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Issue 800
SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT SOME EPIC RESCUES by Lindsey Harrison “I’d like to think that I’m brave. That’s a really wonderful personality trait to have. I would love to think I’m the type of person to go rescue someone.” – Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, British model Oh, if only it were as easy as just thinking you could be the type of person to rescue other people and suddenly you become a hero. It’s true that you don’t know what you’re capable of until you find yourself in a situation that calls for extraordinary bravery or courage. Many of us probably won’t find ourselves in such a situation while others of us have chosen to walk into the line of fire – quite often, literally – day after day for our professions. There are instances, however, that arise time and again where people have had to prove their mettle by stepping up and doing what no one thought they could possibly do. Of course, someone’s 15 minutes of bravery could never compare to a person’s lifetime of courageous effort defending our country, keeping our streets safe or saving the lives of injured people every day; however, there are some stories that are just meant to be headliners all the way. Snippetz has rescued them from the depths of history and compiled them here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy! THE GREAT RACE OF MERCY This is one of those feel-good stories that doesn’t end in a million people dying while a few lucky people were rescued. Did you really think we’d start out this wonderful, award-worthy story that way? OK, admittedly the story of The Great Race of Mercy doesn’t exactly start out all rainbows and butterflies, but at least the epic ending is worth the depressing beginning. Speaking of the depressing beginning, here it is. The scene? The Alaskan frontier in early 1925. Thanks to Western expansion, Alaskan natives, who had never before been exposed to diseases like the measles, tuberculosis and influenza, were suddenly thrust into the path of these illnesses which eventually killed so many that Alaskan culture as it had been before all of this was forever changed. Things were certainly not great. But unfortunately, things were going to get worse before they got better. In the little town of Nome, Alaska, hardly a blip on that map in 1925, there was one 24-bed hospital, one doctor and four nurses. These poor health care professionals encountered a diphtheria outbreak that could have been contained by the 8,000 unites of the serum used to treat it, if only the serum hadn’t already expired. When Dr. Curtis Welch, that one doctor we mentioned, discovered that the serum was completely useless on Jan. 22, he made a desperate plea for 1.1 million units of the serum to battle the diphtheria epidemic to prevent it from literally obliterating about 10,000 people, roughly the population of Nome at the time. Normally, you’d probably assume that getting 1.1 million units of anything to Nome in the middle of winter would be darn near impossible, and you’d be right. But the people of this great country of ours banded together to make it happen. The serum was gathered in Seattle and sent off by steamboat to Anchorage where it would then need to be transported to Nome. In the meantime, Anchorage itself gathered as much serum as it could and began making plans to get it to Nome. Now, winter is cold and when the weather is cold, water tends to freeze. The Bering Sea, which stood in the way of the water route from Anchorage to Nome, was frozen making a boat shipment impossible. Likewise, the nasty winter weather prevented an airlift from working so after some deliberation, the folks in charge settled on dogsled as the only viable option. A train took the package from Anchorage as far north as Nenana, where the serum was distributed among 20 mushers who would use the Iditarod Trail to complete the journey. The trip totaled 674 miles, including a dangerous 208-mile stretch across the Seward Peninsula, which was experiencing the worst winter in two decades (of course). The last 42 miles were across the frozen Bering Sea but a week after the journey began, Gunnar Kaasen and his dogsled team slid into Nome to deliver the live-saving medicine. Considering the death toll had expected to top 10,000 people, it’s estimated that just over 100 actually died, many of which were likely never officially reported by the native people living just outside Nome. The Great Race of Mercy was certainly an epic rescue if ever there was one. NACOZARI DE GARCÍA This particular story doesn’t have a super duper happy ending but it’s an epic story of bravery and altruism that certainly deserves mentioning! It goes like this: in 1907, Jesús García was a railroad engineer working the line through the town of Nacozari in Sonora, Mexico. On Nov. 7, García noticed that a boxcar carrying cases of dynamite had stalled out on the rails in the town and caught fire. Realizing the incredible implications if the boxcar was left to explode in place, García pushed the boxcar out of town. Sadly, he and 12 other rail workers were killed when the dynamite exploded, a blast that was felt 10 miles away. His heroism, however, saved an entire town and to commemorate his sacrifice, the entire country of Mexico celebrates Nov. 7 as a national holiday. Additionally, Nacozari has adopted the title of Nacozari de García in his honor. MOKO THE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN Humans are most definitely not the only creatures on the planet who are capable of making epic rescues. In 2008, a bottlenose dolphin, who was later named Moko, came to the rescue of a mama sperm whale and her calf when they found themselves stuck on a sandbar off the coast of New Zealand. The human rescuers-to-be had spent hours trying to save the whales but had resigned themselves to the fact that they were just not doing any good. So defeated were they that preparations were being made to euthanize the pair. Enter Moko. The crafty dolphin swam up to the mama whale and seemed to be communicating with her somehow. After hours of fruitless attempts on behalf of the humans, Moko managed to get the job done in a matter of minutes. He guided the whales through a 200-yard-long channel back out to the sea. Epic rescue indeed! CHESLEY B. SULLENBERGER III Better known as “Sully,” especially in the recent movie starring Tom Hanks, Chesley B. Sullenberger III was the pilot for U.S. Airways Flight 1549 that took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York on Jan. 15, 2009. Shortly after takeoff, the plane lost power to both engines after hitting some birds. With 155 people aboard the Airbus A320, it seems logical to assume that the plane would crash and at least one person would perish in the wreckage. However, Sully leaped into action and managed to safely land the plane on the Hudson River to keep from crashing into the densely-populated area surrounding it. Granted, the passengers were stuck standing in 35-degree water up to their waists while braving frigid 18-degree air temperatures but various types of boats, including ferry boats, fire boats, police boats and tug boats, all banded together to pluck everyone from the water. No loss of life = epic rescue. Issue 801
SNIPPETZ DISCUSSES HOW NOT TO WRITE A BEST-SELLING BOOK by Lindsey Harrison 
“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
– W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright So, you’ve decided you want to write a book, huh? And you’re determined to make it a best-seller, number one on the New York Times best-sellers list. It’s true that there is no sure-fire recipe for writing a novel, much less a tried and true method for writing a best-selling one. Sure, there are obvious ways to get that book written, like actually sitting down and writing it. And perhaps there are some secret ways that successful authors like Stephen King or Dan Brown have discovered to snag the attention of publishing companies, aside from their incredibly famous and recognizable names. If there is some secret method, Mr. King and Mr. Brown aren’t sharing their insider knowledge. It’s more likely however, that these is no one set of rules that a person can follow to churn out a masterpiece. One thing you can definitely count on is that there are certain habits you can develop to prevent you from writing a fantastic book. We at Snippetz were naturally intrigued by the idea and decided to create a list of our own ways to not write a best-selling book . . . and here they are! DO NOT WRITE The biggest obstacle to not writing a good book is writing. If you are determined not to write, it’s best that you don’t even think about sitting down to write. And definitely do NOT actually sit down and write. Seriously, if you don’t want that book to be written it’s best that you don’t get into the habit of writing, even if it’s just for a little bit each day. The last thing you want is to wake up one day and realize that you have written an entire book just from making a habit out of writing. Along that same vein, you should also make sure not to set any goals of any sort. Some successful