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Don’t take shelter under wooden structures
The “shelter” at your local park, golf course or pool may protect you from sun and rain, but in a thunderstorm, it can be a death trap. Unless a shelter is specifically built with lightning protection (most aren’t), standing under a wooden structure actually increases your chances of being struck by lightning. Wait out the storm in your car instead.
Rubber tires are not what protects you from lightning when you’re in your car
You’re protected because when lightning hits a car, it travels around the outside of the metal structure to get to the ground. Just be careful not to touch any metal areas on the interior.
WELCOME TO PAGE 508 - LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN, LET IT RAIN !!!
Collect water
Many serious problems caused by a power outage are water-related. When a storm is on the way, hoard water. Fill buckets, pots and pans, old soda and milk bottles as well as your sinks and bathtub. You’ll need water for drinking, washing, and flushing the toilet.
They produce a lot of rain
By one measure, Tropical Storm Claudette was the wettest storm in U.S. history. It dumped 43 inches of rain in 24 hours—the most rain ever recorded in one day—on Alvin, Texas, in July 1979.
Get a radio
After a disaster, the No. 1 complaint is a lack of information. Invest now in a battery-operated or hand-cranked radio so you can stay connected when your power is out.
You can be struck by lightning even when it’s not raining
One of the strangest thunderstorm facts: About 10 percent of lightning strikes take place when there’s no precipitatio#
In the 1980s, NASA flew one airplane through 1,496 thunderstorms
It was struck by lightning more than 700 times. This was part of an effort to improve lightning-protection standards in aviation, and it worked. Today, a commercial airplane will be hit by lightning about once a year on average, typically with no ill effects. It has been decades since a U.S. airliner has crashed as a result of a lightning strike.
Keep your feet together
If you’re ever stuck outside during a thunderstorm with no safe place to take shelter, keep your feet together. About half of all lightning deaths are caused by electric current that runs along the ground. Keeping your feet together minimizes the chance that the current will travel up and through your body, damaging your internal organs.
Balloons help predict the weather
Every day, twice a day, weather trackers simultaneously launch giant balloons from almost 900 locations worldwide (including 92 released by the National Weather Service in the United States and its territories). The balloons measure aboveground weather data such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed, and they provide vital information that meteorologists use to make forecasts and predict storms.
Even the best surge protectors can fail if lightning hits your house directly
Electronics today are more vulnerable than they used to be, so it doesn’t take much to blow them out. The only way to be sure they’re protected is to unplug before the storm hits.
It can strike twice
Lightning can strike the same place twice—and it often does, especially objects that are tall, pointy, and isolated. The Empire State Building, for example, is hit almost 100 times a year, according to the CDC.
There doesn’t have to be rain
You can get struck by lightning even when if it’s not raining. About 10 to 12 percent of lightning strikes take place where there’s no rain.
Covering your windows with tape will not protect them from wind or flying objects
One of the thunderstorm facts that needs to be debunked is this one. Experts promoted this idea long ago, before they realized that taping does nothing to strengthen windows and may even increase the potential for harm. (Picture giant taped-together shards of glass flying at you.) Covering your windows with storm shutters or plywood is the only way to prevent them from breaking.
Metal does not “attract” lightning
The reason people get hit when they’re talking on cell phones is that they’re distracted.
You can touch someone who has been struck by lightning
Despite what you may have heard, it’s safe to touch someone who has been struck by lightning. No electric charge remains with lightning victims, which means you won’t be electrocuted if you touch them to administer first aid.
And nothing is going to save you if you get caught in the hailstorm from you-know-where
Ice particles form when water droplets reach cold temperatures in a thunderstorm, but they achieve a measurable size only when a storm’s updraft is strong enough to hold the ice aloft as more water droplets freeze onto the initial crystal. The largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States was found in July 2010 in Vivian, South Dakota. It was almost 19 inches around and weighed almost two pounds.
The “smell” center of a dog’s brain is 40 times larger than yours
Dogs can smell thousands of times better than humans. Their noses have millions more scent receptors—for example, a human nose averages five million, while a Dachshund’s nose has 125 million—making dogs useful for sniffing out drugs, dead bodies, bed bugs, explosives, and other things dogs can smell that humans can’t.
Their ears are pretty impressive too
Dogs’ sense of smell might be pretty amazing, but don’t forget about their hearing! Everything from the positioning of their ears to the muscles in them helps dogs pick up a whole host of sounds that humans can’t hear. In fact, the most popular explanation for why dogs tilt their heads is that they’re trying to locate the source of a sound.
But their sense of taste is much less developed
Dogs have approximately one sixth of the taste buds humans have (1,700 to humans’ approximately 9,000). This is why dogs will scarf rotting food scraps (or grass) as voraciously as they’ll eat a bowl of kibble or a hunk of steak. Their less discriminatory sense of taste also has to do with their evolutionary instincts, carried over from when they would scavenge in the wild.
No two dog noses are the same
A dog’s nose is the equivalent of a human fingerprint, with each having a unique pattern of ridges and creases.
Dogs dream like people
If you’ve ever noticed your pooch twitching in her sleep, this probably means she’s dreaming. Researchers found that dogs have similar sleep patterns and brain activity as humans, and that small breeds tend to dream more than large ones. Psychology Today suggests they’re probably imagining familiar activities like playing outside or chasing their tail.
Dogs are as smart as a two-year-old child
According to canine researcher and author Stanley Coren, your toddler and pup are about on par when it comes to brains. He also explained that man’s best friend can count, understand more than 150 words, and even trick people or other dogs to get treats. Intelligence also varies based on breed—Border collies are the smartest dog breed.
Dogs only mate twice a year
Unspayed females only go into heat twice a year, so dog breeders need to plan carefully
Tail wagging has its own language
If your dog excitedly wags its tail, it means it’s happy to see you, right? Not necessarily. According to Discovery.com, dogs wag their tails to the right when they’re happy and to the left when they’re frightened. Wagging low means they’re insecure, and rapid tail wagging accompanied by tense muscles or dilated pupils can signal aggression.
The Puszta, also known as the Great Hungarian Plain, is a vast grassland area in Hungary.
It is the perfect place to experience Hungarian horse shows and traditional horsemanship.
Puppies are born blind and deaf
Newborn dogs are still developing, according to Psychology Today, so their ear canals and eyes are still closed. Most puppies open their eyes and respond to noises after about two weeks.
Hungary is home to several beautiful natural parks and reserves.
One of the most notable is the Hortobágy National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a paradise for birdwatchers.
Hungary has a high number of Nobel Prize laureates.
From renowned scientists like Albert Szent-Györgyi and Dennis Gabor to writers like Imre Kertész and Elfriede Jelinek, Hungarians have made significant contributions to various fields.
Hungary has a thriving film industry.
The country has produced acclaimed directors like Béla Tarr and István Szabó, and the Budapest International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinephiles from around the world.