The Trans Australia Airlines hijacking was Australia’s first plane hijacking. It took place on the evening of 19th July 1960.

The aircraft, a Lockheed Electra Mk 2 (VH-TLB) was operating Flight 408, the last Sydney to Brisbane flight for the day. The lives of forty-three passengers and six crew were endangered during the incident.

The terrorist a Russian man named Alex Hildebrandt, was armed with a fully loaded sawn-off .22 calibre rifle and had a spare loaded magazine. He was also carrying a bomb.

Although the bomb was primitive it had the power to blow apart the aircraft fuselage killing everyone one on board.

Hildebrandt had suspended a bare wire over a torch battery attached to a detonator linked to two sticks of gelignite, and another wire attached from the gelignite to the battery. He held the bomb as he began reciting his demands, one of which was for the plane to be redirected to Singapore.

As the hijacking commenced, the co-pilot Tom R Bennett approached Hildebrandt attempting to converse and calm him down. This was met by a warning shot from the hijacker that hit the aircraft ceiling, narrowly missing Bennett’s head.

The co-pilot then reacted in a way that most men can only hope that they would, but will thankfully never have to find out. He punched Hildebrandt clean in the face and then ripped the wires from the bomb he was holding, disabling it.

Captain Dennis Lawrence then intervened to assist First Officer Bennett. Together they subdued and completely disarmed the hijacker, who was restrained and secured with handcuffs carried on the aircraft.

The plane was landed in Brisbane with all 43 passengers unharmed.

Tom Bennet was awarded the George Medal for his actions and Captain Lawrence was commended for his part in subduing the highjack.

[Sources: Wikipedia, TAA Museum]

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In fact the place used to be so secret, no locals were allowed near it, no one with any sense would speak of it, and no local East German officials were informed of its various Cold War activities.

Now of course, the dusty secrets of the old Soviet Union are accessible to anyone that takes an interest.

So what did go on here, so close to the Iron Curtains edge?

A frightening enough thought for this Western author, Vogelsang was where the Soviet Union once had atomic weapons primed for Western Europe.

This was the atomic front line of the Soviet Cold War effort, with missiles ready to launch in retaliation for a preemptive strike or in preemption of an imminent retaliation.

Now the whole site is abandoned of course, and is a favourite for urban exploration.

Like all good abandoned buildings, the site is extremely eerie, especially when you consider its dark yet relatively recent past.

Curtains remain, fluttering through broken school, shop, and barrack windows.

Giant bunkers on the garrison’s outskirts stand empty and desolate, doors creaking forlornly, their stash of deadly nukes gone and with it their raison d’être.

Germany would rather forget this ghost town ever existed, despite the remaining Soviet art, the murals, or Lenin’s statue.

These images by photographer and writer, Ciarán Fahey are an important record of the site, as workers have recently been contracted to raise it to the ground.

[Image Credits: Ciarán Fahey ‘Abandoned Berlin‘]

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Designed by engineer Jean Bertin and developed in France from 1965 to 1977, this decidedly retrofuture (from today’s perspective) hovertrain was supposed to bring the French rail network to the cutting edge of land based public transportation, just as Concorde had done for the airways.

The train was designed to glide above the tracks, but instead of using magnetic resistance, the Aérotrain would float on a cushion of air.

Sadly however, the project was abandoned in 1977 due to lack of funding.

The death of Bertin also played a large role in the project’s demise, as did the adoption of TGV (the Train à Grande Vitesse, high-speed-train) by the French government. This as it turns out was very efficient high-speed ground transport solution.

However, although the project was abandoned in the late 70s, the test tracks were never torn down. Today, the lifeless tracks can still be found high upon the countryside.

There were two platforms for the change of direction of the train at the extremities of the track, one is Saran and one in Ruan. A middle station in Chevilly is also still visible.

The tall concrete tracks remain essentially untouched from when they were built, save for a small portion above the A19 road which was demolished.

The Aérotrain may not have been the future of French transportation, but remains a fascinating relic from its past, and another essential location for keen urban explorers.

[Image Credits: Wikipedia, nuancierds.fr]

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When a young child tries to run away from home, the furthest they normally manage to get is to a friend’s house. Not this 11-year-old boy from Manchester, UK.

In 2012, little Liam Corcoran ran away from his mother while they were shopping at the Wythenshawe civic centre, a mall close to Manchester Airport.

What happened after that led to an official investigation and the suspension of 5 members of Jet2.com staff.

