It’s time to test your knowledge on all you’ve learnt so far on DunoPedia!!!
General Knowledge Quiz
Flying in the 1930’s
Here is a picture of the interior of a plane in the 1930’s.
Funny right? I laughed too.
The fact with these planes was that they couldn’t fly higher than 13,000 feet because back then, the flight cabins were not depressurised.
If you still don’t like the view, then here’s the first class cabin below.
Seppuku in Japan: honor by suicide
*Seppuku (Japanese: 切腹, “cutting the belly”), sometimes referred to as harakiri…
“Abdomen/belly cutting”, is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by Japan’s ancient samurai warrior class.
The grisly act typically involved stabbing oneself in the belly with a short sword, slicing open the stomach and then turning the blade upwards to ensure a fatal wound.
Seppuku first developed in the 12th century as a means for samurai to achieve an honorable death.
Swordsmen performed the ritual to avoid capture following battlefield defeats.
The pictures above show a Japanese soldier performing the ritual suicide to avoid being captured by the Allies during World War 2.
Flying in the 1930’s
Here is a picture of the interior of a plane in the 1930’s.
Funny right? I laughed too.
The fact with these planes was that they couldn’t fly higher than 13,000 feet because back then, the flight cabins were not depressurised.
If you still don’t like the view, then here’s the first class cabin below.
My Lai Massacre: an unforgettable atrocity by the US Government
The picture above shows a woman as she cries and pleads for her life and that of her children, shortly before they are assassinated by American soldiers.
The My Lai Massacre happened on 16th March 1968 in Vietnam.
It was at the peak of the Vietnam War and the American forces were violently sweeping into Vietnamese towns.
Young Girls were raped, tortured and killed by American soldiers.
The most disgusting part of this event was that the US Government made serious attempts to cover up the atrocities committed by its soldiers.
It has been estimated that about 500 persons were killed.
However, some authorities disagree with this figure. It is estimated that the casualty rate could have been much higher.
The Spanish Inquisition: a religious bloodbath
For centuries, the Jews were accused of the crime of Deicide ( in this instance, the murder of Jesus Christ).
They were segregated and often oppressed in several communities.
This finally reached a peak in 1478 A.D, when Pope Sixtus IV set up a committee in Spain to hunt down and flush out any forms of opposition to the teachings of the Catholic church.
Thus, the Spanish Inquisition officially began.
Although the Jews were a major target, other groups were targeted too.
Men, women and children were rounded up, then “tried” by the members of the inquisition, and then sentenced to death if they were found guilty of crimes against the church.
(most of the accused persons were always found guilty anyways).
In the streets of Spain, the Jews were given two choices: to become Baptised or to be put to death.
Initially, most of them refused.
But in the bloodbath that followed, they had no choice but to quickly convert to Christianity, although most of them still secretly held on to their Jewish beliefs.
The Inquisition lasted from 1478 to 1834.
At the end, it was officially estimated that about 32,000 men, women and children had been killed.
Today, many authorities dispute these figures by claiming that the death tolls were as much as 400,000.
Women were burnt at the stake for being “witches”.
Men were crushed on wheels of pain or beheaded for being “Heretics” and “unbelievers”.
It was really an eyesore.
The Nigerian Earthquake: 28th July 1984
We have heard of earthquakes in places like USA and Japan.
But if you think Nigeria is free from earthquakes, then think again.
It was in the afternoon hours of 28th July, 1984 when an earthquake which measured magnitude VI (strong intensity) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale struck the South Western town of Ijebu Ode in Nigeria.
In fact, the earthquakes were recorded 640 Km away at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
It was reported that furniture were moved in people’s houses, appliances were damaged and some minor damages were recorded.
Due to the lack of investigative equipment in Nigeria and the primitive nature of our Geological activities, the events of the earthquake were not properly documented.
However in more recent years, earth tremors have been reported in or around the Gwagwalada area of Abuja (Nigeria’s capital) .
In fact, the tremors or earthquakes were a magnitude 4.5…
Most of these earthquakes have been attributed to Nigeria’s increasing activities in oil drilling, mining and water bore hole explorations.
Nigerian Women: champions of extra-marital affairs
In 2012, popular Condom manufacturer Durex, conducted a survey to find out the country with the highest amount of unfaithful couples.
At the end of the survey, Thailand was said to have the highest number of unfaithful men, while Nigeria emerged with the highest number of unfaithful women.
Of course, most Nigerian women claimed foul play, citing the fact that the survey covered only 29,000 persons across 36 countries.
Soon after, another Independent body conducted their own research, and once again Nigerian women remained the defending champions.
This popular survey would soon lead to a lot of controversies.
It soon peaked with a claim that Nigeria ranks second in the world on issues of paternity fraud.
Second only to Jamaica.
Although there have been popular cases of paternity fraud in Lagos, Nigeria according to some medical practitioners, a lot of men still likely do not know that they are raising another man’s child as their own.
However, because the study group was limited in number and because most of the facts were ascertained on anonymous bases, we will not accept these claims to be definitely True.
Oh Queen, Remain Immortal…
According to recent demographics, over 84 percent of the current entire population of the United Kingdom involving England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, had not yet been born when Queen Elizabeth II became ruler of Great Britain.
Yes! She is the longest serving monarch in the history of Britain.
We just have one thing to say: “Oh Queen, remain immortal”
Ariel Cigar: “cancer is fine, as long as we make some money”.
In 1966, a company named Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation invented a new type of Cigarette named Ariel.
It was found that the cigarette had little or no effects on health compared to other cigarettes.
This was because in its production, the tobacco was heated rather than burnt in the usual way.
However, when this relatively harmless cigarette was about to hit the market, it was shut down.
It turned out that other cigarette manufacturers held series of meetings and debates on this product and decided that the new harmless cigar, would make their own products look bad and harmful in the eyes of the public.
In fact, they insisted that this new cigar was a threat to their own companies.
After much deliberations, the Ariel Cigar was never produced for the public.
Fast forward to many years later and it is widely claimed that the Ariel Cigar could have prevented an extremely great percentage of lung cancers that have killed people in the last 40 years.
So, let’s put it this way: “Our customers can hold our cancer, while we hold their money”
© DunoPedia
The Challenger 1986 Disaster
“3, 2, 1… and lift off”.
