The world recently watched in horror as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was engulfed in a blaze which caused extensive damage to the centuries-old building. The cathedral also housed many artistic treasures and artifacts, some of which were damaged in the blaze. Restorations to the cathedral were underway at the time of the fire, and investigators have been examining whether this may have contributed to the blaze, currently believed to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit.^[1]

Many of our world treasures are housed in climate- and light-controlled rooms in specialist museums and galleries. Necessary restoration work is often undertaken by teams of specialists, who painstakingly preserve these artworks and artifacts for the future. However, there have been a number of restorations in recent years which have caused art and architectural historians to ask, “What were they thinking?”

In the past, these restoration failures may have been hidden from view. Art and history lovers today, however, are been quick to take to social media to share some of these debacles. Many were the work of well-meaning amateurs, while some bungled projects were the work of professionals. They do say art is in the eye of the beholder.

10 Monkey Christ

“Monkey Christ” is probably the most well-known botched art restoration attempt, having achieved worldwide infamy via social media.

In 2012, Spanish painter Elias Maritinez’s famous fresco Ecce Homo in the Borja Church was beginning to look a little dilapidated, so a parishioner in the small village church decided to give the artwork a bit of a spruce-up. However, not only the congregation but also the rest of the world was horrified when Cecelia Gimenez’s work was revealed.

The original artwork was barely recognizable. Now dubbed “Monkey Christ,” the botched restoration work went viral. Christ’s crown of thorns looked more like a woolly hat, and the facial features bore little resemblance to Martinez’s original work. The original features had been all but obliterated.^[2]

In a strange turn of events, Gimenez actually did her town a huge favor, just not exactly in the manner in which she intended. The octogenarian’s botched restoration attempt on the fresco became so famous that it is now a major tourist attraction. It attracts far more visitors to the small Spanish town than it did before. A comic opera was even staged in the town of Borja to commemorate Giminez’s failed brush with artistic restoration work.

9 Madonna And Child

Also in Spain, 15th- and 16th-century wooden carvings in a church in Ranadoiro were given an update which art experts labeled “a disaster.”

Although the statues had been professionally restored 15 years previously, a well-meaning local parishioner thought the drab wooden carvings could do with a splash of color to brighten them up. After convincing the priest to let her take them home for a while, she began work on the statues. For more than a year, she worked to painstakingly paint two carvings of the Virgin and Child and one of St. Peter to give them a more modern feel.

The end result, revealed in 2018, was likened to “children’s toys,” with one of the Mary carvings resembling a Barbie doll. In the other, the mother of Christ’s robes were turned a garish pink, with the infant Christ wearing lurid green robes.

While the artist claimed she “painted them as well as she could,” art historians were furious. Officials questioned why an inexperienced restorer had been allowed to remove the artifacts from the church to undertake the transformation. Several coats of common household paint had been used to decorate the statues. It was unclear whether the carvings, which had enormous historic and artistic value, would be able to be salvaged.^[3]

8 Statue Of St. George

A 500-year-old wooden carving of St. George on horseback had sat for many years in a recess in the back of a church in Estella, Northern Spain. The carving was in good condition, though a little dirty, when the priest of the church of San Miguel de Estella enlisted the help of a local art teacher to restore the relic in 2018.

A workshop was engaged to clean the statue. During the process, the historic relic was also repainted. It would seem, however, that a little more homework had been needed for the project.

A bright new paint job left the 16th-century carving looking more like a Disney character, prompting questions about the amateur restoration of the historic treasure. Authorities investigated whether the carving could be successfully “un-restored.” It was feared that the original intricate paintwork could be lost beneath the layers of modern plaster and paint.^[4]

7 Buddha Sculpture

Restoration work on historic Buddha statues in China’s Sichuan province were the subject of scorn when photos were circulated on social media more than 20 years after work was completed.^[5]

The Buddhist shrine dating back to the Song dynasty (960–1279) is carved into a mountainside in Anyue township. It is not only a sacred place to local villagers but also a site of important historical and cultural significance. In 1995, local villagers pooled their limited resources to “restore” the ancient artifacts. It seems well-meaning locals often believe they are protecting and caring for the relics by “restoring” them.

It wasn’t until a cultural relics enthusiast visiting the region’s sacred grottoes came to the site that experts became aware of the disastrous restoration. Pictures posted to his social media account in 2018 received harsh criticism. The artifacts had been transformed into cartoon-like statues. The ancient stone relics had received a garish paint job, with some commentators likening Buddha’s halo to a “giant lollipop.”

Government officials have now put stricter guidelines in place to prevent further amateur “restorations.”

6 Roman Mosaics In Turkey

It seems that even archaeological experts are not safe from questions over their restoration of valuable world treasures. A Turkish museum was criticized in 2015 for their restoration work on a series of Roman mosaics.

Misplaced tiles and inaccurate colors were said to have changed the appearance of the famous second-century panels. Photos show significant differences in some of the mosaics following the restoration work.^[6]

Art experts claimed the mosaics were “caricatures of their former selves” and that valuable artworks were ruined. Restorers argued that the Turkish press had manipulated the images to distort the differences in the “before and after” photos. Turkey’s culture minister suspended restoration work at the museum pending an investigation into the mosaics.

5 Tutankhamun’s Beard

The burial mask of Tutankhamun is one of Cairo’s biggest tourist draws. However, a botched repair job on the 3,000-year-old artifact saw a number of museum staff facing criminal charges in 2016.^[7]

The previous year, the blue beard on the mask had become detached for reasons unknown, with a number of attempts to repair the break further damaging the artifact. Large amounts of an inappropriate glue were employed in the repair job. Sharp objects were used in an attempt to scrape off excess glue, scratching the mask. The end result was a very obvious joint where the beard had been stuck on, surrounded by a residue of glue.

A team of German conservation experts were called in to repair the damage, restoring Tutankhamun’s beard before he was returned to public display.

4 Chinese Frescoes In Chaoyang

Crumbling Chinese frescoes were left looking more like a cartoon strip following a restoration in 2013. Located in the Yunjie Temple in Chaoyang, the frescoes are believed to date back to 300 years to the Qing dynasty.

The cost of the delicate task of restoring the original murals was beyond the budget of the small temple, so a local company was called in to undertake the repairs more cheaply. The 300-year-old frescoes were simply painted over with new, brightly colored figures from Taoist mythology. The new paintings bore no resemblance to the original murals.^[8]

The cartoon-like results prompted online fury at the destruction of these ancient treasures when images began to appear on social media.

3 Castillo De Matrera

The forces of nature were slowly eroding Castillo de Matrera in Southern Spain to a crumbling ruin. Remaining parts of the heritage-listed castle had begun to collapse. The castle has a rich history dating back to the ninth century and was declared a site of cultural significance by the Spanish government in 1985.

In 2016, Cadiz locals were aghast at the results after the owners of the castle employed architects and builders to restore the site. Restoration work stabilized the remaining structure, while providing an idea of what the original castle may have looked like. However, the combination of the old brickwork with modern materials fell flat with locals, who felt the castle had been ruined.^[9]

The project to preserve the ancient ruin ended up winning in the Preservation category of the New York A + Architizer awards.

2 Ocakli Ada Castle

An ancient castle in Turkey was likened to a popular cartoon character when restoration work was unveiled.

Ocakli Ada Castle in Sile is thought to have looked over the Black Sea since Byzantine times. After hundreds of years of neglect, local officials felt it was time to undertake work of preserving the remains of the castle. Restoration work on the castle took several years to complete. Stonework, windows, and battlements were rebuilt, and the structure was stabilized.

However the newly refurbished castle was mocked on social media in 2015. Many commentators noted the window placements unfortunately made the castle look like a depiction of SpongeBob SqaurePants.^[10]

1 Statue Of St. Anthony Of Padua

In 2018, parishioners of a Colombian church were outraged when a budget restoration on the statue of their patron saint left him looking like he was wearing makeup.

The wooden 17th-century statue of St. Antonio de Padua in Soledad was sadly in need of repair. The paint on the statue had become quite faded, and termites had begun to eat away at parts of the wood. So an artist was commissioned to repaint the statue at the modest fee of just $328.^[11]

Following the paint job, angry churchgoers took to social media to display before and after photos of their patron saint. The end result left both St. Antonio and the child he is carrying wearing garish makeup, not in keeping with religious icons. Locals were outraged that St. Antonio now looked “quite effeminate.”

Restoration experts believed the techniques required to paint the wooden sculpture had not been followed.

Lesley Connor is a retired Australian newspaper editor, providing articles for online publications and her own travel blog.

The idea of “secret projects” such as MKUltra were once considered complete fiction and nothing but conspiracy theories. As were secret projects to influence the weather or the use of remote viewers by such intelligence agencies as the CIA. However, we now know that these efforts existed, at least on an initial research and experimental level.

If these top secret and once-denied projects were more factual than authorities would have originally had us believe, then what should we make of some of the other, albeit bizarre, allegations of top secret projects and programs that operate in the shadows of governments, funded by the “black budget?” Here are ten such programs. Some are more believable than others, no doubt, but all are intriguing to the max.

10 Project Mannequin

According to several whistle-blowers, Project Mannequin is a joint operation involving the NSA and the British intelligence agencies.^[1] Although a variety of activities and projects operate under the Mannequin name, the main purpose is to train and develop units of “super soldiers.” Some of these are used as part of UFO retrieval and security lockdown operations. Others, though, are called “sleepers” and are claimed to be mind-controlled and activated remotely to carry out deadly assassination missions, of which they will not be aware.

Not crazy enough for you? Okay, most of these super soldiers become members of these programs via kidnappings or through years of grooming via military and high-status families, who apparently submit their children to such programs for rewards unknown.

