1923 Great Kanto Earthquake - One of the Most Devastating Natural Disasters

On September 1, 1923, Tokyo was devastated by an unusually violent natural catastrophe, the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, which also sometimes called the Great Tokyo Earthquake. It is one of the most devastating natural disasters that mankind has ever seen, causing over 140,000 people to lose their lives. At 11:58 a.m., the first shock measuring 7.9 in magnitude struck the Kanto Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu, causing the wave of casualties. A few moments later, it was followed by a tremendous aftershock that further increased the level of destruction and completed the effect that was lacking after the first shock. Its epicenter was in the shallow waters of Sagami Bay, about 25 miles south of Tokyo. This earthquake devastated Tokyo and caused widespread damage throughout the Kanto region. The intensity of the earthquake can be gauged from the fact that more than half of the brick buildings and one-tenth of the reinforced concrete structures in the area collapsed. The force of the earthquake was so powerful that in Kamakura, more than 60 km from the epicenter, it moved the statue of the great Buddha, which weighs about 121 tonnes, almost 60 centimeters. The earthquake was followed a few minutes later by a 10 m (33 ft) high tsunami that struck the coast of Sagami Bay, Izu Islands, and the east coast of the Izu Peninsula where it swept away thousands of people. Over 570,000 homes were destroyed, leaving an estimated 1.9 million homeless. Also, landslides in the mountainous and hilly coastal areas have buried or swept away many homes.

But despite all these disasters, it was not the end but the beginning of a new tragedy, a fire tornado that caused a single greatest loss of life. It ignited a large city-sized firestorm and produced a gigantic fire whirl that killed 38,000 people in fifteen minutes. If you are not aware of a fire tornado, let's first tell you what a Fire Tornado really is. A fire tornado, also known as a fire whirl, is mainly a whirlwind induced by a fire and often composed of flame or ash, and can reach up to 1,090 °C. Because the earthquake struck at lunchtime and many people were cooking meals over fires, fires spread and were whipped up by winds into “fire tornadoes” that swept throughout the cities of  Yokohama and Tokyo. By late afternoon that day, the city was in total panic and half of Tokyo was burning. For the inhabitants trapped in the firestorms, it was a dreadful moment. Hundreds of thousands of Tokyo residents were trying to flee at safe places by any means possible. To make matters worse, a strong typhoon hit the region at about the same time as the earthquake that caused fires to spread rapidly. Roaring through the wooden houses of Yokohama and Tokyo, it burnt everything and everyone in its path, and it took two whole days to get the fires under control.

About 142,800 people were estimated to have died in this devastating natural event, including about 40,000 who went missing and were pronounced dead. In 1960, the government declared September 1 as the annual "Disaster Prevention Day" on the 37th anniversary of the earthquake.

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The Most Popular Ghosts In Indian Folklore And Mythology

According to Indian culture and folklore, there are many types of ghosts and similar supernatural entities that exist, especially in Bengali culture, whose presence is defined by those who have seen or heard about them. Perhaps this is not 100 percent true, but it would be a great experience to share this information with you.

Nishi Dak

The Nishi Dak belongs to the most dangerous category of ghosts. Nishi means night or dark, and dak means call. It is also called the Night Spirit. Nishi calls its victim in the darkness of night in the voice of a loved one. It is said that Nishi's voice comes from far away and when the victim follows its voice and reaches a deserted place, then the helpless victim has to face the terrible form of Nishi. The victim who follows Nishi's voice never returns alive. This dangerous spirit fairly commonly encountered in Bengal - where it is known as the Nishir Daak or Call of the Night Spirit. In Bihar and Jharkhand, it is known as the Nishi.

Petni / Shakchunni

Petni are basically unfortunate female ghosts who die before their marriage and whose many wishes remain unfulfilled. These ghosts continue to wander in search of a married and rich man even after their death. When such a person is found, these spirits take him under their control and take possession of his body and start living his life. The word Petni originated from the Sanskrit word Pretni. On the other hand, Shakchunni is a woman who usually wears a special kind of traditional bangles made of shell in their hands, a sign of a married woman in Bengal.

