Prophecies

Greetings Dear Reader!

To start with, this blog has turned one month old. I take the opportunity to thank all the readers who have been visiting this blog regularly and it is only because of your continuous appreciation that this blog has hit 1000 page views in its first month! Keep motivating me by your comments and I promise to keep you entertained.

Let me now start with the discussion of the day.

A famous astrologer of the 16th century makes about 353 predictions regarding not only the near future but also the centuries to follow. Have these predictions really come true? Who was this astrologer? Read on to know the story of this French astrologer.

Michael Nostradamus

His name was Michael Nostradamus.  He once wrote the following verse-

"At forty-five degrees the sky will burn,

Fire to approach the great new city;

In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up,

When one will want to demand proof of the Normans."

Can you guess what these verse-like lines point at? Nearly 450 years ago, French astrologer Nostradamus spoke of a new and huge city in these verse-like lines. This city situated at 45º latitude. In the city, a colossal fire breaks out suddenly and huge flares of fire leap towards the sky. The proof of these events will be finally given by the Normans when they are going to be asked for it. After four-and-a-half centuries, on September 11, 2001, when the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the USA were attacked by the terrorists, Nostradamus' lines given above were flashed on to the internet within seconds and gained attention worldwide. People started believing that Nostradamus had foreseen the destruction of the Twin Towers 450 years ago.

If we try to fit the words of Nostradamus' prediction with the event that actually happened on September 11, 2001, the first thing is that the Towers were situated in New York City, which was termed as 'Great New' city by Nostradamus. However, New York's geographical location is not 45º latitude but 40º 5' North latitude. Thus the first two lines of the prediction seem to fit exactly and when the two airplanes of the hijackers strike the twin towers one after the other, huge flares of fire reached the sky.

The 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center (WTC)

Even if the World Trade Center isn't situated at 45º latitude, the hijackers' Boeing-757 that crashed into the northern tower of the WTC came exactly at an angle of 45º. To support this theory, people have come up with the explanation that geologist Ptolemy had made about 8000 dots on a haphazard map of Earth and chalked out various latitudes and longitudes in 150 B.C. During those days, the word 'latitude' meant 'angle'. People who had faith in Nostradamus' farsightedness found the connection between the Normans and the WTC (which was not known earlier as 'Norman' relates to the Viking people that inhabited in Norway, who settled down on French coast about 1500 years ago and they had no connection with the WTC). They considered Normans as French. The French spy federation had complete information about the attack a day earlier. They had sent the information across the USA's intelligence agency FBI but even so they paid no heed.

There is a separate section of people who believe that Nostradamus could accurately predict the future. The believers say that predictions up to the year 3797 A.D. have been made by Nostradamus who was born in 1503, and are considered authentic even today. Predictions for the next 1782 years have already been made. 

Most of his fame did not come from the books in which he wrote predictions which helped the people get a trailer of the distant future, but from the verbal prophecies he made. He published books named Centuries 2, 3 and 4 after his first book named Century 1. The last book had only 53 predictions unlike the usual 100. Thus the total number of predictions was 353 while the aim of Nostradamus was to take the score up to 1000.

The book of prophecies made by Nostradamus called 'Centuries'

Once the French Queen Catharine heard of him. She sent for his book and read it. She gleaned some meaning of a prediction and sent for Nostradamus and invited him to Paris. When he arrived, Catharine held quatrain number 35 in front of him which read:

"The younger lion will overcome the older,
In single combat, on the field of war;
His eyes will be pierced in their golden helm,
Two wounds become one and he dies a cruel death."

Catharine feared that these lines could have been written for King Henry. Nostradamus returned to Solon after making many predictions in the queen's presence, and whatever explanation of the above verse was given to her is not known to anyone. Catharine alerted King Henry about the prediction. But even so, on July 10, 1558, the king who was fond of the sport of fencing, fought a duel with the commander-in-chief of his body guards, Count Montgomery, in a tournament. According to the rules of the game, both were wearing a 'helm' (helmet). In Henry's case, the metal used for the head gear was gold. During the duel, an accident which rarely takes place occurred and the point of the count's sword pierced King Henry's left eye right up to his brain. There were two wounds- the eye was lost and the brain too was injured and so after suffering a lot for 10 days, Henry finally passed away.

As time passed, people felt that many of Nostradamus' predictions were coming true. Each and every event could be likened to one or the other prediction. The rising of Hitler to power, the commencement of the Second World War, the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the assassination of American President Kennedy, Saddam's anti-American revolt, etc. nothing was left out.

Thinking on the lines of science, logic and intelligence, read each and every event hereafter with a steady and unbiased mind. Though Nostradamus has predicted many events, yet he has not given the date, year or even century of any of the future events. Though he has written that the events will happen, but there is absolutely no clue when these events will take place. A total of 353 predictions has been made by Nostradamus and during the 450 years that have passed, almost all types of incidents have happened. Therefore, everyone just finds something to match his/her shape or size and according to the law of probability, it is not difficult to relate some or the other words written by Nostradamus to some event or the other.

Here are some facts about the predictions made by Nostradamus-

• The language used by Nostradamus is so confusing that one cannot find thread of the events that he has predicted. No one understands even a word. The believers scan the books written by him after the event had happened and then whichever verse resembles the event is made famous- and then wait for some other big incident to relate it with one more prediction. This process will continue till 3797 A.D.

