Oddities and Facts of Death I

Death is dealt with in many different ways. For example, going to work and getting discounts on groceries are not the only uses for swipe cards as you will see in this article that takes a look at the oddities associated with death.

An Automated Tomb Facility

You’d probably never think that a swipe card would gain you entrance to see the dearly departed, but in Tokyo, Japan, there is an automated tomb facility housed in the six-story Kouanji Buddhist Temple. As of January 1, 2010, there were 6,850 human remains in the temple , stored in square marble boxes. Inside the boxes are the cremated remains of up to nine relatives. Visitors can gain access by using a wipe card that is connected to the location of the remains. A conveyor belt system delivers the remains to the visitor. To be buried in this way, you must pay costs of around Y800,000 (or $8,800 American dollars).

Most Expensive Ghosts

In March 2010, an online auction actually sold two vials of what supposedly contained the exorcized spirits of an old man and young girl. The going price was $1,900. The New Zealander seller claimed to have gotten assistance from an exorcist and ouija board to make contact with the spirits and trap them within the vials in 2009.

Largest Mass Cremation

A temple in Smut Scom, Thailand became the site of the largest mass cremation on record in December 1997. The event marked the end of urban burials in Bangkok, which was battling with the problem of overcrowding. Tons of bones, including 21,347 skulls were part of the cremation , all of which came from a Chinese cemetery in Bangkok that catered to unclaimed remains.

Final Resting Place in Space

One ounce of the remains of a planetary scientist pioneer (Dr. Eugene Shoemaker from the United States) was sealed in a small polycarbonate container. In 1999, one of NASA’s spacecrafts crashed into the Moon and onboard was the remains of Shoemaker. Around the container, a piece of foil inscribed some of the work of the scientist.

Oldest Known Catacombs

Catacombs are underground tombs or burial chambers. The first burial chambers referenced as a catacomb were located beneath San Sebastiano ad Catacumbas in Rome, Italy. Dating back to the early 14th century, the site is where many tombs were situated along the Via Appia (Appian Way) , an ancient road that led from Rome to Brindisi. The catacombs thrived during a time where burials were connected to Christian ways and outlawed within the walls of Rome.

A Virtual Funeral

According to the World Book of Records, avid computer gamer Snowly from China had a memorial service like none other when more than 100 gamers visited a virtual cathedral within a game to pay their respects. Snowly was participating in a 3-day non stop marathon of World of Warcraft when she died of fatigue while attempting a challenging task in the game. Because of this, she was the honoree of the largest funeral in the online world.