writers will have you believe that if you can set goals for how much you want to write each day or for how long, everything will turn out just peachy. Well sure, if your goal is to write a book, then yes, do that. But let’s remember that the focus here is how NOT to write a best-seller so that is literally the last thing you would want to do. Similarly, you should definitely wait until inspiration strikes you like a lightning bolt straight from heaven. It makes no sense to just write down your thoughts or practice getting words on the page. After all, a successful writer will learn how to draw inspiration from everyday events that they can then use in their book. But again, that’s not what we’re after here; we’re trying not to be successful and waiting around for the right time and inspiration is just the right technique for failure! Also, when you don’t write, make sure you aren’t writing about anything you know. If you’re a stay-at-home-mom, you should probably not write about something like being a fighter pilot in the Air Force. That way, there’s no chance that your book with have any sense of authenticity. OVERTHINK EVERYTHING There is no better way to avoid the fast-track to book-writing success than second-guessing everything you write. That’s assuming you’ve decided to write in the first place. But for argument’s sake, let’s say you’ve decided to risk everything and write. It is advisable not to finish the book, but instead to look at every sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc. and critique it to death. If you don’t overthink your word choice, your phrasing, your spelling, your grammar or any of the other myriad elements of writing a book, you run the risk of completing the book and becoming a successful writer. Now why in the world would you ever want to do that?! On the flipside to over-thinking is thinking about nothing. Literally, taking nothing into consideration and ignoring every effort to improve your work. This is another good piece of advice, although if you are bound and determined not to write a book, you probably won’t listen to this advice, either. Only truly successful writers learn to accept critiques and constructive criticism from other successful people like editors, publishers and other writers. Avoid that at all cost if you don’t want to end up writing a good book. Along the same lines as ignoring constructive criticism is making sure to stay bitter about everything anyone says about your writing. If you find yourself in the undesirable position of having actually written something and presented it to someone for a good once-over, the best thing to do to remedy the situation is to listen to their comments, get grumpy about them and don’t, whatever you do, do NOT move on. How can anyone be expected to not become a success if they don’t let every little thing derail their progress? SHORTCUTS ARE A FAILURE’S BEST FRIEND At this point, you may have already decided you don’t want to write a good book and you’re looking for every avenue to pursue to make that dream a reality. Well, shortcut whatever you can, whenever you can and you can rest assured your dream of not writing a good book will come true! Why would you ever want to make your writing better or (gasp!) reputable by fact-checking or using people with an objective viewpoint to help you along the way? Instead, just barrel through your book, should you choose to even write one, and then present it to the first publishing company that pops up on your Google search. They’ll almost certainly reject it and then, well, mission accomplished! GIVE IT A SUPER WEIRD NAME Nothing turns off a potential publisher’s interest like a super weird name. Think about it: a very successful book by the very successful Stephen King (whom we mentioned before) was entitled, “The Stand.” Well, that’s just not weird at all. Of course, that may be part of why it was a success; it didn’t turn the stomachs of his publishers and they actually took a chance on the manuscript. Of course, there are always exceptions to that rule, so be careful because a weird name does not guarantee that your book won’t get published. Below are some examples of bizarre book names that were actually published (whether or not they were successful is a matter of opinion):
GIVE UP Probably most important of all, if you don’t want to write a best-selling book, you should definitely give up while you’re ahead. If you keep writing, you make it a habit, have other people read it and give their critiques, you might end up finishing that book and who knows what could happen next! Just give up now before it gets too risky. DISCLAIMER: This article is intentionally sarcastic. If you really want to be a successful writer, do the opposite of everything you’ve just read above and you’ll be well on your way! Issue 802 - 3/3/2017
SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE GOLDEN AGE OF DETECTIVE MOVIES: PART 1 by Lindsey Harrison 
“What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.”
– P. D. James, British novelist We all know about the detectives that we see in the movies and on T.V. today. Often, they are gum-chewing, coffee-drinking, cigarette-smoking, don’t-take-no-crap-from-no-one type of people. They push the envelope on what is legal and what isn’t in order to catch the bad guy. Sometimes we see them rough up the suspect in the interrogation room and low and behold, they get a confession and the problem is wrapped up in a neat little bow. End of story. But that’s today’s Hollywood spin on the detective’s life, not reality. And it most certainly isn’t the perspective Hollywood used to have about detectives, either. Back in what Snippetz has officially dubbed the Golden Days of detective stories, the story took precedence over the special effects and cuss words. Back in those days, the detectives had class and managed to make detective work seem darn near glamorous. So, if these older movies were so special and so awesome, how come Snippetz hasn’t looked into them before? Well, stop asking questions, you aren’t a detective, and just read on! THE GOLDEN AGE OF DETECTIVE MOVIES You’re probably wondering what this supposed Golden Age really is. We’re talking about the detective stories from the 1930s and 1940s, but we’re focusing on the 30s this time around. No, this isn’t a “Top 10” list of what we think are the best detective stories. This is a sampling of what Hollywood had to offer back then to truly impress upon both young and old alike how simply amazing these movies really are. So, with that in mind, we present some of the best detective movies the 30s have to offer, in no particular order. (Don’t forget to check back with us for more in this series!) THE THIN MAN (1934) In an era where the average film took a month to shoot, which is a ridiculously short amount of time by today’s standards, The Thin Man took just 16 days to shoot, including all retakes. You might be tempted to assume that means the film must be really short and probably not even all that good. But considering it was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, your assumption would be wrong. In this movie, veteran actor William Powell teams up with Myrna Loy as the couple portrays Nick and Nora Charles in the film. And while the film is definitely a detective story, it’s really the banter and on-screen chemistry of Powell and Loy that stole the show. Powell’s character is a recently retired detective who is approached by Dorothy Wynant (played by Maureen O’Sullivan) to find her father, Clyde Wynant, who went missing on a secret business trip. Clyde was a former client of Nick Charles’, which helps his daughter persuade the retired detective to take the case. Of course, Loy’s character is bemused by the fact that her newly-retired husband has once again been drawn into the detective game. It could also be that she is mildly drunk, considering she’s a wealthy socialite and the couple tends to enjoy their fair share of cocktails. Initially, the case appears to be a cut-and-dry missing persons case but soon reveals itself to be much more complicated, when Clyde Wynant’s former secretary and paramour, Julia Wolf (played by Natalie Moorhead) winds up dead, with all signs pointing to Wynant himself as the killer. Through good old detective work, Nick Charles solves the mystery of Wynant’s disappearance. Additionally, the title finally comes into play when the remains of a supposed “fat man” turn out to be Wynant’s remains instead. Wynant was anything but fat and prior to the determination of the skeleton’s owner, once the oversized clothing is discovered to be a ploy to sabotage the investigation, the skeleton is redubbed the “thin man.” Bottom line: Charles determines that Wynant is not the killer since he happens to be the skeleton in the fat clothing and the real killer is revealed at a dinner party before he manages to kill again. THE THIN MAN SNIPPETZ
