10 true events that are hard to believe (10 photos)

In the history of mankind, events have occurred whose improbability or inconsistency resembles the plot of a science fiction film or even a children's cartoon. In this post you will learn interesting facts that at first glance seem like fiction.





The baboon officially worked on the railway



In 1880, signalman James and his assistant Jack (a baboon) were working on a railway line in South Africa. The man had both legs amputated, so he taught the primate to help him with housework, as well as change rails on railroad tracks and operate traffic lights. Passengers once reported that a monkey controlled the traffic lights at the station. The railway administration began an investigation, but were surprised by Jack's specialist knowledge, and he was officially hired. He was even given a salary of 20 cents a day. In 9 years of working on the railway tracks, Jack did not make a single mistake.

It was very easy to buy a mummy in Egypt





The scientist and physician Avicenna in the 11th century described a cure for certain ailments using mummies. Europeans bought them in large quantities after they were crushed to make medicine, brown paint, and fertilizer. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century, after the European press began to promote myths about the curse of the pharaohs, that enthusiasm for medicines from mummies waned.

The longest concert in the world is playing at this moment.



In the Church of St. Burcardo, located in the German city of Halberstadt, in 2001 they began playing John Cage’s composition “As Slowly as Possible” in an organ version. The original version lasts 20 minutes, but the composer's followers decided to increase its duration to 639 years. The chord changes every few years, and the culmination of the performance will come in 2640.

Paraglider caught in a thundercloud and survives



On February 14, 2007, 35-year-old Ewa Wisnierska was preparing in Australia for the World Paragliding Championship. During the training flight, she began to rise higher and higher. In the end, she found herself right in the thunderclouds at an altitude of 9,946 meters. Due to the low temperature and lack of oxygen, she lost consciousness. After 40 minutes, due to the heavy ice cover that had formed on the paraglider, she began to descend. At an altitude of 6900 meters, the paraglider opened, and from a strong push the girl regained consciousness. She managed to escape from the storm clouds and land on a small farm. Wisnierska survived, but suffered severe hypothermia.

The postman spent 33 years building a castle from stones that he collected while working.



The Frenchman Ferdinand Cheval held the position of rural postman in Hautviv all his life. When transporting mail, he collected and placed unusually shaped stones in his car. From 1879, for 33 years, he built a castle from the stones he found. Having finished his work in 1912, the postman asked to be buried in this castle. Having been refused by local authorities, Ferdinand Cheval built a crypt for himself in the local pantheon, which took him 8 years.

The talented artist died in 1924, a year after the construction of his crypt in which he was buried. By the way, shortly before his death, Cheval received recognition from Pablo Picasso himself. Both inventions were subsequently named historical and cultural monuments.

The seal learned to speak



In 1971, the Boston Aquarium adopted a seal that Scotty Dunning found and raised when he was small. The man kept him in his house for several months and gave him the nickname Hoover. While the seal lived with Scotty, he learned to imitate human language. Although the animal's vocabulary was limited, all words known to Hoover were pronounced clearly. He asked people to come up and say his name. He could also shout: “Get out of here!” After arriving at the aquarium, Hoover remained silent for 5 years. But over time, he became accustomed to the environment and staff and began to say phrases such as “Hello!” and “Come here!” Thanks to this, Hoover became famous and became the first non-human mammal to speak.

A man accidentally flew in hot air balloons at an altitude of 4800 meters



In 1982, California resident Larry Walters decided to go on a flight and strapped 45 helium-inflated weather balloons to his seat. For the flight, the man took with him a walkie-talkie, beer, sandwiches and a shotgun (he planned to descend by shooting at balloons). Walters wanted to climb only 10 meters, but he rose to... 4800 meters. Due to fear, he was unable to shoot at the balloons and as a result spent 14 hours in the air before reaching the air corridor.

Over time, Larry cut off several balloons and began to slowly descend. He subsequently became entangled in power lines, causing a short circuit. However, the man survived. He had to pay a fine of US$1,500, but received a Darwin Award.

Dusty the cat became a kleptomaniac



In 2011, a 5-year-old domestic cat from California named Dusty gained popularity due to his kleptomania. He earned the nickname Klepto Kitty after bringing home over 600 items found in the surrounding areas. Among them were car washing gloves, sponges, towels, shoes, socks, gloves, aprons, underwear, collars, toys, protective masks, pants, swimsuits and others. Usually the cat committed his “crimes” under the cover of darkness. The cat's owners, along with Animal Planet's Must Love Cats public relations team, set up a camera and filmed Dusty's antics.

A log that has been floating in a lake for over 120 years



In Oregon, USA, in the crater of a dormant volcano there is a crater lake in which a log has been floating for more than 120 years. It has been “traveling” around the lake since at least 1896, when it was discovered by geologist Joseph Diller. A 9-meter piece of wood has been moving across the lake in a vertical position all these decades. An almost half-meter part of the trunk, 61 centimeters wide, is visible above the water. It is quite rigid and can support the weight of a person.

The piece of wood probably ended up in the lake due to a landslide from the slopes of the volcano, and the icy water “compacted” it, preventing the tree from breaking. By the way, radiocarbon dating showed that the famous trunk is about 450 years old.