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Uranium City Saskatchewan
“[There is] something beautiful and sad about a town that peaked many moons ago.”
-Jacob Richmond
Located in Northern Saskatchewan, Uranium City is a small mining town that boomed during the 1950s due to the need for uranium for the Cold War. After the need for Canadian uranium dwindled from the military, the material was then used to power Canada's Candu Reactor.
As time went on and the mines began to close, Uranium City's population of 4,000 dwindled down to a population of about 400.
What is Uranium?
Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that is mined and enriched by humans to create “enriched uranium” which is then used as fuel in powerplants. The use of Uranium creates the biproduct known as “depleted uranium.” Uranium occurs naturally within the air as dust particles, in drinking water, typically in higher concentrations in wells drilled close to uranium deposits, in soil, and even in our food.
Did you know that the average human consumes 0.9 - 1.5 micrograms of Uranium per day?
Unfortunately, due to uranium's radioactive nature, prolonged exposure to the element can cause radiation sickness which typically leads to death. Other symptoms include include nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, dizziness, weakness and fatigue, hair loss, bloody vomit and stools, infections, and low blood pressure.
One of history's most tragic examples of a radioactive disaster is that of Chernobyl. The radiation destroyed and disabled nearby humans, plant life, and animal life. Following the disaster, the governments of surrounding nations granted around 600,000 people status as "liquidators." These liquidators were comprised of firefighters, engineers, military troops, police, miners, cleaners, and medical personal sent in to clean and secure the area.
Deathrates among these heroic liquidators soared. By 2014, 63% of Ukrainian liquidators were reported to be suffering from cardiovascular and circulatory diseases while 13% had problems with their nervous systems.
A Brief History of Fortunes
Manufactured since the early 1900s, Fortune Telling machines featured animatronics and voice recordings that would tell the customer their “fortune.”
The Penny Marshall film Big from 1988 is a notable example of their influence in media as Tom Hanks’s character is granted a wish from a Zoltar machine to turn him into a grown up.
Tag yourself! Which fortune teller are you?
Commonplace Tragedy
Like the unfortunate characters of our show, some innocent thrill-seekers have lost their limbs and even their lives to amusement/theme park attractions.
**A trigger warning to those sensitive to gore and death as the following information are a few true collected accounts.**
1984 – Matterhorn Decapitation at Disneyland California
48-year-old Dollie Young fell out of her bobsled and was then decapitated by the following one.
2007 – Superman: Tower of Power (drop tower) Accident at Kentucky Kingdom
A cord wrapped around the ankles of a 13-year-old girl and severed her feet from her legs. Doctors were able to reattach one foot.
Quimera Accident at La Feria Chapultepec Mexico City
Back car fishtailed and detached from rest of the train, eventually derailing and falling to the ground. Two men were killed. Investigations following revealed that maintenance was lacking, but main cause was ride error, as a similar accident occurred on a different Schwarzkopf looping coaster. Ride was repaired and relocated to Indiana Beach.
1930 – Radio Streak Coaster Crash at Springfield Lake Park Ohio
Due to operator error the Radio Streak roller coaster crashed at 60 miles per hour injuring 13 passengers after they were thrown from the ride.
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