Mad Science Archives | Real Horror Stories

The Real Horror Story of Exploding Heads During Mount Vesuvius Eruption

November 26, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

From movies to documentaries to pop culture reference; the horrific tales of Pompeii have been told over and over again. The tragedy surrounding Pompeii is truly beyond comparison. It was 79 AD when the city of Pompeii faced the wrath of Mount Vesuvius. Because of the eruption that took place, Pompeii along with the city of Stabiae were buried for almost 1700 years – It was the year 1748 when excavation first began.

Even now, excavation work continues and the historians are thankful for this. These excavations and findings are helping historians learn more about the lifestyle during the Roman Empire. Yes, it is true that Pompeii was a destruction that shocked the entire world, but the events that took place in the city of Herculaneum is something with which Pompeii cannot compete.

Mount Vesuvius the most dangerous volcano of the world

The villain of this sad, but true story is Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius is a volcano situated in southern Italy sitting dormant for centuries. On the fateful day of August 24th,79 AD, a massive eruption occurred causing the destruction of Pompeii and also Herculaneum.

Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano situated in mainland Europe and is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanos of the world. It is a complex stratovolcano, meaning it has low gentler slopes which then rise steeply towards the peak area. Because of this structure the eruptions were explosive and also involved fast moving currents of fluidized gases and rocks (pyroclastic flows).

The fateful day

On 24th August, 79 AD, the eruption started in the morning. The pumice and molten rocks began expelling from the volcano at a rate of 1.5 million tons/second. Rocks and volcanic ash filled the atmosphere in a matter of minutes turning day into night.

According to studies based on the excavations, every hour about 6 inches of ashes fell. It was around midnight when the pyroclastic flow started and by the morning of 25th August, Pompeii was completely covered in a toxic cloud.
The tale of Herculaneum

The nearby city of Herculaneum faced the worst fate bought by the unmerciful Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum of Italy’s Bay of Naples was a city situated nearby Pompeii, but even closer to Mount Vesuvius. This prosperous seaside city had nothing to do but face the destruction caused by Mount Vesuvius. Within minutes of the eruption, the city and people of Herculaneum faced death in the most gruesome way possible.

The toxic gas and molten rock came into the city resulting in actual explosions of the heads of the city’s dwellers. It was similar to the scene from a movie when a Gremlin exploded in the microwave after reaching a certain temperature or like a scary scene from a cult favorite supernatural movie. But, for Herculaneum it was a sad reality as the temperature of the gas and molten rock was so high it caused people’s heads to explode!

The cloud of toxic gas and flying debris completely covered Herculaneum and reached a temperature of over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with exploding heads, the city’s people also experienced vaporizing of their skin within just seconds.

The findings of Herculaneum

Even though forgotten over the years, Herculaneum recently has recently come back into the limelight. Archaeologists are discovering more about the life and death of this city thanks to many recent findings.

Amazingly, the method of destruction allowed the city of Herculaneum to stay intact for 2000 years. Herculaneum is more preserved than Pompeii, giving a better idea about life in the Roman Empire. In certain parts of the city, the layers of the destructive pyroclastic flows have reached 80 feet deep.

From a head of a statue believed to be of an Amazonian warrior to dozen of skeletons lying huddled together, the discoveries made in Herculaneum are incredible. The skeletons found showed signs of thermal shock further confirming the horrible truth- death due to vaporized skins, boiled brains and exploding heads.
Buried Alive

According to estimates, about 5,000 people lived in Herculaneum and around 20,000 lived in Pompeii. Because the eruption was sudden, many failed to escape their unfortunate fate. In fact, the excavations proved that many were buried alive by the ash and molten rocks. According to studies, about 16,000 people were killed.

Pliny’s Letters

Pliny the Younger was a Roman administrator and also a poet who lived during the time when the eruption took place. It was Pliny who was the one responsible for providing a detailed account of the eruption. From afar he watched the horrifying destruction and also questioned all the survivors that came his way. The event was recorded in letters intended for his friend Tacitus. This only eyewitness account was discovered during the 16th century.
A ticking time bomb

Many expert volcanologists and scientists who monitor Mount Vesuvius are sure that there are still signs of unrest in the volcano. The most recent eruption happened in 1944. Even though the last eruption was not as destructive, Mount Vesuvius is a ticking time bomb and definitely a potential danger to the now more than 6 million people living in the area. They might just face the same fate of vaporized skins, boiled brains and exploding heads.

