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Opiki Toll Bridge

The Opiki Toll Bridge is an abandoned bridge in Opiki, located in the Horowhenua district of New Zealand's North Island. Spanning the Manawatū River, the Opiki Bridge was once a vital link for the local community. But after the local flax industry collapsed and the government decided to build a new two-lane concrete road bridge over the river less than 400 meters away, the Opiki suspension bridge became redundant and was partially dismantled. Today, its dangling suspension wires serve as a reminder to passersby of the important role the bridge once played in the region’s economy.

Opiki Toll Bridge as on July 2013. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Chandu Numerology Pada July 16, 2025 Komentar

Henry Gunther: The Last Soldier To Be Killed During World War 1

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Just after 5 o’clock on the morning of 11 November 1918, British, French, and German officials gathered in a railway carriage in the Compiègne Forest, north of Paris, to sign an agreement that would end hostilities between the Allies and their last remaining opponent, Germany. The Armistice stipulated that fighting would cease on land, at sea, and in the air, effectively bringing World War I to an end.

However, the ceasefire was not set to take effect until six hours later, at 11 a.m., to ensure that word could reach troops on the front lines. Yet in those final hours, thousands of soldiers were killed and many more wounded.

The bloodshed was not caused by miscommunication. News of the armistice flashed across the world within minutes of its signing. Instead, it was the decision of aggressive Allied commanders who ordered their troops to continue fighting until the official hour, even going so far as to retake towns the Germans had already agreed to surrender. This reckless insistence on last-minute offensives cost thousands of avoidable casualties. Among them was 23-year-old Henry Gunther.

Signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Chandu Numerology Pada July 15, 2025 Komentar

Ictíneo II: The World’s First Powered Submarine That Ran On Chemicals

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Before the age of steam, all early submarines relied on human muscle for propulsion. The first functional submarine, built by Dutch inventor Cornelius Drebbel in 1620, was rowed beneath the surface using oars. A century later, Russian autodidact Yefim Nikonov designed what is considered the first military submarine—also oar-powered. In America, David Bushnell’s Turtle, designed during the Revolutionary War, was a one-man submersible steered and propelled entirely by hand. Germany’s Wilhelm Bauer launched the Brandtaucher, the oldest surviving submarine today, which moved underwater thanks to a treadwheel. And of course, there was the historic Hunley—the first submarine to sink an enemy warship—powered by a hand-cranked propeller and doomed to sink three times itself.

A replica of Ictíneo II in Barelona. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Chandu Numerology Pada July 09, 2025 Komentar

Pecunia Non Olet: The Urine Tax of Ancient Rome

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A Roman-era latrine in Timgad in Algeria. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Throughout history, governments have found creative ways to raise revenue, taxing everything from the essential to the absurd. Beyond familiar levies like income, property, and sales taxes, there have been taxes on bachelors, beards, hats, bricks, and even windows. In ancient Rome, the tax system included four main pillars: a cattle tax, a land tax, customs duties, and a tax on professional earnings. But Roman ingenuity didn't stop there—widows and orphans could be taxed, as could slave owners who freed their slaves. Among the more unusual and memorable of these levies was the urine tax. Introduced by Emperor Vespasian in the 1st century AD, this malodorous but profitable measure not only helped replenish the imperial treasury, it also gave rise to one of history’s most enduring financial maxims: pecunia non olet—“money does not stink.”

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Chandu Numerology Pada July 07, 2025 Komentar

Abraham Crijnssen: The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island

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Camouflage is a vital strategy in warfare—whether on land, at sea, or in the air. During the First and Second World Wars, many Allied ships—both merchant vessels and warships—were painted in dazzling patterns of shapes and colours to confuse the enemy. But when a Dutch minesweeper found itself behind enemy lines without such camouflage, it had to improvise.

In 1941, Japanese forces advanced toward the islands of Indonesia—then a Dutch colony known as the Dutch East Indies—as part of a broader effort to seize control of Southeast Asia. After the successful invasion of the Philippines, they captured bases in eastern Borneo and northern Celebes. Using these as launch points for air and naval operations, a convoy of Japanese destroyers and cruisers steamed southward through the Makassar Strait and into the Molucca Sea, heading for Indonesia. Opposing the invasion was a small Allied fleet composed of Dutch, American, British, and Australian warships, many of them dating back to World War I.

Former Dutch minesweeper Abraham Crijnssen.

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Chandu Numerology Pada July 03, 2025 Komentar

Robert Coates: The Greatest Bad Actor

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In the glittering world of 19th-century theatre, where talent was prized and ridicule could end a career, one man defied convention and became a legend—not for brilliance, but for flamboyant failure. His name was Robert Coates, a wealthy amateur who believed that he was destined for the stage. And while audiences came in droves to see him, it wasn’t for his skill. They came to witness the greatest bad actor who ever lived.

Born in Antigua in 1772, Robert Coates was the only surviving child of a prosperous sugar planter. He was educated in England, and on returning home took part in amateur dramatics. When he inherited his father's estate and a large collection of diamonds in 1807, he moved to England, where he gained notoriety for his eccentric dress sense, diamond-studded wardrobe, and peculiar behaviour. But nothing prepared society for his foray into the world of acting.