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Join special guests, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from “Astonishing Legends” for Richard Hatem's first-ever AMA!
Encounters are always filled with surprises, but this week brings a surprise you might not see coming... Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum. You'll find yourself laughing one second, and cringing in terror the next. Imagine a floating Cheshire-like, teethy, horrifying smile haunting you and your roommates. Imagine falling into an ominous pit used for dark sacrifices in the deepest of the woods. Imagine a ghost watching TV with you and being visited by aliens. Not everyone has to imagine, because some of you have experienced these encounters yourselves. This episode is a reminder not to use a ouija board and will tug at your heartstrings and make you want to stop at that random restaurant on the side of the road when your sister randomly suggests it. To hear the entirety of Payne's haunting tale, it is on an episode of Radio Rental called Shadow Man (behind a paywall) To learn more about Ingrid Cold - listen to episode 262 We highly recommend that you watch the Video Version on YOUTUBE - you get to see our faces and reactions, catch glimpses of Leia and the photos we reference throughout the episode! Have ghost stories of your own? E-mail them to us at twogirlsoneghostpodcast@gmail.com Encounters episodes are released every Thursday at 9am PST/12pm EST. Corinne and Sabrina hand select a couple of paranormal encounters from our inbox to read in each episode, from demons, to cryptids, to aliens, to creepy kids... the list goes on and on. If you have a story of your own that you'd like us to share on an upcoming episode, we invite you to email them to us! This episode is sponsored by Pretty Litter, Lumen and MixHers. Pretty Litter has the best litter Sabrina has ever used. Go to PrettyLitter.com/tgog and use code TGOG to save 20% on your first order. Lumen is the world's first handheld metabolic coach. It's a device that measures your metabolism through your breath. Take the next step in improving your health, go to lumen.me/TGOG to get 15% off your Lumen. From your first period to your first hot flash, Mixhers is a nutritional supplement company that is with you every step of the way. Head to Mixhers.com/TGOG and use promo code TGOG at checkout for an additional 10% off your order! And don't forget to check out Astonishing Legends Podcasts! Join co-hosts, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess as they cover a wide range of subjects, including but not limited to the paranormal and supernatural, historical mysteries, inexplicable phenomena, and biographies of fascinating people. Astonishing Legends is available wherever you like to listen to podcasts, so please search for them and subscribe! Or visit AstonishingLegends.com for more information. If you enjoy our show, please consider joining our Patreon, rating and reviewing on iTunes & Spotify and following us on social media! Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Discord. Edited and produced by Jaimi Ryan, original music by Arms Akimbo! Disclaimer: the use of white sage and smudging is a closed practice. If you're looking to cleanse your space, here are some great alternatives!
Forrest Burgess is a podcaster and the co-founder of the Astonishing Legends Podcast. You can learn more about him and tonight's conversation at: LINKS & SHOW NOTES Astonishing Legends' Official Website Scared all the Time's Official Website The Midnight Library's Official Website Richard Hatem's Paranormal Book Shelf Official Website
The Best Indie Podcast nomination IS the award!Susan and Sharon thank ALL the listeners who came out to support “80's TV Ladies” as Best Indie Podcast for the WEBBY AWARDS. A big welcome to all our new listeners! And a sincere thank you to all who voted and to our listeners who reached out. BIG THANKS to our friends who shouted us out, including:Chris Stachiw from Weirding Way Media Network and the Kulturecast Podcast.Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast.Richard Hatem of Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf podcast.And an extra special thank you to TikTok superstar and creator of Phineas and Ferb, Dan Povenmire, and all his fans. All of you went the extra mile to support us and bring new listeners to the show, so THANK YOU!And of course, the biggest thank you of all -- TO OUR LOYAL FANS!And listen in on the first official 8TL Mailbag, where we get feedback and answer questions and get feedback from you, our fans! PLUS -- an April 2024 “In Memorium Salute”.AUDIOGRAPHY Check out the Webby Nominee Press Release with our names and Michelle Obama. We're 26 lines ABOVE Michelle Obama. Just saying.Watch Matt Baume's YOUTUBE Channel episode “Bewitched: It Was Gay All Along?”Listen in on the new podcast, Richard Hatem's Paranormal BookshelfAnd Chris Stachiw's movie review podcast, The Kulturecast.Explore the world of Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess's Astonishing Legends podcast.Find Dan Povenmire on TikTok And Twitter.Watch Hamster and Gretel and Phineas and Ferb.Abortion access in America is severely limited – if you need help go to Abortionfinder.org.CONNECTRead transcripts and more at 80sTVLadies.com.Tell us what shows we should cover at 8TL Facebook or via 80sTVLadies.com.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.Find more cool podcasts at our host sight, Weirding Way Media.
Susan and Sharon are honored to speak with the creator and writer of Designing Women, Linda Bloodworth Thomason. Novelist, playwright, documentary filmmaker and philanthropist, Linda is a five-time Emmy Award nominee who has created, written and produced such signature hits as "Evening Shade", "Hearts Afire", "Women of the House" and "Filthy Rich".Her TV writing career began with episodes of classic shows including "Rhoda", "Paper Moon" and "MASH". In a career spanning six decades, Linda Bloodworth Thomason is known for her singular style, mixing humor with serious topics; her lovable, outspoken characters; her unique blending of the romantic and the political, and her indelible portrait of the modern South.In Part One of a wide-ranging conversation, Linda touches on her early days working with TV legends James L. Brooks, Larry Gelbart, and Norman Lear; her astonishing success with Designing Women; living through – and writing about – historic times, and the challenged state of feminism in 2023.THE CONVERSATIONBUILDING THE PERFECT CAST: How legendary casting director Fran Bascom helped Linda nab everyone from Burt Reynolds to Delta Burke to John Ritter – and discover future Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton and Hilary Swank!Bringing the Southern accent back to primetime TV – by way of Dixie Carter's eloquent, melodic voice. And wait, how did Susan lose her accent, anyway?All of the original four Designing Women were from the South and used their real, regional accent – except one. Can you guess who??A BOOK OF VERSE, A JUG OF WINE AND THOU -- Jimmy Carter's romantic nights at the White House with First Lady Rosalynn!The Designing Women Foundation (also known as The Claudia Foundation) – started with Linda's income from Designing Women under the umbrella of The Claudia Foundation to honor of her mother, Claudia Bloodworth. The Foundation provides scholarships and opportunities for young women in Southeast Missouri.BENEVOLENT MASCULINITY: How a certain kind of Southern man became a new archetype on Linda's shows: “Find yourself a jock who also reads poetry and loves his mother.”A GIRL, A CANOE AND THE WORLD: How a canoe from her father changed Linda's life – giving her the courage to discover herself and the world by exploring the Current River in Missouri.DARKNESS AND LIGHT: Finding out that Designing Women was picked up to series on the same day as finding out that her mom had AIDS from a blood transfusion."What's Happened to Women?" Podcast - How the next generation of women is facing our culture's onslaught of misogyny and greed with kindness and equality – and how we can help.So join Susan and Sharon – and Linda – as they talk The Idol, Shakespeare, the KKK – and Hilary Clinton's mom! AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at Weirding Way Media.Visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement
“She didn't twirl just a baton. That baton was on fire. And when she threw that baton into the air, it flew higher, further, faster than any baton has ever flown before, hitting a transformer and showering the darkened arena with sparks!” - Julia SugarbakerSusan and Sharon continue “‘Designing Women' November” with an episode devoted to the actresses – all seven of them – who played all those outspoken Southern Women! We're talking the Original Fab Four: Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart and Annie Potts – PLUS the three cast members that joined up later in the run: Jan Hooks, Julia Duffy and Judith Ivy.With audio clips from the show, we'll learn about each of the women, who they are, what they stand for (and what they won't stand for), and how each of the actresses carved out a special place for themselves and their characters in a show that was designed to be all about women!THE CONVERSATIONWho was Number One on the call sheet at Designing Women?Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida – and was named “Miss Flame” for the Orlando Fire Department!DELTA & GERALD & SIMON & SIMON: Delta Burke met her future husband Gerald McRaney on HIS show “Simon & Simon” – and then she brought him on to HERS…SIX DEGREES OF “REMINGTON STEELE”: How many Designing Women also shared the screen with Steele and Laura? Almost all of them…Julia Duffy shows up Season 6 as Sugarbaker cousin, Alison. Didjaknow? She almost played Diane Chambers on “Cheers” – and appeared later on that show as Diane's best friend!SNL alum Jan Hooks played Carlene – sister to Charlene.MORE SHERYL LEE RALPH! She turns up in Season 7 as Anthony's new wife.Alice Ghostly -- as the hilariously loopy Bernice Clifton – appeared in all 7 seasons!BY THE NUMBERS: How many women behind-the-scenes helped created the show? 20 writers, 6 producers, 3 directors – a significant percentage and huge numbers for the 80s!So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Peter Scolari, “Hacks”, ex-husbands – and our upcoming interview with the creator of Designing Women herself -- Linda Bloodworth-Thomason!AUDIOGRAPHYCheck out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!The Facebook page: Facebook.com/DesigningWomenOfficialFind more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media.For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED80s TV Ladies is shortlisted for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement
Susan and Sharon get to sit down with writer/producer/show-runner Maggie Friedman to talk about the show that inspired her to embark on a career in television: Designing Women.Designing Women (1986-1993) was created by the legendary Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and starred Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Jean Smart, Annie Potts and Meshach Taylor as the owners and staff of the Atlanta-based interior design firm “Sugarbaker & Associates”. In its seven-year run, Designing Women was known for sharp writing, big laughs and taking on issues from a feminist angle in a way that no other show had done before – or since. Maggie Friedman is best known for creating, writing and executive producing Witches of East End for Lifetime Television and Firefly Lane currently on Netflix. She has also written and produced episodes of Dawson's Creek, Jack & Bobby, Once and Again, Wasteland, Spellbound and No Tomorrow.THE CONVERSATIONHow an Ally McBeal spec script got Maggie into a room with Kevin Williamson – and onto the staff of his first show, Dawson's Creek.Maggie set her sights on getting into AFI – and did -- because a mean girl told her she couldn't!HE DID IT/SHE LIED: Those T-Shirts from the Designing Women Anita Hill episode, and the impact it had on Maggie.Which of the Designing Women are you? Sharon is a Julia, but is Susan Mary Jo – or Anthony?“Guns, and AIDS, and condoms – OH MY!” How Designing Women took on all the current issues, that are unfortunately still current today.SPOILER ALERT: What happens when you write HUGE CLIFFHANGERS – and then your show gets cancelled!Big Hair, Big Shoulders! Was the Atlanta of Designing Women accurate? Susan grew up in Georgia -- and has thoughts.Republican Dixie Carter's deal: “For every liberal rant you make Julia say, I get to sing a song!”“Georgia On My Mind”: Ray Charles sings with the Designing Women!Young Susan's brush with fame: Mark Harmon and Peter Scolari – both in one hour!“WOMEN OF THE HOUSE” – the little-known 1995 “sequel” where Suzanne Sugarbaker goes to Congress to fill her late husband's house seat.So join Susan, Sharon – and Maggie – as they talk Jackie Collins, Witches of East End, Scott Bakula, --- and how sexy Richard Hatem is!AUDIOGRAPHYFollow Maggie Friedman on Instagram.Check out the fan website: Designing Women Online. Stream Designing Women on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pluto!Find more cool podcasts at our network, Weirding Way Media. For spooky Halloween Season fun, visit our friends Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess at their podcast “Astonishing Legends".CONNECTFor transcripts, contact info and more, visit 80sTVLadies.com.Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.Get ad-free episodes and exclusive videos on PATREON.BEST FEMALE HOSTED - BEST TV & FILM - BEST ART PODCAST80's TV Ladies has WON three People's Choice Podcast Awards!NOMINATED: Best Moment of Raw Emotion80s TV Ladies is nominated for an International Women's Podcast Award!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5585115/advertisement
A year ago, a settlement was reached at the end of Aliens v. Ghosts, Part 2. Lando agreed not to say ghosts weren't real, if Mucci agreed not to say aliens weren't real. In a fit of rage, Mucci broke that settlement -- but he's glad he did, because it allowed OTR to have this incredible discussion with the cohosts of the Astonishing Legends podcast, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess! Huy judges as Lando and Mucci go at it again, with Lando focusing on the recent disclosure before Congress, while Mucci focuses on the mental and spiritual benefits of believing in ghosts. Our guests offer some amazing insights into both aliens and ghosts, but do they have any opinion on which is more likely to exist than the other? Will their expert opinion sway Judge Huy one way or the other? Follow us on our socials: IG: @otr_debate Twitter: @OTRdebate FB: @otrdebate or on YouTube! You can also email topics you think we should cover at OTRdebate@gmail.com! Or for easy access to everything: https://linktr.ee/Otrdebate Intro and outro music by Lando and Mucci. Other music: "Gastly sounds" by menvafaan (https://freesound.org/people/menvafaan/sounds/169665/). Sources: Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991). https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/we-re-not-crazy-listen-to-a-flight-report-unusual-lights-near-yellowknife-in-january-1.6277389 https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/read-secret-memo-for-trudeau-on-unidentified-object-shot-down-over-yukon-1.6548510 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/us/politics/us-shoots-down-object-michigan.html https://abc7chicago.com/canada-high-altitude-airborne-object-justin-trudeau-north-american-aerospace-defense-command/12801392/ https://www.npr.org/2023/02/12/1156428862/us-shoot-down-ufo-unidentified-object-lake-huron
On episode 328 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, it's a roundtable of cosmic proportions! Originally broadcast as a Livestream event on Jim Harold's YouTube channel, this post-UFO hearing discussion brings together a rag-tag group of podcasters to discuss the good, the bad, the sobering, and the shocking that was the historic Congressional UFO Hearing. Featuring Micah Hanks, Forrest Burgess and Scott Philbrook of the Astonishing Legends podcast, and Paul Gledhill of the Amomalycast! Follow Jim Harold at: https://jimharold.com/ Follow Astonishing Legends at: https://astonishinglegends.com Follow Micah Hanks at: https://www.micahhanks.com/ Follow Anomalycast at: http://www.anomaly.co.uk/ Join us at ANOMACON 2023: www.anomacon.comOrder Ryan's new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskiesWebsite: www.somewhereintheskies.comYouTube Channel: CLICK HEREBook your Cameo video with Ryan at: https://bit.ly/3kwz3DOOfficial Store: CLICK HEREBuy Somewhere in the Skies coffee: https://bit.ly/3rmXuapOrder Ryan's older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYCEmail Ryan directly at: Ryan.Sprague51@gmail.comTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryansprague51Twitter: @SomewhereSkiesInstagram: @SomewhereSkiesPodRead Ryan's Articles by CLICKING HEREOpening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per KiilstofteCopyright © 2023 Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April Fools, suckers! Also, happy first night of Wrestlemania! The subject of this episode was voted on by our dear patrons. For this installment of The Swerve, I'm joined by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends to dive into the sinister dealings of that "extra special mongoose," Gef, the Talking Mongoose. Known on the Isle of Man as the "Dalby Spook," Gef first appeared as wrappings and knockings on the walls of the Irving family home at Doarlish Cashen in September of 1931. Before long, the knocks transformed into full sentences from a high pitched voice. Gef became the talk of the island, bringing investigators of all kinds to the island including Harry Price and Nandor Fodor, but what was Gef really? On this episode we dive into Gef's exploits and try to figure out if he truly was an "extra clever mongoose" or something else... Sources: Gef!: The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose by Christopher Josiffe Gef The Talking Mongoose: The "Eighth Wonder of the World" by Tim R. Swartz Theme song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona Check out ourstrangeskies.com for all things related to the podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, we open the door to the Morrison Library as one of the hosts of Astonishing Legends, Forrest Burgess, joins me to talk about one of the lesser known influences on Jim, author Charles Fort. We talk about his “Book of the Damned,” Jim Morrison's poetry books, Jim's student films, and much more.You can find Astonishing Legends at astonishinglegends.com and wherever you get podcasts. You can find this podcast on Twitter @TheDoorsPod and on Facebook by searching Opening The Doors. If you have any questions, comments, are suggestions for guests, you can send an email to openingthedoorspod@gmail.com. I want to give special thanks to podcast consultant Jim Cherry who authored The Doors Examined and the Last Stage as well to Reed Barrickman of The Dirty Doors (@TheDirtyDoors on Twitter) for additional research and lastly the Mild Equator (mildequator.com). Music from this podcast was done by Cristian Cornejo of the Jimbo Tribute Band from South America (https://youtube.com/@cristiancornejo).
