 |
| lemons contain more sugar than strawberries |
 |
| the longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds |
August has the highest percentage of births
unless food is mixed with saliva you can’t taste it
 |
| reindeer like bananas |
Did you know
Chronology of Vampires
Vampires appear in various lore, folklore and legends throught history. They are mentioned in many cultures, in different parts of the world in different time periods.
This is a timeline of the vampires through the history:
| Year | Event |
| 5000 BC | The emergence of Vampirism in the Mediterranean Basin. |
| 2000 BC | Tomb of the Vampire is erected in Giza, Egypt. |
| 31 | Jesus is claimed to have healed vampires at Capernaum. |
| 140 | Reign of Longinus, Rome’s Vampire Emperor. |
| 773 | Charlemagne defeats Quadilla the Vampire thus saving Rome. |
| 1047 | First appearance of the word “upir”(an early form of the word later to become “vampire”)in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”,or wicked vampire. |
| 1096 | First Crusade expels vampires from The Holy Land, Jerusalem. |
| 1190 | Walter Map’s “De Nagis Curialium” includes accounts of vampire like beings in England. |
| 1196 | William of Newburgh’s “Chronicles”records several stories of vampire like revenants in England. |
| 1428/29 | “Dracula” aka Vlad Dracula or aka Vlad the Impaler is born. |
| 1476/77 | Dracula is assassinated. |
| 1484 | The Malleus Maleficarium (the witch hunter’s bible) is writtenby Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger. The topic of how to hunt anddestroy a vampire is discussed within it’s pages. |
| 1530 | Italian scientist Ludovico Fatinelli burned at the stake forsuggesting a biological cause for vampirism in his “Treatise onVampires”. |
| 1560 | Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory is born. |
| 1607 | “The Ship of the Dead” brings vampires to the New World. |
| 1610 | Bathory is arrested for killing several hundred girls and bathing in their blood. Tried and convicted, she is sentenced to life imprisonment, being bricked into a room in her castle. Leo Allatius finishes writing the first modern treatment of vampires, “De Graecorum hodie quirundam opinationabus”. |
| 1614 | Elizabeth Bathory dies. |
| 1657 | Fr. Francoise Richard’s “Relation de ce qui s’est passé a Sant-Erini Isle de l’Archipel” links vampirism and witchcraft. |
| 1672 | Wave of vampire hysteria sweeps through Istra. |
| 1679 | A German vampire text, “De Masticatione Mortuorum”, is writtenby Phillip Rohr. |
| 1710 | Vampire hysteria sweeps through East Prussia. |
| 1725 | Vampire hysteria returns to East Prussia. |
| 1725/30 | Vampire hysteria lingers in Hungary. |
| 1725/32 | The wave of vampire hysteria in Austrian Serbia produces the famous cases of Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold Paul (Paole). |
| 1734 | The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of European waves of vampire hysteria. |
| 1744 | Cardinal Giuseppe Davanzati publishes his treatise, “Dissertazione sopre I Vampiri.” |
| 1746 | Dom Augustin Calmet publishes his treatise on vampires, “Dissertations sur les Apparitions des Anges des Demons et des Espits, et sur les revenants, et Vampires de Hundrie, de boheme, de Moravic, et de Silesie.” |
| 1748 | The first modern vampyre poem, “Der Vampir”, is published by Heinrich August Ossenfelder. |
| 1750 | Another wave of vampire hysteria occurs in East Prussia. |
| 1756 | Vampire hysteria peaks in Wallachia, Romania. |
| 1772 | Vampire hysteria occurs in Russia. |
| 1797 | Goethe’s “Bride of Corinth” (a poem concerning a vampire) is published. |
| 1798/1800 | Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel,” now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English. |
| 1800 | “I Vampiri,” an opera by Silvestro de Palma, opens in Milan, Italy. |
| 1801 | “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is the first poem to mention the vampire in English. |
| 1810 | Reports of sheep being killed by having their jugular veins cut and their blood drained circulated through northern England. “The Vampyre,” an early vampire poem, by John Stagg is published. |
| 1813 | A vampire appears in Lord Byron’s The Giaour. |