The main hub of the operation is said to be in a top secret facility 60 meters (200 ft) underground in Berkshire in Southern England. In addition to the training sessions in developing super soldiers and mind-controlled assassins (if, of course, we subscribe to these apparent leaks of information, which most don’t) there are also remote viewing sessions. These occur for a variety of purposes, not least to gain political and military advantages. Some whistle-blowers even claim “astral attacks” take place from this facility under the Project Mannequin name.

Perhaps one of the most high-profile people to make claims of involvement in Project Mannequin was Max Spiers, who died in the most suspicious of circumstances and whose death—shortly after making such claims—remains unsolved to any satisfactory degree still today. Make of that what you will.

9 Project Bluebird/Artichoke

In contrast to the outlandish claims about Project Mannequin, our next entry is all too real. Most of us, even those who don’t involve themselves with “conspiracies” and the like, are aware of such programs as MKUltra, even if only by name. The forerunner to this very real project went first under the name Project Bluebird, and then, very likely for security reasons and for a lack of a clear paper trail, under the moniker of Project Artichoke.^[2] Perhaps this activity is indicative of the nature of the “black budget projects” that would seemingly become standard operating procedure for many intelligence agencies as the 20th century progressed.

These programs began around 1950, in the aftermath of World War II and, incidentally or not, Operation Paperclip. (The Nazis were known to have carried out extensive experiments with mind control.) While there is no direct evidence to link him to the programs, it is generally accepted by many researchers that the work of Jose Delgado, who was looking to replace the brutal nature of lobotomies with electrical stimulation of the brain, perhaps unintentionally provided intelligence agencies with the insight they required to use such knowledge to their own ends.

8 Project Dreamscan

While the objectives of Project Dreamscan have little documentation to back up the whistle-blower-type claims, the methods utilized within the program very much do. It is widely known, for example, that the CIA experimented relatively extensively with remote viewing, particularly during the Cold War (mainly due to intelligence that their Soviet counterparts were doing so).

According to the claims of some, the objective of Project Dreamscan was to have remote viewers leave their bodies and enter a target’s mind in a dream state.^[3] These missions were thought to have been attempts to influence the thought processes of the targets. Interestingly, some researchers suggest that such remote viewers often accompany high-ranking officials to meetings with the UN in order to use their powers on other countries’ officials for similar reasons. Rumors even exist that Uri Geller was employed in such a way.

Furthermore, a purported CIA document declassified in 2017 suggests that similar missions would “send” remote viewers not only to other planets but to different times, both in the future and the past. While most dismiss this aspect entirely, it is an interesting notion that time travel may be something achieved on an astral plane as opposed to a physical one.

7 Project Stargate

As we mentioned above, many of these secret programs were a product of the Cold War and the intelligence obtained by both US and Soviet agencies. In reality, it is tempting to say that each country likely fed the other a good helping of purposeful disinformation. However, in the paranoid nature of the times, neither side could afford to ignore possible intel, no matter how absurd. It is easy to see, then, where the murkiness of such projects comes from.

One of these operations was Project Stargate, which, according to what little information is available on it, was a “psychotronic research” program.^[4] Furthermore, beginning in the late 1970s, established and proven remote viewers would “teach” other to hone their skills—all at the expense of the United States government, of course. This was, according to some, the new “psychic warfare” that was taking place in full view of an unknowing and unsuspecting public.

There are even more bizarre reports from some researchers that suggest these talented remote viewers would, on occasion, be “loaned out” to friendly countries for use in their own private matters. Like many such programs, whatever the truth of their operations, Project Stargate would suddenly cease operating, at least under that name, in the 1990s.

6 Project Rainbow

Perhaps another seemingly outlandish “secret” operation was Project Rainbow, whose roots allegedly reside in such equally insane projects as the Philadelphia Experiment, which, of course, most people insist are mere fantasy at best. It also has more direct connections to another supersecret program in the Phoenix Time Travel Project, which some researchers believe is essentially the same operation under a different name.^[5]

While much of the project—if we accept, for a moment, the authenticity of the claims—revolved around the attempted creation of time tunnels and wormholes, the other part of the Project Rainbow umbrella would look at weather control. This, particularly in recent years, is something that is increasingly being dragged from the conspiracy tray to the fact tray.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing connections to other conspiracies are the claims that it was from these weather and space-time experiments that the seeds of the fully working mind control devices came from. It is another interesting layer to such conspiracies that sees a now all-but-proven “conspiracy theory” such as weather control coupled with the much more unpalatable prospect of controlling the minds of unsuspecting members of the public.

5 Operation Sleeping Beauty

Project Rainbow was not the only operation to involve experiments more akin to mind control. Rainbow’s weather control research allegedly also reportedly resulted in the secret program known as Operation Sleeping Beauty.

Whether these experiments ever made it off the drawing board is unknown, although as you might imagine, some conspiracy theorists insist they did. And what’s more, they contend that the experiments are likely still going on today.

The drive behind these conspiracy theories is the notion that mind-altering electromagnetic weaponry could be used to the US military’s advantage.^[6] They would, through such advanced and experimental technology, be able to achieve battlefield superiority. Their enemies would be mentally disorientated to the point of surrender.

Another interesting aspect of this approach was that the soldiers affected would not have the slightest idea of what was happening to them. This confusion alone would inspire substantial fear. In short, such a secret, advanced weapon is not at all beyond the realms of imagination or possibility.

4 The Mindwreaker Project

A very similar advanced battlefield weapon program would be Project Mindwreaker (sometimes called “Mindwrecker”) an effort to create a state of artificial paralysis through “mentally induced” weapons.^[7]

According to the conspiracies (and, once again, we should note that there is no absolute solid evidence to back these outlandish claims up), the project came to light through another unintended observation during the weather control experiments of Project Rainbow. Once they realized there was a potential to paralyze subjects through the technology they had created, they looked to weaponize it.

In a conspiracy claim already bordering on lunacy, further accusations suggest that this technology was derived from reverse-engineered alien spacecraft, which only made the conspiracy theory more appealing to some and more unbelievable to others. Perhaps just to add another layer of appeal to the whole affair, Mindwreaker is also claimed to be one of the last secret projects commissioned by the Reagan administration. Of course, who was actually in charge during the Reagan years is perhaps also open to debate and is, in fact, likely the bigger conspiracy.

3 Project Sigma

Maybe the claims behind the apparent Project Sigma are the most intriguing of them all, if only because they offer an admittedly tentative explanation for the alien abduction phenomenon.

The roots of Project Sigma go back to the alleged, and equally controversial, meeting between President Eisenhower and two different alien races. One race was the Greys, whose offer of advanced technology apparently won Eisenhower’s mind against the offer of “green technology” from the other alien race (said by some to be the Nordics). Further rumors suggest that Eisenhower didn’t wish this technology to end up in the hands of the Soviet Union.

So, then, if we buy into the theories that Eisenhower did indeed meet with two alien races, one of which was the Greys, what was the outcome of such a meeting? Well, according to some researchers, themselves relying on whistle-blower testimony, it was Project Sigma. This was essentially an alien-human hybridization program. The reason behind this is said to be that the Greys’ DNA had suffered “extreme degradation” due to exposure to radiation on their home planet. In short, they could no longer reproduce. So, in return for this technology, the Greys were apparently granted “access” to humans for abduction, under the condition the abductees would not recall such abductions and would be returned unharmed.^[8]

It is certainly an interesting notion. Might this be the ultimate reason behind the reports of abductions by Grey aliens since the early 1960s?

2 Project Moon Dust

The official reason for Project Moon Dust was to recover the remains of Soviet satellites that reentered the atmosphere and crashed to Earth. And they didn’t just recover these satellites in the United States but all over the world, in places such as South Africa, Bolivia, and even as far away as the Himalayan Mountains.

However, according to some researchers, most prominently Clifford Stone, a great many of the Moon Dust missions actually recovered crashed UFOs. Many of these craft are thought to have been taken back to the United States to various air bases and research facilities, with a view to reverse-engineering the technology available.^[9] Stone, who also claimed involvement in the missions, would state shortly before his death in 2014, “While we were doing this, we were telling the American public there was nothing to it [UFOs].”

Stone would also state that on most of these missions, the unit thought they were going for a satellite or a Soviet test plane. However, he would also state that on each of these missions, there was also a person assigned at the last minute who “wasn’t an Army official.” It would appear that these mysterious additions to the mission were the only ones in full possession of the actual facts of each incident. The claims, while perhaps requiring a pinch of salt or two, are certainly intriguing.

1 The CHANI Project

Perhaps one of the most intriguing of these alleged secret projects is the CHANI (Channeled Holographic Access Network Interface) Project, which one researcher described as an “orgasmic interaction between science theory and spiritual awareness.”^[10]

A simple way of explaining this apparent project is a moving of remote viewing and the use of psychics into the digital age. Through various computer software programs, the conspiracy says, a digital “channeler” or presence would make contact with spirits and energies from another realm—or, more accurately, with one energy or spirit, who was referred to rather ominously as “the Entity.”

Even more bizarre, the Entity was in contact with humanity on behalf of “the Elders,” the creators and overseers of the universe. This is an interesting notion and one that is found in the legends of many ancient civilizations. Ancient Egypt, for example, had legends of nine creator gods. Perhaps interestingly, it is claimed that similar channeling experiments in the 1950s and 1960s, themselves an offshoot of the MKUltra and remote viewing experiments, made contact with one of these creator gods.

Dedicated to probing the unknown, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has designed its fair share of unusual studies. Tasked with keeping astronauts safe, they threw lunar dust at oysters and had a man sniff at 800 space-bound items.