The engines of the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) fully came alive for take-off.
Amidst the applause, the space shuttle suddenly exploded in mid-air, about 73 seconds into its flight.
All seven crew members on board were killed.
It was 11:39 a.m EST on the 28th day of January, 1986 at a space launch station off the coast of Florida, USA.
CAUSES:
It was concluded that the vehicle disintegration had begun when a part of its Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) malfunctioned during liftoff.
This had been caused by a failure of the O-rings seals (also called toric rings) used in the SRB due to the extremely cold temperatures prior to the rocket launch.
The failure of the rings caused a fault in the SRB and pressurized rocket gas escaped.
This in turn affected the adjacent SRB hardware and the external fuel tank.
The final events of the disaster were influenced by aerodynamic forces.
It should be noted that a lot of other complex series of events have been intentionally omitted in this article.
CREW:
Francis R. Scobee—( commander)
Michael J. Smith—- (pilot)
Ronald McNair—- (Mission specialist)
Ellison Onizuka—- (Mission specialist)
Judith Resnik—- (Mission specialist)
Gregory Jarvis—- (payload specialist)
Christa McAuliffe—- (payload specialist and School Teacher).
Christa McAuliffe had been selected out of over 11,000 applicants in 1985 to become the first teacher in space. It ended in tears.
“I cannot join the space program and restart my life as an astronaut, but this opportunity to connect my abilities as an educator with my interests in history and space is a unique opportunity to fulfill my early fantasies. I will never give up”.
— Christa McAuliffe, 1985.
REACTIONS:
The rocket launch was being broadcast on live TV across America and millions of school children with their families were watching.
After the disaster, President Ronald Reagan who had been planning to deliver a State of the Union Address subsequently decided to deliver a speech in honor of the Challenger disaster victims.
“We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of Earth’ to touch the face of God”.
—– President Ronald Reagan (40th President of America), January 28th 1986.
Passage Du Gois: the road that floods twice every day
Welcome to Passage du Gois: the road that floods twice a day.
The passage du Gois is located between the island of Noirmoutier and the beautiful coast of Beauvoir-sur-Mer in the atlantic coast region of France.
The passage is notoriously known to flood twice daily as tides rise.
This passage way is 4.125 Kilometers long (2.6 mi).
Since the road floods twice within 24 hours, it is usually sealed off most of the time except for short intervals when motorists can ply the route.
When the water levels begin to rise, the passage way could be covered by as much as 13-foot harsh waves.
You wanna know what makes this road deadly? Try standing in the middle of the passage way when water levels begin to rise.
Before you could run to the safe ends of the road, you would likely have been immersed in water.
Authorities have put up special sign posts and indicators at the passage way in order to warn users when the water levels start rising.
However, people tend to disobey these warning signs and almost yearly, road users become trapped in the rising tides and sometimes they even lose their lives.
These occasional sad events have even prompted French authorities to install elevated rescue towers unto which stranded road users can climb until the water levels return to normal.
This strange passageway has attracted so much attention that it has even been used twice as a race course for Tour de France bicycle race in 1999 and 2011.
The next time you visit France, I hope you wouldn’t mind visiting the Passage du Gois?
The River that is actually a Person.
For hundreds of years, the Whanganui River has actually been a companion of an indegenous community in New Zealand.
Well, the British arrived New Zealand in the 1800’s and in just a few years, the river became terribly polluted.
British industrialists deeply polluted the river to the extent that it even became a venue for refuse disposal.
A group of locals rose up to defend the sanctity of the Whanganui River.
For decades, these locals legally fought against pollution and exploitation of this river.
APPROVAL OF LEGAL STATUS:
In March 2017, after over 150 years of legal tussles between the Whanganui iwi tribe of New Zealand and the New Zealand Federal Governmnent, this river was officially declared a legal person.
Apparently, any attempt to pollute this river would be seen as an act of indignity against a real person.
Whanganui River has officially become the first river to ever have the status of a person.
In fact, the river now has spokespersons and you could be sued or dragged to court on behalf of the river!
This “unusual event” has really gone a long way in restoring the long despised River back to its original glory.
Island of the Dolls
Island of dolls.
The island of dolls located in Xochimilco, south of the center of Mexico City very close to the Estadio Azteca football stadium was originally owned by Don Julian Santana Barrera.
It is filled with dolls hanging from trees and buildings covered with cobwebs and insects.
This place was named in the 1950’s when the owner began to hang the dolls as a sign of protection against evil spirits.
According to legend, a young girl had drowned entangled among the lilies of the canal and her body was found on the banks of the Santampa chinampas(a floating island in a shallow lake bed).
Don Julian began to experience unexplainable occurrences, he became terrified and placed dolls that he found in the garbage or in the canals with the thought that they would scare the soul of the young girl away.
The young girl was believed to always cry out: “I want my doll”.
He once found a doll floating nearby and assumed it belonged to the deceased girl, he then hung it from a tree as a sign of respect.
These dolls are still present in the island till date.
According to legend, Don Julian died very close to the area where the little girl allegedly died.
Gamophobia: the fear of getting married
Have you ever heard about Gamophobia?
People with this condition have an immense fear of getting married or being committed in a relationship.
The mere thought of marriage can send them into panic attacks or even send chills down their spines.
The opposite of Gamophobia is Anuptaphobia which is the fear of being single.
Have you experienced any of these ?
Tommy Sells: the serial killer with an edge for child rape
Tommy Lynn Sells.
Tommy Lynn Sells was a prolific serial killer from Texas who claimed to have killed at least 70 people from 1985 to 1999.
In one case, he hit a pregnant woman Elaine Dardeen across the head, This attack caused Elaine to go into labor and deliver her baby girl alive.
Sells clubbed the newborn to death and also killed Dardeen’s husband and her 3-year-old son during the attack.
In the end, it was a child who brought this serial killer to justice.
In 1999, Sells broke into a 10-year-old girl’s bedroom where he proceeded to rape her, stab her, and slit her throat.
He killed her 13-year-old friend and left, with the belief that both girls were dead.
Surles survived the attack and was able to escape to a neighbors’ house.
She later provided a detailed description of Sells, which facilitated his capture.
