People in traditional costumes prepare before competing in the 55th Verdiales music contest in Malaga, southern Spain December 28, 2016. Verdiales is a form of traditional Flamenco music, which is common in the province of Malaga. Members of singing groups, known as “pandas”, wear traditional costumes decked with flowers and other accessories as they perform in the contest, which is held annually on December 28. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

(L-R) American actor Chase Stokes, American singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini and American comedian Tiffany Haddish seen backstage during the 2023 Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV)

Blind and visually impaired Palestinian students walk down the stairs at a school, where they are taught English through song and music, at a school in the West Bank city of Hebron March 2, 2016. Palestinian students at a school for the blind in the West Bank are learning English through song, a welcome departure from using braille and memorising grammar rules. While students are delighted with the change, some parents in the religiously conservative town of Hebron are concerned that using music in the classroom jars with Islamic tradition. (Photo by Ammar Awad/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.

Emma Watson attends the Elle Style Awards 2014 at one Embankment on February 18, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Singers Steven Tyler (L) and Nicole Scherzinger perform onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 24, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Clear Channel)