Jokkho

It is believed that these spirits called "Jokkho" are a supernatural warrior-type entity, who protects hidden treasures and wealth on earth and whatever wealth is in the possession of these spirits is cursed and the one who steals it becomes a victim of this curse. After the theft of wealth, these guardians and protectors chase that victim and put his life in danger.

Odiyan

The Odiyan, from Kerala, is believed to be a Tantrik who specializes in black magic and tantra vidya. He is a shapeshifter who can turn himself into any animal during the night, after which he kills innocent people. But in order to transform himself into an animal, a particular kind of pungent oil is needed which he makes from the baby's blood and as soon as he applies this oil on his body, he gets the power to turns himself into any animal. It is said that even a mere touch from an Odiyan can lead to instant death.

Yakshi 

Yakshi is believed to be the ghost of a woman who has been brutally murdered or suffered a violent death. At night, she sits on the palm trees and waits for her victim, which is mostly male. Yakshi adopts the form of a beautiful woman and whoever sees in her eyes gets hypnotized and cannot even move from his place after which she lures him to her leafy abode and where she drinks his blood. Yakshi ghost is most notorious in Kerala.

Chudail

According to some legends, when a woman dies during pregnancy or while giving birth to a child, become Chudail, and in some other cases, the women who die from suffering at the hands of her in-laws, become Chudail and come back as a revenant. It is believed that the true form of the Chudail is very terrible and ugly, and she invariably has her feet turned backward. Sometimes her look is related to an extremely ugly appearance that has saggy breasts, a black tongue, and thick rough lips although sometimes she is reported to have no mouth at all. Sometimes she is described as having a white front and a black back and sometimes, she roams naked. Chudail takes the form of a young and beautiful woman and lures men and takes them in her possession and then such hypnotized men can do anything at the behest of the Chudail, even they can take someone's life too.

Pishach

Pishachas are very angry and scary ghosts and are often called flesh-eating demons in Hindu theology. It is believed that Pishachas are found in filthy and dark places, and they are always in search of eating human flesh, no matter whether it is the flesh of a dead or a living person. They like darkness and traditionally depicted to haunt cremation grounds and graveyards. Pishachas have many magical powers such as changing form, flying in the air and ability to become invisible. The female version of Pishach is called "Pishachini", which is described to have a hideous and terrible appearance. She sometimes turns into a beautiful woman to lure young men and drinks their blood. If Pishach enters the body of a living person, then the mental balance of that person completely deteriorated and in such a situation it becomes very difficult to control him.

Chir Batti

Chir which means ghost and Batti which means light, Chir batti is a ghost light reported in the Banni grasslands, a seasonal marshy wetlands in Gujrat state. Due to its mysterious lights, people continue to call them "ghost lights. The color and shape of these lights always changes, and sometimes its speed becomes slow or sometimes fast. Some people believe that the light can only be seen after 8 pm on dark nights and are always two to ten feet above the ground, and if followed during the night, one may be misled from the road and may lose their way in jungles.

Chedipe

There are some women who are still declared as devadasis who were dedicated to a Hindu temple god and were often treated as temple prostitutes. It is believed that after the death of such women their souls become Chedipe. It is also believed that the women who die an unnatural death, such as in childbirth or by suicide, and prostitutes may become chedipes. These spirits enter someone's house at night and suck the blood from the toe of a young man sleeping in the house and if the chidepe likes the blood of that man, then every night she returns back to drink his blood. In the morning, when Chedip's victim wakes up from his sleep, he has no memory of Chedip's visit. If he does not receive medical treatment, the man can surely die. She repeats all this until the man dies due to a lack of blood or weakness.