Heading to the airport on foot, Liam managed to board a flight to Rome without a passport, boarding card or ticket, and then took a seat by tagging behind another family.

Manchester Airport, where Liam Corcoran took a flight to Rome without a ticket or passport

The incident occurred at the beginning of the busy summer season, and just one week before the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Upon arrival at terminal one, Liam went unnoticed among the bustle of people heading off on their summer vacations.

The boy was scanned by security staff, but they failed to realise he was on his own and had no boarding card, passport, tickets or money.

Liam then arrived in the departure lounge and headed to a gate where passengers were boarding the Jet2.com flight LS791 to Rome.

Another major lapse in security saw the 11-year-old, bypass a 2nd security check at the gate without being asked for his passport or boarding card.

Here the boy tagged behind another family and took up an empty seat on the plane. A headcount failed to alert the airline staff to the discrepancy.

The jet took off as normal and it was only during the journey to Italy that passengers became suspicious of the boy. Liam was very casually telling those around him that he was running away from home.

By the time staff were alerted and the captain informed, Liam was already halfway into his trip to Rome.

The captain radioed Manchester airport, where police informed the mother – who had already reported him missing – that her son had been found safe and well; and that he was on a plane to Italy.

The plane landed at Fiumicino airport in Rome where the boy was asked to remain on board while the other passengers left the aircraft.

Liam remained on the plane accompanied by flight crew, as it took off again to return to Manchester.

Manchester airport and Jet2.com have launched a full-scale investigation into how the boy managed to evade so many checks and end up in Italy.

Young Liam posing for the media after the incident in 2012

Passenger Sarah Swayne, 26, from Nantwich, told the Manchester Evening News: “He was very talkative and seemed quite unfazed by it all. He was just sat there chatting away about how he’d been trying to run away from home.”

“He seemed quite innocent really and I don’t think it had sunk in how serious the situation was.”

[image credits & source: M.E.N, The Guardian]

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A Photograph of Jesús García (Wikipedia)

Jesús García is a national hero, although many outside of Mexico will not have heard of him.

In 1907 he saved the entire mining town of Nacozari, Sonora when he jumped onto a burning train that was loaded with dynamite and steered it to a safe distance before it exploded.

Jesús García began working on the railways at the age of 17. Originally employed as a Waterboy, he quickly moved through the ranks from Railway Switchman, to Breakman. By all accounts he was an unassuming hero in the making.

On the fabled morning of 7 November 1907 a large steam locomotive was stopped in Nacozari. Garcia was 23 years old at the time, and engaged to be married.

As he took a break by the freight yard Garcia noticed that some hay on the roof of a train car containing dynamite had caught fire.

Not only that, the locomotive’s firebox had failed and was spitting sparks out of the smokestack onto other areas of the train.

Hailed as hero, Jesús García is remembered all over Mexico for his actions

Realising that the fire was quickly spreading and that an explosion was imminent, Garcia jumped onto the train and drove it in reverse downhill at full-steam for six kilometers out of the town before the inevitable happened.

The force of the dynamite exploding destroyed the entire train, killing Jesus Garcia instantly yet due to his actions spared the population of the small Mexican mining town.

Eyewitnesses said it rained gravel and metal fragments for several minutes after the explosion. The only thing they found of Jesus was one of his boots, which was later interred at his gravesite in downtown Nacozari.

After performing such an heroic act, and paying the ultimate price for it, the fact Jesus Garcia is revered all over Mexico is no surprise.

The Statue of Jesus Garcia in what is now called Nacozari de García

The town quickly honoured their hero by erecting a statue and changing the name of the town to Nacozari de García.

To commemorate the day that he died, November 7 became the Day of the Railroader in Mexico, where all except essential employees of the National Railways of Mexico receive a day off each year.

Railroad Workers throughout Mexico have a day off each November 7 in remembrance of Garcia

Throughout Mexico, streets are named Jesús García or the Héroe de Nacozari. Poems and songs have been written about him, and the accident over the last 100 years.

He was also declared Hero of Humanity by the American Red Cross.

All worthy accolades for a man that selflessly sacrificed his own life for the safety of others.

(Sources: Wikipedia, Telesec-Senora, Mexico Mystic)

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Most of us ignore Facebook friend suggestions. They often appear through some tenuous link via a FB friend that you haven’t seen or heard of since school. Or worse still, it’s through a connection with an old work acquaintance you never liked in the first place.

