Hoover Dam is a stunning testament to what man can create. Involving thousands of workers during the great depression, it became America's largest reservoir. Covering about 248 square miles it can hold 28.9 million acre-feet of water and helped to create Lake Mead. Hoover Dam now supports farms, business and millions of people in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico.

If you are in the area between Nevada and Arizona, you can take a tour of this monstrous structure and see for yourself how big it is!

At one time, it used to be the largest dam on Earth rising 726.4 feet. It has since been surpassed by 770 foot high Oroville Dam in North Carolina. But that doesn't come close to the 1,0001 foot high Jinping Dam in Liangshan, Sichuan, China.

One woman found out firsthand when she ventured to the top of the dam and tried to pour water over the edge. When she did even she didn't expect to see what happened next.

While the Hoover Dam may be massive to look at, a lot of architecture, engineering and design went into it and that creates all sorts of strange phenomenons.  

Like throwing a basketball off its edge, for example.

When Leslie Hutchings posted a video from her summer visit to the dam, it was viewed by over 3.5 million people.

She simply reached her arm over the edge of the dam with a water bottle and tried to empty it.

What happens next baffles most people.

In case you're wondering if Leslie's video is a trick, it's not. Many people have uploaded several other videos and have had the same result.

But what happens when you dump a larger amount of water?

So what is the meaning of this? Why does it happen?

No, it's not some sort of trick or tourist attraction that causes the water to go up instead of down. The answer lays in a scientific explanation.

It's actually a very simple answer.

When wind and air hit the face of the dam, it follows the curve the dam and creates an upward draft that lifts things like water.

Oddly, many who have tried this trick say that you can't actually feel the draft itself, so that just make this so much more neat!

Now I think I need to make a trip back to the Hoover Dam and try this for myself. What do you think of it?

Source: Boredom Therapy