Operation Teapot Steams Up The Desert

(images via: Weird Wild Realm and Deseret News)

It can get hot in Nevada, but 1955 saw temps in selected areas reach that of the surface of the sun. In a roughly three month period in the spring of that year, the U. S. Army set off 14 nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site at Yucca Flats under the name of Operation Teapot. The explosions ranged in yield from 1.2 to 43 kilotons. The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, ten years earlier had a yield of approximately 12 kilotons.

Home Sweet… Uh Oh

(image via: Wired)

The stage was set for Survival Town two years earlier when, on the first day of tests for Operation Upshot-Knothole, the charming 1950’s house above was exposed to an atomic blast. The walls of the house look unnaturally bright in the first image (above top left) because they’re reflecting the light of the just-detonated bomb. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Honey, Call State Farm”

(image via: Corbis)

The Apple-2 test on May 5, 1955… yes, 5/5/55, showed similar results to the 1953 structures and materials test. Civil Defense workers provide a composite Before & After photo of one of the homes built to be destroyed in what is known today as Operation CUE. This rare color photo was taken on May 6, 1955.

Nobody Home, Gone Fission

(image via: Spectrum)

The stark set of photos above shows another Survival Town building that sustained a somewhat less degree of damage – in other words, it wasn’t pulverized into kindling. The Army set up a variety of homes, buildings and other structures at varying distances from Ground Zero in an effort to determine how the power of an atomic blast would carry over an urban landscape.

This video of the “Survival Town Atom Test” is at once cute and creepy, backed by over-the-top melodramatic monster-movie music. Note that “a million dollars worth of equipment was installed”. Who planned this test, Doctor Evil??

Nevada Atomic test, 1955, via BobR1955

Eve Of Destruction

(images via: Nebraska Studies, Curiositas Mundi and OSU Library)

Survival City had it all: homes, buildings, electrical power lines, even people… well, fake people. Got to give the DOD some credit here, they stocked the homes with mannequins sourced from J. C. Penney. On a somewhat freaky note, the Army posed the mannequins in the acts of playing, eating and so on; then left cameras on to record the “fun” that was about to ensue.

Cue The Bomb

(images via: Postapocalypse, Vegaslandfill and National Archives)

The May 5th explosion dubbed Apple-2 took place 9 days late as the test site had been experiencing high winds. When the all-clear was finally given at 8:10am, nearby residents (and those who were tuning live on radio and TV) witnessed an atomic explosion weighing in at 31 kilotons. The explosion’s blast area extended 3 miles out from Ground Zero. Most of the approximately 6,000 spectators watched from about 6 miles away but Army troops in tanks and trenches got a birds-eye view at a mere 2 to 3 miles from the epicenter.

Gosh Mom, We’re Havin’ A Blast!

(images via: Flashpoint)

These rare color photos bring “home” the surreal horror of the mannequin tests with a bit more clarity. Once again the attention to detail is almost disturbing as it shows a typical, “Leave It To Beaver” type family engaged in typical middle-American pursuits, frozen in time just before their demise.

Behlen Buildings Bounce Back

(images via: Nebraska History and Nebraska Studies)

If one recalls anything about the mannequins & materials tests of the early Atomic Age, it’s the exploding houses – they make good visuals. At the time, however, survival was on the nation’s collective mind and though the test subjects of Operation Cue were inanimate, there WERE heroes among them. One of the most celebrated was the Behlen building, a corrugated steel structure that suffered not much more than the odd dent even though it was placed just 6,800 feet from Ground Zero. Behlen got a lot of mileage out of Operation Cue – the building was trucked around to state fairs for years after. The B&W photo above shows the building at the 1955 Nebraska State Fair.

Survival Town Survivors

(images via: Nevada Test Site Tour and Travelrag)

(images via: Seattle Times, Skyscraper City and Auroral Chorus)

You’d think the Army would have destroyed any and all traces of Survival Town once Operation Cue had wound down, but surprisingly some of the buildings remain standing today. The Nevada Department Of Energy conducts tours of the entire test area (no cameras allowed) including the remains of Survival Town, though visitors must be over the age of 14 and pregnant women are advised not to attend – not out of concern for any lingering radioactivity, but due to the long and bumpy bus ride.

(image via: Maison Bisson)

Survival Town, USA… wish you were here?