On September 7, 1956, Thomas Hutchinson, a resident of Moneymore, Ireland, put a head lock on a miniature UFO that had landed on his property. Thomas attempted to escort the object to the police department, but after placing it on a bush, the object spun quickly and took off into the sky. Stories of miniature UFOs, like Thomas Hutchinson's are often brief, no matter the means employed to capture it. On this episodes I'm joined by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends to discuss stories of tiny UFOs, holes in roofs, an encounter in an Argentinian school room, and a pair of small objects that may have cause the disappearance of a Brazilian diamond prospector. Sources: The Saucers that Time Forgot “The Mysterious Caconde Case” by Dr. Walter Buhler, FSR 1969 V 15 N 4 “The Brazilian Abduction” Translated by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1962 V 8 N 6 The Disappearance of Rivalino Mafra da Silva: Alien Abduction or Foul Play? Bizarre and Grotesque Man Kidnapped by Globes, The A.P.R.O. Bulletin September 1962 “A Weird Case from the Past” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1970 V 16 N 4 “Tiny Entities Reported in Colombia” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1975 V 21 N 5 “Schoolroom ‘Landing' in Loreto, Argentina” by Heriberto Janosch, FSR 1979 V 25 N 2 “A Wave of Small Humanoids in Malaysia in 1970” by Ahmad Jamaludin, FSR 1983 V 28 N 5 Source: “Mini-UFOs, Metal Pieces in Finland” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin Vol 28 N 5 Theme song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona Check out my links here
Welcome back to the weird, and welcome to our finale on the Sallie House (for now). Join your host Flood and Ex V Planis field team members Jill, Walker, and Alejandro for our “2 months later” conclusions conversation, then strap yourselves in for a stream-of-consciousness-off-the-cuff conversation with 2 very special guests: Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of Astonishing Legends! Scott and Forrest unknowingly played a large part in how we ended up at the Sallie House, and tonight we will discuss that, amongst many other things. This is a LONG one. You have been warned. Below you will find links to all the info shared in the episode. In Obumbratio In Fluctus Sub Velo All Things Ex V Planis: https://linktr.ee/Exvplanis All Things Folds & Floods: https://linktr.ee/Foldsand%20Floods All things Astonishing Legends: https://www.astonishinglegends.com/ (File 10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYCzUCMVRo The Green Mushroom Podcast Network: https://www.tgmpnetwork.com Help the family of Cameron Starks: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1963393770520349/ Help the lovely Diz! (seriously, look at that puppers face): https://www.gofundme.com/f/dizzy-dogs-ccl-surgery
Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of Astonishing Legends join me for a wide ranging conversation. We talk about Charles Fort, remote viewing, the reality or non reality of Bigfoot, In Search Of, The Night Stalker...and that's just a sample. Check it out! JIM'S SPRING BOOK GIVEAWAY & NEWSLETTER Never miss anything going on at the Spooky Studio and qualify for Jim's Spring Book Giveaway (some restrictions apply), sign up for Jim's FREE newsletter HERE -CALM- (The Paranormal Podcast Sponsorship) We're so happy to partner with Calm. Calm is the app designed to help you ease stress and get the best sleep of your life. Calm is offering Paranormal Podcast listeners a special limited time promotion of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at CALM.COM/jim -PARABOX- ParaBox Monthly is your source for amazing one of a kind paranormal t-shirts that will lead you into an online paranormal mystery. Go to ParaboxMonthly.com/jim to get a 25% discount! TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE for a full transcript
"The Exorcist"...Navnet får vel de fleste til å tenke på filmen med samme navn fra 1973 - fremdeles en av de beste grøsserne som er lagd - men vi tar for oss tv serien med samme navn fra 2016-17 som er å finne på Amazon. Hva har serien til felles med filmen? By the way; Filmen fra 1973, basert på William Peter Blattys bok, har sin opprinnelse i VIRKELIGE hendelser! Denne virkelige historia har Scott Philbrook og Forrest Burgess og teamet deres i podcasten Astonishing Legends" gått dypt inn i, og jeg vil anbefale å sjekke ut episodene deres om "The true story behind The Exorcist". Link til Astonishing Legends er som følger; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373
Join Kolchak's Loop for the Halloween Special of a lifetime!! Guests include, Rodney Barnes, Rich Hatem, Forrest Burgess, James Rice, and Mark Dawidziak. Join us as we spend the night in a haunted mansion talking about all things creepy and macabre! Our guests tell us their favorite horror shows and movies, paranormal experiences they've had, and horror toys they played with. Rodney and Rich talk about the stress of being television writers, and James gives some amazing insight into his father and tells stories from his dad's childhood living in Las Vegas. You never know what guests will stop by! You will also hear from Forrest's other Astonishing Legends half Scott Philbrook, Independent Profession Wrestler Danhausen, and Buddy Candela from Buddy's House of Horror. This is a LONG one coming in at nearly FIVE HOURS!! But I promise you there are no tricks and only treats!! …Well… there may be a FEW tricks! You can find Kolchak's Loop on Twitter @KolchaksLoop Instagram @KolchaksLoop Twitch @KolchaksLoop YouTube tinyurl.com/KolchaksLoopYouTube You can contact us via Email at KolchaksLoop@Gmail.com
As the nights draw long, the leaves flicker red and brown and carpet the land, and the great hearth fire is stoked. In from the dark come all manner of creatures, the lost souls of the underworld, seeking shelter from the encroaching frosts. It is around that fire that we gather tonight for stories of the darkness, tales from the crypt, legends of the beyond. We are honoured to welcome to the fray; - Forrest Burgess, the magnificent host of the Astonishing Legends - https://www.astonishinglegends.com - James Shakeshaft, my fellow countryman from Loremen - http://www.loremenpodcast.com/ - Joshua Cutchin, fantastic author and previous guest on the show - https://www.joshuacutchin.com/ - Anna Timperley and Lindsey Behee from Ghost In The Attic, Bodies In The Basement - https://www.facebook.com/GABBPodcast - 'Toledo' Joe Shortridge, one of the co-hosts of the awesome 222 Paranormal - https://www.facebook.com/222paranormal and special guest; - Allen Greenfield, the incredibly mind and author behind many books on the subject of the paranormal and the recent Hellier documentary So join us for a one-night only special ad-free event, the 2021 Peer Beyond The Veil MONSTERS BALL! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/peerbeyondtheveil/support
The body of ufology, and other areas of paranormal study, are comprised of experiences that are collected, catalogued, debated, theorized, and sometimes debunked. They are presented time and time again as proof of something otherworldly happening in our world or seen as just crazy stories told by crazy people. I, for one, have never shied away from telling stories of my experiences. On this episode, I invite some good friends on to talk about my experiences and dive deep into their potential meaning. I'm joined by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends and Richard Hatem, famed screenwriter of The Mothman Prophecies and a current writer on DC's Titans. We dive into a handful of my paranormal experiences, and try to unpack what they could mean. There is also something called the Tupper Lake Mangaroo. Theme Song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo is by The Great Desdymona Follow Rob on Twitter and Instagram
Welcome back Friends! We have upgraded our sound and equipment and we're thrilled about it! We're also coming at you in stereo so you can use headphones to feel like you're really here with us in the middle of the smoke circle. Or not, you do you and we love you for it *heart hands* First we meet Khutulun of Mongolia who was an amazing warrior and just as amazing at wrestling. KT is smitten kittens with her and Laurel doesn't blame her! After KT wipes away her heart eyes, she takes us to try and find the lost colony of Roanoke, one of early America's greatest mysteries! *~*~*~*~*~*~ Mentioned in the Stories: Maps of Mongolia Gif **In order to better follow along with the tale of Khutulun, it can be helpful to see the great expanse of the Mongolian empire before and during her lifetime Mongolian Wrestling For a more in-depth and heavily researched plunge into The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the podcast Astonishing Legends did a great 2 part series! Part 1 Part 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~ The Socials: Email -- hightailinghistorypod@gmail.com Instagram -- @hightailinghistory Facebook -- Hightailing Through History or with user name @hightailinghistory *~*~*~*~*~*~ Sources: Khutulun-- F., Tehya. "Empress Baddie: Khutulun the Warrior.” For The Love of History. Episode 23, 2 October 2020. https://for-the-love-of-history.captivate.fm/episode/empress-baddie-khutulun-the-warrior- Frey, Holly and Wilson, Tracy V. “Mongolian Princess Khutulun.” from iHeart Radio, 22 March 2017. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history-cl-21124503/episode/mongolian-princess-khutulun-30207430/ L.C. “Khutulun, the Mongolian Warrior Princess.” Archeotravelers.com, 17 Jan. 2021, www.archeotravelers.com/en/2020/09/11/khutulun-the-mongolian-warrior-princess/. Lamoureux, Aimee. “How Genghis Khan's Great-Great-Granddaughter Turned Into One Of Asia's Fiercest Warriors.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 10 Apr. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/khutulun. Lord, Alexis and Strickon, Hailey. “Episode 144: Khutulun, The Mongolian Wrestling Princess.” from Acast, Hysterical History, 3 March 2020, https://feeds.acast.com/public/ shows/hysterical-history Reilly, Lucas. “The Mongolian Princess Who Challenged Her Suitors to a Wrestling Match-and Always Won.” Mental Floss, 19 Oct. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/560956/mongolian-princess-who-challenged-her-suitors-wrestling-match-and-always-won. “Mongol Empire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire. Lost Colony of Roanoke-- History.com Staff. “What Happened to the ‘Lost Colony' OF Roanoke?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Oct. 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laurel-rockall/message
Welcome back Friends! We have upgraded our sound and equipment and we're thrilled about it! We're also coming at you in stereo so you can use headphones to feel like you're really here with us in the middle of the smoke circle. Or not, you do you and we love you for it *heart hands* First we meet Khutulun of Mongolia who was an amazing warrior and just as amazing at wrestling. KT is smitten kittens with her and Laurel doesn't blame her! After KT wipes away her heart eyes, she takes us to try and find the lost colony of Roanoke, one of early America's greatest mysteries! *~*~*~*~*~*~ Mentioned in the Stories: Maps of Mongolia Gif **In order to better follow along with the tale of Khutulun, it can be helpful to see the great expanse of the Mongolian empire before and during her lifetime Mongolian Wrestling For a more in-depth and heavily researched plunge into The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the podcast Astonishing Legends did a great 2 part series! Part 1 Part 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~ The Socials: Email -- hightailinghistorypod@gmail.com Instagram -- @hightailinghistory Facebook -- Hightailing Through History or with user name @hightailinghistory *~*~*~*~*~*~ Sources: Khutulun-- F., Tehya. "Empress Baddie: Khutulun the Warrior.” For The Love of History. Episode 23, 2 October 2020. https://for-the-love-of-history.captivate.fm/episode/empress-baddie-khutulun-the-warrior- Frey, Holly and Wilson, Tracy V. “Mongolian Princess Khutulun.” from iHeart Radio, 22 March 2017. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history-cl-21124503/episode/mongolian-princess-khutulun-30207430/ L.C. “Khutulun, the Mongolian Warrior Princess.” Archeotravelers.com, 17 Jan. 2021, www.archeotravelers.com/en/2020/09/11/khutulun-the-mongolian-warrior-princess/. Lamoureux, Aimee. “How Genghis Khan's Great-Great-Granddaughter Turned Into One Of Asia's Fiercest Warriors.” All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 10 Apr. 2018, allthatsinteresting.com/khutulun. Lord, Alexis and Strickon, Hailey. “Episode 144: Khutulun, The Mongolian Wrestling Princess.” from Acast, Hysterical History, 3 March 2020, https://feeds.acast.com/public/ shows/hysterical-history Reilly, Lucas. “The Mongolian Princess Who Challenged Her Suitors to a Wrestling Match-and Always Won.” Mental Floss, 19 Oct. 2018, www.mentalfloss.com/article/560956/mongolian-princess-who-challenged-her-suitors-wrestling-match-and-always-won. “Mongol Empire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 May 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire. Lost Colony of Roanoke-- History.com Staff. “What Happened to the ‘Lost Colony' OF Roanoke?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 3 Oct. 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laurel-rockall/message
In this interview, we talk with one half of the Astonishing Legends cohost team, Forrest Burgess. You can find their podcast everywhere podcasts can be found, and be sure to go to astonishinglegends.com for tons of citations, links, and even merchandise. You can find Kolchak's Loop on Twitter @KolchaksLoop Instagram @KolchaksLoop Twitch @KolchaksLoop YouTube tinyurl.com/KolchaksLoopYouTube You can contact us via Email at KolchaksLoop@Gmail.com Phone at (662) 374-0778 You can support us on Patreon at Patreon.com/KolchaksLoop Keep an eye out for new information on an upcoming Jeff Rice Memorial Scholarship. For ALL things Kolchak, you can find it right here— inside the Loop!
The Soap Woman of Lake Crescent The Loremen visit Twin Peaks country, and in damn fine company. The year is 1940 and Forrest Burgess (off of Astonishing Legends) takes Alasdair and James to the shores of Lake Crescent in Washington State. Plumbing its chilly depths, we uncover a murderer, a hardboiled detective and an underwater corpse-catcher. We also stop off for a malt at Mount Olympus, visit the Hall of American Names and learn why there's really no such thing as a good bundle. Content Warning: This episode includes details of a real murder case and – implicitly – domestic violence.
Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the smash hit podcast Astonishing Legends join Jim to discuss ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and more! RAYCON- Raycon earbuds are my wireless earbuds of choice! Great sound at a great price! Raycon's offering 15% off all their products for my listeners and here's what you've gotta do to get it. Go to buyraycon.com/harold Thanks Raycon for your sponsorship of The Paranormal Podcast! -NATIVE- Native is my choice for deodorant! With natural ingredients and great scents, I've made Native a part of my daily life. For 20% off your first order, visit nativedeo.com/jim or use promo code JIM during checkout!
Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends discusses the Dyatlov Pass mystery. Have you seen the Gillette ad with a singing pubic hair? Kevin Wheeler talks video games, the hit on Maple Leafs forward John Tavares, Cardinals – Avalanche, and Cardinals – Cubs. Golf can be so fun and so frustrating at the same time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I am joined by one of the Co-Hosts of Astonishing Legends. This time I have the chance to talk with Forrest Burgess. We talk a lot about podcasting and the nuances of his production and style https://www.astonishinglegends.com/ https://twitter.com/AstonshngLegnds Theme music by MFTJ Featuring MIke Keneally and Scott Schorr - to find more of MFTJ go to https://www.lazybones.com/ https://mftj.bandcamp.com/music http://www.keneally.com/ To suppor the show with patreon go to: https://www.patreon.com/jhammondc
Since we got to NONE of my actual questions about their Astonishing Legends podcast on the last episode, Forrest Burgess stuck around to answer them. Unfortunately, we kind of got distracted again and talked about Oak Island, Amelia Earhart, and romantic ghost cowboys. Maybe next time... Check out the previous episode for the full discussion with Scott and Forrest from Astonishing Legends. Thank you Forrest for being on and putting in extra time for a bonus show!
Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from my all time favorite podcast Astonishing Legends are on the show! Astonishing Legends is THE top paranormal podcast about the supernatural, paranormal, and outright spectacular. With over 200 episodes, and hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world, I thought they would be the two perfect people to discuss the recent Chris Harrison Bachelor controversy. Thank you to our sponsor, Random Question Generator. If you haven't, check out the Astonishing Legends podcast wherever you download your shows. Thank you so much to Scott and Forrest for taking the time to be on the show.
Finishing off this 2 parter with our special guest Forrest Burgess. We detour massively from 2020 and talk a walk through a field littered with talk of the Kelly-Hopkinsville incident, Alien Hieroglyphics, the secret Apollo missions, and what we think about disclosure in 2021. Forrest is normally found on the Astonishing Legends podcast over the […]
Finishing off this 2 parter with our special guest Forrest Burgess. We detour massively from 2020 and talk a walk through a field littered with talk of the Kelly-Hopkinsville incident, Alien Hieroglyphics, the secret Apollo missions, and what we think about disclosure in 2021. Forrest is normally found on the Astonishing Legends podcast over the […]
For the final Unsolved Mysteries roundtable, I’m joined by Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess of the Astonishing Legends podcast to relive some of our favorite moments from the show. We discuss how UM influenced their own show, and how much Scott really loves “Lost Loves” segments. Like, a lot, you guys. We discuss some of the why Dennis Farina failed to capture an audience, and pay a little tribute to In Search Of… We also make our choices for who should host the reboot. All this and more on the final Unsolved Mysteries roundtable! Theme song by Big Cats Logo and Web Design by the Great Desdymona Disclaimer by Brian Hastie
Joining us for this episode, is Forrest Burgess, who is the esteemed co-host of one of America’s biggest podcasts. Astonishing Legends started in 2014 and is growing exponentially. It’s covered the most famous and the least known of topics from the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to the mystery of the Betz Sphere. We are delighted […]
Joining us for this episode, is Forrest Burgess, who is the esteemed co-host of one of America’s biggest podcasts. Astonishing Legends started in 2014 and is growing exponentially. It’s covered the most famous and the least known of topics from the disappearance of Amelia Earhart to the mystery of the Betz Sphere. We are delighted […]
In 1973, the United States was experiencing a wave of humanoid reports. The creatures that were seen varied in size and appearance. Sometimes they were seen in the vicinity of UFOs, and sometimes they abducted eyewitnesses. Nearly 20 years before the "Year of the Humanoids" France was rocked by a wave of UFO activity, and sightings of short humanoid beings wearing what came to be known as "diving suits." The activity persisted for over a month before it ceased all together. During the UFO flap, one small French town took notice, and passed a unique law to deal with UFOs over their airspace.Special thanks to Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legendsfor lending their vocal talents to this episode.Sources:"The 1954 French UFO Craze That Led To The World’s Weirdest Wine Law" by Joshua Malin"The Day the UFOs Stopped Play" by Richard Padula'Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery' by Aime Michel'UFOs and the National Security State' by Richard DolanMusic:"Gaddy" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)"OneEightFour" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)"Where It All Happened" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue) Theme song by Big Cats Art and Website by the Great Desdymona
The world is more mysterious than most people are comfortable imagining. We cross paths with the mystical from time to time and may not even notice it. If we do, we quickly return to our usually mundane daily existence. But what if we not only acknowledged the unknown, we investigated it and spoke with those in the know? That’s what co-hosts Scott & Forrest, and their producer Tess Pfeifle do at Astonishing Legends. With the power of the well-vetted Astonishing Research Corps, they have access to information that most folks couldn’t find. Over 75 million downloads and hundreds of thousands of listeners have shown that exploring and embracing the wonders of our world can be not only enlightening but exciting. Welcome to Astonishing Legends!We’ve been friends a long time, and although it didn’t come up at first, sooner or later, we must have had that first conversation about Dyatlov Pass, Black Eyed Kids or some other story of equivalent mystery. After that, I think we were both amazed to have found someone with similar unusual interests, not just in Fortean events, but paranormal events, and mysteries of a wide variety across the passages of time. Eventually hanging out together evolved or devolved, depending on how you look at it, into long rambling discussions of every story imaginable, both of us not only having knowledge in common but having details that the other hadn’t heard. As a former TV commercial editor with a passion for broadcasting and the skill set to put a podcast together or at least the ability to guess his way through it, Scott proposed to Forrest that they do their own show. The idea of a show restricted to just the paranormal was too limited, but it was hard for us to quantify all the other areas we wanted to cover, so we just went for it and here we are working through a file cabinet of over a thousand strange tales and interviewing people with stories of their own along the way. Thanks for listening.
