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In 1997, 14 year old Nathan Zohner presented his science fair project to his classmates, seeking to ban a highly dangerous chemical from its everyday use.
The chemical in question? Dihydrogen monoxide.
The chemical in question? Dihydrogen monoxide.
Throughout his presentation, Zohner provided his audience scientifically correct evidence as to why this chemical should be banned.
He explained that dihydrogen monoxide:
He explained that dihydrogen monoxide:
Can cause severe burns while it’s in gas form
Corrodes and rusts metal
Kills countless people annually
Is commonly found in tumors, acid rain, etc.
Corrodes and rusts metal
Kills countless people annually
Is commonly found in tumors, acid rain, etc.
Causes excessive urination and bloating if consumed
Zohner also noted that the chemical is able to kill you if you depend on it and then experience an extended withdrawal.
Zohner also noted that the chemical is able to kill you if you depend on it and then experience an extended withdrawal.
He then asked his classmates if they actually wanted to ban dihydrogen monoxide.
And so 43 out of the 50 children present voted to ban this obviously unsafe chemical.
However…this chemical isn’t typically considered toxic at all.
And so 43 out of the 50 children present voted to ban this obviously unsafe chemical.
However…this chemical isn’t typically considered toxic at all.
In fact, dihydrogen monoxide is simply an unconventional name for water.
Nathan Zohner’s experiment wasn’t a legitimate attempt to ban water, but instead an experiment to get a representation of how gullible people can really be.
Also, all of the points that Zohner used to convey his point were 100% factually correct; he just skewed all of the information in his favor by omitting certain facts.
One journalist eventually dubbed this event as ‘Zohnerism’, where true facts are used to mislead people towards false conclusions.
And this occurs a lot more often than you think,
And this occurs a lot more often than you think,
...especially when politicians, journalists, etc., use proven facts to persuade people into believing false claims.
The fact that people can mislead, and be misled so easily, is highly unsettling.
The fact that people can mislead, and be misled so easily, is highly unsettling.
2. Rat King
A rat king is a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together by one of several possible mechanisms, such as entangling material like hair or sticky substances like sap or gum or getting tied together.
...Historically, this alleged phenomenon is particularly associated with Germany.
3. UVB-76
Also known as The Buzzer, UVB-76 is a shortwave radio station, believed to be of Russian origin, that has been broadcasting the same mysterious signal – a low, monotonous buzz punctuated by occasional Russian voice transmission – since 1982. No one knows where it comes from,
but it s believed to be owned by the Russian Military everyone agrees that it’s creepy as heck.
4. The Pacu Fish
This is a pacu fish, found mostly in Brazil. They’re related to piranhas and yes, they really do have human-like teeth.
5. Oscar the Therapy Cat
Oscar is a therapy cat living in the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. since 2005.
He came to public attention in 2007 when he was featured in an article by geriatrician David Dosa in the New England Journal of Medicine.
He came to public attention in 2007 when he was featured in an article by geriatrician David Dosa in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It’s said that he can sense the impending death of a patient, and will curl up and sleep next to a patient if they’re near the end.
Plot twist: What if Oscar is ineof many iterations of the grim reaper?
6. The Problem With Time
As if the world wasn’t confusing and horrifying enough, there are things like the Phantom Time Hypothesis. The theory, developed by German historian Heribert Illig, states that Anno Domini (AD) dating system is basically made up
...and three hundred years of human history – about 614 to 911 – may never have even happened.
7. The Whitehall Mystery
The Whitehall Mystery is a murder that took place in London in 1888. The unsolved crime involved the dismemberment of a young woman, whose body parts were subsequently distributed among several different locations around the city.
...The police never made an arrest, and the case remains a source of great speculation to this day.
8. UnBeerable times
Back in 1814, there was a beer flood in London where 128,000 and 323,000 gallons of beer were released. As a result 8 people died.
9. Victorian Deception
If you're looking at a Victorian photo and one of the subjects in the photo is clearer than the rest, they're probably dead.
If you're looking at a Victorian photo and one of the subjects in the photo is clearer than the rest, they're probably dead.
Some people in those Victorian photographs were dead at the time when the picture was being captured:
For example,in the picture above
The picture of the girl in the middle appears new and clear. Why? Cause she was dead when the photograph was being captured.
For example,in the picture above
The picture of the girl in the middle appears new and clear. Why? Cause she was dead when the photograph was being captured.
The reason for this is that the cameras used were old and took a lot of time to capture a single photo, so usually things that were still (people who were dead) were captured fresh and bright.