Amazing and Bizarre Green Art

Here are seven examples of green creativity that involve alternative uses of natural materials. Click Here to See More

Artistic inspiration can strike anywhere. For Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr, inspiration came from dead insects. As bizarre as it sounds, the photographer poses tiny dead flies onto paper, draws arms, legs and backgrounds behind them, and then photographs them in their new environments. The result is a hilarious series of photographs.

The pictures are simple and fun; the backgrounds are kept clean and minimalistic so they don’t interfere with the overall picture. The little arms and legs actually look like they belong to the critters. There’s no word on whether the insects died of natural causes or were killed by the artist.

The insects look at home in pretty much whatever configuration Muhr puts them in. They manage to be adorable, even though playing with dead bugs is a bit gross. Looking at them up close may inspire shudders, but they’re actually very innocent-looking compared to other insect photography subjects. In the pictures above, the text roughly translates to “It was good?” “You’ve done great with the British cuisine…it tastes like shit!” and “Guys…I have to sneeze…”

Above, the captions read “It’s the latest craze” and “Are you bi, or…?” (in Swedish, the words for “bee” and “bisexual” are similar). The configurations that Muhr puts his insects into can be alternately weird, cute, and puzzling. But they’re always interesting little worlds. Who knows where Muhr’s imagination will take the little bugs next? Muhr also creates more serious photography, which can be found in his online portfolio.

8 Funniest Scenes to Stumble Upon

If you aren't already using StumbleUpon to find cool websites about all sorts of stuff, you may not get these jokes - but you should become part of the StumbleUpon social and website network! Click Here to See More

Finally all in one place: the most sensational, educational and inspirational content featuring the past, present and future of gadgets, science and technology – from history-shaping photo-edits of centuries gone by to a just-discovered cure for color blindness to self-driving concept cars, space elevators and teleportation devices of the not-too-distant future. Where can you find such wonders? Gajitz a brand new gadgscitech site from the folks that brought you Webist Media (WebUrbanist & WebEoist) and Misnamed Media (also featuring Dornob Designs). Visit the site and subscribe now!

Kurt Kohlstedt (Founder and Creative Director of WebUrbanist & WebEcoist and Lead Editor of Dornob) has teamed up with Delana Barnes (the otherwise most veteran author at Webist Media and Senior Strange Stuff Correspondent) to launch the all-new Gajitz | Tech with a Twist – but now worries, we are both also as on-the-ball as ever right here on WU as well. The idea is: report on the most offbeat, exotic and eye-popping finds, designs and concepts in the realms of science and technology – and make these subjects engaging and amazing to anyone with a desire to discover and a fascination with the fantastic.

Futuristic can be fun, but not everything exciting is new – some of the most amusing, enlightening or mysterious revelations relate to the rediscovered or uncovered past. Whether they be remarkable futuristic technologies come true or archeological finds that shift entire paradigms, Gajitz brings you not only cutting-edge and near-future technologies and innovative transportation designs but also vintage designs and retro finds of all kinds. Like its sibling site Dornob, Gajitz features multiple to-the-point, information-packed and fully-illustrated articles every day on breaking new discoveries as well as hidden treasures of times past.

It sometimes seems hard to believe that WebUrbanist has grown to reach an audience over nearly 250,000 RSS subscribers and has over 1,000,000 pages viewed by visitors each month. Thank you all, dear readers, for helping growing WU as well as its close sibling WebEcoist and distant cousin Dornob over at Misnamed Media into what they are today. Also, thanks of course our wonderful writers, including Angel, Chris, Delana, Mike, Stephanie and Steve, who make this weird and wacky website work, and to sponsors including Full Sail University of Art, Digital & Media Design, Evinco Design and others (check them out via the banners to your right!).

Click here to check out Gajitz, and be sure to follow up on Twitter, friend us on Facebook, subscribe to the new RSS feed and spread the word around the interwebs however else you wish. Once again, thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts and lending your support all along the way – you are what keeps us going!

25 Hardware Hacks: Old Tech Turned into New Gadgets

Repurposed gadgets let your inner eco-geek blossom. Here are 25 hardware hacks and magnificent manipulations of e-waste repurposed to functional geeky gadgets. Click Here to See More

These epic wonders show off the phenomenal beauty of the natural world, awesome abilities of animals,  dangerous capacities of the planet and even the amazing environmental designs of our ancient ancestors. Forget your standard sets of wonders: with hundreds of images and links and pages of information, this cunning WebEcoist collection may be the sensational, educational and inspirational eco-series you have ever read. Divided into 10 parts, each featuring 7 themed subjects, here are 70 incredible wonders of the natural world.

