You might not know the name David Hahn, but back in 1995, his fascination with nuclear power nearly triggered a radiological disaster in his Michigan hometown. As a teen, Hahn became fixated with the idea of building a nuclear reactor in his mother’s backyard shed — and he actually got pretty darn close to accomplishing it. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); To amass the power needed for a nuclear reactor, Hahn took to scraping radioactive materials from common household items like smoke detectors. With his tools in hand, the kid began construction of his reactor. However, things did not go as planned (of course) and Hahn quickly tried to disassemble the reactor before it blew. Despite not creating the reactor, Hahn still managed to contaminate his mother’s yard with radiation. It was so bad, the EPA had to come clear it up. Here’s a mini-documentary looking at Hahn’s bizarre accomplishment. That is absolutely insane. Sadly, after his brush with nuclear greatness, life hasn’t been great for Hahn. Following a stint in the Navy and Marines, he was arrested in 2007. Police caught him trying to steal the smoke detectors in an apartment complex to amass more radioactive material for an unknown purpose. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me… Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/diy-nuclear-reactor/
When you hear birds chirping in the springtime, it’s safe to say that they’re calling out to potential mates. Because it’s such an ordinary sound, it probably doesn’t occur to you that it could be the last time that bird’s call is ever heard. While it’s a far-fetched idea, that was the thought going through the heads of researchers in 1987 as they recorded the last male Kauai ‘O’o bird singing on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. The small bird had been pushed to extinction by the introduction of non-native species. By 1987, there was only one left — a single male. In the video below, you can hear the last mating song of the Kauai ‘O’o bird as he calls out to a mate that would never answer. (source: Robert Davis ) Honestly, listening to that bird’s song and writing this moved me to tears. How many more species have to slip away before humanity gets its act together? Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/last-mating-song/
If you’re a fan of genuinely creepy horror films, then you’ve probably heard about the upcoming movie from director Robert Eggers called The Witch. So far, the reviews for the film have been stellar, and audiences are delighted by the genuinely unnerving horror of The Witch. When the credits roll and the lights go up, most people believe that everything they saw was simply a work of fiction and they have nothing to worry about, right? Well, not so fast… This week, Eggers sat down to talk about his new film and exactly how he researched it. iStock As it turns out, the film was inspired by history, not fiction. “In the early modern period, the real world and the fairy tale world — for everyone but the extreme intelligentsia — were the same thing. People really believed that the old lady down the lane that they were calling a ‘witch’ was actually a fairy-tale ogress, capable of doing the most horrible things,” he told the blog io9. iStock “It was very easy to dig into that and be obsessed with trying to bring the audience back to the 17th century and show them a Puritan’s nightmare. I wanted to bring them back to the time when a witch was a really powerful thing, and not a cheesy plastic Halloween costume,” said Eggers. Eggers said he also dug into writings from the time to find dialogue for the movie. iStock “As I was reading, I would find sentences and phrases that worked and I would write them down constantly. Then I would organize them into different situations where they might be used,” said Eggers. “Earlier drafts of the script were these monstrous, cannibalized versions of other people’s stuff in a weird collage, which then got shaped into something that was more mine. However, there are some things that are absolutely intact. A lot of the things the children say when they’re possessed are supposedly things that children actually said when they were possessed, and so on.” Needless to say, all of this meticulous research has paid off in a big way. It’s looking like The Witch might just be the creepiest movie of 2016. Judge for yourself in the trailer below. (via: Daily Grail) Personally, I can’t wait to check out this film despite the fact that I know it will scare the living daylights out of me. It’s all part of the job I suppose… Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/folk-tale-witches/
One thing spiders are known for, aside from their creepiness, is their sneakiness. Their ability to silently move around and scare the crap out of you by appearing out of nowhere is sort of their trademark. However, when you turn the tables and start creeping up on spiders…well, let’s just say they don’t like that very much. It’s a terrifying fact that one young Australian learned in literally the worst way possible… That’s just too much nope to handle. Sadly, we don’t know exactly what happened after the spider charged him, but I think we can make an educated guess… Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/creeping-spider/
