If you’ve ever got all worked up about the prospect of surviving a nuclear war, don’t bother – as more than half of us wouldn’t last that long anyway.
That’s according to Annie Jacobsen, an investigative journalist and author who has dedicated her career to informing the public about ‘war, weapons, national security and government secrets’.
She’s penned several books on these topics, including The Pentagon’s Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America’s Top Secret Military Research Agency, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016.
The committee at Columbia University which dole out the annual awards described her work as a ‘brilliantly researched account’, proving just how much weight Jacobsen’s words hold.
Last year, she published another book titled Nuclear War: A Scenario, which – as I’m sure you may have guessed – runs through a hypothetical timeline of what would happen in the event of a nuclear war.
It’s based around the idea of North Korea launching all-out war on the United States with a surprise nuclear attack, before the rest of the world is quickly dragged into a deadly international conflict.
Essentially, she reckons that weapons of mass destruction would be fired off left and right, killing hundreds of millions of people in a mere few hours.
Annie Jacobsen believes the planet would be changed forever just 72 minutes after a nuclear war began (YouTube/The Diary Of A CEO)
In Nuclear War: A Scenario, Jacobsen explains how the civilisation as we know it would be decimated in a window of just 72 minutes, while sharing a minute-by-minute account of what Armageddon might look like.
Obviously, this is just the journalist’s theory – but given the fact it’s based on her endless research of this specific subject, she’s probably made a half-decent guess.
Speaking to Politico last year, Jacobsen explained: “It takes 26 minutes and 40 seconds for a ballistic missile to get from a launchpad in Russia to the East Coast of the United States. That was true in 1959-60 when [nuclear physicist and former Pentagon scientist] Herb York first had the analysis done, and it’s true today.
“Ballistic missile technology hasn’t changed the laws of gravity. No matter what you do, that still is that window to launch to your target. Pyongyang is 33 minutes because it’s a little bit different geographically.”
After these devastating weapons are launched and countries begin to retaliate, Jacobsen hypothesises that some humans will only have just over an hour left to live.
She dug further into this theory during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s podcast, A Diary of a CEO, in May last year.
“I describe the first bomb – in the scenario that strikes the Pentagon, it’s a one mega ton thermonuclear bomb – in painstaking horrific detail,” Jacobsen said in reference to the contents of Nuclear War: A Scenario.
“All sourced from defence department documents, defence scientists who have worked for decades to describe precisely what happens to things and to humans…and it’s horrifying.
“On top of the initial flash of thermonuclear light – which is 180 million degrees, which catches everything on fire in a 9 mile diameter radius, on top of the bulldozing effect of the wind and all the buildings coming down, and more fires igniting more fires, on top of the radiation poisoning people to death in minutes and hours and days and weeks if they happen to have survived – on top of all of that, each one of these fires creates a mega-fire that is 100 or more square miles and so, what do you see?
She describes what would happen to the world in ‘painstaking, horrific detail’ in her book, Nuclear War: A Scenario (Getty Stock Photo)
“Well in the scenario, at minute 72, a thousand Russian nuclear weapons land on the United States and so it just becomes a conflagration of fire. It’s just fire. Fires burning, 100-200 square mile fires burning.”
Bartlett asked whether any average person would even have time to realise what was happening in the event of a nuclear war, explaining he presumed he would ‘die instantly’.
“I think you would want to die instantly,” Jacobsen responded. “There’s a quote from Nikita Khrushchev, the former premiere of the Soviet Union, and he said, ‘After nuclear war, the survivors would envy the dead’.
“Because there is this sense of…if you survived, there is no more law and order, there is no more rule of law, there is no government.”
She reckons that even people who were spared from these horrors thanks to them having access to secret bunkers wouldn’t last too long, as they will eventually run out of supplies and will have to emerge into the world once again.
Jameson continued: “And who’s left? It’s man returning to the most primal, most violent state, as people fight over the tiny resources that remain. And by the way – they’re all malnourished, everybody’s sick and most people have lost everything and everyone they know. How’s that going to feel?”
