Absolutely Fascinating: Part Two

As a children’s librarian I have picked up some absolutely fascinating but completely useless knowledge over the years. Last year I made a list of some of my favorite strange but true trivia and decided to keep up the tradition this year by sharing some more. If you want to entertain yourself for hours try looking up information on the internet about these bizarre but oddly enthralling subjects.

Singing Sands –Have you ever heard of the Singing Sands? I hadn’t. Desert winds can cause sliding avalanches which make some pretty eerie, almost musical, sounds. Not every desert sounds like these do because only a certain kind of sand can create these noises. The sand has to be just the right shape, size, and substance to work right. The explorer, Marco Polo, heard these sounds and believed them to be made by evil spirits. The website below is in a foreign language so just click on the pictures and you will see video of the different types of sounds the sand can make when people simulate avalanches (on a much smaller scale) with their hands, feet, or backsides. It’s even spookier when created naturally because all of these different sounds harmonize together. You have to really turn up the volume to get the full effect.

http://www.lps.ens.fr/~douady/SongofDunesIndex.html

Coral Castle - A man who was jilted at the altar by his young fiancé built an entire castle, all by himself, to commemorate his lost love. It took him 28 years and he never let anyone watch him work, often building at night so no one would see how he did it. Many of the stones involved were so big experts say it would be impossible for one man to have moved them alone.
Hmmm . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amXsPcD7g5g&feature=related

Lioness Adopts Baby Gazelle – A lioness in Africa by the name of Kamuniak decided to adopt a baby gazelle as her own. She was so worried some other lion would eat her new foster baby she stopped hunting and began starving herself. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen video of this story with my own eyes. Neither will you. If you put in the words, “lioness adopts oryx” as a search in Google you’ll get all sorts of great stuff.

The Principality of Sealand - Just click on the link below. You have to see to this one to believe it! Make sure to click on the Picture Gallery and Fact File links as well.

http://www.fruitsofthesea.demon.co.uk/sealand/

Oak Island Treasure – Millions of dollars and six lives have been lost searching for this hidden treasure no one has ever been able to find. Something was definitely hidden there once, the deep shaft and booby traps left behind attest to that. Is the treasure still there? No one may ever know.

http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/content/section/5/35/

Marfa Ghost Lights – Marfa, Texas has quite a mystery on its hands. Strange glowing lights that have been appearing there since the 1800’s. There are all sorts of theories about what causes the phenomenon. Check out the facts and decide for yourself.

Try not to get a headache while still wondering about it all at three o'clock in the morning. : )