While in jail, Sells said there wasn’t one day that went by when he didn’t think about “the one that got away.” He was executed in 2014.
Ted Bundy: the innocent – looking Nightmare
Ted Bundy.
He operated during the 1970s.
He would lure young girls into secluded areas kidnap them, then rape and kill them.
He also beheaded 12 of his victims and kept their severed heads in his apartment as trophies.
Bundy would wear a fake sling or use crutches in order to evoke sympathy from the women he eventually attacked.
He was also known for impersonating authority figures such as firefighters and police officers.
He was so charming and carefully covered his tracks that the police refused to believe he was the killer even after he was reported by several people.
Bundy was later captured but he escaped from the police and courthouses several times, and went on to commit three more murders before he was finally captured and executed by electric chair in 1989.
Lekki Toll Gate Massacre: when Tinubu finally spoke up
To Nigerians, the 10th of October 2020 will forever be remembered as a day of tears and blood.
Protests had been going on across different parts of the country concerning police brutality in Nigeria.
Young people had taken to the streets to engage in peaceful protests as a way of making their voices heard.
Around 6:50 Pm WAT, alleged soldiers of the Nigerian Army swept into the protest grounds at Lekki Toll Plaza, Lagos state and opened fire on peaceful protesters.
Although Amnesty International ruled that 12 protesters were killed, this figure has been disputed with several authorities claiming that much more civillians were killed.
In the midst of the crises, the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was accused of being the mastermind of the massacre.
The exclusive video footage above shows his interview with a concerned citizen.
Idanre Hills: an African wonder
Idanre Hills.
The hills of Idanre is an ancient monument found in Ondo State in the southwest region of Nigeria, about 300 kilometers from Lagos.
The hills are about 680 steps from the bottom to the peak with mysterious handwritings etched into the rock, which have never been decoded.
On the hill also is a magical footprint known as Agboogun’s footprint that is believed to fit any foot put in it.
This hill is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Nigeria.
It includes cultural sites such as “Owa’s Palace, Shrines, Old Court, Belfry, thunder water (known as Omi Apaara) and burial mounds and grounds”.
It is 3000 ft(914.4meters) above sea level.
At the entrance of the hill is a great tree at the entrance of the ancient city of Idanre called the IRAYE TREE.
The Perret’s toad zoologically known as Amietophrynus perreti, or the Perret’s toad, is found in the Idanre hills.
The Idanre hill was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in October 8, 2007, in the cultural category.
Nigerian Police Arrests 18 Year Old Girl Who Faked Her Own Kidnap
Tuesday 8th December, 2020
The Nigerian Police Force, Lagos state division, has arrested an 18 year old girl who stage-managed her own abduction.
The 18 year old lady named Ujunwa Offiah, allegedly collaborated with her boyfriend to fake her own abduction.
It was gathered that Ujunwa’s family was instructed by the “kidnappers” to pay a ransom of 30 Million Naira only.
After much negotiations, the ransom was brought down to 700,000 Naira only.
The money was arranged to be dropped at the agreed location while the police secretly kept watch of the transaction.
An accomplice, who was identified as Precious Chukwu, a friend of the “kidnapped victim”, apparently came to pick up the money and she was arrested.
Both Ujunwa Offiah and Precious Chukwu are in the police net.
Ujunwa’s boyfriend however, is still on the run.
COVID-19: Margaret Keenan becomes first person in the world to receive vaccine
Tuesday, 8th December 2020
A 90 year old woman named Margaret Keenan has become the first person in the world to ever receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
She thankfully received the life-saving vaccine in the UK today, 8th December 2020, at 6:31 GMT.
Her Vaccination made her the first among 800,000 other persons who will receive the Pfizer vaccine in the UK over the coming weeks.
Also, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), now holds the record for the first health body to ever kick off a COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
COVID-19 GLOBAL UPDATE:
As at December 8, 2020:
Confirmed cases: 68,109,200
Deaths: 1,554,019
Discharged: 47,166,392
USA adds Nigeria to its Blacklist on Religious Freedom.
Monday, 7th December 2020
The United States Government has officially announced that Nigeria is now the newest member of its Blacklist on Nations where freedom of religion is abused.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo stated this during a briefing at the White House on Monday.
“The U.S. is unwavering in its commitment to religious freedom. No country or entity should be allowed to persecute people with impunity because of their beliefs. These annual designations show that when religious freedom is attacked, we will act.” – Mike Pompeo
Citation: Channels TV
Other countries in this “blacklist” include: China, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and a host of others.
According to the US Government, these countries actually violate the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which seeks to uphold religious equity and freedom of religion.
Author: DunoPedia News Team
Herbert Macaulay: the first Civil Engineer in Nigeria
FIRST NIGERIAN ENGINEER
Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay popularly known as Herbert Macaulay (November 14, 1864 – May 7, 1946), was the first licensed civil engineer in Nigeria on December 5, 1893.
After earning a degree in civil engineering in England, he returned to Nigeria and worked for the colonial administration.
In 1899 Macaulay resigned to set up his own business, and he began a career of political protest against colonialism.
Through Civil engineering, Herbert Macaulay got into intimate contact with Nigerian traditional rulers and he became familiar with land ownership customs and laws that has been in place before colonialism.
He began publishing a newspaper, the Lagos Daily News, to champion the land and political rights of Nigerians.
Herbert Macaulay is also reputed as the first Nigerian to ever own a car.
His portrait also adorned the Nigerian 1 Naira currency note from 1979 to 1984.
The Quietest Places on Earth
Some of the Quietest Places in the World .
They say Silence is golden, but do you know that there are some rooms in the United States that are so quiet that after sometime, the silence becomes unbearable and you might begin hallucinating?
1. ANECHOIC CHAMBER AT ORFIELD LABS
One of these places is the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
The lab is called an anechoic chamber, meaning there is no echo as the room absorbs 99.99 percent of sound.
A typical quiet bedroom at night measures about 30 decibels; this chamber measures at a record breaking -9.4decibels. (These are in negative decibels).
It is so quiet, that the longest anybody has been able to bear it is 45 minutes.
This chamber was founded by Steven Orfiled.
It is so quiet that you’ll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly.
