The Widest Tornado Ever Recorded

The widest tornado ever recorded is the 2013 El Reno tornado, which reached a peak width of 2.6 miles. It struck rural areas of central Oklahoma near El Reno on May 31. The tornado was roughly the width of the island of Manhattan from river to river. It easily surpassed the previous U.S. record set by the 2.5-mile-wide 2004 Hallam, Nebraska, tornado. Mobile Doppler radar measured winds of at least 296 mph, with some analyses estimating gusts up to 313 mph. Despite having the wind speeds typical of an EF5 tornado, the National Weather Service officially rated it an EF3. Because the storm traveled most over open farmland, those extreme winds didn’t strike well-built structures needed to confirm higher damage ratings. The massive, rain-wrapped tornado was a multiple vortex tornado containing smaller, intense suction tornadoes rotating inside the main circulation. It stayed on the ground for 40 minutes and carved an erratic 16.2 mile path. The tornado killed 8 people and injured 151. It became the first tornado in history to kill storm chasers, claiming the lives of veteran researcher Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and meteorologist Carl Young.

 

 

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There Are Only 3 Foreign Nationals Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery was established in 1864 as a practical solution to handle the overwhelming number of casualties from the Civil War. Because space is limited, Arlington maintains strict eligibility standards. What most people don’t know is that there are three foreign nationals who are buried at Arlington. Mario Batista, who died April 20, 1946, is buried in Section 15B, and Arcangelo Prudenza, who died February 18, 1944, is buried in Section 15C. Both were enlisted in the Italian Army and both were captured during the North African Campaign. They were brought to the United States and died while in captivity in the Washington, DC, area. Under the 1929 Geneva Convention, nations were required to provide honorable burials for prisoners of war who died in custody, and Arlington was the closest national cemetery. They rest near Anton Hilberath, a German World War II prisoner of war who died on April 21, 1946 and is buried in Section 15C.

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Woman Adopted the Black Cat of Her Dreams and Watched Him Transform Into Something Extraordinary

In June 2024, Brazilian photographer Stephanie Kauane adopted a little black kitten. She named him Fumaça, which means “smoke” in Portuguese. The two quickly became inseparable, but then Stephanie noticed something strange. A tiny pink spot had appeared on his previously dark nose. At first, it didn’t seem particularly concerning, but over time, more changes appeared, including patches of his black fur gradually turning white. Stephanie finally decided to take Fumaça to the vet, where she discovered that he has vitiligo — a rare condition in cats that causes the skin and fur to gradually lose their natural pigmentation. Fortunately, vitiligo itself is generally harmless. It isn’t contagious and typically doesn’t cause pain, itching, or other health problems. Over the following months, Fumaça’s once-solid black coat developed an extraordinary combination of white, gray, and dark patches. Stephanie decided to post the story of Fumaça’s change on social media. What began as one cat’s unusual transformation helped introduce a much wider audience to a condition that many people didn’t realize could affect their pets. Fumaça continues to enjoy life with his loving owner, seemingly unaware that his changing fur has made him something of an Internet sensation.

 

 

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Toyota is Brining Mini-Trucks to the U.S.

Toyota has announced that it will bring tiny KEI trucks to the American market in 2027. The KEI-01 ultra-compact utility truck — which has a 660cc 3-cylinder engine, 4-wheel drive, and a maximum speed of just 25mph — will be assembled at Toyota’s plant near Evansville, Ind. The right-hand drive trucks are just over 11 feet long and just under 5 feet wide. They would be ideal for small business owners and delivery fleets, farmers and ranchers, and for use on college campuses or corporate compounds. KEI cars — short for kei-jidosha, which means “light vehicles” in Japanese — first became popular in the 1950s as an economical means of transportation in Japan’s crowded cities. Industry and initial manufacturer estimates place the price of the KEI-01 at around $10,000 to $15,000.

 

 

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