Due to the health risk imposed by traveling to the radiation-affected zone, travel to Chornobyl is highly restricted. The Exclusion Zone includes a 19-mile circle around the site of the accident which is virtually a ghost town. Despite most residents fleeing, there are still 300 residents who chose to stay. Many of their houses are marked with a sign “Owners of this house live here.” What’s even more, wildlife has become vast here due to the lack of human occupation and in many places, the forests have filled out.
If you’re brave enough (and crazy enough) to risk it, you can take a guided tour of Chornobyl and the surrounding towns for a short time frame, and even stay in the one hotel in the area. Even then, you’re still vulnerable to radiation as you near the epicenter of the explosion and with that, health risks like cancer. Ukrainian officials estimate that the Exclusion Zone won’t be safe for human residency for another 20,000 years. So, don’t be expecting to relocate to the area anytime soon.
Classified
An employee of the museum who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the museum houses things like classified documents, guns disguised as everyday objects, weapons, and uniforms.
People who appear to be Westerners are turned away from the museum, however, those who have Chinese features can usually enter without being probed.
Chornobyl
The Chornobyl nuclear destruction on April 26th, 1986, was the deadliest and biggest nuclear power plant accident in history. The explosion occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant during a routine test. The power plant exploded after the tests on the reactor were done incorrectly and the operators lost control. Due to the lack of safety mechanisms on the reactor, it proved unstable when operated at low power. The accident caused fire and smoke to emit radioactive particles into the sky which then spread over western USSR territory and the rest of Europe. The city of Chornobyl was evacuated shortly after the disaster.
The incident directly caused the death of 31 first responders and power plant workers due to acute radiation syndrome. However, radiation-related deaths didn't end just there. They continue to rise to this very day. By 2008, the count of radiation-related deaths was 64. The Chornobyl Forum has estimated that the death count could potentially reach 4,000 among those who were exposed to the most concentrated radiation particles, which includes 200,000 first responders, 116,000 evacuees, and 270,000 residents.
Bank of England Vaults
The Bank of England is one of the most powerful institutions in the United Kingdom due to its sheer size, responsibilities, and holdings. The institution holds the power to set interest rates and issue banknotes in the British currency. The central bank is also one of the largest holders of gold in the world, holding gold reserves of the UK as well as 30 other countries. They are stored in vaults that are spread over two floors.
The huge underground floor space is bigger than the third-tallest building in the city, Tower 42. and takes three-feet-long keys to open it. They hold 5,134 tonnes of gold which is estimated to have a market value of £200 billion. The value suggests that the vault could hold as much as 3% of the world's gold mined throughout human history.
RAF Menwith Hill
The Royal Air Force Menwith Hill is an air force station in England that contains an elaborate satellite ground station. It is also a communications intercept and missile warning site. It has been referred to as the largest electronic monitoring station on Earth.
Menwith Hill houses many satellites owned and operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office.