Canadian actress Nina Dobrev kicks her leg up at Burning Man in the first decade of September 2022. (Photo by nina/Instagram)

Flames engulf a structure as the Eaton Fire burns in Pasadena, California, U.S. January 7, 2025. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.

British model Jourdan Dunn arrives for the premiere of “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 22 May 2017. The movie is presented in the Official Competition of the festival which runs from 17 to 28 May. Dress by Elie Saab Haute Couture. (Photo by Julien Warnand/EPA)

A worker puts the final touch to a replica of a giant eagle and pharaons made with lemons and oranges which shows a scene of the movie “Cleopatra” during the Lemon festival in Menton, southern France, February 10, 2016. Some 140 metric tons of lemons and oranges are used to make displays during the 83rd festival, which is themed “Cinecitta”, and runs from February 13 through March 2. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

Taken by photographer, Denis Budkov, 33, the Plosky Tolbachik is one of a cluster of volcanoes located in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia. After taking a lucky group of tourists to the crater of the flat volcano, the Russian photographer managed to get less than 300 metres away from the spurting jets of lava. Photo: The underground entrance to the volcano resembles a scene from the latest Hobbit movie. (Photo by Denis Budkov/Caters News)

A worker works on a “Transformers” replica on the outskirts of Shanghai, June 18, 2014. Li Lei, owner of a small factory, uses his spare time and money to build “Transformers” replicas for rent or sale. The new Transformers movie, which is premiering later this month, has brought the factory many new orders, according to Li. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

German-American model and television host Heidi Klum arrives for the screening of “La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-au-Feu)” during the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 24 May 2023. The movie is presented in the Official Competition of the festival which runs from 16 to 27 May.(Photo by Sebastien Nogier/EPA)