, rocks back and forth, pushing the fluid-filled cochlea. It is hair-like structures then translate the pressure waves into nerve signals, which are sent to the brain and are interpreted as sounds.

But when underwater, the sound waves take a shortcut in a process called bone conduction.

According to the study, since there is no air to be disturbed, the sound skips most of the process and goes straight to the mastoid, or the bone behind our ear; enabling us to hear up to 200 kilohertz, 10 times more than we would on land.

Doubtful? Test this out on your next trip to the beach, and marvel at our body's super hearing powers.

#2 — You Can See Your Hands in the Dark

Have you ever been in a pitch-black room with nothing but your hands to guide you in the dark? Ever wondered why you could not see anything but your hands?

If not yet, would you mind trying that out now?

Go to a dark room, close your eyes, and wave your hands before them. Do you see anything? A shadow perhaps? Yes?

It is not ultra vision, but it is an amazing ability of our nervous systems.

A study conducted by a group of scientists from the Universities of Rochester and Vanderbilt shows that humans can see a shadow of their hands even when their eyes are covered, or it is too dark to see anything else.

They say this is caused by our nervous system's ability to establish connections.

You will not remember this from your childhood, but an observant parent would notice that their child would have a phase wherein they would continually move their hands in front of their face, wondering how this amazing structure came to be.

They would stop only once they get used to the hand's movement and realize that it is actually a part of their body. Through the years, the child will learn that he could use this hand to do various tasks, strengthening the visual imagery of the many hand processes.

So, for most individuals, the connection between the hand's movement and its image becomes so strong that they could see its visual image even with occluded eyes.  

Note though that this phenomenon happens only with your own hands. Try going back to that dark room and ask someone else to wave their hands in front of you.

Can you still see them? No? Obviously, your nervous system does not have an established connection with other people's hands. If you could still see a visual image of their hands, then congratulations, that would indeed be ultra vision.

#1 — You Can Still “See” After You Go Blind

Yes, you heard that right, a study shows that a blind person’s eyes could still see. In the research, a blind man was tasked to navigate a complex maze of boxes and chairs, and guess what? He was able to get out of it without crashing into any of the obstructions - an ability that scientists call blindsight.

Scientists say that in many cases, the eyes are not the main reason a person goes blind, but the brain – just like this man, who was blinded after a massive stroke damaged his visual cortex, the brain’s primary vision-processing center.

They explain that normally, the information passes through the retina into the visual cortex, which then relays the message to the brain. In the man’s case, his retina was working perfectly fine. But the visual cortex, which was supposed to process the information, was not.

With the main pathway to the brain blocked, the information would have passed through alternate routes to reach its destination, which then results to blindsight.

Interestingly, another study suggests that blind people can still see emotions, leading researchers to believe that it is empathy, not visual mimicry, that allows people to mirror the emotions of others.

You must have heard of emotional contagion or the phenomenon that triggers us to involuntarily imitate the emotions and behaviors that we see in other people. Best example? Yawning.

But a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that this could still happen even if the person cannot see.

In the experiment, blind people were shown images of faces showing various emotions like sad, happy, and angry.

Just like the man with blindsight, these people had fully functioning eyes, but damaged visual cortex. And amazingly, the participants were able to show blind empathy, appropriately responding to the emotions shown in the photos with similar body expressions.

This experiment further proved that even after going blind, a person could retain a sort of sixth sense of sight, which allows them to process colors, shapes, and expressions without consciously seeing them.

Indeed, our bodies are blessed with more senses than we know of, allowing us to adapt to different environments. And sometimes, helping us adjust when one of our five senses could not serve its purpose anymore.

Of course, these are only five of the many mysteries of our bodies. Even scientists agree that people have many superhuman strengths, if only we could unlock them.

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Sources:

Selman, XJ (Nov. 3, 2015). 6 Creepy Sixth Senses You have Always HAd and Never Noticed. Retrieved from http://www.cracked.com/article_23078_6-sixth-senses-you-never-knew-your-body-has.html

Devnath, Vinay (Dec. 29, 20015). 9 Sixth Sense Abilities You Have Always Had but Never Noticed Them. Retrieved from http://www.storypick.com/humans-sixth-sense-abilities/

Pettit, Harry (March 10, 2017). Can You Identify if Water is Hot or Cold by the Way it Sounds? Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4297086/Hot-cold-water-make-different-noises.html

Martinez-Conde, Susana (Nov. 4, 2013). Why You Can See in the Dark: It is Just a Bunch of Hand-Waving. Retrieved from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/why-you-can-see-in-the-dark-ite28099s-just-a-bunch-of-hand-waving/

Than, Ker (May 18, 2011). Superhuman Hearing Possible, Experiments Suggest. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/05/110516-people-hearing-aids-ears-science/

Roehr, Bob (July 8, 2014). Skin's Ability to "Smell" Seems to Help it Heal Itself. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25865-skins-ability-to-smell-seems-to-help-it-heal-itself/

Nuwer, Rachel (July 11, 2014). Human Skin Can Detect Odors, Some of Which May Help Trigger Healing. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-skin-can-detect-odors-some-which-help-trigger-healing-180952006/

Balantyne, Coco (Dec. 24, 2008). Blind Man “Sees,” Cruising Through Obstacle Course Without a Hitch. Retrieved from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/news-blog/blind-man-sees-cruising-through-obs-2008-12-24/

Stors, Carina (Oct. 14, 2009). Sight Unseen: People Blinded by Brain Damage Can Respond to Emotive Expressions. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/emotional-contagion-blindsight-mimcry-imitation-visual-cortex/

15 Most Terrifying Creatures In The Ocean

The ocean. About 70 percent of it covers our entire planet, and it is one of the things that we have not yet fully explored as a species. In fact, we have explored the far reaches of space more than we have gone to the depths of the deepest trenches.

Because of this, we continuously discover many new species of organisms and animals that may seem to only exist in myth and our darkest nightmares; creatures that are scarier than the infamous Great White Shark.

So put your gear on and prepare to go 20,000 leagues under the sea as we countdown to the 15 terrifying things that lurk in the depths of the ocean!

#15 — Viperfish

Let’s dive right into the creepy and start with the Viperfish. No, this is not a kind of snake that waits for you in the corners of the deep – although the thought can be frightening. The viperfish lives so deep in the ocean that its skin and eyes are not adapted to sunlight, making it look a little bit opaque.

However, this appearance should be the least of your worries. This species of deep-water fish is so aptly named because of its razor-sharp teeth that it uses to shred its prey and a jaw that it can unhinge so that it can make more room to eat and even stockpile larger prey.

Unfortunately, the viperfish does not survive long in captivity for scientists to learn more about its habits and biology.

#14 — Fangtooth Fish

The Fangtooth fish gained its name because it has the largest set of sword-like teeth proportionate to its size. Not even the well-known Angler Fish can compete with this fish’s pearly whites.