• Many of the predictions can be interpreted in more than one ways. Consider the prediction concerning the WTC where he used the word 'ville neuve' in his original writing. Literally, translating the phrase from French to English, it means 'new city'. Not only does a city with the exact same name exist near Paris in France, but its geographical location is also 45º latitude. This new (neuve) city (ville) had gone up in flames during the war Napoleon had waged against England and in the Second World War, German fighter planes had bombarded it. Thus 'a great scattered flame will leap up' holds true and so does the whole verse.

• Nostradamus has played quite a lot with the words. As a result it is easy for the believers to twist and turn the words according to their whims and give whatever meaning they want to his predictions. For instance, in the prediction about a gruesome war, the last line is "Mabus then will die." But the name of the fierce battle is not mentioned. One cannot tell who is Mabus, he could be anyone. Can it be Saddam Hussain? If the name does not match, ask a Nostradamus' believer and they will tell you that one should write his name as 'Sudam' according to the pronunciation and then hold it up in front of a mirror. Have a go with this experiment. The names are not going to match even after the experiment. Have another go. Play with the name of the terrorist 'Osama Bin Laden'. Firstly, replace O with U. Now take away 'in' and write only B. Lastly, arrange all the letters in such a way that Nostradamus' prediction comes true. Write the capital letters U and B in small case u and b; simultaneously capitalizing m to M. Have you got the word 'Mabus'?

• Many of the predictions that have been attributed to Nostradamus have not been mentioned in any of his books 'Centuries'. There are about 50 such predictions that are famous since they were made after the events took place and have been relegated to Nostradamus.

Thus, Nostradamus who died in 1556 has become immortal and each of his predictions are considered evergreen even today. Even if the predictions have no connections whatsoever with science, logic and intelligence, Nostradamus is going to stay with us with his prophecies until year 3797 A.D. 1782 years from today, people may forget who Albert Einstein was, but they will certainly remember Nostradamus.

Calling it a day, it's time to reveal the topic of discussion for the next post. The next post will be dedicated to the lost city of Atlantis. Until we meet next, keep sharing the link to the post and drop your feedback/suggestions in comments below. Bye! :)

When It Rains, It Pours

Greetings Dear Reader!

"Anything that can go wrong; will go wrong." -Edward Murphy

Captain Edward A. Murphy

Expect the worst, they say, and the best will happen. This statement contradicts with the concept of positive thinking. So why expect the worse? Answer this question: have you ever tried to insert a USB drive in your laptop and it didn't fit, so you flipped it and tried again, but you didn't succeed this time either. Then you again flip it, try once more and voila! It fit! Consider another situation where you're driving a bike and are at a certain distance from a car which is parked at the side of the road. As soon as you pass besides the car, the door of the car facing your side opens. Bad luck? Or you work all night on an assignment which is due next day and forget it at home?

People who dismiss the above incidents as mere coincidences or bad luck might not have heard the name of Edward Murphy, hence they are unaware of Murphy's Law. To add to your knowledge bank, Captain Edward A. Murphy was an engineer working for the US Air Force in the rocket-sled experiment. The purpose of this experiment was to determine and measure the effect of gravity during sudden acceleration/deceleration, as well as descents and ascents of a jet plane on the pilots. During a trial in 1949, Captain Murphy observed that the data of heart beat, muscular tension, respiration and blood pressure, etc. was not properly captured or recorded by the gadgets. Thus the strain taken by the pilot went in vain. Upon closer examination, Murphy concluded that the wiring of all the 16 gadgets, which was possible to do in 2 ways- the right way and the wrong way, was done the wrong way. Hence Murphy pronounced the statement- "If anything has to go wrong, it certainly will."

Since 1960, more than 100 books have been written on Murphy'a law. Plenty of instances prove that the Murphy's law stands correct. Some of them are mentioned below-

• When there is a possibility of several things to go wrong, the ones which can cause the maximum damage will happen first.

• Upon searching for a pair of scissors methodically in 25 places, the highest probability is that you'll find it in the 25th place.

• After finishing the washing of your car, the first rain of the season will pour down incessantly for 4 hours, soon after you finish washing your car.

• If you manage to get 35% discount after an hour bargaining at the store, chances are that you'll find the same item being offered at 55% discount in the next shop.

• A lost needle will only be found by a person who is walking barefoot.

• The other queue always moves faster.

• In order to get a bank loan, first you must prove that you don't need money.

• If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

Many people experience these situations from time to time, and when all seems to be going well, there is a constant apprehension that something is not right! After all, why does the coach that you reserved in a train is always at the far end from the staircase especially when you have a lot of heavy luggage to haul? Why does the passbook always fall in the puddle of water with the printed side facing down and the plastic-coated, waterproof side facing up?

A famous example of Murphy's law is the 'butter toast experiment'. The experiment is as follows-

The buttered toast experiment

The law states- "The possibility of the buttered side of the toast facing down when fallen from a height is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet."

When you drop a slice of toast it always falls with the buttered side down and the fur and dirt sticks to it. Researchers have even simulated this in real life to study the phenomena but have not been able to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Though it has been scientifically proven that the height of the table is not high enough to give time and space to a buttered toast to take a full spin during its fall from the table, so it manages just half a turn before falling on the ground.

