If you didn’t already know, 2019 has been dubbed as the “Year of the Periodic Table.” There’s a high chance that you haven’t looked at this thing since your high school chemistry days, but the Periodic Table is actually pretty incredible. After all, it’s confirmation that everything we have, own, eat, breathe, and touch in this world is made from a variety of 90 naturally occurring chemical elements. Pretty neat, huh? However, as humans stretch these natural resources and use them faster than they can replenish themselves, scientists have warned that your phone habits could be making things worse.

Upgrading And Updating

When was the last time you traded in your old cell phone for a brand new one? It probably wasn’t too long ago. As tech companies bring out new and exciting software and phones every single year, it’s easy to get sucked into buying a brand new one. While this doesn’t seem like too much of an issue from the outset – after all, you can spend your own money on what you want – you might not have thought about the specifics that go into making these phones. To create the outer shell, the battery, and the innards of any cell phone, manufacturers have to make use of elements such as phosphorus, gallium, copper, gold, silver, boron, and arsenic. The problem? We are now running out of many of these elements.

Throwing It Away

In fact, smartphones are comprised of 30 different elements. This is pretty impressive, but what’s not impressive is the rate that we are going through these phones. It’s been noted that a whopping 10 million phones are replaced every single month in the European Union, and that’s a lot of elements going to waste. The worst thing about this is that they are chucked in the trash, they are discarded in a drawer, and they are rarely recycled. Because of this constant need for the 30 elements that make up these phones, 17 of them are now on the road to going extinct in the next 100 years or so. This is a huge cause for concern.

Of course, much of the fault lies in the hands of cell phone companies, as they are the ones who tempt us with new and improved phones. However, if you can stop updating your phone or upgrading to a new handset as often, this can help.

From running into a lamppost, wrecking a rental car, being covered in salad dressing, and even having a porch stolen, here are 45 people who have some really lousy luck.

The average flight lasts three hours, which is a lot of time when you cannot network on social media. This is where personal televisions come in. The personal TVs are usually located in the seat-backs where passengers can watch different programs and movies on them. This passenger on a 16-hour flight unluckily got a faulty TV, meaning no form of entertainment for the whole of the flight!

Ranch is a salad dressing made up of a lot of ingredients including buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and other spices. With all of those ingredients put together, you can be sure to get quite a strong aroma. After making about 22 quarts of ranch dressing, this woman accidentally dressed herself, rather than the salad, in it. The smell on her shirt might be impossible to get rid of.

Part of the joy of cooking is settling down to enjoy whatever meal you have expertly or amateurishly made up. This person faced the biggest disappointment on that note as the lasagna she made somehow fell just after she was done cooking. Judging by the size of the lasagna in the picture, it was intended for the whole family. Everyone will be disappointed.

Oops, this must have been quite awkward. This young lady broke the gear during her driving examination. How does she explain that she was not driving recklessly? Could it have been a pre-existing defect? Or probably it was a part of her examination to test how she reacts to dire situations. Whatever the case may be, it is safe to imagine that she had to retake the driving examination.

The owner of this cat thoughtfully decided to treat it to a Fancy Feast, as the receipt in the picture shows. The cat, however, passed away, leading the owner to seek a refund. The reasoning for the return states “animal passed away.” This must have been quite an experience for both the owner and the employee who facilitated the refund.

Surprises are a big part of any relationship and this couple knew that too well. This is why each of them decided to show up at the other’s place unannounced. The unlucky part of this arrangement is that they both got to the other person’s house at the same time. Boyfriend at the girlfriend’s house, and the girlfriend’s at the boyfriend’s house. I think this one is both cute and unlucky.

Birthdays are special days to feel loved and appreciated by those around you. This is why we always want to forget any birthday that does not come with enough love. Apparently, Facebook did not get the memo, as they ensured to remind Gary of how many people wished him a happy birthday. The number of wishes Gary got totaled to zero.

Kids sure know how to get into awkward positions, both with the questions they ask and physically. This young boy somehow wiggled his head through a window bar, getting his head stuck in the process. There are a lot of questions to be asked. Like how did he get there? What was he trying to do? How long has he been like that? Thankfully, a rescue team was handy to get him out.

Ripped jeans or jeans with holes in them are quite nice to wear on a normal day. They are very fashionable, comfortable, and are a very big part of streetwear. It appears, however, that they are not suitable for sunny days. This lady found this out the tough way, as her knee caps got sunburned. You can guess that she won’t be wearing them anytime soon.

A high percentage of people in the world dealing with eye defects have myopia, some more extreme than others. After undergoing an eye test at a hospital, this individual found out just how bad the eye problem might be. The font used in the appointment letter was quite large, to say the least. The boldness of the letter is hilarious but is the right signal and what that patient needs.