While they do not grow beyond 15 centimeters, these carnivorous creatures have an appetite for prey that is larger than they are – using their teeth to catch a morsel or cling onto a larger bite to satisfy their big appetite.

Luckily, this species is not known to be dangerous to human beings, so there is nothing to be alarmed about plus the fact that they mostly thrive in the deeper regions of the ocean.

#13 — Northern Stargazer

Native to the waters on the eastern side of the United States, the Northern Stargazer bears a name that could lead you to believe that it is one friendly fish.

If you believe that then you are in for the surprise of your life. The Northern Stargazer has a unique way of catching its food. What it does is that it burrows itself in the sand, exposing only its eyes and a part of its mouth – a mouth lined with needle sharp biters – which gives it the appearance of a face looking upwards to the sky.

When a prey strays into its direction, it then sends a wave of electricity to knock it out and float conveniently into its waiting mouth.

#12 — Black Dragonfish 

With a name that sounds like an evil villain from a Martial Arts movie, the Black Dragonfish, most notably the female of the species, has an appearance that could scare even the stoutest of seafarers.

With its beady eyes jutting out of its head, the Black Dragonfish has a deadly arsenal of jagged teeth that can easily rend flesh. Akin to the Angler Fish, the Black Dragonfish also can produce its own light through bioluminescence which makes it even more difficult not to spot it in the ocean’s darkest corners.

And, interestingly enough, the Black Dragonfish begins its life close to the surface when its eggs float about until it hatches and the little ones begin to dive away from the light.

#11 — Barrel Eye 

While not entirely frightening, the Barreleye is certainly one of the most bizarre looking that can still send a couple of chills down your spine.

Overall, the barreleye looks like any normal fish that you would encounter except that it has two upward facing eyes that enable it to spot food coming down from above as well as scan its area for nearby prey. However, this fish’s most distinctive feature is the transparent dome head that encases its eyes and the inside of its head which, in turn, has given it the nickname “spook fish.”

#10 — Chimaera

Named after the Greek mythological creature, the Chimaera is a deep-sea species of fish that are more commonly known as “ghost sharks.”

Like so many of its deep-sea friends, little is known about the habits of the ghost shark. However, its appearance is quite enough to send you swimming back to the surface should you encounter one of them as they seem to look like a dastardly science experiment that crosses a paddle fish, a seal, and a bug-eyed shark.

#9 — Gulper Eel

No name in the animal kingdom is more self-descriptive than the Gulper Eel’s.

As fascinating as their name sounds, the Gulper Eel lives quietly in the deep as it swallows its prey whole with its extraordinarily large mouths that have earned it the nickname “Pelican eel’. Not only are these eels able to swallow large amounts of food at the same time, but their bodies are also well equipped to swallow food that larger than they are as their stomachs can expand as much as their basin-like mouths.

#8 — Black Swallower

It seems that there is a unifying theme of deep sea creatures swallowing food that are three times larger than they are and the Black Swallower takes the cake home by being able to devour prey that is 10 times its own size!

Also known as the Great Swallower, this fish, like so many of its underwater relatives, has a proud collection of razor sharp teeth that allow it to hold on to its prey and prevent it from swimming away, as well as a pair of wide, round eyes that allow it to see perfectly well through the inky darkness of the deep.

#7 — Angler Fish

With its signature sharp teeth and gaping mouth, the Angler Fish is perhaps the most popular deep sea monster that everyone would recognize. In fact, the species is so widely known that it has even made appearances in animated movies and has been referenced several times throughout pop culture.

Named after its manner of hunting food, the Angler Fish uses a special protrusion from its head, aided by the ability to bio-luminesce, as a false lure to an unwitting target. If prey happens to move anywhere near the Angler Fish’s lure, its jagged teeth-lined mouth snaps shut like a bear trap.

#6 — Goblin Shark

Having been discovered in recent years, there is still little known about the Goblin Shark as most of them do not survive long enough to be studied. However, with what is known about them, these monsters of the deep have earned quite a reputation from us land-dwellers.

With a paddle-like snout and teeth that seem to point out in all directions, this underwater goblin’s retractable jaws give it the ability to devour its prey in an instant; and if its dinner is a little bit out of reach, the Goblin Shark can suck in water, drawing food right into its mouth like a vacuum.

#5 — Sarcastic Fringehead

No, we are not making this one up. The Sarcastic Fringehead is a seemingly harmless fish that spans about a foot long.

However, when provoked or agitated, this fish opens up its extremely wide mouth to intimidate would-be predators. To give you an idea of how terrifying this looks, the Sarcastic Fringehead can be likened to Jurassic Park’s Dilophosaurus minus the venom spitting and hissing. And yes, they do have sharp teeth that they are not afraid to use.

#4 — Frilled Shark

One of the oldest living things to swim our oceans, the Frilled Shark dates its species back to 80 million years which is why it is considered to be a living fossil by marine biologists.

These extremely rare creatures are not really sharks but large species of eels that can grow up to 2 meters in length. Even more interesting about these creatures is that several cultures believe that these are ancestors sea monsters that terrorized the oceans in several myths and legends.

#3 — Giant Isopod

Generally harmless, the Giant Isopod is a massive crustacean that could grow up to two and a half feet in length. Closely resembling a pill bug, the Giant Isopod looks like a creature that crash landed from an alien planet at first glance.

Quietly living at the bottom of the ocean, they are pretty much like their cousins the crab and lobster when it comes to diet: they are mostly scavengers and would rather eat pieces of dead animals than go out on the hunt.

#2 — Giant Squid

No other sea creature has been so popular in myth, legend, and popular culture than the Giant Squid.

Stories about a Kraken-like monster with giant tentacles tearing ships apart and devouring seafarers in the middle of a tempest have become a staple in many cultures. However, while the Giant Squid is indeed a giant, it is not as colossal as the myths would put it.

Up until a few years back, the Giant Squid has been an elusive creature that has never been photographed in the wild. Most of the Giant Squids that we come into contact with are corpses that have been washed ashore or have been caught in fishing nets.

But that does not discount how terrifying this cephalopod can be. These creatures can weigh up to 440 pounds and have eyes that can grow up to 10 inches in diameter. Also, after a live specimen has recently been discovered and captured in 2006, the Giant Squid has a bit of a temper and has been known to pull on people’s diving masks unprovoked.

#1 — Blue Ringed Octopus

We do not immediately associate octopi as dangerous or deadly compared to the creatures we have on this list. However, one species of octopus does stand out from the rest as it silently slinks and skulks in the dark.

The Blue Ringed Octopus may be less imposing and less intimidating. It may not have sharp fangs or retractable jaws but it does have one of the most potent venoms in the animal kingdom and is not afraid to use it when provoked or cornered by another animal. Their venom has no known antidote, so should a human come across one of these eight-legged creatures, a shark bite may seem less horrifying.

