The History Of Father's Day

Father's Day this year falls on Sunday, June 15, 2025.  Mother's Day was, indeed, the inspiration for Father's Day, but it was a long time before it became an official reality.  The governor of the state of Washington proclaimed the nation's first Father's Day on July 19, 1910.  It was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day an official holiday in 1914, that President Richard Nixon gave Father's Day its official federal holiday status.

The campaign to celebrate Father's Day did not meet with the same type of enthusiasm as Mother's Day.  One florist explained it as fathers not having the same sentimental appeal as mothers.  In 1909, a Spokane, Washington, woman who was one of six children raised by her father, a widower, was successful in establishing a day for male parents the same as the one Mothers enjoyed.  The state of Washington celebrated the nation's first statewide Father's Day on July 19, 1910.

The idea slowly spread.  In 1916 Woodrow Wilson honored the day.  President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father's Day, however many men continued to scoff at the idea claiming it was a sentimental attempt to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving and also claiming it was only a commercial gimmick to sell more products often paid for by the father himself.

In the 1920s and 1930s there was a movement to do away with both Mother's Day and Father's Day and create a Parent's Day instead, the idea being that both parents should be loved and respected together.  The gathering enthusiasm for this idea was basically stamped out during the depression.  Struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father's Day a gift giving holiday for men.  With the onset of World War II, advertisers set forth the argument that celebrating Father's Day was a way to honor American troops.  By the end of the war, Father's Day was a national institution but not yet an official holiday.

In 1972 Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father's Day a federal holiday.  It's estimated that there are more than 70 million fathers in the United States and that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father's Day gifts.

Friday the 13th —Does it make you stop and think?

Triskaidekaphobia:  Fear of the number thirteen.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia:  Fear of Friday the 13^th.

An obviously irrational concept that a mere number can bring bad luck to someone.  Or that a specific day of the week can be unlucky.  But that doesn't stop us from dwelling on the possibility.

The tradition of Friday being a day of bad luck dates back centuries with some of the more common theories linking it to significant events in the Bible believed to have taken place on Friday such as the Crucifixion of Christ, Eve offering Adam the apple in the Garden of Eden, the beginning of the great flood.

Many sources for the superstition surrounding the number thirteen and its association with bad luck also derive from Christianity with the Last Supper being cited as the origin—Judas was the thirteenth person to be seated at the table.

And when you put the two bad luck symbols together you get Friday the 13^th—the day associated with misfortune.

One legend of the origin of Friday the 13^th as unlucky comes from the persecution of the Knights Templar. Philip IV of France borrowed enormous sums of money from the very wealthy Templars to finance a war with England. An ineffectual king and an even worse military commander, Philip was easily defeated. He saw a way of both currying favor with the Pope and eliminating his huge debt. On that fateful day of Friday, October 13, 1307, he ordered all Templars arrested and their property seized. Jacques DeMolay, the Grandmaster of the order, was thrown in prison along with several other high-ranking members of the order. The Knights Templar, which had dominated medieval life for two centuries, were no more. Unfortunately for Philip, the Templars had learned of his planned treachery beforehand. Many of them escaped and their vast stores of treasure were hidden from the King's soldiers. Jacques DeMolay was burned alive after being tortured when he refused to admit to any wrongdoing. Another legend that has also persisted is that Jacques DeMolay cursed both Philip IV and Pope Clement V, as he died. Philip and Clement died within months of DeMolay's death.

Superstition is a belief or notion not based on reason or knowledge.  An irrational belief.  Lots of superstitions came into being during the Dark Ages, a time when living conditions were so severe that people reached out to anything that might bring them help and solace with the results being explanations for what seemed unexplainable at the time.  Religious beliefs and lack of scientific knowledge helped to spawn many superstitions.

Superstitions differ from culture to culture, but we all have them even if it's only paying surface homage to the concept.  We don't believe in the good luck vs. bad luck of chain letters/chain e-mails/chain texts, yet it often comes down to saying what's the harm, then sending them on to avoid breaking the chain.

We often follow the tradition of the superstition without really knowing why it's the traditional thing to do.  If we blow out all the candles on our birthday cake with one breath while making a silent wish, then the wish will come true.  When expressing a desire for good luck (we'll be able to go on the picnic if it doesn't rain), we grin, then we knock on wood as we emit an embarrassed chuckle.

