In 2010, a heat wave in Russia led to over 1,000 deaths, the majority of which died from drowning while swimming drunk!

Russians were panicked by the heat wave and flocked to nearby bodies of water for some relief from the heat. Hundreds of people drowned each week, because they were drinking while swimming. 

The people ended up drowning. Over 1,200 people died in the month of June alone. Some of which were children who were unsupervised while the adults drank. The Russians flocking the lakes and rivers brought vodka and beer for entertainment and ended up drowning. It’s said to be a very common pastime for Russians. They drink, then swim, then drink some more. The heat wave caused extensive crop damage and led 16 regions to declare a state of emergency.

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Google has developed a driverless car!

This new technology sounds as if it is right out of a science fiction movie, and that’s because it’s not far off. Over the past several years Google engineers and scientists have been working tirelessly at Stanford Laboratories to develop a technology that will change the way we live in the upcoming decades: the Google Car. 

This car is completely driverless. It combines information from Goggle Street View with artificial intelligence software that communicates with a sensor on top of the car, which in turn speaks to the wheels and steering wheel to drive the car without any human interference. So far the car has clocked over 175,000 miles and had zero accidents. 

In fact, the technology has caught on so fast that the state of Nevada has passed the first laws allowing for automated cars! To see a Google Car in action check out the video below! Are you excited or hesitant about driverless cars? Let us know in the comments

Turtles used to live on land until the dinosaurs pushed them off!

The turtle’s ancestry can be traced back over 220 million years, and has changed significantly in that time. Turtles were originally land animals, however could not lead a fruitful life among the dangers of the dinosaurs. 

Thus, they slowly evolved to become more compatible with water. The largest turtles can reach over 6.6 feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds! While most people think they are sea dwelling creatures, many could survive just fine on land. 

In fact, turtles are born on land in eggs. Once their eggs hatch, the baby turtles slowly crawl toward the ocean hoping to make it to the water alive. However, less than half survive, but fortunately for the turtles it gets easier from their, the first few hours being the most dangerous of their lives! 

One of the biggest predators for turtles are not wild animals, but humans. Poachers look around beaches and steal turtle eggs, because they're a delicacy in certain places. Many countries have started awareness campaigns to prevent this problem from happening. Although some progress has been made, some species are still very endangered. 

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The largest ship ever built was sunk during the Gulf War!

While it might sound as though this ship was for military purposes, it was in fact an oil tankard, and it was so large, four football fields could be laid end to end on its deck! 

It was called the Seawise Giant and had a volume of 260,851 Gross Registered Tons. Engineers say it is unlikely another boat will ever exceed its size, unless a floating city is built, which interestingly enough will likely become a reality. The massive ship was built in 1979 by a Greek shipping magnate, yet was soon bought by C.Y. Tung, a Hong Kong shipping magnate, who expanded its size. 

The ship was operating in the Hormus Straits in 1986 when she was attacked by Iraqi jets and sunk. Although the waters weren’t extremely shallow, the ship was so large it was able to be salvaged by a Norwegian magnate and is currently in use. The ship is so large she sits in 80 feet of water and her braking distance is a whopping three and a half miles! 

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The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be temporary!

The Eiffel Tower was originally built in 1889 as a temporary structure to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It was also built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair and was meant to demonstrate the superiority of French technology and engineering. 

The design was first proposed by Maruice Koechlin and Emile Nougouier, yet Gustave Eiffel made some minor changes that made it turn out into what we see today. Originally the structure was to be built for the fair, admired for twenty years, and then deconstructed. 

However, because it was the tallest building in the world at 320 meters, it attracted immense amounts of attention. The tower would go on to become the most prominent symbol of Paris and France and the most visited paid monument in the world, so it’s a good thing they didn’t take it down!

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