KA-BOOM!!!!
July 1, 2008 2:47 PM   Subscribe

The Tunguska Event. A century ago, something exploded over Russia...

Different theories abound.
Some of the more outlandish are summed up in the always splendid Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World 1 2 3
posted by fearfulsymmetry (22 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
Everyone knows that the Tunguska event was actually the result of Nikola Tesla's experiments to transfer electricity wirelessly.

What is less known is that he got the idea from reading tablets which were recovered from the lost city of Atlantis.

Turns out, it was aliens the whole time.
posted by quin at 3:25 PM on July 1, 2008 [1 favorite]


Kaboosh!
posted by languagehat at 3:34 PM on July 1, 2008


Alex Krycek has to be involved somehow.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:45 PM on July 1, 2008 [2 favorites]


Nice commemoration! Wonder if you could get the post date/time bumped... cortex?
posted by mwhybark at 3:56 PM on July 1, 2008


KIMBERLITE PIPES!!
posted by billysumday at 4:08 PM on July 1, 2008


Okay, but seriously, it was a kimberlite explosion.
posted by billysumday at 4:10 PM on July 1, 2008


Thanks for posting this. I was thinking about doing the same yesterday, but didn't get around to it.
posted by christopherious at 4:24 PM on July 1, 2008


Wherefore have I aforetime said, and here repeat again, Do not call up Any that you cannot put down.
posted by arcanecrowbar at 5:56 PM on July 1, 2008 [3 favorites]


Just a side-effect of MAXIMORTAL'S creation/destruction...
posted by Ron Thanagar at 6:13 PM on July 1, 2008


Every time I read about this, I beat my head in frustration that a) it took them so long to get there and b) they barely collected (or published) any data.
posted by DU at 6:31 PM on July 1, 2008 [1 favorite]


"Sooner or later it was bound to happen..."
posted by bondcliff at 7:17 PM on July 1, 2008


The most intriguing theory I've read was that it was the first nuclear test. When an atomic bomb detonates above the surface, due to some complicated physics, it will leave a ring of tree trunks standing around the blast site perimeter. Tunguska had this ring around the center of the blast site. And apparently there were significant radiation readings in the area.

How a nuclear bomb showed up in 1908 is befuddling, to say the least, and just brings up lots more questions.
posted by zardoz at 7:21 PM on July 1, 2008


It was a controlled demolition, people.
posted by tomble at 7:29 PM on July 1, 2008


I dunno, I still think being a bolide is the most interesting explanation.

See, it could happen again.
posted by dhartung at 10:13 PM on July 1, 2008


I read the "nuke-theory" somewhere too, it's my favorite. Nukes in the age of horsedrawn carriages.
posted by dabitch at 1:15 AM on July 2, 2008


...due to some complicated physics, it will leave a ring of tree trunks standing around the blast site perimeter. Tunguska had this ring around the center of the blast site.

If a tiger attacked my suburban dog, it would would be dead with bite marks. I found my dog dead with bite marks this morning. Therefore a tiger attacked it. <= Fallacious logic

Also, the "complicated physics" you are talking about has nothing to do with the atomic part of the atomic bomb and everything to do with the bomb part. So all you've established, if anything, is that something exploded above the surface. Which is the prevailing theory.

That said: Time travel
posted by DU at 3:00 AM on July 2, 2008 [2 favorites]


That said: Time travel

Ah, my favorite UFO explanation, which seems to become more plausible as time travel theories evolve.

However, any explanation concerning Nikola Tesla is golden.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 6:04 AM on July 2, 2008


The site today.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:58 AM on July 2, 2008


WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!!
posted by orthogonality at 9:57 AM on July 2, 2008


Thank you for posting this. I read it a few days ago, and thought it was the best summary of the events I've come across.
posted by malaprohibita at 10:01 AM on July 2, 2008


Argh! That's what I get for not really paying attention. (of course I am at work...)
posted by malaprohibita at 10:27 AM on July 2, 2008


Looks The Tunguska was covered in Radio 4's Material World this week (not listened to it yet)... if you can't get it via the website you can download the podcast (usually stays up for a week)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:47 PM on July 3, 2008


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