In Western folklore, many superstitions are associated with bad luck.  In addition to Friday the 13^th, there's walking under a ladder, having a black cat cross your path, spilling salt, stepping on a crack, and breaking a mirror among others.

In addition to cultural superstitions, there's also certain occupations that evoke various rituals to bring on good luck.  It seems to me that gamblers and sports figures have the most superstitions and rituals to insure good luck.

Do you have any superstitions that you hold dear?  Are they more of a traditional situation handed down through your family or are they superstitions that have come down through history?

And I'm sure there won't be any unpleasantries or bizarre accidents on Friday the 13^th this month. (knock on wood). 

11 famous products originally intended for a different purpose

Many of the world's most famous brands and products started out as something entirely different than what they are known for today. Some of the best discoveries have happened by accident, such as Silly Putty…and, of course, the 11 products listed here that range from soft drinks originally laced with powerful mind-altering drugs to medicines with unexpected, but profitable, side-effects.

COCA-COLA

Dr. John Pemberton invented the original formula of the syrupy soft drink in 1886. He had been badly injured in the battle of Columbus and, as a result, had became hopelessly addicted to prescription morphine. Being a trained pharmacist, Pemberton decided to come up with his own addiction cure. This resulted in Pemberton's French Wine Coca, a drink that contained alcohol and cocoa leaf extract—the same ingredient that makes cocaine. When Coca-Cola first appeared on the market it was labeled as a nerve tonic that "relieves exhaustion." Cocaine was removed from the product in 1903.

LISTERINE

Surprisingly, the mouth wash you've been using for years was originally marketed as a floor cleaner, a cure for gonorrhea, and was also used as a surgical antiseptic. It did not become commercially successful until re-branded as a cure for bad breath.

BUBBLE WRAP

Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding had been attempting to come up with a new style of textured wallpaper and as a result of their efforts, according to Forbes magazine, in 1957 they created bubble wrap. They sealed together two shower curtains, which made the first layer of the bubbles. They tried selling the product first as wallpaper and later as greenhouse insulation without any success. It was not until IBM launched the 1401 computer in 1959 that bubble wrap was first used for the purpose of keeping products safe in transit.

SLINKY

According to Time magazine, the slinky is one of the most influential toys ever. However, the fascinating metal springs were originally invented for a much more practical purpose: stabilizing devices on ships in choppy seas. It was not until the instrument-stabilizer was accidentally knocked off a shelf and appeared to walk across a desk that its inventor, Richard James, realized that it could be a toy. James once said: "Strictly speaking, I didn't invent the Slinky. He practically walked into my life."

VIAGRA

Scientists who developed Sildenafil Citrate, better known today as Viagra, were hoping it could lower blood pressure and treat the heart problem Angina. During clinical trials they discovered some surprising side effects—the male participants experienced erections. Curing erectile dysfunction became an incredibly lucrative future for the drug. In 2007, its original purpose was vindicated. Scientists showed that as well as boosting blood flow to the penis, the drug could also increase the amount of blood sent to the heart and lungs.

7UP

7UP started out with a long and boring name: Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. As the name implies, the lemon-lime flavored drink contained lithium, a drug used in the treatment of people suffering from bipolar disorder. According to The New York Times, 7UP contained lithium until 1950. It has even been suggested that the "7" in the name refers to lithium's atomic mass and "UP" had to do with an improved mood after using the product.

ROGAINE

Rogaine is the commercial name for minoxidil—a drug which can help reduce high blood pressure. It's second use was discovered by patients taking the blood-pressure medication Loniten (which also contains minoxidil). They noticed increased hair growth on their scalp. Realizing the commercial value of this side-effect, Rogaine was made available as a hair loss solution in 1988.

FRISBEE

William Russell Frisbie bought a bakery in Connecticut in the late 19th century, which he called the Frisbie Pie Company. After Frisbie's death, his company continued to flourish and in 1956 reached a peak production of 80,000 pies per day. Pies and cookies made by the company were purchased in a plate-shaped tin bearing the name "Frisbee Pies." Yale students discovered a second use for the tins, and began to hurl them around the university campus. As the flying disk approached its target, the thrower would shout "Frisbie" as a warning. The slightly different spelling "frisbee" is now used for the toy.