7 Phenomenal Wonders of the Natural World

Vast canyons, giant mountains – those are old natural wonders. Many of the most fantastic natural phenomena are far more impressive but correspondingly difficult to capture. Some are incredibly rare while others are located in hard-to-reach parts of the planet. From moving rocks to mammatus clouds and red tides to fire rainbows, here are seven of the most spectacular phenomenal wonders of the natural world. Click Here to Continue.

7 (More!) Phenomenal Wonders of the Natural World

Sailing stones, fire rainbows, red tides and blue holes … were just the beginning.Imagine sidestepping a house-sized hole in the ground as it forms around you in seconds, walking through a field of razor-sharp ice spikes taller than yourself or fleeing from a deadly vortex of smoke and flame far more dangerous than the raging fire that spawned it. From light pillars and sun dogs to firewhirls and sinkholes, here are seven more beautiful, terrifying and awe-inspiring natural wonders of the world. Click Here to Continue.

7 Phenomenal Wonders of the Animal World

Fantastic phenomena are, however, far from all mother nature has to offer – some of her most impressive creations reside in the animal kingdom. Though they may seem too strange to be real, all but a few of these have been extensively documented in photos and videos – and those that haven’t are supported by dazzling eyewitness accounts from around the globe. From raining and exploding animals to amazing animal architects, here are seven sensational wonders of the animal world. Click Here to Continue.

7 Symbiotic Wonders of the World’s  Seven Seas

Evolution alone is an amazing thing – but species that evolve together can be all the more spectacular, protecting, feeding and cleaning one another in incredible ways. Sharks pair with fish, fish with shrimp and shrimp with sea cucumbers and much much more. From boxing crabs that wield poisonous anemones as weapons to shrimp that scour the mouths of electric eels, here are seven of the most radical symbiotic relationships from the shallowest to the deepest waters of our world. Click Here to Continue.

7 Soaring Symbiotic Wonders of the World’s Skies

There are many unlikely animal pairings in the world, but some of the most uncanny ones involve birds. Wait, what? Those flighty animals the flit about and flee at the slightest sign of trouble? Precisely those. They have been known to climb in and clean the teeth of a crocodile, lounge on the backs of buffalo, moose, hippos, elephants and zebras and even to share a residence with ants – their natural prey. The first set of symbiotic wonders focused mainly on underwater matches – this set focuses on fliers of the friendly skies. Click Here to Continue.

7 Color-Changing Wonders of the Animal World

Can you spot the creatures the images above? The lizard blends so perfectly it is hard to see even when pointed out. The ability to change color seems like a superpower at times – some amazing animals can alter their appearance to blend with the colors, materials and textures of virtually any surroundings. For some this ‘costume change’ happens quickly, for others it is seasonal – for many it helps them avoid predators, for a few it enables them to sneak up on prey. Culled from around the animal kingdom, here are seven of most impressive color-changing species in the world. Click Here to Continue.

7 Deep-Sea Wonders of the Animal World

Earth’s ocean depths often referred to as the planet’s last great unexplored frontier. Blacker than the darkest night, crushed by unimaginable pressure and for the most part untouched by the hand of man, the world below the water’s surface is bursting with life – though in many cases not life as we know it. Here are seven exceptional examples of weird wonders lurking beneath the waves. Click Here to Continue.

7 Geological Wonders of the World’s 7 Continents

Will wonders never cease? Probably not, Mother Earth has had 5 billion years to sculpt herself into spectacular splendor and it’s certain she’s not done yet. For now though, let’s take a little trip across the seven continents to find our planet’s coolest natural wonders you have likely never seen. Click Here to Continue.

7 Architectural Wonders of the Animal Kingdom

So you thought the ancient and modern wonders created by mankind and creative contemporary architecture were something? From underground ant colonies that extend farther than the Great Wall of China to termite mounds that tower at nearly twice the relative height of the Burj Dubai (tallest skyscraper in the world), and from the largest multi-species spider web ever discovered to the longest beaver dam on the planet, here are seven of the most awe-inspiring animal architects and architectonic structures of the animal kingdom. Click Here to Continue.