However, these creatures are not at all aggressive and will, like other venomous animals, give a warning signal by changing the colors on its body showing it is not happy with the situation before it actually stings anyone.

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Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/04/03/terrifying-sea-creatures_n_9586374.html

https://www.bustle.com/articles/113059-15-terrifying-things-in-the-ocean-because-jaws-has-nothing-on-these-scary-sea-creatures

http://list25.com/25-most-terrifying-deep-sea-creatures/

5 Most Powerful Women Who Secretly Ruled the World

Behind every powerful man is a woman; and behind every great empire in history, a powerful woman commanded legions.

History has no shortage of kings, emperors, and generals lording over vast countries and leading large armies but the question remains: Are they really the ones pulling the strings?

Just studying the royal Egyptian bloodline, you would discover many of their great pharaohs were women. The Empresses of China also has impressive records of leadership. But as the saying goes, “History is written by the victors,” so most of these women are overshadowed by the accomplishments of their husbands, leaving their contributions and exceptional personalities almost forgotten.

That is why, for this list, we are counting down the 5 Most Powerful Women Who Secretly Ruled the World.

#5 — Toregene

There is no argument that one of the greatest empires in history, conquering a third of the world, belonged to the Mongols.

Intelligent, fierce, and extremely organized, the Mongol horde rode and invaded large parts of Asia and have stretched their domain to portions of Europe.

After Genghis Khan died, his power passed on to his third son, Ogedei. However, Ogedei had a little problem controlling his drinking and left much of his leadership to his wife, Toregene. As historical records would later show, Toregene was, in fact, responsible for many proclamations during her husband’s reign.

When Ogedei finally drank himself to the grave, Toregene became his immediate successor until a new Khan could be elected. With her cunning, she was able to delay the election for five years, and under her leadership, the Mongol empire flourished from the China to the far reaches of Russia. With a reputation for her leadership, prominent monarchs paid homage to her like the Seljuk Sultan and the Grand Prince Yaroslav – who, incidentally, died mysteriously after sharing a feast with her.

To secure power for her bloodline, Toregene campaigned for her son, Guyuk, to be elected the new Khan. Unfortunately for Guyuk, he was not completely trusted, and everyone hated him but Toregene, in another display of extraordinary political acumen, bribed many in the empire which was funded by a massive and aggressive form of tax on agriculture.

Even though she was relentless, she finally died in 1246, a year after successfully securing Guyuk’s place as the new Khan of the Mongol empire.

#4 — Kosem Sultan

One of the most powerful women of the 17th Century has a very interesting story. She was of Greek descent and came to Istanbul. She was sold into Sultan Ahmed I's harem and named Kosem after becoming his wife.

After Ahmed’s death, she made a move to secure her place in the Imperial court by positioning Mustafa, Ahmed’s mentally ill brother, as the new Sultan and she succeeded with little protest from the people around her.

However, due to his mental state, Mustafa’s nephew Osman easily took back the throne, forcing Kosem to leave Istanbul in hiding for fear of retribution from Osman. But in 1623, Kosem triumphantly returned to Istanbul after Osman's own Janissary soldiers murdered him and Kosem's 11-year old son, Murad IV, became sultan.

During the reign of Murad IV, Kosem became regent for much of his childhood, ruling the Ottoman Empire from behind the throne for well over a decade.

Murad died in 1640 and power passed on to his mentally-ill brother, Ibrahim. Unfortunately, Kosem found Ibrahim difficult to control and, in 1648, organized his murder.

Her young son, Mehmed IV, ascended the throne afterward and Kosem’s power as regent of the Ottoman Empire became firmly cemented.

#3 — Boudicca

She is one of Britain’s most iconic heroes and a Queen whose story has sadly been swept under the rug.

Boudicca is the Queen of the Iceni, a tribe in East England that existed during the first century AD.

Leading one of the greatest battles against the Roman Empire around 60 – 61 AD, Boudicca was victorious in uniting British tribes to defeat the Romans encroaching on British soil.

In more ways than one, she can be described as a warrior Queen and her rallying cry was recorded by the historian Tacitus:

“We British are used to women commanders in war; I am descended from mighty men! But I am not fighting for my kingdom and wealth now. I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom, my bruised body, and my outraged daughters… That is what I, a woman, plan to do!”

With this battle cry, Boudicca’s victory was secured. However, this victory would not last long as they had hoped. The Romans began to rally their troops and crushed the revolt in one swift wave of attack. The Iceni were slain and executed to the point of extinction, and those that managed to survive were enslaved.

Even though Boudicca’s victory was short-lived, she is remembered through history as one of the most courageous warrior queens who fought for freedom from oppression, for herself and all the Celtic tribes of the British Isles.

#2 — Edith Bolling Galt Wilson

Woodrow Wilson led America’s entrance and victory in World War I, shaped the League of Nations, and – perhaps his most important contribution to history – granted women the right to vote.

However, despite his successes and hallmark contributions to the United States and the free world, he is only human. In 1919, President Wilson suffered a stroke that paralyzed the entire left side of his body, preventing him to “run at full capacity.”

It was due to this unfortunate incident that Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, first lady of the United States, was placed in a unique position of power even before women were allowed to vote. As the so-called Keeper of the Presidency, Edith kept her husband’s weakened condition from his staff for six weeks; an act that, presumably, involved mannequins dressed as the president with cleverly hidden recordings of President Wilson’s voice.

In her memoirs, Edith claims that she only decided on which matters to bring to the president and which ones could be decided on without him. Though she never had the authority to sign official documents on her husband’s behalf, the position of deciding on what the president should and should not see was still an utterly significant amount of power.

At one point, Edith fought against having the Vice President take her husband’s office. She was the first female president of the United States as many people would refer to her. Whether they were serious or not is a matter of conjecture.

Her role during her husband’s presidency is not as grandiose or as violent as the other women on this list, having the power to decide on behalf of the most powerful man in the free world deserves merit.

#1 — Olympias

Alexander the Great ruled an empire that stretched across Europe, into Asia, and North Africa. The “Great” appended to his name was well-earned through blood and sweat. A fierce general and a fearsome leader, Alexander ruled his empire atop a mighty throne; but while he enjoyed the comfort of his seat, the real strings were pulled from behind the throne.

Olympias, the mother of Alexander, was beautiful and powerful in the cult of the god Dionysus. Perhaps, she was history’s original femme fatale with her cunning and remarkable intelligence. She put to shame anyone who tried to pry power from the hands of her son.

In one story, when Alexander’s claim to power was threatened by revolt, coups, and discontented politicians, Olympias spread rumors that her son was born out of an affair she supposedly had with the god Zeus thus making Alexander a demi-god. Spreading like wildfire, the rumor turned to truth, and Olympias effectively secured an entire lifetime for Alexander to sit on his throne. As was custom and as Olympias’ power play worked out, Alexander cannot be denied his right to rule because of his status as a son of Zeus.