Ghoul

These spirits named Ghoul are demon-like beings and found around the graveyards. A male ghoul is referred to as ghul while the female is called ghulah. They lure unwary people into the desert wastes or abandoned places to slay and devour them. They are mainly associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. These man-eating souls eat many of the corpses buried in the cemetery and they are also adept in changing different forms. Whatever they eat, they take the form of that, even to hunt humans, they can also turn themselves into a ferocious animal.

Dayan

Dayan, often regarded as a witch in English, can be a living or dead woman. These women are experts in black magic and worship the devil. Daayan is sometimes used interchangeably with the term chudail although conceptual and cultural differences exist between them. Dayan has to sacrifice the lives of young or little children before Satan to increase his magical powers and to prolong his lifespan. It is said that after sacrificing the lives of children, Dayan bathes in their blood, which gives these old-looking witches a young and beautiful look. They have many magical powers such as flying in the air and the ability to change forms. In the form of a young, attractive female, she hunts for young men on roads and seduces lone travelers into accompanying her and after that, she kills them and quenches her thirst by drinking their blood.

Chakva

These spirits named 'chakva' are mainly found in Maharashtra. It is believed that these spirits mislead people who passing through the jungles or in dark deserted roads at night, after which they do not get their way back and they return to the same place again and again. It is basically a spirit that does not let you reach your destination and you keep roaming around the same spot in circles. And when those people do not find their way back, then these evil spirits hunt those weary weak people.

Betaal

These are some spirits who inhabiting cadavers and charnel grounds. These evil spirits make the body of a dead person their home, after which the body's decomposition stops automatically and that body starts to look like a living person, which can also be called a zombie. These evil spirits may use corpses as vehicles for movement. These spirits, which have taken the human dead body under their control, hang upside down from trees just like bats to rest at night. Betaal, according to his will, can leave the first dead body and take possession of another dead body.

Jinnat

Jinnat, abbreviated as Jinn, are actually very powerful supernatural powers that can be good or bad just like any human. Jinns can be both benevolent or malevolent. It is believed that Malevolent Jinns (Demon) can be really evil and are very dangerous and they can cause haunting in human residences, empty houses, toilets, lakes, hospitals, morgues, and graveyards. It is said that when Jinn is close to you or in the surrounding area, then you might experience a strange perfume/flowery smell or terrible odor of rotten flesh. Jinns have no physical body of their own. It is also believed that the Jinns are shape-shifters, and can often take the form of anyone by his own choice, whether a human or animal. Jinns have the ability to predict future, can read people's thoughts. Bad jinns enter into the body of someone and execute evil antics, but on the other hand, there are some good and wise jinns too that save and help humans from dangerous and fatal situations.

Baak

Baak is a grotesque-looking creature who sometimes kills a person and takes the form of a corpse. Baaks are believed to mainly inhabit the region of Lower Assam, in places such as Kokrajhar and Barpeta. This aqueous creature is notorious for its murderous nature because after killing its victim, it hides the body in deep underwater. After taking the corpse's appearance, it goes out in search of more prey. It is said to be found near isolated ponds and lakes.

Boba

In Bengali culture, Boba is a creature that attacks people in their sleep and strangles them to death. Boba is the Bengali version of the Sleep Paralysis. Boba attacks a person by strangling him when the person sleeps on his back. But the scientific explanation is believed to be Sleep Paralysis. While a person is having sleep paralysis, then his brain is functioning but the body is asleep that causes the person to completely unable to move or speak, resulting in to hallucinate weird and supernatural entities, a witch-like demonic being. This phenomenon is called "Bobaay Dhora" in Bangladesh.

Nale Ba

In English, Nale Ba means "come tomorrow". It is a popular folk legend, which is very popular in areas across Karnataka, with people believing that there is a witch who walks the streets visiting people's homes and knocks on their doors. According to various stories, the spirit is believed to be a bridal ghost who roams around the town in search of her husband. The witch speaks clearly in the tempting voice so you would be deceived to open the door. But if you open the door then you will die, so you have to write 'nale ba' i.e 'come tomorrow' on the front door of your house. So when the ghost reads it and it goes back to come again the next day and repeats the cycle. The 2018 Bollywood film Stree is based on the tale of Nale Ba.

