Photo: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870 – 1924) lying in state in the Kremlin. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). 1924

Important! For the same article in Russian language click here.

Something quite intriguing is happening within Russian-speaking internet during the last few – should you type a fully academic inquiry (at least, according to Russian academic requirements) in national search engines for "Lenin's mausoleum" – the first thing you get (even in top 10 searches) is website pages talking about black magic and occult. Website authors view this construction differently, but unconditionally agree on one thing: the mausoleum of the "leader of the world proletariat” – the essence of a magical artifact, a sort of “energy vampire”. It was built with a certain purpose: to drain the energy out of miserable Soviet citizens on one hand; and to poison the anthroposphere of one-sixth part of the earth with its vibes (the exact territory that was occupied by the former Soviet Union), depriving the Russian people of will to resist on the other hand. Complete nonsense? No doubt. Nevertheless, an intriguing one. Well, probably because some oddities do exist in mausoleum's history. These oddities are the thing we are going to discuss this time. First, let me refresh you memory on the subject.

Harnaam Kaur has polycystic ovary syndrome, which can cause excessive hair growth. She was just 11 years old when a beard started to appear on her face and the hair quickly spread to her chest and arms.

When Stu Thomson (Cut Media) and Danny MacAskill approached us (Santa Cruz Bicycles) with the idea of being the first to tackle the Black Cuillin ridge on a bicycle, we were in from the start. Located on the Isle of Skye (Danny’s home on the west coast of Scotland) the ridge is infamous for its jagged trails, wild weather and dramatic climbing route up the “Inaccessible Pinnacle”.

If you love dirt bikes and live in England, then there is no doubt that you’ve heard about RHL Weston Beach Race that takes place in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset. In the beginning, this race was organized by a few avid bikers sponsored by local businessmen. However, after a while, this event has gained traction, and now as many as one hundred thousand people come to take part in this race. In order to accommodate all the contestants, a whole beach in converted into one gigantic race track. The noise created by such a mass of dirt bikes can be heard for miles; however, this is a small price to pay for all the fun the people are having.

A 15-year-old girl denied a horse from her parents has turned to a cow to fulfil her riding dreams. Teenager Regina Mayer, from southern Germany, is able to ride her cow, Luna. She has even trained her bovine pet to soar over a beer-crate hurdle like a regular show jumper. Why, you may well ask, when most cow-owners are surely content to let the creatures chew and lactate and sit down to indicate the imminent arrival of rain? Well, Regina's parents wouldn't let her have a horse.

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the gala exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)