On episode 142 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, we go back to 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida. Terri Betz, the son of Antoine and Gerri Betz, stumbles upon a strange metal sphere in the woods near their home. Upon bringing it back to their house, it began to exhibit unusual behavior. Soon, the press comes to interview the family and all Hell breaks loose. Within months, the U.S. Navy, Marines, and prominent scientists and UFO researchers flock to Florida to figure out just what exactly these sphere may be. In this audio documentary, we look at the media reports, investigations, and sinister doings that followed before the sphere completely disappeared from public view for nearly fifty years. This episode was written by Rob Morphy. For more information, please visit: www.cryptonautpodcast.com This episode also includes voiceover contributions by Jamie Lamchick, Roman Alec Trevino, and Conor J. Nolan Special Thanks to Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess for contributing audio to this episode. Be sure to listen to the Astonishing Legends Podcast. Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskies YouTube Channel: CLICK HERE Official Store: CLICK HERE Order Ryan's Book by CLICKING HERE Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Instagram: @SomewhereSkiesPod Watch Mysteries Decoded for free at www.CWseed.com Opening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per Kiilstofte SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES is part of the eOne podcast network. To learn more, CLICK HERE SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES is sponsored by HelloFresh. To receive 50% off your first order, use promo code: SOMEWHERE at checkout by visiting www.HelloFresh.ca
As the diary page of Katrina Van Tassel garners worldwide attention, an investigation on both sides of the story begins. Attorney Jennifer Taylor and investigator Chris Williamson interview experts on both sides of the spectrum and a trial with testimony from both the Van Brunt and Van Tassel families takes place... Vanished Sleepy Hollow Part Two features the voice talents of: Rob Kristoffersen from "Our Strange Skies" (https://www.ourstrangeskies.com/) as Ichabod Ash & Aziz from "History of Westeros" (http://www.historyofwesteros.com/) as Katrina and Brom TJ Counihan from "Pints & Puzzles" (https://audioboom.com/channel/pintsandpuzzles) as Timothy Van Brunt Lanie Hobbs of "True Crime Fan Club" (https://truecrimefanclub.com/) as Lanie Van Tassel Henry Steiner of Sleepy Hollow (http://headlesshorsemanblog.com/) as himself Special appearance by Chris Cogswell of the "Mad Scientist Podcast" (https://www.themadscientistpodcast.com/) Special appearance by Forrest Burgess of "Astonishing Legends (https://www.astonishinglegends.com/) " Special appearance by Javier Leiva of "The Pretend Podcast" (https://pretendradio.org/) Special appearance by Jim Harold of "Jim Harold's Campfire" (https://jimharold.com/category/jim-harolds-campfire/) Narration by Adam Ballinger of "Graveyard Tales" (https://www.graveyardpodcast.com/) Featuring Jennifer Taylor & Chris Williamson Vanished Sleepy Hollow was written by Cyris S. Slate, Jennifer Taylor & Chris Williamson. Music by Dane Gerous Schmidt (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8068897/) and art by Desdymona Howard. (https://desdymona.com/)
When one imagines the setting for a story involving experimental weapons, international espionage, unexplained aerial anomalies, and cold war anxieties... they probably aren’t picturing a tranquil island in Newfoundland. But, there is no imagining about it, Bell island, Newfoundland, is just that. This all stems from a still unexplained aerial explosion that rocked the skies about the island, and set in motion a series of bizarre events that seemed pulled from the pages of a science fiction novel. The entire ordeal still leaves those who lived through it scratching their heads, but one thing is without question, for a moment in 1978, Canadian and American defense satellites detected more light reflecting from this island than what was seen during the bombing of Hiroshima and we aren’t certain why. In this episode of Nighttime, we will welcome Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess (hosts of Astonishing Legends) to discuss what may have happened on (or above) Bell Island. Links: Astonishing Legends: Website - Twitter Nightcap post show episode (Patron Exclusive) :patreon.com/nighttimepodcast 1978 CBC documentary on the event The Invisible Machine (2004 documentary on the Event) William Shatner hosted syfy channel documentary Credits: Ambient Theme: Spooky Ambience by Paragon Cause https://paragoncause.bandcamp.com/ Contact: Website: https://www.nighttimepodcast.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/NightTimePod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NightTimePod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimepod Email: NightTimePodcast@gmail.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/nighttimepodcast Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/Nighttimepodcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Note: The Shownotes and Transcript below are a bit of a trainwork editing wise. I'll polish them up soon! C.S. Lewis from His essay The Seeing Eye, found in Christian Reflections: 1963, 6 years before the Moon Landing. (Discussing Space travel) a more practical issue will arise when, if ever, we discover rational creatures on other planets. I think myself, this is a very remote contingency. The balance of probability is against life on any other planet of the solar system. We shall hardly find it nearer than the stars. And even if we reach the Moon we shall be no nearer to stellar travel than the first man who paddled across a river was to crossing the Pacific.This thought is welcome to me because, to be frank, I have no pleasure in looking forward to a meeting between humanity and any alien rational species. I observe how the white man has hitherto treated the black, and how, even among civilized men, the stronger have treated the weaker. If we encounter in the depth of space a race, however innocent and amiable, which is technologically weaker than ourselves, I do not doubt that the same revolting story will be repeated. We shall enslave, deceive, exploit or exterminate; at the very least we shall corrupt it with our vices and infect it with our diseases. We are not fit yet to visit other worlds. We have filled our own with massacre, torture, syphilis, famine, dust bowls and with all that is hideous to ear or eye. Must we go on to infect new realms? It was in part these reflections that first moved me to make my own small contributions to science fiction. In those days writers in that genre almost automatically represented the inhabitants of other worlds as monsters and the terrestrial invaders as good. Since then the opposite set-up has become fairly common. If I could believe that I had in any degree contributed to this change, I should be a proud man.1 The same problem, by the way, is beginning to threaten us as regards the dolphins. I don't think it has yet been proved that they are rational. But if they are, we have no more right to enslave them than to enslave our fellow-men. And some of us will continue to say this, but we shall be mocked. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 173–174. This science (astronomy) ought to be the special delight of ministers of the gospel, for surely it brings us into closer connection with God than almost any other science does. It has been said that an undevout astronomer is mad. I should say that an undevout man of any sort is mad,—with the worst form of madness; but, certainly, he who has become acquainted with the stars in the heavens, and who yet has not found out the great Father of lights, the Lord who made them all, must be stricken with a dire madness. Kepler, the great mathematical astronomer, who has so well explained many of the laws which govern the universe, closes one of his books, his Harmonics, with this reverent and devout expression of his feelings:—“I give thee thanks, Lord and Creator, that thou hast given me joy through thy creation; for I have been ravished with the work of thy hands. I have revealed unto mankind the glory of thy works, as far as my limited spirit could conceive their infinitude. Should I have brought forward anything that is unworthy of thee, or should I have sought my own fame, be graciously pleased to forgive me.” And you know how the mighty Newton, a very prince among the sons of men, was continually driven to his knees as he looked upwards to the skies, and discovered fresh wonders in the starry heavens. Therefore, the science which tends to bring men to bow in humility before the Lord should always be a favourite study with us whose business it is to inculcate reverence for God in all who come under our influence. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 145. Today's Question: At the very beginning of this podcast, I promised you that we would sometimes delve into wild and wacky areas of the Bible, and today is the day we begin that journey! Most of the time, we will play it straight, but the fact is that there are many interesting/mysterious and downright strange parts of the Bible, and I don't think we should ignore them, nor explain them away with a handwave. Let's embrace the weird! And, by the way, if this topic is interesting to you at all, then please check out my book Monsters in the Bible. It's my bestselling book of this year, which is funny, and from time to time, it ranks in Amazon's top ten for Occult Satanism...which is strange, to say the least, for a southern Baptist pastor. (I did NOT choose that category!) Vanderbilt astronomer David Weintraub reports that 55 percent of atheists believe in alien life, but only 32 percent of Christians. Weintraub wrote, "Most evangelical and fundamentalist Christian leaders argue quite forcefully that the Bible makes clear that extraterrestrial life does not exist. From this perspective, the only living, God-worshipping beings in the entire universe are humans, created by God, who live on Earth." DOES THE BIBLE REALLY, REALLY MAKE THAT CLEAR??! Calvary Chapel Church in Roswell, New Mexico (80 miles away from the Mac Brazel ranch, Roswell 1947 incident), would half-way agree. for instance, “Biblically IF there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible and He did not. The Bible never speaks of Aliens from another planet. Further, there is no way they would crash and die here on planet earth. Death entered our world through Adam and effected everything on this planet. If there are Aliens, they would not be exposed to this curse.” LOTS OF SUPPOSITIONS HERE THAT AREN'T BACKED UP BY SCRIPTURE. “She smiled at me, therefore she likes me.” maybe, maybe not. It's a supposition, but is it supported by fact?? Let's take that first sentence and see how it logically holds up. “If there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” How about this: “IF Man were to travel to the moon, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If the United States of America would be the dominant superpower of the world in the 21st century, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If atoms were the building blocks of all matter, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” Such statements suppose that God is OBLIGATED to tell us about everything in the Bible. He is under no such obligation, so we can't assume things that we are left in the dark about. All the love in the world to Calvary Chapel, Roswell, though. I'm a fan. So, I'm also a fan of podcasts...a podcast connoisseur. I am subscribed to over one 100 podcasts of all shapes and sizes. Many of them are Christian podcasts, but many are not. In case you're curious, here's my current top ten podcasts. I'd love to hear yours too - tweet them to me at @bibleqpodcast. In no particular order: Ask Pastor John - John Piper, excellent biblical counsel. The Omnibus with Ken Jennings and John Roderick. Hilarious and informative. Ryen Russillo podcast - ESPN sports. My favorite sports commentator. SYSK with Josh and Chuck, have been a listener for over ten years. Astonishing Legends with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess. Rainer on Leadership - Thom Rainer The Bible Project with Tim Mackie and Jon Collins Fantasy Focus Football - Matthew Berry (Avengers Endgame) True Crime Garage (warning: swearing) Payne Lindsey Podcasts - Monster, + Up and Vanished. Anyway...I was listening to one of the above, the Astonishing Legends podcast a few weeks ago. They were talking about a fairly fascinating object called the Betz Sphere that a family in Florida found in the woods in the 70s. The Betz Sphere demonstrated all sorts of unusual properties, and drew the interest of some news organizations and government people, including the former head of Project Blue book, Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Project Blue Book:(wikipedia): Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952, the third study of its kind, following projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949). A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices officially ceased in January 1970. Project Blue Book had two goals: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and To scientifically analyze UFO-related data. J.Allen Hynek was the science advisor to Grudge, Sign and Blue Book. Wikipedia: Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist.[1] In later years he conducted his own independent UFO research, developing the "Close Encounter" classification system. He was among the first people to conduct scientific analysis of reports and especially of trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs.[ Anyway, during his time researching the Betz sphere, Dr. J. Allen Hynek became good friends with the Betz family, getting to know them pretty well over the course of several visits. According to the Betz family, Dr. Hynek told them that the U.S. government was aware of several alien encounters/visitations, including Roswell, and had covered up most of them, so that the general public wouldn't freak out. Why would the public freak out? Well, apparently Dr. Hynek believe that, at least in part, that major religions, including Christianity, would have a large negative reaction to the existence of aliens, because that would seemingly contradict the teachings of the church, and the teachings of the Bible. Hynek believed that society might fall apart, if people knew that aliens actually existed. Now, let me pause for a moment. As much as I'm interested in this sort of thing, today's episode is NOT fundamentally about whether aliens exist and have made contact with us or not. I do actually know the answer to that question, but I can't give it to you now, its classified. ;) In truth, actually, I have no idea. BUT, because I can't help myself, I will say this one thing about the possibility of aliens. A Washington Post article at the end of April really got my attention: Recently, unidentified aircraft have entered military-designated airspace as often as multiple times per month, Joseph Gradisher, spokesman for office of the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, told The Washington Post on Wednesday. He said, “We want to get to the bottom of this. We need to determine who's doing it, where it's coming from and what their intent is. We need to try to find ways to prevent it from happening again.” Luis Elizondo, a former senior intelligence officer, told The Post that the new Navy guidelines formalized the reporting process, facilitating data-driven analysis while removing the stigma from talking about UFOs, calling it “the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades.” Elizondo, who ran the AATIP, (This is the multi-million dollar Pentagon program that investigates UFOs and was on the government budget books until 2012, when it was delisted on those budget books) said the newly drafted guidelines were a culmination of many things, most notably that the Navy had enough credible evidence — including eyewitness accounts and corroborating radar information — to “know this is occurring.” “If I came to you and said, ‘There are these things that can fly over our country with impunity, defying the laws of physics, and within moments could deploy a nuclear device at will,' that would be a matter of national security,” Elizondo said. With the number of U.S. military personnel in the Air Force and Navy who described the same observations, the noise level could not be ignored. “This type of activity is very alarming,” Elizondo said, “and people are recognizing there are things in our aerospace that lie beyond our understanding.” Before you get excited that this new initiative might finally clue in the public, I need to tell you that the WaPost ran an article the next week that basically said that the Navy was NOT going to be released to the public. Mr. Gradisher said, ““Furthermore, any report generated as a result of these investigations will, by necessity, include classified information on military operations. He added, “Therefore, no release of information to the general public is expected.””” So yeah, expect to be in the dark a few more years, at least. But today's question is not whether or not the U.S. Government will finally disclose Alien interactions, but whether or not the Bible rules out the existence of aliens at all! Is Dr. Hynek correct - if the Government suddenly announced alien contact of some kind - would that somehow invalidate the Bible? And the answer is…. I don't think so. Not at all. But, I could be wrong, and many theologians disagree with me. Let's look at the anti-alien case: GotQuestions https://www.gotquestions.org/aliens-Christian.html, “We do not believe that aliens exist. The Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe; in fact, the Bible gives us several key reasons why there cannot be. Those who contemplate the existence of aliens and the impact their existence would have on the Christian faith commonly discuss the identity and work of Jesus. God sent His only begotten Son, God incarnate, to save mankind and redeem creation. Does that redemption include life on other planets? Or would God have manifested Himself on those other planets, as well (in the manner of Aslan in Narnia)? Does “only begotten” mean “only physical representation”? Or is it more limited, referring only to the human species? WE DON'T KNOW!! Another topic of discussion concerning the existence of aliens and Christianity is what it means to be made in the “image of God.” Since God has no physical body, we take this to mean a reflection of God's non-physical aspects—rationality, morality, and sociability. Would aliens, if they exist, embody the same characteristics? WHY NOT? Considering what we know about space and life and the world as the Bible portrays it, we already have an explanation for so-called alien activity on Earth. Reports of “close encounters” describe the ethereal, transient, deceptive, and malevolent. Accounts also record that encounters with supposed aliens can be stopped by a real, authentic call to Jesus. Everything points to the activity of demons, not extraterrestrials. In fact, it is plausible that the “powerful delusion” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 will involve an alien-abduction theory to explain away the rapture. I actually don't think most UFO reports - reported by seasoned Navy and Air-Force pilots, for instance, really has much in common with demonic episodes we see in Scripture. The “discovery” of alien life would have no effect on genuine Christianity. COMPLETELY AGREE The Bible stands as written, no matter what secular theories are advanced or discoveries are claimed. The Bible says the earth and mankind are unique in God's creation. God created the earth even before He created the sun, moon, or stars (Genesis 1). Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day. (It actually seems to say that God created the Heavens first...then the earth.) Matt Slick/CARM: The Bible does not mention extraterrestrial or alien life. However, it does mention angels and demonic forces which are, in a sense, not of this world. This is not the kind of alien, extraterrestrial life that most people are talking about when the subject comes up. Nevertheless, the Bible makes no mention whatsoever of aliens from other planets who might be visiting us. Now, Slick goes on from here to argue against alien life being likely, because he believes that the Bible declares all creation on all worlds fallen by what Adam did. That is certainly one way of reading the text, but I don't think that is the necessary way of reading the text. Paul could be speaking of all of creation on the earth. For instance, in Colossians 1:23, Paul writes: This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.What does this mean- that the Gospel has been proclaimed on Pluto? I don't think so. I believe Paul meant that the Gospel had been proclaimed in all of KNOWN creation. Michael Houdmann: Above all, let me say, I do not believe aliens exist. Let's also differentiate between sentient aliens and non-sentient aliens. While I would not necessarily have a theological problem with the concept of non-sentient beings (fish, birds, dogs, etc.) existing on other planets, I do have a huge theological problem with the concept of other sentient beings existing elsewhere. It just does not mesh with the teachings of the Bible. The Bible presents humanity as uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Angels are not created in the image of God. Animals are not created in the image of God. According to the Bible, we are unique, specifically created to have a personal relationship and connection with God the Creator. Intelligent/sentient life in other parts of the universe destroys, or at least weakens, this uniqueness. And it raises all kinds of questions. When did God create the aliens? Do the sentient aliens have an eternal soul? Did they fall into sin? Did God reveal Himself to them? Does their understanding of God match what the Bible says? Did God provide them with an alien Bible? Did God provide for and offer them redemption and salvation? If so, how? Did Jesus die for them too?Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” Notice how it doesn't say Let us make man - and man alone in all of the universe - in our Image. Houdmann goes on to say: All joking aside, if God intended for humankind to meet alien life, He would have outlined these encounters in the Bible, along with an answer to what He has done for them regarding sin.I just don't agree with that speculation. I like Houdmann and Got questions a ton, and find them very faithful to the Bible, but this is speculation that I find unbacked by biblical truth. HOW do we know that God would do this? How can we prove such a thing? I just don't think we can. I feel like such speculations are very similar to Lactantius' (an early church father in the 200s) scoffing at the possibility that the earth was round. He could NOT cite a Scripture to prove the earth was flat - as he thought - but he assumed that Scripture taught such a thing, WHEN IT DOES NOT. Similarly, Augustine poo-pood the existence of Antipodes on the other side of the world, thinking that Scripture backed that belief up, but it doesn't, and Augustine was wrong. GIVE ME CLEAR SCRIPTURE THAT SHOWS LIFE ON EARTH IS UNIQUE and I will believe it against all charges...but such a Scripture does NOT exist. TBR Baptist Facebook Group: Jim I thought this was a serious group Well - He's new. Also, I genuinely think this is a serious topic! Wes Apparently, some were aliens at one point Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Similarly Doug Hibbard 1 Peter suggests that *you* are the aliens Jim Spiritual Wickedness in heavenly places, Rulers and authorities. Demons dressed up like them. Jacob I think the possibility of aliens falls apart when discussing the fall. As best as we can tell the whole universe is subject to the natural effects of the curse. If that is true, then another rational species, which did not fall, is out there subjected to the consequences of it. Do these aliens have their own Salvation history? Did they, somehow, simultaneously fall alongside Adam, and have their own Jesus? If, in keeping with Scripture, the crucifixion of Christ is a one time event, then another race would be subject to a punishment that they do not deserve with no possible hope for salvation. Pro Brandon Ambrosino on BBC.Com http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react : But how could a believer reconcile this with their faith that humans are the crowning achievement of God's creation?. How could humans believe they were the apple of their creator's eye if their planet was just one of billions? The discovery of intelligent aliens could have a similar Copernican effect on human's self-understanding. Would the discovery make believers feel insignificant, and as a consequence, cause people to question their faith? According to the Talmud, God spends his night flying throughout 18,000 worlds I would argue that this concern is misguided. The claim that God is involved with and moved by humans has never required an Earth-centric theology. The Psalms, sacred to both Jews and Christians, claim that God has given names to all the stars. Billy Graham as a notable exception, as he was vocal about his beliefs that "there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God." J. Warner Wallace: What impact does this question (and even more importantly, the answer to this question) have on the claims of Christianity and the truth of the Christian worldview? Jeff Zweerink, astrophysicist and Christian: Many people seem to think that discovering life on another planet would mean that naturalism is correct and Christianity is wrong. One thing I found fascinating is that for centuries Christians have thought about the implications of intelligent life in the universe. As I investigated the truth claims of Christianity, I realized that the existence of life of any sort beyond the confines of Earth is a great theological question—without a definitive answer. At this time, I am convinced that any hypothetical discovery of life in the universe will still point to God's creative work and ultimately help us understand God's revelation better. I'm with Jeff here. Some people do indeed seem to think that finding life on other planets would prove the Bible - or Christianity wrong somehow. To that, I saw - How and Why would such a thing disprove God or the Bible? If God made life on planet Earth - and He did - then why couldn't He make it elsewhere? To those Christians who seem to think that God would only make life on earth - I say, again, why would He do that? Why would He create billions of planets - most outside of our ability to see or observe...and leave them devoid of any inhabitants? In absence of Scripture, or absolute proof of alien life, conjecture proves nothing, but that cuts both ways. Merely speculating that God would not create life on other planets does not prove that it is so. The question we are grappling with today is this one: Does the Bible rule out alien life, and the answer - the CLEAR answer...is NO! It does not. William Lane Craig, 2008 episode of Reasonable Faith: Dr. Craig: Yeah. Well, I think that it's possible. [that there is alien life] One would argue that if there is life on other planets it would have had to be created by God because on a naturalistic basis I think we'd say that the evidence against there being intelligent extraterrestrial life anywhere in the observable universe is extremely great. The probabilities on naturalism that there is extraterrestrial intelligent life is virtually nil. So actually being a theist would be the best grounds for thinking that it could be possible because as a theist you think God created life here on this planet so then you could say, well, maybe God created life as well on some other planet somewhere in the universe. It is really the theist who is, I think, a lot more open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life than the non-theist…. Kevin Harris: This brings up the issue of UFOs and aliens invading earth and all the things that are in pop culture to this day – flying saucer phenomena and things like that. Well, the Vatican astronomer has just said it could be. You can make up your own mind about that. It seems, Dr. Craig, that the Bible is largely silent about this issue. Dr. Craig: I think it is silent, Kevin. The Scriptures are given to human beings as God's revelation to people on this planet. Therefore, there is no reason to think that there could not be persons that God has created in some unknown galaxy that we have no idea about, and he has provided a revelation of himself to them as well. I think it would be presumptuous to say that we know that he hasn't done that. Kevin Harris: He says that the possibility of extraterrestrial life does not contradict our faith. In other words, if a flying saucer landed on the White House lawn today, nobody could stand up and say Christianity is false. Dr. Craig: That is right. That seems to me to be correct. I am puzzled by folks who seem to think that if intelligent life were discovered somewhere else or that if it were to come here that somehow this would be a disproof of Christianity. That seems to me to be a complete non sequitur. It doesn't follow because Christianity simply doesn't speak to the question of whether or not God has created life elsewhere in the universe. If somebody tells you that there could be no aliens from a Bible/Christian perspective, ask them to show you clear backing for such a thing from Scripture. If you believe that, then please, please, please send me your Scriptural reasons for such a belief. Just Be sure you aren't making VAST leaps in logic. For example, the Bible clearly says Jesus died for our sins, if there are aliens, then how would God redeem them? That's a great question, and I don't know the answer, but it certainly doesn't prove that there are no aliens. Perhaps our hypothetical aliens did not fall, like Adam and Eve did. Perhaps they are indeed redeemed by Christ's sacrifice in a way that we don't understand. Who Knows?! But I do know that I can find no Scripture that clearly denies the possibility of alien life, or that clearly affirms the existence of alien life. I can also find no Scripture, the implications of which would logically rule out either outcome. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created. (Ps. 148:1–5) Are there aliens? I've no idea. I think the wisest and best and most biblical answer is either “Maybe” or “I don't know.” To assert otherwise is borderline irresponsible. BUT - if there ARE aliens, does this pose a threat to Scripture? Absolutely not. You can't contradict what isn't there. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin, the first true antibiotic. Did this MASSIVELY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY contradict the Bible? Of course not - because the Bible never discussed nor addressed such a thing. Similarly, the discovery of alien life - if it happens at all - will not at all shake any Scriptural truth in the Bible - NOT A ONE. Will it shake our lives? Maybe so. But, you can't find aliens in the Scripture. Not clearly. Likewise, you can't find the United States in Scripture either, and that ‘omission' seems to rightly bother no one. It is not incumbent upon God to reveal to man all important future events in His Word. Ultimately, I stand with Spurgeon, and actually stood with Spurgeon before I knew his position on this question. It took a lot of research to find this quote, but here you go: What God has done in the eternity which we call the past (but which to him is as the present), we do not fully know. We have no reason to believe that we know much of what God has done. There may be as many other worlds and sorts of beings existent as there are sands upon the sea shore, for aught we know; and the Lord may have been occupied in ages past with ten thousand glorious plans, and economies, as yet unrevealed to man. We cannot tell what he doeth, or what he hath done. We are creatures of a day, and know nothing; we are like insects that are born on a leaf, and die amid our fellows at the setting of the sun, but he lives on for ever. We talk of the “eternal hills,” but they are babes that were born yesterday, as far as he is concerned. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” We say, “Roll on, thou ancient ocean!” but the ocean is not ancient; it is a drop that fell yesterday from the tip of the Creator's finger. C. H. Spurgeon, “The Eternal Truth of God,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 21 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1875), 651. Spurgeon: To us, to-day, the coming of Christ to seek and to save the lost is an accomplished fact, a matter of history, most sure and certain. And what a fact it is! You have often thought of it, but have you ever worked your mind into the very heart of it,—that God has actually visited this world in human form,—that he before whom angels bow has actually been here, in fashion like ourselves, feeding the hungry crowds of Palestine, healing their sick, and raising their dead? I know not what may be the peculiar boast of other planets, but this poor star cannot be excelled, for on this world the Creator has stood. This earth has been trodden by the feet of God, and yet it was not crushed beneath the mighty burden, because he deigned to link his Deity with our humanity. The incarnation is a wonder of wonders, but it does not belong to the realm of imagination, or even of expectation, for it has actually been beheld by mortal eyes. C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ the Seeker and Saviour of the Lost,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 314. SKIP. INCLUDE IN BOOK. There are also triple stars, or systems, and quadruple systems, and there are, in some cases, hundreds or thousands all spinning round one another, and around their central luminaries. Wonderful combinations of glory and beauty may be seen in the stellar sky; and some of these stars are red, some blue, some yellow, all the colours of the rainbow are represented in them. It would be very wonderful to live in one of them, and to look across the sky, and see all the glories of the heavens that God has made. On the whole, however, for the present, I am quite content to abide upon this little planet, especially as I am not able to change it for another home, until God so wills it. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 177. CLOSE WITH EXTENDED READING OF LEWIS' ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: From Christian Reflections: an essay Called, “The Seeing Eye” Some people are troubled, and others are delighted, at the idea of finding not one, but perhaps innumerable rational species scattered about the universe. In both cases the emotion arises from a belief that such discoveries would be fatal to Christian theology. For it will be said that theology connects the Incarnation of God with the Fall and Redemption of man. And this would seem to attribute to our species and to our little planet a central position in cosmic history which is not credible if rationally inhabited planets are to be had by the million. Older readers will, with me, notice the vast change in astronomical speculation which this view involves. When we were boys all astronomers, so far as I know, impressed upon us the antecedent improbabilities of life in any part of the universe whatever. It was not thought unlikely that this earth was the solitary exception to a universal reign of the inorganic. Now Professor Hoyle, and many with him, say that in so vast a universe life must have occurred in times and places without number. The interesting thing is that I have heard both these estimates used as arguments against Christianity. Now it seems to me that we must find out more than we can at present know—which is nothing—about hypothetical rational species before we can say what theological corollaries or difficulties their discovery would raise. We might, for example, find a race which was, like us, rational but, unlike us, innocent—no wars nor any other wickedness among them; all peace and good fellowship. I don't think any Christian would be puzzled to find that they knew no story of an Incarnation or Redemption, and might even find our story hard to understand or accept if we told it to them. There would have been no Redemption in such a world because it would not have needed redeeming. ‘They that are whole need not the physician.' The sheep that has never strayed need not be sought for. We should have much to learn from such people and nothing to teach them. If we were wise, we should fall at their feet. But probably we should be unable to ‘take it'. We'd find some reason for exterminating them. Again, we might find a race which, like ours, contained both good and bad. And we might find that for them, as for us, something had been done: that at some point in their history some great interference for the better, believed by some of them to be supernatural, had been recorded, and that its effects, though often impeded and perverted, were still alive among them. It need not, as far as I can see, have conformed to the pattern of Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. God may have other ways—how should I be able to imagine them?—of redeeming a lost world. And Redemption in that alien mode might not be easily recognizable by our missionaries, let alone by our atheists. We might meet a species which, like us, needed Redemption but had not been given it. But would this fundamentally be more of a difficulty than any Christian's first meeting with a new tribe of savages? It would be our duty to preach the Gospel to them. For if they are rational, capable both of sin and repentance, they are our brethren, whatever they look like. Would this spreading of the Gospel from earth, through man, imply a pre-eminence for earth and man? Not in any real sense. If a thing is to begin at all, it must begin at some particular time and place; and any time and place raises the question: ‘Why just then and just there?' One can conceive an extraterrestrial development of Christianity so brilliant that earth's place in the story might sink to that of a prologue. Finally, we might find a race which was strictly diabolical—no tiniest spark felt in them from which any goodness could ever be coaxed into the feeblest glow; all of them incurably perverted through and through. What then? We Christians had always been told that there were creatures like that in existence. True, we thought they were all incorporeal spirits. A minor readjustment thus becomes necessary. But all this is in the realm of fantastic speculation. We are trying to cross a bridge, not only before we come to it, but even before we know there is a river that needs bridging. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 174–176. Religion and Rocketry - 1958 RELIGION AND ROCKETRY In my time I have heard two quite different arguments against my religion put forward in the name of science. When I was a youngster, people used to say that the universe was not only not friendly to life but positively hostile to it. Life had appeared on this planet by a millionth chance, as if at one point there had been a breakdown of the elaborate defences generally enforced against it. We should be rash to assume that such a leak had occurred more than once. Probably life was a purely terrestrial abnormality. We were alone in an infinite desert. Which just showed the absurdity of the Christian idea that there was a Creator who was interested in living creatures. But then came Professor F. B. Hoyle, the Cambridge cosmologist, and in a fortnight or so everyone I met seemed to have decided that the universe was probably quite well provided with inhabitable globes and with livestock to inhabit them. Which just showed (equally well) the absurdity of Christianity with its parochial idea that Man could be important to God. This is a warning of what we may expect if we ever do discover animal life (vegetable does not matter) on another planet. Each new discovery, even every new theory, is held at first to have the most wide-reaching theological and philosophical consequences. It is seized by unbelievers as the basis for a new attack on Christianity; it is often, and more embarrassingly, seized by injudicious believers as the basis for a new defence. But usually, when the popular hubbub has subsided and the novelty has been chewed over by real theologians, real scientists, and real philosophers, both sides find themselves pretty much where they were before. So it was with Copernican astronomy, with Darwinism, with Biblical Criticism, with the new psychology. So, I cannot help expecting, it will be with the discovery of ‘life on other planets'—if that discovery is ever made. The supposed threat is clearly directed against the doctrine of the Incarnation, the belief that God born of God ‘for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was . . . made man'. Why for us men more than for others? If we find ourselves to be but one among a million races, scattered through a million spheres, how can we, without absurd arrogance, believe ourselves to have been uniquely favoured? I admit that the question could become formidable. In fact, it will become formidable when, if ever, we know the answer to five other questions. 1. Are there animals anywhere except on earth? We do not know. We do not know whether we ever shall know. 2. Supposing there were, have any of these animals what we call ‘rational souls'? By this I include not merely the faculty to abstract and calculate, but the apprehension of values, the power to mean by ‘good 'something more than ‘good for me' or even ‘good for my species'. If instead of asking, ‘Have they rational souls?' you prefer to ask, ‘Are they spiritual animals?' I think we shall both mean pretty much the same. If the answer to either question should be No, then of course it would not be at all strange that our species should be treated differently from theirs. There would be no sense in offering to a creature, however clever or amiable, a gift which that creature was by its nature incapable either of desiring or of receiving. We teach our sons to read but not our dogs. The dogs prefer bones. And of course, since we do not yet know whether there are extra-terrestrial animals at all, we are a long way from knowing that they are rational (or ‘spiritual'). Even if we met them we might not find it so easy to decide. It seems to me possible to suppose creatures so clever that they could talk, though they were, from the theological point of view, really only animals, capable of pursuing or enjoying only natural ends. One meets humans—the machine-minded and materialistic urban type—who look as if they were just that. As Christians we must believe the appearance to be false; somewhere under that glib surface there lurks, however atrophied, a human soul. But in other worlds there might be things that really are what these seem to be. Conversely, there might be creatures genuinely spiritual, whose powers of manufacture and abstract thought were so humble that we should mistake them for mere animals. God shield them from us! 3. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician.Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical! 4. If all of them (and surely all is a long shot) or any of them have fallen have they been denied Redemption by the Incarnation and Passion of Christ? For of course it is no very new idea that the eternal Son may, for all we know, have been incarnate in other worlds than earth and so saved other races than ours. As Alice Meynell wrote in ‘Christ in the Universe': I wouldn't go as far as ‘doubtless' myself. Perhaps of all races we only fell. Perhaps Man is the only lost sheep; the one, therefore, whom the Shepherd came to seek. Or perhaps—but this brings us to the next wave of assumption. It is the biggest yet and will knock us head over heels, but I am fond of a tumble in the surf. 5. If we knew (which we don't) the answers to 1, 2, and 3—and, further, if we knew that Redemption by an Incarnation and Passion had been denied to creatures in need of it—is it certain that this is the only mode of Redemption that is possible? Here of course we ask for what is not merely unknown but, unless God should reveal it, wholly unknowable. It may be that the further we were permitted to see into His councils, the more clearly we should understand that thus and not otherwise—by the birth at Bethlehem, the cross on Calvary and the empty tomb—a fallen race could be rescued. There may be a necessity for this, insurmountable, rooted in the very nature of God and the very nature of sin. But we don't know. At any rate, I don't know. Spiritual as well as physical conditions might differ widely in different worlds. There might be different sorts and different degrees of fallenness. We must surely believe that the divine charity is as fertile in resource as it is measureless in condescension. To different diseases, or even to different patients sick with the same disease, the great Physician may have applied different remedies; remedies which we should probably not recognise as such even if we ever heard of them. It might turn out that the redemption of other species differed from ours by working through ours. There is a hint of something like this in St Paul (Romans 8:19–23) when he says that the whole creation is longing and waiting to be delivered from some kind of slavery, and that the deliverance will occur only when we, we Christians, fully enter upon our sonship to God and exercise our ‘glorious liberty'. On the conscious level I believe that he was thinking only of our own Earth: of animal, and probably vegetable, life on Earth being ‘renewed' or glorified at the glorification of man in Christ. But it is perhaps possible—it is not necessary—to give his words a cosmic meaning. It may be that Redemption, starting with us, is to work from us and through us. This would no doubt give man a pivotal position. But such a position need not imply any superiority in us or any favouritism in God. The general, deciding where to begin his attack, does not select the prettiest landscape or the most fertile field or the most attractive village. Christ was not born in a stable because a stable is, in itself, the most convenient or distinguished place for a maternity. Only if we had some such function would a contact between us and such unknown races be other than a calamity. If indeed we were unfallen, it would be another matter. It sets one dreaming—to interchange thoughts with beings whose thinking had an organic background wholly different from ours (other senses, other appetites), to be unenviously humbled by intellects possibly superior to our own yet able for that very reason to descend to our level, to descend lovingly ourselves if we met innocent and childlike creatures who could never be as strong or as clever as we, to exchange with the inhabitants of other worlds that especially keen and rich affection which exists between unlikes; it is a glorious dream. But make no mistake. It is a dream. We are fallen. We know what our race does to strangers. Man destroys or enslaves every species he can. Civilised man murders, enslaves, cheats, and corrupts savage man. Even inanimate nature he turns into dust bowls and slag-heaps. There are individuals who don't. But they are not the sort who are likely to be our pioneers in space. Our ambassador to new worlds will be the needy and greedy adventurer or the ruthless technical expert. They will do as their kind has always done. What that will be if they meet things weaker than themselves, the black man and the red man can tell. If they meet things stronger, they will be, very properly, destroyed. It is interesting to wonder how things would go if they met an unfallen race. At first, to be sure, they'd have a grand time jeering at, duping, and exploiting its innocence; but I doubt if our half-animal cunning would long be a match for godlike wisdom, selfless valour, and perfect unanimity. I therefore fear the practical, not the theoretical, problems which will arise if ever we meet rational creatures which are not human. Against them we shall, if we can, commit all the crimes we have already committed against creatures certainly human but differing from us in features and pigmentation; and the starry heavens will become an object to which good men can look up only with feelings of intolerable guilt, agonized pity, and burning shame. Of course after the first debauch of exploitation we shall make some belated attempt to do better. We shall perhaps send missionaries. But can even missionaries be trusted? ‘Gun and gospel' have been horribly combined in the past. The missionary's holy desire to save souls has not always been kept quite distinct from the arrogant desire, the busybody's itch, to (as he calls it) ‘civilise' the (as he calls them) ‘natives'. Would all our missionaries recognise an unfallen race if they met it? Could they? Would they continue to press upon creatures that did not need to be saved that plan of Salvation which God has appointed for Man? Would they denounce as sins mere differences of behaviour which the spiritual and biological history of these strange creatures fully justified and which God Himself had blessed? Would they try to teach those from whom they had better learn? I do not know. What I do know is that here and now, as our only possible practical preparation for such a meeting, you and I should resolve to stand firm against all exploitation and all theological imperialism. It will not be fun. We shall be called traitors to our own species. We shall be hated of almost all men; even of some religious men. And we must not give back one single inch. We shall probably fail, but let us go down fighting for the right side. Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God. Those who are, or can become, His sons, are our real brothers even if they have shells or tusks. It is spiritual, not biological, kinship that counts. But let us thank God that we are still very far from travel to other worlds. I have wondered before now whether the vast astronomical distances may not be God's quarantine precautions. They prevent the spiritual infection of a fallen species from spreading. And of course we are also very far from the supposed theological problem which contact with other rational species might raise. Such species may not exist. There is not at present a shred of empirical evidence that they do. There is nothing but what thelogicians would call arguments from ‘a priori probability'—arguments that begin ‘It is only natural to suppose', or ‘All analogy suggests', or ‘Is it not the height of arrogance to rule out—?' They make very good reading. But who except a born gambler ever risks five dollars on such grounds in ordinary life? And, as we have seen, the mere existence of these creatures would not raise a problem. After that, we still need to know that they are fallen; then, that they have not been, or will not be, redeemed in the mode we know; and then, that no other mode is possible. I think a Christian is sitting pretty if his faith never encounters more formidable difficulties than these conjectural phantoms. If I remember rightly, St Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopods, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it could wait till we knew there were any. So can this. ‘But supposing,' you say. ‘Supposing all these embarrassing suppositions turned out to be true?' I can only record a conviction that they won't; a conviction which has for me become in the course of years irresistible.Christians and their opponents again and again expect that some new discovery will either turn matters of faith into matters of knowledge or else reduce them to patent absurdities. But it has never happened. What we believe always remains intellectually possible; it never becomes intellectually compulsive. I have an idea that when this ceases to be so, the world will be ending. We have been warned that all but conclusive evidence against Christianity, evidence that would deceive (if it were possible) the very elect, will appear with Antichrist. And after that there will be wholly conclusive evidence on the other side. But not, I fancy, till then on either side. SPURGEON: I suppose you are all aware that among the old systems of astronomy was one which placed the earth in the centre, and made the sun, and the moon, and the stars revolve around it. “Its three fundamental principles were the immobility of the earth, its central position, and the daily revolution of all the heavenly bodies around it in circular orbits.” Now, in a similar fashion, there is a way of making a system of theology of which man is the centre, by which it is implied that Christ and his atoning sacrifice are only made for man's sake, and that the Holy Spirit is merely a great Worker on man's behalf, and that even the great and glorious Father is to be viewed simply as existing for the sake of making man happy. Well, that may be the system of theology adopted by some; but, brethren, we must not fall into that error, for, just as the earth is not the centre of the universe, so man is not the grandest of all beings. God has been pleased highly to exalt man; but we must remember how the psalmist speaks of him: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” In another place, David says, “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Man cannot be the centre of the theological universe, he is altogether too insignificant a being to occupy such a position, and the scheme of redemption must exist for some other end than that of merely making man happy, or even of making him holy. The salvation of man must surely be first of all for the glory of God; and you have discovered the right form of Christian doctrine when you have found the system that has God in the centre, ruling and controlling according to the good pleasure of his will. Do not dwarf man so as to make it appear that God has no care for him; for if you do that, you slander God. Give to man the position that God has assigned to him; by doing so, you will have a system of theology in which all the truths of revelation and experience will move in glorious order and harmony around the great central orb, the Divine Sovereign Ruler of the universe, God over all, blessed for ever. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 149.
