Miscellaneous 2024, November

Throughout our history, many people have claimed to have seen strange things in the sky. Much of what was described was nothing more than natural phenomena or astronomical events such as meteor showers or comets, clouds of unusual shapes that were mistaken for flying saucers. But what happened in the dawn sky over Nuremberg in medieval Germany still, even four hundred years later, confuses scientists

To this day, there are places in the Amazon jungle where no man has gone before. In addition, somewhere out there, in the depths of these impenetrable rainforests, there are people who prefer complete isolation. These peoples have lived from time immemorial in their villages, far from civilization and from prying eyes. Recently, archaeologists on the territory of modern Brazil have discovered ancient villages of the mysterious civilization of the Acreians, built in the shape of the sun. What did scientists find out?

On the morning of November 5, 1952, an earthquake at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean caused a multi-meter wave that completely destroyed Severo-Kurilsk. According to generally accepted statistics, the tsunami killed over 2,300 residents of the small seaside town. The real number of victims is still unknown today, and they are reluctant to remember the tragedy

The Soviet space program stalled. In a short time, the Americans not only managed to catch up with the USSR, but also overtake it. A successful operation was required to restore parity. And it seemed that flying to a manned orbital station was the best option. The first expedition was successful. But the second ended in disaster. The Soyuz-11 launch vehicle failed. The crew fought for their lives to the last, but there was not enough time. After a couple of tens of seconds, the consciousness of people is just about

The mysterious death of Igor Dyatlov's tourist group has been discussed for half a century. A huge number of articles have been written about that case, many television programs have been filmed and even a television series. But it is worth noting: the case with the Dyatlov group is far from the only one in the history of domestic tourism. And they are all associated with an almost mystical death of people

More than a hundred years have passed since the sinking of the legendary ship "Titanic", and the story of this tragic event still does not subside, causing a flurry of emotions and indignation. More than two thousand people on board the liner soon faced the inevitable. The tragedy that happened on the night of April 14, 1912 claimed hundreds of lives. And those who managed to survive, to this day, remember what happened with horror

For many centuries in a row, many people have been reading and learning the Bible, it is considered the most popular book in the whole world. Scientists from all over the world are carefully studying it, they are joined by priests and politicians, historians and many other people who are trying to find an answer to the main question - who, after all, wrote these pages?

At the dawn of the history of the ancient Russian civilization, the Russians regularly faced a problem that was traditional for that period - the territory of the newly-made state was regularly attacked by nomadic neighbors. Among those who were among the first to annoy the Russians were the Pechenegs. At first, they were not perceived as a serious problem, but they paid dearly for their carelessness when the nomads besieged Kiev and killed the Grand Duke

In peacetime, there is no need for food ration cards, no one remembers what the front letters looked like, how the award sheets were drawn up and how much pain the funeral carried with it. However, during the Great Patriotic War, these were the most important documents: life depended on cards, happiness and the future depended on letters from the front or funerals, patriotism and a sense of need for the Motherland, which does not disregard personal services to it, on award sheets

Every girl dreams of a prince. In fact, over the centuries of human history, living together with the king has not always been such a fairy tale as everyone thinks. Queens had to fight drunken husbands, endure marriage not just without love, but without the slightest sign of sympathy. These women had a difficult fate. Crowned ladies often led coups, sometimes killed their faithful, or simply quietly waited until luck finally smiled at them. These women took fate into their

News of the wreck of the British transatlantic steamer Titanic in 1912 spread all over the world. The resonance around this liner continues to this day. Thousands of newspaper headlines, a sensational film of the same name, the creation of a twin of the liner. And things found at the bottom of the ocean are in great demand and are put up at auctions for tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars

Each of us at least once in our life has come across coincidences: phrases spoken at the same time, a meeting with a person whom we have only thought of, magical dates and numbers that haunt us throughout our lives. But history knows many amazing cases that cannot otherwise be explained by the intervention of otherworldly forces. And the fact that they are really real is hard to believe. Of course, everyone decides for himself whether this is a coincidence or mysticism, but the stories that we will tell about took place. And this

When Belgium became independent, she urgently needed a reason for national pride. Best suited for this was a hero, a knight about whom legends were made. The search began. But, unfortunately, all the great warriors of the Middle Ages turned out to be, according to their "passport", either French or Germans. In the end, historians found a suitable character - Gottfried of Bouillon. He was born in the valley of the Meuse River, just in the territory that belonged to Belgium. Knight who became the first ruler of Jerusalem