So where the majority of people wouldn’t even bother to press the button to make a friend request; it takes a special kind of person to travel 5000 miles to meet them in the flesh.

Yet, that’s exactly what 24-year-old Victor Van Rossem did when Facebook displayed a 49-year-old bearded stranger as a ‘suggested friend’.

The student from Belgium literally traveled all the way to Austin, Texas to meet the man, (an artist named Neal D Retke)  just because the social network’s algorithm suggested they become friends. This peculiar travel narrative has been doing the rounds on social media of late.

‘I was intrigued ’ Victor said in a recent interview, ‘Facebook suggested we become friends, and I thought that was pretty absurd.”

However, after spending a little time looking through Neal’s pictures, he became more and more interested in the artist’s life.

“I became fascinated by him. He had a long beard and looked a little unusual. He did art performances and paintings of mythical creatures and strange beasts which only made me more interested in him.”

With a truly adventurous spirit, Victor finally decided that he wanted to meet Neal. He tried contacting him on Facebook, but Neal did not respond. Not to be disheartened, Victor set off to visit Neal in person and ask if he wanted to be friends the old fashioned way.

“These days you can be friends with anyone anywhere, just by clicking that friend request button. I wanted to take it back to the real world,” Victor explained.

And there began a 5,000-mile trip along with his mate, 27-year-old Bran Van Lee. The two brought a video camera with them to document the journey. (See Vimeo link below).

Upon reached Austin, the two friends spent a week trying to track Neal down. They even resorted to putting up posters that stated: “Do you know or have you seen this man? Facebook said we could be friends. Please help!”

Other modes of publicity included wearing t-shirts with ‘Neal D Retke for President’ printed on them.

“At first we thought our chances of finding him were very slim, but then we visited some places in Austin that we knew he liked to go – and we eventually found someone who knew him,” Victor revealed.

It was suggested that they might strike gold at find at a local book signing, and that was where Victor finally got to meet the stranger that Facebook suggested could be his friend.

“We were nervous when we first saw him,” Victor said. “We didn’t know how he would react – but after we explained the whole thing he just laughed and said “well, you found me” as if he was expecting us.”

With both Victor and Neal being on the eccentric side, the two hit it off immediately. Victor stayed in Texas for 3 weeks having a great time with his new artistic friend.

“We had a lot of fun with Neal, and I consider him a real friend. We are still in touch through Facebook, and he might be coming to visit us next summer.”

[Image Credits: Facebook]

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Due to a serious car accident when he was 17, Chen Hongzhi only has a 5 minute memory

Chen Hongzhi, from Hsinchu county, in north-western Taiwan is the real life version of Guy Peirce’s character in Memento.

After a sustaining a head injury in a serious car accident when he was 17, Chen no longer has a functioning short term memory capacity. Now aged 25 he has been forced to live his life from scratch every day since the accident.

And like the character in the film, Chen has to write down every single thing about himself in a diary, in order to keep track of everything that goes on around him.

Chen spent several months in intensive care. However, although his body finally mended, his head injuries had reduced his memory to a mere five minutes.

The lack of working memory, also means that he has forgotten how to write. To get around this, Chen makes notes about his daily life in a phonetic ‘scrawl’, which only he can understand.

His lack of memory means Chen has forgotten how to write. His notebook is a phonetic scrawl only he understands

Every morning, his mother, Wang Miao-chiong, has to remind him that he is no longer 17. She then hands him his notebook so that he can catch up on everything that has happened since the accident.

“This is my record, I write in it every day, even if it is pouring down with rain or if I don’t go out to do the weeding I still must write, ‘Heavy rain,’” he said. “Whenever I get home from any time away I quickly grab my notebook and write down important things from the day – who I’ve met, what I’ve done, how much money I got from recycling bottles, all that sort of stuff.”

His mother is now 60 years old and she fears for Chen’s future. Who will look after him when she is no longer able to?

His mother worries about what will become of her son when she is gone.

Chen’s condition makes it impossible for him to get a job, mother and son have to rely on donations from neighbours and friends in order to survive.

The resilient young man does all that he can to help however. Chen makes a small income by walking several miles a day to collect plastic bottles and recycle them. He also collects pieces of wood that his mother uses to make a fire to cook food.

Further education is also impossible for Chen. His mother had initially hoped to send him back to school, but his condition makes it impossible for him to learn new things. “It had been planned that he would go back to school, but there was no point as he could never remember the lessons, and has been living at home with me ever since,” she said.