Note: The Shownotes and Transcript below are a bit of a trainwork editing wise. I'll polish them up soon! C.S. Lewis from His essay The Seeing Eye, found in Christian Reflections: 1963, 6 years before the Moon Landing. (Discussing Space travel) a more practical issue will arise when, if ever, we discover rational creatures on other planets. I think myself, this is a very remote contingency. The balance of probability is against life on any other planet of the solar system. We shall hardly find it nearer than the stars. And even if we reach the Moon we shall be no nearer to stellar travel than the first man who paddled across a river was to crossing the Pacific.This thought is welcome to me because, to be frank, I have no pleasure in looking forward to a meeting between humanity and any alien rational species. I observe how the white man has hitherto treated the black, and how, even among civilized men, the stronger have treated the weaker. If we encounter in the depth of space a race, however innocent and amiable, which is technologically weaker than ourselves, I do not doubt that the same revolting story will be repeated. We shall enslave, deceive, exploit or exterminate; at the very least we shall corrupt it with our vices and infect it with our diseases. We are not fit yet to visit other worlds. We have filled our own with massacre, torture, syphilis, famine, dust bowls and with all that is hideous to ear or eye. Must we go on to infect new realms? It was in part these reflections that first moved me to make my own small contributions to science fiction. In those days writers in that genre almost automatically represented the inhabitants of other worlds as monsters and the terrestrial invaders as good. Since then the opposite set-up has become fairly common. If I could believe that I had in any degree contributed to this change, I should be a proud man.1 The same problem, by the way, is beginning to threaten us as regards the dolphins. I don't think it has yet been proved that they are rational. But if they are, we have no more right to enslave them than to enslave our fellow-men. And some of us will continue to say this, but we shall be mocked. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 173–174. This science (astronomy) ought to be the special delight of ministers of the gospel, for surely it brings us into closer connection with God than almost any other science does. It has been said that an undevout astronomer is mad. I should say that an undevout man of any sort is mad,—with the worst form of madness; but, certainly, he who has become acquainted with the stars in the heavens, and who yet has not found out the great Father of lights, the Lord who made them all, must be stricken with a dire madness. Kepler, the great mathematical astronomer, who has so well explained many of the laws which govern the universe, closes one of his books, his Harmonics, with this reverent and devout expression of his feelings:—“I give thee thanks, Lord and Creator, that thou hast given me joy through thy creation; for I have been ravished with the work of thy hands. I have revealed unto mankind the glory of thy works, as far as my limited spirit could conceive their infinitude. Should I have brought forward anything that is unworthy of thee, or should I have sought my own fame, be graciously pleased to forgive me.” And you know how the mighty Newton, a very prince among the sons of men, was continually driven to his knees as he looked upwards to the skies, and discovered fresh wonders in the starry heavens. Therefore, the science which tends to bring men to bow in humility before the Lord should always be a favourite study with us whose business it is to inculcate reverence for God in all who come under our influence. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 145. Today's Question: At the very beginning of this podcast, I promised you that we would sometimes delve into wild and wacky areas of the Bible, and today is the day we begin that journey! Most of the time, we will play it straight, but the fact is that there are many interesting/mysterious and downright strange parts of the Bible, and I don't think we should ignore them, nor explain them away with a handwave. Let's embrace the weird! And, by the way, if this topic is interesting to you at all, then please check out my book Monsters in the Bible. It's my bestselling book of this year, which is funny, and from time to time, it ranks in Amazon's top ten for Occult Satanism...which is strange, to say the least, for a southern Baptist pastor. (I did NOT choose that category!) Vanderbilt astronomer David Weintraub reports that 55 percent of atheists believe in alien life, but only 32 percent of Christians. Weintraub wrote, "Most evangelical and fundamentalist Christian leaders argue quite forcefully that the Bible makes clear that extraterrestrial life does not exist. From this perspective, the only living, God-worshipping beings in the entire universe are humans, created by God, who live on Earth." DOES THE BIBLE REALLY, REALLY MAKE THAT CLEAR??! Calvary Chapel Church in Roswell, New Mexico (80 miles away from the Mac Brazel ranch, Roswell 1947 incident), would half-way agree. for instance, “Biblically IF there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible and He did not. The Bible never speaks of Aliens from another planet. Further, there is no way they would crash and die here on planet earth. Death entered our world through Adam and effected everything on this planet. If there are Aliens, they would not be exposed to this curse.” LOTS OF SUPPOSITIONS HERE THAT AREN'T BACKED UP BY SCRIPTURE. “She smiled at me, therefore she likes me.” maybe, maybe not. It's a supposition, but is it supported by fact?? Let's take that first sentence and see how it logically holds up. “If there are aliens, there is no way we would have contact with them or God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” How about this: “IF Man were to travel to the moon, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If the United States of America would be the dominant superpower of the world in the 21st century, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” “If atoms were the building blocks of all matter, God would have told us about it in the Bible, and He did not.” Such statements suppose that God is OBLIGATED to tell us about everything in the Bible. He is under no such obligation, so we can't assume things that we are left in the dark about. All the love in the world to Calvary Chapel, Roswell, though. I'm a fan. So, I'm also a fan of podcasts...a podcast connoisseur. I am subscribed to over one 100 podcasts of all shapes and sizes. Many of them are Christian podcasts, but many are not. In case you're curious, here's my current top ten podcasts. I'd love to hear yours too - tweet them to me at @bibleqpodcast. In no particular order: Ask Pastor John - John Piper, excellent biblical counsel. The Omnibus with Ken Jennings and John Roderick. Hilarious and informative. Ryen Russillo podcast - ESPN sports. My favorite sports commentator. SYSK with Josh and Chuck, have been a listener for over ten years. Astonishing Legends with Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess. Rainer on Leadership - Thom Rainer The Bible Project with Tim Mackie and Jon Collins Fantasy Focus Football - Matthew Berry (Avengers Endgame) True Crime Garage (warning: swearing) Payne Lindsey Podcasts - Monster, + Up and Vanished. Anyway...I was listening to one of the above, the Astonishing Legends podcast a few weeks ago. They were talking about a fairly fascinating object called the Betz Sphere that a family in Florida found in the woods in the 70s. The Betz Sphere demonstrated all sorts of unusual properties, and drew the interest of some news organizations and government people, including the former head of Project Blue book, Dr. J. Allen Hynek. Project Blue Book:(wikipedia): Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952, the third study of its kind, following projects Sign (1947) and Grudge (1949). A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices officially ceased in January 1970. Project Blue Book had two goals: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and To scientifically analyze UFO-related data. J.Allen Hynek was the science advisor to Grudge, Sign and Blue Book. Wikipedia: Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist.[1] In later years he conducted his own independent UFO research, developing the "Close Encounter" classification system. He was among the first people to conduct scientific analysis of reports and especially of trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs.[ Anyway, during his time researching the Betz sphere, Dr. J. Allen Hynek became good friends with the Betz family, getting to know them pretty well over the course of several visits. According to the Betz family, Dr. Hynek told them that the U.S. government was aware of several alien encounters/visitations, including Roswell, and had covered up most of them, so that the general public wouldn't freak out. Why would the public freak out? Well, apparently Dr. Hynek believe that, at least in part, that major religions, including Christianity, would have a large negative reaction to the existence of aliens, because that would seemingly contradict the teachings of the church, and the teachings of the Bible. Hynek believed that society might fall apart, if people knew that aliens actually existed. Now, let me pause for a moment. As much as I'm interested in this sort of thing, today's episode is NOT fundamentally about whether aliens exist and have made contact with us or not. I do actually know the answer to that question, but I can't give it to you now, its classified. ;) In truth, actually, I have no idea. BUT, because I can't help myself, I will say this one thing about the possibility of aliens. A Washington Post article at the end of April really got my attention: Recently, unidentified aircraft have entered military-designated airspace as often as multiple times per month, Joseph Gradisher, spokesman for office of the deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, told The Washington Post on Wednesday. He said, “We want to get to the bottom of this. We need to determine who's doing it, where it's coming from and what their intent is. We need to try to find ways to prevent it from happening again.” Luis Elizondo, a former senior intelligence officer, told The Post that the new Navy guidelines formalized the reporting process, facilitating data-driven analysis while removing the stigma from talking about UFOs, calling it “the single greatest decision the Navy has made in decades.” Elizondo, who ran the AATIP, (This is the multi-million dollar Pentagon program that investigates UFOs and was on the government budget books until 2012, when it was delisted on those budget books) said the newly drafted guidelines were a culmination of many things, most notably that the Navy had enough credible evidence — including eyewitness accounts and corroborating radar information — to “know this is occurring.” “If I came to you and said, ‘There are these things that can fly over our country with impunity, defying the laws of physics, and within moments could deploy a nuclear device at will,' that would be a matter of national security,” Elizondo said. With the number of U.S. military personnel in the Air Force and Navy who described the same observations, the noise level could not be ignored. “This type of activity is very alarming,” Elizondo said, “and people are recognizing there are things in our aerospace that lie beyond our understanding.” Before you get excited that this new initiative might finally clue in the public, I need to tell you that the WaPost ran an article the next week that basically said that the Navy was NOT going to be released to the public. Mr. Gradisher said, ““Furthermore, any report generated as a result of these investigations will, by necessity, include classified information on military operations. He added, “Therefore, no release of information to the general public is expected.””” So yeah, expect to be in the dark a few more years, at least. But today's question is not whether or not the U.S. Government will finally disclose Alien interactions, but whether or not the Bible rules out the existence of aliens at all! Is Dr. Hynek correct - if the Government suddenly announced alien contact of some kind - would that somehow invalidate the Bible? And the answer is…. I don't think so. Not at all. But, I could be wrong, and many theologians disagree with me. Let's look at the anti-alien case: GotQuestions https://www.gotquestions.org/aliens-Christian.html, “We do not believe that aliens exist. The Bible gives us no reason to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe; in fact, the Bible gives us several key reasons why there cannot be. Those who contemplate the existence of aliens and the impact their existence would have on the Christian faith commonly discuss the identity and work of Jesus. God sent His only begotten Son, God incarnate, to save mankind and redeem creation. Does that redemption include life on other planets? Or would God have manifested Himself on those other planets, as well (in the manner of Aslan in Narnia)? Does “only begotten” mean “only physical representation”? Or is it more limited, referring only to the human species? WE DON'T KNOW!! Another topic of discussion concerning the existence of aliens and Christianity is what it means to be made in the “image of God.” Since God has no physical body, we take this to mean a reflection of God's non-physical aspects—rationality, morality, and sociability. Would aliens, if they exist, embody the same characteristics? WHY NOT? Considering what we know about space and life and the world as the Bible portrays it, we already have an explanation for so-called alien activity on Earth. Reports of “close encounters” describe the ethereal, transient, deceptive, and malevolent. Accounts also record that encounters with supposed aliens can be stopped by a real, authentic call to Jesus. Everything points to the activity of demons, not extraterrestrials. In fact, it is plausible that the “powerful delusion” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 will involve an alien-abduction theory to explain away the rapture. I actually don't think most UFO reports - reported by seasoned Navy and Air-Force pilots, for instance, really has much in common with demonic episodes we see in Scripture. The “discovery” of alien life would have no effect on genuine Christianity. COMPLETELY AGREE The Bible stands as written, no matter what secular theories are advanced or discoveries are claimed. The Bible says the earth and mankind are unique in God's creation. God created the earth even before He created the sun, moon, or stars (Genesis 1). Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day. (It actually seems to say that God created the Heavens first...then the earth.) Matt Slick/CARM: The Bible does not mention extraterrestrial or alien life. However, it does mention angels and demonic forces which are, in a sense, not of this world. This is not the kind of alien, extraterrestrial life that most people are talking about when the subject comes up. Nevertheless, the Bible makes no mention whatsoever of aliens from other planets who might be visiting us. Now, Slick goes on from here to argue against alien life being likely, because he believes that the Bible declares all creation on all worlds fallen by what Adam did. That is certainly one way of reading the text, but I don't think that is the necessary way of reading the text. Paul could be speaking of all of creation on the earth. For instance, in Colossians 1:23, Paul writes: This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.What does this mean- that the Gospel has been proclaimed on Pluto? I don't think so. I believe Paul meant that the Gospel had been proclaimed in all of KNOWN creation. Michael Houdmann: Above all, let me say, I do not believe aliens exist. Let's also differentiate between sentient aliens and non-sentient aliens. While I would not necessarily have a theological problem with the concept of non-sentient beings (fish, birds, dogs, etc.) existing on other planets, I do have a huge theological problem with the concept of other sentient beings existing elsewhere. It just does not mesh with the teachings of the Bible. The Bible presents humanity as uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Angels are not created in the image of God. Animals are not created in the image of God. According to the Bible, we are unique, specifically created to have a personal relationship and connection with God the Creator. Intelligent/sentient life in other parts of the universe destroys, or at least weakens, this uniqueness. And it raises all kinds of questions. When did God create the aliens? Do the sentient aliens have an eternal soul? Did they fall into sin? Did God reveal Himself to them? Does their understanding of God match what the Bible says? Did God provide them with an alien Bible? Did God provide for and offer them redemption and salvation? If so, how? Did Jesus die for them too?Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” Notice how it doesn't say Let us make man - and man alone in all of the universe - in our Image. Houdmann goes on to say: All joking aside, if God intended for humankind to meet alien life, He would have outlined these encounters in the Bible, along with an answer to what He has done for them regarding sin.I just don't agree with that speculation. I like Houdmann and Got questions a ton, and find them very faithful to the Bible, but this is speculation that I find unbacked by biblical truth. HOW do we know that God would do this? How can we prove such a thing? I just don't think we can. I feel like such speculations are very similar to Lactantius' (an early church father in the 200s) scoffing at the possibility that the earth was round. He could NOT cite a Scripture to prove the earth was flat - as he thought - but he assumed that Scripture taught such a thing, WHEN IT DOES NOT. Similarly, Augustine poo-pood the existence of Antipodes on the other side of the world, thinking that Scripture backed that belief up, but it doesn't, and Augustine was wrong. GIVE ME CLEAR SCRIPTURE THAT SHOWS LIFE ON EARTH IS UNIQUE and I will believe it against all charges...but such a Scripture does NOT exist. TBR Baptist Facebook Group: Jim I thought this was a serious group Well - He's new. Also, I genuinely think this is a serious topic! Wes Apparently, some were aliens at one point Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God Similarly Doug Hibbard 1 Peter suggests that *you* are the aliens Jim Spiritual Wickedness in heavenly places, Rulers and authorities. Demons dressed up like them. Jacob I think the possibility of aliens falls apart when discussing the fall. As best as we can tell the whole universe is subject to the natural effects of the curse. If that is true, then another rational species, which did not fall, is out there subjected to the consequences of it. Do these aliens have their own Salvation history? Did they, somehow, simultaneously fall alongside Adam, and have their own Jesus? If, in keeping with Scripture, the crucifixion of Christ is a one time event, then another race would be subject to a punishment that they do not deserve with no possible hope for salvation. Pro Brandon Ambrosino on BBC.Com http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161215-if-we-made-contact-with-aliens-how-would-religions-react : But how could a believer reconcile this with their faith that humans are the crowning achievement of God's creation?. How could humans believe they were the apple of their creator's eye if their planet was just one of billions? The discovery of intelligent aliens could have a similar Copernican effect on human's self-understanding. Would the discovery make believers feel insignificant, and as a consequence, cause people to question their faith? According to the Talmud, God spends his night flying throughout 18,000 worlds I would argue that this concern is misguided. The claim that God is involved with and moved by humans has never required an Earth-centric theology. The Psalms, sacred to both Jews and Christians, claim that God has given names to all the stars. Billy Graham as a notable exception, as he was vocal about his beliefs that "there are intelligent beings like us far away in space who worship God." J. Warner Wallace: What impact does this question (and even more importantly, the answer to this question) have on the claims of Christianity and the truth of the Christian worldview? Jeff Zweerink, astrophysicist and Christian: Many people seem to think that discovering life on another planet would mean that naturalism is correct and Christianity is wrong. One thing I found fascinating is that for centuries Christians have thought about the implications of intelligent life in the universe. As I investigated the truth claims of Christianity, I realized that the existence of life of any sort beyond the confines of Earth is a great theological question—without a definitive answer. At this time, I am convinced that any hypothetical discovery of life in the universe will still point to God's creative work and ultimately help us understand God's revelation better. I'm with Jeff here. Some people do indeed seem to think that finding life on other planets would prove the Bible - or Christianity wrong somehow. To that, I saw - How and Why would such a thing disprove God or the Bible? If God made life on planet Earth - and He did - then why couldn't He make it elsewhere? To those Christians who seem to think that God would only make life on earth - I say, again, why would He do that? Why would He create billions of planets - most outside of our ability to see or observe...and leave them devoid of any inhabitants? In absence of Scripture, or absolute proof of alien life, conjecture proves nothing, but that cuts both ways. Merely speculating that God would not create life on other planets does not prove that it is so. The question we are grappling with today is this one: Does the Bible rule out alien life, and the answer - the CLEAR answer...is NO! It does not. William Lane Craig, 2008 episode of Reasonable Faith: Dr. Craig: Yeah. Well, I think that it's possible. [that there is alien life] One would argue that if there is life on other planets it would have had to be created by God because on a naturalistic basis I think we'd say that the evidence against there being intelligent extraterrestrial life anywhere in the observable universe is extremely great. The probabilities on naturalism that there is extraterrestrial intelligent life is virtually nil. So actually being a theist would be the best grounds for thinking that it could be possible because as a theist you think God created life here on this planet so then you could say, well, maybe God created life as well on some other planet somewhere in the universe. It is really the theist who is, I think, a lot more open to the possibility of extraterrestrial life than the non-theist…. Kevin Harris: This brings up the issue of UFOs and aliens invading earth and all the things that are in pop culture to this day – flying saucer phenomena and things like that. Well, the Vatican astronomer has just said it could be. You can make up your own mind about that. It seems, Dr. Craig, that the Bible is largely silent about this issue. Dr. Craig: I think it is silent, Kevin. The Scriptures are given to human beings as God's revelation to people on this planet. Therefore, there is no reason to think that there could not be persons that God has created in some unknown galaxy that we have no idea about, and he has provided a revelation of himself to them as well. I think it would be presumptuous to say that we know that he hasn't done that. Kevin Harris: He says that the possibility of extraterrestrial life does not contradict our faith. In other words, if a flying saucer landed on the White House lawn today, nobody could stand up and say Christianity is false. Dr. Craig: That is right. That seems to me to be correct. I am puzzled by folks who seem to think that if intelligent life were discovered somewhere else or that if it were to come here that somehow this would be a disproof of Christianity. That seems to me to be a complete non sequitur. It doesn't follow because Christianity simply doesn't speak to the question of whether or not God has created life elsewhere in the universe. If somebody tells you that there could be no aliens from a Bible/Christian perspective, ask them to show you clear backing for such a thing from Scripture. If you believe that, then please, please, please send me your Scriptural reasons for such a belief. Just Be sure you aren't making VAST leaps in logic. For example, the Bible clearly says Jesus died for our sins, if there are aliens, then how would God redeem them? That's a great question, and I don't know the answer, but it certainly doesn't prove that there are no aliens. Perhaps our hypothetical aliens did not fall, like Adam and Eve did. Perhaps they are indeed redeemed by Christ's sacrifice in a way that we don't understand. Who Knows?! But I do know that I can find no Scripture that clearly denies the possibility of alien life, or that clearly affirms the existence of alien life. I can also find no Scripture, the implications of which would logically rule out either outcome. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created. (Ps. 148:1–5) Are there aliens? I've no idea. I think the wisest and best and most biblical answer is either “Maybe” or “I don't know.” To assert otherwise is borderline irresponsible. BUT - if there ARE aliens, does this pose a threat to Scripture? Absolutely not. You can't contradict what isn't there. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin, the first true antibiotic. Did this MASSIVELY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY contradict the Bible? Of course not - because the Bible never discussed nor addressed such a thing. Similarly, the discovery of alien life - if it happens at all - will not at all shake any Scriptural truth in the Bible - NOT A ONE. Will it shake our lives? Maybe so. But, you can't find aliens in the Scripture. Not clearly. Likewise, you can't find the United States in Scripture either, and that ‘omission' seems to rightly bother no one. It is not incumbent upon God to reveal to man all important future events in His Word. Ultimately, I stand with Spurgeon, and actually stood with Spurgeon before I knew his position on this question. It took a lot of research to find this quote, but here you go: What God has done in the eternity which we call the past (but which to him is as the present), we do not fully know. We have no reason to believe that we know much of what God has done. There may be as many other worlds and sorts of beings existent as there are sands upon the sea shore, for aught we know; and the Lord may have been occupied in ages past with ten thousand glorious plans, and economies, as yet unrevealed to man. We cannot tell what he doeth, or what he hath done. We are creatures of a day, and know nothing; we are like insects that are born on a leaf, and die amid our fellows at the setting of the sun, but he lives on for ever. We talk of the “eternal hills,” but they are babes that were born yesterday, as far as he is concerned. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” We say, “Roll on, thou ancient ocean!” but the ocean is not ancient; it is a drop that fell yesterday from the tip of the Creator's finger. C. H. Spurgeon, “The Eternal Truth of God,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 21 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1875), 651. Spurgeon: To us, to-day, the coming of Christ to seek and to save the lost is an accomplished fact, a matter of history, most sure and certain. And what a fact it is! You have often thought of it, but have you ever worked your mind into the very heart of it,—that God has actually visited this world in human form,—that he before whom angels bow has actually been here, in fashion like ourselves, feeding the hungry crowds of Palestine, healing their sick, and raising their dead? I know not what may be the peculiar boast of other planets, but this poor star cannot be excelled, for on this world the Creator has stood. This earth has been trodden by the feet of God, and yet it was not crushed beneath the mighty burden, because he deigned to link his Deity with our humanity. The incarnation is a wonder of wonders, but it does not belong to the realm of imagination, or even of expectation, for it has actually been beheld by mortal eyes. C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ the Seeker and Saviour of the Lost,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 58 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1912), 314. SKIP. INCLUDE IN BOOK. There are also triple stars, or systems, and quadruple systems, and there are, in some cases, hundreds or thousands all spinning round one another, and around their central luminaries. Wonderful combinations of glory and beauty may be seen in the stellar sky; and some of these stars are red, some blue, some yellow, all the colours of the rainbow are represented in them. It would be very wonderful to live in one of them, and to look across the sky, and see all the glories of the heavens that God has made. On the whole, however, for the present, I am quite content to abide upon this little planet, especially as I am not able to change it for another home, until God so wills it. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 177. CLOSE WITH EXTENDED READING OF LEWIS' ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: From Christian Reflections: an essay Called, “The Seeing Eye” Some people are troubled, and others are delighted, at the idea of finding not one, but perhaps innumerable rational species scattered about the universe. In both cases the emotion arises from a belief that such discoveries would be fatal to Christian theology. For it will be said that theology connects the Incarnation of God with the Fall and Redemption of man. And this would seem to attribute to our species and to our little planet a central position in cosmic history which is not credible if rationally inhabited planets are to be had by the million. Older readers will, with me, notice the vast change in astronomical speculation which this view involves. When we were boys all astronomers, so far as I know, impressed upon us the antecedent improbabilities of life in any part of the universe whatever. It was not thought unlikely that this earth was the solitary exception to a universal reign of the inorganic. Now Professor Hoyle, and many with him, say that in so vast a universe life must have occurred in times and places without number. The interesting thing is that I have heard both these estimates used as arguments against Christianity. Now it seems to me that we must find out more than we can at present know—which is nothing—about hypothetical rational species before we can say what theological corollaries or difficulties their discovery would raise. We might, for example, find a race which was, like us, rational but, unlike us, innocent—no wars nor any other wickedness among them; all peace and good fellowship. I don't think any Christian would be puzzled to find that they knew no story of an Incarnation or Redemption, and might even find our story hard to understand or accept if we told it to them. There would have been no Redemption in such a world because it would not have needed redeeming. ‘They that are whole need not the physician.' The sheep that has never strayed need not be sought for. We should have much to learn from such people and nothing to teach them. If we were wise, we should fall at their feet. But probably we should be unable to ‘take it'. We'd find some reason for exterminating them. Again, we might find a race which, like ours, contained both good and bad. And we might find that for them, as for us, something had been done: that at some point in their history some great interference for the better, believed by some of them to be supernatural, had been recorded, and that its effects, though often impeded and perverted, were still alive among them. It need not, as far as I can see, have conformed to the pattern of Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. God may have other ways—how should I be able to imagine them?—of redeeming a lost world. And Redemption in that alien mode might not be easily recognizable by our missionaries, let alone by our atheists. We might meet a species which, like us, needed Redemption but had not been given it. But would this fundamentally be more of a difficulty than any Christian's first meeting with a new tribe of savages? It would be our duty to preach the Gospel to them. For if they are rational, capable both of sin and repentance, they are our brethren, whatever they look like. Would this spreading of the Gospel from earth, through man, imply a pre-eminence for earth and man? Not in any real sense. If a thing is to begin at all, it must begin at some particular time and place; and any time and place raises the question: ‘Why just then and just there?' One can conceive an extraterrestrial development of Christianity so brilliant that earth's place in the story might sink to that of a prologue. Finally, we might find a race which was strictly diabolical—no tiniest spark felt in them from which any goodness could ever be coaxed into the feeblest glow; all of them incurably perverted through and through. What then? We Christians had always been told that there were creatures like that in existence. True, we thought they were all incorporeal spirits. A minor readjustment thus becomes necessary. But all this is in the realm of fantastic speculation. We are trying to cross a bridge, not only before we come to it, but even before we know there is a river that needs bridging. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections, ed. Walter Hooper, EPub Edition. (HarperOne, 2014), 174–176. Religion and Rocketry - 1958 RELIGION AND ROCKETRY In my time I have heard two quite different arguments against my religion put forward in the name of science. When I was a youngster, people used to say that the universe was not only not friendly to life but positively hostile to it. Life had appeared on this planet by a millionth chance, as if at one point there had been a breakdown of the elaborate defences generally enforced against it. We should be rash to assume that such a leak had occurred more than once. Probably life was a purely terrestrial abnormality. We were alone in an infinite desert. Which just showed the absurdity of the Christian idea that there was a Creator who was interested in living creatures. But then came Professor F. B. Hoyle, the Cambridge cosmologist, and in a fortnight or so everyone I met seemed to have decided that the universe was probably quite well provided with inhabitable globes and with livestock to inhabit them. Which just showed (equally well) the absurdity of Christianity with its parochial idea that Man could be important to God. This is a warning of what we may expect if we ever do discover animal life (vegetable does not matter) on another planet. Each new discovery, even every new theory, is held at first to have the most wide-reaching theological and philosophical consequences. It is seized by unbelievers as the basis for a new attack on Christianity; it is often, and more embarrassingly, seized by injudicious believers as the basis for a new defence. But usually, when the popular hubbub has subsided and the novelty has been chewed over by real theologians, real scientists, and real philosophers, both sides find themselves pretty much where they were before. So it was with Copernican astronomy, with Darwinism, with Biblical Criticism, with the new psychology. So, I cannot help expecting, it will be with the discovery of ‘life on other planets'—if that discovery is ever made. The supposed threat is clearly directed against the doctrine of the Incarnation, the belief that God born of God ‘for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was . . . made man'. Why for us men more than for others? If we find ourselves to be but one among a million races, scattered through a million spheres, how can we, without absurd arrogance, believe ourselves to have been uniquely favoured? I admit that the question could become formidable. In fact, it will become formidable when, if ever, we know the answer to five other questions. 1. Are there animals anywhere except on earth? We do not know. We do not know whether we ever shall know. 2. Supposing there were, have any of these animals what we call ‘rational souls'? By this I include not merely the faculty to abstract and calculate, but the apprehension of values, the power to mean by ‘good 'something more than ‘good for me' or even ‘good for my species'. If instead of asking, ‘Have they rational souls?' you prefer to ask, ‘Are they spiritual animals?' I think we shall both mean pretty much the same. If the answer to either question should be No, then of course it would not be at all strange that our species should be treated differently from theirs. There would be no sense in offering to a creature, however clever or amiable, a gift which that creature was by its nature incapable either of desiring or of receiving. We teach our sons to read but not our dogs. The dogs prefer bones. And of course, since we do not yet know whether there are extra-terrestrial animals at all, we are a long way from knowing that they are rational (or ‘spiritual'). Even if we met them we might not find it so easy to decide. It seems to me possible to suppose creatures so clever that they could talk, though they were, from the theological point of view, really only animals, capable of pursuing or enjoying only natural ends. One meets humans—the machine-minded and materialistic urban type—who look as if they were just that. As Christians we must believe the appearance to be false; somewhere under that glib surface there lurks, however atrophied, a human soul. But in other worlds there might be things that really are what these seem to be. Conversely, there might be creatures genuinely spiritual, whose powers of manufacture and abstract thought were so humble that we should mistake them for mere animals. God shield them from us! 3. If there are species, and rational species, other than man, are any or all of them, like us, fallen? This is the point non-Christians always seem to forget. They seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician.Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it. Notice what waves of utterly unwarranted hypothesis these critics of Christianity want us to swim through. We are now supposing the fall of hypothetically rational creatures whose mere existence is hypothetical! 4. If all of them (and surely all is a long shot) or any of them have fallen have they been denied Redemption by the Incarnation and Passion of Christ? For of course it is no very new idea that the eternal Son may, for all we know, have been incarnate in other worlds than earth and so saved other races than ours. As Alice Meynell wrote in ‘Christ in the Universe': I wouldn't go as far as ‘doubtless' myself. Perhaps of all races we only fell. Perhaps Man is the only lost sheep; the one, therefore, whom the Shepherd came to seek. Or perhaps—but this brings us to the next wave of assumption. It is the biggest yet and will knock us head over heels, but I am fond of a tumble in the surf. 5. If we knew (which we don't) the answers to 1, 2, and 3—and, further, if we knew that Redemption by an Incarnation and Passion had been denied to creatures in need of it—is it certain that this is the only mode of Redemption that is possible? Here of course we ask for what is not merely unknown but, unless God should reveal it, wholly unknowable. It may be that the further we were permitted to see into His councils, the more clearly we should understand that thus and not otherwise—by the birth at Bethlehem, the cross on Calvary and the empty tomb—a fallen race could be rescued. There may be a necessity for this, insurmountable, rooted in the very nature of God and the very nature of sin. But we don't know. At any rate, I don't know. Spiritual as well as physical conditions might differ widely in different worlds. There might be different sorts and different degrees of fallenness. We must surely believe that the divine charity is as fertile in resource as it is measureless in condescension. To different diseases, or even to different patients sick with the same disease, the great Physician may have applied different remedies; remedies which we should probably not recognise as such even if we ever heard of them. It might turn out that the redemption of other species differed from ours by working through ours. There is a hint of something like this in St Paul (Romans 8:19–23) when he says that the whole creation is longing and waiting to be delivered from some kind of slavery, and that the deliverance will occur only when we, we Christians, fully enter upon our sonship to God and exercise our ‘glorious liberty'. On the conscious level I believe that he was thinking only of our own Earth: of animal, and probably vegetable, life on Earth being ‘renewed' or glorified at the glorification of man in Christ. But it is perhaps possible—it is not necessary—to give his words a cosmic meaning. It may be that Redemption, starting with us, is to work from us and through us. This would no doubt give man a pivotal position. But such a position need not imply any superiority in us or any favouritism in God. The general, deciding where to begin his attack, does not select the prettiest landscape or the most fertile field or the most attractive village. Christ was not born in a stable because a stable is, in itself, the most convenient or distinguished place for a maternity. Only if we had some such function would a contact between us and such unknown races be other than a calamity. If indeed we were unfallen, it would be another matter. It sets one dreaming—to interchange thoughts with beings whose thinking had an organic background wholly different from ours (other senses, other appetites), to be unenviously humbled by intellects possibly superior to our own yet able for that very reason to descend to our level, to descend lovingly ourselves if we met innocent and childlike creatures who could never be as strong or as clever as we, to exchange with the inhabitants of other worlds that especially keen and rich affection which exists between unlikes; it is a glorious dream. But make no mistake. It is a dream. We are fallen. We know what our race does to strangers. Man destroys or enslaves every species he can. Civilised man murders, enslaves, cheats, and corrupts savage man. Even inanimate nature he turns into dust bowls and slag-heaps. There are individuals who don't. But they are not the sort who are likely to be our pioneers in space. Our ambassador to new worlds will be the needy and greedy adventurer or the ruthless technical expert. They will do as their kind has always done. What that will be if they meet things weaker than themselves, the black man and the red man can tell. If they meet things stronger, they will be, very properly, destroyed. It is interesting to wonder how things would go if they met an unfallen race. At first, to be sure, they'd have a grand time jeering at, duping, and exploiting its innocence; but I doubt if our half-animal cunning would long be a match for godlike wisdom, selfless valour, and perfect unanimity. I therefore fear the practical, not the theoretical, problems which will arise if ever we meet rational creatures which are not human. Against them we shall, if we can, commit all the crimes we have already committed against creatures certainly human but differing from us in features and pigmentation; and the starry heavens will become an object to which good men can look up only with feelings of intolerable guilt, agonized pity, and burning shame. Of course after the first debauch of exploitation we shall make some belated attempt to do better. We shall perhaps send missionaries. But can even missionaries be trusted? ‘Gun and gospel' have been horribly combined in the past. The missionary's holy desire to save souls has not always been kept quite distinct from the arrogant desire, the busybody's itch, to (as he calls it) ‘civilise' the (as he calls them) ‘natives'. Would all our missionaries recognise an unfallen race if they met it? Could they? Would they continue to press upon creatures that did not need to be saved that plan of Salvation which God has appointed for Man? Would they denounce as sins mere differences of behaviour which the spiritual and biological history of these strange creatures fully justified and which God Himself had blessed? Would they try to teach those from whom they had better learn? I do not know. What I do know is that here and now, as our only possible practical preparation for such a meeting, you and I should resolve to stand firm against all exploitation and all theological imperialism. It will not be fun. We shall be called traitors to our own species. We shall be hated of almost all men; even of some religious men. And we must not give back one single inch. We shall probably fail, but let us go down fighting for the right side. Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God. Those who are, or can become, His sons, are our real brothers even if they have shells or tusks. It is spiritual, not biological, kinship that counts. But let us thank God that we are still very far from travel to other worlds. I have wondered before now whether the vast astronomical distances may not be God's quarantine precautions. They prevent the spiritual infection of a fallen species from spreading. And of course we are also very far from the supposed theological problem which contact with other rational species might raise. Such species may not exist. There is not at present a shred of empirical evidence that they do. There is nothing but what thelogicians would call arguments from ‘a priori probability'—arguments that begin ‘It is only natural to suppose', or ‘All analogy suggests', or ‘Is it not the height of arrogance to rule out—?' They make very good reading. But who except a born gambler ever risks five dollars on such grounds in ordinary life? And, as we have seen, the mere existence of these creatures would not raise a problem. After that, we still need to know that they are fallen; then, that they have not been, or will not be, redeemed in the mode we know; and then, that no other mode is possible. I think a Christian is sitting pretty if his faith never encounters more formidable difficulties than these conjectural phantoms. If I remember rightly, St Augustine raised a question about the theological position of satyrs, monopods, and other semi-human creatures. He decided it could wait till we knew there were any. So can this. ‘But supposing,' you say. ‘Supposing all these embarrassing suppositions turned out to be true?' I can only record a conviction that they won't; a conviction which has for me become in the course of years irresistible.Christians and their opponents again and again expect that some new discovery will either turn matters of faith into matters of knowledge or else reduce them to patent absurdities. But it has never happened. What we believe always remains intellectually possible; it never becomes intellectually compulsive. I have an idea that when this ceases to be so, the world will be ending. We have been warned that all but conclusive evidence against Christianity, evidence that would deceive (if it were possible) the very elect, will appear with Antichrist. And after that there will be wholly conclusive evidence on the other side. But not, I fancy, till then on either side. SPURGEON: I suppose you are all aware that among the old systems of astronomy was one which placed the earth in the centre, and made the sun, and the moon, and the stars revolve around it. “Its three fundamental principles were the immobility of the earth, its central position, and the daily revolution of all the heavenly bodies around it in circular orbits.” Now, in a similar fashion, there is a way of making a system of theology of which man is the centre, by which it is implied that Christ and his atoning sacrifice are only made for man's sake, and that the Holy Spirit is merely a great Worker on man's behalf, and that even the great and glorious Father is to be viewed simply as existing for the sake of making man happy. Well, that may be the system of theology adopted by some; but, brethren, we must not fall into that error, for, just as the earth is not the centre of the universe, so man is not the grandest of all beings. God has been pleased highly to exalt man; but we must remember how the psalmist speaks of him: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” In another place, David says, “Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.” Man cannot be the centre of the theological universe, he is altogether too insignificant a being to occupy such a position, and the scheme of redemption must exist for some other end than that of merely making man happy, or even of making him holy. The salvation of man must surely be first of all for the glory of God; and you have discovered the right form of Christian doctrine when you have found the system that has God in the centre, ruling and controlling according to the good pleasure of his will. Do not dwarf man so as to make it appear that God has no care for him; for if you do that, you slander God. Give to man the position that God has assigned to him; by doing so, you will have a system of theology in which all the truths of revelation and experience will move in glorious order and harmony around the great central orb, the Divine Sovereign Ruler of the universe, God over all, blessed for ever. C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: The Art of Illustration; Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, vol. 3 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1905), 149.
The said it couldn't be done. They were wrong. "Chasing Earhart: The Discussion Panel" was a resounding success! From those in attendance to the over 21,000 of you that watched it online via YouTube live, you were part of the largest discussion panel on the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart of all time. Now relive that day in episode fifty-two of the Chasing Earhart podcast! Season two of the podcast continues with the podcast version of this historic panel. Join panelists Gary LaPook, Doug Westfall, Bill Snavely, Larry Inman, Sammie Morris, Chris Williamson, Lisa Cotham, Kate Jerome, Ann Holtgren Pellegreno, Shaesta Waiz, Dr. Tom King, Astronaut Abby, Scott Philbrook, Jessica Cox, Forrest Burgess & Dick Spink as moderated by Dr. Joshua Wolf. Relive all of the discussion as we discuss Amelia's impact, legacy and disappearance in front of a live crowd during the 2018 Amelia Earhart festival in Atchison Kansas!
Just when you thought it was safe to stop talking about Amelia Earhart! Recorded just two days after episode thirty-seven, Scott and Forrest re-join us to discuss the latest developments in the Amelia Earhart case including the theft and recovery of Amelia's Terraplane in Los Angeles, the International Women's Day Amelia Earhart Barbie, and the paper that swept the world by storm by Dr. Richard Jantz. Join us for an un-expected continued discussion with Scott & Forrest!
Scott & Forrest have been called the 'Click and Clack of esoterica' by their listeners. Their mission is to take a look at legendary strange and unusual events from throughout history and interview people who've had close encounters with the unexplained. It was Astonishing Legends that gave Chris his model in early 2014 for what would eventually become the Chasing Earhart podcast. A hugely popular podcast focusing on the mysterious and unexplained, Astonishing Legends continues to capture the imagination and excitement of fans all over the world that are fascinated with mystery and intrigue. On the 37th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Scott and Forrest join us via Zoom from Blanket Fortiana in Los Angeles, California, for our longest discussion yet, to discuss the robustness of the Amelia Earhart disappearance case and all of the aspects that make it Astonishing!