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1939) Based on the book of the same name written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” set the stage for a winning duo of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. John H. Watson. Holmes and Watson get a visit from Dr. James Mortimer, who hopes to get some advice from the pair about how to handle a predicament in which he believes a demonic dog may be roaming the grounds of the Baskerville estate in Devonshire. Mortimer believes the dog killed his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville by literally scaring him to death. The presence of massive dog prints near the body give credence to the legend of the demonic dog, according to Mortimer. Again, good old detective work on the part of Holmes reveals that the real killer is Jack Stapleton, a long-lost cousin of the Baskervilles’ who still lives in a nearby house. Stapleton planned to eliminate the Baskervilles bloodline so he would be the next in line for their substantial fortune. Stapleton trained a massive, half-starved, super aggressive dog to attack and kill the members of the Baskerville family by exposing him to their scent for prolonged periods of time. Of course, Holmes and Watson arrive on the scene just in time to keep the vicious dog from attacking Sir Henry Baskerville, the son of the late Sir Charles Baskerville, Mortimer’s friend. The pair kills the dog and Stapleton runs away but Holmes has a plan: he has already stationed police officers along the roads to intercept the killer before he can make a clean getaway. THE HOUNDS OF THE BASKERVILLES SNIPPETZ
Issue 803
SNIPPETZ WONDERS ABOUT THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD by Lindsey Harrison “Many people say I believe aliens built the pyramids. I don’t. In fact, I’m not a supporter of the ‘ancient alien’ hypothesis at all. I think a lost human civilization is a much better explanation of the mysteries and paradoxes of ancient culture.” – Graham Hancock, British writer In the age of instant gratification and Google, where millions of interesting facts are literally at our fingertips via our electronic devices, there really isn’t much “wonder” left in the world. Honestly, how many people from the younger generations even know that wonder can both a verb and a noun? Perhaps a few. But of those few, how many know that once there were actually places we considered “wonders” because of their incredible architectural characteristics or the simple fact that these creations were built before giant machines did all the heavy lifting for us? Again, probably not many. But those of us who are a bit older and wiser haven’t forgotten and although we may not be able to list the wonders – there are seven that most people agree upon – we surely appreciate the mystery of each structure. Maybe that won’t always be the case; maybe someday someone will unravel the mystery behind each of the Seven Wonders of the World, but until then, come along with Snippetz as we travel around this great planet we call Earth to visit each of the wonders! THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA Considering it is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that is still around today, and likely to be the first one anyone thinks of for that reason, we decided we’d just start with the Great Pyramid of Giza. As the largest of the three pyramids that still stand today, known as Khufu or Cheops after the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, this pyramid covers 13 acres and is thought to contain more than 2 million stone blocks, each weighing between two and 30 tons. It was constructed as a royal tomb, as were the two others called Khafra or Chephren and Menkaura or Mycerimus. What truly makes the pyramids, especially Khufu, so “wonder”ful (get it?) is that it is nearly symmetrical, even though it’s massive. It’s so tall, in fact, that it was the tallest building in the world for over 4,000 years. And it was built so precisely without the aid of massive cranes or laser levels. Scientists believe that log rollers and sledges were used to transport the stones and then placed one on top of another in a stair-step pattern. The steeply-sloped walls were achieved by filling in the empty space between each step with limestone and were ultimately meant to mimic the rays of the sun in honor of the sun god, Ra. THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS The Temple of Artemis was actually more than one temple, simply because it kept getting destroyed and then rebuilt. Located in Ephesus,a Greek port city in modern-day Turkey, the most notable renditions of the temple were constructed around 550 B.C. and 350 B.C. Chersiphron, an architect from Crete, and his son Metagenes designed the first temple on assignment from King Croesus of Lydia. The king spared no expense on the construction, leading to many accounts of the structure that echoed the thoughts of Antipater of Sidon, who basically said that of all the Seven Wonders, the Temple of Artemis was by far the most marvelous and brilliant. And considering it was made entirely of marble – expect for the roof – and featured gold pillars and bronze statues of the Amazons, the women warriors who followed Artemis, it’s easy to see why. But it didn’t last; Herostratus, a fame-hungry arsonist, decided to make a name for himself by burning the temple down in 356 B.C. In fact, we get the phrase “herostratic fame,” meaning one who seeks notoriety for its own sake, from the destructive firebug himself. About six years later, construction on the new temple began and it was easily as impressive as its predecessor. This temple didn’t withstand the test of time, either, having been burnt down by the Ostrogoths in A.D. 262. THE HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON Built by King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, near modern-day Baghdad, around 600 B.C., the Hanging Gardens were meant to ease his wife’s homesickness for the mountains of her homeland of Media (near present-day Iran). Supposedly the gardens were planted some 75 feet in the air on a massive square brick terrace, arranged like the steps in a movie theater. Because the gardens were so high up, stone columns were constructed to allow people to walk under the plants that were draped above them. Since the gardens are no longer in existence and because no first-hand accounts of them have ever been found, many scholars believe the gardens were pure fiction. Several ancient historians claim they existed and that they were destroyed in an earthquake just after the first century. THE STATUE OF ZEUS Built by Greek sculptor Phidias in 432 B.C., the statue of Zeus was placed in the Temple of Zeus (logically enough) in Olympia, Greece. The statue depicted Zeus sitting and still measured 43 feet tall, leading ancient geographer Strabo to remark, “It seems that if Zeus were to stand up, he would unroof the temple.” Zeus’s body was constructed out of ivory, while his beard, robe, sandals and throne were made of gold. The throne was also encrusted in precious jewels. Like nearly all the other Wonders, the statue was destroyed in a fire in 425 A.D. after suffering damage in various natural disasters and attempts at relocating the structure. THE MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS Queen Artemisia had this Wonder constructed as a tribute to her late husband, King Mausolus around 353 B.C. in current-day Turkey. The mausoleum (obviously so-called after the man who inspired the first structure of its kind) was made entirely of white marble and rumored to be 135 feet tall. The tomb was located at the very top of the structure and featured a 20-foot marble depiction of a horse-drawn chariot. In the 13th century A.D., the mausoleum was mostly destroyed in an earthquake and the rest was used by the Knights of St. John of Malta to fortify their castle at Bodrum. THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES Located on the Greek island of Rhodes, the Colossus was a statue depicting the Greek Titan Helios, the patron god of the island, by sculptor Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 B.C. The statue stood more than 107 feet tall and only stood for 56 years before it was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 B.C. Its memory lives on in the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York, designed by Frédéríc Bartholdi in the image of the Greek Titan. THE LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA Built between 280 and 247 B.C., the 440-foot lighthouse was constructed on the Egyptian island of Pharos at Alexandria. Technically speaking, it was meant as a functional lighthouse rather than a piece of artwork, and was commissioned by Ptolemy I, a successor of Alexander the Great. Supposedly, Ptolemy had the lighthouse built to solidify his place on the throne, given that the area was named after his predecessor, Alexander. As you probably guessed, the lighthouse was destroyed in a series of earthquakes from 956 to 1323, but the structure was so “wonder”ous that the Greek word for lighthouse became “pharos.” LESSER-KNOWN WONDERS? You betcha. There are several lesser-known wonders of the world but you’ll have to check back with us in another Snippetz issue to read all about them! Issue 804
SNIPPETZ SAYS, OOPS! INVENTIONS THAT WERE DISCOVERED ACCIDENTALLY by Lindsey Harrison 
“Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.”