Increasing the height of the table is not the solution because a shoulder-height table is ideally not comfortable to have breakfast on. And we cannot increase our height as nature has made us just tall enough to balance the pull of gravity on our spine. And suppose that we increase our height then we would shatter our head every time we fall down! Therefore we have to live with the possibility of the toast landing butter-side down. Forever.

To sum it up, some may call it bad luck, ill omen or an unfortunate turn of events but those are mere puppets; the master puppeteer is always behind the curtain- Murphy's law. 

That's a wrap, folks! But before ending this post, it's time for an exclusive peek into the topic of discussion of the next post. There are many ways of predicting future; crystal balls, tarot cards and palmistry, to name a few. But one person in history is famous for making accurate predictions. An ace apothecary, he has made prophecies which have been proven correct worldwide. Know more about this famous personality and how he did what he did in the next post. Bye! :)

Heil Hitler!

Greetings Dear Reader!

Yesterday, the 20th of April marked the 126th birth anniversary of the German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party. The man who was at the center of World War II. The effective dictator, the Fuhrer himself, Adolf Hitler.

Today I'm going to throw some light on some of the lesser known facts about the man who is known worldwide for his effective, one-of-the-kind dictatorship. Let's hit it!

• Hitler would not have lived, if it wasn't for the priest who saved him from drowning when he was four.

• His original name was Adolf Schicklgruber, but in 1877, his father changed his name to Adolf Hitler. It was one thing for which Hitler was grateful to his father.

• Hitler suffered from chronic Flatulence (the accumulation of the gas in the alimentary canal) for which he used to take 28 different drugs just because he didn't want to give up on his dream to conquer the world.

• His first love was a Jew but he never had enough courage to initiate the conversation with her. He ended giving up on her.

• The first ever anti-smoking campaign of modern world was lead by Adolf Hitler.

• Bring a vegetarian, Hitler created Vegan laws and forbade animal cruelty.

• Hitler had a soft corner for a very small number of people. When he was young, there was a Jewish doctor who did not charge fees from Hitler's family due to their economic adversity. Later, Hitler referred to him as the 'Noble Jew'. 

• When he was young, Hitler wanted to join an art school but wasn't granted admission.

• It is either because he had monorchism or had had severe injury in the groin in World War I, but the fact remains that he had only one testicle.

• The leader of the Nazi Party had a sweet tooth and always preferred to have sweets out all the food he was being offered.

• Hitler was inspired by Henry Ford and had his portrait behind his desk.

• Though being its leader, Hitler never visited the Nazi concentration camps.

• Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Price in 1939.

• A secret service tried to spike Hitler's food with female hormones to feminize him.

• Hitler was Time magazine's 'Man of the Year' in 1938.

• Like Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Mussolini, Hitler too suffered from Ailurophobia, the fear of cats.

• During the years of his power, Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' was given away for free to newlywed couples.

• Hitler believed that he was attractive, therefore he remained single for political gain.

• He was an insomniac, who slept at 4 or 5 am and woke up at 11 am.

• Hitler subjected himself to cocaine twice a day which he was prescribed for sinus and throat that he would take by inhaler into his nose. He also used cocaine eye-drops occasionally.

• Both Hitler and Osama Bin Laden were announced dead on May 1.

I am aware that many of you might be equally surprised after reading the above facts and I am no exception. And now as we come to a close, it's time that I declare the topic for the next post. Have you ever experienced that if something has to go wrong, it surely will? Meaning that, in many cases misfortune is most unlikely to strike, But when it does, we call it coincidence. Actually, it is a manifestation of Murphy's Law. A detailed account on Murphy's Law will be published in the next post.

I'd love to hear from you, so please take some time to share your views/suggestions in comments below. If you like the contents of this blog, kindly share it among your friends. Bye! :)

Voodoo Like To Hear A Story?

Greetings Dear Reader!

Warning: Reading any further may cause uneasiness and create a dull the atmosphere around you.

Voodoo. To start with, Voodoo is NOT about a wax doll with pins pinched on it. Voodoo is one of the world's most ancient religions. The religion which arrived in the West during the slave trading days. The basis of this religion came from Africa. The Voodoo is practiced widely in Haiti where a variety of ethnic groups amalgamated their traditions into this form of religion in the past.

The word Voodoo is derived from the word 'Vodun' from the African Fon Language, which means 'divinity' or 'spirit'. Thus the roots of the Voodoo religion lie in the ancient Egyptian pyramids where the slaves of the Kings or the Pharaohs could not forget what they saw after they were released post many years of slavery.

The central meaning of the Voodoo worship is God, ancestral worship and reincarnation. It is to be noted that Heaven and Hell do not exist in Voodooism because the followers believe in reincarnation. They believe that the universe is connected. The deeds of a person influence his next life. Someone who has been a good, honest and loyal person during his lifetime has a chance to ascend to the God and are given the power and influence. On the other hand, if a person who has been rude, dishonest and offensive during his lifetime will be born again as a human and begin a new life cycle. It is also possible that he will be punished by the God.

