10 Legendary and Mysterious Libraries of the Ancient World

It is often said that knowledge is wealth and in the ancient world it is something that is well guarded more than gold or jewels. The colossal libraries ancient civilizations like the Greeks and the Egyptians built are testaments to the fact that all the riches of the world will always pale in comparison with knowledge and learning.

These days, when information comes to us lightning-quick at the touch of a button, we tend to underestimate and undervalue the privilege we have of unfettered access to almost anything that we want to know and learn. It is a little bit tragic that the sense of appreciation that we have for information and learning is eclipsed by our continuously shortening attention spans because of all the media we consume on a daily basis.

In today’s list, we take a step back thousands of years to days when information and knowledge are stored and jealously guarded in giant libraries that are often the first monuments to be destroyed and sacked in times of war or invasion. Libraries that have shaped the world we now know of and the civilizations that have walked the earth, each contributing to humanity’s progress.

So here are 10 legendary and mysterious libraries of the ancient world!

Number Ten: The House of Wisdom

Called by historians as the Cradle of Civilization, ancient Mesopotamia – now modern day Iraq – was once one of the world’s centers for learning. Alongside Greece, Egypt, and Rome, Mesopotamia had one of the largest institutions of learning built in the 9 AD at the heart of the city of Baghdad.

Known as The House of Wisdom, it was built during the reign of the Abbasids. The House of Wisdom’s “collections” revolved around literature from Persia, Greece, and India. Also, among the library’s collection are manuscripts on mathematics, philosophy, science, medicine, and astronomy.

The books alone were enough to serve as lures to scholars from neighboring regions in the Middle East and among them are the mathematician and one of the fathers of Algebra, al-Khawarizmi; and the philosopher al-Kindi.

The House of Wisdom was the epicentre of Islamic intellectualism and academia for hundreds of years until it was sacked by the Mongols in 1258, tossing many of its extremely valuable manuscripts and books into the Tigris. Legend even has it that the famed river turned black due to ink dissolving into its waters.

Number Nine: The Twin Libraries at Trajan’s Forum

The ancient Romans are no strangers to accumulating codices and scrolls filled with anything from mathematics to philosophy. Knowledge and information are cornerstones of their empire that lasted centuries.

A Roman emperor’s love of monuments has helped erect one – or two – of the ancient world’s largest libraries.

Around 112 AD Emperor Trajan completed the construction of a wide, multi-use complex at the heart of Rome. Within the bounds of this Forum are plazas, markets, and temples. However, its crown jewel is one of the Roman Empire’s famous libraries.

Split in two, the twin structures housed numerous works and texts in Latin and Greek – separately housed – and were built on opposite sides of Trajan’s column, a massive monument to celebrate the emperor’s military victories.  Containing a collection of about 20,000 scrolls in rooms made of elegantly crafted marble and granite, historians are still debating when the twin libraries ceased to exist. With only texts referencing them until the fifth century AD, experts can only assume that it stood for at least three centuries.

Number Eight: Villa of the Papyri

One of the last ancient libraries to have survived well into the modern day, the Villa of the Papyri has withstood catastrophes including the devastating eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Located in Herculaneum, Italy, the ruins of the Villa was buried deep in the ashes of Vesuvius that miraculously kept at least 1,785 of its scrolls preserved when the library was unearthed by archaeologists in 1752.

Technically the Villa was a house and not a library by any definition. Supposedly owned by Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesonius, Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, the massive home – aside from its impressive private library of texts on philosophy – boasted a collection of bronze sculptures and the most stylish and impressive architecture of that century.

Number Seven: The Library of Pergamum

Constructed by the Attalid Dynasty in the third century BC in what is now the country of Turkey, the Library of Pergamum was home to an impressive collection of 200,000 scrolls on varying subjects.

Located within a temple complex devoted to the Greek goddess Athena, the Library was considered to have become the “competition” of the Library of Alexandria according to the ancient chronicler, Pliny the Elder.

Apparently, both libraries sought to amass large collections of texts as well as establish rival schools of thought.

The rivalry between the two libraries allegedly reached fever pitch that Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt halted the exportation of papyrus to Pergamum hoping that it would cripple the library. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan and only turned the city of Pergamum as one of the leading producers of parchment paper.

Number Six: Nalanda University

Moving further south of Asia, the Nalanda University in Bahir, India, is considered to be oldest university in the entire world as the first European university only popped up in 1088, a whole six centuries later.

What is even more exceptional about Nalanda is that the university provided education to thousands of students all across Asia.

Its nine-storey library was nicknamed “Dharmaganja” or Treasury of Truth and “Dharma Gunj” or Mountain of Truth because it was highly praised for the largest collection of Buddhist texts among other writings and literature. Helping spread philosophy and the Buddhist faith, Nalanda has nurtured thousands of followers until it was destroyed by Turk invaders in 1193. Due to the university’s immense size, legend tells that it took the Turks months before they could completely reduce its foundations to rubble.

Number Five: The Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima

Before it was destroyed around 638 AD by invading Arabs, the Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima or simply the Library of Caesarea, had the largest collection of ecclesiastical and theological texts of the Ancient Christian and Jewish world.

As the center of Christian education and scholarship, the library was also home to a large collection of literature from Greece and other neighboring regions. Mostly the texts are primarily historical and philosophical but nonetheless valuable as the place was frequently visited by important historical personalities such as Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazareth.

The church father Origen was mainly responsible for the library’s inventory of 30,000 manuscripts but during the purge initiated by Emperor Diocletian, the library and many of its contents were destroyed. Afterwards, it was rebuilt by the bishops of Caesarea only to be completely torn down, brick by brick, by Arab invaders.

Unfortunately, not a single manuscript from the library’s collection survived.

Number Four: The Library of Aristotle

Built in the first century BC, the library of Aristotle was part of a larger structure called the Lyceum where he was sought by many of his students and spent time learning from one of history’s most influential philosophers.

300 years after Aristotle’s death, a geographer named Strabo chronicled one of the most detailed accounts of the philosopher’s magnificent collection in his Geographia XIII, 1, 54-55, saying that Aristotle was “the first man, so far as I know, to have collected books and to have taught the kings in Egypt hwo to arrage a library.”

Upon Aristotle’s death, the Lyceum was bequeathed to Theoprastus. Even before his death, Aristotle heard of the jealousy of the Attalid empire of his library and desired to covet it for the Library of Pergamum. When Aristotle died and the Lyceum passed on to a new owner, it was then decided that the library’s entire collection be hidden and kept safe underground.

Unfortunately, despite this noble effort, many of the books were damaged by moisture and the remainder of the collection were sold to a man named Apellicon of Teos.

Number Three: The Imperial Library of Constantinople

Most of the history of the Imperial Library of Constantinople is shrouded in mystery. Many would point out that it was built out of necessity to preserve texts that were already in danger because of deterioration.

It was in 357 AD when Byzantine Emperor Constantius II decided to build the imperial library where many of the deteriorating Judeo-Christian scriptures could be copied onto vellum, a material that lasts longer than papyrus. Although Constantius II was only mostly interested in religious texts, the Imperial Library still managed to salvage many other books and scrolls that housed the knowledge of the Greeks and Romans.

In fact, many of the surviving texts from the ancient Grecian world that survives today were copies from the original manuscripts of the Imperial Library of Constantinople.

Number Two: The Library of Alexandria

Built by Ptolemy I in 295 BC, the Great Library of Alexandria holds a prestigious title in history as a “Universal” library where scholars from all over the world would visit, share ideas, and study from over thousands of texts that it offers.

It was, in fact, the intellectual crown jewel of the ancient world. Texts and scriptures on subjects like history, law, science, and mathematics can be browsed among its collection of 500,000 scrolls.

Many visiting scholars that decided to remain and live in the library complex received stipends from the Egyptian government just for conducting their studies and copying texts. Among its visitors were Euclid and Archimedes.

Its demise is still a question that seeks answers. Supposedly, the library burned down in 48 BC when Julius Caesar set fire to Alexandria’s harbor when he was at war with Ptolemy XIII. However, many historians believe that a blaze could not have easily destroyed the library and it may have still survived for a few more centuries. Some scholars, on the other hand, argue that the library met its end during the reign of Roman emperor Aurelian in 270 AD while other experts place its obliteration somewhere around the Fourth Century AD.

Whatever the case and however it fell, the Library of Alexandria remains to be one of history’s greatest achievements both architecturally and academically.

Number One: The Library of Ashurbanipal

Known as the world’s oldest library, it was built and founded for the “royal contemplation” of the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal in the 7th Century. Basically, it was one massive private study.

Constructed in Nineveh in modern-day Iraq, the library had a collection of around 30,000 stone tablets written in cuneiform. What’s even more impressive is that the tablets were organized according to subject matter. Most of them being archival documents of the royal court, the collection also included a number of literary works including the 4000-year old Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ashurbanipal was a known book-lover and obtained many of them through looting from conquered territories including Babylonia.

Today, most of the surviving tablets are housed and cared for in the British Museum in London.

While the Library of Ashurbanipal may not be as glamorous as the Library of Alexandria, it is most interesting to note that his collection helped pave the way to the history of the written word through cuneiform.

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Sources:

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-impressive-ancient-libraries
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/05/30/11-most-impressive-libraries-from-the-ancient-world/
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-magnificent-ancient-libraries-filled-with-knowledge/
http://listverse.com/2016/12/09/10-mysterious-libraries/

10 Mind Blowing Space Stories that We Were Never Told in School

Number 10: The Smuggled Sandwich

NASA equips its astronauts with the most sophisticated gear that is intended to keep them safe in space as well as help them perform their jobs comfortably while floating around in zero gravity. Coupled with that, they are also provided with food items that are suitable for space travel and would not damage any on-board equipment that could potentially cause a disaster. It goes without saying that taking ordinary “earth food” with you in a space shuttle while you are hurtling through the atmosphere is greatly discouraged and prohibited by NASA because small things like crumbs can get into tiny crevices in equipment and spark a fire.

However, in one mission, an extremely curious astronaut named John Young was able to smuggle a sandwich in his suit and bring it with him to space, even offering a bite to his co-pilot. The amusement turned to terror when they both realized the destructive potential of the sandwich crumbs floating around in a weightless environment. Fortunately for them, they were able to complete their mission and came home in one piece. Because of this stunt, NASA had to assure the public – and Congress – that they will be tightening their security measures and screening so that no stunt like this can ever be pulled again, placing billions of taxpayer dollars and the lives of the crew at risk.

