Believe it or not. There are certain things that happen only once in a lifetime. For instance, your birth, and probably your death? Whatever. No matter how amazing your life experiences are, there seem not to be the odds that could beat the chance of certain things happening just at a moment that could just be out of …, well, super incredible luck. Dear friends, how lucky are you? Here are seven incredible events that could only happen once and for all.
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#1. Luckiest Man Ever
Frane Selak is a Croatian man who survived death not once, not twice, but an astonishing seven times. In 1962, he survived a train that went off the track and crashed into a freezing canyon river. The next year, while on his first and only flight, he was blown out of a malfunctioning door and landed in a haystack.
However, the plane crashed and almost all passengers died. Three years later, he survived a bus that skidded off the road and fell into a river. He will later go on to survive four other incidents which included a blazing car and a colliding truck. He didn’t only cheat death. And finally, in 2003, he even won a lottery worth $1.1 million (that’s … million, adjusted for inflation).
#2. The Carrington Event
This was a powerful geomagnetic storm that happened in 1859. It was witnessed by English amatuer astronomer Richard Carrington when he saw a cluster of enormous dark sunspots with his telescope on the sun’s surface. A few minutes later, the spots vanished, but had a devastating impact all across the world.
Telegraph lines failed which sparked several machines ablaze — setting telegraph papers literally on fire. There were wonderful colorful auroras that filled the night skies. The sun had just blasted what was the gigantic solar flare ever recorded towards Earth.
#3. Dry Niagara Falls
In 1848, the drying of the horseshoe-shape Niagara Falls led many to believe that the end of the world is nigh. The falls suddenly dried up after an exceptionally cold winter when thick ice of Lake Erie started to break apart later that spring. Strong wind drifted huge amounts of ice which left piles of ice in the basin of the falls.
This formed a sort of ice-dam between Buffalo and Fort Erie which ceased the flow of water from the River Niagara for over 30 hours. The falls remained dry until the winds changed direction. This was indeed an unforgettable experience.
#4. Comet West
First discovered photographically by Richard West in 1975, Comet West was described as one of the brightest objects to pass through the inner solar system. This was described as the “Great Comet,” as it displayed a brilliant head followed by a long coma — the trailing blaze after a comet — that was dubbed the “fountain of light.”
By the time it got so close to the sun, it split up into four fragments and disintegrated. Unfortunately, this event didn’t catch the attention of the media, hence most people missed the opportunity to witness this amazingly rare event unfold.
#5. Venus Transit
The transit of solar system objects is witnessed all the time. Speaking of the moon and planets, the transit of Venus is truly a once in a lifetime event that last happened in 2012. This happens when Venus passes like a spot across the face of the sun, but large enough to be seen with the unaided eye.
This event is seen when Venus comes between the sun and the Earth — an event known as inferior conjunction. This event is so rare and happens just four times within every 243 years. The next Venus transit will happen in the year 2117.
#6. Volcanic Lightning
On April 22, 2015, Chile’s volcanic Mountain Calbuco erupted with a massive ash cloud over 12,192 meters (40,000 feet) into the sky. During this particular event, an unusual phenomenon happened known as a “volcanic lightning” or “dirty thunderstorm.”
This was a massive lightning that blasted from the plumes of volcanic ashes which caused a mesmerizing event never seen before. This event can only occur in such massive eruptions, and scientists aren’t completely sure why it does. But it is believed that the ashes collide with each other to release electrical discharges.
#7. The Beer Flood Of 1814
In 1814, the Meux & Co’s Horse Shoe Brewery in London bore witness to a weird event — a beer deluge. One of the tanks at the brewery that held 1.2 million liters (317,009 gallons) of beer accidentally burst open. This released all the fermenting beer running into the streets and alleys of London.
The brewery was sued for public damages and a flood, but the case was later dismissed and ruled as an “Act of God.” No one — neither the brewery nor workers — was held responsible for it. This rare event might never happen again, however, it is commemorated each year at a local pub in London.
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Written by: Nana Kwadwo, Mon, Oct 18, 2021.