Curiosity also saw their scientists turn photographs into music and create oceans in cups. NASA’s problems are often equally weird. From cussing crews to the threat of a rogue Martian colony, the agency is proof that real life is better than fiction.

10 NASA Followed A Weird Iceberg

In 2018, a photograph surfaced that many would have dismissed as a fraud if not for its source—NASA. It showed an iceberg resembling a floating tabletop. The flat rectangle had sides so perfect that it looked surreal. Scientists call these oddities tabular icebergs. They snap off ice shelves, and many are straight-edged.

NASA scientists reckoned that this one’s flawlessness meant the iceberg had a recent birth. The blunting forces of nature eventually destroy a tabular’s perfect shape.

Curious about its origins, they used satellites to find the parent. When the images revealed its source—and subsequent journey—it became clear that the sheet had endured a lot of abuse. This tabular beauty fell from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica.^[1]

However, it was not born geometric. The tabular drifted north into a narrow passage so violent that scientists have likened it to a nutcracker. Anything that moved along this route was smashed between a mammoth iceberg and an ice shelf, a process that often whittled clean-cut shapes.

The satellite pictures confirmed that the channel, not the Larsen C shelf, produced the perfect tabular.

9 The Nasalnaut

By the time 2018 rolled by, George Aldrich had hit his 44th year as a NASA chemical specialist. He is also the proud recipient of the Silver Snoopy Sniffer Award. This is a real NASA award for people who smell things before the objects go into space. It may sound ridiculous, but offensive smells are problematic in space.

If astronauts get stuck with a bad odor in a confined area, they could become sick or less productive. To prevent this, NASA has an odor panel. Five volunteers snort at objects destined for space and give them a rating between 0 and 4. NASA is so serious about preventing bad smells that any object with a grade higher than 2.5 is abandoned.

Before sniffing anything, the panelists undergo a medical examination to ensure that their noses are in fine order. NASA staff call George Aldrich “NASA nose” and “Nostrildamus,” but Aldrich likes “nasalnaut.” After 800 smelling missions for the space agency, he certainly is.^[2]

8 The Failed Robot

During the 1960s, NASA wanted the perfect spacesuit. Human feedback was not reliable because NASA required numbers and degrees. They didn’t need to hear: “Gee, the elbow is a bit stiff.”

Engineer Joe Slowik created a robot instead. The articulated dummy could perform a range of humanlike movements. Adorably, it could even shake hands. Unfortunately, it leaked oil. Try as they might, the problem could not be fixed. To stay mobile, the machine’s hydraulic valves had to be small, but this also compromised their integrity against the pressurized fluid.

Back then, a spacesuit cost the modern equivalent of $750,000. In 1967, the robot was fired before it could ruin any suits. The following year, it was briefly employed by bionics researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Then it was auctioned off before being donated in 1986 to the National Air and Space Museum in Maryland.^[3]

For decades, the staff did not know who built it or why. Only when Mike Slowik, the creator’s son, recently contacted the museum did they learn about the robot’s NASA history.

7 Earth’s Adoption Agency

In 2017, NASA tried a trusted conservation method. Copying the fundraising tradition of adopt-a-rainforest and adopt-a-puffin, the agency made Earth available for adoption. The project was designed to raise awareness for the Earth sciences and environmental issues.

The “Adopt the Planet” project divided the global surface into 64,000 hexagons. Each measured 88 kilometers (55 mi) wide. Anyone could sign up and get a randomly assigned tile. The proud new parent also received an adoption certificate and decades’ worth of Earth science data about their block.^[4]

The project celebrated Earth Day and aimed to have the entire surface adopted by the time it arrived on April 22. However, it also raised awareness of NASA’s dedication to studying Earth and space despite facing severe budget cuts from the White House.

6 NASA Dosed Animals With Dust

Lunar exploration awakened a new fear. If noxious germs returned with the astronauts, humanity risked exposure to pathogens for which they had no immunity.

After 1999, the agency decided to run safety tests. They were weird. To assess lunar contamination on nonhuman life on Earth, scientists ground up some of NASA’s precious Moon rocks. The dust was divided. One-half was baked to ensure that the material was sterilized. Meanwhile, the other half remained natural and potentially dangerous.

They sprinkled the dust into aquariums full of fish. For shellfish, they dusted oysters and shrimp. Mice, chosen as land mammals, were injected with the powder. Birds were represented by the Japanese quail and got the shot. Insects, like cockroaches and flies, ate the bits with their food.

After a month, the menagerie was fine. Except for the oysters. Most of them died whether they were in clean or lunar water. The microscopic analysis also found that the Moon rocks had no microorganisms. Apparently, lunar soil is harmless and the oyster die-off was blamed on testing them during their breeding season.^[5]

5 The Solar Wind Trap

The Genesis spacecraft was an ambitious project. When it launched in 2001, it carried an array with high-purity materials, including gold, sapphire, silicon, and aluminum.

The bling had a purpose. Their composition could trap solar wind. These charged particles are released by the Sun’s corona and could reveal more about our star’s own composition and the solar system’s earliest elements.

For years, Genesis circled Lagrange point 1, where the gravity of the Sun and Earth are in perfect balance. The craft collected the precious particles and returned to Earth in 2004.

The excitement quickly turned into horror when both parachutes on the capsule failed. Genesis smashed into Utah at 310 kilometers per hour (193 mph). The crash was blamed on two sensors that were designed to react to gravity and deploy the parachutes. Somebody had installed them backward.

The impact wrecked several arrays and contaminated the solar samples. Luckily, several others were intact and gave scientists their particles and the sought-after glimpses into the Sun’s components.^[6]

4 NASA Created Mini Primitive Seas

Around four billion years ago when life first appeared on Earth, solar radiation battered the planet’s surface. Since the deadly rays could not fully penetrate the sea, life probably started in the ocean.

Deep hydrothermal vents have ecosystems independent of the Sun’s energy. They rely on chemicals and heat instead. One theory suggested that hydrothermal environments could have sparked life.

To test this, NASA astrobiologists recreated primordial seafloors in beakers in 2019. Two molecules from hydrothermal conditions—pyruvate and ammonia—were added with other minerals to the water.

To reflect the conditions of the ancient sea, the scientists removed the oxygen, tweaked the alkaline pH, and added iron hydroxide. Additionally, the water was heated to 70 degrees Celsius (158 °F), the average temperature around a vent.^[7]

Once a tiny squirt of oxygen was added, alanine and alpha hydroxy acid lactate formed. Alanine is an amino acid, and the other is its by-product. Combined, they can create organic molecules that could lead to life. It remains a mystery how that first miracle happened, but the beakers proved that hydrothermal conditions had the right stuff to spawn it.

3 NASA Hypnotized A Cursing Astronaut

The early space race was avidly followed by the US public. As a result, NASA wanted a family-friendly image. There was one problem. Most of the astronauts were rough ex-military types. They dropped f-bombs and other profanities, marring NASA’s wholesome reputation.

The agency dealt with this by editing footage. The films that aired to the public were sanitized, and the agency made a huge effort to keep its struggle with cussing astronauts a secret. For this reason, the name of one offender has never been identified with certainty. The man cursed like he was aiming for the championship.

NASA decided that hypnosis was the answer. Before his mission, a psychiatrist planted the urge to hum whenever he felt like cussing. While the astronaut’s name remains unconfirmed, only one man hummed like a champion while skipping over the Moon’s surface—Commander Pete Conrad.^[8]

2 Music From Hubble Photos

In 2019, NASA found a way to turn space into a musical. First, they chose a photograph taken by the famous Hubble Space Telescope. Taken the year before, the image was special. The snap captured around 1,000 galaxies together, leading researchers to call it a “galactic treasure chest.”^[9]

The image was programmed to produce various notes, guided by the differences in location and type of object. Short sounds represented stars and compact galaxies. Spiral galaxies tooted longer and more complicated noises. Lower sounds were produced by objects near the bottom of the picture, and frequencies turned higher closer to the top.

The time bar moved from left to right, and the music played. It was eerie, unsettling, and haunting. Near the center, the bar hit a galaxy cluster called RXC J0142.9+4438. The density created a swell in midrange tones described by some as the photograph’s best music.

1 The Problem With Martian Law

Mankind’s dream of colonizing Mars is a feverish one. Everyone from NASA to private companies wants to settle the Red Planet. An emerging problem is Martian law. At the moment, there is no such thing.

NASA studied people in long-term isolation in a project designed to mimic life as a human Martian. The stresses of the confined space suggested that Earth law might not survive on another world, especially if it mirrors the current laws on space stations.

The latter normally see an unquestionable authority from one commander. This might not sit well with the highly educated individuals who are expected to arrive first on Mars. They are more likely to prefer a democracy.

Then there are the issues of their legal status, the ways in which crime will be punished, and the hornet’s nest surrounding Martian mining rights. NASA still needs to finalize laws for the Red Planet, but many feel that the colonists are going to add their own mercurial force to how they are governed.^[10]

Size really does not matter. Invisible specks of bacteria hold the power to put mankind out to the extinction pasture. In the peaceful meantime and plagues aside, scientists have a new love affair with the tiny organisms.

A lot of recent studies found that bacteria have a weird talent for producing clean energy, gold, and quantum mysteries. But that is not all. They turn up in disturbing places, do the unexpected, and are adaptable enough to merge with technology and live.

10 New Ocean Food Source

A 2018 study on deep-sea bacteria yielded unexpected surprises. Found in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ), the critters lived about 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) down. At this depth, it was believed that the only food available came from whatever rained down on the seafloor—dead fish, plankton, and other organic matter.