Pets, like kids, are known to destroy a lot of household items, including books, clothes, and electronics. This dog took it too far as it ate the original PhD diploma of its owner. Bearing the header of the University of Missouri, a great part of the certificate has been destroyed leaving it useless. The irony of it is that a bone is laying so close to the certificate. Bad dog!

This lady traveled from Minnesota to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon, but the view she got was not quite what she expected. Covered by fog, the Grand Canyon looked more like a forgotten location than one of the most exciting tourist destinations in the United States. Thankfully, the Grand Canyon looks quite breathtaking as soon as the fog lifts.

How did snow get under your car of all places? How do you explain at work that you could not come because there was snow under your car? The car is practically mounted on the snow with the other parts of the car completely clean. This will take some time and energy to get off. He might well have a genuine reason to miss work after all.

Kids are a handful naturally, more so when they are in a restricted space like an airplane. It gets worse when their parents are not around to keep them in check on the airplane. This woman unluckily sat in between a couple of kids on a plane, and it turned out to be an unforgettable experience—and not the good kind. Between fighting for who sits where and yelling at each other, they sure frustrated her.

Standing on top of a fence, this crow has about a hundred bucks in its beak and four people are trying to get the money from down below. It is quite confusing how the crow got the money, but our best bet is that these men were trying to play with it but the crow was not having it. From the looks of things, the crow is not letting go of the money.

This is one of the strangest accidents you’ll come across online. It is not every day you see an accident involving a car and a bicycle, especially not one in which the car, rather than the bicycle, is dented. The front of this car is dented with the rear of the bicycle stuck under it. We can only wonder how it happened, and if both parties could report to work that day.

Few things are more disastrous than the wig of the bride falling off during an engagement photoshoot. Well, it happened at this photoshoot, and although it was embarrassing at first, the bride owned it. The pictures showed her initial reaction of surprise at the situation she found herself in, with her wig falling in front of her.

Some dogs love water and rain, while others not as much. This dog belongs to the latter group, and his reaction after being stuck in the rain suggested just as much. All wet and cold, he looked down grudgingly and it must have required a long period of drying to get him smiling again. Bad day for the dog!

Men are quite handy when it comes to taking inventory of the garden and poultry. In this situation, this man finds himself unable to determine what his report should be. Instructed by his wife to confirm if the chicken had laid any eggs, he found the eggs with a snake wrapped around them. He just might leave the ownership of those eggs to the snake, and tell his wife he found none.

This new beekeeper sure had a swell day at work as the state of her face suggests. With her right eye closed, and that side of her face double in size from a sting, she has been convinced it is a rite of passage for every beekeeper. It is only right to wonder if the bees will identify her the next time she comes around, and let her tend them without stinging her.

What is a more terrible way to start your day than finding out that your porch has been stolen? Yes, a porch (not a pouch) was stolen from this person’s house. He woke up to a porch-less house and fell out of the door when trying to get out. Saying that it is unsafe to stay in this area is a big understatement.

A fallen tree has its uses. It could be used for furniture or even paper. A standing tree in a residential area also has its uses. It provides a shield from adverse weather conditions and aids ventilation. This family woke up to a fallen tree in front of their house. Asides being bad news to wake up to, it also demands a lot of adjustment and getting used to. This is not considering the amount of work that will go into cleaning it up.

This guy came across a frozen lake and thought it was a good idea to drive across it. He ended up driving right into a hole in the lake, one he did not spot. The visible footsteps around the hole suggest that he came out in one piece. You can’t help but wonder what happened to the vehicle, it might be needing some repair.

Typographical errors are well a part of online communication. Every now and then, we all make errors while typing and our acquittance usually overlook them. Making an error with a name when chatting with your girlfriend is however something that can land you in big trouble. This guy “mistakenly” typed “Abby” instead of “Baby,” and he sure had some explaining to do.

Pizza is a top tier snack and something everyone should handle with care whenever they go to get a box. This man here did not follow the code, as he fell asleep on a train with a box of pizza in his hands. Unfortunately for him, the content of the box spilled on the floor of the train. He definitely woke up to an empty box and a huge feeling of disappointment.

Height is not a dealbreaker in love, and James and Chloe are a testament to this fact. It, however, seems like the rest of the world is not aware of the fact. At a romantic dinner, James, a dwarf, was provided with coloring books and crayons after being mistaken for a child. It is not hard to imagine how embarrassing this must have been.

