History

Monday, 11 May 2026
42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
The first nuclear accident in Earth's history
Before information about it saw the light of day, the Soviets hid it for over 30 years. The explosion at the Mayak combine was the first nuclear accid ...

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Axum Empire
According to local accounts, around 960, a Jewish queen named Gudit (Judith) came to plunder and burn the remains of the splendor of Aksum.
Researchers discovered the remains of burnt boards and sediment on buildings during archaeological work.
Battle of Thermopylae
On Xerxes’ orders, the “Immortals” detachment, under cover of darkness, set off along the path indicated by Ephialtes.
Information about the road, which allowed them to bypass the Thermopylae isthmus, created the possib ...
Black death
The plague was caused by the bubonic plague bacillus (Yersinia pestis), which was unknown to physicians of the time and for which there were no drugs.
The final argument in favor of this theory was provided by a 2010 study published in PLOS Pathogens, ...
Kyshtym disaster
Within hours of the explosion, an area of 39,000 square kilometers was contaminated.
Along the line of the radioactive footprint lay 217 settlements inhabited by more than 270,000 people.
Kyshtym disaster
Kurchatov received more than 30.000 pages of secret documents from the Americans.
The Soviets received plans for the construction of a nuclear bomb, as well as information about the ...
Medieval world
The Middle Ages were also the time of the Crusades. They were originally intended to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim hands, although political pressures sometimes took them in surprising directions.
The First Crusade was the only de facto successful expedition. Launched by Pope Urban in 1096, it re ...
Kyshtym disaster
Construction work proceeded under dramatic conditions.
The construction site was located in the middle of the taiga, surrounded by lakes and rivers. Winter ...
Mali Empire
Sundiata Kaita died in 1255, probably by drowning.
However, tradition says that he died crossing the Sankarani River, where a reliquary still stands today.
Mohenjo-daro
Another hypothesis put forward by a team of American geologists is that 140 km north of Mohenjo-daro was the epicenter of a powerful earthquake that changed the Indus Valley.
Powerful tremors caused the ground surface to rise, which blocked the river and its waters changed c ...
Kyshtym disaster
Ozyorsk, where the people working in Mayak resided, partially escaped the direct effects of the blast.
Fortunately for the settlement, the wind bore the radiation away from Ozyorsk. Nevertheless, radiati ...