Pretty much everything that can exist does exist in some form online. While this is exciting at some level, it’s also a terrifying prospect. Most of use aren’t disturbed enough to think of all the weird, crazy things that we sometimes encounter on the internet, but the many creeps who call the web home certainly are. And some sickos are a cut above the rest. Take, for example, a YouTuber who goes by Jake. Jake’s channel consists solely of disturbing black and white video sketches that seem to incorporate a dead body wrapped in a garbage bag. Saying that this footage is disturbing is putting it mildly. All of the short flickers of text that come across the screen in these videos don’t make them any better. One enterprising Redditor was able to piece together all of these texts. The result is actually a poem. Here’s a transcript: There was a lady all skin and bone; Sure such a lady was never known. It happened upon a certain day, this lady went to the church to pray. When she came to the church stile, there she did rest a little while; When she came to the church yard, there the bells so loud she heard. When she came to the church door, she stopped to rest a little more; When she came to the church within, the parson prayed ‘gainst pride and sin. On looking up, on looking down, she saw a dead man on the ground; And from his nose unto his chin, the worms crawled out, the worms crawled in. Then she unto the parson said, “Shall I be so when I am dead?” “Oh yes! Oh yes,” the parson said, “You will be so when you are dead.” Here the lady screams. This one might be the freakiest of all. (via Reddit) Well, I’m never sleeping again. I’d really like to know what exactly is happening in these videos and why, but I would settle for knowing whether or not that’s a real body. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/dead-body-youtube/
While being a mortician is an unsettling profession, you rarely hear morticians talk about their work and not say that they love it. Take, for example, this woman in the video below. She’s a mortician by the name of Yolanda Milligan, and she really does love her job. Her speciality is embalming. In the clip below, Milligan explains the embalming process and lets us know what she thinks about it. It’s both morbid and intriguing. (source: Benson Family Funeral Home of Chicago) Even though I have my issues with the death industry, I certainly see the beauty in what Milligan and other people like her do for a living. I wonder if she’s still embalming today. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/embalming/
Gordon Ramsay has earned himself a reputation as a celebrity chef and with an adventurous palate. While this makes for great entertainment for us viewers, it doesn’t always look so pleasant for Ramsay. Take this clip from the 2011 season of his show, “Gordon’s Great Escape.” In it, the chef pays a visit to Vietnam and is served a rare delicacy: the beating heart of a snake… Here’s our mild NSFW warning if you don’t have a strong stomach… Well, I’ll be honest…that looks like a very stressful eating situation. And that poor snake! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/snake-heart/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’); }); Metal detecting is one of the coolest hobbies ever, and I don’t care what anyone says. Being able to find cool and mysterious things hidden just below the surface of the Earth is basically the best feeling in the world. While most metal detecting only uncovers a couple of small things at a time, every once in a while, you find something that absolutely blows your mind. What kind of “something,” you might ask? Oh, I don’t know…A TREASURE CHEST?! Okay, so it’s not a real treasure chest, but it’s still pretty damn amazing. Talk about a successful day of metal detecting, am I right? Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/treasure-chest/
When your house becomes infested with massive spiders, the best course of action is to call a reputable exterminator. The absolute last thing you should try to do is catch them. That’s a fact of life that YouTuber leokimvideo learned when he tried to catch the giant huntsman spider that wandered into his home during mating season. All of the nope! I think I’d just burn my house down and start over. Australia, you never cease to shock and amaze me with your unrivaled creepiness. For more whacky videos, be sure to check out leokimvideo on YouTube! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/spider-attack/
In the medical world, there’s no shortage of weird, creepy diseases. One of the most misunderstood conditions is a disease by the name of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or simply EDS. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that’s passed down genetically. Those suffering from EDS experience a wide variety of symptoms, and they often go misdiagnosed for years. Some also experience hyperflexibility, meaning that they can easily bend and dislocate their joints. This makes it possible for them to escape from sticky situations…like being cuffed by the police. My joints hurt just watching this. (source: Taryn Eason) While it’s a great trick for parties, those with EDS who continually abuse their joints can expect to suffer serious long-term consequences. Don’t try this at home. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/handcuff-escape/