– Mark Twain, American author Some people might disagree with what Mr. Twain said in the above quote because let’s be honest, it’s hard to admit that a brilliant invention wasn’t the intentional outcome of lots of hard work. That’s fine; go ahead and disagree. But you may just change your mind after you read this fascinating article about all the inventions that were discovered by accident. Because at the end of the day, it really isn’t about showing how smart you are based on the invention you’ve created; it’s about the creation itself. And just think: if all these awesome inventions were accidentally discovered, then there’s always the possibility that one of you faithful Snippetz readers could be the next person to accidentally discover something amazing. So, come with us as we rediscover some of the best inventions that were discovered by accident! SACCHARIN It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, when you discover something accidentally, that statement doesn’t exactly fit. Sometimes, invention comes from – pardon the crude nature of the comment – carelessness. That’s exactly what happened when Russian chemist Constantin Fahlberg discovered saccharin, the super sweet alternative often used in place of sugar. In the 1870s, Fahlberg was experimenting with various coal-tar substances to see how they reacted with other chemicals like phosphorus, ammonia and chloride. In the process, he had unknowingly gotten one of the experimental compounds on his hands and didn’t wash up before sitting down to dinner. As he munched on some bread, Fahlberg noticed it had an unusually sweet taste. After some contemplation, he realized his mistake and hurried back to his laboratory to taste-test some of the instruments on his work table. Sure enough, they all tasted sweet. Fahlberg sniffed out the source of the compound, determined what it was made from and the rest is artificial sweetener history. STRIKEABLE MATCHES Another accidental, but infinitely more useful, invention was discovered by John Walker in 1826. As he was stirring a container of chemicals, he noticed that a dried lump of goo had formed on the end of the stick he was using to stir. Like most people would probably do, Walker tried to get the lump off the stick by scraping it off, but suddenly the substance ignited. Realizing what he had inadvertently invented, Walker packaged a few of his “friction lights,” threw in a strip of sand paper and sold the packets in a local bookstore. He may have regretted his decision not to patent his idea, however because shortly after Walker’s matches hit the shelves, Samuel Jones copied the idea and sold his version which he called “Lucifers.” Prior to Walker’s discovery of strickeable matches, there were a few different versions of match-like inventions, the earliest of which was described in a Chinese book written by Tao Gu in 950 A.D. These matches were called “fire-inch sticks” and used sulfur on the end of a stick to start the flame, but they weren’t strikeable. Jean Chancel, a French chemist, created the self-igniting match in 1805, which would have been a great invention were it not for the strange and inconvenient process involved. His matches used a wooden stick with sugar and potassium chlorate covering one end. That end was then dipped in a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid and the chemical reaction produced chlorine dioxide, which exploded and ultimately lit the stick on fire, but also stunk to high heaven and was super dangerous to work with. The strikeable matches used today were invented by Johan Edvard Lundstrom and use red phosphorous, which is much less dangerous and virtually odorless. SMART DUST This invention may sound counter-intuitive unless it’s dust that cleans itself up and throws itself into the trashcan, which it isn’t. Smart Dust is actually a group of minute sensors that can be used in various medical capacities including detection of tumors and hazardous biological agents. Organizations including the military and information technology companies have found endless uses for Smart Dust, and it’s all thanks to an accidental explosion at the University of California. A graduate student named Jamie Link was working on a silicon chip when it suddenly exploded into a bunch of individual pieces. Link realized those pieces could still function on their own and thus, Smart Dust was invented. VELCRO While this next invention might not exactly be accidental, it’s pretty remarkable in itself because the inventor did not set out to invent something when he discovered the idea behind Velcro. In fact, all Swiss electrical engineer George De Mestral really did was take a closer look at something found in nature. Cockleburs. These pesky little plant parts use their Velcro-like sticking ability to snag in an animal’s fur to help it move to a new place and populate a whole new area with the cocklebur plant. Smart move, Mother Nature. When De Mestral’s dog came home covered in them after a walk, he got curious about them and decided to investigate further by looking at them under a microscope. What he saw was a bunch of tiny hook-like appendages on the ends of the cocklebur that easily snagged on clothing, fur, etc. Mestral tried out various materials out of which he made his own hook and loop configuration to determine how to achieve the strongest bond. In 1955, he settled on nylon as the perfect material and, by smashing the words “velvet” and “crochet” together, De Mestral invented Velcro the word and Velcro the product. Although clearly functional, Velcro wasn’t considered very fashionable and wasn’t widely used until the early 1960s when Apollo astronauts used it to keep their items in place so they wouldn’t float off in zero-gravity. SUPER GLUE Harvey Coover, a researcher with Eastman Kodak, is the Father of Superglue, although he never intended to be. In fact, Super Glue was the brainchild of a nuisance that Coover kept running into while trying to create other objects, like plastic gunsights. During World War II, Coover stumbled across cyanoacrylates, the chemical name for the generic super glue material. The material was so sticky that it clearly wasn’t going to work as a plastic gunsight because it simply stuck to everything and couldn’t be formed into anything. Later, in 1951, Coover rediscovered cyanoacrylates as his team tried to make heat-resistant jet airplane canopies. But it again stuck to anything and everything in its way, making its intended use as a canopy impossible. Coover, being a true scientist thought, reframed how he thought about those cyanoacrylates and realized the material was unique (and important) because it created an incredibly strong bond without the use of heat or pressure. Kodak sold the glue under the name “Eastman 910” but realized that name was – for lack of better words – stupid and reverted back to Coover’s patented name of Superglue, later morphing into Super Glue. As you can see, invention doesn’t always require a plan, lots of hard work, a doctoral degree from Harvard University or laboratory filled with expensive instruments. Sometimes, it happens completely by accident. There are so many more accidental inventions to be revealed that Snippetz will bring you in a future article so keep an eye out, you don’t want to miss it! Issue 805
SNIPPETZ ASKS, WHAT'S REALLY IN HANGAR 18? by Lindsey Harrison 
“There may be aliens in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies. The probability is almost certain that there is life somewhere in space.”