The practitioners of Voodoo believe that the world of humans is shared by the world of spirits. When a person dies, his spirit is believed to be passed to the world of the unseen yet is still able to see the world of humans.It is also believed that spirits can affect the human world. Voodoo includes rites, chants and the use of variety of Voodoo supplies including dolls and candles.

But then what makes this practice so scary as it is? Believe it or not, the story is as follows-

Voodoo was originated when it was used by Tituba, a slave girl, who was reported to have given the power of the witches of Salem. The Voodoo Queen is a title served to heavily famed Voodoo practitioners and was given to appreciate their accomplishments in the Voodoo arts. Voodoo Queens became central figures to Voodoo in the US in the 19th century. They earned an income by administering charms and amulets and offering magical powders which guaranteed to cure ailments or fulfill one's wishes and even destroy one's enemies.

A Voodoo Doll stabbed with pins

Few of the magical powers of the Voodoo practitioners are written below-

• The ability to move objects with the power of mind.

• To move from one location to another in an instant of time without physically occupying the space in between.

• To produce and eerie scream called 'War Cry' that causes all the people who hear it capable of making enemies to fight their own allies.

• An incense to remove jinxes and clearing away evil spirits using an incense, a lock of hair and a Voodoo doll.

The Voodoo Dance

Following are the rituals performed by Voodoo practitioners-

• They consist of a magic circle and sacrifice of animals; snake being the most important.

• Voodoo can actually inject fertility in a woman. During this ritual, the priestess performs a ritual dance, consuming hot guinea pepper which attracts the spirit and then sacrificing a goat. The blood of the goat is spit on the belly of the wannabe woman, who sleeps for four days and nights after the ritual.

• A Voodoo doll doesn't actually symbolize a person. Instead, the doll is usually attached with a picture of the person in question or something that was in intimate contact with the person, like a lock of hair or their perfume. The purpose of the Voodoo straight pin usually seen in a Voodoo doll is commonly believed to be stabbed as an instrument of pain.

A Voodoo Doll

• Another ritual consists of levitating a corpse and while the corpse is in the air, its eyes are rolled back and the priest controls the zombies. This ritual includes sacrificing a snake and drinking its blood. This power is most commonly known as 'Necromancy'.

The rituals and beliefs of Voodoo exist till date which force us to believe that evil forces are as much necessary as the good ones to balance the world with a fine line between what is right and what is not. To conclude this post, I'd like to declare the possibility that any of the beliefs/rituals/powers mentioned above MAY NOT BE true. As the practitioners of Voodoo are reserved and little exposed to the other world, very little is known about them which may not always be true. It is possible that the references that I took while writing this post may be unreliable. Having said this I'd like you to know one last thing, I DO NOT intend to support/preach/disrespect any religion or its practices and rituals.

Calling it a day, I thought that you'd like to know that tomorrow is the birth anniversary of a renowned politician, leader and dictator. Therefore we shall discuss his life and times in the next post. Till then you can share your views/suggestions in comments below. Bye!

July 1947

Greetings Dear Reader!

The thought of super-intelligent extraterrestrial beings living on other planets of distant galaxies getting into their flying saucers and visiting our planet is very thrilling. In actual fact, neither aliens nor the flying saucers have really been seen in any part of the world. And those who claim to have seen them are challenged by the scientists for having to present a strong evidence.

There is a place called 'International UFO Museum and Research Center' in the city of Roswell, New Mexico, USA, where one can find everything and almost anything related to aliens and their flying saucers. The thousands of items on display in the Roswell museum include flying saucers, statues of aliens, pieces of space rocks and photographs of people who actually claim to have seen the flying saucer (UFO) 50 years ago. Besides, the museum includes books, video films, magazines and newspaper reports about the sighting of UFO.

International UFO Museum and Research Center, Roswell, New Mexico, USA

Inside the International UFO Museum and Research Center

Inside the International UFO Museum and Research Center

Every year more than 1,50,000 tourists visit the Roswell UFO museum. Their idea is twofold: To see the exhibits of the museum and to know about the mysterious incident of UFO landing near the city of Roswell in July 1947. Whether or not the UFO carrying aliens on board really landed in Roswell is still a mystery; and is not solved till date.

You may want to know what exactly happened in July 1947. So here's a full account-

May, 1947. Rumours about UFOs had created a havoc in the USA. During the first four weeks of May 1947, the American government had received a total of 800 such reports. Debates and opinions started spreading among the citizens along with panic and fear, as some people believed that the highly intelligent aliens might visit the Earth to plan an attack over the planet.

Scientists kept assuring the American citizens that considering the colossal distance between the Sun and the others stars, even if some aliens residing on a distant planet should travel for their whole lives, they would not be able to reach Earth. Even if their sophisticated UFOs travel at immense speed, it would take hundreds of thousands of years to reach our planet. 

It is said that on July 1, 1947, strange things started happening successively in Roswell. There was an Army Field radar center at 150 km south-west of Roswell, from where the radar operator Frank Kaufmann saw few big dots on the radar dial and was surprised because the dots did not resemble those of an aircraft. He immediately summoned  his seniors who suggested him to continue observing the radar dial and send a message as soon as he spotted something strange. 