A lot of people can relate to balls getting stuck while playing, whether a basketball or a soccer ball. In this case, a basketball got stuck on the side of a hoop. In a bid to get it down, a broom got stuck beside it. Poor luck. On the upside, the image of the ball and broom reminds us of the Quidditch scenes from Harry Potter.

An umbrella is a regular fixture in the everyday essentials of people during the rainy season. This way, you are protected from the rain, which comes virtually anytime during the day. This fella here lost his means of protection as the canopy of his umbrella came off and went with the wind. The handle was all that was left, and it must have been a very cold day for him.

Painting is one of the easiest do-it-yourself tasks that a person can undertake. It is also fun as well, which is why you find a lot of people doing it themselves. This individual, however, was not lucky enough to have a swell time painting as her brush fell right into the bucket of paint. This must have been a big dilemma that required turning away part of the paint or getting her hand completely covered in paint.

Surely everyone can agree that a hotel is the best place to feel comfortable away from home. Part of the appeal of a hotel is the excellent view it often affords customers. But what then do you do when the view in your hotel is of the toilet? Surely, this individual did not realize what the room offered until they were settled in. On the upside, the person can sleep facing away from the view.

Checking the mailbox is a daily routine for many people. Here, you find the day’s newspapers, new letters, as well as bills. Imagine the disappointment this individual felt when the key to the mailbox broke while trying to get the mail for the day. From the look of things, this mailbox must have required professional work to get it open. This damage definitely meant no mail today.

Graduation is a happy celebration, making up for the end of school struggles, late nights reading, and difficult courses. As such, a lot of fanfare goes into graduation, with items like balloons a common sight. This lady, however, was unlucky on her graduation day as her balloons flew off into the sky just before her graduation party started. Well, she could look at it as an announcement to the whole world of her new status as a graduate.

Tea mugs are precious possessions, as they help you get your day started with tea or coffee. A tea mug with a nice inscription is even better;  it gives you all the positivity you need for the day. This mug, however, did not quite live up to the precedent it set with its inscription. With “this day is made for you” written on the side, the owner will be forgiven if they had other ideas after the handle of the mug came off in the morning.

Getting a birthday cake for a baby is one way to win his heart. This is why parents take getting birthday cakes very seriously in the early years of their kids’ life. This 2-year-old baby might just have to make do with a cake not bearing the age as there seems to be party candles only for ages “1” and “3” available. 3 minus 1 equals 2, so maybe a different form of representing 2 on the cake is not a bad idea.

Aside from food and water, a charger is one of the basic essentials for every adult. In fact, our chargers go everywhere with us, and a bad charger usually hurts like a high school heartbreak. This guy must have felt this heartbreak as his charger finally stopped functioning in the middle of the night. You can say he had it coming, as the wires of the charger have been threadbare for a while. What is worse? His phone was on 10%.

Now, this right here is quite embarrassing. In a public toilet, trying to handle his business and get comfortable, this guy somehow lost hold of the roll of toilet paper. Not only did the toilet paper fall to the ground, it rolled out of the toilet. The picture clearly shows another guy around, and hopefully, he would have been nice enough to help him out. What would he have done if there was no one there?

How does one get out of this dilemma? Washing the toilet is no one’s favorite chore, and then the toilet brush goes ahead and falls into the toilet. There are not many options for this person to explore that does not require putting his hand into the toilet. Actually, a tool with a flat surface might get it out, but this person might have impatiently gotten it out with his hand.

Bikers usually get thirsty from long rides, and a cool drink is usually a welcome idea to deal with the thirst. This was the scenario that played out for this biker, but he had to wait longer than usual after making a mess of his first drink. He did not take his helmet off before taking his drink and it spilled all over his helmet-covered face.

Kids are cute whenever they are not making trouble. They are extra cute when they are trying to make you feel better. This little girl tried to make her mother feel better by giving her mother’s jeans a genius artistic expression. While the intention was pure, getting this amount of ink off is nearly impossible. It is best is the mother keeps it as a symbol of her daughter’s love.

The worse way to find out you have a bee allergy is by working as a beekeeper. This was the case for this pretty lady who left with her face swollen beyond recognition after a day as a beekeeper in Italy. In the picture, she has a lovely smile on, indicating that she left there in good faith.

Riding is a good means of transport as well as an effective form of exercising. Choosing where to place your phone when riding a bicycle is one of the trickier problems that bikers face. From the look of things, this biker did not find a good location for his phone, and it ended up dropping into the bike chain. The phone looks like it is beyond repair.

Getting your flip flops stuck is one of the most frustrating things that could happen to anyone. This one got stuck in the teeth of an escalator, and it would take a lot of patience and precision to take it out. Maybe sneakers are better than flip flops after all.