NASA equally sent astronauts to the chamber for them to get adapted to the quietness in space.
It is 99.99% sound absorbent and it achieves this ultra quiteness by the 3.3 foot thick fibre glass acoustic wedge and double walls of insulated steel and foot-thick concrete.
2. MICROSOFT TESTING CHAMBER, WASHINGTON DC:
Hold the beer for the Microsoft lab in Washington.
In 2015, this anechoic chamber on the campus of Microsoft broke the world record with a measurement of −20.6 dBA.
This Microsoft lab currently holds the Guinness world record for the most quiet place in the world.
It is said that when you are inside this room, you could hear the sound your eyes make as they move inside your skull.
You could even hear the sounds made by your joints
Empress Wu Zetian: the Cersei Lannister of China.
To fans of the epic TV series: Game of Thrones, the name “Queen Cersei Lannister” must ring a bell.
However, no matter how evil Queen Cersei Lannister was, one thing was certain about her: she loved her children dearly and she would go to any length to protect them.
Well, the same can’t be said of Empress Wu Zetian of China: she went to any length to preserve her dominion, even if it meant sacrificing her own children.
Wu Zetian was born on 17th February, 624 A.D
In her early years, she was a concubine to the holy Emperor Taizong.
When the emperor died, Wu Zetian quickly seduced the Emperor’s son, Emperor Gaozong, and quickly became a notable figure in his royal court.
Soon, the young Emperor came to rely completely on her. Key Government decisions were made by Wu.
In fact, she had access to the royal seal of the emperor and this meant that she could make decisions without even consulting the Emperor.
It was even said that the Emperor’s official wife became close friends with Wu Zetian and she was not bothered to see Wu Zetian as a competitor for her husband.
Soon, Wu Zetian became pregnant for the emperor and put to bed.
The Queen came to see the baby and moments after she left, historians state that Wu Zetian picked up the baby- her own baby and smashed it on the wall.
The Queen’s visit to Wu Zetian was public knowledge so, she immediately became the prime suspect for the murder of the baby.
The queen was soon banished and Wu Zetian moved in to replace her in the royal court.
Many years after the death of Emperor Gaozong, Wu Zetian officially ascended the throne of China, proclaimed herself a direct descendant of Buddha and the Holy and Divine Emperor of China.
She reigned for several years until she was forced to abdicate in 683 A.D.
She died on 16th December 705.
CONTROVERSY:
A lot of historians dispute the claims that Wu Zetian killed her own child.
It is widely suggested that the rumors must have surfaced because she was a woman.
However, one thing is certain: She remains the only woman to ever rule China.
Anesthesia Awareness: Donna Penner’s nightmare
Imagine lying down on the operating table after the doctors have administered some anaesthetics.
The surgeons assume that you have become unconscious and then they go ahead to cut you open with their surgical blades.
The major problem is that you are still completely awake but your muscles have been paralyzed and there is no way you could alert the surgeons.
You completely feel the pain as the surgical blades slice through you during the surgery. The experience must be horrible.
Well, let’s interview a Canadian woman named Donna Penner who experienced anesthesia awareness during her surgery in 2008.
Donna Penner was booked for a laparoscopy in 2008.
The surgeon administered some anesthetics and she “drifted off to sleep like she was supposed to”.
Moments later, she became aware of her environment and she assumed that the surgery was over.
It was the moment she heard the surgeon yell: “scalpel please”, that Donna Penner knew that her nightmare was just beginning.
She tried to signal for help and inform the doctors that she was completely awake but then it dawned on her that she couldn’t move at all.
Apparently, the general anaesthetic failed to work but the paralytic agent was working completely.
Her heart rate increased over the monitor and she even tried to move her toes, all to no avail.
She felt the surgeon as he made the first cut and she described the pain as “horrific”.
“I could not open my eyes. The first thing that I tried to do was to sit up, but I couldn’t move. It felt like somebody was sitting on me, weighing me down”.
Citation: BBC
After the operation, Donna Penner even had to see a therapist because she was traumatized completely.
FURTHER STUDIES:
Anaesthesia awareness is reported usually in 1 out of 19,000 surgical operations.
Patients cannot communicate because they are under the influence of muscle paralytics.
A clinical psychologist named Professor Michael Wang is currently making studies on the “isolated arm technique”, whereby one of the patient’s arms is allowed to freely move in order to alert the surgeons in the case of emergencies.
Donna Penner has since filed a legal complaint against the hospital where she was operated upon.
A 2007 film titled “AWAKE”, was made in regards to this medical scenario.
Pandas in China: hunt them down and pay with your own life
Weird world of Pandas:
The next time you are in China, do not attempt to hunt a Panda.
These animals are highly protected and revered in China.
Few years ago, there were less than 2,000 Pandas in Chinese wild parks.
Thankfully, their numbers have increased today.
When you hunt or kill a Panda in China, you could get as much as a ten year prison sentence.
According to the Chinese government, you could even get life imprisonment or ultimately a death sentence in “grave circumstances”.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Great Wall of Benin: a priceless heritage in ruins.
The Great Wall of Benin:
Most Nigerians are familiar with the Great Wall of China and the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Unfortunately, most Nigerian youths have probably never heard about the Great Wall of Benin in present day Edo State, Nigeria.
Collectively, this wall had a total length of over 16,000 Kilometers!
For reference’ sake, it should be noted that the Great Wall of China is about 21,196 Kilometers long.
Around 1500 A.D, a portugese explorer named Duarte Pacheco Pereira actually described the walls of Benin during his trips.
Soon, a Dutch explorer named Dierick Ruiters gave his own description of the Benin wall around 1600 A.D.
Even though its construction may have started around the first century C.E, Some archeologists place the date of completion of the wall around 1450 and 1500 A.D.
The walls were basically built by the locals for defense.
DESTRUCTION:
This magnificent piece of architecture was virtually destroyed by the British during the Punitive Expedition of 1897.
Although small regions of the wall remain intact today, they are still being torn down by locals for construction purposes.
No major attempts have been made to declare this structure as a World Heritage Site apart from when it was added to the world heritage tentative list by UNESCO in 1995.
However, this magnificent structure holds a Guinness world record for “the world’s largest earthworks carried out prior to the mechanical era”.
