Contest #174 answer: North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Carolina

The Wilkes County Region in North Carolina is considered as the birthplace of NASCAR racing, which has his origins in the ‘moonshine running’ operations during the Prohibition in the 1930’s.

The North Wilkesboro Speedway is named as ‘the root of stock-car racing’ and was abandoned by NASCAR due to the conditions of the track in 1996, but is back in business again.

The racetrack was featured in a recent BBC Top Gear episode

Those who won the race

  • hhgygy
  • Chris Nason
  • Bill Close
  • steven simmons
  • eli
  • Sarah G
  • Sasha Smith
  • Paul Franson
  • blacbronco
  • ACG
  • zumsen
  • steve willis
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • Andy Murdock
  • Dean Guadagno

-Hint-

  • Andy McConnell
  • Linda G

Contest # 173 answer: Tromelin Island, Indian Ocean

Yes it was hard his week, this is Tromelin Island, located at -15.8919, 54.5232 (some 450 km East of Madagascar). Kudos to all who found this.

It was first recorded in 1722 as Île des Sables (Island of Sand), which describes his Island best: it is nothing more than a sandbank with some coral around it.

But the reason I put this contest up, is that there is a fascinating story about this Island. In 1761 a French ship was wrecked in this Island and the crew of this ship managed to escape in a self built raft to Madagascar, leaving the 60 slaves they carried alone on the island. Some 15 years later a French warship rescued the 8 surviving slaves (7 woman and a child). Somehow they managed to stay alive during 15 years on this sandbank.

How they did that is still a mystery and last year another archeological mission was commissioned to carry out scientific research on this matter.

Those who managed to survive this contest:
  • Paul Franson
  • Chris Nason
  • Dean Guadagno
  • ACG
  • blacbronco
  • brian t
  • steve willis
  • Bill Close

-Hint-

  • LawnBoy
  • zumsen
  • lardarz
  • David Kozina
  • José Miguel Díaz
  • Sarah G
  • Andy Murdock
  • eli

Contest #172 answer: Hashima Island, Japan

Hashima island is a now abandoned former coal mine facility some 15 km SW from Nagasaki. In 1870 it was acquired by Mitsubishi for their coal-mining operations below the seabed. At the top of the operations, Hashima housed some 5000 people, that is a stunning 83,500 people per square km.

The nickname of Hashima is ‘Battleship Island’ (Gunkanjima). This picture shows why.

The island was abandoned in 1974 and is now open for guided tourist visits.

There is a very beautiful photoblog of this island.

Wow, you beat the previous record of right answers again! So I guess it is time to raise the difficulty level with the next contest… 😉

Thos who did not abandon the island:

  • Michael T
  • Smeulders B.
  • hhgygy
  • Gillian
  • Milosh, Serbia
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • lardarz
  • ACG
  • Paul Franson
  • wistrand
  • blacbronco
  • Ray Liao
  • Kate
  • Chris Nason
  • Thomas Egan
  • themamateresa
  • eli
  • Pascal Gilbraith
  • Bill Close
  • Linda G
  • Jerry
  • Dennis S.
  • zumsen
  • Andy M, USA
  • steve willis
  • Andy Murdock
  • Sarah G
  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • Lalaland
  • Sanghoon Han
  • EJ
  • Andy McConnell
  • Jeffkash
  • Graham Foxall
  • Max_Power
  • brian t
  • David Kozina
  • ewen
  • Elin
  • wintermute001
  • Elrober

-Hint-

  • LawnBoy
  • Gordon Silliker
  • Dean Guadagno
  • Ivar Bonsaksen
  • ellen norrena
  • Carvas, Portugal
  • Stephen Hope
  • Alonso Alfaro
  • Camargo, California
  • Javier Abadia
  • José Miguel Díaz