10 Tragic Prison and Asylum Fires

While fire is something that has proven to be something very useful to mankind over the years being one of the greatest discoveries, it is potentially a hazard. It’s like a caged demon waiting to be set free so it can render everything to dust and ashes. There have been many dangerous fires throughout our history and has taken many lives but that’s just because of carelessness and well, nature did have a role in forest fires too. Anyway, this list talks about cruel fires in different prisons and asylums throughout the world. Tragic as it may sound, it still holds true. I hope this particular list proves useful and educative to you folks.

10. HIGUEY PRISON

The prison is located in Higuey in Dominican Republic. The prison was built to hold 180 prisoners but it would usually hold 400. There was a riot on the morning of 7^th March in 2005. The fight started in one of the wings between two different prison gangs. The guards were unable to control the riot. One of the inmates set a mattress on fire to keep the guards away. The smoke and the fire killed around 134 people and another 26 were injured. Only 20 people in the cellblock survived the fire.

9. COUNTY HATCH LUNATIC ASYLUM

It was one of the earliest psychiatric prisons in London, England. It was huge with a capacity to hold 3,500 inmates. At 5:30 PM on the 7^th day of January in 1903 a fire alarm was sounded. People rushed to the streets of London and they could see the huge fire that had started. A total of five different wards were destroyed and there were a total of 600 Jewish women in those wards. Many managed to escape with the death toll rising to 52 people. Fear engulfed the streets of London since they thought that lunatics have escaped and they are now roaming free.

8. OAKLEY TRAINING SCHOOL

This particular place is juvenile correctional facility. It is located near Raymond, Mississippi. It has a capacity of 150 students today. It is uncertain exactly how the fire started. The prison itself had no fire apparatus to fight the fire. 35 prisoners had died by the time the fire was killed and all of them were African American. Local farmers in the area helped put out the fire since the prison itself was had no such capabilities.

7. MAURY COUNTY JAIL

It is located in the center of Columbia Tennessee. It caught fire on the 26^th June, 1977 and that happened during visitor’s hour. After the fire was over around 33 inmates had died and it killed another 9 visitors. It was a modern, fire-resistant prison but there were no fire alarms or sprinklers or anything. There was a prisoner in the ‘drunk tank’ when he asked a visitor for a cigarette. He gave him one, along with a lit cigarette in order for him to light it. At 1:30 PM, the fire started.

6. SAINT JOHN CITY PRISON

The fire took place on 21^st June in the year 1977. Imagine a fire in a 16-storey high building. The building also had city and municipal offices. The building had a padded ‘drunk tank’ and that’s where the fire originally started. A prisoner was placed in the ‘drunk tank’ and soon thereafter a fire began. No one knows how the fire was actually started. The fire was not big, it was small and was quickly extinguished but when all was over, it was found that 21 inmates had died.

5. SEACLIFF LUNATIC ASYLUM

It was the largest of its kind in New Zealand in the 1800s. The asylum was built to handle 500 patients with 50 staff. At 9:45 PM, on 8^th December in 1942, a fire broke out in Ward 5. It held 39 to 41 female patients. The fire did not spread throughout the asylum although all the women that were held in Ward 5 gave their lives to this fire, may their souls rest in peace.

4. SAN PEDRO SULA PRISON FIRE

The fire took place in the country of Honduras. It happened on 17^th May in the year 2004. The fire killed 103 prisoners. A year earlier in April 2003 there was another fire in Honduras at the El Porvenir Prison killing 86 prisoners. The number one ranked fire in this list also happened in the country of Honduras. San Pedro Sula is the second largest city in the country and is the economic center. It is said that the refrigerator was short circuited by gang members. The prison was holding 2,000 prisoners when it was designed to hold only 800.

3. LONGUE POINTE ASYLUM

This place was a nightmare and was established in 1873. It was one of Canada’s largest at that time was operated by Catholic nuns. It held 1,500 hundred inmates when the fire started on the 6^th May, 1873 at 11:30 PM. It is thought that a female inmate set fire to the building considering the fact that she tried to put herself on fire before. 94 women died because of the incident and four Sister of Providence nuns also got caught in the accident.