Number 9: The Flatulence Configuration

In another story, the same astronaut, John Young, went on a mission to the moon in 1972 and have made one of history’s lesser known utterances in outer space.

While having a casual conversation with a team member, Young casually mentions some gassy digestive problems he had been experiencing and, right at that moment, let one rip while he was completely unaware that his suit’s microphone was recording everything. Luckily, the mic was not sensitive enough to record the actual “release” of his flatulence but Young was kind enough to give a colorful description of it along with a few “F” words to accompany his adjectives.

Number 8: The Diamond Denomination

You would think that this next one is all Science Fiction and could have come from the mind of an absolutely imaginative writer. However, the existence of this so-called Diamond Planet has been proven by real scientists who have been observing it with much interest.

Called PSR J1719-1438 b, the planet was said to have once been a star and that the debris it produced after it dies has managed to turn into a dwarf planet. Part of a twin-star, this diamond planet managed to survive after its brother exploded into a supernova. Managing to stabilize far enough from being obliterated, it was able to keep its carbon core that now is a colossal chunk of bling.

A pretty impressive discovery after we have all been told that Pluto has been declassified as a planet, shattering our schoolyard belief that it was.

Number 7: The Multiverse Multiplier

The debate on whether or not there are other universes outside our own is a controversial debate that has kept scientists, physicists, and astronomers on their toes and at each other’s throats for years. On one side, experts believe that there is no scientific and mathematical law that allows the existence of another universe, let alone several more.

However, on the other hand, believers of the theory have countered that neither is there evidence that disproves the theory of a multiverse that’s just waiting to be discovered.

Many have held this belief as mere fantasy and something that only happens in speculative fiction and comic books, the fact of the matter is that until scientific advancements can be made that will allow humans to explore outside the known universe, this debate will not soon be put to bed.

Number 6: The Deletion Dilemma

We are all familiar with the iconic broadcast of the first moon landing. The moment Neil Armstrong took his first step and uttered those words that are now deeply etched in human history, it was a completely new ballgame for science and the entire human civilization.

However, in 2006, a shocking twist to the story came to the public eye when NASA half-heartedly admitted that they have lost track of the recordings of the historic Apollo 11 mission but assured everyone that it was simply buried somewhere in their archives. Later, NASA announced that they have found the tapes pertaining to Apollo 11 but revealed that the recordings were “accidentally” erased.

Luckily for NASA, news agencies such as CBS who managed to record the event were able to supply a decent amount of recordings and footage from the Apollo 11 moon landing. A courtesy that was able to save NASA from disgrace.

Number 5: The Shotgun Syntax

A particularly lesser known story from the Space Race was that the USSR armed their cosmonauts with shotguns while American astronauts were busy smuggling Big Macs into space.

Modifying a TP-82 shotgun, Soviet engineers packed these firearms as they flew into space. The reason for packing some heat in the void of space, however, was not to fend off hostile aliens wanting to board their ship or in case they have to fight off space pirates. The modified shotguns were more for the trip home.

The difference between NASA and Soviet re-entry protocol was that NASA chose a much more practical approach to have their astronauts land in the Pacific region where they will then be picked up. The Soviets, on the other hand, chose the vast landscape of Siberia as their landing point. Unfortunately, when Soviet capsules re-entered the planet’s atmosphere, their capsule would sometimes fly off course and land in a different region that were mostly grizzly bear territory.

Number 4: The Giant Sun Complex

The most difficult part of understanding space is grasping the idea of how large it really is. So far, the only information we know about scale is from mock-ups of the solar system with the sun being the largest body in the universe.

Speaking of scale, let us put the sun as an example. We all know that it is a massive star that the planets revolve around on and it has different effects on each planetary body. However, a recent discovery has been made that the sun, which is 109 times larger than the Earth, is dwarfed by an even bigger star called VY Canis Majoris: a hyper-gigantic star that is, roughly, 1.7 billion – yes, BILLION – miles in diameter.

Also, bigger means brighter and hotter. Simply put, if we were to place this hyper-giant star to replace out own sun, chances are, every single planet and moon within its reach will instantly be obliterated. Fortunately for our solar system, VY Canis Majoris is 4900 lightyears away – a distance that makes it difficult for scientists to study. However, experts predict that in about 100,000 years, this star will explode and die and – probably, take a few systems with it along the way. A literal Death Star.

Number 3: The Problematic Pee Postulation

NASA engineers make sure that before they send someone off to space they have covered all the bases from suits to ships – and one of these bases involve getting rid of human waste while in outer space.

To the layman, the answer may be as simple as cracking open a chute and just let things all and float freely out of the ship. However, the solution is much, much more complicated than that. Engineers have to consider, on top of comfort and hygiene, scenarios that can possibly damage a craft or any part of it during the process of waste elimination.

One example posed an almost catastrophic scenario. In 1984, the crew of the space shuttle Discovery was stunned to discover a large icicle made of urine sticking out of the urinal discharge unit. The way it is done, in layman’s terms, is that astronauts would urinate in receptacles that are then ejected into space rather than spray it freely. Due to the technology at that time, a technical problem occurred and resulted in a bright yellow icicle. While it was hilarious to look at, the astronauts had to find a way to remove the shard of iced pee as it could cause serious problems upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The solution, after trying different ways to get rid of it, was using the shuttle’s mechanical arm grabbing the icicle and breaking it off.

Number 2: The Dark Matter Mystery

We have somehow heard of this mysterious Dark Matter from science shows and movies. With a name that sounds like it was lifted directly from a Space Opera, it is one of the most mysterious anomalies in space and physics.

Dark Matter occurs when Einstein’s famous equation of E=MC^2 is applied to space. Using the equation, scientists are able to determine just how much matter exists in the universe. Surprisingly, however, scientists have only found 4% of matter and are boggled about where the 96% are.

Some theorists believe that the 96% of missing matter is present but comes in the form of the so-called Dark Matter; a form of matter that exists wherever no visible matter is found.

To this very day, scientists and experts are debating if in fact Dark Matter is a real thing since no conclusive evidence is pointing them in the right direction. What is even more frustrating is that Dark Matter, upholding its namesake, cannot be seen or touched; light and radio waves also pass through it seamlessly.

Since it is a fundamental scientific fact that matter – in this case, Dark or otherwise – cannot be created or destroyed, who knows? Maybe it’s right in front of us, staring at us straight in the face.

Number 1: The White Hole Conjecture

Speaking of Einstein, we know that he became famous for proving the existence of Black Holes and how they behave through mathematics.

However, while we have celebrated his discovery of the existence Black Holes and have discovered – through the advancement of our technology – several of them in space, what is less known is Einstein’s discovery of the existence of “White Holes” through his equations.

As you may come to conclude, White Holes are the complete opposite of their darker counterparts. Where Black Holes devour light and matter, White Holes seem to spit them out as if creating them from nothing. With this uncanny quality of creating matter “out of nothing”, they should be easy to spot but, to this day, at least a trace of it is yet to be found.

What is interesting to note is that if ever one is found in space, it can present answers to questions that science has yet to provide such as the origin of the material that is basically the make-up of galaxies.

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Sources:

http://listverse.com/2009/12/31/top-10-mysteries-of-outer-space/
http://www.cracked.com/article_19479_the-6-most-mind-blowing-things-ever-discovered-in-space.html
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/07/12/5-insane-space-stories-we-were-never-taught-in-history-class-sawn-off-shotguns-for-russian-cosmonauts

10 Warnings the World Ignored that Completely Changed the Course of History

There is a universal law that everyone agrees on: for whatever action, there is always an opposite reaction. This is most true in physics but certainly applies to our daily lives.

Imagine the Butterfly Effect where it is said that, in one part of the world, a butterfly would flap its wings and it would cause a devastating hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. Our actions and the actions of others always have consequences to it, good or bad. It can be Karmic or a kind of domino effect.

In this list, we examine the actions of people who, in recorded history, have completely changed or greatly affected it with the decisions – or indecisions – that they made.

Here are the 10 Warnings That the World ignored that completely changed the course of history!

Number Ten: The Great Depression

Who could ever forget that time when Stock Market crashed and sent the international economy spiraling out of control, leaving thousands of people unemployed and hungry?

Today’s economic recession is nothing compared to the financial meltdown of 1929. It may have been unthinkable back then because of the speed at which the United States economy was accelerating in terms of industry and its economy. However, on September 5th, 1929, one man saw this great crash coming.

Economist Roger Babson delivered a speech where he predicted that an impending economic crash was just around the corner. Unfortunately, the business community, as well as fellow economists, shrugged the warning off claiming it to be impossible. Two months later, over $5 billion was wiped out of the market – an amount, in today’s standards, is beyond calculating.

According to records, Babson had been warning everyone about the crash for years and what it may precipitate and when people started believing in him, it was already far too late.

Number Nine: The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

In some sense, the sinking of the Lusitania was not unexpected. However, the events that led to this disaster are incredible enough that it lands number nine on this list.

It was at the height of the First World War when the Lusitania was given more than enough warning by the German army to stop anyone in their right mind from sailing straight to their doom. For several weeks, the German army published several advertisements in newspapers including the New York Times warning the entire world of the ship’s numbered days.

In a most brash attempt, the Lusitania set sail from New York to England. Incidentally, news of the ship’s departure sat side by side with the German ad in the New York Times.

As an exercise of caution and to avoid innocent people getting caught in the crossfire, the British government warned the captain of the Lusitania to avoid areas around the British shores where German U-boats have been known to actively patrol; and should the ship pass through those waters, the captain was strongly urged to zigzag his way through. Unfortunately for the passengers of the Lusitania, the captain ignored these warnings and advice from the British government. The RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking with it the lives of 1,195 people.

Number Eight: Asbestos Warnings

It may seem trivial to talk about the dangers of asbestos in this list and it would also seem that it may not have had much of an impact around the world as the Great Depression, but this silent killer has slowly claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives since it was conceived in the 19th century.

Known for its strength and resistance to fire, asbestos manufacturers have made a fortune selling this product to the public with no regard to its dangerous implications to an individual’s health; and for nearly a century, asbestos has cropped up almost everywhere and has been used for almost anything.

However, people have been suspicious of the product since the early 1900s because of the high-rate of illnesses that were reported around towns where asbestos was mined and manufactured.

In 1938, due to public alarm, asbestos manufacturers commissioned a study that proved that death by the product was airborne. These same manufacturers at that time swept the undeniable link between asbestos and fatal illnesses under the rug. Saying that there was “no proof” that links asbestos to diseases such as lung cancer, many workers in their factories either suffered horribly from the chemicals or were let go of their companies leaving them impoverished.

