Buzz
People are drawn to a great story, whether it’s true or entirely fictional. This is why bestselling authors continue to thrive, and why people are so captivated by history books. Our planet has its own captivating past, as do the 195 countries scattered across our spinning blue-and-white globe. Within these countries are numerous places with their own rich histories and narratives, many of which serve as the inspiration for the stories that we cherish.
10. The Village That Survived the Tsunami
Fudai is a small town in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, located about 515 kilometers (320 miles) north of Tokyo. In 1896 and 1933, devastating tsunamis struck, causing the deaths of hundreds of people and destroying entire homes in mere moments. Kotaku Wamura, the late mayor of Fudai, served for ten terms and wrote a book detailing the 1933 tsunami. He recalled: 'When I saw bodies being dug up from the piles of earth, I did not know what to say. I had no words.'
Determined to protect his village from future tragedies, Wamura oversaw the construction of a massive 15.5-meter (51-foot) seawall in 1967. This seawall was designed to shield homes behind the fishing port from powerful waves. Wamura went even further by initiating a project that would create a floodgate of the same height for a nearby cove. This gate, designed with panels that could open to allow the Fudai River to flow into the cove, was also capable of closing tightly to block tsunami waves. The construction of the gate, completed between 1972 and 1984 at a cost of approximately $30 million, was flanked by mountains on both sides. Though initially met with resistance and accusations of wasting public funds, the project ultimately proved to be a crucial measure in safeguarding the village.
On December 26, 2004, a catastrophic tsunami devastated the coastlines surrounding the Indian Ocean, claiming the lives of 227,898 individuals across fourteen countries. In Fudai, the floodgates effectively absorbed the force of the tsunami, and the damage was minimal as the 20-meter (66-foot) waves spilled over. However, one person was reported missing after heading outside the seawall to inspect his boat shortly after the earthquake struck.
In the aftermath, the villagers gathered at the grave of Kotaku Wamura to express their gratitude for the wall and floodgate he had constructed, which ultimately saved their lives and protected their village.
9. Prague Orloj
Prague, the 13th largest city in the European Union and the capital of the Czech Republic, is home to remarkable historical landmarks, such as Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Hall. Attached to the Old Town Hall is the medieval Prague Orloj, or astronomical clock, which was installed in 1410. It is now the oldest operational clock in the world, featuring three main components: an astronomical dial showing the sun and moon’s positions, statues representing Vanity, Greed, Lust, and Death that animate every hour, and medallions depicting the calendar months.
The clock also carries a dark legend. It is said that the clockmaker, Mikuláš of Kadaň, had his eyes gouged out by the city’s councilors after he was approached by other nations who asked him to create a clock of equal splendor. Blinded, Mikuláš descended into madness and threw himself into the clock’s mechanisms, cursing it. The curse supposedly condemns anyone attempting to repair the broken clock to also lose their sanity.
8. Cerro Gordo
In 1865, Pablo Flores began extracting silver from the hills overlooking Owens Valley in California. Not long after, local businessmen Victor Beaudry and Mortimer Belshaw learned of Flores's operation and quickly acquired mining claims. By 1869, they had taken full control of the area, making it the largest producer of silver and lead in California.
Over the next five decades, a town called Cerro Gordo sprang up at the mining site. At its peak, the town boasted 4,000 residents, seven saloons, and at least three brothels. During the height of its activity, the town was plagued by shootouts, murders, and accidents. At one point, there was a murder every week, and miners had to stack large sandbags around their beds to protect themselves from stray bullets.
However, by 1938, the town's water supply had dwindled, and mining operations had nearly ceased as the silver, lead, and zinc deposits were nearly exhausted. The residents had left for more promising areas, and Cerro Gordo officially became a ghost town.
In 2018, two friends, Brent Underwood and Jon Bier, purchased Cerro Gordo for $1.4 million with plans to restore it to its former glory. In 2020, Underwood traveled to the town to relieve the caretaker, only to become trapped by a massive snowstorm. Stranded, he ended up staying for 16 months, eventually deciding to make it his permanent home while overseeing the town's restoration. Underwood also believes the town to be haunted, citing occurrences like lights turning on by themselves and books falling off shelves without explanation.
7. The House of Blood
In 1986, a family moved into a seemingly ordinary house in Saint Quentin, located in the Aisne region of France. After a month of settling in, they began to experience strange occurrences in the house. Low moans echoed from the ground floor, and pots would clatter in the kitchen even when no one was there. Initially, the family dismissed it as noise from their neighbors, but the strange events continued.
One day, the wife saw something that changed everything: a red liquid started dripping down the kitchen walls. Her husband suggested it was probably just old paint seeping through, but as the substance appeared in other parts of the house, they contacted the authorities. After investigating, the police confirmed the substance was human blood.
The family decided to leave the house for a week and scattered flour across the floors, hoping to catch whoever might be playing a prank on them. When they returned, there were no footprints, but every wall of the house was covered in thick blood.
Desperate, the family turned to a local priest, who examined the bloody walls and declared that a demon was responsible and that the house needed to be destroyed. Soon after, the house was demolished, and beneath it, the remains of around 50 World War I soldiers were discovered.
6. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
The name Head-Smashed-In gives a grim clue about the fate that awaited many at this buffalo jump in Alberta, Canada.