CHAINSAW

The earliest mention of the chainsaw comes from the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which says the original purpose of the chainsaw was to cut bone in operations. The journal says: "Orthopedics became a specialty with the help of a new instrument, the osteotome, invented around 1830 by the German Bernard Heine. An illustration from a contemporary inventory of surgical tools shows that this clever master of prosthetics had in fact invented the chainsaw."

WD-40

WD-40 is most commonly used to protect metal implements from moisture and to loosen tight screws. Around 80% of US households own a can of the stuff. It was originally used for lubricating nuclear missiles during the Cold War era. It was created by a small San Diego company, Rocket Chemical, and its retail name of WD-40 is an abbreviation for "water displacement, 40th attempt" at coming up with a viable product for the initial use.

PLAY-DOH

Cleo and Noah McVicker developed the putty in 1933 to help clean up soot-covered walls [the Travel Channel's Mysteries At The Museum did a segment on this]. Made from a simple combination of flour, water, and salt, it was meant to be rolled across walls to remove dirt. However, the introduction of vinyl wallpaper (easy to clean with just soap and water) meant the concoction became unnecessary. But then, the company discovered that the formula could be used as a pliable modeling clay. Renamed Play-Doh, it was put on sale for this purpose in 1956.

This is just a sample of the many products invented for one specific purpose and ultimately used for something completely different.

MEMORIAL DAY—History of the holiday

The last Monday in May, in 2025 that's May 26^th, is Memorial Day in the United States—a holiday honoring the men and women who died during military conflict in service to the United States. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War but didn't become an official federal holiday until 1971.

The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history. This required the establishment of the country's first national cemeteries. In the late 1860s, Americans in various small towns and large cities held springtime tributes to fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan proclaimed May 30 as Decoration Day, the date chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General Logan made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) where 5,000 participants decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

Decoration Day originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War on both sides of the conflict. But by the time the U.S. became involved in World War I, the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.

The name Decoration Day gradually changed over to Memorial Day during the ensuing years, but continued to be observed on May 30. In 1968, one hundred years after General Logan made his Decoration Day proclamation, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. This law also declared Memorial Day to be a federal holiday. The change went into effect in 1971.

In addition to nationwide parades and the decorating of graves and monuments with flags and flowers, Memorial Day has come to hold a second distinction. It is also a time of many family gatherings which include backyard BBQs and picnics. With an official date of the last Monday in May, the holiday is considered the unofficial start of summer and the beginning of the vacation travel season in the U.S. with the Labor Day holiday on the first Monday of September signaling the unofficial end of the summer season. Many recreational boaters launch their boats on lakes and rivers over the Memorial Day weekend for the first outing of the summer. Tourist attractions gear up for the summer vacationers. 

9 LOST INVENTIONS

I discovered this list and thought it would make an interesting blog. Lots of stories from ancient times describe incredible inventions, some purported to be real and others attributed to magic and wizards.  It's fair to say that most of them are nothing more than fanciful tales with no relationship to reality.  However…when three separate historians describe something, it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look. Some of these inventions could come in handy in today's society.

1)  FLEXIBLE GLASS

One such story comes from the reign of Emperor Tiberius Caesar and tells of a glassmaker who came to his court with a drinking bowl. The Emperor threw it on the stone floor where it merely bent rather than shattering. He had the man beheaded because he feared the flexible glass would undermine the value of gold. Some speculate that this tale presages the development of tempered glass, but even that doesn’t bend, leaving the truth lost to the ages.

2)  STARLITE

Some truly great inventions came from unlikely sources which is how you’d explain Starlite. Jane's International Defense Review contained the first announcement of Starlite, a revolutionary insulation created by hobbyist Maurice Ward in the 1980s. Live TV tests showed the material keeping an egg completely raw after 5 minutes of a blow torch. Several noted scientists vouched for its incredible ability to resist heat and impact. Unfortunately, Ward died in 2011 before sharing the secret of Starlite to anyone and the material hasn't been seen since.

3)  THE OGLE CARBURETOR

Ever since the invention of the automobile people have been looking for ways to improve fuel efficiency. Most of them are worthless or scams (i.e., the dozens of "gasoline pills"), but every so often one comes along that's more believable. In the 1970s, a man named Tom Ogle developed a new type of carburetor that pressurized gasoline into a vapor and injected it into the firing chambers. After installing it in his Ford Galaxie, the car got a verified 113 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, Ogle died in 1981 before revealing the design of his carburetor.