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Passage du Gois - A Dangerous Road That Disappears Underwater Twice A Day

There is a road in France named Passage du Gois that looks like a normal road, but the fact that makes it special is that it remains underwater twice a day by the high tide. It is one of the world's most impressive roads that serve as a unique periodically flooded road leading to the picturesque island of Noirmoutier. Passage du Gois is located between the island of Noirmoutier and Beauvoir-sur-Mer, in the department of Vendee. Showing its uniqueness with a length of 4.125 km, it not only offers us some beautiful views but also making itself a fascinating example of the ferocious power of nature. It would not be wrong if we called it the world's most dangerous road. This beautiful looking road which is actually very dangerous is a good platform for adventure lovers. It is dangerous because of its length, if you are stuck in the floods, it can be very difficult to reach dry land. The stone-paved causeway was first used during the 16th century and is still used daily by tourists and locals. The road is accessible only with low tide, you can cross one hour and half before and one hour and half after low tide. During high tide when the sea level rises, the stone-paved road lies under 1.5 - 4 meters of water. Not only this, after the decrease in water level, the road remains covered in slimy seaweed, making the road extremely slippery at places. There are special side digital panels on this half land and half waterway that tell people if the road is safe to use or not. These panels are regularly updated with sea level warnings and speed limit reminders, helping the drivers to beware of the upcoming wave. Despite these signs, such incidents happen every year as people get caught by the quickly rising tide and sometimes even deaths.

Image Credit - Flickr

Many times it happens that the car is going on the road and then the water starts coming in and when the car comes in the middle, the water gets filled up causing the road to disappear and push the driver in trouble. For all these incidents, tall emergency towers have been placed on the sides of the road that if you get stuck somewhere between the road, then you can climb up on the emergency towers until someone comes there to rescue you. This will save your life but maybe your car will not be so lucky. That is why tourists are advised not to use the road unless it's very necessary. Passage Du Gois was used several times on Tour de France bicycle race and was only taken off the map after a serious incident in 1999. The route caused a massive crash in the 1999 Tour de France due to its wet surface. It was used most recently in 2011 as the starting point of the first stage. The Passage du Gois is an extraordinary location in France and if you’re looking for some extreme adventures, this wonderful seascape might be a worthy place to visit.

Image Credit - Flickr

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Krem Puri - The World's Longest Sandstone Cave

There are many wonderful and beautiful places around the world which are known for their unique structure and amazing history, and among all these lovely places, caves have played a very important role. We have already discussed many caves such as Benagil Sea Caves, Ajanta Caves, Hang Son Doong, Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the world's longest underwater caves in Mexico. Today we are going to talk again about another cave which is the world's longest sandstone cave, named Krem Puri. 'Krem' means 'cave' in Khasi language. This cave was discovered near Laitsohum village in Mawsynram area in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Meghalaya is basically known for its beautiful caves which are amongst the longest caves in the world, located in the Jaintia, Khasi Hills and Garo Hills districts. This beautiful hilly state is also home to India's longest cave in the general category - the Krem Liat Prah-Umim-Labit limestone cave system that measures over 31 km in length, located in Jaintia Hills.

Krem Puri - the sandstone cave -  is now India’s second-longest cave system in the general category after this. Actually, scientists discovered this mysterious cave in 2016, but its actual length was found during a 25-day expedition to measure and map it by Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association. The cave is 24,583 meters (24.5 km) in length which is almost three times the height of Mount Everest. This cave was discovered by a team of about 30 scientists, including geologists, hydrologists, biologists, and archaeologists, and according to them, the cave contains some dinosaur fossils, especially Mosasaurus, a giant reptile that lived 66-76 million years ago. Krem Puri cave system is 6000 meters longer than the previous record-holder in the longest sandstone cave category - Cueva Del Saman in Edo Zulia, Venezuela - a quartzite sandstone cave measuring 18,200 meters (18.2km).