The Origin of Football
Most of us follow the English premier league or the UEFA champions league and yet, we do not know the origin of football.
No! football did not originate from England.
However, it is noted that most of the transformation to modern football today is actually attributed to England.
As early as 2,500 BC, games similar to football were already being played in ancient China, Egypt and Greece.
These games ranged from the use of sticks, hands or feet to control a ball against an opponent.
Another notable game in Ancient Greece was Episkyros but this game must have been closer to Rugby than soccer.
Although there are conflicting ideas about the absolute origin of football, most historians agree that China should be given credit for the invention of football.
During the Han Dynasty in China (around 206 B.C to 220 A.D), the Chinese were known to play the game of Tsu’Chu which literarily translates: “kicking the ball”.
One notable feature of this Chinese game is that the use of hands was not permitted but the player could use any other part of his body, a rule which is similar to soccer today.
Kudos to the Chinese for presenting the world with such priceless gift.
Today, billions of persons across the planet actually have a keen interest in soccer.
In fact, football has grown to become a billion-dollar industry.
The Town with the Longest Place Name on Earth
It’s stressful enough if you want to board a taxi and you are required to give your destination as TWEEBUFFELSMETEENSKOOTMORSDOODGESKIETFONTEIN, in the North West province of South Africa.
Also imagine if you were required to fill a form in school and you had to list your place of origin as LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH in Wales, United Kingdom.
Let’s make way for the inhabitants of TAUMATAWHAKATANGIHANGAKOUAUAUOTAMATEATURIPUKAKAPIKIMAUNGAHORONUKUPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU, in New Zealand.
Standing at 85 letters long, this town in New Zealand holds the Guinness world record for the longest official place name in the world.
The man who survived two atomic bombs: Tsumotu Yamaguchi
The man with Nine lives: Tsutomu Yamaguchi
If you really think you are lucky, then meet a Japanese man named Tsutomu Yamaguchi.
During World War 2, Yamaguchi was working as a marine engineer and he lived in Nagasaki, Japan.
HIROSHIMA BOMBING:
On the morning of 6th August 1945 when the Alied nations dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan, Yamaguchi was there!
The American bomber plane: Enola Gay had dropped the little boy atomic bomb about 3 Kilometers from where he was standing.
Although he had a ruptured eardrum, temporary blindness and some radiation burns, he was able to get up and move to an air raid shelter with his friends and then he travelled down to Nagasaki the next day.
NAGASAKI BOMBING:
On the morning of August 9, 1945, Yamaguchi had reported to work in Nagasaki and was narrating his ordeal of the Hiroshima bombing to a colleague when an American bomber plane named Bockscar, dropped the second atomic bomb named Fat Man over the city of Nagasaki.
Once again, he was about 3 Kilometers away from the site of the explosion but thankfully, he wasn’t hurt by the blast.
LATER YEARS:
Yamaguchi would later become a spokesperson against nuclear warfare.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi: “I can’t understand why the world cannot understand the agony of the nuclear bombs. How can they keep developing these weapons?”
Citation: Wikipedia
In 2009, Tsutomu Yamaguchi officially became the only person recognized by the Japanese government as a survivor of both bombings.
Although there were notably over 70 other persons that survived both bombings, Yamaguchi was the only officially recognized survivor.
On 4th January 2010, he died of stomach cancer. It is unclear wether the stomach cancer was due to the 1945 incidents.
In 2010, the BBC ventured into dark humour by featuring Yamaguchi in a comedy episode, referring to him as “the unluckiest man in the world”.
Vesna Vulovic: the woman who fell from over 33,000 feet and survived!
Vesna Vulovic.
On 26th January 1972, a Serbian plane: JAT Flight 367 crashed due to the explosion of a briefcase bomb which had been placed in its baggage compartment.
The plane crashed somewhere in Czechoslovakia.
A woman named Vesna Vulovic was actually a flight attendant on the ill-fated plane.
Vulovic was the only survivor of the crash among 28 passengers and crew.
A villager named Bruno Honke overheard her screaming.
Thankfully, due to the medical training that the villager had received during World War 2, he was able to keep her barely alive until the rescue team arrived.
Vesna Vulovic actually had broken ribs, fractured pelvis, fractured skull and 3 broken vertebrae.
Although she was temporarily paralyzed from her waist down, she later recovered almost completely.
Vulovic spent several days in a coma and remained in hospital for several months.
GUINESS WORLD RECORD:
After the incident, Vulovic was awarded a Guiness world record for “surviving the highest fall without a parachute”.
Apparently, she had fallen from 33,330 feet above sea level and had actually survived.
The Man with the Golden Arm: James Christopher Harrison
The man with the Golden Arm.
Meet James Christopher Harrison.
He was born on 27th December 1936.
He is an Australian man who has donated blood for a record of 1,173 times.
He had a surgery when he was 14 years old and he vowed to donate blood to others.
Soon, it was discovered that his blood had some unique properties.
Fast forward to several years later, and his unusual blood plasma composition has been used to formulate a treatment for Rhesus disease and Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn.
He donated blood for the last time on 11th May 2018.
It was his 1,173rd donation.
According to Australian law, he could no longer give blood out of concerns for his safety because he had reached the age of 81.
Today, virtually every Anti-D injection in Australia, is synthesized from James’ blood.
Through his heroic deeds, he has saved the lives of over 2.4 million babies.
Through contributions from researches conducted on his blood, today we have commercial Anti-D Immune Globin, which is popularly called RhoGAM.
CLARIFICATIONS:
I realize you have been informed that one can only donate blood at a maximum rate of once every 3 months.
Don’t worry much because plasma has a different donation rule from red cell donation.
You can actually donate plasma at a rate of once every four weeks.
Go out there and donate some blood today!
Exactly 75 years since Flight 19 disappeared at the Bermuda Triangle!
It was on 5th December 1945.
A fleet of 5 torpedo bomber planes took off on official training duty from the Naval Air Station in Florida, USA.
Some moments into the flight, it was noted that the pilots complained about their compasses which suddenly started acting weird.
The team of 5 planes was actually led by the main pilot, Charles Carroll Taylor.
Around 19:04, Captain Carroll logged in his last known words:
Carroll Taylor : “All planes close up tight… We’ll have to ditch unless landfall… When the first plane drops below 10 gallons, we all go down together”.
