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By  Leilani LifeBuzz Staff The need for elevators has existed for longer than you might think. In 236 B.C., the Greek mathematician Archimedes designed a rudimentary elevator using ropes and a rotating spindle called a capstan. The Romans used a hauling device called a winch and counterweights to lift gladiators and animals up to the arena for battle. Transporting goods, people, and livestock were some of the main reasons there was a need for these early shafts. Another reason included privacy. Louis XV had a few contraptions called the flying chair, for his mistress, and the flying table, for private dining affairs. The modern elevator had its beginnings in the early 1800s, and by 1853, American industrialist Elisha Graves Otis introduced something spectacular at the New York Crystal Palace exposition: an elevator with a safety feature that broke the cab's fall in case the ropes broke, a common problem at the time. Four years later, the first passenger el...

By  Moeen Zuberi Roller-coasters are one of the scariest rides man has ever created. What crazier is that you VOLUNTARILY get on a ride that initially goes at snail’s pace (and you know it) and suddenly attains breakneck speed (and you know it), in a round of endless loops might I add (and you know it!). What seems like hours actually ends in minutes. Though these rides are safe and have been tested for safety, there have been instances where accidents have taken place. Below are some of the worst roller-coaster crashes in history. 12.  Darien Lake Theme Park, Syracuse, New York Source: syracuse.com In July 2011 US Army Sergeant James Hackemer was thrown from the Superman roller coaster and fell to his death. He was an Iraq veteran who had lost both his legs and should not have been allowed on the ride. 11. Oakwood Theme Park Pembrokeshire, Wales Source: en.wikipedia.org In April 2004, a 16-year-old girl named Hayley Williams was riding Hydro, a wat...

In three years, Russia will have the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, capable of providing energy and heat to hard-to-get areas as well as drinking water to arid regions. The unique vessel should be operational by 2016, the general director of Russia’s biggest shipbuilders, the Baltic Plant, Aleksandr Voznesensky told reporters at the 6th International Naval Show in St. Petersburg. The Akademik Lomonosov is to become the spearhead of a series of floating nuclear power plants, which Russia plans to put into mass-production. The floating power-generating unit, aimed at providing energy to large industrial enterprises, port cities and offshore gas and oil-extracting platforms, was designed on the basis of nuclear reactors which are equipped on the icebreakers ships. The technology has proved itself for over 50 years of successful operation in extreme Arctic conditions. The floating power plant is a vessel with a displacement of 21,500 tons and a crew of 69 pe...