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1924:  Vladimir Ilyich Lenin lying in state in the Kremlin

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.
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16 Oct 2011 11:27:00
A boy walks past boats docked at the entrance gate of the fishermen's village in the El Max area of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria September 12, 2014.  El Max, where hundreds of boats dart through the canals, has been called the “Venice of Egypt” for its waterways and relaxed atmosphere. Its fishermen, however, worry about how they will make ends meet on meagre earnings they  say are being reduced further by polluted waters that are making fishing more difficult. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

A boy walks past boats docked at the entrance gate of the fishermen's village in the El Max area of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria September 12, 2014. El Max, where hundreds of boats dart through the canals, has been called the “Venice of Egypt” for its waterways and relaxed atmosphere. Its fishermen, however, worry about how they will make ends meet on meagre earnings they say are being reduced further by polluted waters that are making fishing more difficult. While the government has tried to fix the state's bloated finances by cutting subsidies and reining in spending, some argue the reforms hurt Egypt's most vulnerable who have long relied on a generous system of fuel and food subsidies to supplement low incomes. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
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12 Dec 2014 12:42:00
Women labourers work at the construction site of a road in Kolkata January 8, 2015. Across towns and cities in India, it is not uncommon to see women cleaning building sites, carrying bricks and or shoveling gravel - helping construct the infrastructure necessary for the country's economic and social development. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

Women labourers work at the construction site of a road in Kolkata January 8, 2015. Across towns and cities in India, it is not uncommon to see women cleaning building sites, carrying bricks and or shoveling gravel – helping construct the infrastructure necessary for the country's economic and social development. They help build roads, railway tracks, airports, and offices. They lay pipes for clean water supplies, cables for telecommunications, and dig the drains for sewage systems. But although women make up at least 20 percent of India's 40 million construction workers, they are less recognized than male workers with lower pay and often prone to safety hazards and sexual harassment. They are often unaware of their rights or scared to complain, say activists now trying to campaign for better treatment of women in the construction industry. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)
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15 Jan 2015 13:47:00
Nopparat (R), a 24-year-old transgender, and a Buddhist monk (L) wait to speak to officers during an army draft held at a school in Bang Na in Bangkok April 3, 2015. Thai men over 21 must serve in the army. Those who volunteer serve six months, but others choose the annual lottery, which goes on for 10 days in recruitment centres around Thailand. Only those not considered physically capable of service, the mentally ill and those who have significantly altered their physical appearance, such as transgenders, are exempt. Picture taken April 3, 2015. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Nopparat (R), a 24-year-old transgender, and a Buddhist monk (L) wait to speak to officers during an army draft held at a school in Bang Na in Bangkok April 3, 2015. Thai men over 21 must serve in the army. Those who volunteer serve six months, but others choose the annual lottery, which goes on for 10 days in recruitment centres around Thailand. Only those not considered physically capable of service, the mentally ill and those who have significantly altered their physical appearance, such as transgenders, are exempt. Picture taken April 3, 2015. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)
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06 Apr 2015 09:54:00
Local residents dressed in costumes perform during celebrations for the Malanka holiday in the village of Krasnoilsk in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, January 14, 2016. The Malanka traditional holiday is more popular in the western regions of the country and is also known as the Old New Year celebrated on January 13 and 14 - St. Basil's and St. Melania's Day, according to the old Julian calendar. During the celebrations, youngsters and adults wear traditional carnival costumes and masks, and visit local houses while singing carols, playing pranks or performing short plays. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Local residents dressed in costumes perform during celebrations for the Malanka holiday in the village of Krasnoilsk in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, January 14, 2016. The Malanka traditional holiday is more popular in the western regions of the country and is also known as the Old New Year celebrated on January 13 and 14 – St. Basil's and St. Melania's Day, according to the old Julian calendar. During the celebrations, youngsters and adults wear traditional carnival costumes and masks, and visit local houses while singing carols, playing pranks or performing short plays. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
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16 Jan 2016 08:04:00
People throw turnips at the Jarramplas as he comes out from the church beating his drum during the Jarramplas Festival on January 20, 2016 in Piornal, Caceres province, Spain. The centuries old Jarramplas festival takes place annually every January 19-20 on Saint Sebastian Day and this year they expect to use more than 20 thousand kilogrames of turnips. Even though the exact origins of the festival are not known, various theories exist including the mythological punishment of Caco by Hercules. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

People throw turnips at the Jarramplas as he comes out from the church beating his drum during the Jarramplas Festival on January 20, 2016 in Piornal, Caceres province, Spain. The centuries old Jarramplas festival takes place annually every January 19-20 on Saint Sebastian Day and this year they expect to use more than 20 thousand kilogrames of turnips. Even though the exact origins of the festival are not known, various theories exist including the mythological punishment of Caco by Hercules, a relation to ceremonies celebrated by the American Indians that were seen by the first conquerors, to a cattle thief ridiculed and expelled by his village neighbours. It is generally believed to symbolize the expulsion of everything bad. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
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21 Jan 2016 13:21:00
Stray dogs run at dog sanctuary Territorio de Zaguates or “Land of the Strays” in Carrizal de Alajuela, Costa Rica, April 20, 2016. In a lush, sprawling corner of Costa Rica, hundreds of dogs roam freely on a hillside – among the luckiest strays on earth. Fed, groomed and cared for by vets, more than 750 dogs rescued from the streets of Costa Rica inhabit Territorio de Zaguates or “Land of the Strays”, a pooch paradise. The 152-hectare sanctuary in the centre of the Central American country is funded by donations. Around 8,000 dogs have passed through the refuge. There are more than a million stray dogs in Costa Rica, where the government outlawed putting animals down in 2003. (Photo by Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters)

Stray dogs run at dog sanctuary Territorio de Zaguates or “Land of the Strays” in Carrizal de Alajuela, Costa Rica, April 20, 2016. In a lush, sprawling corner of Costa Rica, hundreds of dogs roam freely on a hillside – among the luckiest strays on earth. Fed, groomed and cared for by vets, more than 750 dogs rescued from the streets of Costa Rica inhabit Territorio de Zaguates or “Land of the Strays”, a pooch paradise. (Photo by Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters)
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30 Apr 2016 09:41:00
Magbola Alhadi, 20, and her three children pose for a portrait in Jamam refugee camp in Maban County, South Sudan on August 11th, 2012. Magboola and her family weathered aerial bombing raids for several months, but decided it was time to leave their village of Bofe the night that soldiers arrived and opened fire. (Photo by Brian Sokol/Panos Pictures)

Magbola Alhadi, 20, and her three children pose for a portrait in Jamam refugee camp in Maban County, South Sudan on August 11th, 2012. Magboola and her family weathered aerial bombing raids for several months, but decided it was time to leave their village of Bofe the night that soldiers arrived and opened fire. With her three children, she travelled for 12 days from Bofe to the town of El Fudj, on the South Sudanese border. The most important thing that Magboola was able to bring with her is the saucepan she holds in this photograph. It wasn't the largest pot that she had in Bofe, but it was small enough she could travel with it, yet big enough to cook sorghum for herself and her three daughters (from left: Aduna Omar, 6, Halima Omar, 4, and Arfa Omar, 2) during their journey. (Photo by Brian Sokol/Panos Pictures)
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18 Sep 2015 15:04:00