| 1819 | John Polidori’s “The Vampyre,” is the first vampire story inEnglish is published. |
| 1820 | “Lord Ruthwen ou Les Vampires” by Cyprien Berard is published anonymously in Paris. June 13: “Le Vampire,” the play by Charles Nodier, opens at the Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris. August: “The Vampire; or, The Bride of the Isles,” a translation of Nodier’s play by James R. Planche, opens in London. |
| 1829 | March: Heinrich Marschner’s opera, “Der Vampyr,” based on Nodier’s story, opens in Liepzig. |
| 1841 | Alexey Tolstoy publishes his short story, “Upyr,” while living in Paris. It is the first modern vampire story by a Russian. |
| 1847 | Bram Stoker is born. |
| 1850 | Haussman destroys Paris’ Vampire Quarter then rebuilds city. |
| 1851 | Alexandre Dumas’ last dramatic work, “Le Vampire,” opens in Paris. |
| 1854 | Copper Creek Siege in California prompts formation of FederalVampire and Zombie Agency. The case of vampirism in the Ray family of Jewell, Connecticut, is published in local newspapers. |
| 1872 | In Italy, Vincenzo Verzeni is convicted of murdering two peopleand drinkin |
| 1874 | Reports from Ceven, Ireland, tell of sheep having their throats cut and their blood drained. |
| 1882 | New York Vampire riots ensue. |
| 1891 | Steketee’s Vampire Rights movement in France is started. |
| 1897 | “Dracula” by Bram Stoker is published in England. |
| 1905 | Worldwide vampire population hits the one million. |
| 1924 | Fritz Haarmann the “Vampire of Hanover” is arrested, tried and convicted of killing more than 20 people in a vampire crime spree. |
| 1931 | Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, is released. Peter Kurten of Dusseldorf, Germany, is executed after being found guilty of murdering a number of people in a vampiric killing spree. |
| 1932 | The movie “Vampyr,” directed by Carl Theodore Dreyer, is released. |
| 1936 | “Dracula’s Daughter” is released. |
| 1942 | A. E. Van Vought’s “Asylum” is the first story about an alien vampire. |
| 1943 | U. S. President Franklin Roosevelt unveils “The Zozobra Project”. |
| 1943 | “Son of Dracula”, stars Lon Chaney, Jr., as Dracula. |
| 1950 | In New Mexico an auto mechanic named Joe Valdez becomes the first successful recipient of the vampire vaccine. |
| 1962 | The Count Dracula Society is founded in the United States by Donald Reed. |
| 1964 | “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family”; television shows with vampire characters. |
| 1965 | Jeanne Youngson founds The Count Dracula Fan Club. |
| 1967 | Due to the Lazo Disaster in Siberia, the United Nations (UN) passes a resolution banning vampire blood research. |
| 1970 | Sean Manchester founds The Vampire Research Society.”In Search of Dracula” by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu is published. –Stephan Kaplan founds The Vampire Research Centre. |
| 1976 | The first of The Vampire Chronicles, “Interview With the Vampire”, by Anne Rice is published. |
| 1978 | Eric Held and Dorothy Nixon found the Vampire Information Exchange. |
| 1979 | Frank Langella stars in the remake of Dracula. |
| 1980 | Richard Chase, the so-called Dracula Killer of Sacramento, California, commits suicide in prison. The World Federation of Dark Shadows Clubs (now Dark Shadows Official Fan Club) is founded. |
| 1985 | “The Vampire Lestat” by Anne Rice is published and reaches the best seller list. |
| 1986 | President Reagan lifts ban on the vampire and zombie blood research. |
| 1987 | “Methuselah Project” is initiated at the Santa RosaInstitute. |
| 1988 | “The Queen of the Damned” is published by Anne Rice. |
| 1992 | Andrei Chikatilo of Rostov, Russia, is sentenced to death after killing and vampirizing some 55 people. |
| 1994 | The film version of Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” opens with Tom Cruise as the Vampire Lestat and Brad Pitt as Louis. |
| 1998 | Blade is released into theaters. Pandora by Anne Rice is published. The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice is published. |
| 1999 | Vittorio the Vampire by Anne Rice is published. |
Weather records
Increasing frequency of sudden changes in weather force us to think about the record claims ever recorded in history.