Citation : Wikipedia
RESCUE TEAM:
Soon after signals were completely lost from Flight 19, a rescue plane which was a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat, was launched from the Florida Air base to search for the missing 5 torpedo planes of Flight 19.
After the rescue plane had flown around for some time, it mysteriously stopped communicating with the Naval base.
It was later noticed that the rescue plane disappeared around the area where Flight 19 had earlier disappeared : the Bermuda Triangle.
Although some investigators presumed that the rescue plane may have exploded in mid-air, no wreckage of the plane has ever been found to prove this.
CASUALTIES:
Flight 19 (which constituted of 5 planes), collectively had 14 men on board.
All 14 men were lost or missing and have now been presumed dead.
The second plane which was a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat, had 13 crew members.
All 13 crew members have been presumed dead.
A total of 27 victims were lost in the 1945 Bermuda Triangle incident.
The War between Chinua Achebe and 50 Cent.
Most of us know the Late Professor Chinua Achebe as the author of the record breaking novel: Things Fall Apart.
Things Fall Apart arguably holds the record for the most popular and most widely read novel in Africa.
On the other hand, we know 50Cent as an American rapper who has thrilled the world with his music.
In 2011, American rapper 50cent was about to release a movie drama titled “Things Fall Apart”.
He was approached by Chinua Achebe’s lawyers and they clearly stated that the title of the movie would suggest a clear attempt at plagiarizing Achebe’s work.
In a bid to end the argument, 50 Cent offered to pay 1 Million US Dollars to Achebe in order to have rights to the title.
Surprisingly, Achebe felt seriously insulted. Even Achebe’s lawyers were said to remind 50 Cent that Achebe’s book was even written over 17 years before he (50 Cent) was born.
To make matters more interesting, Professor Chinua Achebe even stated that he wouldn’t sell rights to his work, even for 1 Billion US Dollars!
At the end of the day, Achebe won the argument and 50 Cent had to switch the title of his movie from “Things Fall Apart”, to “All Things Fall Apart”.
Vanishing Lady (1896)
The vanishing Lady is an 1896 short French Film by Georges Melies.
In the movie, a magician walks onto a stage with his female assistant.
He demonstrates that no trap door or escape route is hidden underground or around the stage by placing a newspaper on the floor.
He then places a chair on the stage and his assistant sits on it. He places a blanket over her.
As soon as the blanket is removed, we notice that she has disappeared.
The magician the summons a skeleton and places the blanket over it.
As soon as he removes the blanket, the assistant is seen again.
Hello There: “Let’s worship some cats…”
It was 5th May 525 BC and the Egyptians were heading into war with the Persians.
This remarkable battle is referred to as the battle of Pelusium.
King Cambyses II of Persia had already gathered his army when he learnt something that would put him ahead in the battle.
He learnt that the Egyptians had massive respect for cats. In fact, they worshiped the goddess: Bastet.
This goddess was said to have a cat-like head with a woman’s body.
So strong was the love the Egyptians had for cats that if you killed a cat, you would be stabbed to death.
As if that wasn’t enough, most dead cats were given “befitting burials”. The dead cats were even said to be mummified with some expensive jewelry.
Thus, when King Cambyses II of Persia learnt this secret, he simply put it to use.
MARCHING TO WAR:
According to records of Polyaeunus and partial accounts of Herodotus, the Persian king placed a lot of cats and other animals in front of his army.
As they marched forward, the Egyptians could not fire a single arrow because they were concerned about hitting the cats.
Of course the Persians emerged victorious in this battle and in a matter of weeks or months, they were able to rule over the entire lands of Egypt.
The battle of Pelusium marked the shift of power from Pharoah Psametik III to Cambyses II of Persia.
The ancient Egyptians would rather lose an empire than disrespect their goddess.
Lonar Lake
Some call it Lonar crater.
It’s said to be about fifty two thousand years plus/minus six thousand years.
It was said to be formed when a meteorite impacted with the earth between 35,000 to 50,000 years ago.
It is located at Lonar, Buldhana district, Maharastra in India.
It is estimated to have a diameter of about 3,900 feet.
A research revealed that the minerals found in this lake is similar with those found in rocks in the moon.
The beautiful thing about the water found in this lake is that it is both saline and alkaline.
The outer region has water with a neutral PH of 7, while the inner region has a PH of 11.
Surprisingly, these two regions do not mix and they both have their own different flora and fauna.
This lake happens to be a beautiful tourist centre in india and what most people don’t know is that the late was borne out of an asteroid collision with the earth.
Why Mount Everest is still Growing Taller Today
Did you know that Mount Everest is still growing?
Although it is the Tallest mountain on earth, it still grows taller by 0.5 inch every year, or a rate of 40 Cm every 100 years.
Do you want to know why this mountain is still growing? Let’s ask India and the mainland of Asia.
About some millions of years ago, the now known India used to be an island.
What then happened? History has it that the island broke off from a supercontinent known as Gondwanaland.
After about 50 million years, it moved northward and collided with the continent Asia and created the Himalayas, which is said to have over 50 mountains exceeding 23,600 feet in elevation.
Due to the collision between India and Asia, the Himalaya mountain range was formed, of which Mount Everest is the most notable mountain.
Although this collision happened millions of years ago, it still carries enough force that makes the two land masses to push against each other.
This situation makes this region to be vulnerable to horrible earthquakes.
However, millions of years from now, the mountains would have grown to a height whereby earth’s gravity would take over and restrict their growth.
If earth had no gravity, it’s mountains would grow uncontrollably, even beyond the atmosphere.
Consider Olympus Mons on the surface of Mars.
It holds the record for the second Tallest mountain in the solar system. It is almost 3 times taller than our own Mount Everest.
It is 25,000 Metres tall.
Because the gravity on Mars is 3.711 M/S² , compared to Earth which has a gravity of 9.807 M/S², over millions of years, Olympus Mons has been able to grow almost uncontrollably, compared to Mount Everest.
Mystery: the disappearance of Flight Mh370 in 2014
MH370 happens to be a Malaysian Airline plane that disappeared into thin air on the 8th of March, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International airport.
