Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has officially opened Spaceport America, its future hub for space tourism. We get a first glimpse at its luxurious lounge area and amenities for future travelers. Ticket holders who have already paid $200,000 or more for a Virgin Galactic flight will soon be checking in at this spaceport before they board a supersonic plane for a 90-minute ride into Earth’s upper atmosphere. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Some residents in a Virginia neighborhood woke up to an interesting surprise at their front door, an old television set, and it’s not from Amazon or some other online retailer, but rather a man who wears a television on his head. One homeowner’s Ring doorbell surveillance camera captured this mysterious figure laying an older set down on their front porch and just walking off. Read more for the video and additional information.
An 18-year-old from Haryana’s Yamunanagar in India was given a BMW for his birthday instead of the Jaguar he requested. So, he did the least logical thing possible…pushed it into a swollen river in a fit of anger. That’s not all, “when the youth was plunging the high-end BMW car into the river, he also made a video and put it on social media,” said a police official. Read more for the news report and additional information.
Photo credit: KIRO 7
Jamie Bisceglia from Tacoma, Washington gathered with some fishermen who had caught an octopus during a fishing derby in the Tacoma Narrows and instantly saw an opportunity for a unique picture. There was a photo contest being held in the derby, and so she placed the octopus on her face and posed, before it unexpectedly bit her on the face. Read more for the video news report and additional information.
After a failed attempt 10-days ago, French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed the English Channel on his self-made “flyboard”. He took off at 8:17 am local time and flew across the 21.7 miles that separate the French town of Sangatte from Saint Margaret’s at Cliffe on the southeast British coast, taking him a total of 22 minutes with one refueling stop in the middle. Read more for a video and additional information.
Fionn Ferreira devised a method to remove microplastics, or small bits of plastic less than 5 millimeters long that accumulate in wastewater before filtering into larger bodies of water likes rivers and oceans, by using a liquid invented by NASA, called ferro-fluids. This idea was introduced at the Google Science Fair, and managed to impress enough to win the competition, along with its $50,000 prize. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Universal Orlando announced its latest theme park today, called Epic Universe. It’s currently under construction on a 750-acre plot of land in Orlando, Florida, and will also include hotels, restaurants, shops, as well as the possible Super Nintendo World that has been rumored for quite some time. This is the first theme park Universal has built since 1999 when Islands of Adventure opened. Read more for a video of the press conference and additional information.
Photo credit: AFP via Twisted Sifter
A freak summer hailstorm left Guadalajara, Mexico buried in up to six feet of ice Sunday. Fortunately, only damaged homes and cars were reported and no human injuries. The ice tall was enough to cover vehicles’ wheels, and many suggested that climate change may be the cause of the ice storm. Local officials also reported flooding and fallen trees, as the storm hit very quickly, between about 01:50 (06:50 GMT) and 02:10 local time, when the air temperature dropped suddenly from 22C (72F) to 14C (57F). Read more for two videos and additional information.
Þrídrangaviti, which translates to “Three Rock Pillars” in the Icelandic language, could quite possibly be the best place to hide out during a zombie apocalypse. It was established before the start of World War 2 in 1939 and is accessible by boat or helicopter, complete with a small helipad. Unfortunately, if you arrive by boat, you’ll have to scale 120-foot-high rocks to reach the lighthouse, offering all the more protection. Read more for a video and additional information.
We’ve experienced many full moons this year, whether it be the “Super Blood Moon” or “Full Worm Supermoon,” but July 31st marks a rare occurrence for Earth’s natural satellite — a phenomenon known as a Black Moon. The rare celestial event is set to occur Wednesday in North America, marking the first occurrence since 2016, and the rest of the planet will experience this phenomenon on August 30th. The Black Moon is a term used to represent the second new moon of a month, which rarely happens outside of leap years, as lunar cycles largely take 29 days to complete. Read more for a video news report and additional information.