Of course human heads can explode in various ways. The following video depicts quite a few:

https://youtu.be/gG7LoTezLO8

The Real Horror Stories of The Chernobyl Disaster

October 11, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

Pripyat is a city in Russia that was founded on 4 February 1970, and became the ninth nuclear city in the Soviet Union, although it would not be until 1979 until Pripyat was officially proclaimed a city. The city boasted a population of up to 49,360 where many of the residents where employed by the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The city contained three clinics, ten gyms, three indoor pools and a railway station. The residents of Pripyat enjoyed a healthy community and a good life, which was until 26 April 1986.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant had scheduled a test the day prior to test the emergency core-cooling feature, something that took place during a normal shutdown procedure. Seven seconds after the shutdown was actioned, the 1,000-ton cover was blown off reactor number four. This led to a chemical explosion that killed two employees immediately as well as releasing highly radioactive material into the atmosphere. To compare the seriousness of the explosion, it was 400 times higher than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The cause of the explosion has been cited to human error as employees had undertaken unauthorised actions when running the tests. People within Pripyat carried on with their daily business completely unaware of what was happening around them. People were sitting in bars, children played in the park and people worked as they slowly breathed in the radioactive air.

Residents residing in the area of Chernobyl were evacuated via bus within 36 hours of the accident, a month later it was reported that 116,000 people had been relocated. The pace of the evacuation was not quick enough to stop the effects of the explosion. In the aftermath, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness, with 31 of these people passing away within the first three months. The people who suffered from the illness mostly consisted of those who were working for the emergency services. There was also concerns about the explosion’s effect on the surrounding environment. The Pripyat River was nearby and people were worried about drinking water being contaminated. Four square kilometres of nearby pine forest also fell victim to the explosion, which turned a reddish brown, earning it the haunting name of the “Red Forest.”

The explosion was not revealed until two days later, with the Kremlin only releasing vague details of what was occurring in the Chernobyl disaster. This eventually led to the falling of the Soviet Union. Then-Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev denied there was any cover up of the accident, stating that they did not know what was happening. Following the criticisms, journalists were suddenly given a pass to speak to nuclear officials and doctors who were treating victims of the explosions.

The horror of the accident is not just the explosion itself, it is everything that goes with it. Pictures show a ghost town where once stood a vibrant community. The criticism of those in charge at the time of the accident strikes fear into those who realise that a bigger explosion would have meant a bigger consequences. It also shows the damage that can be done with the dangerous materials being handled and the effects on human life when they are not handled in the correct manner.

The area now bares the scares of that unfortunate day. The nearby buildings decay in a lonely atmosphere, while possession of those who lived there still remain, anything of any worth was taken by looters at the time. Families who used to reside in Chernobyl still visit to remember the good days, and are still hurt by what took place on 26 April, 1986. Despite the radiation levels dropping in the last 28 years, they still remain too high for anyone to reside in the city of Pripyat or nearby.

Although deemed uninhabitable, there are those who returned to the city they love. Around 1,200 returnees, known as “self-settlers” returned within three months of being relocated, despite the concerns of the authorities. Most of the residents are now in their eighties and nineties, and only around 230 of those residents are left.

The accident has been referenced in televisions shows such as “The X-Files,” where the episode “The Host” features a mutant creature called “Fluke-Man” that was carrying sewage during the accident. The most notable movie is the 2012 horror, “Chernobyl Diaries.” Rather than tell the story of the disaster, it adds fiction in that the area is now infected by mutant beings, which attack a group of tourists on an unofficial tour. The movie was deemed insensitive to those who died in the accident by the Friends of Chernobyl Centers U.S. The movie was also slated by critics due to its lack of suspense and clichés.

The Real Horror Story That Influenced “A Nightmare on Elm Street”

September 29, 2014 By RealHorrorStories Leave a Comment

When you think of real horror stories, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is probably the last movie you would think was inspired by real-life events, but the inspiration behind the movie was based on fact. The Freddy Krueger character is indeed a work of fiction, but the people who died in their sleep was based on a number of reports in the LA Times discovered by “A Nightmare on Elm Street’s” director, Wes Craven. Craven described how the reports detailed young, healthy immigrants crashing around on their beds before dying in their sleep. An autopsy showed no details of any causes behind the deaths.

The medical condition, which in itself is very mysterious with no scientific backup other than an irregular heart rhythm being cited as a possible cause, is known as sudden unexplained death syndrome. The syndrome was thought to be rife in East Asia, especially in Singapore with 43 deaths per 100,000 people. The mysterious syndrome is known in the Philippines as bangungot.

The news story that influenced Craven reports that children were in fear of going to sleep for fear of dreaming. Worried parents insisted their children go to sleep on advice from their doctors, only for them to never wake up. It is worth noting that the families involved in the case had been escaping the genocide of the Khumer Rouge regime, so it’s evident that the children had already experienced some upset that may have caused nightmares. Of course it could also be that the children did indeed have an irregular heart rhythm, but whatever the cause, it makes the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie that little more sinister. It is said that it was not so much that the children died that inspired the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie, but the fear experienced by the children when they were asked to go to sleep.