She is also one scornful lover. In another historical account, when her husband divorced her and married another woman, Olympias ordered her husband’s assassination; and in a move to maintain Alexander’s place in power, she also had her ex-husband’s children killed to stamp out any competing claim to the throne.

In Alexander’s absence, his regent Antipater was to rule in his stead. However, Olympias was able to subvert Antipater’s authority and quashed every ruling he would decree.

Even after Alexander’s death, Olympias continued to wage war and ordered Alexander’s armies to march into countries and regions that have not yet been invaded. Despite the presence of a reagent to conduct all affairs of state until a new leader is installed, Olympias continued to exhibit an extraordinary amount of power and ran an empire on a scale that is yet to be rivaled by anyone.

In his dying breath, Antipater’s dying words were a warning that women should never be allowed to lead: quite possibly referring to what a taste of power has done to Olympias.

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Sources:

http://listverse.com/2017/03/31/10-forgotten-women-who-secretly-ruled-the-world/

http://www.mamamia.com.au/powerful-women/

http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/ten-powerful-and-fearsome-women-ancient-world-002947

https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-women-rulers-3528391

10 Amazing Facts About the Money in Your Wallet

Money. It's a part of our daily lives and it seems like we can’t live without it. We use it to buy food, pay rent, and we save it — or even borrow it — to buy the newest clothing and technology trends.

Throughout history, money has become an indispensable part of society, trade, and commerce. And like history and society, it has come a long way with lots of stories to tell us how it got into our wallets today.

So here are the 10 Amazing Facts about the money in your wallet.

 

#10 — A Grain of Salt

Starting off with number ten, we travel back to the time of the Roman Empire. We all know that at the height of their civilization, the Romans have introduced many advances and innovations regarding economy and trade. They have also been known to use coins when trading.

However, despite this fact, physical currency is still less valuable than gold and gold is - surprisingly – less valuable than spices. Spices are hard to come by and require a lot to harvest and transport. One of the most expensive spices during that time is salt. Back in those days, salt was mined like precious stones and gems, only affordable to the wealthy. Salt was more than just a spice. It also preserves food! Imagine back when there were no refrigerators, you could make your food last longer with some salt. So, because of its high value, ancient Romans called it Salarium Argentum or “Golden Salt” and origin to the word “salary.”

#9 — Breaking Tables

Fast forward to the Renaissance, is our Number Nine spot. Bankruptcy. The mention of the word can send a chill down anyone’s spines. I mean, who would want to be in a position where you may end up with a terrible credit rating or are unable to manage your finances and be in a mountain of debt?

But bankruptcy did not always have the meaning we associate with it today. Originating in Florence during the Renaissance and at the height of power of the most influential family in the city, the Medici, money lenders would set up tables in the middle of busy markets and bazaars where people could borrow money at a set interest.

At the end of the day, or when the merchant has run out of money to lend, he will break his table in half to close shop. Florentines would call it “Banca Rotto,” meaning, broken table, hence the term “Bankrupt.”

#8 — North Carolina’s Golden Boy

We all remember the Tech Boom and the whole “.com” craze when businesses would greatly invest in almost anything and everything coming out of Silicon Valley. This inflated the American economy, which crashed when the fad faded.

However, the Tech Boom cannot compare to the height of the U.S. Gold Rush in the 1850's. Basically, back then a dozen eggs cost $90.00 of today's money, and the cheapest lodging would cost you at least $300,000!

What’s interesting about the gold rush was when it started in 1803, Conrad Reed, a 12-year old boy from North Carolina, found a 12-pound gold nugget in his father’s farm that supplied all the gold for the country’s mints until 1829. You could say that Conrad Reed was perhaps the richest 12-year old of that time, funding the nation for a whole 25 years!

#7 — Fabric of the Economy

Paper currency, believe it or not, originated in China in 910 AD. In one of his travels to Asia three centuries later, Marco Polo was amazed by the system and noticed that the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan, exercised a lot of his power and printed so much bank notes. Unfortunately, due to an excessive amount of paper notes in the region, inflation skyrocketed at an alarming speed, and the paper money system was quickly abolished in the 15th Century and would not return until centuries later.

In the United States, it was a different story. In the 18th Century, people were already using paper currencies with a well-placed system of controlling a number of notes circulating in the market. But that’s not the interesting fact. Back in those days, when paper money was ripped or damaged, people sewed it together with cotton threads. This led to changing today's cash into 75% cotton and 25% linen to endure daily wear and tear.

#6 — Credit Where Credit is Due

Credit Cards are essential. Who could argue against its convenience and, well, inconvenience? A study has shown that there are more credit cards in the United States than there are people but that was not always so when it was first introduced as a form of currency.

It was a blunder that became the inception of the plastic currency. A man by the name of Frank McNamara took a few of his friends out to dinner in 1949. When it was time to pay the check, McNamara discovered that he did not have any cash with him. Because of this embarrassment, he created the first credit card in the history of banking and finance: The Diner’s Club Card.

It was first made out of cardboard and listed 14 participating restaurants on its back during that time. Anyone who wanted to be a Diner’s Club Card member needs only to pay an annual $3.00 fee.

#5 — Vend-O-Cash

Speaking of cards, next to credit cards, another indispensable piece of currency is the ATM card. Over the years it has gone through a lot. First built and introduced in London in 1967 for Barclay’s Bank, the Automatic Teller Machine, or ATM was invented by a Scottish man named John Shepherd-Barron and was based on the concept of a dispenser for chocolate bars.

However, at that time, plastic ATC cards have not yet been introduced or invented, and these first machines only accepted checks laced with radioactive Carbon-14 as a means for it to be identified electronically.

The radioactive check worked pretty much like the magnetic strips in modern ATM cards. Once identified by the machine, the user only has to enter a four-digit PIN to complete the transaction. To subdue the fears of radioactive contamination in humans, Shepherd-Barron claimed that users “would have to eat 136,000 checks” for the radioactive element to give the body negative and harmful effects.

#4 — In God We Trust

The invention and introduction of money made theft much easier, especially between the 16th and 17th centuries before technology. There were no banking systems or Federal Laws in place for the safeguard of currencies, nor secure places to store them.

Local temples, then, became the logical places to store them because of their superior structures, high foot traffic, and would supposedly deter thieves with the fear of God. When money lending slowly became part of the cycle of currency, priests from a Babylonian Temple in 1750, branched out into issuing loans to locals.

#3 — Rich Aromas

Cash gets passed on from one hand to the next on a daily basis. This cycle of transferring does not stop as long as people have to purchase things or pay for services. And with transferring from one hand to another, you can be sure that the money you have may come with a special bonus.

In a recent study, researchers discovered that the most common residue found on US currency is cocaine than on any other currency. And tied for second place are staphylococcus bacteria and fecal matter. For a time, around 1916, people have the option to bring their cash to Washington DC to have it washed, ironed, and reissued.