7 Green Wonders of the Ancient World

While mother nature herself has much to offer and going green is the latest trend, there have been amazing sustainable designs since the dawn of written history and beyond. We have come a long way since humans first used biomass fuels for their fires over 800,000 years ago. Green design, sustainable innovation, alternative energy – these are all recently-coined buzz-phrases for concepts that in some cases date back tens of thousands of years. The ancient Chinese used concentrated solar power for heat energy and fire, Native Americans used hot springs as renewable geothermal sources for cooking and healing, and some speculate the Egyptians used wind power to help build their pyramids. From Greece and Rome to Persia and North America, here are seven incredibly innovative uses of geothermal, water, wind and solar power from around the ancient world. Click Here to Continue.

Bonus: 82 Epic Elemental Phenomena & Natural Disasters

So you thought this last piece would be a final set of seven to round off the list to 77? As a small surprise, here is an entire additional set that shows the eccentricities and capacities of our planet – also courtesy of WebEcoist, the great green sister site to WebUrbanist (subscribe now!). These amazing natural wonders and epic elemental disasters of the world showcase both the most beautiful and most terrifying sides of Mother Nature. With hundreds of images and over one hundred paragraphs of link-packed information you will not find a more definitive collection anywhere online. Sectioned according to the four classic elements of earth, water, fire and air, here are 52 elemental phenomena and formations and 30 environmental disasters – and to round it off: 100 beautiful HDR photographs of the natural world. Click Here to Continue.

7 Wonders of the Modern Engineering

From Venice to Boston, Egypt to England, here are seven amazing engineering wonders of the modern world. Click Here to See More

It’s been said, Don’t wait for your ship to come in – swim out to it.  This positive slant on the big picture of life is something that swimmers can really get into. Across this world, there are thousands upon thousands of places to swim. It’s good for your health and good clean fun. But if you are bored of ordinary swimming pools, there are too many other unusual or cool places to swim that are far from dull to keep you happy and entertained. Consider a bit of travel to visit theses 14 places to swim, from the bizarre to the beautiful.

Dumpster Diving, Deep Pool, Sunken Treasure

(image credits:NBC New York,Ready Made,Gossip Rocks,World Of Mysteries)

Most people enjoy playing in the water. Some places are cool, some more of an adventure, and some places are a makeshift place to swim. Pool parties are a blast, but in Brooklyn the party is a version of dumpster diving. This trashy, trendy feature of filling up the bins with water and going for a dip is making waves in urban areas. It’s about urban renewal and the effective use of resources and space. A very different type and the deepest recreational pool in the world can be found in Belgium. Nemo 33 is over 100 feet deep. However, yet another swimming experience can be found in Truk Lagoon, a part of the Federated States of Micronesia. Chuuk, is a sheltered body of water nearly fifty miles long by thirty miles wide and is surrounded by a protective reef. In the crystal clear water, divers play among the ghostly remains of 60 ships and 275 aircraft that haunt the seabed. Some ships lie at a depth of 49 feet.

Dead Sea

(image credits:World Mysteries)

The Dead Sea is a hypersaline lake and one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. This salt lake has Jordan to the east and Israel to the west. The shores are the lowest land point on the surface of the Earth, at 1,385 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world with a depth of 1,240 feet. Due to the high salinity, a person is especially buoyant and can sit almost on the surface without sinking. The density of the saltwater is supposed to be an awesome sensation.

Bizarrely Beautiful Depths

(image credits:Dive Worldwide,Discovery)

Divers play in the deep waters around the globe. Some search for treasure or sunken ships, while others swim where they can enjoy the coral reefs and colorful, exotic marine life. One extreme form of aquatic species is the giant jellyfish. They are benefiting from overfishing and now are taking over parts of the word’s ocean like off the coast of northern Japan. Some divers choose to swim and to track a monster Echizen jellyfish like this one with a body almost 5 feet across. Swimming with super-sized jellyfish can also be done in Southeast Asia, the Gulf of Mexico, the Black Sea and the North Sea. The biggest jellyfish in the world is called Nomura, can weigh 400 pounds and be the size of a Sumo wrestler.