An unforgettable experience, it is not every day you come across a flying axe on a highway. This guy’s windshield was hit by an axe while driving on the highway. It is a mystery where the axe came from, but thankfully the damage done was not devastating. The casualties included a broken windshield and a broken neck. This guy is quite lucky to be alive.

It is possible to be unlucky in death, as this guy’s case shows. This skeleton was found in Pompeii many years after death. He appeared to be running from the eruption but ended up meeting his death while running, as he was struck by in the face by a 300 kg boulder. This is probably the most unlucky way to go out.

Hair dyes are good for making you look hip and trendy. It also gives you a much-needed change in look and could even give your face a lift. This is what this guy must have been thinking when he decided to change the color of his hair. He, however, went from looking trendy to requiring medical attention, as he found out that he was allergic to hair dye. Asides a swollen face and head, he looks just fine.

Kids love their pets until it is time to feed and take care of them. This was the case with Elyse and her new cat, as their ideas of bonding were very far apart. The cat pooped on Elyse’s shirt and she was not having it, as she cried out in protest. Perhaps, she will learn to be a more tolerant pet owner as time goes on, but for now, it is best the cat always used its litter.

Losing your hair without the intention is quite a painful experience. It is even more painful when the hair comes off your head forcefully. The hair on this bus pole is quite a handful, and must have required a great amount of force to get off the head of whoever it belonged to. You can only imagine the kind of pain it caused.

Cookies are everyone’s favorite, especially homemade cookies that are deliciously baked. Flies are definitely not an ingredient for homemade cookies, but somehow this person got some in his cookies. He only spotted it after baking the cookie, but he faced quite a dilemma, having to decide whether to simply remove the fly or dispose of the whole cookie. How bad could the fly really taste?!

As nice as this thing might appear, it is neither safe nor harmless. The hail damage wrecked the moon roof of the car and has it looking like a chandelier holding water. It will not take a long time before the roof gives in and breaks. Although it might have some aesthetic value, it makes the car unfit for use. This individual sure did not prepare for this damage when he set out.

The story behind this tortoise being flipped over is funny to hear but quite unlucky for the tortoise. Apparently, this creature got poop on his leg and in trying to get it off was moving in circles. Instead of getting the poop off, the tortoise got flipped over, a position in which he was rendered incapable of moving. When you think about how slow the movement of a tortoise is, you realize how laborious the whole exercise must have been.

It is not every day you come across your favorite soccer star, so running into a lamppost while hurrying to get a picture is quite understandable. This young Liverpool fan ran into both a lamppost and Liverpool star Mohammed Salah on what must have been an eventful day. The result was worth the stress though, as he got a nice picture. Quite the souvenir.

Technology has advanced so much to the extent that nothing is truly lost, especially not a stolen phone. Having the phone stolen in London, this individual must have been elated after getting news that the phone has been located. Hearing that it was located in Algeria, far off in North Africa, must have had a dampening effect. All in all, there is still a chance that the phone can be found, albeit slim.

A rental car is usually rented to make a statement at an event or party. It is yours to flaunt for one night or week, as this case may be. Crashing a rental car is never on the agenda, and definitely not a McLarens 720s. This car costs a fortune and this individual that crashed it is surely in for some serious financial problems.

Getting the picture as quickly as possible is usually the goal of solving a puzzle. What do you do then when you open up a puzzle box and find it blank, just like this person? Maybe create your own puzzle I suppose. This surely kills all the excitement she had when she was opening the box. Thankfully, there are a number of uses for blank puzzles, as can be found on the internet.

There are a few things in this world that give young men the level of joy and satisfaction that video games bring. You can, therefore, imagine the joy this guy felt after getting the Switch. His dog had plans of his own, however, as he thought it was a good idea to eat the Switch controller, of all the things available.

Water leaks dropping slowly can be quite nice to look out, with the rhythmic sound of the water dropping also giving a nice effect. However, the effect of these water leaks can be quite disastrous, as this picture shows. In the picture, it looks like the ceiling is giving in and will collapse in no time. Movement in the room is quite restricted as well.

Snakes have been one of man’s greatest enemies since the story of creation. You can, therefore, imagine the reaction this woman’s husband had when he saw what looks like a snake on the bed. He reacted by hitting the snake before finding out that it was his wife sleeping in snake printed pajamas. Her leg went from being covered in snake print to being covered in a bandage.

Valentine’s Day dinner is usually highly anticipated by couples, with a lot of planning put into it. This man, however, was quite unlucky when his Valentine’s Day dinner was ruined by an indoor pool. Having noticed that the heat was not working effectively, he went down to fix it, only to find the basement covered in 4ft of water. This couple might just have to bond over something else.