2. OHIO STATE PENITENTIARY

This happens to be the worst fire in the history of US prison fires. It happened on the 21^st April in the year 1930. 322 were killed in this fire. The prison was designed to hold 1,500 prisoners and at the time of the accident the cells were holding 4,300 prisoners. The prison was going through some modifications in order to hold the increased number of prisoners and that is what caused the fire. The fire started at around 5:00 PM. It is a possibility that a prisoner working on the modification set the fire on purpose but nobody knows.

1. COMAYAGUA PRISON

Situated in Comayagua, Honduras, this place ranks number one on this list. The fire took place on 15^th February this year. What you should know is that Honduras has the highest murder rate (80 in 100,000 people). At 11:00 PM on the date of accident, a prison inmate set his bed on fire. From that bed the fire spread throughout the prison. It is thought that around 358 died in the fire and another 100 escaped. Family members seem to think that the fire was started by the government and that the inmate had nothing to do with it.

Source: smashinglists.com

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Top 10 Nostradamus Predictions that Have Come True

Michel de Nostredame (14 or 21 December 1503 – 2 July 1566), usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.

10. The Great Fire of London

“The blood of the just will be demanded of London,

Burnt by the fire in the year 66″

“The blood of the just will commit a fault at London,
burnt through lighting of twenty threes the six:
The ancient lady will fall from her high place,
several of the same sect will be killed.”

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall. It threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles II’s Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated that it destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City’s 80,000 inhabitants.

9. French Revolution

“From the enslaved people, songs, chants and demands,

The princes and lords are held captive in prisons:
In the future by such headless idiots
These will be taken as divine utterances.”

“Before the war comes,
The great wall will fall,
The King will be executed, his death coming too soon will be lamented.
(The guards) will swim in blood,
Near the River Seine the soil will be bloodied.”

The French Revolution (789–1799) was a period of radical social and political upheaval in French and European history. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years. French society underwent an epic transformation as feudal, aristocratic and religious privileges evaporated under a sustained assault from liberal political groups and the masses on the streets. Old ideas about hierarchy and tradition succumbed to new Enlightenment principles of citizenship and inalienable rights.

8. Rise Of Napolean

“PAU, NAY, LORON will be more of fire than of the blood,

To swim in praise,
the great one to flee to the confluence.
He will refuse entry to the Piuses,
The depraved ones and the Durance will keep them imprisoned.”

This One Is Again One Of the famous prophecy of nostradamus in which he directly mentioned the name of person. If The letters PAU, NAY, LORON are re-arranged it becomes “Napaulon Roy”,or napoleon bonaparte, one of the most famous emperor of france.In this quatrain Nostradamus mentions about the rise of napoleon and describe napoleon as “more of fire than of blood”.The ‘Piuses’ of the third line are the Popes Pius VI and Pius VII, who were both imprisoned by Napoleon as is implied by the last line.

7. Louis Pasteur

“Lost, found, hidden for so long a time,

the pastor will be honored as a demigod:
Before the Moon finishes its full period
he will be dishonored by other winds.”

Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease. He was best known to the general public for inventing a method to stop milk and wine from causing sickness, a process that came to be called pasteurization. He is regarded as one of the three main founders of microbiology.

6. Adolf Hitler

“From the depths of the West of Europe,

A young child will be born of poor people,
He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop;
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.”

“Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers:
The greater one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage
When the Germany child will observe nothing.”

The ‘beast’ is interpreted as Adolf Hitler and the German army, crossing over to capture France, he was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and served as head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler from 1934 to 1945. Hitler is most remembered for his central leadership role in the rise of fascism in Europe, World War II and The Holocaust.

5. Second World War

“The two greatest ones of Asia and of Africa,

From the Rhine and Lower Danube they will be said to have come,
Cries, tears at Malta and the Ligurian side.”