This sinister-looking cave has random entrances, which seem no less than a maze. If you enter the cave once, then it will be difficult for you to come out. Its shape is completely different, which makes it truly a maze. Inside this cave, there is a tricky cycle of hundreds of short passages and long stretches of corridors that are interconnected in a big network. This cave is situated in the lush green Mawsynram, which is also known as the wettest place on earth for its record-breaking rainfall. There's no shortage of oxygen in the cave because there is always air flowing in through small openings, cracks, and two entrances. There are also abundant creatures such as fish, giant hunter spiders, bats, and frogs. The temperature in this cave always remains between 16-17 degrees celsius, no matter what the outside temperature is.

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Mysterious Dalahi Kund - A Pond Where Water Climbs Up On Clapping

Indian history has very strange and interesting information that is associated with many enigmatic places and to explore these places is really a wonderful experience. You must have heard about many water Kunds (Water Ponds) which are known for their different kinds of mysterious abilities. There are many water Kunds in India, whose mysteries are still unsolved, some Kunds are renowned for giving a sign of future disasters and some are known for their cursed waters such as Tantrik Bawadi of Madhya Pradesh. Today you will be able to know about one such Kund, whose secrets will not only surprise you but will also make you wonder if this can really happen. The name of this Kund is Dalahi Kund. This mysterious Kund is located in the Bokaro district of Jharkhand and it is said that if you clap in front of this Kund, the water automatically starts to rise above the Kund. In this Kund, water climbs up so fast that it feels like water is boiling in a vessel. The pool is surrounded by concrete walls. Even geologists have still not been able to find out the secret of this pool. Not only this, another specialty of this Kund is that it remains cold in summer and emerges hot water in winter, which is also a mystery.

This place is located in Jagasur, about 27 km from Bokaro. The place organized a fair on Makar Sankranti every year. People from faraway places come here to take bath in this pool and it is also believed that taking a bath in it never causes any skin disease. The water in this pool is very clean and full of medicinal properties. The water drained out of the pool goes into a drain, which is named Jamui. After that, this water flows into another river Garga. Dalahi Gosai is the place of God near the Kund where devotees come to worship every Sunday. People also believe that if someone asks for a wish in this water kund, it is fulfilled. Geologists say that if skin diseases are cured by taking a bath with the water of this pool, it means that some special elements like sulfur and helium are mixed in it.

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Spanish flu - The 1918 influenza pandemic

About a hundred years ago, in September 1918, there was an outbreak of such a terrible disease, which had affected about 500 million people around the world and according to an estimate, 20 million to 50 million victims lost their lives, including some 675,000 Americans. It was 3% to 6% of the entire global population at that time and these numbers were more than those killed in world war 1. The dreaded disease we are talking about is known as Spanish Flu 1918. It was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus. It is a virus that attacks the respiratory system. This flu killed more people in 24 weeks than HIV/AIDS killed in 24 years, and more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. Actually, no one knows exactly where and how this disease started, but behind its nickname "Spanish flu", a story is told that the thirteenth ruler of Spain named King Alfonso was also suffered from this disease and that's why people gave it the nickname of Spanish flu. Apart from this, people tell another story behind its nickname that at the time when this disease had spread, World War 1 was going through its last phase and because of this, the countries which were involved in this war stopped the broadcasting of their news. But Spain was not involved in this war, that's why Spain told the world about this disease through its news broadcasting and many people believe that due to the spread of this news through Spain, this disease was named Spanish Flu.