– Buzz Aldrin, American astronaut We’ve all heard rumors about alien abductions and unidentified flying objects appearing in the sky. Not all of us believe those rumors but whether or not you believe them doesn’t change that fact that Mr. Aldrin is right. The chances that life exists someplace other than on Earth far outweigh the chances that we’re all alone in the vastness of outer space. That being said, we lack definitive proof of life from another planet, galaxy, universe, etc. Unless, of course, you believe the stories about places like Roswell, New Mexico or Area 51 in Nevada. Those stories are so commonplace that most kids these days have at least a working knowledge of the fact that aliens are involved somehow. But perhaps less common is the story behind Hangar 18 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, located just outside Dayton, Ohio. Intrigued? Good. Keep reading as Snippetz peels back the layers of mystery surrounding Hangar 18! IT STARTED WITH ROSWELL The story of the mysterious Hangar 18 really starts halfway across the country in Roswell, New Mexico. Supposedly, around the first week of July 1947, a rancher in the Roswell area was out checking his property after a massive storm the night before. The rancher, Mac Brazel, expected to find fallen trees and other debris piled here and there. Well, he found other debris, that’s for sure. But supposedly this other debris was not typical debris found from a raging thunderstorm like the prior night’s. Instead, it supposedly had strange, unidentifiable writing on it and was distinctly saucer-like. Naturally, Brazel showed the interesting find to friends and neighbors, as anyone probably would. One such person happened to be Roswell sheriff George Wilcox, who in turn, alerted the authorities at Roswell Army Air Field. The army sent intelligence officer Major Jesse Marcel out to investigate the scene and collect as much debris as he could to bring back for inspection at the air field. Doing just that, Marcel rounded up his commanding officer, Colonel William Blanchard to have a look-see for himself. Blanchard was intrigued at the discovery and decided to send some other military personnel out to the ranch with the hopes of uncovering some more interesting and useful pieces of the supposed wreckage. What happened next would change the course of history and the way that people think about the “incident” for years to come. Blanchard, possibly without the approval of his higher-ups, released a statement on July 8, 1947 that the wreckage of a “crashed disk” was discovered. Leave it to the press to blow the whole thing into something bigger than perhaps it should’ve been . . . and that’s just what the Roswell Daily Record did in their July 8 issue. The headline stated, “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.” Great use of alliteration but definitely not 100 percent accurate. Things may have turned out OK and the whole thing could’ve blown over if it weren’t for the sudden retraction of Blanchard’s statement, not by Blanchard himself but by General Roger M. Ramey, the commander of the Eighth Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas. Ramey retracted Blanchard’s statement and issued another saying the “crashed disk” was nothing more than a fallen weather balloon. People generally seemed to accept the new explanation but of course, there were others who became suspicious. Maybe if Blanchard had made the retraction himself, it wouldn’t have appeared so much like the military’s attempt to cover something up . . . ENTER HANGAR 18 So, what does all that have to do with Hangar 18? Well, the same people who weren’t content with Ramey’s explanation also believed that the pieces of the space craft/weather balloon were taken piece by piece to the Roswell Air Field and placed on aircrafts, all under the cloak of darkness provided by the night. Sneaky, sneaky. Supposedly, those aircrafts headed to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where the precious cargo was unloaded and placed inside a super-secret hanger, known as Hangar 18. If these same people are to be believed today, those pieces are still there. In our day of hacking and government cover-ups of emails and meetings with other countries that supposedly never happened, the idea that a large-scale cover-up of a UFO crash-landing on a ranch isn’t too terribly far-fetched. And it certainly stands to reason that those pieces would have to be stored someplace where they could be kept safe and secure. What better place than a military installation, right? But that’s where things get a little bit sticky. For starters, there’s no Hangar 18 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The hangars are identified by a number-letter combination like 1A, 1B, etc. Ok, so maybe someone mistook Hangar 1B for Hangar 18. Or maybe someone decided to call Hangar 1B Hangar 18 instead to through off anyone who wasn’t “in the know.” In fact, conspiracy theorists believe Hangar 18 is actually hangars 4A, 4B, and 4C. At this point, anything is possible. So, let’s entertain the idea that Hangar 18 exists. Which one could it be? Apparently, Hangar 1B (and all the rest) are simply not big enough to house an entire alien spaceship. Again, we must remember that the ship crash-landed and the ship itself was supposedly broken into pieces upon impact. If you smash up a CD, you can easily fit the pieces into a space that, from the outside, does not appear large enough to contain it. The same idea could apply here. Harkening back to the conspiracy theorists, we learn that they believe something similar to the smashed-CD idea. They believe that a series of giant underground tunnels and rooms are located beneath the hangar to keep the UFO pieces safe but also out of sight. Supposedly, Wright-Patterson is hoping to discover the secret behind the “alien” technology, with the goal of recreating it themselves. BOLSTERING CONSPIRACY THEORIES Again, if things had just been left alone, perhaps the hype of Hangar 18 and its contents would have faded from everyone’s memory over time. But that didn’t happen, thanks in large part to Project Blue Book, a government program created to investigate various UFO sightings around the country. For more than 20 years, the program investigated upwards of 12,000 sightings, and it was conveniently based right out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The program has since been disbanded but its mere existence is a great source of curiosity. During the time of Project Blue Book’s active investigations, Barry Gladwater, a senator from Arizona and a retired major general from the Army Air Corps, decided to do his own digging. He decided to use his military connections to get information about Hangar 18 and contacted General Curtis LeMay with a request to see the “Green Room” where the UFO was supposedly stored. LeMay responded with, “Not only can’t you get into it, but don’t you ever mention it to me again.” That’s not suspect in the slightest, right? But nothing beats the claim made in 1982 by retired Air Force pilot Oliver “Pappy” Henderson when he stated he was one of the pilots who had flown alien bodies out of Roswell and up to Wright-Patterson. So, is it true? We may never know. But let’s just say, there’s definitely something out there. Issue 806
SNIPPETZ GETS A KICK OUT OF CHUCK NORRIS by Lindsey Harrison 
“Whatever luck I had, I made. I was never a natural athlete but I paid my dues in sweat and concentration and took the time necessary to learn karate and become a world champion.” – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist
Whether you’re a fan of the T.V. show “Walker, Texas Ranger,” or you’re super into karate, or you’re a millennial who enjoys the occasional meme, you’ve probably heard of Chuck Norris. And while you may think you know all there is to know about the man, chances are, you don’t. He isn’t just a martial arts expert, actor or subject of hilarious memes. It’s OK, you aren’t the only one to make that mistake. But Snippetz, in good conscience, couldn’t let you walk around with some half-baked idea of who Chuck Norris really is and what he managed to achieve. And considering he turned 77 on March 10, it’s only fair that we give him some credit for the amazing work he’s done both in the martial arts arena as well as the entertainment industry. So, without further ado, we bring you the incredible life of the notorious Chuck Norris! EARLY LIFE Chuck Norris was born Carlos Ray Norris on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma. His parents, Ray and Wilma, had two other boys named Wieland and Aaron. Ray was a mechanic, bus driver, and truck driver at various points in his life, as well as a World War II soldier. However, he was also an alcoholic who went on frequent binges that could last up to a couple of weeks. Chuck said he was often embarrassed by his father’s behavior and how often it put his family in financial straits, which he cited as the impetus of his shy, introverted personality. Ray and Wilma divorced when Chuck was 16 and she took their sons first to live in Prairie Village, Kansas, and then on to Torrance, California. Chuck often describes himself as a very unathletic child who was not particularly scholarly, either. That self-assessment makes his eventual transformation into an actor and martial artists impressive to say the least. THE MAKINGS OF A MARTIAL ARTIST After high school, Chuck joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman and was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea. While there, Chuck discovered and took an interest in Tang Soo Do, a form of martial arts that incorporates the fighting principles from several other forms of martial arts, including Shotokan karate, subak, taekkyon and kung foo. Being less than athletically-inclined, Chuck said he had to work long and hard to achieve the black belts he eventually earned in Tang Soo Do. But that determination clearly paid off and Chuck even founded his own fighting style, known as Chun Kuk Do. After his time in South Korea, Chuck returned to the U.S. and continued to serve as an Air Policeman at the March Air Force Base. In 1962, Chuck was discharged from the Air Force and had to figure out where he wanted his life to take him. He spent time working for the Northrop Corporation while working to open a chain of karate schools. Chuck even managed to open a school in his hometown of Torrance, which actually may have attracted several of the celebrity clients he trained over the years, including Steve McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, and Donny and Marie Osmond. Not bad for someone who wasn’t athletic. ON THE RISE Now, you may think that anybody around who happens to know a little something about martial arts could open up their own studio, and if you do, you’re completely wrong. Chuck Norris doesn’t know a little something; he knows a lot of something. Aside from being able to teach martial arts, Chuck was also an incredible fighter. He was a two-time winner of the S. Henry Cho’s All American Championship and won plenty of other accolades in his time. In 1968, he lost to Louis Delgado, which was the tenth and final loss of his incredible career. Apparently, that loss lit a fire under Chuck’s butt because in November of that same year, he defeated Delgado and secured for himself the Professional Middleweight Karate championship title. For the next five years, Chuck would maintain the title. In 1969, he was recognized for winning the most tournaments in a single year and was awarded Fight of the Year by Black Belt Magazine. As if that isn’t impressive enough, Chuck was the first “Westerner” in this documented history of Tae Kwon Do to earn the rank of 8th Degree Black Belt Grand Master in 1990. Nine years later, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum’s Hall of Fame and one year after that, he was presented with the Golden Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame. SPEAKING OF FAME . . . For any normal person, earning the awards and martial arts status that Chuck Norris had by 1990 would’ve been a lifetime’s worth of work. Technically, for Chuck it was; the only difference was that he managed to carve out a successful acting career at the same time. It began in 1969 when he made his acting debut in the movie “The Wrecking Crew.” Combining his martial arts skills with his acting, Chuck landed the role playing opposite Bruce Lee, arguably the most famous martial artist in recent history, in the movie “Way of the Dragon” in 1972. That role is generally considered to be the one that designated Chuck as an actor in his own right. In 1977, Chuck landed his first starring role in “Breaker! Breaker!” In the following years, Chuck starred in about one film per year, eventually securing for himself the place as the most prominent star cast movies produced by Cannon Films. Several of those films he dedicated to the memory of his brother Wieland, who had fought in Vietnam in the 101st Airborne Division and was killed in June 1970 while patrolling around the Firebase Ripcord. Chuck’s other brother, Aaron, produced many of those films, as well as a number of episodes of the T.V. series, “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which began filming in 1993 and ran for eight seasons. If you needed another reason to be impressed by Chuck Norris, here’s the last one we’ll throw at you: aside from all the work he had already done, plus all the acting work he was presently undertaking, Chuck managed to earn himself the 10th Degree Black Belt in Chun Kuk Do. You may want to reconsider any fights you wanted to start with him . . . CHUCK NORRIS SNIPPETZ Although it may be tempted to believe the following Chuck Norris Snippetz, you probably shouldn’t. Although entertaining, they are simply examples of some of the Chuck Norris memes that began making the rounds in 2005. We thought you might enjoy reading them!
Issue 807
JAIL BREAK! SNIPPETZ RECOUNTS INFAMOUS ZOO ESCAPES: PART 1 by Lindsey Harrison “Everyone wants to escape, everyone’s drawn to escapism to leave their lives for an hour or two, and we’re all curious human beings.” – Josh Bowman, British actor It’s definitely true that humans want, even need, to escape the hum-drum of everyday life. Stress from work, kids, bills, people walking slowly in front of you at the grocery store, can all add up to a less-than-enjoyable life. But getting away from it all, even for an hour or two as suggested by Mr. Bowman can be all it takes to reinvigorate you and make life enjoyable once more. Here’s the thing to consider: does that desire to escape stop with humans or do animals feel that same urge? Snippetz says you can bet your sweet booty they do, especially those animals that don’t have the freedom to roam the wild, namely zoo animals. Why can we be so certain about that? Well, there are many instances of animals escaping from the zoo, often to wander around for a bit, seemingly to break free from not only their literal cages, but also the routine of life in a zoo. And naturally, Snippetz had to investigate these daring jail breaks so we’ve compiled a nice sample for you. Read on and enjoy! MONKEY BUSINESS You probably won’t be surprised to learn that many of the zoo escapes that have occurred over the years have involved monkeys or apes. Those smart little buggers certainly have given zoo staff a run for their money. For instance, in 1968, one of the most impressive examples of primate trickery came at the hands of the orangutan, Fu Manchu of the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. Now, you might think that Fu Manchu simply pushed his way past a zookeeper or two and wandered out into his version of freedom. Orangutans are admittedly large and very strong. But that wasn’t the case. Fu Manchu actually escaped multiple times with no indication of how he managed to pull it off. Finally, one member of the zoo staff noticed Fu Manchu pulling a shiny metal object from his mouth, which turned out to be his own personal key to his cage. He had stashed the piece of wire between his teeth and jaw, hiding it away from anyone who may consider looking inside his mouth. Once the zookeepers caught on to his trick, they stripped his cage of anything he could use to escape in the future. Fu Manchu did not escape again but was awarded an honorary membership into the American Locksmith Association for his excellent lock-picking skills. Although advances in technology have certain occurred in the years since 1968, some things never change, including the cunning intelligence of chimpanzees. On July 5, 2009, 30 chimps found a way off their island enclosure at the Chester Zoo in Liverpool, Great Britain, and absconded to freedom . . . otherwise known as the location of their food. The chimps caused quite a ruckus, forcing the zoo to evacuate 5,000 visitors although in actuality, there was nothing to fear. The chimps hunkered down to a tasty snack and ate until they were finally rounded up and sent back to their island. It was probably worth whatever risk those chimps thought was present just to be