Curio Cabinet

When you’re on a plane, a crash course is the last thing you want. But that’s exactly what was waiting in store for Darren Harrison on May 10 when he took off from the Bahamas in a Cessna 208 and the pilot became incapacitated while in the air. The Cessna 208 isn’t exactly a jet airliner—it’s a small, single engine plane with a propeller and room for nine passengers. It’s not the most complex sky-faring machine, but that’s cold comfort to someone who’s never flown an airplane before. After the Cessna went into a sudden nosedive, Harrison made his way to the plane’s cockpit where he found the pilot slumped over at the controls. Harrison was able to reach air traffic control on the radio, telling them, "I've got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane." Harrison also informed them that he could see the coast of Florida but had no idea what the plane’s exact location was, so he was told to follow the coast either northbound or southbound until they could find him. The newly-minted aviator also told them that while he had seen pilots at work, he had no actual flight experience.
 
Fortunately, among the air traffic controllers was someone who also happened to be a certified flight instructor: Robert Morgan. But Morgan had never flown a Cessna 208 before, so he wasn’t familiar with the craft’s instrument panel layout. To give himself a visual aid, Morgan printed out a picture of the Cessna’s instrument panel and used it to guide Harrison, directing him to the biggest airport in his vicinity, the Palm Beach International Airport. He chose the airport because it has longer runways and less congestion than others in the area. In the meantime, Harrison was instructed to keep the wings level and descend slowly by reducing power to the engine. Somehow, Harrison was able to remain level-headed throughout the harrowing ordeal. As the plane neared the airport, Morgan told Harrison to position the plane about 8 miles away to give him more space to aim for the runway. With Morgan’s careful instructions over the radio, Harrison landed successfully. Morgan told CNN, "It was an emotional moment. He said that he just wanted to get home to his pregnant wife. And that felt even better." That’s pretty down-to-earth motivation for a quick-thinking, impromptu pilot.

 
[Image description: A Cessna 208 caravan plane sits on a runway.] Credit & copyright: Nel_Botha-NZ, Pixabay

This is just about the goodest boy you’ll ever see. Patron, a two-year-old Jack Russell terrier, was recently given a medal by the president of Ukraine for locating over 200 explosives. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented the award to the dog and his owner, Mykhailo Iliev of the Civil Protection Service, during a news conference held in Kyiv with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In an address to his country later that day, Zelenskiy mentioned Patron and referred to him as a “sapper”—a military engineer whose job can include clearing mines and other explosives. Zelenskiy also commended the dog for helping educate children about the mines laid by Russian forces, stating, “Due to the Russian invaders, this is now one of the most urgent tasks—to teach children to recognize and avoid explosive objects.” Patron, whose name means “ammo” in Ukrainian, finds explosives by sniffing them out.
 
At work, the terrier dons a tiny, protective vest with a military patch. It might be an adorable sight during peaceful times, but Patron’s work is as important as it is dangerous. Iliev originally bought Patron from a friend to be a family pet, but discovered that the dog had a particularly keen nose. His talent was quickly put to use, as Patron was trained to sniff out the smell of gunpowder. The pair now go around the war-torn country along with around 600 other de-miners working around the clock to safely dispose of the explosives that have been left behind. So far, that numbers at a staggering 54,000 mines and other unexploded ordnance, according to a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service who spoke with The Washington Post. But even heroes don’t work 24/7. Iliev told The Today Show, that even when Patron is off the clock he “gives rays of the sun, gives smiles and gives hope only for victory and peace on earth.” Now that’s one busy pup.
 
[Image description: A close-up photo of Patron the dog wearing his work vest as someone pets his head.] Credit & copyright: State Emergency Service of Ukraine, dsns.gov.ua, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size, image is hereby distributed under the same license linked here.

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy these creepy curios in honor of Friday the 13th!
 
Beware of floppy shoes. Today's scary curio is about the terrifying subject of: clowns. The fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, has probably been around as long as clowns have. While the word "clown" was likely invented by Shakespeare, "rustic fools" or jesters have existed in the public consciousness since classical Greek and Roman times. And according to Harvard psychologist Steven Schlozman, our brains are wired to fear exaggerated human features like swollen noses, big feet, and discolored faces. This is because our ancestors' reptilian brains learned that corpses, which looked similar but different to living acquaintances, should be avoided. This phenomenon is known today as the uncanny valley effect, where humanoid objects—which appear almost but not exactly like real humans—can elicit feelings of eeriness and revulsion.
 
But it's not just the fault of evolution. Popular culture has done plenty to make us afraid of clowns. In the late 1970s, the press had a field day with the gruesome details of Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, forever linking clowns to terror. Gacy was known locally as a child entertainer called Pogo the Clown. He was convicted in 1980 of luring and asphyxiating 33 young men and hiding their bodies in the crawl space under his house. Which probably inspired the scary clown doll under the bed in Poltergeist two years later. Then, in 1986, Stephen King wrote It, a horror novel about Pennywise the Dancing Clown who preys on seven young children. It was made into a miniseries in 1990, and last month Hollywood released a feature-length version with scary good box office results. Part II is already planned for next year. Basically, people just love to fear clowns.

Follow the clues, find the treasure. In Miramichi, a small city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, a mysterious mastermind is hiding cash and leaving clues on how to find it. Operating under the pseudonym Roman Dungarvon, he runs a Facebook group called the Miramichi Mystery Machine and has been using the page to post clues since May 2. The very first clue was simply a picture of a plastic treasure chest accompanied by a text that read, “$100 bill at Ritchie Wharf is in the small treasure chest.” Within hours, residents from all over the small city flocked to the area,and one lucky person did find the money, proving that the treasure chest was real. Dungarvon claims in the “About” section of the page that he is the descendant of the original Dungarvon Whooper, and that he is doing this to make amends for his ancestor.
 
According to local legends from the 19th century, the Dungarvon Whooper was the ghost of a young cook who was murdered at a lumber camp for his money. After his death, he would make whooping sounds that scared off the workers in the camp, including his murderer. Whatever the case may be, the residents of Miramichi have fully embraced treasure hunting, finding $50 to $100 in cash hidden around town. To track down the treasure, however, involves decoding the clues provided by Dungarvon on his page. Some of the clues are text over generic images, but others are posters of or stills from old horror movies like Prom Night. Aside from leaving clues, Dungarvon has been very active in engaging with his followers and would-be treasure hunters. He often comments on the media coverage surrounding the finds and congratulates the people who have found the treasure. In fact, he seems to be keeping a close eye on those who are out seeking his hidden caches, identifying them by the clothes they’re wearing and announcing when someone is close to finding the money. With no signs of stopping, the Miramichi Mystery Machine page currently has over 4,000 followers, and new clues seem to be dropping every day. Maybe this is a mystery best left unsolved!

 
[Image description: An open treasure chest shines golden light into an empty, dark space.] Credit & copyright: 6689062, Pixabay