At midnight on July 3, 1947, Kaufmann really got to see a strange sight on the radar screen. The whole screen was illuminated by a blindingly bright light. A few hours later, all the telephones at Roswell Army Air Field started ringing simultaneously. Residents of Roswell were calling to ask the same question to the airport officials: "Has one of your aircraft crashed?" The reason was-there was an ear-splitting explosion on the outskirts of Roswell which was heard by the residents. Soon after, bursts of extremely bright light were seen on the horizon. The residents thought that one of the military aircraft might have crashed, but it was not so.

The news reports about the UFO crash appeared on July 4, 1947 in the local newspaper

When the Army Air Force personnel rushed to the place where the accident took place, they found a lot of debris scattered all over the place. If none of the fighter jacks had crashed, what were these pieces of? A UFO?

A number of villagers including residents of Roswell arrived there in hordes and picked up many of the pieces lying around. Usually, aluminium or titanium was used in aircraft but these pieces were much heavier than those two metals.

The American government always maintained a secretive attitude about the happenings at Roswell after this mysterious incident. As an explanation, they said that a high-altitude weather balloon sent into space by the meteorological department had crashed in Roswell. Firstly, there cannot be an explosion if a balloon crashes and secondly, it does not justify the great glares of fire that lit up the horizon of Roswell for quite some time. 

For 50 long years the American government kept the Roswell incident under wraps. They even burnt away all the confidential reports related to this strange occurrence. However, if weird and mysterious happenings are not explained, people are more interested in knowing about them rather than forgetting it. The International UFO Museum and Research Center has been set up to host models of brainy extraterrestrial creatures, pictures of flying saucers and of the place where the UFO is claimed to have crashed.

The discussion about whether or not the aliens exist is a never-ending one. This brings us to the end of today's post. I would like to thank you, dear reader, for showing your love and appreciation towards this blog. It's been almost 3 weeks and the post 'Beware Dear Reader!' is ranked as the most viewed post. Therefore to thank you all for loving it and on the request of the readers, I'll be back with a new horror post based on a cult practiced in the Caribbean and the Southern US called the 'Voodoo'. Bye!

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The Maiden and Final Journey

Greetings Dear Reader!

“What's meant to be will always find a way”  -Trisha Yearwood

Today is April 15, 2015.

103 years ago, just as the Sun set in the horizon only to give rise to the night of ill-fate. The luxurious ocean liner Titanic set off for its maiden voyage and ended at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. And the grandeur of the Titanic is remembered till date. Today I shall focus on the possibly unknown facts about the Titanic and what really happened on the night of April 15, 1942.

The Titanic

The exterior

The Titanic was 268.73 meters long from her stem to stern; 53.3 meters high and weighed 46,330 tonnes. The ship's 55,000 horsepower enabled her to cruise at a maximum speed of 42 km/hr.

The interior

The interior of the ship was splendid. It had a tennis court(!), two swimming pools, a gymnasium and four large restaurants. There were individual gardens for each of the first class cabins which were situated on the upper deck. She also included a band of musicians and a library to entertain the passengers.

The ticket to board the Titanic

April 10, 1912

It was the day when the world's largest and most expensive ocean liner embarked her maiden voyage. Everyone wanted to be the first to board the unsinkable Titanic. Some businessmen and Lords paid as much as 870 pounds for the ticket. Titanic weighed the anchor from Southampton Port in Britain in afternoon. The magnificent vessel quickly reached the French port of Cherbourg by nightfall with a speed of 42 km/hr. The Titanic then set course towards Queenstown port in Ireland and on April 11, 1912, the ill-fated steamer left the port of Queenstown in the afternoon.

The 11-storied steamer set course towards New York in the west. After three days of sailing and crossing the better part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Titanic now reached the southern shores of Newfoundland in Canada.

April 14, 1912

Early morning. The majestic steamer was slowly moving towards the danger which the passengers and the crew members knew nothing about. The first alarm to the unexpected danger was received at 9 am from a steamer named 'Carnoia', who sent the message in Morse code saying that all the steamers including theirs have sighted a number of icebergs ahead. It was an unlikely warning and sadly, the radio operator of the Titanic completely ignored it.

The weather was bitterly cold with a continuous flow of wind towards the south that pushed the icebergs right into the path of the Titanic. It was afternoon and the weather remained cold. The steamer named 'Californian' which was navigating at a little distance from the Titanic sighted three mammoth icebergs and transmitted a (second) warning message (the first one being passed by the 'Caronia'), which was also ignored by Harold Bride and Jack Phillips, the radio operators of the Titanic. The third warning message was extremely clear and was passed by the steamer named 'Baltic' which read: "There are a number of icebergs in your path and many of them are growlers. Keep a sharp lookout."

The word 'growler' rang an alarm bell in operator Harold's brain because a growler is an iceberg that has a comparatively flat top unlike the usual tall icebergs which can be seen easily against the horizon. The look-out atop a steamer sees a growler only when the ship gets quite close. It is then impossible to either reduce speed or turn the ship left or right to avoid collision. The captain also committed an unpardonable blunder by passing on the note to the chairman of White Star Line Company Mr. Bruce Ismay, who just glanced at the note and forgot all about it!

