There’s not a ton happening between Christmas and New Year’s, so I’m diving again into a few of my favourite bizarre mysteries. The story of the primary supposed homicide in Antartica is a bit laborious to trace down, but it surely’s one my Dad would usually repeat when his snotty children pulled out the chess set.
The USSR established Vostok station in 1957, and solely two brief years later, the supposed violence between two researchers befell. It shouldn’t be clear precisely what occurred, or if it occurred in any respect. This will come as no shock to followers of Cold War historical past that information from that far again involving unsavory actions by scientific heroes of the Soviet Union won’t have survived. It’s equally probably the U.S. may simply make some shit up about these dastardly Soviets to impress upon people how unhinged Communists actually have been.
The story appears to hint again to a good paper, if nonetheless sketchy supply. A 1985 piece within the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed NASA psychologists in a narrative concerning the stress of dwelling within the Antarctic.
It is Saturday night time at one of many world’s most distant outposts, and Navy steelworker Barton “Brillo” Prentiss is waving a bottle of high-octane Chilean liquor over his head. “I foresee adventure tonight,” he shouts. The subsequent day, after a sleepless night time, he wanders glassy-eyed by the mess corridor right here, mumbling to himself.
Mr. Prentiss’s consuming binge ends Monday morning as he stares with bloodshot eyes right into a espresso cup. “I can’t look myself in the mirror anymore,” says Mr. Prentiss, who’s 30 years previous however seems to be 15 years older. “I drink too much.”
Like lots of the 1,000 U.S. sailors, scientists and others stationed right here annually, Mr. Prentiss loves the unspoiled wilderness, the difficult work and the camaraderie, however he hates the boredom and isolation. “We work ourselves to death,” he says, tears welling up in his eyes. “Then we drink ourselves to death.”
Alcohol abuse is rampant in Antarctica. A University of Oklahoma research in 1970 estimated that the standard man right here outdrinks his U.S. counterpart 9 to at least one. And drug abuse is a nagging drawback on the U.S. South Pole station, the place, a number of Antarctic veterans say, marijuana has frequently been cultivated beneath lamps throughout previous winters.
But alcohol and medicines are simply two of the social and psychological issues of life on “the Ice,” as it’s identified regionally. The six-month-long Antarctic day can spark power insomnia referred to as the “big eye,” whereas the six-month night time could cause despair and delicate paranoia or, in uncommon cases, could cause folks to go berserk.
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The Soviets, who keep seven scientific stations right here, have already utilized one lesson: According to NASA psychologists, cosmonauts have been forbidden to play chess in house ever since a Russian within the Antarctic murdered a colleague with an ax after shedding a chess sport.
Yeah, sounds prefer it might be an actual nightmare. Unlike Arctic bases, Antarctic researchers are minimize off from resupply through the six months of close to whole darkness referred to as winter. Add to that the purposeful, but spartan buildings, bleak panorama and the unchanging leisure choices and faces (not less than till web got here to the poles), and also you’ve received a stew that would ship even the strongest minds packing.
Murder over one thing so small within the Antarctica shouldn’t be unprecedented, even in latest instances. In 2018, a Russian researcher was charged with tried homicide after attempting to finish a fellow researcher who wouldn’t give up spoiling the ends of books for him.
Source: jalopnik.com