Once a bustling town in Thessaly, Greece, Ropoto is now a ghost town. What happened to this locale to make it so desolate? Well, in 2012, a landslide caused homes and buildings to cascade down the side of a hill, displacing 300 families in the process. The 12-minute documentary Ropoto: Greece’s Sinking Ghost Town details what happened on the day of the landslide, reveals that the sinking continues to happen, and sheds light on the unwillingness of the Greek government to help its own people. As you walk through Ropoto, you might confuse it with the set of a disaster movie. Indeed, the town is still reeling from the effects of the real-life disaster that changed everything 4 years ago. YouTube / Greek Reporter Due to poor drainage, townspeople always relied on specialized machines to move the water around. But when the machines didn’t do their job in 2011, it led to a massive landslide that occurred on April 12, 2012. YouTube / Greek Reporter When the mountain began forming cracks in the ’60s, scientists warned the Greek government that something like this would happen. Sadly, people continued to build on the dangerous land for profit. YouTube / Greek Reporter var OX_ads = OX_ads || []; OX_ads.push({ slot_id: “537251602_56eb95b8af979”, auid: “537251602” }); Many people are still left without homes, and to this day, the town has no electricity. Many residents stay in barns with their animals. Since the last landslide, the town has slipped between 10 and 15 centimeters down the hillside, and Ropoto continues to sink more every year. YouTube / Greek Reporter Here is the entire documentary. It features one of the village’s former council members, Yorgos Roubies. (via Oddity Central) The Greek government refuses to send aid to Ropoto. Some villagers say that they still receive bills for taxes on properties that were ripped out from under them years ago. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/ropoto/
If you head up to Lake Monona near Madison, Wisconsin, you might finally be able to have those magical powers you’ve always wanted (or you can at least pretend, anyway). Who wouldn’t want to be able to shoot lightning out of their fingertips? No one, that’s who. The phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s Fire occurs when tiny charges of electricity from an object meet naturally occurring charges in the air. The two forces ionize when they meet if the atmospheric charges are unusually strong, which typically happens after a storm. To see St. Elmo’s Fire in action, check this out. It must have been really interesting to interact with nature like that. Although this guy seems calm and cool on the outside, he was probably freaking out on the inside. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/fire-lake/
Living in a world you don’t understand? Not for long. In less time than it takes to get a coffee, this video will teach you all you need to know about the Earth. (Well, the physical nature of it, at least. You won’t learn how to impress your boss or get a date.) If you didn’t know the Earth’s core was 70% of the size of the Moon and about the same temperature as the Sun, you need to watch this video as soon as possible. Did you even know our planet has a core? The people at Kurzgesagt do a great job of presenting the facts in an easy to understand way and the visuals that accompany them are wonderful as well. Check it out! Incredible! I had no idea the Earth was animated. … WAIT A SECOND! Spread the knowledge to others by clicking on the link below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/learn-all-about-earth-in-under-8-minutes/
There are more than 30,000 gyms in America…but if you look around, you quickly realize that we’re not utilizing them to the fullest. According to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than two in every three adults are considered overweight or obese. Roughly 80% of people who join a gym in January will terminate that membership within five months. It seems like people need motivation to exercise and get healthy more than ever. That’s where 78-year-old Shirley Webb comes in. The grandmother recently became a viral sensation when a video of her deadlifting 225 pounds was uploaded by her trainer. After watching this video, you’ll probably ask yourself, “What’s my excuse now?” Webb joined a gym two years ago when she realized that if she was on the ground, she couldn’t get up without some kind of crutch. She wanted to end that and by following the advice of her trainer, she has. (via ESPN) Webb has gone on to set records for lifting in Illinois and Missouri for her age and weight group. She also has no intentions to stop lifting. Go home and look at yourself in the mirror, get motivated, and follow in this woman’s footsteps! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/old-lady-lift/
As someone who gets winded walking up the stairs, I deeply admire athletes. And as someone with a serious binge-watching problem, I admire athletes who also happen to perform stunts on hit TV shows even more. You might not know Jessie Graff’s name, but if you’ve watched “Supergirl” on CBS, you’ve definitely seen her work. This stuntwoman and all-around force to be reckoned with recently broke a record at the qualifiers for “American Ninja Warrior” by becoming the first woman to conquer the show’s new Warped Wall obstacle. If seeing her in action isn’t girl power at its finest, then I don’t know what is. My favorite part of this whole thing (aside from her killer outfit) is listening to the announcers freak out at every turn. So who wants to be my gym buddy? I clearly have some work to do. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/supergirl-ninja/