Unlike what scientists found in the North Atlantic Ocean, bacteria in this part of the eastern Pacific Ocean were the main group that consumed this rain and not bottom-dwelling animals. The bacteria also absorbed vast amounts of carbon dioxide into their biomass using a process that scientists still don’t understand.

As surprising as that particular discovery was, the implications reached further than strange bodily functions. This biomass is likely food for deep-sea life where no additional sources were thought to exist.

Amazingly, this means that harmful CO₂ is removed and turned into sustenance. Calculations determined that the bacteria could run the entire region of the CCFZ and possibly recycle 200 million tons of CO₂ every year.^[1]

9 Source Of Clean Energy

Household sewage and wastewater from industrial plants are rich power sources. They contain the necessary organic compounds to produce clean energy. However, nobody could come up with an extraction method that was effective and inexpensive. Enter purple bacteria.

In 2018, the phototropic organisms, which draw energy from light, were used for the first time to recycle waste. Unlike water treatment plants, the bacteria worked with light, had zero carbon emissions, and were also affordable.

This environmentally friendly biorefinery recovers close to 100 percent of carbon, no matter the type of organic waste. Additionally, the process creates hydrogen gas, perfect for electricity needs.

The secret was the bacteria’s metabolism. First, they use organic molecules and not CO₂ and H₂O. That makes organic waste a perfect source to “feed” on. Carbon, nitrogen, and electrons are all extracted for photosynthesis.

Byproducts varied, but proteins, hydrogen gas, and biodegradable polyester have all been produced. Researchers have also found a way to speed up the feeding cycle by sending an electrical current through the purple bacteria, which are organisms filled with metabolic electrons.^[2]

8 The Titanic‘s Doom

The infamous RMS Titanic sank in 1912. She remained missing for over 70 years until the wreck was found 530 kilometers (329 mi) southeast of Newfoundland, Canada.

In 2010, an expedition returned to the surface with a disheartening bug. While investigating the Titanic, researchers scooped up a new species of bacteria. Halomonas titanicae was named in honor of the ship, an ironic move as the bacteria was consuming the Titanic.

H. titanicae loves rust. That is basically what the ship is doing, rusting everywhere and providing the tiny metal wreckers the buffet of a lifetime.

The fragile icon rests on the seafloor, over 3.8 kilometers (2.4 mi) below the surface, and cannot be brought back up. The rapid disintegration also makes preservation an impossible task.

The plus side is that the new bacteria’s insatiable appetite for rust can be used to dispose of unwanted ships and ocean structures like oil rigs as well as to develop antibacterial coatings for working equipment. Sadly, scientists estimate that the Titanic could be gone in about 20 years.^[3]

7 Brain Bacteria

The brain is considered to be a sterile organ. Doctors know that when bacteria peek from between the folds and neurons, it is a sign of disease. In 2018, scientists examined 34 brain samples. The original purpose was to compare the brains of schizophrenia patients to those of people who had never suffered from the condition.

Instead, the high-resolution images kept showing mysterious rods everywhere. This accidental discovery turned out to be bacteria. If the organisms were somehow native to the brain, it would burn the book on neurology.

Researchers had to make sure that the brains were healthy and subsequently found no sign of bacterial disease. This left the possibility of postmortem contamination. Tests followed on uncontaminated mouse brains, which revealed that bacteria clustered in the same regions as those found in the human samples.^[4]

DNA analysis provided a solid clue—the microbes were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, types normally found in the human gut. The gut-brain link is well-known to science, but never before has such a direct connection been made. Even so, the purpose of the brain bacteria remains a riddle.

6 Epic Nose Battles

Inside the noses of mice live bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mostly, the bugs are harmless, but they can trigger fatal pneumonia and meningitis (an action that also kills the bacteria).

To understand why S. pneumoniae would commit suicide, scientists examined the nasal passages of mice and found that this bacterium was not the only species that loved the damp environment. Sometimes, Haemophilus influenzae tries to muscle in. The two species hate each other, and the moment they meet, a war breaks out.

H. influenzae hijacks the host’s immune system to attack its opponent with white blood cells. This strategy is so brilliant that S. pneumoniae is sometimes completely removed from the nose. However, when the latter fights back, things go wrong for the host.

S. pneumoniae has a sugary shell, an armor that comes in 90 varieties. The stronger types can fight off white blood cells, invade the body’s immune system and tissues, and ultimately cause disease. In all probability, the human nose has similar rivalries, meaning that most illnesses are not attacks on the person but a nasty side effect of bacteria trying to destroy each other.^[5]

5 Electric Mushrooms

In 2018, a New Jersey laboratory wanted to create a renewable energy source. Scientists turned their attention to the common button mushroom, a plentiful fungus. Other ingredients included cyanobacteria and carbon atoms. The latter formed electrodes made of thin sheets of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs).

The mushrooms, organisms, and atoms were not chosen at random. The bacteria create photosynthetic energy, and GNRs conduct electrical currents. The mushrooms provided a natural environment for the bacteria, including humidity and nutrients, something no artificial surface could match. To create this symbiotic relationship, 3-D printing was used to embed the GNRs and the bacteria on the mushroom.^[6]

The experiment was successful. The different patterns of the carbon atoms and the bacteria allowed the two to interact as a stable network. When light was shone on the mushroom, the organisms worked up an electric current which was conducted by the GNRs into wires waiting to harvest the electricity.

At the moment, the mushrooms can only produce a weak current. Future adjustments, however, promise bionic fungi that are powerful, plentiful, and a green source of energy.

4 Increasing Risk Of Plague

The bubonic plague was so devastating that history would end up calling it the Black Death. Across the 14th and 15th centuries, the deadly bacteria killed up to 200 million people in Europe.

Today, scholars are increasingly worried that global warming could cause another outbreak. This is not as crazy as it sounds. Permafrost harbors bacteria indefinitely, including some of the worst diseases on the planet. When the frozen pathogens thaw, they are released into the environment with deadly effect.

This became a tragic reality in 2016 when melting ice released anthrax in Siberia. The event infected over 40 people, killed a child, and wiped out 1,500 reindeer. The Paris Agreement, an international environmental initiative, has vowed to keep the rising of the world’s temperature under 1.5 Celsius degrees (2.7 °F). However, some scientists believe that the agreement cannot be honored.

The implications are frightening. When the Black Plague began in the 1340s, the world’s heat experienced a 1.5-Celsius-degree (2.7 °F) rise which caused the lethal Yersinia pestis bacterium to bloom. Should this happen again, the softening permafrost could release global pandemics—and not just the Black Death.^[7]

3 Living Tattoos

In 2017, MIT chose bacterial cells for a 3-D printing project. It led to one of the most intriguing inventions ever to involve bacteria—living tattoos. The result resembled a stick-on image of a tree or the branched lines of electronic pathways.

Bacterial cells were chosen because they were tougher than those of mammals and could survive the printing process. They also happened to be compatible with hydrogels, one of the things required to make the tattoo.

First, the bacteria were engineered to turn into different fluorescent colors. The next step was to develop an ink that contained hydrogel, the cells, and nutrients to keep them alive. The fluid was delicate enough to be used in high-resolution printing of 0.03 millimeters. The researchers drew the tree pattern on elastomer. Then the sheet was placed on a volunteer’s skin that had previously been treated with chemicals.^[8]

As they had been engineered to do, the bacteria lit up and turned visible once they came into contact with the compounds. A very distant hope is to one day produce wearable patches that release medicine (like glucose) into a patient’s body over a period of time.

2 They Produce Solid Gold

Cupriavidus metallidurans is a bizarre species. It snacks on toxic metals and poops gold. Discovered in 2009, scientists had to wait until 2018 to solve this alchemy riddle.

Unlike most other biological organisms, C. metallidurans thrives in soil packed with poisonous heavy metals. Two membranes surround the bacteria. In between exists a space called the periplasm, and it acts like a detox chamber.

Usually, the periplasm stores excess copper. This metal is needed for the bacteria’s feeding process, but too much can kill it. The recent study found that a special enzyme (CupA) safely relegated unnecessary copper into the periplasm.

Gold is a worse danger. When the bacteria come into contact with gold ions, an unstable version of the precious metal, they risk serious damage. The ions can disrupt the copper detox system.

Remarkably, researchers found that the bacteria developed a second enzyme (CopA) to deal with this. CopA turns the ions into a stable metal inside the periplasm. Once the latter is stuffed, the outer membrane tears and tiny gold nuggets are released, sometimes as big as sand grains.^[9]

1 They Touch The Quantum World

In 2018, scientists wanted to know where the quantum world ended and the “real” world began. Quantum physics governs infinitesimally tiny things like particles. The rest, like humans and bacteria, belong to the other side.

For the most part, it is believed that quantum effects reduce to nothing as they cross over into the larger world. To prove that this was not the case, researchers had another look at an experiment done in 2016 at the University of Sheffield.

During the test, bacteria were placed inside a room of mirrors and subjected to a special light frequency. Only a few organisms showed quantum effects by displaying a limited connection between their photosynthetic molecules and the light’s electrons. This state is known as quantum coupling.

According to the 2018 review, the bacteria might have done vastly better than the Sheffield study suggested. New experiments yielded positive results for entanglement, a major quantum effect never before seen in living creatures.^[10]

Entanglement is the mysterious ability shared by two entities when they link up their states despite being separated by incredible distances. An interesting possibility is that bacteria have evolved to blend with the quantum world to reap unknown benefits.

With money tight all around, more people are *trying* to save by DIY’ing—doing it yourself. From construction to renovation to crafting to even piercings, people are trying everything themselves. But for every dollar it saves, it’s that much more likely to result in total calamity. From collapsed walls to scarred faces to exploded toilets, there is an infinite number of ways in which you can totally screw the pooch when doing it yourself. 