10. Donald "Pee Wee " Gaskins
In 1973, a man purchased an old hearse, telling people at his favorite bar that he needed the vehicle to haul all the people he killed to his private cemetery.
They didn't believe him but he wasn't lying. Donald Gaskins was a serial killer A.K.A the meanest man in America.
They didn't believe him but he wasn't lying. Donald Gaskins was a serial killer A.K.A the meanest man in America.
11. Of Men and Mice
That is a monument built by Russians to honor all the laboratory mice that have been killed in the name of scientific research.
It is located at Novosibirsk, Russia.
It is located at Novosibirsk, Russia.
12. Submarines
An estimated nine nuclear submarines are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Terrifying.
An estimated nine nuclear submarines are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Terrifying.
13. Aussssstralia
The Australian Brown Snake’s venom is so powerful that a 14,000th of an ounce can kill a human.
The Australian Brown Snake’s venom is so powerful that a 14,000th of an ounce can kill a human.
14. Protek ya Rod
Warning: Smoking can shrink a man’s penis by up to a centimeter.
Warning: Smoking can shrink a man’s penis by up to a centimeter.
15. The Church of Bones
In the Czech Republic, there is a church called "The Sedlec Ossuary" that has decorations made entirely of human bones.
This happened because there were too many people in the cemetery to bury everyone,
This happened because there were too many people in the cemetery to bury everyone,
...and the church leaders claimed that if their bones became part of the church, it only made them closer to God.
"Nearer my God to thee" suddenly takes on a grim meaning.
"Nearer my God to thee" suddenly takes on a grim meaning.
16. The Conjuring
Ed and Lorraine Warren actually investigated the paranormal,
...and The Conjuring is an adaptation of the Warrens’ experiences with the Perron family and their supposedly haunted farmhouse.
17. Aghori Babas
The Aghori are a small group of vamacharic ascetic Shaiva sadhus.
They engage in post-mortem rituals.
They often dwell in charnel grounds, smear cremation ashes on their bodies, and use bones from human corpses for jewellery.
They engage in post-mortem rituals.
They often dwell in charnel grounds, smear cremation ashes on their bodies, and use bones from human corpses for jewellery.
The bodies of members of some Hindu castes are considered too sacred for cremation and so are floated down the Ganges river in India.
The Aghori Babas take these bodies and eat them in a ritual as a symbol of triumphing over fear.
The Aghori Babas take these bodies and eat them in a ritual as a symbol of triumphing over fear.
18. Shinto Cock Worship
How about we set aside a day to worship the penis?
Well, that’s what the people of Kawasaki in Japan have done; they have decided to celebrate fertility and the “power” of the penis.
This is also called Shinto fertility festival, Shinto beliefs of openness use of nature
Well, that’s what the people of Kawasaki in Japan have done; they have decided to celebrate fertility and the “power” of the penis.
This is also called Shinto fertility festival, Shinto beliefs of openness use of nature
and deliberate simplicity.
Shinto is a Japanese religion, it focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.
This interesting ritual
Shinto is a Japanese religion, it focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.
This interesting ritual
...takes place every year on the first Sunday of every April, with all kinds of phallic activities going on.
19. The Curse of Oetzi the Iceman
Oetzi is a name give to a stone age human fossil that was discovered by a team of people in 1991.
But soon after its find, a new fear began to appear among the team.
But soon after its find, a new fear began to appear among the team.
Helmut Simon, 67, German tourist who discovered the mummy,fell to his death during a freak blizzard while hiking near the same spot where he saw Oetzi through the ice.
Konrad Spindler, 55, who first inspected the prehistoric corpse, died of complications from multiple sclerosis within few months.
Oetzi Rainer Henn, 64,the head of the forensic team examining, died in a car crash on the way to give a lecture about the iceman.
Kurt Fritz, 52,The mountaineer who led Henn to the Iceman's body died in an avalanche, the only one of his party to be hit.
Rainer Hoelzl, 47, died of a brain tumor. He was the man who filmed Oetzi's removal from his icy mountain grave.
The fossil was declared to be cursed and anyone associated with it will die soon. The fossil is in South Tyrol Archaeological Museum in Bolzano, Italy.
20. No Face in the Memory Bank
There is a disease that results from brain damage, called “Prosopagnosia”, that makes someone lose the ability to recognize faces.
This includes friends and family, even themselves, when they look in the mirror.
This includes friends and family, even themselves, when they look in the mirror.