The prediction of the Second World War and the rise of Hitler, is one of his greatest predictions of all time. World War II was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, which involved most of the world’s nations, including all of the great powers: eventually forming two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilised. In a state of “total war,” the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in human history, resulting in 50 million to over 70 million fatalities.

4. Atomic Bombings

“Near the gates and within the cities

there will be two scourges the like of which was never seen,
famine within plague, people put out by steel,
crying to the great immortal God for relief.”

This is clearly a description of plague and famine causing much death – not nuclear attack. In order to make this fit, people often translate it abominably. One example is line three which can be found to be rendered thus: “Intense in torment, an incredible proportion of human lives ended”. The only possible connection could be “steel” – but in the time of Nostradamus this would most likely have meant weaponry of some sort.

3. Death of the Kennedy Brothers

“The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt,

An evil deed foretold by the bearer of a petition.
Another falls at night time.
Conflict at Reins, London and a pestilence in Tuscany.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was fatally shot while traveling with his wife Jacqueline, Texas governor John Connally, and the latter’s wife, Nellie, in a Presidential motorcade. 5 years later, The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. In the same year of 1963, students rioted in the cities of London and Paris and also there was a huge flood in Florence in 1968, which led to fear of plague or pestilence in the city.

2. Death of Princess Diana

“The penultimate of the surname of Prophet

Will take Diana [Thursday] for his day and rest:
He will wander because of a frantic head,
And delivering a great people from subjection.”

On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car collision in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, Princess Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Al- Fayed – the son of a person named ‘Mohammad’ and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor. Although at first the media pinned the blame on the paparazzi, the crash was ultimately found to be caused by the reckless actions of the chauffeur, who was the head of security at the Ritz and had earlier goaded the paparazzi waiting outside the hotel. An eighteen-month French judicial investigation concluded in 1999 that the crash was caused by Henri Paul, who lost control of the car at high speed while under the influence of alcohol, which may have been made worse by the simultaneous presence of an antidepressant and traces of a tranquilizer in his body.

1.Nine Eleven

“Volcanic fire from the center of the earth

will cause trembling around the new city:
Two great rocks will make war for a long time.
Then Arethusa will redden a new river.”

“In the year 1999, in the seventh month,
from the sky will come the great King of Terror,
bringing back to life the great King of the Mongols.
Before and after, Mars to reign by good fortune. “

The mention of “New City” ,”Center of earth”(world trade center) and “Towers”(Twin Towers) is somewhat believed to be related with 9/11 Attacks.Arethusa is believed to be another anagram used by nostradamus,which many connect to “Laden”.  On that morning, the plane hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

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10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the World

I am sure everybody around here loves to eat. But do you love to eat fancy? If so, how fancy can you possibly get? This particular list talks of the most expensive restaurants in the world. Your everyday expensive restaurants are not even cute compared to these. I don’t exactly understand what it is about the food they cook that makes it so expensive. For most of the restaurants it is just the environment and ambience they offer. They charge you for sitting at their restaurant, not for eating their food per say so high-priced meals are a nice cover up. Nonetheless, I am sure you will have an amazing time in these places. Bon Appetit.

10. ALINEA, CHICAGO, UNITED STATES

At number ten we have a restaurant from Chicago in United States. The restaurant started the services on the 4^th May in year 2005. The owner of the place is Grant Achatz and he is also the head chef of the place. There are only two restaurants in Chicago to have received a rating of three stars from Michelin Guide; it is the highest rating, and Alilnea is one of those restaurants. It was reviewed by the critic Sam Sifton in the New York Times. The name of the restaurant comes from the symbol of the same name.

9. VARVARY, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

The restaurant was the idea of Chef Anatoly Komm. He always loved cooking and before he went on into this business, he was forty years old. He is a qualified geophysicist. He opened Versace and Ferre boutiques in Moscow. This particular restaurant of his is a complete hit in Moscow. If you are looking for good food, there is no place better but it comes at a cost. A good meal will cost you around $270 excluding the wine or any other drinks for that matter. You know how wine is, it can practically double or even triple the total check so do that math.

