The Lonely, Dead Tree of Ténéré

A damn interesting article popped up on DamnInteresting.com today about the Lonely Tree of Ténéré — known as the most isolated tree on the planet, located in remote Niger. That is, until one day in 1973 when an allegedly drunk Libyan lost control of his truck and slammed into the tree, ripping it from the sand and subsequently changing it’s title to the tree formally known as the most isolated tree on the planet.

How’d you like to be that guy? We’ve all done some stupid things while drunk, no doubt, but this one takes the cake. I mean, what are the odds? You’re driving – in the world’s largest hot desert no less, where plant life is virtually non-existent – and you slam into the only thing with a shadow in a 400 kilometer radius. Whoops.

You can read more about the Lonely Tree of Ténéré at DamnInteresting.com. Or if you’re interested learning about other famous trees around the planet, this Wikipedia entry is a step in the right direction.