Today, even as a great majority of the globe, has banned the use and manufacturing of asbestos, many companies still refuse to compensate their dying employees as they continue to keep a firm stand that there is nothing that connects asbestos to their employees’ illnesses.

Number Seven: The Rwandan Genocide

800,000 Tutsis and Moderate Hutus lost their lives during a bloody ethnic cleansing and massacre that was dubbed as the Rwandan Genocide.

Beginning in April 6th, 1994, the genocide was led by Hutu tribesmen with the objective to attack another local tribe called the Tutsis; however, not only did the Hutu plan to massacre the Tutsis, they also planned a purge of their own tribesmen who were protecting the Tutsis.

It was a Belgian ambassador to Rwanda who uncovered the plot and revealed that the plan had been started since at least two years before. Professor Filip Reyntjens, another Belgian, appeared before the Belgian senate and revealed that the Hutus were assembling and operating Death Squads to carry out the genocide and implicated a Rwandan Army Colonel named Theoneste Bagasora as one of its leaders. Later on, Bagasora was found to have indeed commanded the genocide.

In January 1994, four months before the catastrophic event, General Romeo Dellaire, commander of the UN troops at Rwanda, sent what is now known as the “Genocide Fax” to the United Nations, warning the organization that the Hutus, much like the revelations of the Belgian ambassador and Professor Reyntjens, were planning a large scale attack on the Tutsis as well as their own tribesmen. In the fax, General Dellaire requested for more troops to be sent to the region in order to attack a Hutu arms cache and prevent the massacre from happening. The UN, sadly, ignored the plea and told the general to inform the Rwandan government instead which was filled with the same people and officials planning the genocide.

The same month, General Dellaire was able to seize an arms cache that was placed in the custody of the UN and Rwandan Troops – the same Rwandan troops who were training the Death Squads and bands of rebels who directly took part in the genocide.

Number Six: Fukushima Meltdown

The 2011 earthquake that shook Japan left thousands homeless. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake not only rocked the country but it also brought a giant tsunami that devastated areas near its coastlines. It may seem like it was already the worst thing that could ever happen to Japan. What happened right after, however, was more sinister.

Following the earthquake and the tsunami was the worst nuclear accident in history since Chernobyl that no one ever expected to happen except for one Koji Minoura.

Like a scene from a movie, Minoura was investigating a reference in an ancient poem about a tsunami that happened just northeast of the country. Digging through records and historical texts, Minoura discovered an account about an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands in 869 AD dubbes as the Jogan Event.

Investigating the region in the 1980s, Minoura found evidence that the area was “routinely” destroyed by tsunami every 1000 years and it was already due for another one.

Over the next 20 years, Minoura wrote reports and produced countless studies warning about the inevitable destruction of the Fukushima area. Published in journals and magazines, his articles and research were completely ignored by his peers and by the public.

To this day, the effects Fukushima’s nuclear power plant meltdown spreads and reports and studies have already confirmed that the waters near and surrounding the area have dangerously lethal amounts of radiation that is slowly spreading into the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Number Five: The Kuwait Invasion

The early 1990s saw the rise of soaring oil prices because of unstable political situations in the Middle East and in the morning of August 2nd 1990, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi troops marched into the borders of neighboring Kuwait; an invasion that virtually took overnight with Kuwait not giving much of a fight after its head of state fled into the desert.

It was reported that the plan by Iraq to invade Kuwait had been in the works five years beforehand and was said to be just the first phase of Saddam Hussein’s plan – though futile -to secure Saudi Arabian oil wells in the region.

Ample warning to the US government was given by both the CIA and US Military Intelligence. Unfortunately, the government chose to look the other way and even granted Saddam a $1.2 billion loan days before the lightning invasion. The US government’s refusal to take a stand against Saddam’s plans only gave the dictator more fortitude to proceed with his plans, believing that he had the US on his side.

When the situation spun out of hand and gained the attention of the international community, the US government stepped in but was initially unprepared.

The Iraqi forces were ejected out of Kuwait only after the US-led United Nations contingent landed in Kuwait thus beginning the Gulf War.

Along with 248 UN troops and 25,000 Iragi soldiers, the largest fatality count fell on Iraqi civilians which numbered 100,000 after the war. In the following years after the conflict, a million more Iraqi civilians lost their lives due to sanctions that were placed on Iraq.

Number Four: Wilson’s War

US President Woodrow Wilson may very well have been the catalyst that brought about the devastations of First and Second World Wars, the Rise of Communism in Europe, as well as the Vietnam War.

The events of how the First World War began and how the US played a key part in it is numerous and is a complicated web of scenarios like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book.

When trouble and conflict was already brewing in Europe due to discontent from  different countries and the incompetence of several generals and leaders, President Woodrow Wilson claimed the role of impartial arbiter in order to bring the war, which has already erupted by then, to its conclusion without having to directly send US troops into battle – but when Germany and its allies seem to be getting the upper hand, Wilson and his members of cabinet had to make a decision because they wanted victory to go to Great Britain and France.

After his presidential re-election in 1916, he ordered congress to declare war against Germany a year later despite the fact that Germany or its allied countries were threatening or attacking the United States as well as a large population of the US wanted their government to stay out of the war.

After Germany’s defeat, an armistice was created in 1918. Unfortunately for Wilson and his rhetoric, his idealism was buried by the territorial ambitions of Great Britain and France after decimating Germany and the former Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires; a devastation that drove many European countries into revolution and civil war.

Had Wilson not urged the US congress to declare war against Germany in 1917 and listened to reason, the US may not have assumed the mantle of being the Global Police throughout the remainder of the 20th Century and still continues on to this day. His decision therefore created a domino effect that would cost the lives of millions of people in the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; and not to mention 75-years of Soviet Communist rule over Russia and large parts of Eastern and Central Europe.

Number Three: The Rise of Adolf Hitler

After Germany’s defeat in the First World War, France decided to place a fine on Germany in 1919 that was unimaginably large that, had not the Second World War broken out, the country would be paying it until 2010.

John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, strongly believed that it was the most effective way to get disastrous results. By absolutely crippling the German economy with heavy sanctions, the Allied Nations would no doubt trigger economic collapse on a country that was still reeling from a war.

Keynes therefore lobbied governments and presented them with articles to convince them to rethink their move saying, in almost prophetic words, that if the Allies’ objective is to drive Central Europe into debilitating debt and poverty, then vengeance from the subjugated nations will be reaped through revolutions and conflict.

Believing that Keynes was out of his mind, his pleas and warnings were left in the dust. True to his prediction, the German economy practically evaporated and civil unrest spread like wildfire, opening the doors to extremism – and in a small beer hall, a rejected art student by the name of Adolf Hitler, decided to try his hand in politics; a decision that cost the lives of innocent millions.

Number Two: World War II

The Treaty of Versailles ended the First World War in 1919. Included in the Treaty was a hefty sum of money that the Allied nations imposed on Germany as restitution and, as an ulterior move in the part of the Allies, was a means to make sure that Germany would not have money to declare a war of retribution.

Soon enough, Germany’s economy collapsed and German society was destroyed by inflation and a wave of unemployment.

A handful of people could see how ineffective the conditions of the Treaty were. British economist, John Maynard Keynes, believed the Treaty held no water and was practically dead even before it was signed. Another was a French army commander, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch.  “This is not peace,” Foch said. “It is an armistice for 20 years.”

Foch’s warning fell on deaf ears and 20 years later, Germany lit the fires that would start the Second World War. Now formidable, the German army – as part of their campaign – invaded Paris and staged attacks in England that would leave the country and most of Europe in ruins until 1945.

Number One: 9/11

In 2012, years after the tragic events of September 11th, the New York Times published the results of an investigation showing that the Bush administration, in 2001, had knowledge of an impending terror attack on American soil.

Far from being caught by surprise, the report states that the US government had known of the attack but chose to be tied up with bureaucracy instead of preventing it from happening.

As early as June 2001, there was already intelligence that Al-Qaeda strikes on the US were imminent. The intelligence was considered a certainty and known by the CIA.

However, politicians in the Pentagon refused to acknowledge the reports and dismissed it as a fabrication by Saddam Hussein, whom the US government were watching closely.

According to the New York Times’ report, the warnings by the CIA were allegedly downplayed and the agency was practically reduced to begging the President to take notice and take action. It was later on raised to extreme levels of urgency on June 29th, July 9th, July 24th, and August 6th.

With the government’s almost obsessive watch over Iraq and Saddam Hussein and its dismissal of the constant warnings, it therefore resulted in the worst and most deadly terrorist atrocity in the 21st Century committed on American soil only because it decided not to take its intelligence service seriously.

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Sources:

http://listverse.com/2016/05/12/10-ignored-warnings-that-turned-deadly/
http://listverse.com/2013/10/08/10-deadly-warnings-the-world-ignored/
https://fee.org/articles/wilsons-war-how-woodrow-wilsons-great-blunder-led-to-hitler-lenin-stalin-and-world-war-ii/
http://onceuponafact.com/8-deadly-warnings-the-world-ignored/

Towns And Villages You Didn't Know Were Cursed

Haunted or cursed places where strange supernatural phenomena take place are typically the foundation of a vast assortment of novels and movies in the horror genre that exists today. From novels like Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” to the film classics like Sam Raimi’s “The Evil Dead,” the plots of scary fictional tales with this kind of common theme are sometimes even set in towns and villages that actually exist in the real world. These existing locations are believed by many to be haunted by ghosts or cursed by powerful and malevolent unearthly beings. Because there are many chilling accounts of allegedly real hauntings and tragic events involving these old towns and villages, it is not surprising that they are used in fiction to maximize a story’s potential to horrify and terrorize its audience.

1. The Al Jazirah Al Hamra

Once a prosperous fishing village located on the northeastern edge of the United Arab Emirates, Al Jazirah Al Hamra used to be filled with antiquated houses that date back to the ancient times and was once an active coastal area where various trade transactions took place. For some reason, around 1968, the residents of the village collectively abandoned their homes. Today, while many of these previous inhabitants still have ownership over some of the land in the village, very few of their descendants continue to live there.

It was around the 1960s when rumors of Al Jazirah Al Hamra being haunted started to gain ground among UAE citizens. Many believe that the village is home to several “djinns” or genies – supernatural creatures in Arabian and Islamic mythologies. These djinns, in particular, are malevolent beings that feed on human flesh. Because of the dark tale surrounding the village, it is a popular tourist spot for those who enjoy ghost hunting and thrill-seeking. While some residents in the area discourage the nocturnal visits of strangers, many locals have also reported sightings of these djinns and have shared their stories with others.