Before this flu, all the severe diseases that people had faced, in that, children, old people or those who were already ill, had the highest death rate because the immune system of such people is very weak and the infection spreads very quickly in them. But the Spanish flu had exactly the opposite effects because the deaths of people between 20 and 40 years were getting the highest and the doctors of that time were also very surprised by these results and therefore this flu was considered one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. As we have told earlier, when and how this disease started, no one is aware of it properly, but many people have said different things about its fatal attack. Some people consider it to have originated from china while Historian Alfred W. Crosby claimed that the flu originated in the Kansas state of the U.S when on 4 March 1918, the military cook Albert Gitchell was found infected with the virus. And soon after this, the disease spread to 522 more men at the camp. Later, when science progressed a little, it was discovered that this disease originated in a nonhuman, mammalian species, which went further to pig and then humans.

When scientific research was done on some dead bodies, the reason behind the outbreak of the flu was very surprising because it was found that the virus could be caused by the patient sneezing or coughing. A person who touches something with the virus on it and then touches his mouth, eyes or nose can become infected. After this people started wearing masks on their mouths. Also, public places, including theaters, churches, and schools were shut down to control the disease. The effect of this flu was highest in America, Europe, Brazil and also in India. The disease killed in every area of the globe. As many as 17 million people died in India, about 5% of the population. Some doctors and scientists said that in this flu, patients turn blue, suffocating from a lack of oxygen as lungs filled with a frothy, bloody substance. However, since the understanding of the people of that time and the suggestion of the doctors, this disease appeared to be decreasing very rapidly and after two years, it became almost nil. But in the future, many diseases related to the same virus continued, such as Swine Flu, Bird Flu, but as science progressed, these diseases were not allowed to spread too much.

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A village where everyone from humans to animals is blind

There are many places in this world, which many of us still do not know and which are still considered mysterious. However, when some such things are revealed which no one is aware of before then it is very difficult to believe them. One of these places is a village called 'Tiltepec' in Mexico, which would not be wrong if it is called 'Village of the blind' because here every one is blind. The most unique thing about this village is that all are blind here, not only humans but also animals such as dogs, cats, and other pets, behind which a deep secret is hidden.

There are about 70 huts in this village where about 300 people live. People here live in stone huts and also sleep on stones and the strange thing about these huts is that there are no windows. People of the Jopotech tribes reside here. It is said that children are absolutely fine at birth here, but only after a few days, they lose their eyesight and become blind. Due to the blindness of all the people here, there is neither electricity nor lamp in anyone's house here. Day and night do not matter to these people and the birds' voice gives them the morning sign. After which these people go out in search of food and in the evening when the voices of birds stop coming, people go towards their huts. People living here consider a cursed tree as the reason behind their blindness. Nearby villages people believe that the localities were turning blind when they saw a tree that was named 'Lavujueja'. They also believe that after seeing this tree, everyone from humans to animals turns blind. However, scientists believe that behind the blindness of the people there is no tree, but a dangerous and poisonous fly. People's eyesight gets lost only by the bite of this particular kind of poisonous fly. The government tried several times to treat these people but all remained in vain. However, it is believed that the eyesight of some people is fine here, due to which the rest of the people are able to live here.

This village is amidst very dense forests and the people living here are far away from the developed society. The government also tried to settle these people in other places, but it was not possible that their bodies could stay healthy in other climates, therefore the government left them on their condition.

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Viganella - An Italian Village that Brought the Sun Down to the Valley by Installing a Giant Mirror

There is a small beautiful village in the Piedmont region of Italy, named Viganella, where the sunlight does not reach for three long months during winter and so the village of an area of 13.7 square kilometers and of 197 inhabitants used to suffer from a complete lack of direct sun for 83 days from November to February. On 11 November the sun disappears and does not reappear until 2 February. On 2nd February the return of the sun's rays was celebrated with joy for several centuries every single year. That is until December of 2006 when the problem was fixed forever. Therefore, for the purpose of providing natural light to the entire village, a giant mirror was installed here on the top of a nearby mountain. But what was the reason for not getting sunlight in the village and how the village brought the sun down to the valley with the help of a giant mirror, let's know about it.