While crossing over the Indiana Ocean, the aircraft was said to have vanished without having developed any turbulence or engine malfunction.
No one has exactly stated what caused it’s disappearance.
Till date, no trace of the aircraft has been made neither has anyone who boarded it been found.
It still gives everyone boarding any aircraft chills and leaves one wondering if he’ll make a peaceful transit without disappearing into thin air.
Some religious persons obviously believe there’s a supernatural force behind it while scientists are working to disprove this.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
Since the disappearance of the MH370 aircraft, a lot of theories have come up. While most of them are laughable, some of these theories may actually bear true relevance.
Notable among these, was the claim by former Australian Prime Minister: Tony Abbot. He said the pilot of MH370 had committed mass murder suicide and that the Malaysian Government was actually hiding the truth from the public.
His claim remains that the disappearance could have been due to a decision by the pilot to commit a mass murder suicide. However, some authorities disagree with this fact, stating that the pilot could actually be a hero rather than a criminal.
Another notable claim was that the Russians may have hijacked the plane.
However, there are no definite ways to verify these claims yet. It has even been speculated that the plane was abducted by aliens.
ACTUAL FLIGHT PATH:
At 00:42 MYT on 8th March 2014, flight Mh370 took off.
The flight was expected to take 5 hours and 34 minutes and consume about 37,200 Kg of fuel.
As part of normal precautionary measures and regulations, the plane carried a total of 49,100 Kg of fuel. The extra fuel was always needed in case of emergency deviations or flight delays.
It’s last verbal signal was noted at 01:19:30 when a transition was noted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. Below is a transcript of the flight transition:
Lumpur Radar: “Malaysian three seven zero, contact Ho Chi Minh one two Zero decimal nine. Good night”.
Flight 370: “Good night. Malaysian three seven zero”.
Citation: Wikipedia
MYSTERY BEGINS:
After the transition, it was noted that satellite signals were lost. The plane was also known to have significantly appeared and disappeared from radar.
It was also noted that the co-pilot had tried to use his cellphone some moments after satellite contact was lost.
Soon, the plane changed course unexpectedly, and began to turn left. Soon, it was flying Southwards, never to be seen again.
Although over 200 Million US Dollars have been spent in the search for this plane over the span of 4 years, it has not been found.
There were 239 persons on board, of which 153 were Chinese.
Shroud of Turin: the proposed burial cloth of Jesus Christ
The Shroud of Turin also known as the Holy Shroud is a 14 foot piece of linen measuring 4.4 by 1.1m, with a negative image of a man imprinted on it.
The man is said to have the marks of crucifixion.
Most Christians believe it is the image of Jesus Christ on the Shroud, others believe that it was the dress he was wore after the crucifixion, just before his burial.
Despite the radiocarbon dating in 1988 that concluded that the Shroud dates back to 1260 and 1390 AD, thus not in anyway linked to Jesus, Christians still hold on to the fact that it is an image of their saviour.
Other speculations have it that the Shroud might just be one of Leonardo da Vinci’s creations.
Well, religious people tend to hold on to anything that uplits their religion while scientists always try to negate and downtrend such act.
The Shroud of Turin might just be another tussle between science and religion, who knows?
Lawrence Anini: “Anini the Law”
Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini.
Lawrence Anini popularly known as “Anini The Law” was a Nigerian criminal who terrorized Benin City in the 1980s.
He was born in the 1960s in a village about 30 kilometers away from Benin City in present day Edo state.
He moved to Benin at a young age and learned to drive and with time became a skilled taxi driver.
He was well known in Benin motor parks.
He dived into crime in the city and became a transporter for gangs, criminal godfathers and thieves.
With time he created his own gang which included Monday Osunbor, Ofege, and others, and they first began to operate as car hijackers, bus robbers, and bank thieves.
Gradually, he extended his criminal acts to other towns and cities far north and east of Benin.
It is believed that his reign of terror was triggered by the complicity of the police.
In early 1986 two of his gang members Kingsley and Kele were tried and prosecuted prior to the under-the-table bribe induced agreement with the police to destroy evidence against the gang members.
The incident, coupled with Anini’s view of police betrayal, is believed to have triggered retaliatory actions by Anini.
In August 1986, a fatal bank robbery operation which involved the death of a child and a police officer was linked to Anini.
During a span of 3 months he was known to have killed 9 police officers.
Some believed he possessed magical powers and was often described as a spirit as he was believed to be able to teleport at will.
He was later captured on 3rd Dec., 1986 at a house in Benin City, in the company of a girlfriend who was believed to had betrayed him.
He was shot in the legs and moved to a milliary hospital, several days later one of his legs was amputated.
He was later tried and convicted of most of his charges.
He was executed on March 29,1987.
Wizkid: the living legend of the Afrobeats
First Afrobeats Artist to appear in the Guinness World Records.
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid was born on July 16,1990 in Surulere, Lagos.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
He became the first Afrobeats artist to appear in the Guinness World Records in 2018 for his contribution to “One Dance”, a song he collaborated with Drake (a Canadian rapper) to release.
It was the same song that granted him international recognition and opened the door to other many achievements to him.
In February 2014, he became the first Nigerian musician to have over 1 million followers on Twitter.
Wizkid started recording music at the age of 11 and since then has released a total of four studio albums:
•Superstar (June 12, 2011)
•Ayo (Sept. 17, 2014)
•Sounds from the other side (July 14, 2017)
•Made in Lagos (October 30, 2020).
He has released a total of :
•33 music videos
•51 Singles (with 38 as featured artist)
•44 promotional singles
•7 covers and freestyles
•1 mini album (EPs).
The Nigerian singer is still waxing strong in the music industry and hoping to attain greater heights.
Aina Onabolu: father of Nigerian modern arts
Aina Onabolu.
Have you ever wondered who the father of modern art in Nigeria was?
Well your answer would be Aina Onabolu born in 1882 in Ijebu-Ode.
He was a pioneering modern art teacher and painter, He played a very important role in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in Nigeria.
This icon started painting at an early age of twelve and his inspiration was from the cheap reproduced western arts prominent in many Nigerian magazines and religious books.
By the age of 32 he was already quite popular as a knowledgeable and skilled artist and was able to exhibit his works.