When the Titanic disappeared under the dark, icy waters of the North Atlantic in the early morning of April 15, 1912, it left behind many mysteries. Even now, a lot of questions are raised by the very strange behavior of passengers and crew. So many people on board and no panic. It will start later. At first, everyone was calm, nevertheless, more than 1,500 of them had a few hours to live

Even ordinary people, members of the same family, doing a common cause, may well get entangled in intra-family conflicts and squabbles. When it comes to things like the throne and crown, things get much more complicated. In royal families, all strife, as well as manifestations of affection, cannot be hidden, everything almost instantly becomes the property of the world community. Some royal feuds remain minor, others were so destructive that they eventually led to large, sometimes world

Many believe that World War II was fought in Europe and the South Pacific Islands. This is true, but many forget that for about a year, from 1942 to 1943, the Imperial Japanese army occupied the Attu and Kiska islands near Alaska. This occupation shocked and frightened all of North America, and subsequent events caused unexpected historical expressions

In the 16th century, Siberia was ruled by the Muslim "Tsar" Kuchum, as he was called in Russian documents of that period. He established his power over the vast territories between the Irtysh and Tobol after a bloody and brutal war with the "taybugin" Ediger. Kuchum not only refused to pay any tribute to Ivan the Terrible, but also went to seize new Russian territories. Moscow had to pacify the daring Khan more than once, but the history of the Siberian Khanate was still put to an end

The history of the South American continent is dominated by tales of the Incas and Spanish conquistadors. But this region has a much more ancient and almost forgotten past - a civilization as significant and impressive as it is mysterious. These are the Zapotecs, the "cloud people". Who they were and where they disappeared is still the biggest unsolved mystery in South America. Recently, archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of the Cloud People's ceremonial buildings. What secrets have the remains of these ancient

"Wooden Stonehenge" was found by archaeologists in Portugal. The structure turned out to be older than its overseas namesake. The excavations were carried out by specialists from all over the world. Now this complex has received the status of a national monument. What secrets of the ancients did this mysterious place reveal?

Sasha Cherny's poem "Situation", the very name of which sounds ironic, is a grotesque sketch of family life that vividly and dynamically recreates the world of one of the ordinary inhabitants. This world of the beginning of the last century is ridiculous and slightly absurd. However, like our daily life with its constant minor troubles, making ends meet, mutual claims, violence against children, children against animals and ˗ other delights of imperfect existence

Literary critic Alla Kireeva and one of the most famous Soviet poets, Robert Rozhdestvensky, lived together for 41 years. And almost all of his poems about love are dedicated to her - "beloved Alyonushka." Including the poem "Nocturne", which was written at the request of Joseph Kobzon and became a song to the music of the composer Arno Babajanyan

Today we know very little about the life of this amazingly talented woman. Her name is known only to a narrow circle of specialists - translators and music critics. However, researchers of her heritage are sure that if at least a small part of Sofia Sviridenko's works is published, then “it will become obvious that her work is one of the largest and most important phenomena in the culture of the first quarter of the twentieth century”. In the meantime, we all know from childhood only one of her creation - the song "Sleep, my joy, sleep"

Lines from the poem "Do not part with your loved ones!" after the release of the New Year's comedy "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath" they became familiar to almost everyone. This poem is called "The Ballad of a Smoky Car", its author is Alexander Kochetkov, and the history of the appearance of the poem deserves special attention

There are poems that sink into the soul after having heard them only once. Such a poem is the lines written by Leonid Filatov shortly before his death and became a dedication to his granddaughter Olya. Lines about what a person should live for

April 15 is a wonderful spring day that gave the world the great artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, the "snow queen of Hollywood" and the "La Gioconda of the Screen" Greta Garbo, the founder of Moscow State University Mikhail Lomonosov, the prima donna of the Russian stage Alla Pugacheva. The list of wonderful people born on this day and bright events that occurred on April 15 can be continued

The day of April 20 in history was marked by striking events. On this day, the development of Siberia began, with a light hand Po saw the light of the first detective story, people were born who left a significant mark in the history of Russia, in cinema and art. In our overview of the events of April 20, you can find out more