Actually, Viganella village is located at the bottom of a steep valley and the valley is so deep that the surrounding mountains throw a long shadow over the entire village that completely blocks the sun, causing the village to remain in shadow during three winter months. Therefore, after being disturbed by the cold and shadow, many people started leaving the village. But then a miracle happened when a local engineer and architect came up with a brilliant idea to reflect the sunlight into the village by using a giant mirror, an eight-by-five meter (26x16 ft) sheet of steel and weighing 1.1 tons. The 40 square meters mirror in size was installed on the opposite slope of the mountain at an altitude of 1,100 meters. The mirror is computer-operated and acts as a heliostat that tracks the sun and tilts and turns the mirror panels so that the rays always reflected downwards onto the town square half a mile away. But the mirror is too small to illuminate the entire village, so the main square of Viganella in front of the church was chosen. The project cost some 100,000 euros and was financed by the regional authorities.

According to the village's mayor, Pierfranco Midali, it was not easy to create this mirror. We had to find the right materials, learn about technology and find money specifically.

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The Black Death - One of the Most Devastating Pandemics in Human History

The world has faced a lot of tragedies to date, which has completely shaken the world with its terrible painful consequences and killed millions of people. One of those biggest tragedies was named Black Death which killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351. It was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history and also known as the Great Plague or the Black Plague.

It was the month of October of the year 1347, the weather in Europe was cold when twelve merchant ships reached the Sicilian port of Messina after traveling a long distance from the Black Sea. A large number of people had gathered to welcome the ships, but they met with a terrible surprise when no one came out of the ships. People could not understand anything after seeing all this, but after some time when they boarded the ships themselves, their senses flew away, because they were absolutely shocked to see the whole scene. There were only dead bodies all around on the ships, and among those corpses, there were some people who were still alive and holding the last breath of their life in some way. But they all were seriously ill and covered in black boils that oozed blood and pus, after which many other unpleasant symptoms appeared such as fever, terrible aches, pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and chills - and then, in short order, death. Later, it was found that all these deaths were caused by the plague. This devastating disease is thought to have originated in the dry plains of Central Asia, where it reached Crimea in 1343 by traveling along the Silk Road. From there, it was most likely carried by fleas living on the black rats that traveled on all merchant ships. The epidemic that followed aboard the ship gradually spread to many parts of Europe and killed half of the population there. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe's population.

See Also:-The Mysterious Fog of 536 - The Worst Time In History To Be Alive

If you look at the history of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the condition of Europe was not much better than other countries, natural disasters or diseases had the same effect as other countries in Europe. Before the outbreak of black death, around 1315 Northern Europe was in the grip of a large scale crisis. Actually, after 1310, the weather of Europe continued to become worst, due to which farming was completely affected. On the other hand, the population of Europe was also increasing and then the same happened that was expected. Usually, in 1315, when there should be no rain, it started raining continuously even in that season and the winter season also became longer. Under such conditions, grain could not ripen, and which led to the complete failure of crops. This tragedy is known as "The Great Famine of 1315-1317", which was the first of a series of large-scale crises that struck Europe and caused millions of deaths. It is said that at that time the shortage of food grains had increased so much that those who had grains started selling them by increasing the prices too much. Those who did not have that much money were forced to die of hunger and millions of people of northern Europe died in the anguish of hunger. But yet somehow Europe was emerging from it but no one knew that even bigger tragedy was going to knock.