8. THE FAT DUCK, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND

This particular restaurant is the highest rated restaurant in Britain and of course that makes it the most expensive in Britain as well. The head chef around this place is Heston Blumenthal and his dishes are unique. The best part about this guy is that he learned everything all by himself. If you are looking for some good food and complete meals, expect to pay around $300 and that too without any wine. That will cost you extra, so your total check could very well exceed $700 easy.

7. MEZZALUNA, THE DOME AT LEBUA, BANGKOK, THAILAND

You will be able to find this restaurant atop the tallest building in Bangkok and it overlooks the Chao Praya River. Japanese Mackerel in Peppery Tomato Broth, Sweet-Tasting Rhone Lamb, Soulard Duck with Double-Fungus and Lobster with Beets, Pickled Onion and Salad Greens are the signature dishes at this place. You should know that if you are extremely hungry, you will really not be able to eat your fill and I am sure you can guess why that is. So either eat a little before you leave home for this place, or just keep ordering.

6. FRENCH LAUNDRY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

If you are looking for a table at this place you are going to have to wait for a very long time. The reservations are made two months in advance, so if you plan to go their today, it is not going to happen until at least two months. The average check you get for eating at this place is a whopping $957. Usually however, it will cost $270 per person. Also, you should know that this place has a dress code and a very strict one at that so if you are not wearing the proper clothes, you can say goodbye to your table.

5. SOLO PER DUE, UMBRIA, ITALY

This is the smallest restaurant in the country and it is the most expensive restaurant of the country too. It will cost you around $300 for regional cooking. It offers local sheep’s cheese, Abruzzo sausage, wild mushrooms and berries; a meat, fish or vegetable entrée and homemade bread. All of this is complimented with delicious wines from the cellar. You can have yourself entertained by a private firework display as well; that’s something new.

4. ALAIN DUCASSE AU PLAZA ATHENEE, PARIS, FRANCE

This is a very old-school building, full of lights and amazing architecture. What do you expect from the most romantic city in the world? This place will literally empty you for starters, you are going to have to pay around $250 for the starter that is langoustines with caviar. The usual check per head is about $500 and this price does not include any wine and they have around 35,000 bottles of wine in the cellar.

3. MASA, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

The chef Masa Takayama came to the Big Apple with the idea of this particular restaurant. According to the New York Magazine ‘a meal of the highest quality is worth almost any price’. Now, I do not really agree with that, but most people do which is why they are happy to pay around $400 per person to eat in this place. You should know that the per head cost mentioned above does not include tax, tip or sake.

2. ITHAA, MALDIVES

This is the best in the world when it comes to underwater restaurants. It has been constructed around five meters below the sea level and it will over you such amazing views of the aqua life as you enjoy your food. It cost around $5 million to build. The interesting bit is that the restaurant only has fourteen seats. The menu at this place will cost you around $300 per person but people pay if happily for the offered Western cuisine and rich seafood. Now this is one place I would love to go to.

1. ARAGAWA, TOKYO, JAPAN

I am not a very big fan of Japanese food but that does not change the facts. Aragawa, located in Tokyo is the most expensive restaurant in the world. The restaurant only serves one entrée; steak. That particular steak can and will cost you around $600 per person. For the past three years, this place has been the most expensive restaurant. To be quite honest, I would not go this place even if I had that kind of money for one simple reason – I do not like Japanese food.

Source: smashinglists.com

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10 More Unusual Trees

10

Bottle Tree

Location: Namibia

The Bottle tree of Namibia is one of the most deadly trees on Earth. The milky sap of the plant is very poisonous and was used as arrow poison by bushmen in the past. The Bottle tree is so-called due to the shape of its stem and it usually grows in mountainous regions, which gives it a striking appearance in the deserts of Namibia. The Bottle tree’s flowers have been described as ‘beautiful’ and they are usually pink or white and dark red towards the center.

