12 Unusual And Creative Airport Toilet Designs

 

GREAT BLUE HOLE - Natural Features

 The Great Blue Hole is a giant submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 km (43 mi) from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 m (984 ft) across and 124 m (407 ft) deep. It was formed during several episodes of quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower. Analysis of stalactites found in the Great Blue Hole shows that formation took place 153,000; 66,000; 60,000; and 15,000 years ago. As the ocean began to rise again, the cave was flooded. The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

15 Airports From The World That Are Fun To Visit

15 Airports From The World 

That Are Fun To Visit 

1. Singapore's Changi Airport

 

2. Dubai International Airport

 

3. Seoul's Incheon Airport

 

4. Munich (German) Airport

 

5. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

 

6. Vancouver International Airport

 

7. Hong Kong International Airport

 

8. Zurich (Switzerland) Airport

 

9. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

 

10. Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport

 

11. Athens Airport

 

12. Tokyo's Haneda Airport

 

13. Taoyuan (Taiwan) International Airport

 

14. London Heathrow Airport

 

15. San Francisco International Airport

 

Some WorldWide Heritage Sites

Some WorldWide Heritage Sites

Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Timbuktu, Mali

The Great Wall, China

Mountain Railways, India

Casa Milà, Spain

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Old Quebec, Canada

Machu Picchu, Peru

Amazon Basin, Brazil

Pueblo de Taos, New Mexico

Most Expensive Top 10 Historical Accidents

Most Expensive Top 10 Historical Accidents

Men have always been prone to Accidents throughout History. Some, such as the Exotic Car Crashes seen on this page, can be very Expensive. 

Deliberate Actions such as War and Terrorism and Natural Disasters do not qualify as Accidents and therefore, are not included in this List.

Our Aim is to List the "Most Expensive Top 10 Historical Accidents" of the World as measured in Dollars. Many of these Accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in Dollar terms. 

Each Life Lost is Priceless and is not factored into the Equation.

This includes Property Damage and Expenses incurred related to the Accident such as Clean-up and Industry Losses.

10. Titanic - $ 150 Million

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today's dollars).

9. Tanker Truck vs Bridge - $358 Million

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

8. MetroLink Crash - $500 Million

On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.

7. B-2 Bomber Crash - $1.4 Billion

Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we're only #7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.

6. Exxon Valdez - $2.5 Billion

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world's biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship's master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

5. Piper Alpha Oil Rig - $3.4 Billion

The world's worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was the world's single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world's most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion.

Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

4. Challenger Explosion - $5.5 Billion

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today's dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today's dollars).

3. Prestige Oil Spill - $12 Billion

On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia, Spain. Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.

According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion.

2. Space Shuttle Columbia - $13 Billion

The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today's dollars. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million.

In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

1. Chernobyl - $200 Million

On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl, including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.

Hotel Made of Glass

See Inside The World’s First 

All-Glass Underwater Hotel Suite

The Maldives is famous for underwater attractions, like an underwater spa and a restaurant 20-feet below sea, and in November the world’s first all-glass underwater hotel suite opens there.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, a five-star island resort, is debuting the suite, which cost $15 million to build. Guests will be able to stay in the suite as part of a package that will cost around $250,000 (though the resort has not yet determined exactly what will be included for the price).

Named “Muraka,” the undersea hotel room is a two-level structure. Floating atop the water a living room, bedroom, glass bathroom with egg-shaped tub facing the sea, kitchen, bar, gym, butler’s quarters and infinity pool and deck facing the sunset.

A spiral staircase descends down to the undersea suite that sits 16.4 feet below sea level on the ocean floor, with king-sized bedroom, living area and bathroom. With its clear and curved, acrylic dome-shaped ceiling and all-glass walls, the suite features 180-degree, all-encompassing views of surrounding marine life. Completely submerged in sea, it has the feel of a larger-than-life aquarium.

The underwater bathroom is a highlight. The glass wall look outs directly into a bed of colorful coral, where guests can watch hundreds of tropical fish, sting rays and even nurse sharks feeding.

The underwater suite can accommodate up to nine guests.

The Conrad also has a submerged restaurant.

And there are other amazing underwater attractions around the world, from the Niyama Private Islands in the Maldives, where guests can enjoy a cocktail nearly 20 feet under the Indian Ocean to Manta Resort’s Underwater Room off Pemba Island on the coast of Tanzania for $1,500 per night.

Underwater Room, Manta Resort

Source: The Manta Resort