2. The Cinco Saltos

Located in the rural region of Rio Negro, the City of Cinco Saltos is also notoriously known as the “City of Witches” due to reports of the rampant presence of black magicians, necromancers, and witches in the area. One infamous story about this old city involves its large cemetery where a body of a 12-year-old girl was supposedly found while workers renovated the area. Despite the fact that the girl was dead for around 70 years, the girl’s body is well-preserved due to mummification. Some even say that her body was tied to her coffin, leading superstitious residents of the city to suggest that the girl was used as a sacrifice in an occult ritual conducted by one of the hidden covens in the city. There are also reports of seeing a ghost of young girl roaming around the cemetery.

Another terrifying tale said to have taken place in Cinco Saltos involves the Pellegrini Lake where many child sacrifices were purportedly performed by the resident witches. This is supported by reports from visitors of hearing eerie shrieks of young kids when they pass through the lake’s crossing at night. Some people tried to locate the source of these unnerving screams but they always ended up unsuccessful.

3. The Dargavs

This village is more popularly known as the “City of the Dead” and is regarded as among the most enigmatic locations in Russia. Hidden somewhere in the Caucasus Mountains in North Ossetia of southern Russia. Looking at the site from a distance, it may seem like a regular hill village with crude houses, but in reality, Dargavs is no ordinary village. It is actually an ancient necropolis built around the Middle Ages. People of the Ossetian or Alanian tribe erected these house-looking crypts to bury their family members in, and today, there are currently around 100 stone crypts in the area and some of them contain scattered bones.

Today, many of the residents residing on the mountains steer clear of the necropolis due to a local legend warning that those who would visit the tombs in Dargavs end up receiving a curse that supposedly drives them to an early grave. It also doesn’t help that the area is covered with fog most of the time, adding a spookier feel to the grave site.

4. The Canewdon

Located in East Anglia, Canewdon is often referred to as the “witch country” of England as there are a lot of unverified superstitious tales surrounding the village, particularly about witchcraft. There was once a prophecy made by a famous “cunning man” from the 19th century named James Murrell about Canewdon, saying that the area would be doomed to be infested with witches forever. This makes sense in a way since the village has been the subject of witch lore since the 16th century. There is also a legend which states that each instance that a stone drops from the tower of St. Nicholas Church, a witch will perish only to have another take her place. Another legend claims that should a person run counterclockwise around the church or one of the tombs found in its courtyard during Halloween, ghosts, witches or even the Devil would appear.

More than the legends, what’s really tragic about the village of Canewdon was the fact that it was the site of many witch trials and executions that resulted in the suffering and demise of many people during the 16th and 17th centuries. Among the more notable magicians who came from Canewdon include George Pickingill, a black magician heralded as one of the world’s primary authority on witchcraft and Satanism during the early 20th century.

5. The Yarumal

The municipality of Yarumal in the Antioquia Department of Colombia has the unfortunate reputation of having an alarmingly large portion of its population suffer from the neurological curse of dementia. Out of 5,000 of its villagers, it has been determined that half of them will develop early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, with some of them getting afflicted with the neurological disease even before they hit 40 years of age.

As for the reason why so many of the residents in Yarumal are fated to suffer the affliction of dementia early in their lives, scientists have determined that a genetic mutation causing the disease can be traced back to a Spanish conquistador who arrived in the region sometime in the 17th century. The mutation is referred to as E280A and can be found on the 14th chromosome of a gene. While suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease is not fate that should be wished on anyone, there is a silver lining to the fact that many of the residents in Yarumal have this particular genetic mutation. Researchers believe that the people of Yarumal are the key to finding a permanent and effective cure to dementia, which is why the mountain village today is also serving as a large laboratory where the conditions of the villagers are thoroughly studied.

6. The Bhangarh

Regarded as the most haunted site in India, the ruins of the city of Bhangarh in the Rajasthan, India was once a stronghold of the Mughal Empire during the 16th century until the empire weakened by the early 19th century. However, it was the famine of 1783 that drastically diminished the human population in city and since then, Bhangarh has remained largely uninhabited.

The fort of Bhangarh is full of temples and palaces but despite its breathtaking sites, the city today is nothing more than an abandoned “ghost” town. In fact, even now, entry to the city between sunset and sunrise is prohibited and outsiders are warned against entering the city by the Archaeology Survey of India. There is even a legend circulating in the region that anyone who dared to visit the ghost city at night is fated to remain trapped inside the city’s ruins for eternity. Nevertheless, thousands of people have visited Bhangarh at night every year, either because they don’t believe in the curse or they want to see for themselves if it’s real.

As for why the city is cursed, one story tells of a holy man called Baba Balnath who gave his permission for the people to construct the town so long as the buildings they erected did not cast a shadow over his residence. If they did, he would punish the people by destroying the city. A descendant prince, however, violated this rule leading Balnath to curse the entire town.

Another tale speaks of a wizard called Singhiya who fell in love with the princess of Bhangarh named Ratnavati. To make the princess love him, Singhiya cast a spell on a fragrance purchased by one of the princess’s attendants. However, the princess saw through the plan and caused the magician’s death. Before he took his last breath, Singhiya cursed Bhangarh, prophesizing that people would soon abandon the city completely.

There is no way to tell if all these old towns and villages from different parts of the world are actually cursed. What we can say is that the spooky tales and legendary curses connected with these old sites are what makes these places all the more interesting for many of us. This is why many of us go out of our way to see them for ourselves – because they infuse a little fear, strangeness, and mystery into our normal lives.

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 Sources: 

http://listverse.com/2016/04/29/10-cursed-villages-and-towns/
https://moviepilot.com/posts/3895720
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazirah_Al_Hamra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_Saltos
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/city-dead-mysterious-village-dargavs-russia-003436/page/0/1
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=nDdcVt9-jnMC&pg=PA50&dq=canewdon+witches&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=canewdon%20witches&f=false
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28514-conquistador-brought-early-onset-alzheimers-to-colombian-town/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-asia/ghost-city-bhangarh-and-curse-holy-man-002380?nopaging=1

10 Well-known Health Tips that Are Completely Bogus

Gluten-free, “Farm-to-table,” Non-GMO, Juice cleanse, Paleo; these are just a few of the words we hear on an almost daily basis from people around us who are really into health, fitness, and such and such. We have heard many health enthusiasts argue that the best food to put in our bodies is the organic kind. Many would also argue that eating meat does more harm than good to our health.

The health and fitness movement is like a religion that branches out into different branches with a set of core beliefs – and while some of these beliefs do not agree with one another, the point is that people go to great lengths to stay healthy and be fir (at least for the next few months after making that New Year’s Resolution).

It is because of so much information on health and fitness flooding the internet, many of us are led to believe that all of them work without even finding out if any of them are true, to begin with. So, in this list, we are busting those myths and showing you 10 well-known health tips that are complete hoopla.

#10 - Dark Chocolate is a Healthier Alternative to Sweets

We have all heard of the so-called benefits of Dark Chocolate. Over the internet and in different advertising media, people have made convincing testimonies that dark chocolate has a variety of great things for our health such as improved skin complexion, benefits to our heart, as well as improved brain and memory function.

While there is some truth to it because part of chocolate’s composition is a chemical called flavanol which does improve blood circulation to the brain and, incidentally, gives dark chocolate that sharp, bitter taste; the downside to this is that most chocolate bars that are readily available commercially have little to none of this beneficial chemical at all. Because of the process of how commercial chocolate bars – dark or regular – are prepared, flavanol is practically obliterated to up the levels of taste and flavor. A bar of Hershey’s would have flavanol in it but not enough to even kick start your blood circulation.

#9 - A Thoroughly Washed Chicken is Bacteria Free

Logically, washing raw food before putting it on the stove is an absolutely sound idea. After all, you would not want that raw meat gunk on your plate once you serve it for dinner and among the many meat products in the market, chicken is the most popular animal to be washed before serving.

It has been common practice in many households to give poultry a thorough cleaning before preparing it. While, indeed, you do get to wash off all the bacteria from the carcass, however, this does not mean that you are safe from microbial bacteria.

A splash and a spritz of water can effectively transfer bacteria such as salmonella onto kitchen counters, cutting boards, and even our arms through the water droplets that splash back from the wash.

In truth, washing off bacteria from chicken or any other meat product is an exercise in failure and the best way to kill disease-causing germs and bacteria is to thoroughly and properly cook your food. A good and sufficient blast of heat from cooking can instantly eliminate microbes and germs.

#8 - Antioxidant Supplements are your Frontline Defense against Cancer Cells

We are all guilty of spending hundreds of dollars on dietary supplements and vitamins that promise to keep us in peak condition, but most of us have been duped by supplements claiming that they have antioxidants that can help prevent some cancers and diseases.

While antioxidants are essential to our body chemistry, having an excess of it can be much more harmful. Antioxidants occur naturally and can be easily found in certain fruits such as tomatoes and drinks like different kinds of tea, but the most popular kind of antioxidants come in the form of processed pills and supplements.

The fact of the matter is that the body has both Oxidants and Antioxidants, each keeping the other one in check. But the commercial health supplement market has overplayed the role of antioxidants and has been widely claimed as the one thing that can prevent cancer. Unfortunately, as our bodies consume these supplements on a regular basis, our body chemistry receives an imbalance as these supplements also attack the “good” oxidants in our body, making us much more susceptible to deadly diseases and cancers.

Antioxidant supplements are not entirely evil or harmful. As with anything else concerning diet and our health, everything is a matter of moderation and, if you can opt for more natural sources of antioxidants from the food you consume rather than buying it from a shelf.

#7 - Always Wash Your Hands to Keep Germs at Bay

The first line of defense against diseases is keeping your hands clean, literally. The benefits of washing your hands with soap and water are numerous and have been proven by science to deter illnesses such as the flu.

While it is, indeed, a good practice sometimes we can get a little overboard without even knowing it. Constant hand washing, especially with antibacterial soap, can strip away moisture from our hands and leave them sterile. The chemicals in the soap can eliminate bacteria indiscriminately leaving our palms even more vulnerable to the elements.

There are naturally occurring bacteria in the human body, and this is a by-product of millions of years of evolution. These bacteria actually help prevent diseases and germs from clinging to us and potentially infecting us with disease; the same bacteria that antibacterial soap and chemicals eliminate with constant washing.