4) SLOOT DIGITAL CODING SYSTEM

Here's a lost invention that's very modern, one that fascinates data storage experts. In the late 1990s Romke Jan Berhnard Sloot, a Dutch electronics technician, announced the development of the Sloot Digital Coding System. He described it as a revolutionary advance in data transmission that could reduce a feature-length movie down to a file size of just 8KB. Sloot demonstrated this by playing 16 movies at the same time from a 64KB chip. After getting a bunch of investors, he mysteriously died on September 11, 1999, two days before he was scheduled to hand over the source code.

5)  WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION

An entire book could have been written about the inventions that Nikola Tesla took to the grave with him. One such invention was the ability to distribute power wirelessly on a global scale. Tesla had dazzled crowds with demonstrations of short-range wireless power through the air, using coils to light the bulbs as far as 100 feet away with no physical connection between the coil and the light bulbs. Tesla claimed he had a significant upgrade on that technique that allowed for electricity to be transmitted through the Earth’s atmosphere, using high-altitude receiving stations. He began constructing a prototype in 1901 but funding fell through and it was never completed.

6)  GREEK FIRE

Warfare has always been a driving force for the development of technology. Apparently we humans never tire of coming up with faster and more painful ways to kill each other. In the 7th century, eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperors were purported to have deployed an incendiary weapon exceptionally effective in naval warfare, as it could be shot from siphon-like devices and continued to burn even when it came in contact with water. The substance has come to be known as Greek fire, and although we've certainly invented other similar weapons, the composition and manufacture of this one was such a closely-guarded military secret that no records remain.

7)  INCA STONEWORK

Some lost technologies don't seem all that impressive on the surface, but modern man still can't figure them out. A good case in point is the stonemasonry of the ancient Inca people of Peru. Working with huge, rough-hewn stones is extremely difficult especially without modern machinery. But the fit of the blocks in Inca structures in Macchu Picchu is so tight and precise that it's been said you couldn't fit a razor blade between them. It's still unknown how the Incas of the time were able to transport the massive stones—some weighing as much as 300,000 pounds—and place them with such precision.

8)  SILPHIUM

This item is a plant rather than an actual invention.  It's what the ancient Romans did with it that makes it notable. This member of the fennel family grew wild in North Africa and was used as a primitive contraceptive, with its leaves ground into a resin and used as a spermicide. The settlers of the area quickly began exporting silphium in large quantities resulting in the plant quickly being rendered extinct. To this day, we don’t know what in silphium's biological makeup allowed it to serve as birth control.

9)  TESLA DEATH RAY

Another Nikola Tesla creation. This one never saw the light of day. In the late 1930s, Tesla approached the U.S. military with a proposal.  He would create a new style of weapon for them that could be fired great distances. The exact blueprints for this weapon have never been revealed, but there are a number of speculations. Some believe it might have been a primitive laser, while others think it was an electrostatic generator that blasted microscopic pellets of tungsten at intense force a distance of over 300 miles. Tesla’s death device has since been lost forever.

Note: Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) refers to the engineer and inventor mentioned in items #5 and #9, not the electric car manufacturing company.

Leonardo da Vinci's 10 Best Ideas

Without a doubt, Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) is the embodiment of the term Renaissance man. His genius crossed into so many different areas—artist, architect, inventor, and master of all things scientific. All this from a man who had no formal education beyond basic reading, writing, and math.

Until the 2003 publication of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, he was best known as the artist who painted two of the world's most famous paintings—Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But there was so much more to him than his artistic creations.

His genius knew no bounds. With a combination of intellect and imagination, he created (at least on paper) such inventions as the bicycle, helicopter, and an airplane that he based on the physiology and flying capability of a bat.

So, without further ado, here in no particular order is a list of Leonardo da Vinci's ten best ideas.

THE VITRUVIAN MAN

Thanks to Da Vinci, this drawing is considered one of the most recognizable figures on earth. He modeled his perfect human form after the proportions set forth by ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.

GEOLOGIC TIME

While the scientists of his time explained inland and mountain top mollusk fossils as something leftover from the Bible's Great Flood, Leonardo disagreed. He believed the mountains were once coastline before many years of gradually shifting upwards.