The Titanic continued on her set course until late evening. When the 'Californian' sent another warning message to the Titanic, the captain rushed to find Ismay and recovered the first message from him. It was 7.15 pm and pitch dark all around. Captain Edward Smith realised that the course of Titanic should have been changed a long time back, instead of which the steamer had now entered the waters where there were a number of treacherous icebergs. Then the captain sent a keen-eyed sailor to the highest look-out point of the steamer to keep a sharp watch for any iceberg. In spite of bitter cold, the sailor kept watch till almost 11 pm.

Another mistake, or yet another role of ill-fate was that the captain kept up the speed of the Titanic in the pitch dark too. This was because he wished to retire after this voyage and before retiring, he wished to establish a world record of crossing the Atlantic Ocean in the least possible time. It is also said that Ismay wished to make his company world-famous by setting a record of reaching New York in 5 days.

Meanwhile at 11.40 pm, the 'Californian' sent the Titanic an entirely different message saying that they were completely stuck in ice which surrounded their steamer. The then on-duty officer ordered them to stop sending messages as they were interfering and jamming the signals of the Titanic. This was yet another serious mistake. At that time, the Titanic was still moving at a speed of 42 km/hr.

The sailor at the crow's nest faintly outlined a white figure in the darkness. At first he thought it might be his imagination but then when the distance decreased, he was shocked and horrified. Destruction was staring them in the face. He rang the bell tower thrice and picked up the phone and informed the officer,"Change course immediately! Huge iceberg right in front!" The helmsman immediately moved the wheel to the left but the 46,000 tonne steamer moving at a speed of 42 km/hr was impossible to be turned suddenly. The 55,000 horsepower engines were then cut-off. The huge vessel turned slightly towards the left but there wasn't enough time to avoid the collision.

The accident

The hull plates at the side of the steamer scraped against the iceberg and a deafening sound filled the air. The stem of the vessel turned a little to the left and the impact was felt only slightly. After a few seconds when the sailors looked out, they saw that the iceberg had moved quite away into the darkness. But the lethal iceberg had caused fatal injury to the Titanic. It was now 12.30 am and during the 50 minutes that had passed after the collision at 11.40 pm, the wireless at Titanic sent out numerous 'help wanted' messages.

What happened when the Titanic began to sink?

How the Titanic broke into two after the collision

The stem filled with water and so the steamer keeled over. The huge waves that lashed the deck broke the first tower of the Titanic. The stern was then raised, the weight of which could not be borne by the central part of the Titanic. The steamer broke into two and the towers broke due to the terrible impact. The stern stayed afloat for some time and the things inside the liner fell into the water. The stem started sinking like a stone. The stern became ramrod straight and eventually sank with a rotational motion. Then it became straight again while sinking. This was how the Titanic broke into two before sinking.

Remains of the Titanic found recently

The sinking of the Titanic shook the whole world. It clearly shows how helpless man is against his own fate! But should one blame fate alone for this tragedy? The servicemen aboard also committed the silliest of mistakes which cannot be overlooked. It seems that the Titanic which was dubbed as 'unsinkable' had been built only to sink tragically into the Atlantic on her maiden voyage!

Well it is rightly said- "Do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us. It is a gift."

While one may take it in positive as well as negative respect, but it is correct either way. The tragedy of the Titanic is like no other in the history of mankind. It is for that reason that it holds a special mention in the pages of history. To conclude this post, I promise to return with the world's most enduring UFO mystery in the next post. Until then keep sharing the link and drop in your reviews/ suggestions in comments below. Bye!

Image credit:
Wikipedia

Source:
Safari India

Death, Coffin, Fire, Mystery

Greetings Dear Reader!

There are questions that cannot be answered. And some unsolved mysteries which cannot be explained. Egypt is a country with many unsolved mysteries. One of the greatest mysteries of all time is thanks to Egypt. And the mystery that I am talking about is the death of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen (Also known as King Tut).

The ancient Egyptian kings were known by the name of 'Pharaoh'. Pharaoh was the most powerful person and thus the ruler of Egypt. King Tutankhamen was born in 1341 B.C. and died at an early age of 18 in 1323 B.C. after reigning for a short period of 9 years form 1332 B.C. to 1323 B.C. Though the King died more than 3300 years ago, the mystery of his death continues to haunt the scientists all over the world. But what exactly is the mystery about the death of the king? Why has no one been able to give a justified answer to this mystery? Let us have a look.

The painting on the wall of King Tutankhamen's tomb

Firstly, the cause of the King's death is unknown. For a pharaoh who was presumably well fed, well protected and free from any diseases, it is hard to accept the fact that he died a normal death. Secondly, the most shocking incident is that after the mummy of the pharaoh was placed inside the tomb in a three-layered coffin, the innermost coffin somehow caught fire and the mummy of the pharaoh turned charcoal black. What could possibly be the reason behind the innermost coffin catching fire?

King Tutankhamen

King Tutankhamen's Throne

And now for what the scientists have concluded-


The Demise-

First things first. The cause of the death. According to the reports of the UK, a team of scientists took x-rays of King Tut's body in 1968. This report revealed that a breastbone was missing from the mummy and stubs of ribs were lined up along the backbone, smashed and removed. Recent scans also revealed severe damage to the rib cage and a broken leg.