9

Wawona Tree

Location: USA

The Wawona tree was a Coast Redwood that was located in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park in the USA and had been made into a tunnel. The tree was cut through in 1881, and since then, it became a popular tourist attraction. The Wawona tree fell in 1969 due to a large build-up of snow on the top. The redwood is estimated to have been 2,300 years old.

8

Teapot Baobab

Location: Madagascar

These magnificent trees, which are endemic to Madagascar are over 1000 years old. This type of Baobab in an endangered species. Many of the trees are over 80m tall and the trunks can get to 25m in circumference. The swollen trunks of the trees provide the source of water and supply it in the drought season. When in bloom, the baobab flowers only last for 24 hours. These flowers feature on the Madagascan 100 Franc banknote.

7

Silk Cotton Trees of Ta Prohm

Location: Cambodia

These trees are truly extraordinary to see and this is a definite place to visit if you are traveling through South-East Asia. The trees are the most distinctive feature of the temple of Ta Prohm. The roots of the silk-cotton trees tangle around the ancient temple and the trees rise to an impressive height. Strangler fig trees also inhabit the temple and are also fascinating. The temple features on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

6

Hyperion

Location: California

Hyperion is a coast redwood or California redwood and is the tallest tree on Earth. The trees usually live for around 1200-1800 years. Hyperion is 115.5 meters tall and almost 9 meters in diameter. This means that Hyperion is 5 stories taller than the Statue of Liberty. It is estimated that 95% or more of the original coast redwood trees have been cut down and now the conservation status of the giant trees is ‘vulnerable.’

5

Pejibaye Palm

Location: Costa Rica & Nicaragua

This tree is native to Central and South America, although it is primarily found in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The Pejibaye palm is armed with stiff, black spikes that arrange themselves in circular rows from the base to the top of the tree. These tend to grow to around 20 meters. The leaves can grow up to 3 meters long. Native Americans usually ate the fruit after fermenting it and was a major part of their diet. Today, the fermented fruit is still very popular.

4

Crooked Forest of Gryfino

Location: Poland

There are about 400 of these strange trees near Gryfino, West Poland. It is thought that they have curved due to human mechanical intervention, although the purpose of the trees are unknown. Some have speculated that they were intended for making bent-wood furniture, the ribs for boat hulls or yokes for ox-drawn plows. However, the outbreak of WW2 caused whoever grew the trees to stop and now the trees are a mystery.

3

Sunland Baobab

Location: South Africa

The Sunland boabab is a tree near Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo Province, South Africa, which has been made into a bar. The tree is naturally hollow and in 1933, a small bar was set up which can hold 15-20 people. It is one of the tallest baobabs in South Africa and is apparently the widest tree in the whole of Africa. The tree is around 47 meters in circumference and about 20 meters tall. It is also one of the oldest trees in the world dating back more than 6000 years!

2

Burmis Tree

Location: Canada

The Burmis tree is a limber pine situated near Alberta, Canada. The tree is unusual in the fact that it died in the 1970s and is still standing today without any sign of rotting. The tree was estimated to be around 600-750 years-old when it died. The tree was knocked down by wind in 1998 and the locals propped it back up. A few years later, vandals broke one of the branches and the locals once again came to the rescue, fixing the branch back on. The Burmis tree is supposedly one of the most photographed trees in the world.

1

The Tree of Life

Location: Bahrain

This tree is approximately 400 years old and 9.75 meters high. The tree is unusual as it is situated in the desert and is the only tree growing for miles around and there is no clear water supply. The Prosopis cineraria or mesquite tree has extremely deep root systems which is believed to be the way it reaches water, although the tree still remains a mystery. If you search for the Tree of Life on Google Earth, you can see how remote it is. The tree is a major tourist attraction and 50,000 people visit it each year. Local inhabitants believe that this was the actual location of the Garden of Eden. This tree is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: listverse.com

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