Speaking of how many people she thinks would have perished after the first 72 minutes of a global nuclear war, the author added: “Hundreds of millions of people die in the fireballs, no question.
Jameson then referenced a 2022 research paper by Professor Owen Toon and Ryan Heneghan, which evaluated the concept of a nuclear winter and how fast food sources would deplete.
“And the number that they have is five billion people would be dead,” she chillingly added – which roughly equates to around 60 percent of the world’s population.
Describing what kind of scene the US could expect in the event of nuclear war in Nuclear War: A Scenario, Jameson warned of ‘fireballs, steeply fronted blast waves and physical structures collapsing and burning’.
She also said to expect people being ‘impaled to death by flying debris’ and ‘tens of millions of unfortunate survivors suffering fatal third degree burns’.
She says New Zealand and Australia would be the best countries to hide out in, as Toon’s paper explained they are the ‘only places that could actually sustain agriculture’.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Books, Podcast, World News, Conspiracy Theory
In 1959, nine experienced hikers died in the Ural Mountains and the cause of their death has never been entirely clear.
The group was hiking through the Soviet Union when overnight between 1 and 2 February, something caused them to cut their way out of their tents and rush out into the freezing cold conditions without wearing proper protection.
Six of them died from hypothermia while the other three had been killed by physical trauma – two of the bodies had missing eyes and one was found without a tongue.
Nine hikers were killed in 1959, only the dead know exactly what happened (Russian National Archives)
This was dubbed the ‘Dyatlov Pass incident’, named for the group leader Igor Dyatlov.
What exactly happened to them will likely never be known since none of them survived to tell the tale, and only the bodies and environment can really speak for them.
A YouTube simulation of what might have happened shows some of the gruesome details of the unsolved mystery.
The simulation, created by Zach D. Films, depicts what the bodies may have looked like when the rescue team stumbled upon them.
Some photos taken by the hikers were recovered and show them in their last days of life (Russian National Archives)
Firstly, the tent was ripped open from the inside. They also found that all nine travellers were dead, with two – Lyudmila Dubinina and Semen Zolotarev – having empty eye sockets, while Dubinina was also missing her tongue.
Another had a twisted neck, while a different body had a fractured skull, though some showed signs of internal injuries.
Some of the bodies were found out of the tent in nothing but socks and underwear, despite the freezing, snowy weather.
The dead hikers have been the fuel for all sorts of conspiracy theories which have fixated on details such as their tents being torn and the experience of the group.
A number of people claim that yetis are responsible for their deaths, though some theorise that some members of the group had connections to the KGB and were secretly on a mission to meet US agents.
However, an investigation by the Russian prosecutor-general’s office claims to have solved the mystery.
Andrei Kuryakov, the senior state prosecutor, said that they were in the way of an avalanche and attempted to shield themselves.
He claimed: “This was a natural avalanche limiter. They did everything right. But here is the second reason why the group was doomed.
“When they turned around, they could not see the tent. Visibility was 16 metres (52ft).”
Six of the hikers froze to death while the other three died of physical injures (Russian National Archives)
Kuryakov further explained: “It was a heroic fight. There was no panic, but they had no chance in these circumstances.”
Subjected to freezing temperatures of between -40°C and -45°C, those who had not been killed by this possible avalanche would have died from the cold rather quickly.
If this is really the way they died then it would have been a sudden, frightening and agonising experience for the nine hikers to suffer through.
A monument was later erected to commemorate the nine dead hikers.
Additional words by Josh Nair.
Featured Image Credit: Russian National Archives
Topics: World News, Russia
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The shocking mystery of the demise of seven hikers still leaves people wanting to know what happened that day, but no answers will ever explain what truly went wrong.
In 1993, seven experienced hikers between the ages of 15 to 41 took to climb Khamar Daban in Siberia’s eastern Sayan Mountains, beside Lake Baikal.
