You might say that the 1960s were when Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union reached their peak, but that doesn’t mean that the 1970s were any picnic. The people of both nations lived under the constant threat of all-out nuclear war. To prepare for this possibility in the U.S., radio stations in different cities were instructed to create official attack warnings. These recordings were to be broadcast to the population in the event of a nuclear strike on American soil. While these messages are ominous, they still have a friendly flavor to them since they were recorded by radio hosts. In the video below you can hear the attack warning message recorded by Jim O’Brien for Philadelphia’s WFIL in the early 1970s… It really makes you think about how many announcements they have these days…there’s gotta be at least one for a zombie apocalypse, right? Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/attack-warning-message/
Hopefully, most of us will never have to experience the horror of a landslide. These things are some of the most underrated natural disasters of all time. Just imagine being on a hillside in a rainstorm. Everything is wet, but it all looks solid. But all of a sudden, the ground gives way and starts hurtling down the hill. If you’re not ready for them, these things can kill you. During one storm in Japan, people along Route 168 prepared themselves for impending doom by setting up barricades. Just imagine how much worse this could have been. (via Reddit) It’s a wonder of modern science that they were able to predict and anticipate this landslide. The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from Japan. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/japanese-landslide/
In both 2014 and 2015, more than 460,000 children were reported missing. That means in just two years, nearly 1 million kids disappeared. While many cases are solved and some families are reunited, others aren’t so lucky. For one Florida mom, her quick acting prevented her daughter from being part of that alarming statistic above. She took her 13-year-old to the grocery store and ended up having to fight for her life to keep her safe… The heroic mother was shopping at a Dollar General store in Hernando, Florida, when 30-year-old Craig Bonello, seen in the security footage below, decided to kidnap the young girl. YouTube / nonstop videos Bonello grabbed the teen and began hauling her, kicking and screaming, from the store. That’s when her mother also grabbed hold, resulting in a life-or-death tug-of-war. YouTube / nonstop videos Bonello finally let go of the girl and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately for him, he did this just as an off-duty police officer arrived at the store. Noticing something was wrong, the deputy jumped in. Dollar General attempted kidnapping: @SheriffCitrus: Craig Bonello admitted prior kidnappings, so far unvalidated. pic.twitter.com/G1W3z2QBUJ — Erik Waxler (@erikwaxler) June 8, 2016 Now in police custody, Bonello has been denied bail and is facing charges of child abuse and kidnapping. You can see the terrifying struggle caught on camera in the video below. (via The Daily News) Well, that was terrifying. Luckily, the girl’s mother didn’t hesitate and sprang into action. Another minute and he might have gotten away. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/kidnap-attempt/
If there’s one place you don’t want to run across a giant, 15-foot alligator, it’s on a beautiful golf course in sunny Florida. Sadly (or awesomely, depending on your feelings about alligators), that’s exactly what happened at Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Palmetto, Florida, yesterday afternoon. Golfer Charles Helms and a friend were enjoying a beautiful day out on the green when the massive reptile made a chilling appearance. Helms was so shocked by the creature’s size that he was convinced that it had to be a prank of some sort. And when you see this footage, you probably won’t believe your eyes either. (via The Guardian) Apparently, this massive gator is seen fairly regularly around Buffalo Creek. One employee even refers to it as the unofficial mascot of the golf course! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/golf-gator/
For many music fans, summer is festival season. There’s nothing quite like gathering with thousands of strangers in beautiful weather to take in some top-shelf tunes. However, those circumstances are also ripe breeding grounds for tragedy, especially when enclosed spaces are involved. We need only look at what happened during the 2010 Love Parade in Germany for proof of that… Since 1989, The Love Parade had taken place in Berlin. In 2010, the organizers attempted to hold the festival in a new city in the west, Duisburg. It was also the first time that the festival was held in an enclosed area. Wikipedia The capacity of the venue was limited to 250,000 people, but officials estimated anywhere between 200,000 and 1.4 million people were expected to attend. Wikipedia Entrance to the festival, which was held in a former freight station, was supposed to begin at 11 a.m. but ended up starting around noon instead. The supposed only way in was through an 800-foot-long ramp. However, police closed the tunnel because of overcrowding and attempted to announce over loudspeakers that newcomers should leave and use a different entrance. However, new people continued to pool into the tunnel causing a stampede. Twenty-one people were killed and 500 suffered injuries. The autopsies on all 21 bodies indicated crushed rib cages as the cause of death. Getty Images “I will never forget the sight. There were all these twisted-up bodies of those who had been crushed. They were lying at the tunnel exit. Their faces had all turned blue,” said one eyewitness who survived being trapped in the tunnel. Wikipedia A Redditor who was at the festival but got out in time described her experience like this: Getty Images It was “one of the most surreal experiences I ever lived through. Thanks to my experience I was able to get out at the peak. My friend was furious at me that I dragged her out and that I behaved the way I did. She thanked me when she saw the bodies lying down.” In response to the tragedy, the organizers of the Love Parade announced that they were retiring the festival. “The Love Parade has always been a joyful and peaceful party, but in future would always be overshadowed by yesterday’s events,” said organizer Rainer Schaller. Getty Images For a taste of what it was like in the final moments before officials began to clear the crowd, you can check out the video below. WARNING: It is very upsetting. I remember when this story broke. I happened to be studying in Germany at the time. It was surreal, to say the least. The only reason for these deaths was poor planning. Everyone was just there to have fun. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/love-parade-disaster/