On the same note, a farm in Delaware is known for mulching almost four tons of US currency into compost. These currencies are either worn out or have been taken out of circulation. In earlier decades, worn out bills are destroyed by piercing or burning to avoid being reissued.

#2 — The Color of Money

Modern US bank notes are printed on a $7 million Swiss Super Orlof Printing presses. One of the machine’s prized features is that it exerts no less than 60 tons of pressure to force and embed ink into the fibers of the note. US bank notes are also known all over the world for their finest, top quality engravings and, of course, its signature green color.

Every currency around the world has a distinct color, and each color has its own characteristics. For the US dollar, green was chosen because it is a color that resists fading, flaking, and discoloration more than any other hue.

This signature green tint also prevents the currency from being counterfeited since fakes can be easily detected due to appearing more “perfect” than the authentic bills.

#1 — The Richest Game Ever Played

Legal tender is printed and destroyed on a daily basis. You would think that at the rate banks produce money since its inception, the world would already be swimming in cash and people would not need to work a day in their lives. But that is not the case because the printing of money is controlled by some factors including gold reserves and inflation.

However, what is surprising about the money that was legally printed and circulated and have ended up in your wallet right now is that it is outnumbered by Monopoly Money. Yes, you heard that right. Parker Brothers, creators of the game Monopoly, revealed that they print about $30 billion worth of the fictitious currency each year. The US government — supposedly — only prints money to replace old or worn-out bills, about $974 million according to CNBC. The iconic board game, therefore, not only out prints the Federal Reserve, it is printing 30 times than what the US government is.

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Sources:

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-money

http://mentalfloss.com/article/62091/12-fun-facts-about-money

http://www.rd.com/culture/money-facts/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/07/26/crazy-money-facts/13107853/

10 Nightmarish Diseases in History We Have Forgotten

Throughout human history, we have battled over a myriad of diseases that has threatened to wipe us off the face of the planet more than once.

In the days before modern science and medicine, diseases have been treated haphazardly that usually end up with disastrous results such as death or a pandemic.

Thankfully, as our understanding of the human body and medicine grew so too did our understanding of diseases that we were able to eliminate them to the point that many of history’s deadliest pandemics are now just a footnote in everyone’s memories.

However, that does not discount the fact that many of these historical pathogens are extinct. Many of them are lying dormant, patiently waiting for the right conditions to resurface. It also does not help that there is still a vast majority of regions around the world that does not have access to proper healthcare and medical assistance due to a variety of reasons that include poverty and conflict.

In this list, we are revisiting the 10 historical diseases that were the stuff of nightmares. Diseases that we have forgotten but may potentially return with a score to settle with humanity.

#10 — Smallpox

Making a debut to the world stage in the 16th Century, smallpox was an international epidemic that almost had the same scale as the Black Plague that preceded it.

A product of the variola virus, smallpox claimed the lives of more than 90 million Native Americans when the Europeans came to the shores of the Americas. It spread like wildfire in Europe, killing at least 400,000 people by the end of the 18th Century. Though a vaccine was finally formulated in 1796, the disease still spread and was only eliminated in the early years between the 19th and 20th Centuries.

However, while it may seem that smallpox is finally extinct, there have been recorded cases as recent as the 1960s when an outbreak swept the world, killing millions. The disease can easily be spotted by hallmark symptoms of body aches, high fever, and fluid-filled bumps that appear on the skin.

#9 — Polio

It was the disease that crippled Franklin D Roosevelt and placed him in a wheelchair throughout the Second World War until his death in 1945.

Polio was a disease that persists today in many countries, but it hit fever pitch in 1952 when it infected and paralyzed more than 57,000 people in the United States alone though the disease may have existed a thousand years beforehand.

Characterized by paralysis and the crippling of the lower extremities, polio is a disease targeting the human nervous system, and infection is by way of consuming contaminated food and water. Though a vaccine was developed in the 1950s, there is no cure for it. However, since polio only affects human beings, widespread vaccinations since the 50s has almost driven the disease to the point of extinction despite the fact that poverty-stricken countries are still plagued by it.

#8 — Cholera

Cholera was a disease that hovered over India for hundreds of years until it was introduced to the entire world in the 19th Century by way of European ships traveling to the country and back home. Mainly, infection is passed in through contaminated water and food. It exhibits flu-like symptoms that are accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. Ultimately, a cholera patient dies due to severe dehydration.

Though diligent steps have been taken over the centuries to stop the disease from spreading, many countries still suffer from it to this day with the last recorded outbreak happening in Haiti after a deadly earthquake struck in 2010.

It has yet to be eliminated, and many health experts caution people on consuming food and water from unfamiliar places.

#7 — Leprosy

One of the oldest diseases, it has been referenced multiple times in history and the Bible as a punishment from the heavens.

This was a disease that attacks the skin and eats its way into a patient’s nerve cells. Caused by bacteria similar to that of tuberculosis, it is a disease that persists to this day across the globe. The United States, for one, has not been able to completely eradicate leprosy and many people struck by it usually get infected through armadillos – animals known to be infected with the disease – whether through eating it or keeping them on a farm where they are in constant contact.

The problem with eliminating the disease is that people most often get treatment during its later stages when it is much more difficult to manage. Though treatments are widely available, chances are, the extinction of leprosy is still too far off.

#6 — Typhus or Camp Fever

Practically non-existent today, Typhus or Camp Fever became an epidemic in the 17th Century and took the lives of 10 million soldiers during Europe’s Thirty Years War. Not only did it infect and kill many soldiers, but Typhus also spread in cramp and poverty-stricken areas in the continent.

The infection is caused by microbes and bacteria carried by lice thus making camps and overcrowded housings ground zero for the disease. Symptoms may be similar to the flu with fever and nausea at the top of the list. However, if left untreated, the disease can cause heat exhaustion in patients and, ultimately, complications that trigger organ failure.

The disease died out later on but saw a resurgence during the First World War causing millions of deaths in countries like Romania, Poland, and Russia.

#5 — Chlorosis

In the 18th Century, physicians and doctors were notorious for not being able to properly identify a disease which led to mistreatment and even the death of patients.

Such is the case with a bizarre disease called “chlorosis,” a sickness that targets women and affects their menstrual cycles, leaving them looking haggard and exhausted. Since doctors have little experience in treating women at that time, the 18th Century Medical Community was left baffled and at a loss for words.

Chlorosis persisted for two centuries until it died out. What is interesting to note about the disease, however, was that it was only an affliction that women in high society seemed to contract; no record of blue-collar women could be found infected with the mysterious illness.

Apart from exhaustion, patients would also fall into melancholy and their periods would completely stop. On top of that, the disease was easily detectable because it turned women, literally, a shade of green.

#4 — Spanish Flu

Also known as the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918, the Spanish Flu was short-lived, but in the year that it spread, it was able to claim the lives of about 100 million people worldwide.

This strain of the flu virus was brought home by troops at the end of the First World War, and it quickly became a global epidemic.