A recent British research suggests that a speeding chariot could have run into the King while he was on his knees. Another proposed theory is that of a chariot crash. As Egyptian kings were fond of hunting, King Tut might have been riding a chariot, possibly during a hunt or a battle. The explanation to the damage in King Tut's chest is a swift kick by a horse which is possible as the pharaoh's chariots were driven by horses. An unbelievable theory also suggests that a hippopotamus might have charged on him while he was on foot in a marsh land.

While all the above mentioned theories seem to be true, there is one more possible explanation, in case someone doesn't agree with what has been mentioned above. It is also believed that had it not been a horse, or a chariot run or a hippopotamus, modern thieves operating during World War II might have entered the unguarded tomb of the pharaoh and sawed through the his ribs to remove all the beads and precious stones stuck to the king's chest.

The Burnt Coffin-

In the process of mummification, the skin and flesh of the corpse is preserved by removing the internal organs (and thus the moisture) and allowing the body to dry. The body is then wrapped in long strips of cloth and a great quantity of oils and resins is poured over the body to prepare the dead person for eternity.

The original sarcophagus (coffin) of King Tutankhamen

These oils and resins in King Tut's mummy somehow burst into flames after it had been sealed in several coffins. This theory that the coffin might have caught fire came into light when a scrap of King Tut's flesh collected in 1968 was tested. Tut's mummy had indeed turned charcoal black. A possible explanation to the charcoal black colour of the mummy is the carbonization reaction between the oils and resins catalyzed by the heat of the tomb. What is more confusing is that the mummy still survives, even after catching fire.

Logically, if the mummy survives, it means that either the fire was serious enough to blacken the mummy but not so hot that the mummy gets reduced to ashes. According to TV reports, the researches believe that the fire burned at 200°C. If the mummy catching fire was not confusing enough, what's more to the mystery will surely blow your minds off.

King Tutankhamen's mummy

When he was buried, King Tut wore a beaded linen cap on a shaved head. Naturally, if his body was burned, the cap should show similar results. Also the king was adorned with bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, finger-rings made of gold and silver and having precious stones- many of which are at display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Surprisingly, none of them appears to have suffered any fire damage.

Current Sarcophagus (coffin) of King Tutankhamen

What's more? As I stated earlier the King's mummy was placed in three coffins. The innermost was made of solid gold. The central and outer coffins were made of wood. Now according to the theory, the mummy caught fire, which means the innermost coffin of gold was subjected to fire. Yet, the outer two coffins DO NOT show any signs of fire, not even scorch marks.

Take some time to get over that because what is next in this story will make you believe that this mystery is none like any other. The garlands on the mummy, strings of willow and olive, strips of papyrus entwined with lotus petals and a wreath of cornflowers placed on his head were delicate and dried, not at all shriveled by the heat of the fire that occurred. If the mummy (and thus the coffin) really caught fire, wouldn't the garlands and the wreath also be burnt by the heat of gold?

For those who do not believe in the mystery of King Tut's coffin believe that it was just 'a hasty burial'. Whatever might be the case, King Tut continues to guard the mystery of his death and his afterlife in the tomb for centuries now. And it seems that he will continue to do so for many more centuries to come.

The mask of King Tutankhamen's mummy

Well that was really baffling. However, it has to be believed that there are certain mysteries that demand explanation but one cannot truly explain them. With that remark, I'd like to conclude this post. We are almost halfway through April and the next post will be published on April 15. And this year, the 15th of April marks the 103rd anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which will be the subject of discussion. For now, please drop in your reviews/suggestions in comments below and I shall meet you next time. Bye! :)

Source and Credit-

National Geographic Channel

Image Credit-

Washington Post

Pinterest

How I Wonder!

Greetings Dear Reader!

Thank you for returning to read this blog once again. The post '7: The Magical Number' was a success and one of the reasons why 7 is considered as a special number is that the Wonders of the World amount to 7. While the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World have been changing during the course of time, the only Wonder which has earned an honorary place in the Wonders of the Modern World is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

It is interesting to note that all the Wonders of the Ancient World did not exist at one and the same time. Each of these wonders came into existence at different times over a period of about 4000 years, right from 2600 B.C. to 1300 A.D.

The Wonders of the World have been chosen from many different countries namely the United Nations, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Chile, India, Jordan and Mexico.

Have a look at the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World-

(1.) The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

Giza Necropolis

When the tomb of Egyptian King Khufu was built on the banks of the Nile, it was 147 meters high. But since some of the stones fell off, its height has been reduced to 140 meters. The average weight of the Pyramid is 58,40,000 metric tonnes and the volume is 25,68,000 cubic meters, The base of the Pyramid is spread in an area of about 13 acres. It is said that this Pyramid was finished in 2580 B.C., hence the estimated age of the Pyramid is 4,600 years,

(2.) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Just a piece of useful information, the Hanging Gardens aren't hanging at all. In 605 B.C., the then reigning king of Babylonia named Nebuchadnezzar II married a princess who had come from a mountainous and lush green kingdom, while there was hardly any greenery at all in Babylon.

To ensure that the princess who had become the queen after her marriage does not miss the natural beauty of her homeland, King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered his skilled gardeners to develop terraces. Each floor on the terrace had been converted into extreme picturesque of various exotic fruit trees, and many beautiful and colouring flowers. Each floor was laid with lush green carpet-like lawns.