On a whole host of websites, users have taken to sharing their at-home horrors with the world, baring their failures so that we all might laugh and hopefully not repeat the mistake. 

With both those goals in mind, here are ten of the best—meaning worst— do-it-yourself projects gone horribly wrong.

10 Tiktok-Inspired Freckles 

We all know the type of person who would do anything to get famous. What if you were already scheduled to be on reality TV but still felt the urge to change up your look? Meet Australia’s “Big Brother” contestant Tilly Whitfield. A gorgeous gal for sure, who was inspired by a TikTok trend to give herself fake freckles. According to her Instagram post, she “…literally shoved needles deep into [her] skin… lol.” 

The pictures she shared are horrendous, but the description of her initial reaction is even worse: “I ended up in hospital with temporary loss of vision in my eye due to swelling and was very sick from the infection, not to mention my face was somewhat unrecognizable.” This is all after claiming at first: “It didn’t hurt at all, so I didn’t think I should stop.” During her time on the show, she swapped between wearing a face mask or makeup at all times to cover it up. Thankfully she learned her lesson with a reminder to always leave the needles-in-your-face kind of procedures up to your doctor.

9 Curtains Fail

If you don’t believe in such a thing as DIY karma, then this next story will convince you. Fully equipped with multiple DIY tutorials, Latasha James thought she might save herself a buck or two and set up some stylish curtains herself to match the rest of her apartment. She put them together and connected them to her concrete ceiling with some store-bought brackets, tape, and a curtain rod. She was so sure of her success she even documented it on her YouTube channel. We’re already cringing at the thought of her using tape above any other kind of permanent attachment. And sure enough, her experiment was a costly mistake.

Days passed, and she reveled in her success until things came crashing down. Literally. The entire setup fell, and the casualty was the bar cart beneath. She came home that day to her partner running wildly with paper towels in hand as red wine spilled absolutely everywhere. Hopefully, at least one of the bottles survived—they’ll definitely need that after the clean up.

8 100-Parter Bathroom Fail

Bad decisions tend to snowball. Say you nosh on a doughnut and coffee for breakfast—you’re more likely to grab something else fatty or sugary for lunch or, say, overeat at dinner. Grace O’Heeran, a 23-year-old Texan university graduate, went viral on TikTok for said snowball effect while renovating the bathroom in her new house.

Grace, in her DIY shame-fame, explained that a car crash and resultant brain injury “has a lot to do with [her] decision making and impulsiveness… I impulsively painted my bathroom floor black and knew it was game over from there and no turning back.” 

Said decisions included a hand-stenciled tile floor and green, sparkled, insect-infected-looking countertops. Commenters on her videos begged and pleaded with her at almost every step to stop and hire a professional. But after weeks of scrapped work and a total of $1,000 spent ($700 higher than her initial budget), she somehow ended up happy with the result—as ghastly as it is.

7 Good Deed Gone Wrong

The winter season is best for spreading some neighborly joy. But this submission from a user at familyhandyman.com shows that some good deeds are actually punishments in disguise. Equipped with a fancy new snowblower that cleaned off their driveway and walkway in no time, they thought to extend the same courtesy to their elderly neighbor. Well, things went fine until they accidentally ran over the garden hose, getting it “royally tangled.”

They then spent a frustrating hour removing bits and pieces of plastic hose from the snowblower, and after that, called it quits and returned home. Later that evening, the neighbor called, crying over a soaked basement. It turns out that running over the hose caused a leak inside the house behind the house bib—the perfect recipe for disaster in the middle of winter.

6 Shred-splosion

One user at Australia’s handyman.net writes about what should have been the simplest thing: spraying a bit of lubricant on his shredder. Nothing is as satisfying as a nice shred, and when your shredder is aging or clogged, a little lubricant in the gears will get it right back to satisfaction mode—in theory.

The user writes that they “sprayed the shredding mechanism liberally.” Liberally might be the most important word there as then the shredder, well, it exploded. Their hypothesis: “A spark had ignited the accumulated vapors in the enclosed area of the shredder.” Luckily they were unhurt aside from some visible souvenirs. “…a quick check in the mirror revealed my singed eyebrows and hair.”

5 Exploding Toilet

One “Reader’s Digest” reader sent in their story about their creative solution for fixing an especially clogged toilet. Their son’s plastic potty training attachment had fallen into the toilet and became irreversibly stuck. To their credit, the reader had a creative solution. They write, “I had a brilliant idea: I’d burn it out!”

They removed the toilet, brought it outside, and set it ablaze, feeling triumphant. “I poured charcoal lighter fluid down the trap and lit it up. Standing back, I basked in the glory of the geyser flames and my phenomenal ingenuity.” That is, until it exploded. Yup, another explosion. A toilet explosion. Their story ends with a simple, “I bought a new toilet.”

4 Sump Dump

A user at familyhandyman.com writes about their husband’s well-intentioned but shoddy attempt to prepare for 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. She and her husband were installing a backup system for their sump pump in case they lost power. The husband cut into a piece of PVC pipe the user was holding, and she was immediately blasted in the face with “nasty brown water.”

Like the good assistant she is, she held on to the pipe and didn’t say a word as the rancid spray kept coming out. Luckily, he eventually noticed. “It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening. He had forgotten to unplug the pump. After pulling the plug, he looked at me with a worried expression, but I began laughing hysterically.” It turns out the pump worked just fine, but I hope for her sake that the brown water really was just water.

3 Trapped in the Closet

Another “Reader’s Digest” reader was an experienced handyman, so he DIY’ed his entire house, building it almost entirely himself. A truly impressive feat, though not one that went perfectly. When it came time to install his closet door, one that swung outward, he managed to bungle the job enough to nail himself inside the room with no exit.

As he writes: “To keep the door frame square, I nailed blocks at a 45-degree angle to the outside of the jambs. (I then) started shooting nails into the jambs. When I finished, I tried to open the door. The blocks were nailed across the jambs on the other side.” He had nailed the door shut securely and “didn’t have a hammer or a pry bar.” Luckily, he had hope. He had his phone. His brother eventually freed him and though the brother hasn’t given him a hard time yet, “I know he’s just waiting for the right moment.”

2 Sun Dumb

Another entry at Family Handyman is a story best summarized as “think about Wile E. Coyote sitting on a limb of a tree and sawing it off!” The user is a construction worker who was foolish enough to be working alone in 100-degree weather, which caused him to make an almost deadly mistake.

He had to cut off “a 3-ft. piece of a rim joist.” He also, however, “stood on the rim joist without realizing I was standing on the very piece of wood I intended to cut off.” It is indeed a very Wile E. Coyote moment. Cutting through the very beam he was standing on, the user fell. Luckily, the saw he was using didn’t land on—or in—him, and he missed all other dangerous tools and wood pieces. He was hospitalized, though, for being dehydrated and experiencing sunstroke.

1 Gorilla Glue Girl

In January 2021, Jessica Brown became a viral sensation for a DIY trick of hers that went about as poorly as humanly possible. Brown liked to keep her long, braided ponytail in place with Got2b Glued Blasting Freeze spray but found herself unexpectedly out of the spray. She thought up an at-home hack and sprayed her hair—every inch of it—with Gorilla Glue. It did not go well.

Brown’s ponytail was stuck in the same position, unmovable (let alone unbridgeable or washable), for a month. On TikTok, she shared her story, tapping her hair as proof. It made a sound like plastic on a marble counter. Brown even visited the emergency room for help, but they could not dissolve the glue. It wasn’t until a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael Obeng donated his time to her, giving her an experimental surgery of his own design to free her scalp from the polyurethane-based glue.

The United States Congress is en route to doing something truly incredible: passing a major bill along bipartisan lines. In mid-August, the U.S. Senate – a body currently split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, and which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation – passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to update the country’s roads, bridges, tunnels and water systems. The House voted to advance the bill, setting it up for final passage.

While I’d settle for not feeling like I’m in an earthquake every time I drive on local highways, America has a long history of breaking ground on groundbreaking infrastructure projects – ones that helped shape the nation. Here are ten, in chronological order.

Related: Top 10 Tremendous Wastes Of Money

10 The Erie Canal (1825)

The most important infrastructure project in New York City’s history was constructed hundreds of miles from New York City.

In the early 1800s, personal travel was slow and commercial freighting even slower. In areas lacking direct water routes, large quantities of goods were hauled by oxcart and other millennia-old methods. The result was a double-edged sword: coastal cities couldn’t easily access the American interior’s vast resources, and would-be western settlers hesitated to sever themselves from major coastal markets.

Seeing this untapped potential, New York State governor DeWitt Clinton fiercely advocated for a 363-mile canal linking the Great Lakes at Buffalo to the Hudson River at Albany. The eight-year, $7 million engineering feat cut through fields, forests, cliffs and swamps, conquering inclines with more than 80 lift locks.

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. Nearly overnight, shipping costs along the route plunged 90 percent, and travel time was more than halved. Freight boats carried products from Buffalo to Albany then, pulled by tugboats, continued to New York City, which quickly became the country’s preeminent commercial center and quadrupled its population by 1850.

In turn, those long wishing to settle western lands could now do so without sacrificing access to such a critical market. Farmers, loggers, miners and manufacturers flocked not only to western New York State but other points along the Great Lakes like Ohio and Michigan. The Erie Canal almost singlehandedly earned New York its moniker: The Empire State.

