Shocking Facts About Electrocution
Electrocution is perhaps one of the most unpleasant things to experience and it doesn’t matter if it’s a quick zap or random lightning strike. Common as it may be, not many people know the details of what happens during this process. Aside from mild discomfort, the human body can have some unexpected reactions after coming into contact with electricity. If this is something you never thought about, keep scrolling to learn some shocking facts about electrocution.
1. Electricity Does NOT Enter the Body
First thing’s first, let’s clear up the biggest misconception about getting shocked- that electricity flows through your body. It really doesn’t. What actually happens is that when you come into contact with current, your electrical charge is shifted as your body’s electrons become highly active. The excess energy created by your body will then arc to the easiest route out. If you’re still confused, let’s compare it to boiling water. The water heats up not because there’s fire in it, but because of a change in the energy of its own molecules.
2. You Could Be Thrown Across the Room
Seeing someone get electrocuted is pretty terrifying. But what’s even scarier is watching them stiffen up before being thrown across the room like a rag doll. Now as mentioned earlier, electricity doesn’t flow through your body, so this isn’t due to the sheer force of the shock. The culprit is actually your own nerves that start to misfire and contract all at once, leading to an involuntary parkour move. Once you regain consciousness, you’re going to be really sore and even suffer physical damage such as cuts, concussions, bruises and possibly broken bones.
3. Your Skin Can Turn into Charcoal
For most people, getting shocked is nothing more than an uncomfortable tingle that lasts a few seconds. But for some unlucky fellows, massive electrocution leaves them with some really nasty burns. If you want to get technical, here’s a word to add to your vocabulary: carbonization. That’s the scientific term for when your skin becomes charred to a crisp, blocking the flow of electricity. This is one of the most painful consequences of getting shocked, but this usually only happens if the voltage is high enough.
4. Your Eyes Can Melt
If you’re squeamish, then you can go ahead and just scroll right past this one. As mentioned above, electrocution really does melt your eyes. Sounds grotesque, but in rare cases these delicate organs become so electrified that they melt right out of your head. Remember that electrocution causes your nerves to fire up and well, there’s a cluster of nerves connected to your soft and moist eyeballs. Apply a strong enough or long enough voltage, and they might become a sort of milky looking mixture.
5. It Messes Up Your Brain Chemistry
The brain is one of our most sensitive and powerful organs, with over one billion nerves constantly sending and receiving information from the body. Can you imagine what a sudden jolt of electricity can do to it? Well, our brain chemistry gets all messed up, causing all sorts of problems, not only for the victim but their families as well. Sudden personality changes, mood swings and memory loss are some of the things they might have to deal with. Thankfully, this usually subsides within a few weeks or months as the brain heals, though there are rare cases where changes become permanent.
Recent Posts
-
Surprising Facts About the Byzantine Empire
01 | 04 | 2023
The Byzantine Empire, located in modern-day Turkey, was quite an interesting civilization with a unique culture—they called themselves Romans but spoke Greek. And thanks to all their surviving artwork, literature and architecture, we have a pretty clear picture of what life back then must have been like back then. There’s so much to cover but […]
-
The Most Amazing Double Agents in History
01 | 03 | 2023
In a world that is fueled by success, competition and the idea of survival of the fittest, the role of double agents is never redundant. Double agents are known for bringing to the table their skills as intelligence operative; spies who pose as working for another agency while actually serving the organization they claim to […]
-
Forgotten Accomplishments of President Lincoln
01 | 02 | 2023
Without a doubt, Abraham Lincoln is one of America’s most cherished presidents whose achievements marked some of the greatest turning points in the nation’s history. Everyone knows of his role in the Civil War which led to the signing of the 13th Amendment. But did you know that he was the first to make Thanksgiving […]
-
Gifts Given Between Countries
01 | 01 | 2023
Be it due to friendship, gratitude or celebration, the exchanging of gifts is a really old tradition that has been around for thousands of years. Many times, a country will often go to great lengths to strengthen their ties with another, usually for diplomatic reasons. And in this article, we’ve selected five remarkable items that […]
-
How Things Worked Before Life-Changing Inventions
12 | 31 | 2022
Modern humans, especially in western countries, live a life of relative ease, despite always finding petty things to complain about. We live much longer than we ever did before thanks to all those amazing discoveries and technological advancements. But what about days gone by when people had to do everything themselves? Well in the article, […]