Here are some interesting facts you might not know:
Heat extremes:
The hottest day was recorded 13/09/1922 in the Aziziya, Libya, and it was an amazing 57.8 ° C (136.0 ° F).
-There is a report that in June 1967th in Abadan, Iran, the temperature stood unbearable 87 ° C (188 ° F), but had never officially confirmed, therefore, it is not recognized in the world.
The hottest day in the coldest band was recorded at the South Pole in the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station 25.12.2011. and it was only -12.3 ° C (9.9 ° F).
Fastest temperature rise: 27 °C (49 °F) in two minutes; Spearfish, South Dakota, 1943-01-22.
Most consecutive days above 100 °F (37.8 °C): 160 days; Marble Bar, Western Australia from 31 October 1923 to 7 April 1924.
Cold extremes:
The coldest day was recorded in Antarctica 21/07/1983. in Vostok Station, where the temperature was only -89.2 ° C (-128.6 ° F).
The fastest drop of temperature of 27.2 ° C (49 ° F) in just 15 minutes occurred 10.01.1911. in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Precipitation:
In Chile’s Atacama Desert in the Antofagasta region was never recorded any precipitation.
Rain:
Most in one minute: 31.2 mm (1.23 in); Unionville, Maryland, United States, 4 July 1956.
Most in 60 minutes: 305 mm (12.0 in) in 42 minutes. Holt, Missouri, United States, 22 June 1947.
Most in 12 hours: 1,144 mm (45.0 in); Foc-Foc, Réunion, 8 January 1966, during tropical cyclone Denise.
Most in 24 hours: 1,825 mm (71.9 in); Foc-Foc, Réunion, 7–8 January 1966, during tropical cyclone Denise.
Most in one year: 26,470 mm (1,042 in); Cherrapunji, India, 1860–1861.
Highest average annual total: 11,872 mm (467.4 in); Mawsynram, India.
Snow:
The most within one year: 31.1 meters (102 ft) Mount Rainier, Washington, USA from 19.02.1971. until 18.02.1972.
The biggest recorded snowflake: 38cm (15 in) in diameter, Fort Keogh, Montana, USA, 28.01.1887.
Wind speed:
Fastest ever recorded: 484±32 km/h (301±20 mph) 3-second gust; Observed by a DOW (Doppler On Wheels) radar unit in a tornado near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.
Average maximum speed in one day: 174 km / h (108 mph), Port Martin, Antarctica, 21 and 22.05.1951.
Deadliest in history:
In the world: about 1300 deaths, Manikganj District, Bangladesh , 26.04.1989.
In North America: 695 killed; (Tri-State Tornado) Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, USA, 18.05.1925.
In Europe: over 600 killed; (Grand Harbour Tornado) Valletta, Malta 23.09.1551. or 1556th (various sources)
The largest and most severe storm: The Super Outbreak: 148 tornadoes in the span of 16 hours on 3. and 4. April 1974th, affected the 13 U.S. states.
Heaviest: 1.0 kg (2.25 lb); Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, 14 April 1986.
Officially the largest volume measured: 47.6 cm (18.75 inches), Aurora, Nebraska, USA, 22.06.2003.
Lightning:
The longest lightning bolt: 194 km (121 mi), 13.10.2001.
Most commonly strikes per year affected areas: more than 70 per km ² in parts of Central Africa, especially the DR Congo.
World’s Scariest Bridges (part 3)
From sky-high suspension bridges to dilapidated rope bridges, these crossings aren’t for the meek.
20. Millau Viaduct, France
Looking down on clouds is to be expected from an airplane, but it’s a bit more unsettling in a car. Yet that’s often the sight when driving across this bridge, which is taller than the Eiffel Tower at its highest point. In fact, when it opened in 2004, it claimed the title of the world’s tallest vehicular bridge.
Where: Crossing the Tarn Valley, near Millau in southern France.