able to “taste” that kind of freedom (get it?). If you’ve ever watched the movie “Tarzan,” you have probably seen various apes climbing vines throughout the jungle, and it probably looked relatively easy. Of course, for a human, it wouldn’t be but for an ape, with the ridiculous strength they possess, it’s certainly not unheard of. And on October 11, 2000, Evelyn the gorilla, housed at the Los Angeles Zoo, did just that. She found a vine clinging to the wall of her enclosure, climbed it and wandered around the zoo for about an hour. Zoo staff safely tranquilized her and placed her back in her enclosure. A capuchin monkey named Oliver, who lived at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo in Mississippi, proved to be quite crafty as well. In 2007, he managed to escape from his cage twice in three weeks and both times, he high-tailed it out of the zoo and was found a few miles away. Zookeepers never figured out how he escaped but they suspected he had picked the locks. To keep him safely stashed away in his cage, the staff devised a system of three locks that he has yet to unlock. Oliver’s escapades earned him quite a bit of notoriety and the zoo even created a t-shirt with “Oliver’s Great Escape” printed on it along with a map of the routes he took. NON-PRIMATE PRISONER ESCAPES Sure, it’s probably easy to escape when you have a high level of intelligence and opposable thumbs on two different sets of hands. But monkeys are not the only animals to see their opportunity for escape and take it! On August 20, 2004, Juan, an Andean spectacled bear took advantage of just one such instance at Germany’s Berlin Zoo. He paddled a log across the moat surrounding his outdoor habitat and climbed the wall. His freedom achieved, Juan wandered around the zoo until he found the playground. Apparently, that was all he was looking for because he spent the rest of his “free” time riding the merry-go-round and going down the slide. However, Juan did become bored and was in the process of looking for another source of entertainment when zoo staff distracted him with a bicycle of all things. He stopped to check out the contraption and was tranquilized on the spot and returned to his enclosure. Now, it may seem obvious that birds in zoos are difficult to keep grounded, so to speak. But most zoos, like Vancouver Zoo’s Parrot Gardens typically have that under control by clipping the wings of all their inhabitants. That just wasn’t enough to keep Chuva the Macaw from finding a way to blow that popsicle stand and make a break for freedom. Chuva, crafty as she was, found a way out of her enclosure and made a daring flight straight for the wall of the zoo. No one noticed and she slipped out into the parking lot without anyone being the wiser. Once they realized she was gone, zoo staff assumed she would be easy to find, not being able to fly . . . or so they thought. But three days later, they still hadn’t found her. Eventually Chuva was discovered hiding in the engine cabinet of a family’s RV, almost 20 miles from the zoo’s location. Smart girl. Escaping the zoo can be difficult and sometimes it makes sense to team up to get the job done. That’s just what a boar, a fox and a set of kangaroos determined in 2012 when they apparently enlisted the other animals’ help to escape a wildlife park in Germany. The kangaroos had slipped under the barricades around its habitat, thanks to a hole dug by a fox next door. The last obstacle standing in their way was the outside wall of the zoo, which a wild boar had conveniently also dug a hole underneath from the outside. The marsupials squeezed through and were free, although two were found shortly thereafter. The third spent a bit more time exploring the free world but was soon caught and safely returned to the zoo. Can’t get enough daring escapes? Stick around because Snippetz will be bringing you a second installment soon! Issue 808
SNIPPETZ SAYS HAPPY ARBOR DAY! NOW READ ABOUT SOME COOL TREES by Lindsey Harrison 
“To such an extent does nature delight and abound in variety that among her trees, there is not one plant to be found which is exactly like another; and not only among the plants, but among the boughs, the leaves and the fruits, you will not find one which is exactly similar to another.”
– Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist and inventor As kids in preschool, we all were tasked with drawing pictures of various things, typically an outdoor scene of some sort. We often drew houses with a sun in the corner of the page and stick figures standing outside. And one element that was almost always included was a tree. Most trees in those pictures probably looked a bit like a big green cotton ball on top of a brown stump. Or if it was Christmastime, the tree was a set of green triangles stacked on top of each other with brightly-colored round balls sporadically placed on the “branches” to represent ornaments. Those images are easily-identifiable in most cultures as trees. The interesting thing is, like Mr. da Vinci mentioned above, no single tree looks the same as another. Sure, they’re similar based on type but their individuality and uniqueness is what really makes them interesting. Snippetz got to thinking: wouldn’t it be something to research the different types of unusual trees out there? You know, the ones you’ll never see drawn in a preschooler’s picture. And that’s just what we did so, in honor of Arbor Day, read on and maybe you’ll learn something new! CULTURALLY SCARRED TREES OF COLORADO Aside from all the other cool things about living in Colorado, we also happen to have some of the coolest history from the natives of this fair land. For instance, the Ute tribe of Native Americans intentionally scarred trees for various reasons, leaving them forever changed (but not dead, mind you). Below we’ll discuss the four reasons for scarring the trees, including how and why the Utes did this. MEDICINE OR PEELED BARK TREES Ultimately, peeled bark trees are exactly what they sound like; they are trees whose bark has been peeled away on only a certain section so as not to kill the tree. That bark is then used in a variety of ways. During the winter of 1868 and into the early part of 1869, John Wesley Powell spent time with the Utes in what is now called Meeker, in northwestern Colorado. During that time, he noted that the bark from pine trees was harvested to access the substance underneath which would have eventually become another ring on the tree’s trunk. To do so, the Utes would make an incision a little higher than their head and another just above the ground, carrying each incision all the way around the tree. The bark is removed and the underlying substance is scraped off and eaten, Powell noted. Another documented use of the bark from these “peeled bark” trees was for medicinal purposes, which usually had more to do with spiritual healing rather than actual medicine obtained from the tree or its bark. For instance, if a person needed medical attention, a special healer, called one of the Tree People, would either have a vision or dream about a specific tree, then go to it to start the healing process. Once there, the healer would make a small cut at approximately the height on the tree that correlated to the part on the patient’s body. The cut would be about 6 to 12 inches long and parallel to the ground. A stick is then pushed into the cut and used to peel away the bark. The underlying bark was used in a healing ceremony, the details of which are not readily available to anyone outside that particular tribe. The result is scarred trees that can still be seen today. As with many Native American peoples, the Ute tribes in Colorado weren’t too keen on the idea of newcomers having access to all aspects of their lives and thus, it is difficult to definitively say one way or the other how each method was used. PRAYER TREES Prayer trees are easy to spot since they are relatively unnatural-looking. They are often bent at nearly 90-degree angle, leaving the casual observer with many questions. However, one very informed but anonymous source reported the following about the prayer trees: “On the way from Crystal Peak to Pikes Peak, the people had to stop and pray four times. A young sapling was selected at this point and bent parallel to the ground where it was tied with a yucca rope. Then everyone circled the tree and prayed, for they knew the tree would live and hold their prayers for 800 years and each breeze would give their prayers new breath.” These prayer trees were not created by the Ute tribes but many other Native American groups do. BURIAL TREES Burial trees are almost exclusively created out of cedar trees. The seeds of these trees were carried around and when someone important died, like a chief or medicine person, the seeds were planted nearby. In one particular instance, burial trees near a large boulder in Florissant are fed by made-man rivers etched into the stone from small catch pools also dug into the stone. No easy task, but definitely a testament to the importance of these trees. MESSAGE TREES As you can probably imagine, message trees provided just that: a message to others who happen upon the tree. Aspen trees were often the trees chosen for the job, perhaps because the bark is thin and easy to scar. Not only were these message trees used to convey information, but they also told stories, which helped preserve the history of the various tribes wherever the trees were found. Above all else, the importance of these scarred trees is that they are sacred to the Native Americans and any physical interference from man was not done to injure or kill the tree, but rather to celebrate Mother Nature and document a tribe’s history in a way that showed their relationship with nature. UNUSUAL TREES AROUND THE WORLD SNIPPETZ