THE SELF-PROPELLED CAR

His designs for a self-propelled vehicle were revolutionary for his time. His wooden vehicle moved by the interaction of springs and geared wheels. In 2004, scientists at a museum in Florence, Italy, built a replica. It worked just as Da Vinci had intended.

THE IDEAL CITY

Living in plague-ravaged Milan, he envisioned a more efficient city. His architectural drawings were very detailed and even included horse stables and fresh air vents. To the disappointment of many of Milan's modern day residents, there wasn't any provision for a soccer stadium.

THE AERIAL SCREW

Even though most modern scientists agree it would never have gotten off the ground, Da Vinci's helicopter design is still one of his most famous. It was meant to be operated by a four-man crew and probably inspired by the windmill toy popular in his time.

THE TRIPLE-BARRELED CANNON

Da Vinci's distaste for conflict didn't stop him from coming up with designs for more efficient cannons. His triple-barrel design would have been a deadly weapon of war.

THE WINGED GLIDER

His imagination soared with ideas for various types of flying machines, including gliders with flappable wings. His open-shelled glider model had seats and gears for the pilot.

THE REVOLVING BRIDGE

As a fan of the quick getaway, he thought his revolving bridge would be best used in warfare. His design was made of light weight yet sturdy materials affixed to a rolling rope-and-pulley system and allowed an army to change locations on a moment's notice.

SCUBA GEAR

Da Vinci had a true fascination with the oceans and had many designs for aquatic exploration. His diving suit was made from leather and connected to a snorkel made of cane and a bell that floated on the surface.

MIRROR WRITING

For whatever reason, he liked mirror writing with most of his journals written in reverse.

10 Jobs That No Longer Exist

This is certainly far removed from a complete list of obsolete jobs, but it's an interesting cross-section. Some of these jobs were prominent centuries ago and have been gone for a long time, some are much more recent. One or two of them may have existed in your lifetime. But either way, they are jobs that no longer exist.

Pre-Radar Listener

And speaking of World War II (and World War I)…during times of war in the days before radar, these listeners were people assigned to detect enemy aircraft. They did this by using acoustic mirrors and listening devices to detect the sounds of engines. (above picture)

Daguerreotypists

We've all seen photographs from back in the day showing the photographer taking a picture, whether a portrait in a studio or Matthew Brady engaged in his landmark history changing photographs from the U.S. Civil War. Prior to modern cameras and selfies, daguerreotypes were one of the earliest forms of photography. These images were made by daguerreotypists, who treated a silver-coated copper plate with light-sensitive chemicals. After exposing it in a camera and developing it with mercury, a detailed image appeared.

Ice Cutter

Back when today's electric refrigerators were referred to as ice boxes, there was a reason for it.  Highly insulated 'boxes' held a large block of ice and kept food cold (until the ice melted).  The ice man delivered the large blocks of ice door to door.  These blocks were provided by people known as ice cutters who would literally cut the huge blocks from frozen lakes. And in the summer? Mostly it was 'tough luck.'

Knocker-Up

Before you become shocked or start laughing, that's not what I'm talking about here. The knocker-up was literally a human alarm clock. A knocker-up would visit your house to make sure you got to work on time. They used a long, light stick to hit their client's doors or windows to wake them.

Rat Catcher

From several centuries ago to even just a couple of centuries ago, cities (both residential neighborhoods and industrial areas) were plagued by disease-carrying rodents. Rat catchers were the people employed to remove the vermin off the streets. Today people whose job it is to catch rats, mice, spiders, bugs, snakes, etc. are referred to as exterminators. 

Lamplighter

Back in the day when street lights were gas, before the days of electric lamps, lamplighters would use long poles to light, extinguish and refuel street lamps to illuminate the night streets.

Milkman

Before refrigerators existed, and even in the day of the ice box, it was hard to keep milk from going bad, especially in summer. The milkman made regular neighborhood deliveries. With the advent of home refrigeration and the convenience of modern supermarkets, the need for the milkman disappeared.

Switchboard Operator

At one time switchboard operators were a key part of a telephone network’s operation. Initially, anyone wanting to make even a local call needed the operator to put it through. After local dial was the norm, the operator was still required for long distance. And in businesses where numerous employees were all connected to the same company phone number, the switchboard operator was needed to direct incoming calls. But now, with billions of phone calls made every day, the job of switchboard operator would be virtually impossible.