With symptoms similar to the common flu, it was the build-up of excessive amounts of fluid in the lungs that brought people to their deaths due to untreated complications.

#3 — Phossy Jaw

The Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century brought marvels to the civilized world as well as a collection of strange diseases.

One of them was a condition called Phossy Jaw; a condition that is caused by a specific line of profession.

Sufferers of the disease are mainly workers who spend long hours in a matchstick factory. Back then, matches were dipped in white phosphorus which allowed them to burn longer than their modern-day counterparts. The problem with white phosphorus is that it produces extremely toxic fumes.

Workers exposed to the chemical complained about chronic toothaches that eventually became infected and develop abscess.

In non-terminal cases, patients would just simply have the infected jaw amputated and allow the area to heal naturally. Unfortunately for people in the 19th Century, they would continue to work in the factories and repeatedly acquire the disease that potentially killed many of them in the end.
The condition was first identified in 1858, but despite this, the use of white phosphorus was not banned until 1906, about 50 years after hundreds of people have lost parts of their faces or their lives to the effects of the toxic chemical.

#2 — The Black Plague

Call it what you want: the Bubonic Plague, Black Death, or Black Plague. It is one of the most devastating epidemics the world has ever seen and has earned its chapter in many history books.

Known as the first true pandemic on earth, the Black Plague cleaned out half of the world’s population across Europe and Asia in the 14th Century.

While many point to the poor living conditions and rising pest population in Europe as the main cause of the disease, the strain of the plague is still being researched by experts today. However, thanks to developments and strides in modern medicine, what happened in the 14th Century is unlikely to happen again since treatments are readily available.

#1 — Plague of Athens

If we are to be worried about the next deadly pandemic, chances are it is going to be the Zika virus. However, the virus only equates to the common cold compared to the mysterious plague that decimated Athens, Greece during the early centuries of its civilization.

The unknown pestilence hit Athens in the early years of the first Olympic Games and reduced a great number of its population into a messy puddle of sweat, poop, and blood. A historian called Thucydides courageously described the victims of the plague as they suffered from inflammation in the eyes, convulsions, diarrhea, and the vomiting of blood. It was a terrible scene to behold and to imagine. The plague was so terrible that, during the Spartans’ siege of Athens, their armies turned and fled at the sight of the diseased citizens.

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Sources:
http://www.cracked.com/article_24245_exploding-teeth-6-scary-diseases-that-were-lost-to-history.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/story?id=8321392&page=1
http://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com/the-10-deadliest-epidemics-in-history/

8 Legendary Shipwrecks Still Waiting to Be Discovered

When the remains of the RMS Titanic were discovered in 1985, it marked a milestone in underwater archaeology that ended years of the famous hunt for the sunken ship.
However, in the history of seafaring and oceanic travels, there are hundreds if not thousands of ships that have been lost or claimed by the sometimes treacherous waters of the ocean. From the expeditions of Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan to the ships that sailed to defend freedom during World War II, these giant vessels may have been built to outlast long journeys or heavy bombardment. Yet, as many of them have been witness to, none of them have ever won a fight against crashing waves and, well, sinking.

While we do mark the Titanic as one of history’s greatest underwater finds since its sinking, in today’s list, we are counting down to other notable ships that have also gone the way of the Titanic. Whether by bad luck or by enemy fire, here are 8 Legendary Shipwrecks that are still waiting to be discovered!

#8 — The Flor De la Mar

Translated as “Flower of the Sea,” this 400-ton Portuguese carrack was built in 1502. It was one of the ships that were instrumental in aiding Portugal to capture the island of Malacca in the Battle of Diu. 

What makes the Flor De la Mar one of the most sought-after shipwrecks in history is its rumored cargo of precious gems and gold, rare artifacts, metals, and much more treasure than a normal ship could carry. The treasure was intended for Queen Dona Maria and King Manuel I of Portugal. 

The story was that after the successful invasion and capture of Malacca, the ship’s crew loaded the Flor with whatever precious treasure they can get their hands on and fit on the ship as gifts to the King and Queen. 

In 1511, on its way back to Lisbon from Malacca, a violent storm smashed into the Flor head on and shipwrecked it somewhere off the coast of Sumatra. The storm was said to have been so strong that the ship was split in two, spilling its priceless cargo into the sea before it completely sank. To this very day, the exact whereabouts of the Flor de la Mar remains a mystery. Even renowned American diver, Robert Marx, reportedly shelled out millions of dollars to find the Flor and its sunken treasure calling it, “The Richest Vessel ever Lost at Sea!”

#7 — Las Cinque Chagas

Sailing from Goa, India to Lisbon, Portugal with a cargo of 3.5 million Portuguese Cruzados and 22 chests filled with diamonds, rubies, and pearls (worth over $1 billion in today’s standards) the 1,200-ton Las Cinque Chagas sank into the sea while it was nearing its final stretch home.

Measuring about 150 feet long and 45 feet wide, the Chagas, along with its rich cargo, carried with it more than 1,000 people, 400 of whom were reported to be slaves. The long voyage of the ship was almost completed, according to accounts, when, near the coastlines of Portugal, the Chagas was intercepted and attacked by three British privateer ships: The Mayflower, The Royal Exchange, and The Sampson. These privateer ships were captained by pirate entrepreneurs who modified and old warships or merchant ships to suit their needs.

The skirmish that followed their meeting lasted two days of nonstop bombardment from both sides. Unfortunately for the Chagas, despite its monolithic size, the battle fell in favor of the privateers. The Chagas caught fire after trying to defend itself, and on July 13, 1594, it sank off the coast of Portugal’s Azores, never making it to safety.

Just like the Flor de la Mar, the Chagas is sought-after by divers and modern-day treasure hunters for its promising haul. However, expert salvage operators believe that the remains of the ship, as well as its treasure, could be in waters as deep as 2500 feet.

#6 — Shackleton’s Endurance

Ernest Shackleton was an Irish-born explorer who hoped to successfully make an overland crossing of Antarctica, making it his first Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole.

However, the expedition met an abrupt end when his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the Weddell Sea because of heavily packed ice, preventing the ship from even making it to the continent.

Like a defiant behemoth, the Endurance managed to survive 10 whole months in the ice before heavy amounts of pressure pressing down on its hull finally cracked it and sent the ship tumbling down the ice and into the cold waters below.

Shackleton and his crew managed to survive and made a perilous, yet almost legendary, 800-mile voyage back to England in a lifeboat.

Today, the Endurance remains lost deep in icy waters. Experts believe that the ship is now sitting at a depth of 10,000 feet, but before anyone could get to it, there is still the matter of breaking through a 5-foot layer of solid ice. One salvage expert named David Mearns and the man who discovered the Titanic, Robert Ballard, have expressed their interest in diving for the remains of the Endurance. Unfortunately, though, a team is yet to be assembled as well as raising enough money to fund the expedition.