For over 5,500 years, Indigenous peoples used this buffalo jump to hunt buffalo by driving them off an 11-meter-high (36-foot) cliff. The Blackfoot people, disguised as coyotes and wolves, guided the buffalo into special “drive lanes,” causing the herd to plunge off the cliff. At the base, a camp was established to process the buffalo carcasses, turning them into food, tools, and clothing.
The name Head-Smashed-In comes from a tragic incident where a young Blackfoot, intrigued by the sight of the buffalo falling, tried to view the spectacle from below. Unfortunately, he was crushed under the weight of the falling buffalo and was later found lifeless beneath the pile, his head smashed in.
Today, deep beneath the cliff, layers of buffalo bones remain, and traces of the drive lanes, trails, and an Indigenous camp are still visible in the area. [Note: While these animals were actually bison, the term buffalo is widely used in North American culture, so we’ve kept the traditional term for storytelling.]
5. Narusawa Ice Cave
Nestled at the boundary of Japan's infamous Aokigahara Forest, the Narusawa Ice Cave is a natural marvel, 21 meters (70 feet) deep, where massive icicles form at its base. Created by an eruption of Mount Fuji over 1,150 years ago, the cave maintains a constant year-round temperature of 3°C (37°F).
Before refrigeration technology existed, the Narusawa Ice Cave served as a natural cold storage facility. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, ice was harvested from the cave and transported over 150 kilometers (93 miles) to the Shogun's castle in Tokyo.
The deepest section of the cave, known as the “pit of hell,” is said to extend so far that it allegedly reaches Enoshima Island in Kanagawa Prefecture, around 124 kilometers (77 miles) away.
4. Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is situated on the border of Bolivia and Peru and holds the title of South America's largest lake. It was formed when seismic activity caused the Andes Mountains to crack open, creating a basin that filled with water from melting glaciers. In ancient times, local cultures considered the lake to be the heart of the universe, believed to be the birthplace of the sun, moon, stars, and humankind. Later, it became a sacred site for the Incas.
The Incas seized control of the Titicaca basin, murdered the local chiefs, used their skin to craft drums, and displayed their decapitated heads on poles. During the Inca era, temples dedicated to the sun and moon were constructed on islands in the lake. The Incas believed the god Viracocha created humanity from the lake, but grew disappointed in them. He then unleashed a great flood, leaving only three humans to survive. From the lake, Viracocha summoned the sun, moon, and stars, which aided the survivors in rebuilding life on Earth. (Link 7)
Today, around 4,000 people reside on small islands in the lake, crafted from reeds that are continually replenished as older layers decay in the water. These reed islands are maintained by adding fresh layers on top. Some of these islands even feature toilet facilities and huts equipped with solar panels to power lights and televisions. Larger islands can support up to 10 families.
3. Whale Bone Alley
Much like the elephant graveyard in The Lion King, Yttygran Island in Siberia is home to its own version of a whale graveyard, more famously known as Whale Bone Alley.
Whale Bone Alley is thought to have been constructed 600 years ago by indigenous tribes who hunted whales for their meat and blubber. They would bury the whale’s jawbones, ribs, and vertebrae into the earth, storing the meat in pits. A line of skulls, each larger than two meters (6.5 feet) wide, is embedded along the shore. Following the skulls are rows of jawbones, and further away, especially visible in summer when the grass recedes and in winter beneath the snow, are curved rib bones protruding from the earth.
Some researchers believe that Whale Bone Alley served as a sacred space for Eskimo communities from the shores of the Senyavin Strait and native tribes from St. Lawrence Island. They also suggest that the whale bones were used for religious ceremonies, where rituals to honor the dead were carried out among these bones.
2. Seven Strong Men
Rising from the vast expanse surrounding the northern Ural Mountains in Russia, seven enormous rock formations appear as if they have erupted from the earth. These towering structures are known as the Seven Strong Men, or Seven Giants, each standing over 61 meters (200 feet) tall.
According to legend, a group of Samoyed giants trekked through the mountains, en route to Siberia, to wage war against the Mansi people. Along their journey, they met a shaman named Yallinger, who, using his powers, transformed them into stone. However, Yallinger was also turned to stone and doomed to stand forever as one of the Seven Strong Men. He is said to be the rock formation facing the other six.
According to science, around 200 million years ago, towering mountains once stood where the stone pillars now rise. Over time, harsh conditions such as frost, snow, wind, and torrential rain gradually wore down these mountains, eroding their soft rock. Eventually, only the resilient stone pillars remained, and today they are considered one of the Seven Wonders of Russia.
1. Tanna Island
Every year on February 15, Tanna Island in Vanuatu observes what is almost a sacred day. On this date, locals gather in the village of Lamakara to pay tribute to an American figure named John Frum, hoping he will return to bestow upon them gifts like boats, medicine, vehicles, televisions, and Coca-Cola.
John Frum is a mythical figure, often imagined as an American World War II soldier. His followers believe that not only will he return bearing gifts, but that by forsaking European influence, they will inherit the possessions left behind by white missionaries. The John Frum ‘religion’ is said to have originated in the 1930s, though some trace its roots back to the 1910s.
The people of Tanna who take part in the annual celebrations are known as a cargo cult. The movement gained momentum after 50,000 American soldiers were stationed on the island, then called New Hebrides, during World War II. When the soldiers left, the ‘John Frum followers’ constructed landing strips in the hope of enticing the soldiers to return and bring more ‘cargo.’
Over time, various cargo cults have emerged and faded into history, but the John Frum movement continues to thrive, even though John Frum himself remains a legendary figure.
