In the vast expanse of the Bering Strait, a geographical marvel exists that not only bridges two landmasses but is a channel for time travel. Welcome to the Diomede Islands, divided into Big Diomede and Little Diomede. But most importantly, you can travel from the past to the future across this island. How? You simply hop on to the next day in a jiffy.
Can You Time Travel Across These Islands?
The Diomede Islands are located in the middle of the Bering Strait between mainland Alaska and Siberia. They are about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) apart, but due to locally defined time zones, Big Diomede is only 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede
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This unique geographical feature, comprising Big Diomede Island (located in Russian territory) and Little Diomede Island (located in American territory), is intriguing. These islands connect the two competing superpowers of the world, America and Russia.
Big Diomede Island is part of Russia and is often referred to as “Tomorrow Island,” while Little Diomede Island is part of the United States and bears the moniker “Yesterday Island.” ” This naming originated from the International Date Line that runs through the Bering Strait, making the islands share different calendar days despite their close proximity. The gradual acceleration of time leads to a phenomenon where, upon arrival on Big Diomede Island, one finds oneself catapulted into the future.
This proximity, coupled with the presence of the International Date Line running through the region, creates an intriguing scenario where one could theoretically stand on one island and, in a sense, look across the dateline to a different day. The Diomede Islands serve as an imaginative canvas on which to explore the interplay of time, space, and physics.
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Travelling Between The Diomede Islands
Despite being only two miles apart, each the Diomede Islands lay in two different countries and two different days of the week. https://t.co/gCutjPGtvb https://t.co/xSupCXl897 pic.twitter.com/mgN252htWd
— The Big Data Stats (@TheBigDataStats) July 18, 2021
Despite being only three miles (4.8 km) apart, Big Diomede and Little Diomede are still a day apart. This is due to the Pacific Ocean’s passing of the International Date Line. This line causes the difference between Big Diomede and Little Diomede to be one day.
Because both of these islands develop ice throughout the winter, a bridge is built. This bridge provides access to both islands for people on foot. If they begin walking from one end on Monday, it will be Tuesday when they reach the other end.
Although it is illegal, they can also travel from the future to the past. The Big Diomede and Little Diomede rivers served as the nations’ border when the US bought Alaska from Russia in 1987, according to The Daily Star. These two islands were named after Danish-Russian navigator Vitus Bering. He made the discovery of these islands on August 16, 1728.
Cover image credits: Wikimedia Commons