Washing your hands should be a practice, but it is much more prudent to keep it at a maximum of two times a day or after doing a really messy job like gardening or picking up after your dog in the park.

#6 - Your Muscles Instantly Turn to Fat if You Don’t Workout

The general myth is that when you decide to quit the gym or give up on working out because of your schedule or because it’s just too hard, the muscle that you have gained will turn into flab.

The truth is that muscle and fat are two different sets of tissue and comparing them is like comparing apples to oranges.

You have to imagine your body as a machine, and each part of it has a role to play, and there are different ways to keep each part of the body in top condition. People who have stopped working out will indeed see a significant change in their bodies and notice that they are gaining an excessive amount of fat. The thing is, muscle mass is lost when it is not constantly exercised. You don’t gain fat when you stop working out. It is quite the reverse. You lose muscle mass when you stop your exercise regimen.

#5 - Juices Can Be A Healthy Alternative to Soda

True and false. A dietician or your doctor may recommend you to consume a glass of fresh fruit juice each day to keep up with your daily vitamin intake, but it is not a healthy alternative to, let’s say Diet Soda.

Fruits are, without a doubt, packed with vitamins and minerals enough to last you an entire day but it is also packed with sugar. Whether it is natural sugar or processed sugar, whatever form it comes in, it is still harmful in large doses, and juices count as one of the culprits.

People swear by juice cleanse and, admittedly, there are positive results from detoxifying by drinking juice for a specific amount of time but without proper information and education, going overboard on juicing can lead to obesity or diabetes.

Another point is that it is a known fact that fruits  - as well as vegetables – lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value when they are put in a blender. So, you’re getting less of the nutrients but still the same amount of sugar. Your best option is still to keep your consumption in moderation.

#4 - Sweat is the Best Way to Know that You Are Burning Fat

Sorry guys, but sweating buckets do not count as losing calories and shedding a few pounds.

Sweating is the body’s natural response to cool down in a hot climate or after an intense activity like running or working out. What triggers this is our metabolism that, to put it plainly, boosts our energy and excites our metabolism.

In fact, weight loss and calorie burning are attributed to our metabolism. Naturally, as we get older, the less energy we need to burn and our metabolism slows down to suit our needs, but to avoid packing on some pounds as we age, a good workout or exercise regimen will keep our body burning through energy as well as unwanted flaws.

While you may think that sitting in a sauna is good for weight loss, the only benefit you are actually getting out of it is opening up your pores and sweating out toxins from the body.

#3 - The Best Way to Get a Six Pack is by Doing Crunches and Sit-ups

Here is an eye-opener. We all have that six-pack we dream of. We do. The human anatomy is designed in such a way that our muscles have a definition no matter our body shape.

The problem with not getting the abdominal muscles we so ever thirst for is not because we don’t take time to develop them; it’s mostly because of our diet.

It has been pointed out by experts that doing crunches or spot training specific points in our bodies – especially the abs – can only do so much. Crunches and sit-ups actually do not shape and sculpt our abdominals. What they do is they strengthen the muscles in that area. Having a proper diet by lessening sugar and sodium from what we eat – coupled with a good workout routine – is a much, much more effective way of getting that beach-ready body.

#2 - Going Gluten Free is the healthiest diet choice you will ever make

This is a trend that has been making waves in the healthy living and diet communities around the world. To them, gluten is some kind of evil substance that ruins your body and invited some diseases. In truth, a gluten-free diet is only necessary for people who have celiac disease.

While many people have claimed of the wonders of a gluten-free diet because they were able to effectively shed pounds, the main reason behind it is because they have eliminated various food items from their table and ended up with a much lower caloric intake and not because they went gluten-free. Having to reduce food portions or eliminating junk from your diet will actually have the same result without needing to go on a trendy gluten-free life choice.

#1 - Carbs Make You Gain Weight

Ask a doctor or a nutrition expert about carbs, and they will most probably say that it is an essential part of any diet.

It is a mystery how this myth came to be and how it continues to catch on without any signs of letting up.

Carbohydrates are a primary source of our body’s energy. Without it, we will simply slow down and be lethargic. The myth that it makes you gain insane amounts of weight it, to be fair, a little bit baseless. While there is a variety of carbohydrates that we can get from different kinds of food, the “good” kind of carbohydrates come from crops like sweet potatoes and fruits. It is the “bad” kind of carbohydrates that give carbs a terrible reputation in the dieting community. Bad carbohydrates essentially give you a quick boost of energy and instantly dips and crash once you’ve used it all up. They are mainly partnered with sugar and starch and have little to no nutritional value like white bread and processed food.

Essentially, carbohydrates aren’t the bad guys. It’s just that we’ve come to love sugar so much that many of us fail to notice that this sinister ingredient is to blame for our widening waistlines.

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And there you have it. 10 completely bogus health facts! Let us know what you think and share your ideas with us in the comments section!

Sources:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20765578,00.html#myth-crunches-are-the-key-to-flat-abs--0
http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/health-myths-debunked/
http://www.cracked.com/article_22606_6-well-known-health-tips-that-dont-work-at-all.html

12 Worst Jobs in History

History has an odd collection of professions that would get many employers in trouble today. And unlike today, workers relied heavily on the physical aspect of labor, compared to sitting 8 hours a day staring at a screen. Back then, jobs involved plenty of hazards, and forcing children to work was accepted. What we know about jobs during those early centuries seems by what we see on TV and movies that don't give even a vague picture of how people earned a living.

While there were occupations such as coach drivers, tax collectors, and government employees; the historical world is full of jobs involving getting dirty. If you think you are having it hard right now because your boss is making you work on a weekend, then you have no idea what people went through in historical times.

So, in today’s list, we are counting down to the 12 worst jobs in history that you could ever have!

#12 - Matchstick Maker

Matches were a complete household necessity before the dawn of electric power; so much so that an entire profession revolved around the creation and distribution of these phosphoric fire starters.

On the outside, making matches for a living may seem like an easy task. However, since the medical sciences have not yet been as advanced as it is today, people are unaware of the dangers of the chemicals they work with. On a daily basis, matchstick makers are exposed to massive amounts of the chemical phosphorus where they dip the tips of their matches. Over time, the chemical would enter the body through inhalation or skin contact and workers would contract a disease called “phossy jaw” where their mouths would develop abscesses that would eat away at their face. Unfortunately for them, the only treatment for the ailment is to surgically remove the infected jawbone leaving them disfigured for their entire lives.

#11 - Leech Collector

In the Middle Ages, the belief that using leeches to cure diseases was quite popular. In fact, there was a substantial demand for leeches that people would go out into the wild to collect and sell them to doctors, surgeons, and other “medical professionals.”

For anyone to become a leech collector is simple. He or she does not even need to apply for the position. All that they need to do is to walk in areas infested with the parasite like swamps and marshlands and catch them by exposing a few limbs for them to latch onto.

After that, they would see the nearest doctor and sell the creatures for a quick buck. The risk involved in this occupation is high because, with the way the leeches are collected, a potentially fatal amount of blood could be lost during the process of collection.

#10 - Rat Catcher

As far as we know, the profession of pest exterminator has existed since the 19th Century, but it was an entirely different practice.

Rat catchers were more prevalent than termite or cockroach exterminators. As the world slowly moved forward with industrialization, so too did the population of vermin multiplied. People moving from countryside to the big city, trains traveling from one border to the next, and ships docking from port to port have contributed greatly in vermin population.

To control the rat problem, rat catchers were called on by people. These “professionals” would then rub a mixture of different oils on their clothing and hands to lure rats that they would catch with their bare hands. Illnesses, sometimes fatal, from bites and scratches, were considered occupational hazards since the use of safety equipment was an alien concept in those days.

#9 - Fuller

Fulling is a process in which wool is cleaned and given its thick texture. It still exists in some countries today. However, during the time of the Roman Empire, the job was so horrendous that merchants would delegate this rather dirty task to slaves.

To get the right quality out of the wool, a slave would have to wade through a pool of urine to clean the wool. Urine, after all, contained ammonia that is used even today as ingredients in industrial cleaning agents.

Luckily, when the Middle Ages arrived, the Fuller’s job was made less grotesque when a cleaning mixture called “Fuller’s Earth” was introduced, making the use of urine obsolete.

#8 - Bone Grubber

The Victorian Age gave birth to plenty of professions that involved scavenging. One of them was called Bone Grubbing.

The occupation sounds as dastardly as you would think. Enterprising Bone Grubbers would scour the cities of rotting bones from butcher shops, trash heaps, and wherever else a dead animal or body could be found. These bones would then be sold to dealers and merchants to be made into everyday items such as toothbrush handles and teething toys for infants. Whatever could not be sold or used for merchandise would then be ground up and boiled to be made into either soap or plant fertilizer.

#7 - Mudlark

Another popular scavenging profession during the Victorian Age was the Mudlark. You could say that Mudlark’s were a scavenger’s scavenger since the job was mostly within the community of the extremely impoverished. Mudlarks are often seen scouring the riverbanks and trash heaps to find things that other scavengers may have overlooked such as bone, pieces of metal, and even fabric. Afterwards, these found items would then be sold to merchants or other scavengers for a little bit of money.

One of the many downsides of this job is occasionally having to wade through cesspits of human waste and bumping into the occasional corpse in the river.

#6 - Body Snatcher

Speaking of corpses, Body Snatching became a popular profession during the same century when medical study was at its most vigorous.

Since corpses for anatomical study can be hard to come by in the open market, Medical universities and institutions would pay top dollar to people who are willing to dig up fresh corpses from graveyards.

It goes without saying that Body Snatching is practically grave robbing. A crime, in those days, that could end you up in the gallows. However, in this profession, where extreme discretion is key, many people have found it to be lucrative that some Body Snatchers would haul multiple corpses for their patrons. However, due to Victorian science’s high demand for anatomical subjects, many Body Snatchers were not above committing murder.

#5 - Whipping Boy

Monarchs have an extremely high regard for themselves as well as their progeny. In fact, should a prince misbehaves, it is a crime to correct or reprimand the child unless you are the King or Queen.

To make sure that a young prince keeps to his best behavior, since Kings and Queens aren’t always around to tell their child off, the court would employ the prince’s closest friend – also of noble stock – to be the designated whipping boy.

Essentially, when the prince misbehaves or is caught in a situation that demands discipline, the punishment is carried out through the whipping boy; a punishment that usually involves whipping or beating. The logic behind it is that the punishment would be so severe that the prince, upon seeing his friend, would be guilted into behaving properly and according to his royal stock.