Issue 809
HEY, BACK OFF BUDDY! SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES ANIMALS WITH BIZARRE DEFENSE MECHANISMS by Lindsey Harrison “The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower, American president Every species on the planet has some form of defense mechanism they can employ to keep from being eaten by bigger, badder species. If it weren’t for these defense mechanisms, many of the interesting species we have around today simply wouldn’t be here, having been picked off long ago. Lucky for us, evolution has brought about some really creative ways to deal with predators. We’ve all heard of animals like the opossum that play dead to avoid becoming something’s dinner. And let’s not forget turtles and tortoises that literally have their own stronghold on their backs that they can duck into when they feel threatened. Those defense mechanisms and pretty smart and definitely interesting, but there are some pretty bizarre methods out there that are typically lesser-known. By now, you probably know that those lesser-known facts are the ones we at Snippetz absolutely love. So, with that in mind, read on to discover more about some bizarre defense mechanisms! OOO, THAT SMELL! As with most other animals, when humans smell food that doesn’t quite smell right, our instincts kick in and tell us the food is no good. That same instinct can be a great deterrent for smaller, more vulnerable animals to use to their advantage. For instance, European roller birds, so-called because of the impressive aerial displays they make during mating season which often look like they’re rolling and looping, have also secured another interesting nickname: vomit birds. Whenever they feel threatened, these birds will vomit a disgusting-smelling orange substance, effectively ruining their predator’s appetite. Speaking of vomiting birds, the turkey vulture has adopted a similar defense mechanism. It will also vomit to deter a predator, but what they regurgitate is the entire contents of their stomach. Overkill? Not really. Aside from the nasty smell that results, the turkey vulture ends up being much lighter and more likely to escape. One more vomiting bird and this is the last one, we promise! The northern fulmar chick’s vomit is fully projectile, meaning it can reach predators who aren’t right on top of them. The bad news for the predator is that the vomit, which smells like rotten fish, takes forever to wear off! Not literally forever, but a really, really long time. Remember those opossums we talked about? Well, in addition to playing dead, which they can do for literally hours to trick their predators into thinking they’re already dead, opossums will also emit a nasty-smelling spray, making the ruse that much more believable. SAY IT, DON’T SPRAY IT! Of course, we all know that a skunk uses a noxious spray as a defense mechanism, but there are quite a few other species that also spray or secrete substances to ward off enemies. For example, the Texas horned lizard (see photo above) has the ability to essentially flood its sinus cavities with blood until the blood vessels inside them burst which shoots blood from their eyes. Typically, when your dinner sprays blood at you, you take that as a bad sign. Just saying. The motyxia sequoia species of millipedes is another leaky creature that literally oozes cyanide from the pores running along the sides of its body. But that’s not all. At night, when the millipede is cruising around, doing its thing, it has another interesting defense; it becomes bioluminescent. It glows to scare off any predators and that’s definitely a sign to stay away if we’ve ever seen one! Stick bugs are a bit more proactive than some other species in that they attempt to blend in to their surroundings to avoid detection if possible. But when threatened, these creatures don’t just roll over and die. Some stick bug species are actually able to spray their predators with a nasty-smelling substance that can also cause mouth and eye irritation. Another creature that has a pretty crafty way to avoid getting eaten is the Octopoteuthis deletron, a type of squid. Yes, they squirt ink like other squids. But they also use the art of misdirection to add another layer of escaping ability by sacrificing one of their arms. How? Well, they squirt the ink and shoot off one of their arms at the same time. The predator gets distracted, thinking the arm is part of the whole squid but in reality, the squid has scooted off and made a clean break. As you can probably imagine, any animal with “slow” in its name probably needs some sort of defense mechanism and the slow loris is no exception. These creatures have poison glands near their armpits that they rub to stimulate the glands and then rub their hands all over their body and teeth. The poison is nasty enough as a deterrent if a predator chose to bite them, but if the slow loris gets the chance to bit back, the poison on its teeth can send their attacker into anaphylactic shock. The Mother of All Secretors has got to be the sea cucumber, however. Not only do they secrete a toxin called holothurin, a sticky substance that is nothing short of deadly, but they also play dead in the most dramatic way possible. Sea cucumbers can violently contract their muscles until they push some of their organs out through their anus. Gross, no doubt, but when a predator sees part of the innards of a sea cucumber just lying there, they think it’s already dead and will usually pass by, not wanting to eat some old, dead prey. CLICK, CLICK, BOOM! If you can’t scare off a predator with a nasty smell or a nasty substance, maybe it’s time to up the ante. Apparently, that’s what several species decided, including the Malaysian exploding ant. That right, they explode. Well, not entirely. These ants have large venom glands inside their bodies that they squeeze when threatened. The pressure causes the glands to explode, showering their attacker with the venom. Pretty awesome, right? One species of termites found in the French Guiana rain forest have taken exploding to a whole other level. The older workers are frequently sent on kamikaze missions to protect the colony by venturing outside to proactively keep the rest of the colony safe. These termites are each equipped with sacs on their backs that slowly fill with toxic crystals they produce in glands inside their abdomen over the span of their lifetime. When the termites are sent on their mission, they mix the crystals inside the sacs with saliva which creates an exploding liquid. Once they’ve detonated their sacs, the liquid showers down over their predator, paralyzing them. But it also kills the termite, so the sacrifice is a big one! Although it doesn't explode, the Spanish ribbed newt is still a pretty dangerous creature, under the right circumstances. When it feels threatened, it shifts its ribs forward at an angle to create points and then forces them through its skin. Basically, it turns its ribs into a row of spikes on either side of its body, each sharp enough to puncture a predator and effectively ward off an attack. Luckily for these newts though, they can repair their skin and ribs well enough to use this method time and again with little to now harm caused to itself. Pretty nifty! |
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