Stats: Less than 2 miles long; 1,125 feet from the valley floor to the peak of its tallest mast.
21. Musou Tsuribashi, Japan
Bring a balancing pole—the only railings you’ll find on this 50-year-old bridge are two thin barely-there ropes. That’s a bit disconcerting considering the dizzying heights reached by this bridge, especially when the winds begin to howl over the forest below.
Where: In the remote wilderness of the Southern Japanese Alps (also known as the Akaishi Mountains).
Stats: The bridge is so remote that not much is known about its length and height.
22. Vitim River Bridge, Russia
Surviving this bridge crossing is considered such an accomplishment that the 34 people who have done it created their own Facebook page. The old railway bridge is only 50 feet above the water, so what makes it scary? Well, it’s barely wide enough for one car, and it’s iced over for much of the year—oh, and did we mention that there are no railings to catch your fall?
Where: Crossing over the Vitim River, a tributary of the Lena River, in eastern Siberia.
Stats: 1,870 feet long and 50 feet above the water.
23. Road Between Tierradentro to La Plata, Colombia
This mountain road is littered with simple bamboo bridges that wobble violently as you cross, with water rushing mere inches below you. The slickness caused by frequent torrential rainfall increases the danger quotient even more. Daredevils brave this road to see the massive underground tombs in the National Archeological Park of Tierradentro. A better option, perhaps? Taking the bus.
Where: On the road between Tierradentro to La Plata in southern Colombia.
Stats: Because it’s so remote, there are no official stats.
24. Volgograd Bridge, Russia
This bridge is practically brand new, but it’s amazing it hasn’t been shut down. During a violent storm in May 2010, the roadway began to shake and oscillate, in a similar manner to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge before it collapsed in 1940. The rippling roadway caused cars to be thrown into the air and careen into the opposite lane. Authorities blamed it on an earthquake, but seismologists disagreed. The safety investigation is ongoing, even as cars still drive across.
Where: In the southern Russian city of Volgograd, crossing the Volga River.
Stats: 4.5 miles long
25. Quepos Bridge, Costa Rica
Known as the “Oh My God” bridge, this crossing is so narrow that cars can travel only in one direction. After waiting your turn, you pile onto the bridge with many other cars (including heavy trucks). The loose slats of the roadway clank loudly while the bridge shakes under the weight of all the vehicles.
Where: On the road from Jaco to Quepos on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast.
Stats: No official stats.
10 Failed Doomsday Predictions
With the upcoming disaster film “2012” and the current hype about Mayan calendars and doomsday predictions, it seems like a good time to put such notions in context. Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don’t come to pass.
Here are 10 that didn’t pan out, so far:
1.The Prophet Hen of Leeds, 1806
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase “Christ is coming” was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.
2.The Millerites, April 23, 1843
A New England farmer named William Miller, after several years of very careful study of his Bible, concluded that God’s chosen time to destroy the world could be divined from a strict literal interpretation of scripture. As he explained to anyone who would listen, the world would end some time between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. He preached and published enough to eventually lead thousands of followers (known as Millerites) who decided that the actual date was April 23, 1843. Many sold or gave away their possessions, assuming they would not be needed; though when April 23 arrived (but Jesus didn’t) the group eventually disbanded—some of them forming what is now the Seventh Day Adventists.
3.Mormon Armageddon, 1891 or earlier
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, called a meeting of his church leaders in February 1835 to tell them that he had spoken to God recently, and during their conversation he learned that Jesus would return within the next 56 years, after which the End Times would begin promptly.
4.Halley’s Comet, 1910
In 1881, an astronomer discovered through spectral analysis that comet tails include a deadly gas called cyanogen (related, as the name imples, to cyanide). This was of only passing interest until someone realized that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley’s comet in 1910. Would everyone on the planet be bathed in deadly toxic gas? That was the speculation reprinted on the front pages of “The New York Times” and other newspapers, resulting in a widespread panic across the United States and abroad. Finally even-headed scientists explained that there was nothing to fear.
5.Pat Robertson, 1982
In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when — contrary to Matthew 24:36 (“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…”) he informed his “700 Club” TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end. “I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world,” Robertson said.
