Browsing: Lifestyle

A Brief History On March 25, 1996, the European Union banned the import of beef and beef byproducts from Britain due to an outbreak of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as “Mad Cow Disease.” Digging Deeper Incurable and always fatal, Mad Cow Disease in humans is called Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, caused by a “misfolded” protein called a prion that attacks the brain.  Most victims die in 13 months after suffering psychiatric and psychomotor problems and pain.  Incubation of the disease may take 20 years or more! Another horrible brain rotting disease is caused by Brain Eating Amoebas, which infects people…

A Brief History On March 24, 1999, an unlikely cargo became deadly when a truck carrying margarine and flour caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel on its way from France to Italy. Digging Deeper While fires in tunnels can be a terrifying prospect, the Mont Blanc tunnel was no stranger to fire, having previously experienced 16 truck fires prior to this incident.  The driver of the Belgian truck became aware of a problem when oncoming traffic began flashing their headlights to alert him to smoke pouring out of his truck. Stopping his truck about half-way through the 7.2 mile…

A Brief History On March 22, 1995, Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov made it back to Earth after spending a record 437 days and 18 hours in space.  A physician, Polyakov had previously spent 241 days in space on another space flight in 1988. Digging Deeper These two space flights were the only ones Polyakov made in his career.  After medical and psychological tests, Polyakov was found to have undergone mood swings, but otherwise remained healthy after his experiences.  He lived to the age of 80, dying in 2022. The current record for total time spent in space by anyone is…

A Brief History On March 17, 1945, the Ludendorf Bridge over the Rhine River fell 10 days after the US Army seized the span allowing them to cross the Rhine into Germany.  The Germans failed to blow up the bridge, and again failed to take it down later, a major blunder in World War II. Digging Deeper Bridges are often magnificent, and when they fall the event is major news.  Some notable bridge collapses include the following: The Ponte das Barcas of Porto, Portugal in 1809, is the deadliest bridge collapse, with 4,000 people fleeing French soldiers falling to their…

A Brief History On March 15, 1986, the Hotel New World in Singapore arguably became the worst hotel in the world in moments when the six story building suddenly collapsed, burying 50 people under the rubble.  Fortunately, 17 of those people were saved, but the other 33 died. Digging Deeper Hotel New World, originally called the New Serangoon Hotel, was built in 1971 and had a name change in 1984.  The ground floor was a bank, the second floor was a nightclub, and the top four floors were the hotel.  A parking garage was in the basement. Perhaps an omen…