Today, in fact, Babylon has lost its status and entity as a city and it is known as Al Hillah situated at the geographical location of Babylon.

(3.) The Statue of Zeus in Olympia

Around the year 435 B.C., the then famous Greek sculptor named Phidias devised a huge statue for the temple to be constructed on the peak of Mt. Olympus. According to the belief of the people, Zeus resided on the very peak of the 2917-meter lofty Mt. Olympus. Phidias used ivory and gold to build the statue and adorned it with precious stones and emeralds, sapphires and rubies. The statue was 12 meters (40 feet) tall and was completed after 4 years of continuous labour on the part of Phidias.

(4.) The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Mausolus was the ruler of the small kingdom of Persia (present day Iran). After his death in 353 B.C., his queen Artemisia who came into power summoned four of the best Greek architects and ordered them to construct a unique tomb in the memory of the dead king. The construction of King Mausolus' Tomb which was counted among the Wonders of the Ancient World lasted for more than 100 years. Unfortunately, during the 11th and 12th century, massive earthquakes hit the lovely monument. A few pieces of its ruins which include a statue of King Mausolus can be seen in the British Museum of London.

(5.) The Temple of Artemis

The Goddess who was known as Diana by the Romans had the name of Artemis in Greece. Mother Earth was fertile and produced all the grain that she did only due to this Goddess. Around the year 550 B.C., the Greeks built a colossal temple for Goddess Artemis in the city of Ephesus. Sadly, in 262 B.C., foreign invaders destroyed this temple. Many centuries later, in 1874, the remains of this temple were discovered after 11 long years of excavation.

(6.) The Colossus at Rhodes

The Greeks had to face starvation since the import of grain was stopped in the year 292 B.C., when the Macedonian army laid siege around the Rhodes Island with the help of innumerable warships. The Greeks living on Rhodes Island believed that their hardship can be averted only due to the benevolence of their Sun-God Helios. The thankful people decided to construct a huge statue of their patron God at the very entrance of the harbour. The height of the statue was 37 meters. In the year 224 B.C., a massive earthquake struck the Rhodes Island and the statue fell to the ground.

(7.) The Pharaoh's Lighthouse of Alexandria

Alexander the Great established a city named Alexandria on the banks of the river Nile. After Alexander's death, Ptolemy no longer remained a general and became the king of Egypt. As the city was an important harbour for the merchant ships sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, the water routes were rendered dangerous. So King Ptolemy decided to build a lighthouse in order to warn and guide the ships.

Those were highlights of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. However, the 7 Wonders of the Modern (Current) World are-

(1.) Chichen Itza

Itza is the sacred city in Maya, also referred to as Chichen Itza. This archaeological site is rated among the most important of the Maya culture. The ruins are divided into two groups. One group belongs to the classic Maya Period and was built between the 7th and the 10th centuries A.D., at which time the city became a prominent ceremonial center. The other group corresponds to the Maya-Toltec Period, from the later part of the 10th century to the beginning of the 13th century A.D. This area includes the 'Sacred Well' and most of the outstanding ruins.


(2.) Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ spreading his holy hands in Rio de Janeiro. The statue is 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain. This statue was designed by a Brazilian architect and created by a French sculptor. It took 5 years to create the statue and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. This Wonder has become the symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people and spreads the message- 'Christ welcomes everyone'.


(3.) The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is one the greatest wonders of the world. It was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. The Great Wall stretches approximately 8850 kilometers from the east to the west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of this wonder are now in ruins.


(4.) Machu Picchu 

Machu Picchu is an Inca site located 7000 feet above the sea level atop a small hill between the Andean Mountain Range in Peru. The majestic city soars above the Urubamba Valley. It had been deemed among the 'Lost Cities', unknown until its relatively recent discovery in 1911. Archaeologists estimate that approximately 1200 people might have lived in that area.


(5.) Petra

Petra is hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains in Jordan. The whole city of Jordan is full of mysterious charm, carried on by the mysterious charm of Petra. Petra is considered as the legacy of the Nabataeans, the industrious Arab people who settled in Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Petra is admired for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


(6.) Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is the pinnacle of of Mughal architecture and was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal who died during the birth of her fourteenth child. Her body was brought to Agra and buried in the main tomb of the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is the mausoleum of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. While the bricks used for the internal construction of the Taj Mahal were locally prepared, the white marble (Sangemarmar) used for the external construction was obtained from Rajasthan. Semi precious stones for ornamentation were brought from distant regions of India, Ceylon and Afghanistan. It took 21 years to construct the complex monument and was completed in 1653.


(7.) Colloseum

The Colosseum is the most impressive building of the Roman empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of that era. The huge structure has been fallen into ruins, but it is an imposing and beautiful site. Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty started the construction of the Colosseum in 72 A.D. It was completed in 80 A.D., the year after Vespasian's death. Although in the 21st century, it stays partially ruined because of the damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers. The Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.

Each of the Seven Wonders of the World has its own importance. Wasn't it amazing to know about the history of these wonders? But then some of the monuments have their own mysteries, the ones which cannot be solved. One such mystery is the death of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen. What exactly is the mystery of his death? Why is the death of King Tutankhamen considered as one of the greatest mysteries of all time? All questions will be answered in the next post. Bye!