Everyone has wondered what it would be like to be an astronaut at one point or another. Flying around in outer space has to be a ton of fun, right? And how cool would it be to live without gravity for a little while? Well, trying to carry out everyday activities is actually extremely difficult without the help of gravity’s reliable pull. Here are a few things that you do every day that would be insanely hard to do if you were up in space. Brushing your teeth Making a burrito Cleaning up spills Playing music Working out Clipping your nails Getting sick Playing soccer Cooking a Thanksgiving meal Sleeping var OX_ads = OX_ads || []; OX_ads.push({ slot_id: “537251604_5641890863467”, auid: “537251604” }); Doing laundry Washing your hair Unwinding with your favorite hobbies Going to the bathroom Crying And of course, eating chips Giphy (via Mental Floss) I’m beginning to question my dreams of becoming an astronaut. It seems like a huge hassle to get anything done up there. I salute you, space explorers. You are braver and more patient than I am. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/mundane-space/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTAT_ATF’); }); Typically, the only thing you should put in the microwave is food. But if you put Ivory soap in the microwave for one to two minutes, something amazing happens. Because Ivory soap has pockets of air and water inside of it, a solid bar of soap turns into a fluffy soap soufflé right in front of your eyes when heated. Your kids are sure to be amazed by this fun science experiment. Plus, your kitchen will smell like it just took a shower. Watch the video below to find out why this crazy phenomenon happens. After the soap has been microwaved, it’s still totally useable. In fact, you might even conserve more soap by using less in the shower. Pretty cool, huh?! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/put-ivory-soap-in-the-microwave/
This weekend, many parts of the U.S. were slammed with record low temperatures for this time of year. What followed the cold plunge was the typical moaning and groaning on social media. While I’m not saying people shouldn’t have the right to complain about the weather, what I want to call for is a little perspective. For example, at least the weather wasn’t an Antarctic “condition one.” A condition one is called when wind speed is over 62 miles per hour, visibility is less than 98 feet, and windchill is below −99 °F. During a condition one, outside travel is not permitted. Curious about what a condition one looks like? Here you go… (via WILX) Just imagine getting caught outside in those conditions. There’s no possible way a human would make it back to safety in one piece. So remember, the next time you’re complaining about the cold, at least it’s not a condition one. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/antarctica-condition-one/
The AHS Sikorsky Prize is awarded every year to the team that can build the biggest, baddest human-powered helicopter on the planet. And this year’s winner is absolutely stunning to watch. It may only be able to lift the operator 3.3 meters into the air for just over a minute, but its existence really is a feat of human engineering. The machine’s range of motion isn’t too extensive, but the size and scale of it make the viewing experience something you can’t miss. Participants in this competition always blow audiences away, but there’s something really special about this team’s creation. To see more of its record-breaking flight, check out AeroVelo’s Youtube channel. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/human-powered-helicopter/
It’s probably safe to say that we all have a pretty good grasp on what makes our four-legged friends happy. And that’s because they make no secret of their enthusiasm when it’s time to eat or go for a long walk on a sunny day! The language barrier poses a problem, though. I mean, how much do we really know about what thrills our pets? That’s where the folks at Nikon come in. By strapping a Coolpix L31 camera to a precious pup by the name of Grizzler, they created a little window into the canine soul. This technology responds to elevations in heart rate and snaps photos whenever Grizzler starts getting excited, allowing us to get a taste of the little wonders that make his day. Called “Heartography,” this process captures photos from a dog’s-eye view whenever Grizzler gets pumped. Here’s a little sampling of what he loves! Beautiful scenery? I feel you, man. YouTube / Nikon Asia Who doesn’t love finding treasure? YouTube / Nikon Asia Making friends is always a blast! YouTube / Nikon Asia And it’s so much better when those newfound friendships are totally unexpected. YouTube / Nikon Asia Mushrooms? I mean, whatever floats your boat, Grizz. YouTube / Nikon Asia If you want to follow this adorable guy around for the day, check out more of his adventures below! That’s so cool. What would your dog’s photos look like if you turned them into a photographer for the day? I’m pretty sure my pup’s collection would be very food-centric. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/heartography-dog/