#4 - Sin Eater

If you think that to be a prince’s whipping boy is hard, try being someone’s Sin Eater.

To put it simply a Sin Eater is someone employed to take on the “excess sins” of a deceased person. The family of a dearly departed would have a Sin Eater present at the funeral, and before the body is lowered into the earth, a piece of bread is passed over the casket to the Sin Eater. He or she then eats the bread that has “soaked up” the remaining sins of the dead and passed on to him or her for his or her lifetime.

It may not sound bad, but in medieval society, Sin Eaters are social pariahs and are shunned and hated by every level of society because they believed that these individuals are extremely depraved and beyond salvation.

#3 - Vomit Collector

The Ancient Romans are known for their lavish parties that could stretch from dusk to dawn. Most especially when it involves the wealthy, these parties are filled to the brim with every kind of food and wine you can imagine.

What the Romans would do is to eat to their heart’s content. Once full, they would then move to a separate room where a bucket or basin waits for them. They would then induce themselves to vomit out all the food and drink they just consumed to “make room” for more merriment. It is the task of the vomit collector to periodically empty out and clean the buckets and basin that are filled with vomit and, in some cases, feces.

#2 - Gong Farmer

In the Middle Ages, sewage systems were as non-existent as indoor plumbing, so the amount of waste had to go somewhere. Industrious individuals would come up with a network of pipes that dumped their excrement onto the streets or cesspits, away from their homes.

But it’s not always “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to dealing with piles of human waste. Somebody had to take on the job of actually hauling all of it and cart it away from city limits. This was the unfortunate occupation of a Gong Farmer.

While it sounds whimsical, a Gong Farmer’s job is just that: collect human waste from cesspits and streets; and he had to do his job under cover of night. He would then cart it out of town and dump it far from any populated area. Obviously, a Gong Farmer had to live as far away from other people as possible due to the smell. Not only that, this backbreaking work has been known to cause serious illnesses to the worker from the noxious fumes that he inhales.

#1 - The Groom of the Stool

Sometimes the worst job does not necessarily have to be done by someone from the lower levels of society. There are worse jobs exclusively appointed to noblemen and aristocrats – one was becoming a monarch’s Groom of the Stool.

Believed to be a prestigious position and service to the day’s reigning monarch, it was no less humiliating. The Groom’s job was to fetch a monarch’s toilet chair when His Highness needed to go; and, since monarchs claim to have some kind Divine Right of the Gods on earth, it is also the Groom’s job to wipe the King’s Benevolent Bottom.

On top of that, it was also the Groom’s job to collect a sample of the King’s Divine Doodie and examine it for any signs of illness.

Finally, as if the job was not prestigious enough, the Groom of the Stool is given the highest honor of administering an enema if the King finds his Rite of Passage blocked.

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So there you have it, 12 worst jobs in history! Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Sources:

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/worklife/10-worst-jobs-history-11553/

https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/10-of-the-most-disgusting-jobs-in-history/

http://www.lifedeathprizes.com/lists/worst-jobs-in-history-30531

13 Most Unusual Phobias You Didn't Know Existed

Heights, spiders, open spaces, enclosed spaces and a lot more. The world of phobias is terrifying, to say the least, and we all are paralyzed with fear by something one way or another.

Described simply as the irrational fear or aversion to something, phobias have become the subject of many psychiatric books and studies. From what triggers the fear to the phobia’s overall effect on the human brain and body, it can definitely shake you up.

More often than not, phobias are caused by a traumatic experience in our past. Your fear of heights might have been started by that one trip to the Grand Canyon, or that fear of spiders you now have may have been triggered back in your high school science class by an experiment that went terribly wrong.

#13 — Triskaidekaphobia, the Fear of the Number “13”

To the superstitious, the number 13 is an unlucky number that invokes misfortune, bad luck, and generally anything that may happen to you that is associated with or by using the number.

However, Triskaidekaphobes take this to great lengths because of their fear of the number itself and what it represents. Closely associated with the fear of Friday the 13th, people with this full-fledged phobia take great care in avoiding anything related to or even using the number 13.

#12 — Xanthophobia, the Fear of the Color Yellow

School buses, post-its, sunflowers, and many other things in this waking world that are in shades of yellow will cause severe anxiety in anyone who has xanthophobia – or, maybe, anyone who’s a Green Lantern.

This phobia is basically the fear of this color that exists everywhere in nature. In severe cases, people suffering from xanthophobia may even have a strong aversion to the sun or the word “Yellow” itself.

#11 — Hylophobia, the Fear of Trees

Hylophobes typically develop this condition during childhood when they are exposed to movies with scary forests or if they, themselves, have lived near ominous looking woodlands.

Hylohobia, though generally described as the fear of trees, is also the irrational fear of anything that is wood.  Many sufferers of this condition do not really outgrow the phobia and carry the burden with them for the rest of their lives.

These people’s anxieties can be radically heightened with a simple walk in scenic areas; in some even more extreme cases, thinking about wood or trees can immediately push their panic buttons.

#10 — Ergophobia, the Fear of Work

You can look at this phobia at an angle where it serves as a kind of convenience to not work. However, Ergophobia is a condition that some people do have because of several contributing factors like fear of failing an assigned task or the anxiety of being in a room filled with strangers according to psychologists.

Also, ergophobes not only fear doing work but some of them also fear to be in a workplace due to social anxiety.

#9 — Philophobia, the Fear of Falling in Love

While the idea of being in love and falling in love is something that many of us are relentlessly after, it is not the case for people with Philophobia.

Whether it’s the fear of making a serious commitment to a relationship or just the feeling of falling in love with someone, Philophobes are more than likely to be petrified even by just the prospect of emotional attachment to another person.

The cause of this fear may have stemmed from an experience that inoculated the person to the idea of love such as being abandoned by a parent or a partner or the having lost someone significant. Unfortunately for philophobes, many of them end up living a life of solitude.

#8 — Somniphobia, the Fear of Falling Asleep

Otherwise known as Hypnophobia, this fear is mainly due to a person being terrified of a nightmare in his or her sleep or the fact that he or she loses control while dozing off.

This fear is more prevalent in children and people who are known to have night terrors. Simply thinking about having to sleep at the end of the day jolts their senses awake or, in extreme cases, they fight the body’s natural urge to sleep.

#7 — Turophobia, the Fear of Cheese

Having to associate cheese with a traumatic experience may seem far-fetched, but turophobia is real in many individuals.

From mozzarella to basic cheddar, turophobes practically avoid the dairy product altogether even if it’s just a single slice of cheese. For some turophobes, it is a specific type of cheese that triggers their anxiety, but to others, it’s every kind of cheese known to man.

#6 — Ablutophobia, the Fear of Bathing

Not to be confused with Hydrophobia, or the fear of water, Ablutophobia is a specific kind of fear that is triggered by bathing or washing.

The fear is more prevalent in babies since water and bathing is an entirely new experience for them, but it, later on, dissipates as they grow older and get used to the routine.

#5 — Anatidaephobia, the Fear of Being Watched by a Duck

It’s one of the most unusual and certainly the most ridiculous sounding, but Anatidaephobia is quite real for people suffering from it.

It’s a kind of anxiety triggered by paranoia that, wherever they go or whatever they are doing, they are being watched by a duck. Yes, you heard that right. A duck. Some people fear spiders, bats, or birds in general - but this phobia is specific to web-footed mallards.

#4 — Trypophobia, the Fear of Holes

Trypophobes are people who fear objects with small holes. Most of the time, these are objects with holes that are clustered together such as honeycombs and certain kinds of fruit and plant.

Although it is not yet considered by experts as an “official phobia,” there are thousands of people that are reported to suffer from it.

According to research, trypophobes associate these holes as a sign of danger although more study is being conducted on the cause of their aversion.

Symptoms of trypophobia range from nausea to itchy skin – associating what they see as some kind of disease that they may be infected with or actually fearing that their skin may begin to have clusters of tiny holes on it – to full blown panic attacks at the very sight of an object such as, say, a sponge.

#3 — Omphalophobia, the Fear of Navels

Belly buttons. We all have them. So it should follow that we are used to seeing them on an almost daily basis without having to cringe.

Unfortunately, to those suffering a unique phobia called omphalophobia, belly buttons are the stuff of nightmares.

In mild cases, omphalophobes are afraid of having their belly buttons touched or touching another person’s belly button. It’s not because they are grossed out by it but because of an irrational fear that, it is said, is linked with the navel’s association with the umbilical cord and the mother’s womb.

However, in rather extreme cases, omphalophobes can be repulsed by just seeing or thinking about the navel, even their own.

#2 — Nomophobia, the Fear of Being Without a Mobile Phone or Mobile Phone Coverage

This is fairly new and arose at the time when almost 85% of our daily lives revolve around that little hunk of metal and plastic in our pockets — the mobile phone.

The phobia was coined about five years ago when researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon in individuals during a survey. The survey showed that more than half of the participants – in the UK – suffer from distress when they experience any mobile or smartphone related “crises” like losing signal, running dangerously low on battery, or just losing sight or misplacing the device itself even for a few, short seconds.

Literally, if you would spell the term out, it is “No Mobile [Phone] Phobia.” It sounds like a child would come up with it, but it is a phenomenon increasing in many mobile phone users.

#1 — Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, the Fear of Long Words

The irony is not lost on this one as the phobia itself is a terror to behold even to those not suffering this condition.

Simply put, Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, is the irrational and unnatural fear of lengthy words. Whether it causes extreme discomfort to a person like fingernails on a chalkboard or utter terror is yet to be known because there are no known recorded cases of people suffering from it… yet.

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Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/10289366/13-of-the-most-unusual-phobias.html
http://list25.com/the-25-strangest-phobias-you-could-have/
http://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/self/21-weird-phobias-you-wont-believe-exist-230875.html

15 Things Americans Do that Confuse the Rest of the World

Don’t you sometimes find it confusing when people ask how you are the moment you walk into a shop? Have you ever found yourself in an argument with a friend about measuring that new table you’re going to get for your apartment because you use a completely different measurement system? I guess many of us have gone through the gauntlet of not knowing exactly how much to tip after having a romantic dinner with your significant other.

Different countries have different customs as well as a variety of eccentricities. From the way words are pronounced and spelled to what unit of measurement is acceptable for daily use, every country around the globe has its own way of presenting things. However, most of these tend to agree with each other from culture to culture and from country to country, but when it comes to America, a lot of foreigners and visitors end up baffled and confused about certain practices and customs that seem to be unique in the United States. 