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

(image credits:echeng,Sky Chick Adventures,National Geographic,meremail,National Geographic,National Geographic)

In the nation of Palau, more than 12,000 years ago, a rock island sealed off from the ocean and jellyfish were trapped inside as it changed to a marine lake. With few predators at Eil Malk rock island, the jellyfish thrived and multiplied. Now this lake holds more than 10 million jellyfish and is known as Jellyfish Lake. Their ability to sting disappeared over time, so now swimming with them is completely harmless. These jellies vary from blackberry- to basketball-sized and swim with the path of the sun across the surface of the lake each day.

Devil’s Pool

(image credits:Oddity Central)

In Zimbabwe, a surreal location called The Devil’s Pool is a small lagoon enclosed by rocks yet on the very edge of falling into a gorge. It can be found at Victoria Falls, one the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is 5,600 feet wide and 360 feet high, where the water plunges down the largest waterfall in the world. The drop-off  is mere inches from The Devil’s Armchair. When the river is at a safe level, between the months of September and December, people can swim in The Devil’s Pond as close as possible to the edge of the falls. Swimmers can sit right on edge of The Devil’s Armchair without being pushed over the edge and falling to their death below.

Natural Phenomenon Bioluminescent Bay at La Parguera

(image credits:Uptake Attractions,Whole Travel,citizen of the Earth,Map Puerto Rico)

Vieques Island in Puerto Rico offers one of the best swimming experiences. Although the name Mosquito Bay may not sound enticing, this shallow body of water reveals secrets even during dark nights with no moonlight. It is the water that glows. No, not with radioactivity, but within each gallon of the bay, there are 720,000 phosphorescent single-celled organisms that glow when they are agitated. Swimming in Mosquito Bay will bathe your limbs in blue-green light. This eerie yet cool light is a defense mechanism by the tiny dinoflagellates that will dim and eventually disappear if you hold completely still. If, however, you scoop up a handful of water, you can watch the glowing planktons roll down yours arms and stream from your hair. Like the Dead Sea, the salinity of the water is so high that you can float sitting upright, instead of sinking. Have fun floating and glowing in this rare and endangered Bioluminescent Bay.

Taal Lake: Philippines

(image credit:Scienceray)

In the Philippines, Taal Lake is a freshwater lake within a crater abyss that was formed by eruptions eons ago. The active Taal Volcano lies on an island in the center of the lake. Swimmers can discover all kinds of surprises in this lake, such as the world’s only freshwater sardines or something a bit more ominious. Taal Lake is home to one of the world’s rarest sea snakes, one of two “true” sea snake species that live entirely in freshwater. Have fun swimming here, but keep an eye out for the sea monster snake, the Hydrophis semperi.

Heaven Lake: North Korea/China

(image credit:Scienceray)

Another absolutely gorgeous lake for swimmers to visit is aptly named, Heaven Lake. Located on the border between North Korean and China, this is the world’s highest crater lake at a altitude of 7,182 feet. Heaven lake is huge and has a depth of 699 feet. However, if you plan to travel so you can swim there, keep in mind that from mid-October to mid-June, it is covered with ice.

Lake Saiful Maluk: Pakistan

(image credit:Scienceray)

In a land of beauty and yet hardships, Pakistan offers a serene and breathtaking place to swim at Lake Saiful Muluk. It is one of the highest lakes in Pakistan with an altitude of over 10,577 feet above sea level. The water here is crystal clear and cool, fed by the melting glaciers around the high basin.

Coatepeque Caldera

(image credit:Scienceray)

Another spectacular natural pool and cool place to swim can be found in El Salvador. Coatepeque Caldera is a volcanic crater that was formed from massive explosive eruptions between 27,000 and 57,000 years ago. Six rhyodacitic lava domes have formed, making it an unusual place to swim. There is also a hot springs at Lake Coatepeque. The island of Teopan can easily be seen in the lake and has some importance as a Mayan site.

Cave Diving

(image credit:wired)

Some water lovers grow bored of swimming for swimming’s sake and instead decide to snorkel or dive. In northern Florida, this underwater cave can be reached by free diving. The diver in the photo is swimming about 20 feet into the opening of Devil’s Eye Spring. Other free divers descend to 40 or 45 feet, while yet other brave souls free dive even further and leap-frog from air pocket to air pocket inside the cave.

Click Here to See More