6 In 1965, Soviet Union detonated a nuclear device near the Chagan River to create an artificial lake. The project was publicized under “Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy,” and it unearthed 10 million cubic meters of land. The lake is still slightly radioactive and is nicknamed “the Atomic Lake.”

Chagan is situated on the edge of the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan.

The motive behind Chagan’s test was to observe the sustainability of nuclear explosions for creating reservoirs. The aim according to those who did this was to find peaceful uses for nuclear devices.

Between the dry bed of the Chagan River, a 140kiloton nuclear device was set up in a hole that was 584 feet deep. The blast enabled the crater lip to dam up the river during the high-flow period. The experiment resulted in a 1,312-foot wide and 328-foot deep crater with a lip height of 65 to 125 feet.

The Soviets were at peace with the outcome. Atomic Lake was even used for feeding the local cattle.

The Lake Chagan test was the first and largest amongst the other nuclear tests under the policy that continued until 1989. Towards the end of the scheme, the state had already conducted at least 156 such nuclear tests. (Source)

7 In 1944, three American B-29 bombers who were on missions to Japan were forced to land in the Soviet Union. The Soviets didn’t have a similar strategic bomber, so they decided to copy the B-29s. They develop the Tu-4, an almost perfect copy, within three years.

The B-29 Superfortress was the same bomber that dropped the atomic bomb at Hiroshima in 1945. On 3 August 1947, the Soviets displayed three copycat aircraft just like B-29 at the Tushino Air Show in Moscow.

They were so similarly designed that the audience at the show at first took the Tu-4s for B-29s. They were convinced that the bombers were the ones that had made an emergency landing towards the end of the Second World War.  

The Soviets also created a passenger version of the B-29 Superfortress, and it was named Tu-70. The observers at the show accepted the impossible feat only when they noticed the Tu-70.

By 1950, the Russians had more than 270 Tu-4s which posed a serious threat to the world.

The Tu-4s were used widely as tankers, missile launchers, anti-ship craft, drone carriers, and engine testbeds. Yet the most prominent role it played was to help the Soviet Union in developing air and space power. (Source)

8 Before its collapse in 1991, the Soviet Union was issued a top-level Internet domain. The domain never got deactivated and has since become a hub for cybercriminals given its lack of regulations.

The domain that is heaven for cybercriminals is ”.su.” The domain is poorly maintained and not policed, so it is being used by criminals as a hideout. Yugoslavia and East Germany also had their separate top-level domains, but they disappeared with their nations’ names. The owners of the Soviet Union were stubborn and didn’t let the domain die.

Russia took strict actions on what they would and wouldn’t allow on their present .ru domain. The scammers and hackers responded by flying off to the old and weak .su.

In 2011, the density of websites doubled on the .su and the same was repeated during the following year.

The domain hosts more than 120,000 websites and a considerable number of them are legitimate. This is exactly the reason why shutting it down is tough.

It is controlled and regulated since 2007 by a Moscow-based nonprofit Foundation for Internet Development. (Source)

9 The Soviet Union attempted to domesticate moose so that they could use them in the cavalry. They even started a farm for that purpose. Moreover, the Moose Cavalry almost rode into the Second World War. 

These huge creatures are dreadfully intimidating when they rush at somebody at full speed. Soviets realized the frightening qualities of these beasts in the deep snows of Finland.

The farms dedicated to their domestication were started near Nizhny Novgorod.

However, the fearful animals were, in turn, afraid of gunshots; they tend to turn and flee in the other direction.

In Scandinavia, moose had been used as transport animals for centuries. Soviets thought beyond just transportation and cavalry; they even wanted to use them for milk and meat. The idea emerged since much of their population was starving.

Soviets could train them and collect milk successfully, however, moose refused to be butchered.

They repelled slaughterhouses as smartly as they did gunshots. (Source)

10 After hearing the declaration of Germany’s surrender on 9 May 1945, the Soviets celebrated Victor Day crazily. The citizens literally drank all the vodka available in the nation in just the next 22 hours.

Vodka consumption is one of the traditional methods of celebrating in Russia. On Victor Day, the nationwide intake reached a whole new level.

The nation was drunk as the leader, Joseph Stalin, addressed it with the message of jubilation.

Naval Navigator Nikolai Kryuchkov recalls that it was impossible to tell what had happened in Moscow that day. He says that this chaotic celebration would never be repeated. And on the next day, 10th, there was no vodka left to buy.

During wartime, the country did not have huge reservoirs of vodka. Even the soldiers were given 100 grams of vodka per day despite their additional demands. It is because most of the starch and grain were used to produce food supply for the army. Nonetheless, the production of alcohol didn’t cease completely.

The state had a monopoly on alcohol production, and it ensured enough of a stock of potatoes and grains for vodka production. Stalin used revenue generated from vodka in strengthening the defense of the country. (Source)

11 The Soviet Union tried to suppress Genghis Khan’s memory in Mongolia. They removed his story from the school textbooks and did not allow people to make pilgrimages to his birthplace.

Genghis Khan not only was a national hero but he is also seen as the founding father of Mongolia.

However, in the 20th century during Soviet rule, his glorification was a crime. Even mentioning Genghis Khan’s name was banned.

The Soviets attempted to eradicate all traces of Mongolian nationalism by removing him from the history books. People were also forbidden to make a pilgrimage to his birthplace, Khentii.

Mongolia saw its independence in the early 1990s, and eventually, its true history was restored. Since then, Genghis Khan is featured repeatedly in the country’s art and popular culture.

The nation’s main airport at Ulan Bator is named after the great leader, and his portrait finds a place in Mongolian currency. (Source)