Maybe you have experienced a few of them and have asked your American friends why they are so. In any case, here are some things that may help you along the way as you traverse the tricky trail of uniquely American practices.

# 15 — You Can’t Drink Until You’re 21

Let’s start with the bone of contention among foreign visitors to the US. Americans have strict laws against purchasing and consuming alcohol if you are under the age of 21. If you are, let’s say someone from England, your 18-year-old might be surprised to find out that he or she will not be served any alcohol anywhere. This confuses a lot of visitors who come from countries where they become of age at 18, and that includes buying and drinking a few beers.

#14 — The Metric System VS Imperial System

If you are from Asia or Europe, it would be easy for you to find out how close the nearest restaurant is to your hotel or home because you have grown accustomed to using units of measurement like kilometers, centimeters, and the like. When you fly to the US, however, you may end up confused and struggle to convert your units of measurement to adapt to local units like inches, yards, and miles or having to convert today’s weather from Celsius to Fahrenheit to know if you should bring a jacket out. 

#13 — Prom & Homecoming

Prom is a school event that is common in many countries. It is a chance for students to socialize and kick it back a little from the grueling life of studying. However, what confuses many countries is how big a deal it is to Americans who openly consider and accept it as a teenager’s rite of passage. The amount of effort to ask someone out alone is incredibly amazing, and what we see on TV shows and movies do not really downplay its real life equivalent. Also, aside from prom, another school event called Homecoming has confused many teenagers around the world who are asking what really is it and how is it different from prom?

#12 — Sporting Scholarships

We have all seen it in movies and sometimes the news where a promising student with incredible athletic prowess gets accepted to a university. In the US, it is common for school athletes to be accepted in college because of how good they are at sports. In fact, many of them are even offered scholarships as long as they bat for the right university team. This academic practice is found to be bizarre by many countries mainly because no such program exists in their curricula. 

#11 — Flag Pride

There is not a single piece of sky in the US where you will not see the American flag waving proudly in the wind. While patriotism is another commendable trait of the American culture, what confuses foreigners is that almost every establishment that they visit has the country’s flag present. Whether they are at a restaurant or a strip mall, if there is an outdoor space or a large display wall, chances are, there will be an American flag. Even more confusing to tourists and foreigners is the fact that flags are even hung or displayed at people’s private homes.

#10 — Calling Jam “Jelly”

Whether it’s a point of confusion or just plain happy coincidence, the word “Jelly” seems to be used interchangeably with jam seeing that they have similar consistencies. It’s the interchanging of the use of the word that confuses non-Americans because jelly is generally used in other countries to describe a food product that is made out of gelatin and the homemade fruit preserve used to spread over bread is called jam in other countries. So, to an Englishman, offering him a spread of “Jelly” on his scone might give him the impression that he has unwittingly stepped into the Twilight Zone.

#9 — Gun Laws

In general, gun and ammunition laws in the US are an often discussed subject by many countries around the world. Many non-Americans have been stumped by the fact that generally, anyone can easily buy bullets over the counter and military grade firearms on the internet without any screening process. While there are provisions in the US Constitution provides individuals the right to bear arms, foreigners show an amount of concern and confusion over some clauses in different states that allow, for example, people to openly carry firearms in public. To this day, even concerned citizens and groups in the US itself are fighting for amendments and limitations on the country’s gun control laws after several gun-related tragedies shook the country over the past few decades.

#8 — Price Tags without the Tax

In the US, no matter which shop you go to, you would be surprised to find out that sales taxes are not included in any price tags - which is quite strange given that many countries around the world adopt the practice of including taxes in any product’s tags to do away with the burden of making estimates in your head while in line at the checkout counter. The reason behind this is that since the US has a different set of regional laws governing each state, that would mean that taxes will also vary per state; and in each state, items may cost a little more or a little less than the retail price depending on individual state tax.

#7 — Trick-or-Treating

When we were kids, we were told by our parents never to accept anything from strangers or talk to them. It is a golden rule that any parent applies no matter where they are around the world. But this changes when Americans celebrate Halloween. Indeed, going trick-or-treating is a creative American custom that people across the world copy or envy. Who would not want to dress up their kids in colorful costumes and show off to the other kids? What’s rather odd though is the practice of trick-or-treating itself where parents basically encourage children to ring other people’s doorbells asking for candy. It's contrary to warning them about accepting anything from strangers.

#6 — Super Bowl Advertisement

America has a consumer-driven economy, and it works for them. You may say that the US is an Ad Man’s paradise because all he has to do is to put something up on a billboard or on a TV screen and almost immediately, a product will sell. Speaking of ads, commercials and advertisements during Superbowl season are given so much attention and effort that it is almost an event unto itself. Every year, advertisers would put their best and creative foot forward to show their wittiest and most entertaining pieces of advertisements. What’s even more amusing is how people become emotionally invested in these ads that some of them even rank them in lists and talk about each one over the dinner table like matters of State.

#5 — The Icy Love Affair

Americans love iced drinks. From their coffee to their soda, their cups are almost brimming with ice. While we cannot argue that ice can freshen up a drink, the average American’s obsession with these frozen bits of water confuses many people from other parts of the world simply because they can drastically water down your drink and, at some point, add a little bit of dirt into it if the water used comes from a questionable source.

#4 — Spelling & Pronunciation 

This phenomenon is mostly a bone of contention between the US and their English and British friends. Where countries like England and Australia spell certain words like “Colour,” “Neighbour,” and “Prioritise,” and pronouncing every letter in the word “Fillet,” Americans would argue that their way of pronouncing and spelling words is a universal standard. We can’t argue, though, that dropping a few vowels here and there makes spelling a bit more sensible and practical, it cannot be ignored that they seem to be the only people in the world who have their own standards in spelling and pronunciation as opposed to what’s widely practiced around the world.

#3 — Going Out for Drinks

TV shows like Cheers and How I Met Your Mother seems to have reinforced the American practice of casually inviting friends out for a few drinks at a local bar. In countries like Japan, it is not an entirely alien concept to go out for a few drinks after work. However, casually calling up people to go out is something unheard of in many cultures. In some parts of the world, people get to gather with a drink in hand at parties or special occasions but not on, let’s say, a Thursday night.

#2 — A Classless Society

One of the most endearing qualities of American culture is the virtual eradication of social classes. It may sound absurd in countries that have a hard-line drawn between the wealthy and the poor but in the US, social status is given little to no attention at all and people may “move from one social class to the other” with ease by just upping their performance and pay grade at work. By having this egalitarian way of looking at society, Americans have pretty much plucked out the social stigmas attached to different levels of society.

#1 — Spending for College is a Serious Matter

According to data from the College Board, from the academic years of 2014 – 2015, the average cost to get into an in-State public college is about $23,410.00. Going to a private school would burn $46,272.00 right through your savings. And by private, we are not including Ivy League schools such as Harvard University where a single year can cost you $60,659.00. The cost of higher learning in America is confusingly expensive, and many students who have graduated and have gone on to establish distinguished careers are still paying for thousands of dollars’ worth of Student Loans. Compared to countries like England where the cost of attending a single year at Oxford is only at $13,903, American colleges and universities basically drive students into deep debt even before graduating. In other countries, like Sweden, Germany, and France, it is interesting to note that college education is FREE or – in some cases – partially free; and in countries like Denmark, there are instances that the national government pays for your college education and even provides you with a student allowance.

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Sources:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/natasha-norford/2015/03/18-things-americans-do-that-confuse-the-rest-of-the-world/
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/10-americans-confuse
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a33473/things-only-americans-do/

5 Decisive Battles in History Won by Divine Intervention

Throughout history, battles and wars were fought for various reasons. Whether defending one's own territory or invading another's, our history books have no shortage of epic fights from the Crusades to the Second World War.

Of course, it's no surprise victories are won with amazing planning and great leaders. However, there are battles that almost turned sour — despite having legions of soldiers under a general’s command — and could have dramatically changed the course of human history. Fortunately for such battles, their fates were decided when the heavens intervened and drastically tip the balance to one side.

Whether it was coincidence or just pure luck, many countries throughout history attribute most of their victories to divine intervention, fuelling their belief that the gods are on their side.

#5 — The Battle of the Bulge

One of the bloodiest battles during World War II happened in the Belgian town of Bastogne in 1944 where the German army cornered American soldiers in a surprise attack.

12,000 American soldiers were encircled and trapped by the Germans, and it was up to US Third Army Gen George Patton to break the siege and rescue the 12,000 soldiers in Bastogne, promising that he would grease up his tanks with the guts of the Nazi soldiers.

A plan was already in place but, unfortunately for Patton, the weather had been relentlessly unforgiving. For an entire month, torrential rains pounded Belgium, and the chances of Patton’s troops marching into Bastogne were slowly being swept away by the waters. All Patton needed to be was 24 hours to send the Third Army to storm the town, rescue the 12,000 soldiers, and tear down the Nazi defenses.

Since no amount of screaming and cursing at the sky could stop the rains, Patton had to resort to an unconventional approach by commissioning Third Army chaplain Col James O’Neill to draft a prayer for him which he then distributed to his troops on wallet-sized cards. For the next few days, Patton ordered his troops to recite the prayer as they waited for the rains to let up.

Whether or not Patton’s unorthodox approach worked and summoned the rain gods to stop, the weather cleared, and his troops were given just enough time to break through the Nazi encirclement, save the trapped American troops, and reclaim Bastogne for the Allied forces.

No matter what the opinion is about the events surrounding the Battle of the Bulge, it was undoubtedly one of George Patton’s finest hours in the Second World War.

#4 — The War of 1812

When the fledgling United States declared war against the British in 1812, things could not get any worse, especially after the Americans burned down what is present-day Toronto in Canada as a sign of retribution against the Red Coats.

However, overwhelmed by British forces, the tide seemed to be against the United States when, on August 24th, 1814, the British closed in on Washington DC after breaking through the Americans’ last defense at Bladensburg.

With the state of Maryland set ablaze by the British, then President Madison had to flee for safety with the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in tow just before British forces stormed the White House, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress, sacking and burning everything in sight.

But, in a sudden twist of fate, the weather began to turn, and one of America’s most destructive tornadoes in history touched down in the middle of the battle, wiping out soldiers, civilians, and artillery in its wake.

Upon the sight of the destructive storm, the British had no other choice but to retreat and leave the nation’s capital.