Chen’s notebook is the only way he is able to keep a track of his life.

Hongzhi, meanwhile, is quite happy that people are willing to help, especially when he goes through the notes in his diary. And although he’s lost his memory, his sense of humor seems intact. “I am reading here about all the people that want to give me money, but I would say don’t give me too much, because it looks as if I’ll probably forget where I put it all,” he joked.

[Source: Daily Mail]

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Codenamed 17/5001, this secret bunker was one of the communist world’s most advanced bunkers, built to protect the leaders of the former East Germany from a nuclear attack.

This three-storey bunker was built in a forest 25km (16 miles) north-east of Berlin, near Wandlitz. The same area contained the special colony where top East German officials were accommodated. There they enjoyed many benefits over the living standards of their fellow common-man ‘comrades’.

Honecker’s bunker reaches a depth of 70m (230ft) below ground.  85,000 tonnes of concrete were used while a four metre thick ‘blast cap’ over the bunker was designed to protect from explosions above. Complex filters shielded the bunker’s occupants from radioactive or biological agents.

Its submarine-like tunnels divided by heavy metal doors lead on to 170 rooms. It was fitted with a fountain, power generators, air conditioning and “springed” rooms able to cushion residents from detonations.

Its construction began in secret in 1978 and finished in 1983, It was intended to house the East Germany leader along with 400 of his staff. It is rumoured that Honecker himself visited the bunker only once and wasn’t happy with its environment.

Although urban explorers had found a way to enter inside earlier, the bunker opened for the first time to the public and for only 3 months in 2008. As can be seen from the photographs, the walls are now covered in mould and the decontamination chambers long-defunct.

[Credits: bunker5001.com, Lindi44, wanus/flickr.com, JonnyBKirchhain/flickr.com]

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The average Russian male, does seem to have a lot of testosterone running through his veins. Putin continues to be idolized, despite a failing economy and dubious foreign policy decisions, and one can’t help but think its because the general population thinks he looks good riding a horse with his top off.

In short, the Russian male has what you would call a slightly warped view, (by Western standards at least) of what it means to be masculine.

Hence this latest craze to come out of the Mother Land. A group of hardcore pain addicts have decided that Russian Roulette with guns is yesterday’s news, and have taken it kicking and screaming into the 21st century by playing the game using tasers that shoot out 12,000-volt electric darts.

Russian forums and social media pages have been swamped with images showing competitors holding taser guns to each other’s heads or their own, ready to fire.

It seems that the goal of this bizarre new game is to avoid getting shocked and incapacitated, so that you are the last one standing.

The game is called Perm, after the industrial city on the edge of Russia’s Ural Mountains, where it is currently practiced.

At the beginning of the game, each of the gun-like tasers contains only one live cartridge in the barrel of seven chambers, so there is a one-in-seven chance of a player experiencing a 12,000-volt shock. The shock itself is described as similar to a really hard punch in the head.

If a player ‘survives’ the first round, the shooter places a second live cartridge in the gun, increasing the chance of being shot in the next round.

The number of cartridges is increased as the game progresses. When players get bored of shooting just one person, they can switch to the ‘Love Triangle’, where three players face off against each other.

Winning the competition earns players medals, cash prizes and most importantly of all the respect of their peers.

[Image Credits: Mirror, Perm AIF]

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Fascinating though the idea of an island only appearing a few months of the year may be, the phenomena is actually man-made. The water level of Muodaoxi River is controlled by the Three Gorges Dam. In spring, the reservoir has to supply water to areas downstream, meaning the water level recedes to expose ‘Turtle Island’.

The turtle shaped island rises from the waters only in spring

For nine months the island is either fully submerged or only has its tip exposed. The turtle shape is only fully visible when the water level is around 163 to 168 meters in depth. If the water falls much lower than this, the island becomes connected to the mainland, losing its unique turtle shape.

The water level is controlled by the Gorges Reservoir further upstream

The phenomenon has gained widespread attention of many Chinese tourists of late. Once the island appears, word spreads and people rush to the location, to take photographs from the nearby hills. “It’s a popular saying around here for the arrival of spring, we just say the turtle is coming,” said local resident Meng Liu.

The area surrounding the Muodaoxi River is a popular tourist destination

Locals celebrate the island as they believe that turtles signify longevity

[Image Credits: www.ecns.cn]

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