7 Dangerous Plants

When it comes to life on earth, plants are generally overshadowed by their animal cousins. However plants make up a huge part of biological life on earth, and while most are harmless and can even contain medicinal properties others can be quite dangerous. Some can administer poison with only a slight touch while others can devour anything caught in their snare. Realistically few of these plants can harm a cautious human, but not all creatures are so lucky. Below are 7 of the most dangerous plants I could find. Enjoy.

7. Darlingtonia californica

The Venus flytrap maybe get all the hype, but there are actually many types of carnivorous plants. The above plant is also known as the pitcher plant and is also carnivorous. The way it catches its prey is by luring it into a small opening at the top of its bell. The prey is then confused and gets caught in the bells were it eventually dies and is broken down for nutrients. The plants are found in marshy areas and can be detected by their foul odor. While not dangerous to humans, these plants are a death sentence for any insect unlucky enough to be caught inside. In fact, scientists are bewildered as to how the plant is pollenized since it kills any insects that come near it.

9 of Earth’s Most Extreme Places

I know i said I was going to cover Expeditions today, but I found something a little better. Instead of covering important expeditions, I’ve decided to cover some of the most extreme places on earth. These are the highest, deepest, coldest, lowest, farthest and most insane places the human race has ever discovered, been to or lived in. I’ve tried to veer clear of things everyone has heard of and will add some cool and relevant links if I find them. Below are 9 of the most extreme places on the planet today. Enjoy.

9. Human Settlement with Highest Elevation:

La Rinconada, Peru

This city rests 16,732.28 feet above sea level high in the mountains of Peru. This little town is supported entirely by the mining of gold. Unfortunately, the company that owns the mine is running one of the shadiest operations I’ve ever heard of. Miners are required to work thirty days without pay and on the thirty first day are granted a small amount of ore to take home from the mine. The idea is that there may be gold in the ore to pay said miner. However, if your ore is just ore then you’re shit out of luck and back in the mines. On top of these poor wages, the town had no sanitation or sewage system and most of the water contains high levels of mercury from the bad mining practices. When I checked the population I was shocked to find that 50,000 people live in these terrible conditions. It is fitting that this is the highest city on earth, because you’d have to be high off your ass to go there.

8 Tremendous Natural Disasters

Most of us will hopefully never experience a major natural disaster. The idea that suddenly the planet could turn on us and wreak havoc on a biblical scale is an idea we associate with movies or far off places that pop up in the news once in awhile. Hurricanes, Tornados, Earthquakes and Tsunami’s grabs our attention every year not just because of the destruction they cause, but because of the tremendous power and ferocity of these events. Below are some of the lesser known natural disaster that occur around the world with videos if available.

8. Avalanches

Avalanches are terrifying. Every time I see one of those insane videos on youtube I realize that the only way you survive that shit is luck. Avalanches are actually routine occurrences on any mountain and happen when the snowpack takes on too much snow. Avalanche deaths are not uncommon and statistics show that generally the avalanches are caused by the people killed in them. Death by avalanche is not a good way to go either. If the impact doesn’t get you then you are just trapped under a ton of snow. I’m assuming you have no idea which way is up and will either suffocate or freeze. Count me out. Mountaineering is still an incredibly badass hobby, but I think avalanches have deterred me from trying it out.

8 Bloodthirsty Vikings You Should Know

Does it get any cooler than Vikings? Sure they didn’t have horns on their helmet, but they were some of the fiercest raiders and most skilled seafarers to emerge from medieval Europe. A surprising number of Vikings became influential political leaders and you may know a couple without realizing that they were Vikings. Below are a collection of 8 of the craziest, most blood thirsty Vikings I could find. Enjoy.

8. Erik the Red

Father of Leif Ericson, Erik is known among the Vikings as the founder of Greenland’s first Viking settlement. What is interesting is why Erik needed to go to Greenland in the first place. His father had been banished from Norway after committing murder and the family was forced to go live in Iceland. Following in his father’s footsteps, Erik was then banished from Iceland for a hand full of murders himself. He found a new land and decided to call it Greenland to make it sound more appealing than it was. He managed to set up two successful settlements that lasted almost until the time of Columbus. From murderer to colonizer; the Viking rags to riches story.

8 Russian Czars You Should Know

I remember watching a History Channel special on the Russian Czars and deciding that I would study Russian history in college. This didn’t happen, although I did take a class, but I still find Russia to have one of the most fascinating national history’s out there. Kings and Queens of the past tend to be a bit unstable, but Czars seem to take crazy to a new level. That’s not to say all Czar’s were lunatics; some of the world’s greatest leaders have been Czar’s of Russia. Below are 8 of the best, craziest and most interesting Czar’s that everybody should know. Enjoy.

8. Vasily the Blind

Poor Vasily. Not technically a Czar, this Grand Prince of Moscow had rough time during his reign. His time as Grand Prince saw the disintegration of the Mongol power base in Russia and the subsequent power struggle between the Russian princes. Once Vasily took control, he set about dealing with threats to his new power. One of these threats, Dmitry Shemyaka, proved to be quite the pain and managed to take Vasily hostage. During his imprisonment, Vasily was blinded and eventually released and given a small town as compensation. For a recently blinded prisoner, Vasily showed some real initiative and retook Moscow from Dmitry. After having Dmitry poisoned, Vasily spent the rest of his reign increasing his sovereign power, expanding Moscow’s land holdings and helping the Russian Orthodox Church separate from the Patriarch in Constantinople.

6 Crusades You Should Know

Time to cover the Crusades. As some of you may know, there have been many crusades over the years, each with its own purpose and varying degree of success. What I’ve tried to do with this post is cover some of the most important and interesting Crusades in history. Some where fought by great Kings, while others had far more devious origins. Below are 6 Crusades I believe everyone should know at least something about. Enjoy.

6. People’s Crusade

This Crusade is a pretty interesting one. It is technically part od the first crusade, but only lasted from April to October of 1096. Before the true crusade could launch, a mass of untrained and largely unarmed peasants and minor-knights set out for Jerusalem. They were led by a skilled orator and holy man known as Peter the Hermit, as well as by a couple of trained, but low ranking knights; Walter Sans-Avoir and Fulcher of Chartes. On their way to Jerusalem, the army infamously stopped in many European towns and slaughtered the Jewish populations. The crusade was not against the Jews obviously, but a mixture of frustration, blood lust and anti-Semitism fueled this mass of undisciplined men to do some very unsavory things. Between Constantinople and Jerusalem, the army split and all control was lost by Peter and his allies. They met their final demise at the Battle of Civetot where a Turkish ambush sent the untrained army retreating almost instantly. The survivors made it to a nearby castle and where eventually rescued by Byzantine ships. Not a great start for the European crusaders and a good example of how badly these things could go.

7 Examples of Native American Drugs

I decided to have a little fun with today’s posts. Up until now I’ve tried to focus on Native American history and various aspects of their culture. However, before Europeans showed up and ended their traditional ways of life, the Native Americans seem to have concocted a number of non-Western way to have a great time. The following list details a number of the powerful drugs that various tribes used regularly or for special rituals. This goes without saying, but don’t try any of these at home (even number #7). Enjoy.

7. Tobacco

Tobacco has been cultivated in North America since around 1000 BC and carries a number of meanings for various native tribes. For Eastern tribes, tobacco was a highly tradable commodity and was carried in pouches by many native tribesmen. It was also used in many different ceremonies and was smoked out of a piece pipe to seal a bargain between two tribes or traders. Some even believed that the smoke expelled from a pipe would carry the smoker’s prayers up to the spirits.