The tornado storm scared of the Red Coats, saved America in its most decisive battle, yet left hundreds of Americans either dead or homeless due to its sheer destructive power.

#3 — The Failed Persian Siege

Greece is no stranger to the occasional invading army and bloody war against neighboring countries. With its trove of knowledge and wealth, the Ancient Greeks have always been one of history’s prime targets. Greece’s most formidable foe were the Persians.

In 492 BC, Greece came dangerously close to crumbling under the forces of the Persian army. Led by the Persian General Mardonius, Persia’s naval fleet was able to sail close to the island of Athos. Fortunately for the people of Athos, Poseidon was on their side. As if on cue, a wild hurricane swept the sea and in the blink of an eye, capsized and destroyed the Persian fleet killing 20,000 soldiers! It was believed Persia's hubris brought this catastrophic end to their fleet. As the weather was already proving fickle when they reached Athos, the rains turned into a full-fledged storm.

While there have been many attempts by the Persians to set foot on Greece by way of the sea, this particular one may have succeeded if not for the winds blowing in favor of the Ancient Greeks.

#2 — The Protestant Wind

The political relations between Protestant England and Catholic Spain were already turning sour, and if not for the urging of Church leaders during the 16th Century, Spain may have saved herself from utter humiliation.

In one desperate attempt to subjugate Elizabeth I and England, King Philip II of Spain ordered the Spanish Armada to set sail to dethrone Elizabeth and claim the country in the name of the Catholic Church and the Spanish crown.

Despite the fact that Spain was no match for the English naval fleet, they continued to press on, and by the time they reached the English Channel, a storm that seemed to come out of nowhere battered the Spanish Armada, sinking ships and driving the survivors off.

Many from both sides who witnessed the event took the storms as a sign of intervention from God as Spain was pushed back and humiliated by what history dubs as “The Protestant Wind,” a sign that Providence greatly favored England and its Virgin Queen.

#1 — The Divine Wind

If it weren’t for a helping hand from the heavens, Japanese culture would never have existed.

In 1247, the Mongol Empire had already conquered one-third of the globe and had cemented their power with one of the most formidable armies the world has ever seen.

As the Mongol army advanced further east unopposed, their next target was bringing down the Japanese Empire and annexing it to their strongholds in China. With inferior weapons and significantly fewer troops, Japan did not stand a chance against Kublai Khan’s fierce warriors and their allies.

As the Mongols sailed towards the shores of Japan with Korean allies, Japan sent as many forces as it can muster to defend its seawall. With what seems to be a losing battle, fortune turned its head towards Japan as the Mongol fleet sensed a storm brewing fast.

True enough, two typhoons came to the rescue of the Japanese Empire and decimated Kublai Khan’s rapidly advancing fleet.

The violent tempest, dubbed the Kamikaze or Divine Wind by the Japanese, left 13,000 soldiers dead and the remaining Mongol ships were sent fleeing back to Chinese shores.

Talk about having the Wrath of God rain down upon you, right? But whether or not these events had the heavens directly involved in their historic outcomes, the one most certain thing is that the world could have been a far different place if fate had turned the other way.

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Sources:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18894_6-real-historic-battles-decided-by-divine-intervention.html

http://conservativerefocus.com/blogs/blog5.php/2010/12/15/six-historic-battles-decided-by-divine-intervention-from-the-irreverent-cracked

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1917022-when-freak-storms-win-battles-divine-intervention-or-just-coincidence/

5 Mega Disasters that Can Happen Tomorrow

Every morning we wake up brings us closer and closer to a catastrophic disaster that could spell doomsday for the entire human race. In the morning while we enjoy our cup of coffee, a mega earthquake is ready to shake things up under our feet. While we mix milk with our favorite cereal in our favorite bowl, a super volcano is slowly waking up to spread Armageddon the moment we clock into the office. On our daily drive, facing rush hour traffic, the ground may open up without warning, swallowing every car, pedestrian, and building in its wake.

There are so many nightmare scenarios that have a high possibility of happening within the next three or five decades, and there is nothing that we can do to prevent it because nature runs on its own schedule. All that we can do when it happens — or before it happens — is to stay prepared for the worst. 

From super volcanic eruptions to a super tsunami that can wipe out an entire chain of island from the earth, natural disasters are always lurking at every corner.

#5 — West Coast Wildfires

The State of California is no stranger to wildfires. Every year, hundreds upon hundreds of acres are burned down by forest fires that seem to be getting worse over time.
In fact, in a study made by the US Geological Survey and Forest Service, they reported that the acreage burned by wildfires has skyrocketed to 6.4 million since 1999, drastically tripling from an annual 2.2 acres. If this number keeps on going up, experts predict that a large portion of the country will be up in flames in the very near future. Also, according to the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or SEAS, wildfire seasons in the United States will be twice as smoky and will last longer by three weeks, unforgivably burning and scorching massive portions of the West each year.

Additionally, SEAS points out that the increase in the Earth’s temperature due to climate change has greatly contributed to the worsening situation of annual wildfires. Dr. Loretta J Mickley, a SEAS Senior Research Fellow in Atmospheric Chemistry shares that climate temperature is indeed the biggest factor in determining future wildfires. It is more likely that the fires will get fiercer as climate temperatures continue to rise, she adds.

To add more salt to the wound campaigns to stop forest fires like “Smokey the Bear” has only exacerbated the problem because it prevents the natural cycle of brush fires that clear out the forest underbrush. The irony, unfortunately, is not lost here.

Today, with predictions of 30,000 to 50,000 annual wildfires, the US might eventually end up experiencing its literal version of Hell on Earth.

#4 — The East Coast Submerged

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy submerged a lot of major US cities underwater, and it was considered by many experts as one of the most devastating freak storms to ever hit the country in 700 years; but with the rising sea levels along the East Coast of the US, we may not even need a storm like Sandy or Katrina to see major cities get swallowed up by water.

John Boon, Professor Emeritus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science outlined a study and claimed that a significant change in sea level has been occurring since 1987 spanning the coastlines of Key West, Florida to Newfoundland, Canada. What is concerning about the study is that shows that sea levels are increasing at 0.3 millimeters annually. Even more troubling is a study by the US Geological Survey claims that water levels in the East Coast of the country are rising three to four times faster than anywhere else in the globe, making plenty of the coastal areas in the northeast at high risk because of property values.

The sea levels in New York city alone is expected to rise by 31 inches in 2050, submerging 25 percent of the city as well as rendering 97 percent of its power plants utterly useless.

With about 800,000 people living in high-risk flood zones, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to create a flood system in 2013 worth $20 billion to save the sinking city. Unfortunately, the project was never put into action and is now collecting dust in a dark corner somewhere.

#3 — The Eruption of Mt Fuji

When Japan’s entire landmass shifted during the Tohoku earthquake, it also stirred 20 of the country’s 110 volcanoes awake after increased seismic activities in their areas were recorded. Even more unnerving is the fact that any one of these volcanoes may erupt any day according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

No stranger to tremors, Japan has suffered a sufficient amount of damage from earthquakes over a thousand years. However, when we are talking about dormant volcanoes waking up, the whole scenario has added much more fear into the mix.

In recent studies, calculations show that Japan is always due for a major volcanic eruption every 38 years and it seems that the country is overdue for one. Out of the 110 volcanoes dotting the island country, 47 are recorded as active.

Among the 47 active volcanoes is the famed Mt Fuji. Standing at a magnificent height of over 12,000 feet, it is one of the volcanoes that are most likely to erupt any time after a report was published by a scientific team from France and Japan.

The news caused great concern to Japanese citizens as Mt Fuji is located 62 miles from Tokyo. Should the volcano decide to erupt tomorrow it would mean that about 750,000 people will be evacuated from the city as it will most likely be covered in ash and volcanic material; practically decimating the country’s capital and nearby areas.

#2 — The Big One Shaking California

The likelihood of at least a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hitting California in the next few decades was increased by the US Geological Survey. Called as “The Big One” by many Californians, it is the one earthquake that they say will reduce the entire state into rubble and the one that everyone in the entire country has been nervously waiting for.

The US Geological Survey goes even further in their findings saying that a magnitude 8.0 quake or larger has a 7 percent chance of hitting California in the next 30 years. However, from their recent findings, the odds of a 6.5 – 7.0 magnitude quake ripping through the West Coast state has gone up to 30 percent. 

Most likely, the cause of The Big One will most likely originate from the breaking of the San Andreas Fault. However, other theories suggest that the mega quake will be triggered by the lesser known Hayward Fault that sits in proximity to San Francisco.

Regardless of the origin, experts all agree on one thing: the earthquake will definitely devastate the entire state of California and neighboring areas on the West Coast. Basing their claims through historical-data based projections, the earthquake will be predicted to cause severe damage to major infrastructure and start full-scale wildfires due to the amount of dry brush that is common in the state.

It is essentially a race against time as the White House has recently granted $5 million to a team of experts coming from UC Berkley, Caltech, and the University of Washington to develop an Earthquake Early Warning System that, hopefully, will alert people a full minute before a tremor hits. Unfortunately, the current system that has been developed is only able to predict a quake 10 seconds before it hits.

#1 — The Caribbean Tsunami

In 2001, two researchers from the University College of London and the University of California Santa Cruz hypothesized that the imminent eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands would create the largest and most destructive tsunami in recorded history.

Published in a co-authored study, Dr. Simon Day from the University College of London, and Dr. Steven Ward from UC Santa Cruz claimed that during the volcano’s last eruption, a large rupture appeared on its left side which has made the geological structure quite unstable.

If Cumbre Vieja erupts, the rupture to its side will result in a catastrophic landslide that will create the tsunami that will basically wipe out all the islands in the Caribbean on a scale that can only be compared to the mythical Atlantis.

With gigantic waves that are predicted to travel at 800 miles per hour and grow to at least 330 feet tall upon the first impact with land, the tsunami is believed to hit as far as Florida within nine hours of its creation. As the rippling continues to build waves, the monster tsunami is also projected to hit as far as England.

Dr. Day and Dr. Ward paint everything as a worst-case scenario, since it is impossible for an entire landmass to fall into the water in one event. More likely, parcels of land and rock from the volcano will tumble into its nearby waters gradually, creating destructive waves if not a tsunami itself.

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Sources:
http://listverse.com/2015/05/25/10-major-natural-disasters-predicted-in-the-near-future/
http://theconversation.com/five-global-catastrophes-that-could-happen-tomorrow-48420
http://101waystosurvive.com/emergency_prep/10-major-natural-disasters-predicted-soon/