On February 1959, nine experienced Russian hikers went missing while trekking in Russia’s Ural Mountains. They were ultimately all found dead in Dyatlov Pass with unusual injuries. The Soviet government at the time attributed the cause of death to a “compelling natural force.” But that hardy explains the bizarre frozen corpses that rescuers found. ItContinue reading “The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident”
Tag Archives: Russia
Podcast: Josef Stalin and the Soviet Great Purge
After the death of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, the infamous Josef Stalin came to powerful Premier of the Soviet Union. In the late 1930s, Stalin began a ruthless campaign known as The Great Purge, referred to by the people of Russia as The Great Terror. Any person or group perceived in Stalin’s twisted mind as a threat to his power was arrested, given a sham trial, and either executed on the spot, or sent to the notorious Siberian Gulags.
Crimea in the Crosshairs for Centuries
This is not the first time Crimea has a been in the cross-hairs of conflicts. Why is tiny Crimea yet again a global hotspot? Three words – location, location, location.
The Stalin Great Purge and the Brutal Gulags
fter the death of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, the infamous Josef Stalin came to power in the Soviet Union. In the late 1930s, Stalin began a ruthless campaign known as The Great Purge, referred to by Soviets as the Great Terror.
What Caused Russia’s 1908 Tunguska Blast?
On 30 June 1908, at around 7am in the morning, a massive explosion ripped through the quiet air above a remote Siberian forest at the Tunguska River.
The Legacy of Russia’s Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
The greatest nuclear disaster the Earth has ever known, was sworse Three Mile Island, worse than Japan’s Fukushima.
Podcast: A Diver’s Defection, Summer Love and the Montreal Olympics
In July of 1976 at the Montreal Olympic Games, 17 year old Russian diver Sergei Nemtsanov finished 9th in the Men’s 10 meter Platform diving competition. As punishment for not earning a medal, his Soviet coaches told him he’d be banned from further international Olympics. His Soviet coaches, wary of defectors among their athletes withContinue reading “Podcast: A Diver’s Defection, Summer Love and the Montreal Olympics”
Who Drained Russia’s Vast Aral Sea?
The Aral Sea is actually situated in Central Asia, between Northern Uzbekistan and Southern Kazakhstan. Once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, the vanishing Aral Sea is nearly empty now, thanks to a decades-old, Soviet-begun desert irrigation program.
Podcast: Who Drained Russia’s Vast Aral Sea?
To answer the question, it was the Soviet Union, that’s who. The Aral Sea is actually situated in Central Asia, between Northern Uzbekistan and Southern Kazakhstan. Once the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, the vanishing Aral Sea is now nearly empty, thanks to a flawed, decades-old, Soviet-engineered desert irrigation program. To read theContinue reading “Podcast: Who Drained Russia’s Vast Aral Sea?”
The Cold War’s forgotten Hungarian Revolution
On October 23rd 1956, thousands of Hungarian workers and students flooded the streets of Budapest. With fists raised in defiance, they shouted for “Freedom from Soviet tyranny!”