Weird Weather: 500-1000 AD
Return to the Weird Weather Main Page Weird Weather: Before 1 AD 512 AD Mount Vesuvius experiences an eruption, often called the “Fourth Eruption.” 521 AD Earthquake hits Corinth and destroys much of the city.
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Weird Weather Before 1 AD
224 BC By October, pestilence had spread throughout the Chinese Empire.
The Curse of Chirikof Island
Chirikof Island is around 80 miles southwest of Kodiak in Alaska. The island has a long history of rumor and legend, although it’s difficult to substantiate much of the lore. The island was first sighted by Russian sea captain Alexei Chirikov in 1741, but wasn’t named after him until 1794.
The Quest for Thinness
The unhealthy and obsessive craze for thinness has bridged both the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries and currently shows no sign of stopping. What’s really behind this pursuit of “Twiggy-ness?” This is the private bane of the modern woman.
The History of the Death Certificate
As many genealogists can tell you, death certificate research is relatively modern. You can only go back so far and then it seems the paper trail just ends. It may be a surprise to you, but the death certificate is centuries younger than even census records.
The Female Stranger
Alexandria was a bustling harbor for shipping and trading after the Revolutionary War. One day a large schooner sailed into this Virginia port, owned by an Alexandria merchant named John Dean. The ship carried rum and sugar as its cargo, as well as a handsome, wealthy couple when it entered port on July 25, 1815.
The Body Under the Bed
Sometimes it’s a massive hotel on a Vegas strip. Sometimes it’s a “no-tell motel” in an unheard-of town. Yes, there might be body under the bed.
Frank “Lucky” Tower: The Unsinkable Man
Frank “Lucky” Tower was a fireman by trade. These individuals were also called “stokers.” He tended the fires aboard steam engines.
Bizarre Botany: Jimsonweed
Jimsonweed is named after Jamestown, but actually gained notoriety due to a mass poisoning in 1676. The people of Jamestown, Virginia, who were primarily soldiers, believed they were simply enjoying a fresh salad. Unfortunately, the leaves and seeds induce delirium and bring about hallucinations.
The Christine Syndrome: Cars and Curses
Christine is both a film and novel chronicling a young man’s struggles with a car that has a life of its own. Stephen King is rumored to have written this novel based upon James Dean’s Porsche Spyder. But, what are the facts behind this tale of a cursed car?