Welcome to Crawlspace. In this episode Lance Reenstierna & Tim Pilleri talk to Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from the popular podcast Astonishing Legends. Check out Astonishing Legends here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/astonishing-legends/id923527373 Their website: https://www.astonishinglegends.com/ Their Twitters://twitter.com/AstonshngLegnds, https://twitter.com/forrest_burgess Follow Missing Maura Murray: https://twitter.com/MauraMurrayDoc, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missingmauramurray/, and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauraMurrayDoc/ Check out our docu-series on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Maura-Murray/dp/B07JHNTGLK. And don't miss the Disappearance of Maura Murray on Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-maura-murray Check out the entire Crawlspace Media Network at http://crawlspace-media.com/ Follow Private Investigations For the Missing https://investigationsforthemissing.org/ https://twitter.com/PIFortheMissing https://www.facebook.com/PIFortheMissing/ https://www.instagram.com/investigationsforthemissing/ Check out Crawlspace's Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/crawlspacepodcast Follow Crawlspace Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrawlspacePod IG: https://www.instagram.com/crawlspacepodcast/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Crawlspacepodcast/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crawlspace-true-crime-mysteries/id1187326340 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/crawlspace Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58cll3enTW2SNmbJUuLsrt --- This episode is sponsored by · The Colin and Samir Podcast: The Colin and Samir Podcast hosted by LA - based friends and filmmakers Colin and Samir takes a look into what it’s like to make creativity your career. https://open.spotify.com/show/5QaSbbv2eD4SFrlFR6IyY7?si=Dj3roVoJTZmOime94xhjng
At roughly 3:00 AM, Nov. 13, 1974, twenty three year old Ronald Joseph "Butch" DeFeo Jr took a thirty-five caliber Marlin rifle and executed all six members of entire immediate family in their sleep at the family home on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island. Strangely, all were found lying in their beds with no signs of a struggle. How did the rifle not wake five of them up after the first victim was shot? A little over a year later the Lutz family moved into the same home and 28 days later left their belongings inside and fled what they believed was physical and psychological torment at the hands of evil, paranormal entities. What really happened at Amityville? 100% truth? 100% hoax? Or somewhere in the middle? Listen and find out on a haunted house, Halloween edition of Timesuck! This episode of Timesuck is brought to you by the amazing Astonishing Legends podcast! Go to www.astonishinglegends.com and listen to hosts Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess take you on fascinating deep dives into the odd and unexplained! Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Want to try out Discord!?! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultofthecurious/ For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG, @timesuckpodcast on Twitter, and www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Our final part of our three-part look at the Kentucky Goblins case of 1955 concludes with an interview with the hosts of Astonishing Legends, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess. We discuss the facts of the case, possible explanations, and the problems with the Wikipedia entry and the scholarly journal article cited within it. This episode’s topic is also discussed in a blog post by Blake Smith: Astonishing Legends, Questionable Facts. If you missed them, be sure to listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of American Goblins. Read the episode notes
BACKGROUND At approximately 6:00 p.m. on 5 December 1945, an HF/DF signal fix was obtained for Flight 19, placing its location somewhere within a 100-mile radius off the east coast of Florida, but that would be the last trace of the squadron's existence. It wouldn't be the last tragedy of this story. Around 7:27 p.m., two Martin Mariner rescue planes were launched from NAS Banana River, FL to conduct a search. Three minutes later, one of the planes, PBM-5 "Squadron Training No. 49" would send its "out report" over the radio, but it too would never be heard from again. About 20 minutes later, a tanker cruising in the area, the SS Gaines Mills would report seeing an apparent explosion, with flames leaping 100 feet high and lasting for 10 minutes in the vicinity of where PBM-5 should have been. The ship would search for survivors or floating wreckage but would find only a pool of oil and it is believed all 13 crew members aboard PBM-5 perished in that explosion. At least with PBM-5, there is a likely explanation of their fate but with Flight 19, to this day there is none to be had. The lingering question may sound simplistic, but it can be put before every speculative answer ranging from the commonplace to the paranormal -- "Where did they go?" Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: SQUARESPACE - It's what we used to make this cool looking website you're looking at right now! Go to squarespace.com and use the promo code "LEGENDS" at checkout for 10% off any website subscription or domain purchase. Audible - Audible is a leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet. Just go to audible.com/AL to get your choice of any audiobook for FREE with a 30-day trial membership. The Great Courses Plus: Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of FREE, UNLIMITED access OR just take out your phone and text the word LEGENDS to the number 86329. To get the reply text, standard message and data rates apply. Harry's - Get a close, comfortable shave that's convenient and affordable. Go to harrys.com/alp to get their most popular Trial Set for FREE when you sign up. Just pay a small fee for shipping. SHOW NOTES: Find extensive show notes, links and images at our website on the page for this episode: https://scott-philbrook.squarespace.com/al-podcasts/2017/3/23/ep-65-flight-19-part-2 The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 66 - "Flight 19 (Part 2)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
BACKGROUND The fate of a US Naval training flight, designated as “Flight 19” remains one of the American military’s most enduring mysteries, but also one of the signature stories from the legendary region known as “The Bermuda Triangle.” On December 5, 1945, a squadron of five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers departed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 2:10 p.m. on what should have been a routine overwater navigation training exercise. After successfully completing their practice bombing runs and some course change maneuvers, the formation radioed that they were not sure of their location or heading. Several hours later it was clear that the squadron was lost and their situation was dire. Flight instructor Lt. Charles Taylor, USN would make his last transmission around this time and it would be the last he and his 13 airmen would ever be heard from again. A rescue operation was launched, but it too would suffer a terrible tragedy. Was this merely a series of unfortunate but explainable errors and Flight 19 simply fell victim to the natural danger of the sea, or would they be claimed by the purported treachery of the Bermuda Triangle? SURVEY! Please help us keep the show FREE! Go to podcast.study NOW and take this anonymous 5 minute survey. We're begging you! SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS: Blue Apron: Home cooking never tasted so good or was so much fun to make! Go to blueapron.com/astonishing to receive 3 MEALS FREE on your 1st order, with FREE SHIPPING! The Great Courses Plus: Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of FREE, UNLIMITED access OR just take out your phone and text the word LEGENDS to the number 86329. To get the reply text, standard message and data rates apply. Please visit Podcast.study and take this 5 minute survey! It will help us keep the lights on! SHOW NOTES: Find extensive show notes, links and images at our website on the page for this episode: https://scott-philbrook.squarespace.com/al-podcasts/2017/3/17/ep-65-flight-19-part-1 The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 65 - "Flight 19 (Part 1)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
BACKGROUND We know that Distance = Rate x Time but when one of the variables of that equation is altered beyond reason by some unimaginable force of nature, the result can challenge what we think we know about the natural world. This was the experience of pilot Bruce Gernon, who believes he encountered a rare, yet natural phenomenon during a routine flight from Andros Island in the Bahamas to Palm Beach, Florida. Minutes after taking off from Andros (which also happens to be located within the legendary “Bermuda Triangle”). Gernon, along with his father who was acting as co-pilot and navigator and another passenger who was their business partner, found themselves rapidly being enveloped in a strange and powerful storm. A bizarre tunnel of clouds chased and formed around them, and by all objective and rational observations, appears to have warped spacetime itself. Gernon would later write about his theory of the experience calling the phenomenon, “Electronic Fog.” Could a severe weather anomaly be the cause of the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, or is there a greater supernatural force causing the extreme weather? NOTE: Due to inconsistent character length restrictions across multiple podcast aggregator platforms, we are no longer publishing show note links with our actual audio files. However you will still be able to find all of them as well as pictures at our website. Here is the link for this episode: http://www.astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/3/10/ep-64-electronic-fog Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus — Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access OR just take out your phone and text the word LEGENDS to 86329. To get the reply text, standard message and data rates apply. Make your next move in simple yet elegant website design with Squarespace. Go to Squarespace.com and use PROMO CODE - "LEGENDS" for 10% off any website subscription or domain purchase Find and hire the right people fast by posting to 200+ job sites and Social Media networks with ZipRecruiter. Go to ZipRecruiter.com/LEGENDS to post your job for FREE! The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 64 - "Electronic Fog" Produced by Scott Philbrook& Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Background The mystery of “The Nazi Bell” or “Die Glocke” is only surpassed by its reported potential. The Germans had the knowledge to build an atomic weapon in Otto Hahn, the chemist who first split the uranium nucleus in 1938. The next year the Nazis had control of Europe’s only source of uranium ore when they acquired the mine at Joachimsthal while invading the rest of Czechoslovakia. But was The Bell a device to aid them in enriching uranium-238? Many researchers of The Bell believe it was it’s own research project and given an even higher Top Secret classification than their atomic weapons program. When Germany surrendered in 1945, it was evident they were not able to bring their atomic weapon development to a successful conclusion, but was this because they were much more focused on creating a machine that would be a far greater solution to their goal of world domination, and did they fully know what they were dealing with? The glimpse inside Pandora’s Box is always both wondrous and deadly. Of the many questions surrounding The Bell, the two most important remain: If it exists today, where is it? And if it’s still being researched, could it, like uranium, change the world as we know it? NOTE: Due to inconsistent character length restrictions across multiple podcast aggregator platforms, we are no longer publishing show note links with our actual audio files. However you will still be able to find all of them as well as pictures at our website as we move forward. Future postings will contain 1 direct link to the show page. For the reason there's not one with this posting, see the next paragraph. Our new website should roll out some time this weekend! So if you go to our website and don't see the posting for this episode, give us a day or two as we transition to our brand new Squarespace website! Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: 1) Try a Harry's shaving trial set for FREE! Just cover the shipping. Go to Harrys.com, enter code LEGENDS at checkout. 2) The Great Courses Plus — Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of FREE, UNLIMITED ACCESS to over 500 courses and 8000+ lectures on a wide range of subjects. 3) Make Your Next Move in simple yet elegant website design with Squarespace. Go to Squarespace.com and use PROMO CODE - "LEGENDS" for 10% off any website subscription or domain purchase The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 63 - "The Count of Saint Germain, Part 3" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
Who's the most interesting person you've ever met? Can they play a musical instrument? Do they speak a foreign language? Are they a fine art painter? Have they traveled the world? Are they descended from royalty? Sure, maybe only a couple of those. But what if they were a concert level violinist who could also compose music? What if they could speak ten languages or more? What if it seemed they could produce precious gemstones and on top of that, were a military tactician who brokered diplomacy between nations? Impossible you say, for all of these talents and accomplishments to be contained within one individual? And yet all of these are the qualities and accomplishments claimed to be witnessed by the contemporaries of the man known mostly as the Count of Saint Germain. He was known by many names and for his many remarkable feats, but perhaps his most astounding accomplishment, as more than a few would claim, was to remain alive for several generations from the 18th century or earlier, into the 19th century and maybe even to this day. Tonight's Quote: “He is a man who never dies, and who knows everything.” — Voltaire, speaking about the Count of St Germain Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! PDF of The Count of Saint Germain by Isabel Cooper-Oakley (beware of typos) http://bit.ly/2imh7OD Finding Count St. Germain, a great blog by Jessie Desmond http://bit.ly/2j9GX5p Writer and mystic Manley P. Hall http://bit.ly/2jGssW5 Sanctus Germanus http://bit.ly/2jOa6Gy In Search Of episode, S2-E2 "The Man Who Would Not Die" http://bit.ly/1E4GzvT Louis XV, Friend to the Count http://bit.ly/2jGxlhK The Count of St Germain on Wikipedia (Decent Entry) http://bit.ly/2jtpbK6 Isabel Cooper-Oakley http://bit.ly/2jGnfNM Madame Du Pompadour http://bit.ly/2jgVQ8L The Great White Brotherhood (not rascist!) http://bit.ly/2jh3GPH Ascended Masters http://bit.ly/2imoeXb Alchemy http://bit.ly/2j9Bdc3 Chateau du Chambord http://bit.ly/1UNWiVv Rosicrucianism http://bit.ly/2jOiTbp Dreadcast - Hosted by our friend Shezhar Shah who guested on the show as Jude Law Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Blue Apron – Home cooking never tasted so good or was so much fun to make! Go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals FREE on your 1st order, with FREE SHIPPING HARRY'S quality shaving essentials at an affordable price. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order The Great Courses Plus — Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to over 500 courses and 8000 lectures on a wide range of subjects Start 2017 off right for your business by getting the right people hired. Post jobs for free at ZipRecruiter.com/legends The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 058 - "The Count of Saint Germain" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
Time to get festive in this dark season! Get yourself some holiday joy from: Jordan Harbour from Twilight Histories, Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends, David from Blurry Photos, Ryan from Rumor Flies, and Kristaps from the Eastern Borders. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sometimes we get a second chance and sometimes it seems we had no chance at all. What we can count on getting is a cycle of the heartwarming followed by heartbreak, the mundane punctuated with despair and assuaged by moments of joy. But greater than our earthly concerns, the cycle of life continues. Birth follows death as spring follows winter. And within this cycle, every once in a while just to keep it interesting, the wondrous happens. Whether you view the seemingly impossible as merely a coincidence, as a mistaken observation, or as proof that miracles do happen and that love never dies the choice is up to you. Which one sounds like more fun? Tonight's Quote: “It is not known precisely where angels dwell whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.” — Voltaire Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Forrest's favorite version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol http://bit.ly/2hDWXP0 Rod Hull and his Emu on the Hudson Brothers' Razzle Dazzle Show http://bit.ly/2h3JSgX Rod Hull on Wikipedia and his Untimely Death http://bit.ly/2hWN8rW Astronaut John Glenn, the first American to Orbit Earth http://bit.ly/2hG8XMR Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer http://bit.ly/2hPfDM9 Greg Lake on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/2gTiaD8 Kingman, Arizona, 20 Miles West of Where Scott Broke Down http://bit.ly/2hG37ex Alcides Moreno's Miraculous Survival after a 47 Floor Fall http://nyti.ms/2gTj5n2 Fox News report on Alcides Fall http://bit.ly/2gJzcQM Guardian Story on his Recovery http://bit.ly/2gSHhHY The Splat Calculator http://bit.ly/2h90LUS Highest Freefall Ever Survived http://bit.ly/22za9CY Skydiver Survives 12,000 Foot Fall http://dailym.ai/2hWVeAD How to Fall 35,000 Feet and Survive: Popular Mechanics http://bit.ly/25ao7fW Amazing Old 'Desert' Magazine Article on the Hatbox Baby http://bit.ly/2hDyRBk The Hatbox Baby from Our Favorite Show, Unsolved Mysteries Wiki http://bit.ly/2h96ASp Pro Crime Writer's Blog Entry on the Hatbox Baby http://bit.ly/2gTnV3N Fascinating Arizona Republic Interview with the Hatbox Baby http://bit.ly/2hWSO5d Wordsmith Blog on 'Tunket' http://bit.ly/2hDxjar More on 'Tunket' http://bit.ly/2hCLbEm Tophet, the Origin Word for Tunket http://bit.ly/2hsgFN3 Tophet on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/2h99oP4 Ma Dana of Mesa, Arizona http://bit.ly/2gSPtrF Newsreel of United 610 Crash http://bit.ly/2hDBHXc Wreck Chasers at the Crash Site http://cbsloc.al/1uXBr56 NY Daily News on the Spanish Fork Car Crash http://nydn.us/1E7e26p Officer Beddoes' Bodycam Footage from Crash Site (Warning: Emotionally Intense) http://bit.ly/2hCQjZ9 Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus — Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to over 500 courses and 8000 lectures on a wide range of subjects HARRY'S quality shaving essentials at an affordable price. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order Blue Apron – Home cooking never tasted so good or was so much fun to make! Go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals FREE on your 1st order, with FREE SHIPPING Shari's Berries – Go to Berries.com, click on the microphone in the top right hand corner of the webpage and type in, ALPod to get delicious, decadent Shari's Berries delivered to you or someone you love! The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 057 - "2nd Chances" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2016 (last...
Life is fragile and an end comes for us all. But whether that end is labeled as mysterious, ironic, tragic, coincidental or altogether unremarkable, is something for those that survive us to decide. The path of life through the wilderness of our choices can be both rocky and smooth, so look where you're going because others will remember where you've been. Tonight's Quote: “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! List of Unusual Deaths on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/1PAOw1q The 27 Club http://bit.ly/1eCnVla Draco the lawgiver http://bit.ly/1dhB4ih Nomodeiktes: Greek Studies in Honor of Martin Ostwald http://a.co/0G5UfUs Lawrence of Rome http://bit.ly/1IxWS4c Earl Sigurd the Mighty - the first Earl of Orkney http://bit.ly/1zRZJkE Máel Brigte of Moray http://bit.ly/2hg2DvM OrkneyJar - the heritage of the Orkney Islands http://www.orkneyjar.com Louis the VI of France - or "Louis the Fat" http://bit.ly/2hobU89 Philip of France (1116–1131) http://bit.ly/2hvHGMl Pepin the Short http://bit.ly/2h7ju6c The Cassowary http://bit.ly/2h3L9op Rod Hull and his Emu on the Hudson Brothers' Razzle Dazzle Show http://bit.ly/2h3JSgX Kevin Hart on his Ostrich encounter - WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE http://bit.ly/2glqtsY Affidavit about Daniel and Jabez Spicer from Thomas's Mass. Spy No. 676, April 1784 http://bit.ly/2hs34C3 The Spicer Bros. story in the Weekly World News http://bit.ly/2hmoQva The Spicer Bros. story in the book, Incredible But True http://bit.ly/2hsb71V Shays' Rebellion http://bit.ly/1Em1zQ6 Overview of the Shays' Rebellion battle for the arsenal http://bit.ly/2gjxzOL Isadora Duncan http://bit.ly/2gkcnD2 Edna Mode from The Incredibles - NO CAPES!!! http://bit.ly/1LIX5Te Robert Williams - 1st reported human killed by a robot http://bit.ly/2gKCN1T R.U.R. - the 1920 science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek http://bit.ly/1Ua78J2 Jimi Heselden - Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and owner Segway Inc. who fell off a cliff while riding one http://bit.ly/1SOZqSu Armin Meiwes and Bernd Brandes, a cannibal and his guest for dinner - WARNING: DISTURBING http://bit.ly/1ZH1BIl Gloria Ramirez - "The Toxic Lady" http://bit.ly/2geOFcp A possible chemical explanation for the death of Gloria Ramirez from FSI http://bit.ly/2gIl7E3 "The Toxic Lady" on Skeptoid by Brian Dunning http://bit.ly/2fYJdwB Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Find the right pair of glasses in the comfort and convenience of your own home, completely risk-free and with free shipping all around! Visit WarbyParker.com/LEGENDS MVMT Watches & Sunglasses - modern minimalism meets affordable quality. Go to mvmtwatches.com/legends to get 15% off with FREE SHIPPING and FREE RETURNS The Great Courses Plus — Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to over 500 courses and 8000 lectures on a wide range of subjects Blue Apron – Home cooking never tasted so good or was so much fun to make! Go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals FREE on your 1st order, with FREE SHIPPING The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 056 - "Unhappy Endings" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2016 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
Astonishing Legends makes digital media and internet history with our first ever "live" YouTube streaming event! Frankly, we weren't sure any of it would work, so we really didn't announce we'd be doing it, but we thought it might be a fun way to interact with our listeners and answer some of their questions in a text chat stream, all while doing our usual rambling, digressing, and nervous stammering. We really appreciate our audience, so we hope you enjoy it. Depending on how much "flame mail we get, we might even try it again sometime! Tonight's Quote: "The internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." — Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Images of the Black Knight Satellite on "Im-A-jur" *note to Scott ; ) http://bit.ly/2gMENu1 "The Ridges" Athens, OH Lunatic Asylum - story idea submitted by Andrew Murphy @MurphyRebels on Twitter http://bit.ly/2gsztLO The Ridges Mental Health Institution on Haunted Athens Ohio http://bit.ly/2gsudrr Dutch music promoter and his German girlfriend die of heatstroke in Joshua Tree desert http://dailym.ai/2gMGSGm Mystery Deepens Over Bones Linked to Amelia Earhart http://bit.ly/2fX5CrV TIGHAR's Earhart arm length analysis http://bit.ly/2enF2JR New Analysis Strengthens Claims That Amelia Earhart Died as a Castaway http://bit.ly/2gFN3Jb Gloria Ramirez - "The Toxic Lady" http://bit.ly/2geOFcp "The Toxic Lady" on Skeptoid by Brian Dunning http://bit.ly/2fYJdwB Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Anyone can make their own beautiful websites with Squarespace.com. Enter the Offer Code LEGENDS at checkout to receive 10% off MVMT Watches & Sunglasses - modern minimalism meets affordable quality. Go to mvmtwatches.com/legends to get 15% off with FREE SHIPPING and FREE RETURNS Blue Apron – Home cooking never tasted so good or was so much fun to make! Go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals FREE on your 1st order, with FREE SHIPPING HARRY'S quality shaving essentials at an affordable price. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order - FREE SHIPPING ENDS ON DECEMBER 9, 2016 SO ACT NOW! The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 055 - "Astonishing TV 1" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2016 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
All legends are local in a way, and when one local person tells a tale of a strange encounter, it can be a cause for skeptical snickers from the townsfolk. When more than a hundred people from the same region all see the same thing, it can lead to books, a major Motion Picture and even an annual festival. Such is the case with Point Pleasant, West Virginia and the Ohio River Valley's own "Mothman" — whose local sightings turned into national legend. There are several elements that contribute to the intense curiosity that still surrounds the stories of the Mothman, himself described as a winged, humanoid creature with glowing red eyes and a sympathetic, if mysterious nature. One of them is the sudden appearance of a friendly, inter-dimensional road tripper named Indrid Cold who just wants to get to know you better and may be searching for a cryptid on the loose . Another is the unsettling thought that these encounters may have portended a disaster that took the lives of 46 people exactly 13 months later. Tonight's Quote: “Human beings are under the control of a strange force that bends them in absurd ways, forcing them to play a role in a bizarre game of deception.” - — Jacques Vallée, Computer Scientist, Venture Capitalist and noted Ufologist Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Mothman Prophecies - A True Story by John A. Keel https://amzn.com/0765334984 The Mothman Prophecies - The Movie https://amzn.com/B0000648X0 The Woodrow Derenberger interview with Ronald Maines, Gen. Mgr. of WTAP https://youtu.be/5HxY4suVjSo Point Pleasant, West Virginia http://bit.ly/2euHGdZ Gallipolis, Ohio basecamp for John Keel and the Mothman Prophecies movie crew http://bit.ly/2e3aZpU Visit the Mothman Museum! http://bit.ly/2enKY4d Attend the Mothman Festival in beautiful Point Pleasant, WV! http://bit.ly/1pjsSMO Scott always stays at the Lowe Hotel when searching for Mothman! http://www.thelowehotel.com/ Point Pleasant's "TNT Area" where the Mothman dwells http://n.pr/2drLM5A Explosion and munitions risk at the "TNT Area" http://bit.ly/2eIfuJD Inside the Eerie TNT Storage Bunkers of West Virginia on Wired http://bit.ly/2e8qeyV The Mothman and Indrid Cold story on WeekInWeird.com http://bit.ly/2eI4OuC Mothman on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/2dQ3dhn 1st sighting of the Mothman according to the WV Dept. of Commerce http://bit.ly/2drIzTK The Grinning Man on TheNightSky.org http://bit.ly/2ej1G76 The Case of Indrid Cold on Forteania http://bit.ly/2ej0hNV Assessing Wikipedia's Accuracy on NPR http://n.pr/2elZZaH Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Post job offers to 100+ job boards and social media platforms with a single click. Try it for FREE at: ZipRecruiter.com/legends Anyone can make their own beautiful websites with Squarespace.com. Enter the Offer Code LEGENDS at checkout to receive 10% off The Great Courses Plus - Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects HARRY'S quality shaving essentials at an affordable price. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 050 - "Mothman" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Special thanks to Jordan Pickering, Rey Castañeda and Sarah Cozzemero. Copyright 2016 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
In tonight's episode, Scott interviews journalist, author, and Paranormal Investigator Linda S. Godfrey. We discuss her latest book, Monsters Among Us: An exploration of otherworldly Bigfoots, Wolfmen, Portals, Phantoms, and Odd Phenomena. Linda has appeared on numerous TV shows such The History Channel's Monster Quest, Inside Edition, Sean Hannity and of course as a guest on the Coast to Coast AM radio program. She is the author of over a dozen books, such as Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America, American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends and Sightings in America, and Weird Michigan. If after considering all of the encounters Linda has researched and all of the witnesses she's interviewed, you conclude that monsters are indeed among us, you must also come to terms with the idea that they're everywhere, and it might just be a matter of time until you see one yourself. Tonight's Quote: “The beast grabbed my ankle tightly, but I managed to slip away from his fingers that were turning into longer, more strong nails or paws of some sort.” — Linda S. Godfrey sharing the story of "The Torrance Werewolf" from her book, Monsters Among Us Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Linda S. Godfrey's website & blog https://lindagodfrey.com/ Pre-order Linda's book, "Monsters Among Us" from the publisher, Penguin Random House http://bit.ly/2duil6I Pre-order Linda's book on Amazon http://amzn.to/2dzg60o Pre-order Linda's book at Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/2dNaRhl The Beast of Bray Road http://bit.ly/2e4baDy Tracking the Tulpa - Exploring the “Tibetan” Origins of a Contemporary Paranormal Idea http://bit.ly/2dtK6ih Native American Water Mythology http://bit.ly/2dwIv7y Linda featured on a segment of Sean Hannity's show http://bit.ly/2d4IM25 "The Legend of Michigan's Dogman" website http://bit.ly/2dN0QRe "The Michigan Dogman: Evidence 2008" from YouTube http://bit.ly/2dLZQYn Anubis on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/1lMIoXb Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus - Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects MVMT Watches & Sunglasses - http://www.mvmtwatches.com/ Modern style and quality at an affordable price. Listen to the episode for details on a special offer for our listeners Post jobs for free at ZipRecruiter.com/legends The Great Courses Plus - Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 049 - "Monsters Among Us" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2016 Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess. All Rights Reserved.
