The beginning of the 20th century came with an unprecedented scientific fervor. As an example, the world discovered, among other things, genetics. And you may be surprised, but the most advanced school of genetics in those early years was the Russian school. In addition, in the East, Darwin and the theory of evolution took root terribly. It is no coincidence that the world’s first museum dedicated to Charles Darwin was inaugurated in Moscow in 1907.

Amazing Stories: The Russians and the Pacific DamPhoto: Created with Adobe Firefly (edited)

Then came communism. On the one hand, science in Russia was encouraged and financed like never before. On the other hand, many leading scientists of the USSR ended up either in the platoon or through the camps in Siberia, on denunciations or imaginary guilt, as a result of the paranoid leadership.

But the place of the old scientific elite was destined to come. In all areas. With some leading researchers, with others less so. There were also large-scale projects. Some are really useful, some less so. In general, the plans of the pharaohs were highly appreciated. And the communists, as you well know, excelled in such things. Do you remember the epic of man’s struggle with nature and all the ups and downs? And it’s not just genetics. The idea of ​​being able to change the world. Make it better. Which, in theory, sounded quite good.

All kinds of crazy ideas appeared against this background. And we will talk about one of them today. Somewhere in 1957, a Russian researcher named Petro Mikhailovich Borisov came with a heated soup and offered no more, no less, how to turn the Arctic zone, Siberia, Northern Canada, Alaska and even into a real granary Planet. In addition, the melting of the ice cap at the North Pole would lead to the opening of the Northern Passage, with huge economic consequences. Like I said, it sounded great in theory.

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The man wrote a number of scientific articles and even a book in which he outlined his vision. The largest dam ever built! But we invite you to learn about the history of this project, the controversy and the reason why it was never built in the new edition of the 2nd season of the “Strange Stories” podcast.

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Plot: Adrian Nicolae | Sound design: Adi Jacob

Music: SFX: Epidemic Sound | Image created using Adobe Firefly