He went on to complete his studies with a diploma in fine arts and a teacher’s certificate from St. John Woods College, London in 1922.
Aina’s major artworks were portraits. And one of the most outstanding of them is his portrait of Mrs. Spencer Savage in 1906.
This portrait is sometimes regarded as one one of the outstanding works of art that used a western and modern style and technique.
Most of his portraits are held at the National Gallery of Modern Arts, Lagos.
However Aina was not limited to only portraiture as he was also an established craftsman.
He passed on in 1963.
Fela Sowande: father of Nigerian contemporary music
Father of Contemporary Music in Nigeria.
Olufela Obafunmilayo Sowande popularly known as Fela Sowande was a Nigerian musician and composer.
He is considered the father of modern Nigerian Art music as he perhaps is the most internationally known African composer of works in the European classical language or terms.
He was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria on 29th May, 1905.
His career in music started as a chorister in Cathedral Church of Christ.
He studied organ under Dr. T. K Ekundayo Philips and earned the Fellowship diploma from the royal college Organists.
In 1934 He went to London to study European Classical and popular music.
He was a solo pianist in the George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue performance in 1936.
In the same year he also played in the performance of the Black Bird.
In 1939, he played the organ on recordings by popular singers Adelaide Hall and Vera Lynn.
He then studied organ privately under Edmund Rubbra, George Oldroyd, and George Cunningham and in 1943 became a fellow of the Royal College of Organists, winning the Limpus, Harding and Read Prizes.
He later moved back to Nigeria and worked with the Nigerian Broadcasting Cooperation and then later at the University of Ibadan.
-Some of his orchestral work include:
•Six Sketches for Full Orchestra
• A Folk Symphony
• African Suite for string orchestra,
- He passed on in Ravenna on 13th March 1987 and buried at Randolph township, Ohio
Some of his Organ works:
•Yorùbá Lament
•Obangiji
•Kyrie and Gloria
•Jesu Olugbala and Oba Aba Ke Pe
“Pay Me my Money” : the British credit crises of 1772.
Credit Crisis of 1772.
In the mid 1760’s, the British empire having colonized different states, accumulated enormous wealth.
This extraordinary achievement created overoptimism and rapid credit expansion by British banks.
All these came to an unceremonious end when Alexander Fordyce, one of the partners of the banking house: “Neal, James, Fordyce and Down”, fled to France to escape paying his debts.
This triggered panic among creditors and they began visiting banks demanding for instant cash withdrawal.
This financial Crisis then spread to Scotland, Netherlands and other parts of Europe, even to British American Colonies.
Historians believe this crisis is one of the triggers of the Boston Tea party protest and the American revolution.
The First Storey Building in Nigeria
First Storey building in Nigeria.
History has it that the construction of the first storey building in Nigeria began in 1842 which was when the foundation was laid.
It was completed in 1845 in Badagry, Lagos Nigeria.
The building was said to be constructed by Rev. Henry Townsend of the Church Missionary Society (CMS).
It was then occupied Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African CMS bishop when he undertook the task of translating the Bible from English to Yoruba.
This was where the first missionaries in Nigeria settled in and it was believed to be where returnee slaves lodged too.
The house has six big rooms, four stores and two big sitting rooms and a safe where valuable things are saved.
Even though the house may look frail and old from outside, the wooden staircases looks strong as ever.
The Mona Lisa: Leonardo Da Vinci’s legacy
Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is the famous half-length painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
The painting is of a woman Lisa Gherardini the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.
The painting has a measurement of 77cm×53cm.
It was under production from 1503-1506 and probably even till 1517.
This painting is considered an archetypal masterpiece of Italian Renaissance.
It is believed to be the best known, the most visited, the most sung about, the most written about and the most parodied work of art in the World.
The Mona Lisa is one of the most valuable paintings in the world and it has a Guinness World record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at US$100 million as at 1962 which was equivalent to US$660 million in 2019.
This painting has survived for more than 500 years.
John Wayne Gacy: Pogo the killer clown
John Wayne Gacy.
Also know as ‘Pogo the clown’, John Wayne Gacy was one of the most notorious criminals in American History and one of the most prolific serial killers.
He was known for killing young boys by attracting them to his home.
He would also dress up as a clown and perform in fundraising events where he has access to tons of children.
MURDERS:
He was accused of murdering 33 young boys between 1972 and 1978 and then stuffing them into the crawl space of his home.
Typically, John Wayne Gacy would invite these young victims to his house and offer them food, drinks, drugs or even money for sex.
As soon as the victim gained his support, he would ask the victim to perform a “handcuff trick” with him.
John would restrain his hands with a handcuff and then “miraculously” unlock it using a key he had hidden in between his fingers.
Of course, once the victim saw the “magic trick”, he would be excited and John would offer to restrain the hands of the victim with the handcuff in a bid to teach him how to unlock the cuffs.
Once the unsuspecting victim’s hands were restrained, John would say: “the trick is, you have to have the key”.
He would then go ahead to rape and torture his victim for many hours and even days.
In fact, John Wayne confessed that he was sexually stimulated by the sounds his victims made while they were dying!
During some of his killing sprees, he would even recite Psalms 23 while the victim lay dying.
In a weird nature, it was noted that he usually murdered his victims between the hours of 3 to 6 in the morning, except for his last two victims.
DEATH:
He was finally arrested, tried and sentenced to die by Lethal injection in 1994.
His final words: “Kiss my A**”… (not so much for reference).
John Wayne Gacy was confirmed dead by 12:58 am on 10th May 1994.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: 24th March 1989
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
On Good Friday March 24th,1989 in Alaska, Exxon Valdez an oil tanker owned by Exxon Shipping company, struck a Reef which is 2.4km west of Tatitlek Alaska.
This collision led to the spillage of 37,000 metric tonnes of crude oil.
The oil spillage affected approximately 1,300 miles of wildlife-abundant shoreline.
Spilled oil damaged shoreline from Bligh Reef to Kodiak Island and beyond.
The estimated initial death toll of the spill included 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales, billions of salmon and herring eggs, and other intertidal plants and animals.
This is considered the world’s worst oil spillage in terms of environmental damage.
It’s also considered as the world’s second worst oil spillage in terms of volume of oil spillage after the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill.
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