Urban Explorer Seph Lawless is known for exploring empty, eerie places — and Picher, Oklahoma, is definitely one of the most unsettling. Picher started out as a promising mining town in 1918, but today, it is known as the most toxic city in America. After years of water contamination and sludge buildup, the whole town was evacuated. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); For his latest project, Lawless journeyed to this foreboding town and walked its silent streets. There is nothing safe about being inside Picher’s city limits, but that definitely wasn’t enough to extinguish his curiosity. Abandoned for over a decade, this city once thrived with a booming mining industry in the early 20th century. Seph Lawless googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBM_BTF’); }); During Oklahoma’s expansion in 1913, huge amounts of lead and zinc were found in the area. Being at the center of all this new mining work, a settlement was formed and its population had reached nearly 10,000 people by 1920. Seph Lawless It was named after Oliver Picher, owner of the Picher Lead Company. Seph Lawless It became so successful that at one point, it was producing over $20 billion of ore, quickly making it the most lucrative mining settlement in the state. Seph Lawless Over half of the lead and zinc used by the U.S. military during World War I came from the city. Seph Lawless But everything changed after mining stopped in 1967. Hazardous waste and contaminated water from mine shafts created a toxic environment. Seph Lawless googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI1_BTF’); }); The situation got so bad that the U.S. government designated it as a Superfund site, which identified it as a candidate for cleanup because of the dangerous risk that was posed to people living there. Seph Lawless Unfortunately, Picher couldn’t be salvaged. Officials evacuated the area in 2009 and classified it as the most toxic city in America. Seph Lawless Residents were forced out of their homes and relocated. They left many of their possessions behind, which turned their houses into chilling time capsules that now commemorate an awful point in Oklahoma’s history. Seph Lawless Lawless noticed when he started exploring that people’s clothes were still hanging in their closets as if they’d only just left. Seph Lawless Because of extensive mining, the ground beneath the explorer’s feet could have given way at any time. Seph Lawless As Lawless walked through the streets, he feared that he would fall to his death. Seph Lawless googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI2_BTF’); }); Mining also left behind huge piles of siliceous rock and dolomite waste called “chat.” The mounds are so large that they look like mountains surrounding the city. Seph Lawless Approximately 34 percent of children from Picher were found to be suffering from lead poisoning by the time 1996 rolled around. Seph Lawless In the short amount of time that Lawless spent on one of the hills, he reported feeling nauseous and very uneasy. Seph Lawless But despite all of the dangers, the city’s pharmacist, Gary Linderman, refused to leave […]
Many videos of “UFOs” can be explained away as airplanes or weather balloons, but this footage taken in the fall of 2013 in Minnesota doesn’t look like anything that could immediately be described as man-made. At first, it appears to be your standard UFO affair, but then the lights start morphing and changing. Suddenly you’re right there with the Minnesota woman when she exclaims, “Freakin’ freaky!” Apparently this thing can be seen daily in Aitkin County, Minnesota. So if it isn’t a UFO, what is it? Some kind of crazy firework? Many believe it’s just the moon through some branches, but one YouTube commenter claims that she took the video and there weren’t any trees in the way. What do you think? Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/minnesota-aliens/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTAT_ATF’); }); What do you fear more, snakes or spiders? Personally, I go with spiders every time…I hate those things. However, I might have to revise my very scientific decision in the snake vs. spider debate and nominate a third species for most terrifying: the centipede. I know what you’re thinking: “Centipede? Really? This guy has nerves of glass.” While you’re probably right about that last part, I have a very good reason to fear centipedes over snakes or spiders. Just watch the video below to see what I mean. Spoiler alert: the centipede catches a bat out of the air. (via Reddit) See what I mean? Now don’t panic. Deadly centipedes like this only live in certain areas, so you’re probably safe. But it still might not be a bad idea to stock up on ammo and bug spray, just in case. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/deadly-centipede/
Of all the bizarre get-rich-quick schemes floating around out there, this one is probably the weirdest. And that’s because it has to do with selling vomit. While strolling on the beach in Lancashire, England, recently, one lucky guy by the name of Ken Wilman stumbled across what he thought was a large stone. Much to his surprise, however, it was actually a chunk of whale puke. Take a look at this video to learn about why someone just offered the man £50,000 for it. You never know when a big pile of money is going to fall into your lap. Let’s just hope that if it happens to you, it won’t come in the form of solidified vomit. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/whale-vomit/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTAT_ATF’); }); Theft is something that every retail store on Earth has to deal with. Yes, that even includes gun shops. You’d think that trying to steal something from a store full of guns and potentially armed patrons would dissuade criminals from trying to shoplift, and it does, to an extent. Some thieves are just braver than most. That’s why they prefer the flashy smash-and-grab approach over stealthy shoplifting. Just check out this security camera footage from a particularly over-the-top break in at a gun store in Houston, Texas. Back in early March, a group of 10 masked men used a truck to literally pull the gate off of a gun store in the early morning hours. #War SHOCK: Massive Gun Store Robbery In Houston Caught On Camera… https://t.co/rviCZeOzf3 pic.twitter.com/kQtYhq9dta — Warfare (@warfarenyc) April 7, 2016 The organized group of men then proceeded to ransack the store, smashing display cases and grabbing rifles off of the racks. Organized group pulls off Houston gun store heist via /r/WTF https://t.co/9fe6yNstzE pic.twitter.com/tQy1PJ6d1a — me (@not_actuallyme) March 31, 2016 The robbers made off with 85 guns in total. In the days that followed, many of them were caught trying to flip those guns on the black market. Three Suspects Under Arrest in Houston Gun Store Heist – https://t.co/6qAS9wJUkS pic.twitter.com/cERUzaLvAK — telegraph-24 (@telegraph_24) March 4, 2016 googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI1_BTF’); }); By mid-March, local authorities working with the ATF had arrested three suspects and recovered about half of the stolen weapons. Arrests made in Houston gun store smash-and-grab caught on video https://t.co/mXcLMSwgm4 pic.twitter.com/6GGWfNF8wm — 48 Hours (@48hours) March 3, 2016 Presumably, some of those guns (and the men that stole them) are out there somewhere. Let’s just hope they’re caught before they strike again. Carter’s Country gun store in SW Houston still closed after smash & grab Tues. Employees hope to reopen later today. pic.twitter.com/xP7kZoHg8m — Adam Bennett (@AdamBennettKHOU) March 3, 2016 (via ABC News) The scary thing is that robberies like this happen all too often, and it’s depressing because so little can be done to stop them. It’s just uniquely awful when they happen in stores full of deadly weapons. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/gun-store-robbery/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot(‘/37886402/VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’, [728, 90], ‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF_581bf4c06fce4’).addService(googletag.pubads()) googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_MB”, “VN_”); googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_SC”, “VN_ORGN”); googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_TS”, “TS_D”); googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_AT”, “VN_ORGN_PG_D_REV_1.0_ASYNC_DEFAULT”); googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_CC”, “VN_ORGN_D_UNK_118352_A”); googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“NOVA_PG”, “1”); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF_581bf4c06fce4’); }); As a little girl, I was irrationally afraid of sharks or crocodiles showing up in swimming pools and biting my feet off. Because of my extreme fear, let’s just say I’ve been more than a little paranoid when it comes to any body of water. Unfortunately, the following footage really doesn’t do much to help me get past this phobia. When a couple was having a private swim in Kariba, Zimbabwe, one nasty visitor headed straight into the pool and proceeded to attack them. I’d probably never get in a pool again if I were her. Read More: These Tourists Found A Cow Carcass Out In The Ocean…And Saw A Shark Devour It It’s a good thing that swimming pools have already been ruined for me, because that’s just terrifying. On a lighter note, something tells me that guy is going to be in the doghouse for quite a while. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/crocodile-pool-attack/
When it comes to home construction (or any kind of construction, really) safety should always be your primary concern. If you’re not taking steps to ensure no bodily harm comes to you or those around you, then that’s just plain dumb. For example, one thing you should never do when building something is use your own hand as a hammer. I wish this was just a hypothetical, but sadly, it’s not, as you can see in the video below. It’s equal parts horrifying and impressive. Well that’s going to leave a mark. Hopefully he has really good health insurance and his employer is all paid up on their premiums! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/russian-hammer/
One of the most terrifying things about the technological world that we now live in is that ghosts and demons seem to have found ways to torment us via phone. Take, for example, the story of Redditor digiwarfare. According to digiwarfare, he and a few friends were hanging out last month when one of them received a text from an unknown number. Attached to the message was an untitled audio file. Not knowing what else to do, he played it for his friends. What they heard was absolutely nightmarish. WARNING: This recording is loud, so turn your speakers down before playing the video. (source: Reddit) So is this real or not? As someone with experience making and recording music, I know for a fact that something like this could easily be created on Pro Tools. But just because it could be fake doesn’t mean that it is. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/demonic-message/
Presumably unable to resist the view from his high-rise apartment in Colombia, this little dog stuck his body through the railings…but quickly found himself dangling by his back paws. Luckily, the pup has some extremely nosey neighbors, and when they heard his yelps of distress, they sprung into action. Watch as one man climbs up from the balcony on the floor below to help this poor dog, despite the possibility of falling to his own doom. (via Mashable) Yikes! Has anyone in Colombia ever heard of spare keys? Hopefully, the pup’s owner learns to gate the balcony so their sight-seeing pooch doesn’t try to pull this stunt again. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/balcony-dog/