#5 — SS Baychimo

Like a page out of a ghost story, the fate of the SS Baychimo is of particular interest. Constructed in Sweden in 1914 and owned by a German shipping company until the beginning of the First World War, the SS Baychimo is a 1322 ton steam-powered sea vessel.

After it was purchased by The Hudson’s Bay Company, the Baychimo went full-steam ahead as it made voyages across the North Atlantic from Scotland. It also made frequent visits in and around the areas of Alaska and British Columbia.

Unfortunately, the gigantic Baychimo went on its last voyage in 1931. While on its way to Vancouver, it fought against the harsh waters of the North Pacific, battling the wind and giant waves that knocked it from side to side. Fearing for their lives, the crew of the Baychimo chose to abandon ship and evacuated on lifeboats.

According to stories and legends surrounding the ship, the Baychimo did not exactly sink, and there were no eyewitnesses to confirm that the North Pacific devoured it. Thus, over 38 years since its mysterious disappearance, alleged sightings of the ship were reported by various captains, fishers, and Inuits; many of whom say that the ship was plodding along fine even without a crew. Other stories also include sailors failing in their attempts to board the ship. Later on, the sightings stopped and, after more than 20 years without even a whisper of the Baychimo, people have concluded that the abandoned ship had finally sunk. The last known sighting was in 1969 and efforts are being revived to find the so-called ghost ship as of 2006.

#4 — USS Indianapolis

After successfully delivering components of the first atomic bomb to an American base in Tinian on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis met its demise a few days later after being torn apart by torpedoes from a patrolling Japanese submarine called I-58.

The cruiser seemingly disappeared instantaneously after the attack. It plummeted in the waters of the Philippine Sea, taking with it about 300 of its crew.

The survivors, some 900 of them, were left helpless in the shark infested waters of the region and by the time they were spotted and rescued by a Navy plane days after the attack, only 317 of them were left after the rest died from exposure and attacks from prowling sharks.

It was called the worst American Naval Disaster of World War II, and despite efforts to salvage what’s left of the Indianapolis, the wreckage cannot yet be found by sonar or underwater vehicles. The problem is that the cruiser may be resting in a depth of over 12,000 underwater.

#3 — Bonhomme Richard

Donated by France to the Patriot Cause, the Bonhomme Richard was one of the few Continental Navy ships that had a distinguished and remarkable combat record in the late 18th Century.

Captained by John Paul Jones, the Bonhomme was able to capture 16 British vessels in a matter of weeks when it was first acquired.

However, it was on September 23rd when the Bonhomme and its captain bit off a little more than they could chew. Locked in a battle with the HMS Serapis and another ship from the Royal Navy, Jones brushed off calls to surrender and relentlessly bombarded the two Royal Navy ships with as much firepower as the Bonhomme can. Several hours later, Jones was able to capture the Serapis, but unfortunately for the Bonhomme, the ship sustained a considerable amount of damage in the skirmish and suffered several shots below its waterline. Unable to keep the now burning ship afloat, the captain and his crew had no choice but to abandon ship and let it sink in the merciless waters of the North Sea.

Centuries later, salvage expeditions were launched to find the wreckage of the Bonhomme. A few salvage teams have identified wrecks matching the Bonhomme’s description, but none of these discovered wrecks are yet to be confirmed as the fabled ship itself.

#2 — HMS Endeavour

It is a ship that is as famous as the captain who commanded it. The HMS Endeavour was the first European vessel in history to sail to the east coast of Australia and circumnavigate New Zealand successfully under the captainship of James Cook.

Sadly for the Endeavour, it was sold years later to a private buyer and was tragically renamed The Lord Sandwich. Later on, the British Royal Navy chartered the ship to ferry troops to New England at the height of the American Revolution. One night, while it was moored in Rhode Island’s Newport Harbor in 1778, it was intentionally sunk along with 13 other sea vessels as part of a blockade against an incoming French fleet.

Today, the Endeavour is one of the many ships that are part of ongoing research by the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project and the Australian National Maritime Museum. Taking several years to map and explore the silt-heavy waters of Newport, the combined team has discovered the remains of the sunken ships but, sadly, the Endeavour remains to be elusive even after its demise.

#1 — The Santa Maria

No ship is more legendary than those that sailed with Christopher Columbus into the New World. Sailing from Spain, Columbus took with him three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The three successfully arrived in the Americas, but during the journey back, only two were able to return to Spain.

The story goes that on Christmas Eve 1492, the sailor that was charged to steer the Santa Maria ordered an inexperienced cabin boy to do the job for him. Almost immediately, the cabin boy ran onto a coral reef in what is now modern-day Haiti and gave the ship some serious damage.

Fortunately for the crew, they were able to empty the ship of its cargo with the help of the natives. However, the ship sank into the sea the next day and, over the years, may have been buried deep in sediment.

In 2014, underwater explorer, Barry Clifford made the news when he claimed that he had found the wreckage of the Santa Maria with the help of Columbus’ journals. It may have cause to celebrate, but after a closer examination of the alleged wreckage by UNESCO, it was found out that the remains discovered belonged to a ship from the 17th or 18th centuries. To this very day, the precise location of the flagship Santa Maria remains lost to history.

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Sources: 
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/6-famous-shipwrecks-still-waiting-to-be-discovered
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/06/29/top-six-ships-searched-today/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greatest-shipwrecks-still-out-there
http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/lost-sea-four-famous-shipwrecks-waiting-be-discovered

5 Legendary & Mysterious Armors in History

History’s most amazing artifacts are the armors ancient warriors wore to battle. Not having the kind of technology we have today, it is amazing to see such intricate and outstanding work that survives to this day despite being battle-worn and suffering many blows in its days.
The skillful hands of a blacksmith are what warriors and knights have to be thankful for. Without them, they would be riding to certain death.

However, our concept and idea of what a battle armor in the ancient days are confined to the clunky, modern-day interpretation of Medieval European armor; those things that you see standing in dark hallways in horror movies or some creepy old guy’s dusty library.

But the ancient world has a multitude of peoples in different countries and each country has a unique culture that is magnified by the clothes they wear, the food they eat, up to the garments they put on during war time.

#5 — The Bronze Helmet (Greece)

The Ancient Greeks are a talented civilization that has given us many things from astronomy to democracy. However, despite our understanding of them being scholars and politicians, the Greeks are also fierce warriors that have one of the most organized armies in the ancient world.
The closest kind of armor that we are familiar with are those that we have seen in movies like Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. While there may be similarities between those and their historical inspirations, we are only scratching the surface of what we know about Grecian battle armor.

In 2007, a particular piece of armor was dredged up from Haifa Bay in Israel. It was a Greek helmet made of bronze and ornamented with gold leaves; images of snakes, lions, and a peacock’s palmette also add to the design of the interesting find.