What happened to them defies logic even until this day, and one survivor’s account didn’t shed any clarity on the strange occurrence which left six people dead on a mountain.
Lyudmila Korovina, 41, was a survivalist and experienced mountaineering guide who was tasked with leading her students up the mountain with plans to meet her daughter, Natalia, and her own group on August 5, 1993.
Seven hikers took to Khamar Daban in Siberia’s eastern Sayan Mountains, beside Lake Baikal, in 1993 (Getty Stock Image)
Lyudmila and her students set off as planned on August 2, with everything laid out and prepared rigorously.
That day, three hiking parties set upon the trail, which included the guide’s party and Natalia’s, but only two would make it back down.
Everything appeared to be normal until Natalia realised that her mother’s party did not meet when they had planned – but brushed it off due to their experience of hiking.
However, five days later on August 10, a group of kayakers on the river would discover a girl staring at them close to the tree line, covered in blood.
This girl would open up a terrible tragedy which would go unsolved.
The girl was Valentina Utochenko, the sole survivor of Lyudmila’s group, and she was swiftly bundled to the local police station where she revealed what happened to the rest of the party.
According to her, everything went as planned, or even better at the start of their hike.
Only one of the seven hikers survived the mysterious incident (Youtube/Merc True Crime)
The weather was great, and the group were in high spirits. Amazingly, they even managed to reach the summit two days ahead of their plan and decided to embark on their descent.
This was where things would begin to get tricky.
With unexpected rain and chilly weather, the group began to ache and grow tired of the weight of their wet gear and decided to huddle in a makeshift camp on the evening of August 4.
Regardless of their pains, they were still hopeful of meeting Natalia’s group the very next day and as soon as light came, everyone ate breakfast except Valentina before they headed down the trial. But that’s when the nightmare began.
Soon after beginning their walk, one of the students called Sacha, suddenly clutched at his face and began to scream at the end of their walking line.
When everyone rushed to help him, he allegedly began bleeding from his ears and eyes and fell to the ground.
Lyudmila sent the rest of the group downhill to look for Natalia and her friends, but quickly, they heard Lyudmila’s screams join Sacha’s.
According to the sole survivor, the hikers suffered gruesome deaths (Youtube/Prosecutors Podcast)
As they rushed back, another student started bleeding too and began smashing her head against a rock until she passed out. Then, two students ran away in fear, which left Valentina and her friend Denis alone with three dead bodies.
They decided to get down to bases as soon as they could but shortly after setting out, Denis became the next victim to the mysterious illness and started foaming blood from his mouth.
This left the girl on her own for four days until she followed powerlines to the lake, where she found the kayakers.
Two weeks after she was rescued, a helicopter would discover the bodies on the mountain, and an autopsy showed all but Lyudmila had died from extreme hypothermia and exposure.
Lyudmila had died of a heart attack.
Many have theorised that the group ate poisonous mushrooms for breakfast, which is why the only person who didn’t have time to eat was spared. Others think it was a nerve agent, or contaminated water at the lake.
However, nothing has been able to confirm these theories, and no other explanation has ever been offered.
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/Merc True Crime / Prosecutors Podcast
Topics: Conspiracy Theory, Weird
When a man from one of the most prominent families in the world decided to go digging around in an unknown tribe’s territory, the worst was bound to happen.
But his disappearance has continued to remain a mystery for 61 years, and even his last words were debated.
Michael Rockefeller, the son of former US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, was an avid world explorer, and became so obsessed over tribal art work that he decided to take the plunge and contact a tribe of cannibals.
In November 1961, the 23-year-old was on his second expedition of Dutch New Guinea (now West Papua), an Indonesian province on the island of New Guinea, and expected to be welcomed with open arms again like the first meeting.
Michael Rockefeller was on his second expedition of Dutch New Guinea in 1961 when he disappeared (President and Fellows of Harvard University; Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology)
Sailing along with anthropologist René Wassing, they were on the long journey to the southwestern part of the country, which is the Asmat region.
