Protective Face Mask, United Kingdom, 1917-1918

Masks like this one were worn by British crews in tanks during the First World War. The leather mask is shaped to fit around the eyes and nose and the chain mail was used to protect against splinters from explosions as the tank came under fire. 

Life inside these primitive vehicles would have been extremely uncomfortable as well as dangerous. Tanks were introduced in 1916 but were initially slow, difficult to manoeuvre and had little firepower. (Source)

This collection of 29 horses’ teeth was assembled by Louis Auzoux (1797-1880), a French doctor who made models of humans, animals and plants for use in teaching medicine and anatomy.

They demonstrate how horses’ teeth age, the effects of wind-sucking and crib-biting, and the fraudulent methods employed to make horses seem older or younger than their true age. (Source)

Belcher’s Sea Snake

The most venomous snake known in the world, a few milligrams is strong enough to kill 1000 people! Less than ¼ of bites will contain venom, and they are relatively docile. Fisherman are usually the victims of these bites, as they encounter the species when they pull nets from the ocean. Found throughout waters off South East Asia and Northern Australia.

(Source)

did-you-kno:

(Photo: Reuters)

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High-Res

The Norwegian Tourist Who Fell Asleep On An Airport Baggage Belt

Rome’s Fiumicino Airport security procedures were under fire after a drunk Norwegian tourist fell asleep on a baggage belt and travelled 160 feet before being identified by an X-ray scanner. The unnamed 36-year-old arrived at the international terminal of Italy’s busiest airport in 2012 with a backpack and a can of beer in his hand.

The Norwegian was due to check in for a flight to Oslo. When he found no one on duty at the airline desk, he leapt across the counter and fell into a deep asleep on the baggage belt with his bag beside him. 

As the belt began to move the unsuspecting tourist reportedly travelled for 15 minutes through the secure baggage area in Terminal 3 before officials spotted his body curled up in a fetal position in an X-ray image on their monitors. He slept through the whole episode and airport police had trouble waking him when they were called to the scene to investigate what had happened. (Source)

Sleeping Sickness in Kazakhstan 

In the tiny town of Kalachi, Kazakhstan, up to one-quarter of its residents have been coming down with a sleeping sickness unrelated to Encephalitis. The illness began appearing in 2013, causing people to fall asleep for days at a time and then wake up with nausea, headaches, or memory loss. Over 20,000 tests have been conducted on the air, water, food, and people of the area, but so far there are no answers. As of 2015, 152 cases have been reported. (Source)

Morgellons

Morgellons was named by Mary Leito, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Although it seems to affect primarily middle-aged white women, it was Mary’s son who complained of feeling bugs under his skin, prompting her own investigation which led to the naming of the disease. 

Since then, tens of thousands of other people from around the world have claimed to have Morgellons, including singer Joni Mitchell. Symptoms range from itching or burning sensations, memory loss, and tiny fibers on the skin.

However, an investigation by the CDC found most of these fibers to be cotton from bandages and found no virus or environmental causes, postulating that it may be a mental illness. Still, many people believe Morgellons is a physical condition and doctors are still trying to fully understand it. (Source 1 |Source 2)

Yellow Stone National Park

Photograph by Louls Jung