Driving a boat is harder than it looks on TV or in the movies. Not only do you have to captain the vehicle, you also need to be paying attention to the radar and the radio so that you don’t crash into any nearby ships. You should be aware of the status of the mechanics, too, lest you stall out on the open sea. Crazy things can happen. When a small speedboat’s engine stalled off the New Jersey coast, the people on board found themselves right in the middle of a shipping lane with a humongous container ship bearing down on them. This is seriously tense. (via Reddit) Those people were literally inches from getting run over. The big man upstairs must have been smiling on them that day. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/almost-crushed/
On the coast of the Red Sea lies one of the world’s most infamous scuba locations, and it’s known locally as the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole that goes down about 96 meters (or 314 feet). It’s a popular spot for free diving, but it’s also earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous locations in the world. Despite regulation by authorities, about two divers per year are defeated by the sinkhole. The most famous death at the hole happened when diving instructor Yuri Lipski got lost back in 2000. Lipski foolishly decided to dive to the bottom of the hole on his own. Wikipedia He managed to reach a depth of 304 feet. However, at this depth, nitrogen narcosis began to impact his mental state, causing him to become disoriented. Wikipedia Once he realized that he would not be able to escape, Lipski removed his oxygen mask and quickly perished. Wikipedia When a diver was sent to retrieve Lipski’s body, they discovered that he had brought a video camera down with him. The camera attached to his helmet ended up recording the entire ordeal — including the moment of his death. The video below is not for the faint of heart. (via Reddit) That poor guy. I can’t even imagine how horrible his final moments must have been. Let this be a reminder to bring a buddy with you when you’re doing anything risky, no matter how skilled you are. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/yuri-lipski/
Just ask any firefighter and they’ll tell you that magnesium fires are no joke and they can lead to some serious injuries and destruction of property. Magnesium is a combustible metal that’s becoming more and more common in our everyday lives. Typically, there is not enough magnesium in our devices to pose a threat, but when you get enough of it in one spot, accidents can happen. That’s when magnesium fires start. Fighting these blazes is extremely difficult because you cannot use water to extinguish them. In fact, water just makes them worse. Magnesium fire burns so hot that it actually causes water molecules to break into their component elements, which can then combust. As a demonstration, I present to you the St. Louis Fire Department trying to extinguish a magnesium blaze. (source: Firefighter 911) Well, that is absolutely terrifying. Now I’m doubly uncomfortable with the fact that I live so close to an industrial park. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/magnesium-fire/
When it comes to ghost hunting, the most interesting spirits to track down are the angry ones. Sure, they might be capable of injuring you, but they also tend to be the most active. Take, for example, this footage from the 3 Girls In The Dark paranormal team. The group explored the famous Villisca Murder House in Iowa late last year and captured some bizarre footage. In 1912, the house was the site of a brutal murder that left all six members of the Moore family and their two young guests dead. It was after midnight when one member of the team recited the phrase that evidently inspired Reverend Lyn George Kelly to commit the murders. After the women said the phrase aloud, one of their cameras started shaking violently. That ghost wanted nothing to do with being taunted by the living. (source: Ghostsofbritain) It’s worth noting that even though Kelly confessed to the murders in 1917, he was never actually convicted. His case went to court twice, and both times, he was acquitted. The murders remain officially unsolved to this day. You can read more about the Villisca axe murders here. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/angrier-ghost/
You might say that these days, the world is experiencing a bit of a thawing period concerning the war on drugs. Of course, the majority of them are still illegal, however, punishments for possession and recreational use of these substances have been significantly reduced in many parts of the world. That being said, there are still some drugs out there that you should stay away from forever and ever. One of those drugs is a mysterious substance known as “Devil’s Breath.” Burandanga or Devil’s Breath, as it’s widely know, is said to be found almost exclusively in Colombia. It is derived from the flowers of the borrachero tree. Wikipedia The drug is the stuff of folklore and urban legend in Colombia. It’s said that Devil’s Breath removes the free will of those on it and wipes all memories of their experience while intoxicated. YouTube / Vice In 2012, Vice dispatched one of its correspondents to the capital of Colombia to investigate the rumors. There, they encountered a wide variety of stories from people who believe they were drugged with Devil’s Breath. Some told of being raped, forced to empty their bank accounts, and in one case, convinced to give up an organ. Part of what makes Devil’s Breath so terrifying is that it can easily be administered to someone against their will. YouTube / Vice For the most part, Devil’s Breath takes the form of a simple odorless and tasteless powder. According to one drug dealer, the substance can be blown in the face of a stranger on the street. Then, within minutes, they’re fully under your control. “You can guide them wherever you want,” he said. “It’s like they’re a child.” Part of Vice’s investigation also found that the CIA allegedly attempted to use Devil’s Breath as a tool in interrogations during the Cold War. YouTube / Vice You can check out the full documentary in the video below. (via Daily Mail) Well, here I was planning a trip to South America this summer. I’ll probably still go, but I’ll just have to be wary about letting people blow strange powders in my face. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/devils-breath/
