In the busy part of the American city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, there is a mysterious landmark called the Center of the Universe, where sound is transformed in an incomprehensible way.
We are talking about a small concrete circle with a diameter of 76 centimeters on the pedestrian part of the street, located inside a larger brick circle in 13 rows. Visually, this is an unremarkable place, also constantly depicted by teenagers, but this is not the point. Here one should not look, but speak and listen. The fact is that the "Center of the Universe" has a little-known, but very curious and inexplicable property. A strange acoustic phenomenon is observed in it: if you stand in the center of the attraction and, turning your face in any direction, say something, shout out or just clap your hands, then the sound will return to you with a delay and much louder, as if you are not standing in the middle of the street while in an echo chamber or whispering gallery. Some tourists are seriously scared when they first experience the incredible effect on themselves.
An urban legend says that a whole misty horn is buried right under the concrete circle - one of those huge metal sirens that used to be used to supply beacons for the sound navigation of ships during the darkness at sea. This may be an exaggeration, but your voice will indeed be extremely distorted if you stand in a circle and say something. Many people do not even recognize their voices, therefore they are confused and even frightened.
According to another, mystical, urban myth, this place is cursed and sucks vital energy out of a person, and the best way to give them to otherworldly forces is to stand in the center of the attraction at night and make any sound. Local children often scare each other with the "Center of the Universe" and call forth ominous echoes in the dark.
It is known that the concrete-brick mysterious circle appeared in Tulsa in the 80s of the last century, when the bridge span was being repaired nearby after a fire. Only a couple of years later, the townspeople accidentally discovered an amazing acoustic anomaly. Scientists and architects are still wondering whether the builders created such an effect here by chance or on purpose. And most importantly, how did they do it? During all this time, experts have not been able to unravel the secret of the "Center of the Universe". Or maybe the builders are not to blame for this? But then who?..
Daniil Myslinsky