6.Heaven’s Gate, 1997
When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet — covered up, of course, by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell’s paranormal radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM.” These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven’s Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. The world did indeed end for 39 of the cult members, who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.
7.Nostradamus, August 1999
The heavily obfuscated and metaphorical writings of Michel de Nostrdame have intrigued people for over 400 years. His writings, the accuracy of which relies heavily upon very flexible interpretations, have been translated and re-translated in dozens of different versions. One of the most famous quatrains read, “The year 1999, seventh month / From the sky will come great king of terror.” Many Nostradamus
devotees grew concerned that this was the famed prognosticator’s vision of Armageddon.
8.Y2K, Jan. 1, 2000 As the last century drew to a close, many people grew concerned that computers might bring about doomsday. The problem, first noted in the early 1970s, was that many computers would not be able to tell the difference between 2000 and 1900 dates. No one was really sure what that would do, but many suggested catastrophic problems ranging from vast blackouts to nuclear holocaust. Gun sales jumped and survivalists prepared to live in bunkers, but the new millennium began with only a few glitches.
9.May 5, 2000
In case the Y2K bug didn’t do us in, global catastrophe was assured by Richard Noone, author of the 1997 book “5/5/2000 Ice: the Ultimate Disaster.” According to Noone, the Antarctic ice mass would be three miles thick by May 5, 2000 — a date in which the planets would be aligned in the heavens, somehow resulting in a global icy death (or at least a lot of book sales). Perhaps global warming kept the ice age at bay.
10.God’s Church Ministry, Fall 2008
According to God’s Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us– again. His 2006 book “2008: God’s Final Witness” states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, “there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history. By the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power, and no longer exist as an independent nation.” As the book notes, “Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end-time prophet of God.”
World’s Scariest Bridges (part 2)
From sky-high suspension bridges to dilapidated rope bridges, these crossings aren’t for the meek.
11. Sidu River Bridge, China
When this bridge opened in November 2009, it was the world’s highest bridge, rising more than 1,500 feet in the air. The span is so high that Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower could fit underneath it.
Where: High above a river gorge in China’s Hubei Province
Stats: There are 1,550 feet from the bridge’s roadway to the valley floor.
12. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida
Besides being seven miles long, the bridge itself doesn’t seem that scary. But its position in the Florida Keys makes it a prime target for the region’s many hurricanes. In fact, the current bridge is the second iteration. The newer bridge scrapped the swing span concept of the original in lieu of a sturdier 65-foot-high arch to allow boats to pass by. While it may be sturdier, we still wouldn’t want to be on it during a storm.
Where: The Florida Keys, connecting the Middle and Lower Keys.
Stats: 7 miles long; 65 feet high
13. U Pain Bridge, Myanmar
With no handrails, you’ll want to be extra careful crossing this bridge, especially in the dry season—there’s no lake below to soften the fall. And it’s not exactly brand-new; this 3/4-mile-long teak bridge was built more than 200 years ago. More than 1,000 wooden posts (read: logs)—with roughly four or five feet between each—hold it up.
Where: In Mandalay, connecting opposite banks of Taungthaman Lake
Stats: 3/4 miles long; 15 feet high.
14. Deception Pass Bridge, Washington
If the drive over this foggy strait in the Puget Sound isn’t particularly scary to you, try walking over the narrow pedestrian lane at the edge of the bridge. That’s where you’ll find especially hair-raising views of the rushing water directly below.
Where: Connecting Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island, in Deception Pass State Park.
15. Iya Valley Vine Bridges, Japan
This remote region on Shikoku, Japan’s smallest island, is home to three vine bridges. The originals were built with slats of wood placed between 7 and 12 inches apart, secured in place with two single vines. While the new bridges are reinforced with wire and hand rails, they’re still not for the faint of heart.
Where: Tokushima, over the Iya-gawa River
Stats: 148 feet long; 46 feet high.
