Author: eileenmaksym

Eileen Maksym studied philosophy at Yale and theology at Boston College, and now uses both to write science fiction. Currently she is an academic nomad, following her astrophysicist husband around the world, two kids in tow. When not writing or kid wrangling, Eileen is a hopeless fangirl. She can be found on Twitter (@eileenmaksym) squeeing over her favorite shows, most of which involve famous detectives, dashing time travelers, and creatures that are never, ever referred to as zombies.

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Ararat Anomaly

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Ararat Anomaly

“The Ararat anomaly is an object appearing on photographs of the snowfields near the summit of Mount Ararat, Turkey and advanced by some Christian believers as the remains of Noah’s Ark.

“The anomaly is located on the northwest corner of the Western Plateau of Mount Ararat (approximately 39°42′10″N 44°16′30″E Coordinates: 39°42′10″N 44°16′30″E) at about 15,500 ft (4,724 m), some 2.2 km (1.4 mi) west of the 16,854 ft (5,137 m) summit, on the edge of what appears from the photographs to be a steep downward slope. It was first filmed during a U.S. Air Force aerial reconnaissance mission in 1949 — the Ararat massif sits on the former Turkish/Soviet border, and was thus an area of military interest — and was accordingly given a classification of “secret” as were subsequent photographs taken in 1956, 1973, 1976, 1990 and 1992, by aircraft and satellites.

“Six frames from the 1949 footage were released under the Freedom of Information Act to Porcher Taylor, a professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, and a scholar at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies specializing in satellite intelligence and diplomacy, in 1995.”

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Bunny Man

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Bunny Man

“The Bunny Man is an urban legend that probably originated from two incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1970, but has been spread throughout the Washington, D.C. area. The legend has many variations; most involve a man wearing a rabbit costume who attacks people with an axe or hatchet.

“Most of the stories occur around Colchester Overpass, a Southern Railway overpass spanning Colchester Road near Clifton, Virginia. Colchester Overpass is commonly referred to as ‘Bunny Man Bridge’.

“Versions of the legend vary in the Bunny Man’s name, motives, weapons, victims, description of the bunny costume or lack thereof, and sometimes, even possible death. In some accounts, the Bunny Man’s ghost or aging spectre is said to come out of his place of death each year on Halloween to commemorate his passing. In some accounts, victims’ bodies are mutilated.”

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Vladimir Demikhov

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Vladimir Demikhov

“Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov (Russian: Влади́мир Петро́вич Де́михов; Khutor Kulikovsky, July 18, 1916 – Moscow, November 22, 1998) was a Soviet scientist and organ transplant pioneer, who performed several transplantations in the 1930s and 1950s, such as the transplantation of a heart into an animal and a lung-heart replacement in an animal. He is also well known for his transplantation of the heads of dogs.”

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Bubbly Creek

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Bubbly Creek

“Bubbly Creek is the nickname given to the South Fork of the Chicago River’s South Branch, which runs entirely within the city of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It marks the boundary between the Bridgeport and McKinley Park community areas of the city. The creek derives its name from the gases bubbling out of the riverbed from the decomposition of blood and entrails dumped into the river in the early 20th century by the local meatpacking businesses surrounding the Union Stock Yards directly south of the creek’s endpoint at Pershing Road. It was brought to notoriety by Upton Sinclair in his exposé on the American meat packing industry entitled The Jungle.”

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: The Belchen Tunnel

 

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Belchen Tunnel

“In January 1981 a modern myth circulated, dealing with a “white woman” (weisse Frau) of the Bölchentunnel. Shaped as an old white-clothed hitchhiking woman, a ghost (though not initially recognized as such) appears out of nowhere in front of the drivers and sometimes even speaks to them.

“The first known Belchen ghost was actually male. The first written reports of the phenomenon, dated June 1980, involve a male hitchhiker who was picked up but eventually vanished from the vehicle, despite the driver’s high speed.

“Towards the end of 1980, the “white woman” began appearing in or near the tunnel. On January 6, 1981, the tabloid Blick wrote about the sightings, followed by other media also adopting the story. Basel Police received many phone calls, dozens of which had to be logged.”

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Chase Vault

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Chase Vault

“Each time that the vault was opened the coffins were replaced in their proper situations, that is, three on the ground side by side, and the others laid on them. The vault was then regularly closed; the door (a massive stone which required six or seven men to move) was cemented by masons; and though the floor was of sand there were no marks of footsteps or water. The last time the vault was opened was in 1819. Lord Combermere was then present, and the coffins were found confusedly thrown about the vault, some with their heads down and others up. What could have occasioned this phenomenon? In no other vault in the island has this ever occurred. Was it an earthquake which occasioned it, or the effects of an inundation in the vault?”

I See Fire

The Hobbit movies were regrettable. How someone who did such a great job with the Lord of the Rings movies so completely screw up The Hobbit is beyond me. Wait…no, no its not, because I’ve seen the Star Wars prequels. Ah, Peter Jackson, you just went full-on George Lucas, didn’t you? What a shame.

Indeed, for my money there were only two good things about those movies. One is the awesome Smaug voiced by the inimitable Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, I know, I’d listen to Cumberbatch read the phone book). The other is this song. Ed Sheeran really knocked it out of the park. When it reaches its climax, it gives me chills.

Enjoy!

Weird Wikipedia Wednesday: Dyatlov Pass Incident

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Dyatlov Pass Incident

“The Dyatlov Pass incident (Russian: Гибель тургруппы Дятлова) refers to the mysterious, unsolved deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains on February 2, 1959. The area in which the incident took place was named Dyatlov Pass in honor of the group’s leader, Igor Dyatlov.

The experienced trekking group, who were all from the Ural Polytechnical Institute, had established a camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl when disaster struck. During the night, something caused them to tear their way out of their tents and to flee the campsite while inadequately dressed during a heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperature.

“Soviet Union investigators determined that six victims died from hypothermia and that the three others showed signs of physical trauma. One victim had a fractured skull; another had brain damage but no sign of an injured skull. Additionally, the tongue and eyes of a female team member were missing. The investigation concluded that an “unknown compelling force” had caused the deaths. Several explanations have been put forward as to the cause of the deaths. They include an animal attack, hypothermia, an avalanche, infrasound-induced panic, military involvement, or some combination of these.”