But in their 40-foot canoe, the pair capsized around three miles from the shore.
While Wassing was eventually rescued when floating in the Arafura Sea, Rockefeller was never seen again.
While his official cause of death was ruled as drowning, many believe that he washed ashore and was cannibalised by the Asmat tribe.
Nobody knows for sure what happened to the American explorer (T. Nielsen/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
An author who researched in depth what happened that day has finally revealed the truth of what happened, and even the last words he ever spoke.
According to him, the last thing Rockefeller said before embarking on a 10-mile swim through a crocodile infested stretch of water was: “I think I can make it.”
Carl Hoffman, who visited the tribe and police in the years after his death, wrote extensively on the topic of the disappearance.
He claims that he does know how Rockefeller died, according to those who lived in the area.
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Rockefeller (top right) pictured with his family before his travels (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Apparently, when Rockefeller swam to make it to land, he washed ashore in nothing but his underwear and was immediately met by familiar faces: the Otsjanep warriors.
But while Rockefeller was known to have been a respectful and kind man to the tribe, they weren’t in the mood for visitors, or so it seems.
So, when they saw him lying helpless on the shore, one of them allegedly stabbed him with a spear through his ribs and the rest cannibalised him.
While Hoffman can’t be sure why they decided to kill him that day, he believes it was in retaliation for an incident which saw Dutch colonists burn huts and murder high-ranking tribesmen just one year prior.
While we might never know what really went on, it’s a good theory.
Carl Hoffman’s book Savage Harvest is available to buy here.
Featured Image Credit: President and Fellows of Harvard University; Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology / Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Topics: Conspiracy Theory, Weird, World News, US News
Sure, it might only be the second day of the year, but a late astrologer’s prediction for 2024 has already came true.
Nostradamus made a whole bunch of predictions for the year and if the rest of them end up being real-life too, then we’re in for quite the ride.
The French astrologer did come up with them way back in 1555 mind, in his famous text Les Prophéties (The Prophecies).
Also known as ‘the prophet of doom’, he had 942 rather vague verses to predict the future – similar to Baba Vanga.
His believers actually reckon he accurate predicted the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yeah, doom.
Some of Nostradamus’ predictions for 2024 include King Charles III abdicating the throne, a ‘naval battle’ and a new pope.
And amid all this, the ‘rise of Hitler’-predicting philosopher predicted climate change getting particularly worse this year.
I mean, it’s not exactly like we hadn’t been warned things were getting bad already, but Nostradamus believed we’re in for a real disaster.
Wikimedia Commons
He wrote: “The dry earth will grow more parched, and there will be great floods when it is seen.”
Followers of the psychic reckon the Frenchman was referring to the earthquake that shook Japan on 1 January.
The country was rocked by the 7.6 magnitude tremor that struck the country’s Western Coast on Monday afternoon.
48 people were reportedly killed, and 3 foot-high tsunamis followed.
The major tsunami warnings were the first to be issued in Japan since the catastrophic tsunami back in 2011.
Residents were warned of the earthquake by the nation’s Earthquake Early Warning System. An urgent alarm was sent to their phones, as three buzzing sounds blare out before the word ‘earthquake follows in succession on repeat.
There are reportedly around 1,000 rescuers out searching for people they think may be trapped beneath rubble as homes and buildings collapsed during the powerful earthquake.
X / Chaudhary Parvez
Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida said the emergency crews were ‘in a race against time’.
Japan Meteorological Agency report that about 200 tremors have been detected since the quake hit at about 4pm local time yesterday.
Well, with Nostradamus’ prediction of this ‘coming true’, maybe we could be getting another King this year.
According to British author and Nostradamus commentator Mario Reading, King Charles III will abdicate the throne due to ‘persistent attacks on both himself and his second wife’.
Well, happy 2024 lads.