How it ended up in the bottom of the bay is still a mystery to researchers. However, it was not discounted that warriors who travel do lose some of their things such as weaponry, trinkets, and pieces of their garments for whatever reason. 

Archaeologists do believe that the helmet belonged to a wealthy Greek mercenary who might have taken part in a series of wars that ravaged the area which dates the helmet as far back as 2600 years old. Also, experts hypothesize that the unknown mercenary who owned the helmet might have fought for an Egyptian Pharaoh named Necho II.

Further research on the helmet also revealed that it had similarities with another helmet found in the 1950s near the island of Giglio, Italy.

“The gilding and figural ornaments make this one of the most ornate pieces of Greek armor discovered,” described Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

#4 — Plant Armor (Oceania and Micronesia)

When we speak of armor, we think about heavy, shiny metal that is double – or triple – the weight of the average warrior. We imagine insanely hot smithies where blacksmiths hammer away at pieces of plate and sheet metal.

However, in the far, coastal regions of Micronesia and Oceania, locals have found an unlikely yet very effective material to make their armor with plants.

While the Greeks are also known to make their protective armors out of plant-based material, it is the warriors from the Kiribati Islands that have perfected the making of it. For the locals of this region of the Pacific, the armor and weapons that they produce were products of readily available material that they could forage such as palm fronds, tree bark, and even animal parts. Combining different materials from land and sea proved to be life-saving implements when battles began to arise.

An example of this kind of armor is constructed using coir, a particularly strong fiber material harvested from coconut trees. Woven together and tightly, it forms an impenetrable layer that protects the body of the person wearing it. Also, like any battle armor, the plant armor comes in several parts that protect almost every part of the warrior’s body – it would even sometimes appear that a Kiribati warrior is more protected than his enemies.

Covered from head to toe, a typical suit of armor from the Pacific and Oceania are a thick woven coat and trousers made of coir, a thicker woven vest, a woven back plate, and a helmet that is usually made out of dried carcasses of porcupine fish.

It is said that the entire suit of armor can withstand projectile weaponry like arrows and spears as well as be able to parry bladed weapons in close quarter combat.

#3 — Skin and Bone (Siberia)

In September 2014, a team of archaeologists from Russia unearthed one of the world’s most mysterious pieces of armor. Made entirely out of bone, archaeologists believe that it belonged to a Siberian knight from 4000 years ago.

What was even more stunning about the discovery was how they discovered it in near-perfect condition. 

Buried in the area of Omsk, Siberia, the armor was said to have consisted of several plates of varying sizes to match the wearer’s anatomy all made of bone that was woven together. Suspecting that the bones were from large animals like deer or horse, tests are still being made to find the exact age of the bone armor although, as researchers believe, it is most likely from the Bronze Age.

However, what was quite puzzling about the remarkable find was that it was found to be buried on its own and not alongside a body. Because armor itself had great value during the Bronze Age, it took great lengths to keep it in great condition, and plenty of care and maintenance were required to keep it from deteriorating. The bone armor excavated in Omsk, therefore, suggests that it was buried as a form of offering.

According to Yury Gerasimov, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Omsk, the bone armor would most likely have belonged to an elite soldier or warrior. It would have given him “good protection from weapons that were used at the time – bone and stone arrowheads, bronze knives, spears tipped with bronze, and bronze axes.”

Another inconsistency found about the bone armor was that it was far from the style of battle garments worn in that region of Siberia. Experts claim that its design had a much closer resemblance to the cultures of a tribe that originated in the Altai Mountains, a region that is about 1000 km away from where the bone armor was found. This, therefore, led the research team to hypothesize that the bone armor may also be a war trophy or a gift from one culture to another.

#2 — Tatami Gusoku (Japan)

Metal is one of the most common and practical materials used in making suits of armor. Its hardness is highly valued regarding protecting the body of the wearer from attacks.
However, despite skillful design, some suits of armor can still be clunky and difficult to transport when battles are done abroad. However, in ancient Japan, armor was made with the same discipline as they make their legendary swords.

We know the Japanese to be a disciplined race who aim for beauty and perfection in everything they do from pouring tea to clipping branches. The same discipline to perfection is also applied to their one of a kind armor.

Called Tatami Gusoku, it roughly translates as “to fold armor” or “folded armor.” The reason being is that these unique pieces are made in such a way that they can fit into a small box which makes it easy for individual soldiers to transport them.

The armor consists mainly of an armored jacket, a foldable cuirass, as well as a helmet and hood to protect their heads. It had parts that corresponded to a traditional Japanese full suit of armor, the ones we are more familiar with in movies and pop culture.

The Tatami Gusoku is constructed by binding each protective plate with chain mail that links together to form a shirt-like garment. Sensitive parts of the body, such as the chest, had larger plates of metal bound by these chains. Also, the unique construction and material of this suit of armor makes it considerably lighter than its contemporaries and allowed warriors an even wider range of movement since they are not particularly hindered by large and heavy pieces of metal in places where they need to be nimble.

#1 — The Horned Helmet (England)

Designed and made by Austrian goldsmith, Konrad Seusenhofer, the Horned Helmet was originally part of an entire suit of armor gifted by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I to Henry VIII in the 16th Century.

The horned helmet is nothing new in the world of battle armor. Technically, it was not a helmet but an “armet”; a headpiece worn by soldiers that protect his head as well as his entire face during combat. First introduced in the 15th Century, armets were more popular and extensively used in areas of Italy, England, France, and parts of Spain. But for this list, let’s just stick to calling it a helmet.

This particular helmet jumps to the top of our list for its, well… “unique”… looks. Designed to completely cover the wearer’s face, the Horned Helmet resembles the face of a smiling demon with sharp teeth. On its head was a pair of metal horns that twisted outwards. Another peculiar feature of the helmet was a pair of metal glasses that sit on its pointed nose.

Rumor has it that these glasses served a functional purpose because Henry VIII was allegedly near sighted and had a collection of spectacles that was discovered after his death.
It was also rumored that the helmet belonged to Henry’s court jester, Will Somers, when it was first discovered centuries later.

The whereabouts of the rest of the armor are no longer to be found and are assumed to have been destroyed or discarded as scrap metal over the years. Thankfully, due to its grotesque appearance, the helmet was saved from destroyed and is now preserved in the collection of the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

While many suits of armor and helmets were used in battle, this helmet and its now destroyed suit were mainly used by Henry VIII in ceremonies and parades.

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Sources:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/more-metal-amazing-historical-suits-armor-007837?nopaging=1
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/21/japanese-armor-worn-by-all-samurai-classes-the-tatami-gusoku/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/archaeologists-unearth-4000-year-old-siberian-knight-armour-102090
http://www.livescience.com/18700-ancient-helmet-greek-warrior.html
http://warfarehistorian.blogspot.com/2013/03/odd-fighting-units-of-world-history.html
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/01/01/henry-viiis-bizarre-looking-horned-helmet-was-designed-for-use-in-parades-rather-than-for-combat/