16. Captain William Moore Bridge, Alaska
True, earthquakes don’t happen all the time, but this bridge isn’t where you want to be during one: it crosses an active earthquake fault. Engineers, aware of the potential for disaster, anchored only one end of the bridge securely, so when the ground below shifts, the bridge isn’t torn apart. Still too terrifying? Take the White Pass & Yukon train route, which passes by the bridge.
Where: Along the South Klondike Highway near Skagway
Stats: 110-foot-long cantilever bridge built in 1901
17. Cikurutug Bridge, Indonesia
Most of the three-hour trip on the Argo Gede train is packed with gorgeous views of green mountains and river valleys. But the ride turns from scenic to scary once you get to the Cikurutug Bridge, where the train slid off its tracks in 2002. Though nobody was hurt, authorities have elevated security precautions to protect their passenger’s safety since the accident.
Where: On the Argo Gede train from Jakarta’s Gambir station to Bandung
Stats: About 200 feet above the valley floor.
18. Canopy Walk, Ghana
These footbridges soar above the forest floor in Ghana’s Kakum National Park. Sure, there are hand rails and net walls that rise up on either side of you—about three-and-a-half to four feet high, anyway—but you’re still walking on a plank of wood no more than one foot wide. Oh yes, and you’re 100 feet off the forest floor.
Where: Kakum National Park
Stats: 1,000 feet long; 100 feet high.
19. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana
This bridge rises just 16 feet above the waters of Lake Pontchartrain, but the real fear factor is that it never seems to end—it spans nearly 24 miles from Metairie to Mandeville, LA. (Once you reach roughly the eight-mile mark, say goodbye to land visibility.)
Where: Across Lake Pontchartrain between the towns of Metairie and Mandeville.
Stats: 24 miles long; 16 feet above water.
World’s Scariest Bridges (part 1)
Rotting wooden planks, held aloft by rusty bits of wire, stretch out in front of you. You reach for a railing to steady yourself, but all you find are two threadbare ropes. The howling wind blows the rickety footbridge from side to side. Somewhere below you lies the forest floor—you don’t even know how far.
All bridges serve a purpose, whether utilitarian or inspirational. And some of them, like Musou Tsuribashi—this shaky, 50-year-old crossing in southern Japan—add a distinct element of fear. But you don’t have to be in a remote part of the world: scary bridges exist everywhere, in all shapes, sizes, and heights. And crossing over them can be the ultimate in adventure travel.Surprisingly, not all of these bridges are old and dilapidated. Take the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The wind here can reach speeds of 30 mph, leading to white-knuckled drives across its five-mile-long span. It can be so scary that some people simply won’t go. So the Mackinac Bridge Authority will drive your car for you…for free. In the past year, it has assisted almost 1,400 drivers—and plenty of similar programs exist around the country.
Is this an irrational fear? Not necessarily. Gephyrophobia—the fear of bridges—is an accepted psychological diagnosis. Dr. Michael R. Liebowitz, founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, told the New York Times that the fear of crossing bridges is very common (if not as well known as, say, the fear of flying). It also “carries a stigma,” says Liebowitz, even though bridges have been known to collapse, like the interstate highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis in 2007.
But unlike gephyrophobes, many courageous (or foolhardy) travelers seek out hair-raising bridges just for the thrill. The bridges along the route to Colombia’s National Archeological Park of Tierradentro are a good example. Though there are safer routes via bus from La Plata, some thrill-seekers choose to ride motorcycles over slippery bamboo crossings deep in the mountains, where one wrong move could mean plunging into a turbulent river.
So get ready to face your fears—or maybe find your next adventure—with our list of the world’s most petrifying bridges.
1. Aiguille du Midi Bridge, France
Don’t look down. At this height, you’ll want to keep your eyes locked on the panorama of the craggy French Alps. Fortunately, the bridge itself is short, making for an easy escape if acrophobia sets in. But those truly afraid of heights probably won’t even see the bridge; getting here requires taking a cable car that climbs 9,200 vertical feet in just 20 minutes.
Where: The summit of Aiguille du Midi in the Mont Blanc massif near Chamonix.
Stats: 12,605 feet above sea level.
2. Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado
America’s highest suspension bridge may be breathtaking for some, but those scared of heights may be left gasping for air as they stare straight down nearly 90 stories at the Arkansas River below. Completed in 1929, the bridge didn’t have stabilizing wind cables until 1982.
Where: Royal Gorge, Colorado, over the Arkansas River.
Stats: 969 feet above the gorge; 1,260 feet long.
3. Trift Suspension Bridge, Switzerland
One of the Alps’ longest and highest pedestrian suspension bridges, Trift was built in 2004 to reconnect hikers to a hut made inaccessible by a retreating glacier. A replacement in 2009 gave this bridge higher handrails and stabilizing cables to prevent it from swinging violently in the wind. But it still provides an adrenaline rush.
Where: Trift Glacier, near the town of Gadmen in the Swiss Alps.
Stats: 328 feet high; 558 feet long.
4. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Northern Ireland
First things first: nobody has fallen off this bridge. However, many visitors who walk across simply can’t handle the return and have to go by boat. It used to be even scarier. Erected by fishermen who went to the island to catch salmon, the original bridge had only a single handrail. The rope bridge eventually became popular with tourists seeking a thrill, and the National Trust replaced it with a sturdier structure with two handrails.
Where: Near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Stats: 65 feet long; nearly 100 feet above the rocks below.
5. Capilano Suspension Bridge, Canada
Originally built in 1889, this simple suspension footbridge surrounded by an evergreen forest is very high, fairly narrow, and extremely shaky—the cedar planks bounce on their steel cables as you walk across them. If the bridge doesn’t scare you, wait until the spring of 2011; the Cliffhanger attraction will allow visitors to climb across a series of suspended walkways attached to a cliff.
Where: North Vancouver, British Columbia, across the Capilano River.
Stats: 450 feet long; 230 feet high
6. Mackinac Bridge, Michigan
Some drivers get so nervous about crossing this five-mile-long bridge that they don’t even go. And this happens so often that the Mackinac Bridge Authority will drive your car or motorcycle for you (and for free). The biggest fear is the wind, which often exceeds 30 miles per hour on the bridge.
Where: Between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Stats: 5 miles long; 199 feet above the water.
7. Puente de Ojuela, Mexico
This bridge leads to a ghost town, but it’s the squeaky wood floor that makes it scary. Fortunately, steel cables suspended from two towers bring a greater feeling of safety. Still, steel is a relatively recent addition: when German engineer Santiago Minhguin built this bridge in the 19th century, those towers were made of wood.
Where: The ghost town of Ojuela, an old mining settlement in the northern state of Durango, Mexico.
Stats: 1,043 feet long; 2 feet wide; 360 feet above a gorge. 
8. Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Maryland
Drivers are notoriously afraid of this bridge, as it’s subjected to frequent—and often violent—storms. And when the bad weather hits, forget about visibility: get to the middle of this five-mile-long bridge and you can barely see land.
Where: Spanning the Chesapeake Bay to connect Maryland’s eastern and western shores.
Stats: Nearly 5 miles long; 186 feet high at its highest point.
9. Monkey Bridges, Vietnam
It may seem that only monkeys could make it across traditional monkey bridges—after all, they’re typically made of a single bamboo log and one handrail. However, the name comes from the stooped monkey-like posture you have to maintain when crossing, so as not to plunge into the river below.
Where: Various points across the Mekong Delta at the southern tip of Vietnam.
Stats: These bridges are built by hand by local residents and vary from town to town. Newer ones are made of concrete.
Hussaini Hanging Bridge, Pakistan
Massive gaps between the planks, a wild side-to-side swing: there are reasons this is considered one of the world’s most harrowing suspension bridges. While rickety cable and wood bridges are common in this area, crossing this bridge over the rapidly flowing Hunza River is particularly frightening, as the tattered remains of the previous bridge hang by threads next to the one currently in use.
Where: In the village of Hussaini in Northern Pakistan, crossing the Hunza River.
Stats: Floodwaters reportedly submerged the bridge in May 2010. However, due to its draw as a popular adventure-travel activity, the bridge is likely to be rebuilt.
Incredipedia 