Computer

Before you wrinkle your forehead into a frown and formulate an immediate objection to the concept of computer belonging on a 'no longer exists' list, I'm not talking about the hardware/software combination that is vital to today's society. I'm talking about a person rather than a machine. Computer was an actual job title. Before computers (the machine) became commercially available, these computers (the human workers—commonly women) performed mathematical calculations, converting and crunching numbers by hand. These 'computers' were invaluable during World War II calculating firing logistics for the artillery units at the front.

Resurrectionist

Also known as 'body snatchers' as well as grave robbers. Resurrectionists were hired to dig newly buried, fresh corpses from graveyards and sell them to universities to be used as cadavers for medical research and instruction.

And as is obvious, many of today's jobs will be obsolete at some point in time. Some of them not that far away. 

15 BIZARRE NATURAL WONDERS

kelp forest

I've done several blogs about various travel topics and locations, things of interest and places to visit that present the traveler with unusual experiences.

I recently saw a list of 15 natural wonders considered to be bizarre and definitely unusual.  And since they say a picture is worth 1,000 words, I'll save myself 15,000 words by including pictures. :)

Here, in no particular order, are 15 bizarre natural wonders.

Soleli Desert, Bolivia

Taking a trip across the Soleli Desert has been described as being like taking a trip through a Dr. Seuss book.  Strange rock formations, pink lagoons filled with flamingos, deadly geysers, an abandoned train cemetery, and the totally bizarre Uyuni Salt Flats.

Blood Falls, Antarctica

The Blood Falls emerge from Taylor Glacier and fall into Lake Bonney.  The red color of the waterfall comes from a buried saltwater reservoir containing iron.

Bowling Ball Beach, California

This is one of a very few locations anywhere in the world where you can find boulders of equal shape and size perfectly arranged in nature.

Hell's Gate, New Zealand

It was George Bernard Shaw who gave the Rotorua location its name of Hell's Gate.  You'll find bubbling mud ponds, smoking sulfur pits, and erupting geothermal pools. (Actually, it sounds a lot like areas of Yellowstone)

Great Blue Hole, Belize

The Lighthouse Reef ecosystem is home to this large submarine sinkhole which measures 984 feet across and 394 feet deep.  It is believed to be the world's largest sinkhole and is considered one of the best places in the world to scuba dive.

Snow Monsters, Japan

The so-called snow monsters are frost-covered trees on Japan's Mount Zao.  Heavy, wet snow solidifies to fir trees creating these alien looking creatures.

Wave Rock, Australia

This is one of the most beautiful rock formations in the world.  This tidal wave looking rock is 49 feet high and 328 feet long.

Door To Hell, Turkmenistan

This burning gas crater has been blazing for over 35 years.

Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand

These large boulders, formed from sea floor sediments, are 60 million years old.  The process is similar to the way a pearl forms inside an oyster.  The shape of the boulders is so perfect that they appear to be man-made.

Quinoa Forest, Cuenca

Claiming to be the highest altitude forest in the world, this mythical-looking location contains various Inca legends.  Due to the lack of soil, the twisting roots grow above ground.

Cano Cristales, Colombia

Referred to as "The River Of Five Colors," Cano Cristales is a clear river of vibrant greens, blues, reds, and yellows in many shades.

Tessellated Pavement, Tasmania

This bizarre natural formation in Eaglehawk Neck is made up of fractured stone created from a combination of stress on the Earth's crust, sand, and waves.

Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada

This 38 acre lake site is a rare natural phenomenon with one of the highest mineral contents in the world, which helps to form the spots on the lake surface.

Fairy Chimneys Of Cappadocia, Turkey

Strange rock formations are sculpted by wind and water and are best viewed from above such as from a hot air balloon.

Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA

In the early 1900s, the owners of the land in the Haulapai Valley of Nevada were searching for water.  While drilling, they hit a geothermal pocket which created the geyser.  In addition to the vibrant colors, the geyser is continually growing in height.  

The picture of the geyser totally grabbed my attention because of its similarity to the sight of the fountain in the lake at my mother's house one exceptionally cold winter (1989 to be exact).

The ice built up around the fountain until it reached a towering height with only the path of the water jets clear of ice, making it resemble a geyser.  The three pictures here show it at its maximum ice, with my brother to give it perspective, the fountain without any ice.