9 Transcontinental Railroad (1869)

America’s first steam locomotive premiered in 1830 and, by 1850, 9,000 miles of track existed east of the Missouri River. Rail’s rapid growth made an ongoing network of ancillary canals – marine byways to supplement the Erie Canal’s smashing success – increasingly obsolete.

Connecting the entire continental country by rail would have taken longer were it not for one event: the 1848 discovery of gold in California. The ensuing westward rush allowed California to achieve full statehood by 1850; until then, the westernmost states were Texas, Wisconsin and Iowa. Calls came to connect the sister states with track, toward the dual goal of faster, safer travel to the Pacific coast and the settlement of the vast lands in between established states.

Abraham Lincoln answered that call, greenlighting arguably America’s most significant infrastructure project during what was inarguably its most existential crisis, the Civil War. In 1862, Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, chartering two entities – the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads – to connect the California capital of Sacramento to the then-westernmost rail hub at Omaha, Nebraska.

The two companies raced toward each other. Along the way, they fought off waves of attacks from Native Americans understandably hostile to invaders laying tracks for their “iron horses.” Civil War veterans, Irish immigrants and some 14,000 Chinese completed the 1,912-mile route in seven years; some 1,200 died in the process. Overnight, the 3,000-mile cross-country journey fell from several months to under a week, vastly accelerating America’s westward expansion.

8 The Prison System (1891)

Not all infrastructure is good infrastructure. One out of every 142 Americans is currently incarcerated – the highest per capita prison population in the world, exceeding that of such advanced countries as El Salvador, Turkmenistan and Rwanda. And despite being a distant third in national population – behind two countries, China and India, with over a billion people – America’s prison population of 2.3 million is higher than any other nation. USA! USA!

There are several historical flashpoints for how we got here, but from an infrastructure standpoint 1891 is a significant date. That year, the Three Prisons Act created the Federal Prisons System, opening the first three federal prisons at Leavenworth, Kansas; McNeil Island, Washington; and Atlanta, Georgia.

Today, the American criminal justice system comprises 1,833 state prisons, 110 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,134 local jails, 218 immigration detention facilities, 80 Indian Country jails, and a smattering of military prisons.

The reason, of course, is not that America has more crime than El Salvador – which, in fact, is the world’s most dangerous country. America’s incarceration fixation stems from a variety of factors, including public-private collaborations with monetary incentives to mete out excessive sentences; a cash bail system that leaves poor people accused of low-level crimes locked up for long pre-trial stretches; and the failed decades-long War on Drugs that handcuffed judges with lengthy mandatory sentences even for nonviolent offenders.

7 New York City Subway (1904)

While Boston boasts America’s oldest subway – its underground rail system dates to 1897 – New York City’s is by far the most extensive and mission-critical.

NYC’s subway opened in October 1904. Its inaugural line serviced 28 stations along a nine-mile route, beginning at Lower Manhattan’s City Hall before heading north to Grand Central Station, west to Times Square then north again to Harlem. Soon, service expanded to the city’s newly incorporated boroughs, which until 1898 were standalone entities; the subway reached the Bronx in 1905, Brooklyn in 1908 and Queens in 1915.

While the Erie Canal helped establish New York City as America’s premiere city, the ever-growing underground passenger rail network was vital to maintaining that mantle. As new lines stretched into every corner of the city, a commuter culture took root that made New York something many large cities weren’t: self-contained and eminently livable.

Today, the NYC Subway comprises 25 lines (Boston has a grand total of four) servicing a dizzying 472 stations – the most in the world. Its map has confused many a tourist. The system includes more than 650 miles of track and, each weekday, more than 5.5 million passengers ride its nearly 6,500 subway cars. And unlike most major cities’ subways, NYC’s runs around the clock.

The NYC Subway is, simply, the single most important transportation system in the country – the physical engine powering its economic one.

6 The Los Angeles Aqueduct (1913)

At the turn of the 20th Century, Southern California had exceedingly high hopes… but exceedingly little water. For the arid region to attain anything approaching the stature of northerly rival San Francisco, it needed much more of the most mission-critical resource on Earth.

City officials’ solution was the $23 million Los Angeles Aqueduct. Completed in 1913, the five-year initiative diverted water from the Owens River, leading it along a 233-mile journey southwest. At its busiest, construction employed some 3,900 laborers creating 11 lengthy stretches of canal and half a dozen storage reservoirs. Impressively, the water was funneled using nothing except gravity – and that waterflow generates electricity that helps offset operating costs.

In the decades following the aqueduct’s completion, Los Angeles grew not only in size by territory; in fact, its area grew more than sevenfold, from 61 square miles to 440. This was because the city’s charter required those communities utilizing the aqueduct’s waters to annex themselves into Los Angeles proper.

Bolstered in the 1960s with an expansion to maximize its allocated water volume, today the aqueduct remains a crucial part of LA’s infrastructure, supplying nearly 30% of water needs for the city of four million. Unfortunately, as the area descends even further into drought likely due to climate change, the aqueduct’s continued operation has led to court battles over water share disparities and environmental impacts.

5 The Hoover Dam (1936)

Like the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Hoover Dam was born of the necessity to first tame the Wild West in order to settle it on a Manifest Destiny-level scale. While best known as a power plant, the massive dam also served to help control regular, devastating flooding along the 1,450-mile Colorado River and, in doing so, diverting its waters to arid areas that, otherwise, would have been unable to support significant population growth.

The thing is, in a word, massive. More than seven stories high and nearly a quarter-mile long, the Hoover Dam required enough concrete to construct a four-foot-wide sidewalk around the ENTIRE WORLD. At its top, the dam is 45 feet thick – equivalent to a four-lane highway; at its base, it is an impenetrable 660 feet thick – nearly double the length of a soccer pitch.

Incredibly, the Hoover Dam was completed in just five years, about the same time ill-defined, questionably-necessary and unquestionably disruptive roadwork has been occurring near my New Jersey home. The dam’s pace, however, came with a price: as many as 138 people died during its construction.

The Hoover Dam’s impact was immense and immediate – an importance exemplified by the fact that, before America entered World War II, a Nazi plot to blow it up was fortunately foiled. The Third Reich’s goal was to cut off crucial electricity to California’s burgeoning airplane manufacturing industry, imperiling America’s ability to defend itself or wage war.

4 Interstate Highway System (1956)

Soon after the first Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, it became apparent the car would dominate American culture. In 1916, the Federal Aid Road Act authorized construction of interconnecting local roadways; five years later, a follow-up law expanded the effort to include major thoroughfares. In 1926, the first numbered highways appeared, establishing modern navigation route guidelines.

But the most ambitious and consequential roadway construction commenced when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, commonly known as the Interstate Highway Act. The goal was standardization and interconnectivity on a national level. A departure from stop-and-go travel, the new highways were controlled-access expressways with no at-grade crossings – abandoning intersections in favor of over- and underpasses.

The initiative was not without controversy. In densely populated areas, some new freeways required demolishing well-established neighborhoods. In New York, the powerful urban planner Robert Moses had designs on a 10-lane highway cutting straight through Lower Manhattan. Fortunately those plans were thwarted.

Another consequence was unforeseen: as convenient roadways sprung up around major urban centers, middle-class Americans – most of whom were white – began an exodus to commuter communities outside city limits. Known as “white flight,” the rise of widescale American suburbia paralleled with downturns in many major cities. Still, the system’s benefits – efficient travel, less congested roads, decreased commercial shipping costs and times – modernized the culture and economy in ways both necessary and inevitable.

3 National Parks Roadways & Recreation Areas (1956)

As interstate highways crisscrossed the country, Americans took to the roads like never before. This newfound geographical freedom coincided with unprecedented leisure time – a result of the post-World War II economic boom that gave labor unions and individual professionals leverage to secure higher wages and vacation time for workers.

Still a decade or so away from affordable commercial airline travel, Americans packed their bags, hopped in their cars and drove. And a hell of a lot of them ventured to America’s proudest treasures: its national parks. By 1955, annual national parks visitation was 56 million – up from just 21 million in 1941.

Unfortunately, the parks simply weren’t ready for them. Overcrowding and scant recreation areas mixed with a dearth of navigable roads within the parks. Accessible areas became littered and polluted while inaccessible areas remained… well, inaccessible.

So in 1956, National Park Service director Colin Wirth proposed a ten-year plan – called “Mission ‘66” after its planned completion date – that invested hundreds of millions of dollars in widescale infrastructure improvements. The effort dramatically increased not only nature-friendly access roads but staffing, maintenance and visitor centers.

In a nation with a less-than-stellar record of protecting pristine wilderness, the US government successfully saved national parklands while helping Americans visit them more enjoyably and sustainably.

2 Nuclear Power Plants (1958)

Surprisingly, the US was actually third to the nuclear power plant game, behind the Soviet Union (1954) and the United Kingdom (1957). However, the US quickly became the world’s foremost generator of nuclear energy, peaking in 2012 with 104 functioning reactors. Today, America’s 96 operational reactors are still the most on Earth and, at nearly 100,000 MW, produces about 20% of the country’s electricity.

Despite reasonable safety concerns including the creation of radioactive waste and, of course, the possibility of a Chernobyl or Three Mile Island-esque meltdown, the proliferation of nuclear power is more important than mere electricity generation. The successful construction and operation of the vast majority of nuclear power plants taught the world a lesson that, in the here and now, is invaluable: that energy can be produced with zero carbon emissions.

As countries across the world try to expand green energy production, the US has a long way to go if it wants to lead a sustainable energy surge necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Currently, America generates only 20% of its energy through renewable resources like hydro, wind and solar.

By comparison, Iceland and Norway generate all of their electricity using renewable energy resources, and nearly 50 other nations generate over 50% of their electricity from renewables. Recently, US President Joe Biden announced plans to drastically increase renewable production, including intentions to generate 40% of the country’s electricity via solar energy by 2035.

1 Vaccine Manufacturing & Distribution (2020)

The effort to develop effective vaccines against a contagious novel virus is among medical science’s finest accomplishments to date. But having an effective vaccine and delivering it are two very different things. And regardless of anyone’s opinions of former President Trump’s overall handling of the coronavirus situation, his Operation Warp Speed was wildly successful.

First and foremost, Operation Warp Speed’s mission was securing sufficient doses of an eventual vaccine. Despite globalists screeching over vaccine “hoarding,” a nation’s government’s first duty is to protect its own people, period.

But past that, the program provided additional funds for two things: US-based vaccine manufacturing and nationwide distribution. Regarding the former, by March 2021 the US had produced more than 100,000,000 vaccine doses – second only to communist China (the source of the disease), whose vaccine, called Sinovac, is comparative garbage.

The US also stood out in its ability to distribute and administer the vaccines. For the two most common vaccines – next-gen concoctions from Pfizer and Moderna called mRNA vaccines – this involved a far-reaching cold chain support and patient administration system. For example, the initial rules for Pfizer’s vaccine necessitated it be kept at -70° C – colder than the South Pole – and, once thawed, used in five days. America’s exemplary medical infrastructure and human resources oversight helped it far outpace other first world countries’ vaccination rates in the weeks and months following initial FDA emergency approval.

In 1901, Teddy Roosevelt famously said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Little did he know that stick would one day come in the form of chemical injections, psychic attacks, and household pets.

A brief read of military history shows Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy at work. While world leaders typically lead with discussion, it helps to have an iron-clad arsenal in one’s back pocket. Eras like World War II and the Cold War brought boosts of creativity to the military-industrial complex.

In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of combat technology, the military brass has rolled the dice on some questionable tactics in the era of modern combat. Unsurprisingly, the biggest brains and biggest war chests on Earth couldn’t save these ten doomed experiments from the chopping block.

10 The U.S. Camel Corps

No, this wasn’t an attempt to get enemy soldiers hooked on unfiltered cigarettes. In 1856, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis imported dozens of camels from Africa and Turkey. He called them “ships of the desert,” believing that camels would be superior to horses and mules in the harsh, arid terrain.

There were even some successful test runs to support Davis’s claim. In 1855, Congress passed the Shield Amendment. This allocated $30,000 (over $1 million today) for the purchase of camels. Months were spent training civilians and soldiers on the animals.

By 1857, the Camel Corps consisted of 70 animals. By 1861, the American Civil War was taking hold of Congress’s attention, and the great camel experiment was left abandoned. By 1864, the remaining camels were sold at a public auction for $1,945.^[1]

9 Project Iceworm

Never in history has the threat of nuclear war felt more real than during the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union spent years examining any nook or cranny that would give them the edge over the other superpower. In 1958, The U.S. Army devised a plan to store hundreds of ballistic missiles under ice caps in Greenland.

These missiles were to be aimed at the U.S.S.R. in case of a nuclear attack by the Soviets. Lest you think this was just tacked to a drawing board, the Army constructed a prototype ice base named “Camp Century.” This was an intricate, nuclear-powered system of icy underground tunnels, laboratories, and sleeping quarters for over 100 people. The facility even boasted its own hospital and movie theater.

As impressive as this feat of engineering may have been, it couldn’t overcome nature’s will. Three years after launching Project Iceworm, the structural integrity of the facility began to deteriorate. Camp Century became structurally unsound. By 1964, the nuclear reactor was removed, and the entire project was nixed in 1966.^[2]

8 The Edgewood Arsenal Drug Experiments

This is another example of the Cold War motivating bizarre military practices. For nearly 20 years, the U.S. military utilized American troops as guinea pigs for chemical weapons at Edgewood Arsenal.

Edgewood was a remote research facility along the Chesapeake Bay. For two decades, more than 5,000 soldiers were exposed to a myriad of “non-lethal incapacitating agents.” These agents ranged in severity from marijuana to “BZ.” BZ was a chemical that would “disrupt the high integrative functions of memory, problem-solving, attention, and comprehension. A relatively high dose produces toxic delirium, destroying the individual’s ability to perform any military task.”

These years of tests yielded little usable data. The effects were, of course, horrific for the test subjects. After the experiments at Edgewood Arsenal were made known, Congress held a hearing, terminating the inhumane project in 1975.^[3]

7 The Peacekeeper Rail Garrison

The Peacekeeper Rail Garrison is another Cold War relic that never saw the light of day. It was 1986, over a decade after the Edgewood Arsenal experiments ended. The threat of nuclear war was still looming between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. President Ronald Reagan approved the development of a railway system for the transport and launching of Peacekeeper ballistic missiles. Essentially, he wanted to put nukes on trains.

Each train was to consist of two locomotives, two security cars, a launch control car, two missile launch cars, a maintenance car, and several supplemental cars. In May 1988, a $167 million contract was awarded to Westinghouse for the development of a missile launch car. Rockwell International was awarded a $162 million contract to develop the control and security cars.

As Cold War tensions eased, the project was eventually scrapped in 1991. All that remains of the rail garrison is a prototype car that sits on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.^[4]

6 The “Gay Bomb”

The “Gay Bomb” was not a weapon that targeted gay people. No, this was designed to “turn” the enemy gay using a laboratory-developed chemical compound. In 1994, an Air-Force-operated lab in Ohio called the Wright Laboratory was researching non-lethal weapons for military use.

The project was not titled “The Gay Bomb.” They opted instead for “Harassing, Annoying and ‘Bad Guy’ Identifying Chemicals.” The goal was to discover chemicals that would hamper an enemy’s ability to fight.

Wright Laboratory went so far as to send a proposal to the Pentagon, requesting a $7.5 million research grant. The money was designed to research a motley crew of chemicals meant to attract stinging insects, make enemy soldiers fart and have bad breath, or become homosexual due to a designer aphrodisiac. The proposal from Wright Laboratory stated, “One distasteful but non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior.”

Information about the project was released to the press. The project was denied funding, and the “Gay Bomb” died on the vine.^[5]

5 The “Flying Saucer”

At the height of the Cold War, the United States was concerned that Russian ballistic missiles could target U.S. airfields, rendering American air combat useless.

This lit a fire under the Pentagon to develop a “vertical-takeoff” aircraft. In 1956, “Project 1794” was given the green light. The Pentagon contracted with Canadian company Avro Aircraft to design the device. Avro’s assessment of what the craft could do was somewhat idealistic.

They reported that the craft could hover at 100,000 feet and fly at 2,600 miles per hour. The good news is that the Avro craft did hover… at about 3 feet (1 meter). It also did fly… around 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour). All that for the low, low price of $3,168,000 ($26.6 million in today’s market).

As the price tag was too high, the project was canceled in 1961, and the Canadian firm closed its doors a year later. One of the Avrocar prototypes is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. A second prototype went to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia.^[6]

4 Bat Bombs

On January 12, 1942, a Pennsylvania dentist named Lytle S. Adams contacted the White House with a plan to turn the tides of World War II. According to Adams, strapping small bombs to bats would give America the edge it needed against the Axis threat. Adams’s plan stated: “Think of thousands of fires breaking out simultaneously over a circle of forty miles [64 kilometers] in diameter for every bomb dropped. Japan could have been devastated, yet with small loss of life.”

Like all great plans, the bat bomb was met with no small degree of hiccups. During testing, a few of the bomb-laden bats were accidentally released, causing a hangar and a general’s car to be destroyed.

After the accident, the program was taken over by the U.S. Marine Corps in December 1943. Thirty demonstrations and $2 million later, the project was canned. Lytle Adams, not one to give up easily, turned his attention to creating fried chicken vending machines. Those took off about as well as the bats.^[7]

3 “Pain Rays”

This one is a bit more recent. In the mid-2000s, the Department of Defense developed what they called an “Active Denial System,” or ADS. The ADS was a “non-lethal directed-energy weapon” capable of shooting a man-sized (5-foot or 1.5-meter) beam of millimeter waves up to a distance of 3,280 feet )1,00 meters).

In essence, it was a heat ray meant to cause instantaneous pain and disperse unruly crowds. Testing for the device was… inconsistent at best. In 2007, the Air Force released a heavily redacted report after an airman was burned after receiving an ADS blast for four seconds.

In another demonstration, this time for reporters, the effects were different. Due to rain, the pain ray was reduced to a pleasing, warm sensation. The ADS had been proposed for use in prisons, at the U.S./Mexico border, and in the war in Afghanistan. Each time, the proposal was denied.^[8]

2 Project Stargate

Not to be confused with the popular sci-fi movies or TV series, this Stargate may be even less grounded in reality. In a move that could have only been made during the Cold War, the CIA began research on using extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (moving objects using the mind) for the purpose of espionage.

In 1972, a classified report suggested that the Soviet Union was spending plenty of rubles researching psychic powers and their potential use in the military. The CIA, not wanting the Russians to be first, began funding their own research.

The Stanford Research Institute in California became the de facto headquarters for said research. The study was dubbed “Project Stargate.” One of the psychics, known as “remote viewers,” was used in 450 missions for the CIA. The Feds even enlisted the help of self-professed psychic and spoon bender Uri Gellar.

In a report by the American Institutes for Research, it was concluded that “remote viewing had not been proved to work by a psychic mechanism and that it should not be used operationally.” The report was the death knell of Project Stargate.^[9]

1 “Kitty Spies”

“Operation Acoustic Kitty” sounds like an avant-garde folk trio. In reality, it was part of a CIA effort to use non-human agents for espionage purposes during the 1960s. Assuming cats would be cooperative may have been the first misstep.