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Black death is known as the most dangerous epidemic in the history of the world and there have been done many kinds of researches on its causes and consequences. And all the researches suggest that this epidemic was originated in China, but how this disease started in China is still a mystery. It is believed that the Plague was spread in China many times during that period. In the early 1340s, once again the plague had struck china, but this time it did not remain just under the limit of China. In order to facilitate trade, water, and land routes were developed centuries ago to establish a link between Central Asia, Asia, and southern Europe, known as the silk road. The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length. However, the plague spread to China in the fourth decade of the 14th century and reached Europe by this route. The disease may have traveled along the Silk Road with Mongol armies and traders or it could have arrived via ship. By the end of 1346, reports of plague had reached the seaports of Europe. The plague reached Sicily in October 1347, carried by twelve Genoese ships, and rapidly spread all over the island. The plague slowly spread to other parts of Europe and took away the lives of millions. In Europe, mass graves were dug in many places and dead bodies were buried. When this disease started spreading rapidly in Europe, people started living in the shadow of fear and the fear was that no one even touches the victim. People imprisoned themselves in homes, nothing like society was left. All the things called humanity and morality were over because the administrative officers were also under the grip of this disease at that time, so the administrative steps were not being taken. Renowned Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio was in the city of Florence in 1348, as the plague ravaged the city, he saw everything with his eyes and in his book, he drew the graphic description of that heartbreaking period. The experience inspired him to write The Decameron, a story of seven young women and three young men who escape the Black Death by fleeing to a villa outside the city.

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After about five years, by the year 1352, after the huge devastation, the effect of Black death had started to decrease because people had kept themselves away from the sick people as a precautionary measure. But it had a great effect on Europe's society and its economy. Due to the loss of half the population, Europe was almost deserted, the buildings and factories were empty and after a lot of efforts, the factories' locked machines showed some movements because the population was low, hence wages became expensive. Therefore, the goods manufactured in factories started selling at higher rates. With the Black Death, superstition was also spread among the people, people felt that God has turned his face away and it is a kind of divine punishment and that's why this happened, and some people even started calling it black magic. But despite all the miseries, Europe tried to overcome all kinds of difficulties. In the field of art and culture, the lives of Europeans were back on track, but it took them hundreds of years to recover.

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The Mysterious Fog of 536 - The Worst Time In History To Be Alive

Around 1500 years ago something terrifying happened to the world's climate that no one could understand. Because during this period of time, a mysterious dense fog rolled over Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, causing much of the world plunged into darkness for 18 months, making it one of the worst periods in history to be alive. The fog was so dense that it dimmed the sun during the day, causing the temperature to drop, the crops to fail and many people to die. It was like if the Sun had given forth its light to the Earth, but without the brightness, like the Moon, and it also seemed extremely as if the sun was constantly in eclipse. It may have been the reason that in the year 536 people couldn’t able to see their own shadows - even at noon. Due to crop failure and famine for more than a year, the period of cold and starvation caused economic stagnation in Europe. It has been speculated that the changes were caused by a phenomenon known as "volcanic winter", which involves a reduction in global temperatures caused by volcanic ash or dust thrown into the air after a large explosive volcanic eruption. But some possibilities were also being considered that all this happened after the impact of a comet or meteorite. But the evidence of sulfate deposits in ice cores strongly supports the volcano hypothesis. The volcanic sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere can reduce solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface for years, causing a decrease in surface temperature and affecting the global climate system.

According to the researchers, this mysterious event has been caused by an extensive atmospheric dust veil, possibly due to a large volcanic eruption in Iceland in early 536 that helped spread ash and clouds across the Northern Hemisphere, creating the fog. During this extreme weather event, the temperatures dropped from 1.5°C to 2.5°C in Europe and Asia in the summer of 536, with China even reporting snow during the summer, making it the coldest decade in the last 2300 years. This explosion was similar to the explosion of the volcano Mount Tambora in Sumbawa in 1815, which is believed to be the deadliest volcanic eruption on recorded history and was responsible for a global climatic change in 1816, popularly known as the "Year Without a Summer". Severe climatic abnormalities decreased average global temperatures in 1816, resulting in a large food shortage in the Northern Hemisphere.

Some experts relate this extreme weather event of 536 with the volcanic Krakatoa eruption. They suggested that the volcano Krakatoa erupted at that time and caused the changes. According to them, an eruption of Krakatoa described as occurring in 416 by the Javanese Book of Kings, but that eruption actually took place in 535-536, there is no other evidence of such an eruption in 416.

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