What the Fluke is this Arch Made of? - Facts Analysis

Story:

What The Fluke Is This Arch Made Of?

Nagasaki 1945, after the atomic bomb.

Nagasaki 2011, following earthquake and tsunami.

We need a government-funded program to send a team of people’s scientists to Japan and find out what this arch is made of. Once we get hold of this miracle, Obama’s investments in alternative technologies will be vindicated, helping him to defeat the knuckle-dragging troglodytes Romney and Ryan in the coming election.

Other Versions

What the hell is that arch made of?

Picture about What the Fluke is this Arch Made of? — What the Fluke is this Arch Made of?

Analysis:

The message purportedly shows two photographs of an Arch in Japan’s Nagasaki, one taken after the atomic bombing in 1945 and the other in 2011, following an earthquake and tsunami, claiming that the arch is not at all affected by the disasters over decades. Although the pictures are genuine, the arches shown in the two pictures are different, and so the claim is a hoax.

The origin of these pictures and circulating stories appears to be a political satire article in The People’s Cube website, which seems to be mistaken for real and so started the circulation of these pictures. The first picture (old one) in fact shows the aftermath of Nagasaki bombing by U.S. in 1954, taken 700 meters from the center of the explosion. But the second picture (new one) is not the same arch, it is a result of the devastation of houses and infrastructures in Otsuchi town of Kamihei district, Iwate, Japan that happened after an earthquake and resulting tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Picture of Arch, common traditional build in Japan — Arches, common traditional build in Japan

The arches shown in the pictures is actually a very common traditional build in Japan called Torii that you will find in many places, including gardens, streets and holy places. These Torii gates are believed to be symbols that mark the transition from the profane (not sacred) to the sacred.

So the arches shown in the pictures are different ones, and therefore the claims of the arch withstanding atomic bombing and earthquake are just hoax.