The day of October 7 is a day on which one simply cannot help but smile. After all, it is today that World Smile Day is celebrated. And on this day, the last Constitution of the USSR was adopted, Russian President Vladimir Putin was born and other interesting and, unfortunately, tragic events took place, which can be found in more detail in our review

Everyone knows that if you want to receive a gift, you need to write to Santa Claus, if something is not clear - send a letter to Sherlock Holmes, on Baker Street. And where to go if your heart is broken or you just want to talk about love? - In this case, you must write to Juliet! This possibility really exists. And it is likely that you will even get an answer

This is very symbolic - the birthday of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin coincided with International Circus Day and Spring Week of Kindness. And on this very day, as if saluting the spring, incredible kites rise into the sky of the Celestial Empire. And this is not all the interesting events of this day

There is a popular opinion that the toughness and severity of parents helps children to reach the heights of skill and go down in history. There is another opinion - as if it is impossible to become an outstanding artist, poet and writer without overcoming real difficulties and resistance of the environment. As an example, biographies of several celebrities from the past are usually given, for example, six people from our list

Gnesinka is one of the most famous musical educational institutions in Russia. Many, trying to decipher the abbreviation, call the academy “named after Gnesin”. In fact, it bears the name of not one man, but several women, and their story is a real illustration of the advice according to which, if life gives only lemons, you just need to competently adapt them on the farm

The healers of Russian villages in the USSR were treated exclusively as carriers of superstition, and after its collapse - as the owners of secret magical knowledge. In fact, those of the healers who were not just imitators were even less superstitious than the peasants, and behind their "magic" were techniques that were actively used by official medicine. Over time, ethnographers were able to "unravel" the secrets of healers and refute both stereotypes about these village medicines

Photos of strange plump and mustachioed women in oriental headdresses and short fluffy skirts twice stirred up the Russian-language Internet. The first time they were signed as the wives of the Iranian shah, and caused surprise that the shah clearly suited their appearance (as well as how immodest they were dressed). The second time they were presented as enemies of the Shah, whom he forced to portray women as a shameful punishment. Where is the truth?

There is no king who would be happy with everyone, and even more so when it comes to someone with such a violent disposition as Peter I. In the same way, there is no king around whom many strange theories do not arise that scientists do not want to support - and theories all live and live. Moreover, when it comes to someone as strange as Peter I

In pre-revolutionary Russia, special attention was paid to the musical education of children from noble families. At the same time, girls were necessarily taught to play music and sing, and boys had to understand music. Naturally, the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, was also musically educated. He himself could play the piano, but he was not fond of playing music and did not sing, although he understood music, he loved romances and folk songs

The legendary Scottish hero William Wallace is familiar to us mainly from Mel Gibson's film "Braveheart". Despite the historical inaccuracies and a lot of fiction, the movie came out excellent. But now is not about that. Scientists recently used a drone to find Wallace's secret fort, which until recently was considered a myth. This has helped historians fill a significant gap in the story of Scotland's most famous freedom fighter. What became known from the latest find and that Wallace's biography is a myth

It is known that humor allows us to survive in the most difficult times, and a good joke, spoken at the right time, can prevent a big conflict. Therefore, all people who left their mark on history most often possessed such an excellent quality as a sense of humor, some even in abundance. Today, their most striking jokes have turned into historical anecdotes, laughing at which, you understand that people, in principle, do not change much

For those who are far from science, Pythagoras is the one who proved the famous theorem, later named after him. Those who are a little more interested in the history of the development of knowledge about the world will call this ancient Greek sage the founder of sciences. But what is curious is that almost nothing is known about Pythagoras himself. His biography as such does not exist, there is only a collection of legends, often contradicting one another. In a sense, Pythagoras himself is nothing more than another ancient myth

Many people have come across jokes and practical jokes at least once in their lives. Someone perceived what had happened with a smile, and someone, indignant, complained about the joker. However, not only ordinary mortals loved to joke, but also great composers, philosophers, engineers and other personalities, whose peculiar antics became part of history

Two weeks ago, April Fools' Day was held, as it was long ago dubbed April 1. The draws of all who got on this day have become classics for a long time. Now, of course, this has turned into large-scale projects, when large corporations are trying to deceive customers with various, however, quite predictable Internet hoaxes. April kicks off with announcements for a fake show, brand new gadget features, or a redesigned app. The following is a list of really original and very thorough