Monday 8 February 2016

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Five



1- Shrek is Real

Maurice Tillet. Shrek Is Real, Random Stuff You May Not Know: Five by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Just like how Popeye was inspired by a real life person, a tough guy from Illinois named Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, the popular cartoon Shrek did also exist in real. Indeed, the ogre head was modeled after a real person, Maurice Tillet (October 23, 1903 - August 4, 1954), a Russian-born French professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The French Angel. The man was actually highly intelligent, he was a poet and a writer who could speak 14 languages.

In the beginning of his life he had none of the physical attributes he would eventually become famous for. In fact, his nickname as a child was ‘The Angel’ because of his beautifully angelic appearance. Then at 17, his hands, feet, and head began swelling to disproportionate sizes, prompting doctors to diagnose him with a severe form of acromegaly — a condition often caused by benign tumors that accelerate bone growth.

The French Angel was twice recognised world heavyweight champion by the American Wrestling Association and remained undefeated for 19 consecutive months. 


2- Lobster Conga Line [Video]
 
Lobsters Conga Line Migration, One Lucky Soul

Every autumn, a large number of the Spiny lobsters living in the shallower waters around the Bahamas begin marching forwards
while forming straight travelling queues that aggregate into long chains. Also known as langoustes or rock lobsters, the animals keep migrating to deeper waters, forming chains which can swell to hundreds of individuals.

Each lobster maintains contact with the one in front with its antennules and anterior legs. The chain is led by the most
active individual, while the one at the very end assumes the role of a rear guard. The theory behind this peculiar phenomenon is that it is done to conserve energy — by travelling in each other’s slipstream. 
 
This mass migrations may last several days, with lobsters walking both night and day. Despite encountering changing currents and seafloor topography, they mysteriously continue marching in straight lines. The storms rage in the blue waters of the Caribbeans during the Autumn months, causing the shallow zones to become more turbid. So to avoid this commotion, lobsters head towards the deeper ocean.

Check the eerie sight in the video below.



Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer



*Footage taken from Blue Planet and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.


3- Not the Sunset at the North Pole

‘Hideaway’ by Inga Nielsen, Random Stuff You May Not Know: Five by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

After rechecking the authenticity of this image, I found that it is NOT a photograph as commonly claimed online. But rather, it is a work of art called Hideaway’ by a young German artist named Inga Nielsen. The artist was studying Astrophysics when she produced the work in 2006 using Terragen a scenery rendering software. Since then, the image has been falsely circulating online as a photograph titled Sunset at the North Pole.

 
4- Not an Abandoned Polish Wedding  


“Les Quatres Saisons de Vivaldi” is an art installation by French conceptual artist & sculptor Patrick Demazeau, located along the road between Haut-bois and Faulx in Namur in Belgium.

Another falsely circulating photo with “A wedding in Poland was abandoned due to the German invasion in 1939. They were found again after the war with the trees growing through them. They are repainted every year”, as its description. In actual fact, this is an art installation by French conceptual artist/sculptor Patrick Demazeau. The work is titled “Les Quatres Saisons de Vivaldi” and was created in 2001 along the road between Haut-bois and Faulx in Namur in Belgium.

 5- The Japanese Town Where Everyone Wears a Mask

Some masked residents of Japanese island Miyake-jima, Random Stuff You May Not Know: Five by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Miyake-jima is an island in the Izu group, southeast of Honshū, Japan where all citizens are required to wear a gas mask at all times due to poisonous gases leaking up from the ground. Resting atop a chain of volcanoes, Miyake-jima is a hub for volcanic activity. Over the past century, the volcanoes have erupted six times. The worst of these occurred in June 2000 when, after a repose of 17 years, Mount Oyama erupted. A staggering 17,500 earthquakes followed the eruption, which hit the island between June 26 and July 21.

Have they been wearing masks during the recent Covid pandemic, I wonder.





ALSO VIEW:

Random Stuff You May Not Know

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Two

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Three

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Four

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Six 

Random Stuff You May Not Know: Eleven

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