Category:
Natural Wonders
Natural Wonders
Dolphin High Jump
Most sources I've looked at maintain their capacity is five meters, or sixteen feet.
The performance in the video below is posted twice on YouTube, by different folks. And one poster claimed the rope was set at twenty meters. That would be over sixty feet, or as high as a five-story building.
I don't think so. They might have meant twenty feet.
But if we look at the photo to the right (from the Life archives of a Marineland performance from 1958), we see that the dolphin has jumped about three body-lengths out of the water for its treat. (Unless of course it's been lifted up there by humans and nailed by the snout to the pole.) According to Wikipedia, dolphin species vary from four feet to thirty feet long. If we assume this dolphin is ten feet long, then it's jumped thirty feet straight up!
Amazing!
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 18, 2009 -
Comments (11)
Category: Animals, Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, 1950s, Natural Wonders
Bird of Paradise Mating Dance
The Coolest Bird On The Planet. - video powered by Metacafe
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 14, 2009 -
Comments (9)
Category: Animals, Sexuality, Dance, Natural Wonders
Faith, the Two-legged Dog
This should silence all doubters in the Comments Section about the viability of two-legged dogs!
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 30, 2009 -
Comments (5)
Category: Dogs, Natural Wonders
Giant Synaptic Sea Cucumber
Apparently, the Cyrene Reef of Singapore features some crazy wildlife.giant synaptic sea cucumber ! ....from outaspace from BeachBum on Vimeo.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 21, 2009 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Asia, Natural Wonders
Super-sized Elephant Ear Plant
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 19, 2009 -
Comments (7)
Category: Agriculture, Asia, Natural Wonders
The Hope Diamond
But you don't seem to hear about it so much anymore.
For a quick rundown of the tale, visit this site, or check out the Wikipedia entry.
But surely one of the weirdest facts connected with the gem is that it was once sent through the US Mail!
Henry “Harry” Winston, a leading American jeweler and gem dealer, bought the diamond from Mrs. McLean’s estate in 1949. In November 1958 Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution, intending it to be the foundation for a National Jewel Collection. With his years of experience in shipping jewelry all over the world, Winston chose to have the diamond delivered by registered mail. He told a reporter for the Washington Post that “ . . . [registered mail is] the safest way to ship gems. . . . I’ve sent gems all over the world that way.”
Just a thought about that curse: since 1958, the Hope Diamond has been owned, in a manner of speaking, by the whole nation. If one chooses to date America's hard times--the end of some mythical Golden Age--from roughly that period, could it be said that the curse is still operative?
Why not sell the Hope Diamond to a rich oil shiek, use the money to help relieve the deficit, and see what happens?
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 12, 2008 -
Comments (1)
Category: Museums, 1950s, Natural Wonders, Curses, Postal Services
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |