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Category: North & Central Asia

By The Generalist Posted on May 17, 2022May 16, 2022

Return of the space dogs

Laika, the first space dog, died in orbit. But the next two – Belka and Strelka – survived. One of Strelka’s puppies was gifted to John F. Kennedy… but not before it was fully scanned for secret listening devices.

Categories: 20th century history, Animals, Astronomy, Europe, North & Central America, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on April 29, 2022April 27, 2022

Peaceful nukes

In the 1960s and 1970s, both the United States and the Soviet Union explored “peaceful” applications of nuclear weapons: excavating earth for lakes and canals, geological research, and extinguishing gas well fires.

Categories: 20th century history, Military, North & Central America, North & Central Asia, Technology
By The Generalist Posted on February 1, 2022January 25, 2023

Horses of Chernobyl

Przewalksi’s horse is genetically distinct from modern horses (it has an extra chromosome pair). It went extinct in the wild in 1969, but a small population was introduced to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in 1998; they have thrived.

Categories: 20th century history, Animals, Europe, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on January 13, 2022January 25, 2023

Nuclear icebreakers

Arktika, the second nuclear-powered icebreaker made by the Soviet Union, was the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.

Categories: 20th century history, North & Central Asia, Technology, The oceans, The poles
By The Generalist Posted on November 18, 2021November 17, 2021

Return to the Winter Palace

In 1917 Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. Three years later, more than a thousand actors, circus performers, and ballet dancers stormed it again.

Categories: 20th century history, Europe, Military, North & Central Asia, Politics & law, Theatre
By The Generalist Posted on October 13, 2021October 11, 2021

Statue graveyards

When politicians’ historical crimes catch up with them, what happens to their statues?

Categories: 20th century history, Art, East Asia, Europe, North & Central Asia, Politics & law
By The Generalist Posted on September 27, 2021September 26, 2021

Siberian monstrators

When is a protest not a protest? In Russia, when it’s a performance art parody of a protest. But that still didn’t stop the Russian government from overreacting.

Categories: 21st century history, Art, Europe, North & Central Asia, Politics & law
By The Generalist Posted on September 17, 2021September 16, 2021

Sheep fruit

Behold the fabulous creatures of myth and legend! The dragon, the phoenix, the basilisk, the roc, the unicorn… and the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary?

Categories: Animals, Early modern history, Medieval history, North & Central Asia, Religion & belief
By The Generalist Posted on September 1, 2021January 25, 2023

Largest bell

The Tsar Bell in Moscow is the largest extant bell in the world – but it has never been rung.

Categories: Early modern history, Europe, North & Central Asia, Technology
By The Generalist Posted on August 19, 2021August 19, 2021

The horseback kissing game

The Turkic sport kyz kuu involves a man, a woman, two horses, a kiss, and a whip.

Categories: Animals, Games & sport, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on August 10, 2021August 9, 2021

The pictures of Pictures at an Exhibition

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky composed Pictures at an Exhibition based on a journey through his late friend’s art exhibit – but what happened to the pictures?

Categories: 19th century history, Art, Europe, Music, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on July 29, 2021July 28, 2021

Shallowest sea

The Sea of Azov, between Ukraine and Russia, is never more than fourteen metres deep. Parts of the sea are shallow enough to wade across.

Categories: Earth science, Europe, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on June 11, 2021September 8, 2021

Flying submarine

In the mid-20th century, several countries had plans to construct a flying submarine.

Categories: 20th century history, Military, North & Central America, North & Central Asia, Technology
By The Generalist Posted on May 27, 2021May 27, 2021

Sweat genes are made of this

The human gene ABCC11 determines whether your sweat smells bad or not. It also determines whether your earwax is wet or dry.

Categories: Animals, East Asia, North & Central Asia
By The Generalist Posted on May 21, 2021January 25, 2023

Blue lava

The sides of Kawa Ijen, a volcano in Indonesia, are wreathed in blue flame.

Categories: Earth science, Europe, North & Central Asia, Southeast Asia
By The Generalist Posted on May 1, 2021May 1, 2021

Rachmaninoff’s All by Myself

The Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff has a songwriter credit for the power ballad “All by Myself.”

Categories: Europe, Music, North & Central America, North & Central Asia

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