It’s no wonder Acoustic Kitty was an “off the books” project. According to Victor Marchetti, former assistant to the CIA’s director, the process was inhumane to the chosen felines: “They slit the cat open, put batteries in him, wired him up. They made a monstrosity.”

When it was all said and done, the first Acoustic Kitty cost around $20 million. On its first mission, the cat was struck and killed by a car before reaching the target. By 1967, the project was added to the CIA’s heap of failed projects.

The program’s potential was summed up by NSA employee Jeffrey Richelson, “I’m not sure for how long after the operation the cat would have survived even if it hadn’t been run over.”^[10]

In recent years, the world has seen the essence of innovation. Innovation has made everything evolve, making life easier for people and organizations. As such, educational institutions embrace activities that allow students to do extensive research.

Science fair projects are part of the exciting activities that students take part in at their schools. They are instrumental as they allow the students to explore and be inventive. However, it may be challenging to develop a successful science fair project. In such scenarios, some impressive ideas can help kickstart your journey. So let’s leave the erupting chicken-wire volcano and vegetable batteries in the past and try something a bit different.

Here are some top 10 remarkable science fair projects you can try.

10 Sun Tracking Solar Panel

The main objective of the device is to keep the flat panel that holds the solar cell facing the sun as it shifts position in the sky. The incoming light must be perpendicular to the panel for maximum electricity generation by solar panels.

The essence of a solar tracker is to rotate the panel. The rotation happens along two axes so that the panel is always perpendicular to the incoming light. The energy output may increase by up to 25% compared to a fixed panel.

Aside from the panels, the trackers also help coordinate the collectors. The trackers ensure the collectors are aligned to face the sun directly. Collectors are inefficient enough if they are not aligned entirely with the sun’s direction.

Some items you may need for this project include an Arduino board, power supply, USB cable, straight pins, wires, servo, and mounting screws.

The project is unique and also beneficial because it serves the people appropriately. Anyone with a solar panel would like to receive maximum energy from the sun. The system makes it possible to experience that as a need or a want.

9 POV Clock

POV is an acronym for “persistence of vision.” It is an excellent optical illusion where a digital representation remains even after the light stops entering our eyes. You may decide to showcase any text or image you would like.

A textual representation of what happens is when a beam of light periodically stops for very brief moments. During that time, light does not enter the eyes. POV occurs, causing a visual image to appear to exist continuously.

The human eye can only process ten or fewer images per second. We see the visuals in motion when several images, over ten, are displayed quickly, one after the other. A POV clock is fascinating and attractive, putting it among the top science fair projects you could try.

Here is a list of components and supplies that you may need for this science fair project:

• Arduino Nano R3
• Soldering iron
• DC Motor (It could be generic)
• Slide switch
• Resistor 220 ohm
• LED
• Linear Regulator
• 9v Battery

8 Smart Irrigation System

Everyone, including farmers, can benefit from worthwhile projects such as the smart irrigation system. Irrigation gives plants regulated amounts of water at necessary intervals. In dry locations and during times of below-average rainfall, irrigation comes in handy for the growth of crops. Irrigation also helps maintain ecosystems, stabilize soil, and revegetate damaged soils.

The science fair project’s goal is to use a Node microcontroller to create an automated watering system that is time and money efficient. Immediately the soil moisture sensor utilized as the center core detects inadequate moisture levels, and the envisioned system kickstarts the process of watering the plants.

With true innovation, it may be possible to integrate the system into the internet. The process will make it possible to operate everything from an application to a smartphone. The idea behind this project is to allow landowners to oversee and monitor the development of their crops and farm.

The Smart Irrigation System Using IoT is impressive and beneficial because it simplifies farmers’ lives. Farmers do not have to constantly check their farms when the realization of such projects can do all the monitoring and essential work needed.

7 Smart Alarm Clock

The Internet of Things has enabled the development of beneficial, cost-effective systems. A smart alarm clock using IoT is an impressive project since the clock has numerous advantages. It is possible to place a sensor anywhere around the bedroom area. The sensor can determine the number of hours one sleeps and whether an individual is getting enough sleep.

One of the essential things that improve the quality of sleep is posture. Sleeping in a bad posture can make you wake up feeling grumpy or in a low mood. A smart alarm clock can determine your sleep posture, which means it is a quality sleep enhancer.

Lastly, selecting a tune of your choice is possible with a smart alarm clock. It allows you to decide what kind of tunes you want to hear when you wake up.

There is a massive difference between a traditional clock and a smart clock. A traditional clock goes off based on the time set by the user. However, a smart clock only goes off based on whether the individual has had enough rest.

These are some of the items you need to come up with a simple and effective smart alarm clock:

• LED Lights
• LCD Display
• Breadboards
• Speakers
• Cables And Connectors

6 Magnetic Slime

Magnetic slime is an impressive science fair project for teenagers and children. It is possible to develop a magnetic slime. Iron makes up magnetic slime, which is drawn to powerful magnets. The slime is stretchy, making it fun, especially for teenagers or even adults. The current recipe for the slime is more enjoyable with less mess.

Here is what you need to gather to make magnetic slime:

• Measuring spoon
• Measuring cup
• Plastic spoons
• Bowls
• Liquid starch
• Elmer’s glue
• Iron Oxide powder
• A neodymium magnet

Neodymium magnets are pretty powerful. When attempting to detach the magnets, fingers are prone to get pinched. Ensure you keep all your gadgets away from the magnet. If you purchase small disk magnets, keeping them away from children would be best. The magnet may pose a significant danger when swallowed.

Generally, there are better projects for young children who are curious enough and still eat everything.

Breathing iron oxide powder is also not recommended. You can mix the iron with glue to avoid any risks. Aside from the disclaimers, the science fair project is recommendable.

5 Water Alarm Project

A water alarm can help you prevent significant and expensive water damage by warning you of leaks in your household’s most vulnerable areas. Minor and major water leaks are expensive for homeowners and house insurance companies. It is even sad because the situation is avoidable as water alarms can help detect anything water-related that has gone amiss.

Fortunately, putting one or more water alarms in a home can save homeowners from paying for expensive repairs and hassle. The detection is made possible by a sensor in the alarm. The sensor causes the control unit to raise the alarm either loudly inside the house or via a connected phone. Water alarms are low-risk for any household concerned about leaks because they are typically affordable.

It is recommended to place the water alarms in areas where water consumption happens often. For example, some areas include under sinks and near washing machines or washing areas.

Check out some of the items you will need to create a water alarm:

• PCB 1 Perforated
• Solder wire
• Soldering iron 1
• Battery 1 3v-5v
• Copper Plate 2 L-5cm B-2cm
• Solder flux

4 Rain Alarm Project

The Rain Alarm Project is a straightforward but beneficial project that automatically senses rain and sets off an alert. Water is essential in our everyday life. It’s crucial to conserve water and use it properly. The project aims to assist people in preserving water. Anytime the alarm sounds, it indicates rain, and a user can find ways to collect and preserve the rainwater.

Some components of coming up with a rain alarm include:

• Beadboard
• Battery
• Connecting wires
• Buzzer
• Resistors
• Ceramic capacitor
• Rain sensor
• Transistor

One of the ways to make your project easier is by coming up with a circuit diagram for guidance.

3 Water Dispenser from Cardboard

Making a water dispenser from cardboard is an impressive science fair project. A water dispenser may be necessary when filling a bottle or other vessel with water. You can make a water dispenser from many materials, but cardboard is durable compared to the rest. 

You need the following items to make a decent water dispenser from cardboard:

• Three cardboards
• A plastic water bottle
• Clear water glass
• Origami paper
• Melting glue
• Straw
• Sharp knife
• Metal scale

First, you need to determine the size of the water dispenser you want to make. Ensure it is of considerable size for efficiency. You also need to have something like glue to bind the cardboard together.

The straw acts as the dispenser tap like an ordinary dispenser usually has a regulator. The water bottle will be the one holding water; therefore, it has to be over one liter. The one liter can cater for water you can use for some time.

The project is impressive because it shows anyone can own a water dispenser. The project is cost-effective and beneficial, especially to individuals from struggling backgrounds.

2 Air Cooler Working Project

Hot days are long gone with this simple project. Here are the essential tools needed for the science fair project:

• Small Fan
• DC motor
• Battery
• Wires
• Hot glue gun
• Scissor
• Box cutter

The project is simple, and you only need to follow a few steps to develop something tangible. You need to find or purchase a large plastic jug. A box cutter will be instrumental in the process. Cut the lid of the jug and ensure the measurements you use are from a DC motor. Mark the upper part of the lid in a specific pattern that you will use to make the holes.

In the following steps, you may need another small jug. The small container will go into one side of the larger one. Use the measurements of the small container to cut the side of the jug. The small container has to fit on the side of the large jug perfectly.

After fixing the plastic jugs, connect the wires, the battery, and the switch. Do not forget the DC motor in the process. The connected materials will go through the hole made on the jar lid. An air cooler needs a fan that you will connect to the DC motor. Add ice cubes to the jar and test the homemade air cooler.

1 Earthquake Alarm

We deal with a lot of natural disasters throughout the year. Earthquakes are among the most common disasters. An earthquake detector or alarm is a system that detects earthquakes and informs people. It can help save lives because, most times, everyone needs an alert to take action. Some actions could be running to secure places or seeking emergency services.

Some of the materials you need to make your earthquake alarm include:

• Cardboard of different sizes
• Buzzer
• Metal nuts
• 9-volt battery
• Metal scale
• Color paper
• Metal glue