Strange and Mysterious Images Showing How Weird Our World Truly Is

This article was originally published on Travellergazette.com

It seems like no one uses the phrase, “You don’t see that every day” anymore. Whatever happened to the natural wonder and curiosity in the world? We need more of that spark in our day-to-day lives. If you’re feeling uninspired and in need of a boost, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to reignite your curiosity with these amazing, weird photos of real-life occurrences. From heart transplants to odd historical photos, get ready to have your mind blown.

#1: A Unique Library

Turkish garbage collectors made news in 2017 when their self-made library caught national attention. Sanitation workers in Ankara, Turkey, began collecting books that they would find discarded in the trash. Most book lovers would pale at the thought of throwing a book in the trash. Thankfully, these sanitation workers found a new use for them. 

The library is full of over 6,000 books that were rescued from the landfill. The project initially started as a resource for sanitation workers and their families. However, the library started getting more attention, so it eventually opened to the public. This amazing collection is housed at Ankara’s sanitation headquarters. 

#2: Nature’s Weird Occurrences

The wildest things in this world come from nature. Evolution and genetic mutations can create some oddly specific, unique animals. This crocodile has an oddly shaped tail that makes it look like more of a mermaid than anything else. Instead of the usual pointed tail of a crocodile, it has a tail with a fin. 

This mermaid tail is most likely the result of a rare mutation. Thankfully, this baby crocodile can still swim and survive with its unique tail. If someone had seen this in real life long ago, they would probably have been convinced that it was a mermaid and not a crocodile. We wonder what this crocodile’s tail will look like when it grows into an adult. 

#3: A Tree Trunk or Pasta?

What’s this picture of spilled spaghetti doing here? Oh, that’s just what a real-life tree trunk looks like after being struck by lightning. While it can be pretty dangerous when lightning strikes a tree, it can also be a pretty miraculous occurrence. We’re guessing this tree’s trunk exploded from the inside when it was struck during a storm. 

The result is a weird transformation that makes the tree bark look like loose spaghetti. Weird! Trees can look different when they’re struck by lightning, depending on how it happens. There are times when a bright, burned strip appears all along a tree trunk. There are other times when lightning strikes inside a tree and makes it burn from the inside out. 

#4: A Strange Prescription

Smoking cigarettes used to be way more popular than it is today. In fact, it used to be celebrated as a huge advancement in medicine. People, including trained doctors, believed that smoking has health benefits. Obviously, we now know that smoking is extremely bad for your body and health. 

However, back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, smoking was prescribed for various ailments. Believe it or not, doctors used to prescribe cigarettes as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The irony of this seems absolutely wild to us today. But back then, it was just another medical marvel.