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It's 7am on June 30th, 1908, in a village near the Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia.

A merchant sits on the front porch of his trading post enjoying his breakfast.

But as he eats, something extraordinary captures his attention.

A bright, cylindrical object traversing the northern sky.

It's like nothing he's seen before.

His eyes widen with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation,

as the seconds tick by and the object maintains its unhurried trajectory.

Until suddenly, the merchant drops his boon and shields his eyes,

the shape streaking through the sky disappears in a white flash as the sky is engulfed in a

blinding incandescent burst. Between his fingers, the merchant watches the light fade to a bright orange

and then an angry red. As the sky changes color, the ground convulses beneath him, flinging the

merchant from his seat. A guttural rumble moves through the earth and the merchant feels a blast

of hot wind. He curls into a protective ball, trying to protect himself from the scorching

heat. The time seems to stand still as he endures this hellish ordeal.

But after just a few moments, the chaos is over. The hot tempest debates, the shaking stops,

and an ominous silence descends on the village.

The merchant and his fellow villagers will have no idea what just swept through their

community. And for years neither will scientists or researchers. Exactly what caused the Tunguska

event as this strange incident is named will remain unknown for decades. But its mystery will

...