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.

Fighters Holly “The Lotus” Mei (L) and Teri “Feisty Fists” London train for the upcoming 'Lingerie Fighting Championships 22: Costume Brawl I' at DXG Self Defense on October 25, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is scheduled to feature eight bouts at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge on October 29, 2016 in New Town, North Dakota. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The last series of Sam Taylor-Wood's that I have looked into is called Bram Stoker's Chair. This series links with her Suspended series in that they both show the artist seemingly poised in mid-air. These photos have the added element of the chair being there for her to balance on, giving her more of a physical connection with her surroundings.

Heavy equipment works along the still under construction Bamiyan-Yakawlang road June 10, 2011 in Yakawlang, Afghanistan. The 69 Million US$ project is supported by the Government of Japan and World Bank. The 90K road project was started three years ago and is slated to be finished within another year. This new road means faster travel from Bamiyan to Afghanistan's only national park, Band-e-Amir. This is in of the safest parts of the country and the hope is to expand tourism in the region. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Greece's Apostolos Angelis (L) and Austria's Felix Leitner compete during the men's 20 km individual event of the IBU Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic on February 14, 2024. (Photo by Joe Klamar/AFP Photo)

Moscow riot police prepare to move on activists during an unsacnctioned anti-Putin opposition rally at the Pushkin Square March 5, 2012 in central Moscow, Russia. Amid charges of fraud, demonstrators took to the streets a day after Vladimir Putin declared victory in Russia's presidential elections. (Photos by: Rustem Adagamov; Source: LiveJournal; Gleb Shchelkunov; Source: LiveJournal; Ilya Varlamov; Source: LiveJournal; Raskalov; Source: LiveJournal; Dmitry Chistoprudov; Source: LiveJournal)

(Top L-R) Playboy Playmates Anna Sophia Berglund, Kayla Rae Reid, Dominique Jane, Heather Rae Young, Alexandra Tyler, Val Keil, (bottom L-R) Audrey Aleen Allen, Ashley Doris, Hiromi Oshima, and Shanice Jordyn attend the Playboy Midsummer Night's Dream party at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on August 27, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Playboy Enterprises)

An aerial view of open pits of CODELCO's Andina (L) and Anglo American's Los Bronces copper mines with Olivares glaciers in the background (top L) at Los Andes Mountain range, near Santiago city, November 17, 2014. The rock glaciers of the Chilean central zone, a huge source of water for the basins of the capital, are said to be threatened by the environmental impacts of hydroelectric and mining projects, according to environmental activists Greenpeace. (Photo by Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)