Tonight we are joined by an old friend of Scott's, David Sullivan, or Sully to his friends. Sully has had some interesting things happen in his life, especially when heard through the filter of Astonishing Legends. He relays a few stories that start out pretty light and get progressively darker and darker as the show continues, and by darker we mean real dark. So if you're in the mood for an episode that evokes images of rabies, fate, the forgotten dead and sociopathic behavior, tonight's episode is just for you. Tonight's Quote: “A scarecrow is just a hoodlum who marked the cards that he dealed, and pulled a gypsy switch out on the edge of Potter’s field. —Tom Waits, Potter’s Field 1977 Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing clickable URLs of each link to make things easier for our listeners! http://bit.do/cdcrabies http://bit.do/rabieswikipedia http://bit.do/milwaukeeprotocol http://bit.do/jeannaswebsite http://bit.do/jeannageise http://bit.do/radiolab_rodneyvsdeath http://bit.do/nightwingmovie http://bit.do/cujo_movie http://bit.do/toxoplasmosis http://bit.do/FrighteningRabiesVideo http://bit.do/BatSounds http://bit.do/BatSoundLibrary http://bit.do/SullysFormerApartment http://bit.do/WikiOnSullysOldCondop http://bit.do/story-of-John-Howland http://bit.do/ganache http://bit.do/Make-Ganache http://bit.do/BikePath-DUI http://bit.do/DavidWarner http://bit.do/The-Omen http://bit.do/wikipedia-HartIsland http://bit.do/Hart-Island-Project http://bit.do/Amazing-NYTimesArticle-HartIsland http://bit.do/10Things-Typhoid-Mary http://bit.do/TyphoidMary http://bit.do/Hart-Island-Old-Newspiece http://bit.do/DesecrationPenalCode http://bit.do/AmazingHartIslandPicts http://bit.do/1975NYTimes-Article Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Harry's shaving essentials. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order The Great Courses Plus - Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects Check out Remarkable Lives, Tragic Deaths on iTunes, at Parcast.com/lives or anywhere you get your podcasts! Post jobs for free at ZipRecruiter.com/legends The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 048 - "Choose Your Own Adventure" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design, Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "ARC." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Where do you go for your One-stop Shopping for the supernatural? Why the "Skinwalker Ranch" in northeastern Utah of course! It's got it all, including, but not limited to: Skinwalkers (naturally), UFOs, powerful poltergeists, deadly orbs, cryptids, cattle mutilation, interdimensional portals, disembodied voices, shadow beings and other assorted aliens, reptilian creatures, and hybrid wolf beasts, to name just a few. And all this for the low, low price of your grip on reality. It was a cost that would nearly be paid in full by the Sherman family, who owned the ranch for what must have seemed like an interminable two years, from 1994 to 1996. It was during this time that the Shermans not only lost 14 head of cattle and all of their pets but also their sleep and their understanding of the impossible. Join us for a trip to one of the most paranormal places on earth, won't you? Tonight's Quote: “We have to leave this place. We have to leave this place.” — Gwen Sherman, co-owner with husband Terry, of what became known as "Skinwalker Ranch." Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Hunt for the Skinwalker by Colm Kelleher and George Knapp https://amzn.com/B000FCKKXU Skinwalker Ranch by Ryan Skinner and D.L. Wallace https://amzn.com/B00KBDFYKW Why Do UFOs Love This Utah Ranch So Much? Brief overview from The Daily Beast http://thebea.st/1JDtjBt Communion: A True Story by Whitley Strieber https://amzn.com/0061474185 Is A Utah Ranch The Strangest Place On Earth? Part 1 of 2 from an article by George Knapp http://bit.ly/2bTkwl8 Is A Utah Ranch The Strangest Place On Earth? Part 2 of 2 from an article by George Knapp http://bit.ly/2cgqwny Navajo Skinwalker legend http://bit.ly/2bL2L4l Skinwalker Ranch on Wiki http://bit.ly/2c2q3Vf 13 Stories of Encounters with Navajo Skinwalkers http://tcat.tc/2bKYvl8 Skinwalker Ranch: Apocalypse Close Encounters - a documentary by Marc Coppell http://bit.ly/2bSrceY Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Stamps.com - Get a $110 Bonus Offer with postage and a digital scale! Click on the microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in LEGENDS Indochino - Go to Indochino.com and get ANY PREMIUM SUIT for just $399! That's up to 50% off. Enter LEGENDS at Checkout. Mack Weldon - Go to MackWeldon.com and use the PROMO CODE LEGENDS for 20% off of your order! The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 045 - "Skinwalker Ranch (Part 1)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Whatever the confluence of unfortunate events that caused those on board the Mary Celeste to abandon her, one can surmise two possible final fates for them: either they perished in a maelstrom of sudden violence, or they died a languishing death of attrition. These two perils every sailor must acknowledge for the sea is a merciless mistress, but too cruel to imagine for the likes of a mother and child. If you wish to contemplate the mystery of the Mary Celeste, you would do well to remember the saying, the sea does not give up her secrets and as we've seen, she will often not part with her dead. Tonight's Quote: “Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be.” — Lord Horatio Nelson Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Valletta Malta Tornado http://bit.ly/2belsPc Waterspouts http://bit.ly/2aX34ez Surface currents of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean http://bit.ly/2b0LWzP Ergotism http://bit.ly/2b0KS55 The Dancing Plague of 1518 http://bit.ly/1N2bzhW Dancing plagues and "Mass Hysteria" http://bit.ly/2b0KNZ6 Another article on the Dance Craze of 1518 http://bit.ly/1PWJp9V From The Lancet: A forgotten plague: Making sense of dancing mania http://bit.ly/IOJ4HQ The Trouble with Tribbles http://bit.ly/2b0HQYp The Stubby Squid - the cutest, googly-eyed squid you've ever seen! http://cnn.it/2beHcYo The ARC's Chris Cogswell's experiment with alcohol ignition - DO NOT ATTEMPT! http://bit.ly/2bunvME Chris Cogswell's The Mad Scientist Podcast http://bit.ly/2bzathn Solved! Chemist Dr. Andrea Sella and the Mary Celeste explosion http://bit.ly/2b0MK7C An Isopropyl Alcohol Explosion http://bit.ly/2b0KBJv Ancestry of Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs http://bit.ly/2aXR1tx From Animal Planet - Diver attacked by Man-eating Super Squid! http://bit.ly/2bupQqU Giant squid attacks submarine - NOT Jules Verne's Nautilus http://fxn.ws/2bgkdy1 Giant squid attacks Russian fishing boat http://bit.ly/2bD76c8 Giant Squid (Architeuthis) footage, January 27, 2013 http://bit.ly/1UdNQgH Guy Fieri's recipe for Rhode Island Calamari http://bit.ly/2aU7MZg The mystery of the Australian sailboat The Kaz II http://bit.ly/2betpDL Australian Coroner ends the mystery of the Kaz II "Ghost Ship" http://bit.ly/2aXaxdI The ARC's Chris Cogswell's favorite ship graveyard http://bit.ly/1jPSTr9 Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea - http://bit.do/MaryCelesteBook The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries (Mysteries and Secrets) - http://bit.do/worldsgreatestmysteries Capt Kirk and the Zumwalt - http://bit.do/captainkirk The Smithsonian’s Take on the Mary Celeste - http://bit.do/smithsonianCeleste HMS Friday - http://bit.do/hmsFriday Maritime Superstitions - http://bit.do/maritimesuperstition The Captain of the Polestar by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - http://bit.ly/2avJYrN The Ship’s Cat - http://bit.do/shipscat Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Blue Apron - go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals free on your 1st order, with free shipping! Stamps.com - Get a $110 Bonus Offer with postage and a digital scale! Click on the microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in LEGENDS Indochino - Go to Indochino.com and get ANY PREMIUM SUIT for just $399! That's up to 50% off. Enter LEGENDS at Checkout. The Great Courses Plus - Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 044 - "The Mary Celeste - Ghost Ship (Part 3)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Des...
The mysterious disappearance of ten souls would not be the last of the misfortune to befall the ill-fated Mary Celeste. Insurance fraud, lost revenue, madness, and suicide would all become dreadful notches in the gunwale of her sad history, along with the premature deaths of three of her captains. Whether you believe in curses or not, often the best insurance is to leave fate untempted. Tonight’s Quote: “The sea has never been friendly to man. At most, it has been the accomplice of human restlessness.” — Joseph Conrad, novelist Show Links: We’ve found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Ancestry of Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs http://bit.ly/2aXR1tx Giant Squid (Architeuthis) footage, January 27, 2013 http://bit.ly/1UdNQgH Guy Fieri’s recipe for Rhode Island Calamari http://bit.ly/2aU7MZg The ARC’s Chris Cogswell’s favorite ship graveyard http://bit.ly/1jPSTr9 Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea – http://bit.do/MaryCelesteBook The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries (Mysteries and Secrets) – http://bit.do/worldsgreatestmysteries Capt Kirk and the Zumwalt – http://bit.do/captainkirk The Smithsonian’s Take on the Mary Celeste – http://bit.do/smithsonianCeleste HMS Friday – http://bit.do/hmsFriday Maritime Superstitions – http://bit.do/maritimesuperstition The Captain of the Polestar by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – http://bit.ly/2avJYrN The Ship’s Cat – http://bit.do/shipscat Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Casper Mattresses – Go to CasperMattresses.com/AL and use the PROMO CODE AL to get $50 towards any mattress purchase. Terms and Conditions Apply Stamps.com – Get a $110 Bonus Offer with postage and a digital scale! Click on the microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in LEGENDS The Great Courses Plus – Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends and get one month of free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects Mack Weldon – Go to MackWeldon.com and use the PROMO CODE LEGENDS for 20% off of your order! The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 043 – “The Mary Celeste – Ghost Ship (Part 2)” Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or “A.R.C.” for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
The Mary Celeste is perhaps the most famous case of a "ghost ship." However, when it was discovered adrift on December 5, 1872, no ghosts were found nor any human form for that matter, not Captain Briggs, his wife, his two-year-old daughter, nor the seven crew members. They remain forever missing. But what caused them to vanish? Theories range from seaquakes to hazardous cargo, to a giant squid attack, and even aliens... yes, aliens. We're not saying it was aliens because we'd rather believe it was a giant squid. No matter what it was, the ship may have been doomed from the start, when seafaring superstitions were broken. Tonight's Quote: “The craft seemed possessed of the Devil to begin with, but where she got it I don’t know. I am sure it couldn’t have been from any of our good people.” — Dr. John W. Dewis, son of Joshua Dewis, the builder of the Mary Celeste, from The Story of the Mary Celeste by Charles Edey Fay Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea - http://bit.do/MaryCelesteBook The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries (Mysteries and Secrets) - http://bit.do/worldsgreatestmysteries Capt Kirk and the Zumwalt - http://bit.do/captainkirk The Smithsonian’s Take on the Mary Celeste - http://bit.do/smithsonianCeleste HMS Friday - http://bit.do/hmsFriday Maritime Superstitions - http://bit.do/maritimesuperstition The Captain of the Polestar by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - http://bit.ly/2avJYrN The Ship’s Cat - http://bit.do/shipscat Dogs know when the shakin's about to go down! - http://bit.ly/2aYEaIu Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: Harry's shaving essentials. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: LEGENDS at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order The Great Courses Plus TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends - One-month free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects Stamps.com - Get a $110 Bonus Offer with postage and a digital scale! Click on the microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in LEGENDS Blue Apron - go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals free on your 1st order, with free shipping The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 042 - "The Mary Celeste - Ghost Ship (Part 1)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Is it just a quirky rock sculpture garden, or a megalithic mystery that baffles engineers and scientists to this day? It seems to be both. How was a diminutive man in ill health able to accomplish such a monumental feat all by himself? Ed Leedskalnin, builder of the Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida would never say and he took the answer with him. We know of a few reasons why he made The Coral Castle his life's work, but as for how he made it, we may never know. Tonight's Quote: “I know how the Pyramids were built.” — Ed Leedskalnin, Builder of the Coral Castle Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Coral Castle's own website http://coralcastle.com/ Kristaps Andrejson's The Eastern Border podcast http://theeasternborder.lv/ Edward Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle in Florida from latvianhistory.com http://bit.ly/2a65Qyx Peter the Painter - Latvian gangster, revolutionary and purported comrade of Ed Leedskalnin http://bit.ly/2a8MTuP The 1905 Revolution in Latvia http://bit.ly/2alNXaZ The Incredible Mystery of Coral Castle by By Christopher Dunn From Atlantis Rising http://bit.ly/18uEvA3 Billy Idol's Sweet Sixteen http://bit.ly/18uEvA3 "Eds Coral Castle Quarry and Flywheel, Engineering Mystery Solved," by Scott Russell http://bit.ly/29OkvMt Episode of In Search Of - The Castle of Secrets http://bit.ly/29TmOhI Coral Castle: The Mystery of Ed Leedskalnin and his American Stonehenge https://amzn.com/098421321X David Carr's Take on The Castle at Graham Hancock's Site http://bit.ly/2a6kxlp Coral Castle Busted - Interesting, But Not Magic by Sterling D. Allan http://bit.ly/2alLj5l Mapping The World Grid by David Hatcher Childress http://bit.ly/2a17xKR The Bimini Road http://bit.ly/29N8iUM Earth's Grid Systems - Science and Pseudoscience http://bit.ly/2alNRQC Metaphysics and Grids http://bit.ly/2a0kG8e Vile Vortex http://bit.ly/2alNXaZ Cymatics http://bit.ly/2a6CJYx Coral Castle's 9-ton revolving gate in action http://bit.ly/29Fsqx3 Secret of the Sumerian Tablet, Part 1 http://bit.ly/29GVfW2 Lost Stone Cutting Technologies of Ancient Egypt - The Granite Box http://bit.ly/29Nb8tb Levitating Stones! http://bit.ly/29OvHZt Coral Castle Mystery 100% Solved with 1930's Film Footage! http://bit.ly/29GWHrJ Tom Waits - What's He Building? http://bit.ly/29OmPTC Pixies - Levitate Me http://bit.ly/29PxJVT Prof. Michio Kaku - "The Universe is a Symphony of Vibrating Strings" http://bit.ly/1GTWo4a Special Offers from our Special Sponsors: The Great Courses Plus TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/legends - One-month free, unlimited access to hundreds of courses on a wide range of subjects Harry's shaving essentials. Go to harrys.com and enter the promo code: ALP at checkout to receive $5.00 off your order Blue Apron - go to blueapron.com/astonishing to get 3 meals free on your 1st order, with free shipping Casper mattresses & bedding - go to casper.com/AL and enter promo code AL at checkout to receive $50 towards your mattress Mack Weldon - Men's undergarments and more. Go to mackweldon.com and enter promo code LEGENDS to receive 20% off your order Parachute bedding & bath. Go to parachutehome.com/alp and enter promo code ASTONISHING at checkout to receive $25 off your first purchase The Dark Myths Collective http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 041 - "The Coral Castle" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
There's no greater fear for a parent than their child being harmed and when that child faces a threat, they'll do whatever they have to to protect them, from this world into the next. Whatever that threat is, it had better beware. Tonight's Quote: “We had been through this step before. We know what it’s like to get into that fight or flight mechanism and when it comes to your children, you fight. — "John" the father of "Jack" from The Sludge Entity, Part 1 Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The original interview with John and Deborah on HGR's Higher Consciousness Radio http://bit.ly/2a2Zv2R Who ya gonna call? James Sangster's team at Houston Ghost Research! http://bit.ly/2a34sJb Spirit Remediation Consultants - Training & Certification for dealing with Spiritual Crisis in Paranormal Investigation http://bit.ly/29DPOts Help! I'm Haunted!: Dealing with Ghosts: Ghost Hunter Edition by James Sangster http://bit.ly/29e3isC Lori Lee Nelson, Spiritual Medium, Paranormal Investigator and member of the HGR team http://bit.ly/29tqJ26 Debi Chestnut, the Paranormal Researcher and author whom John first contacted http://bit.ly/2a3wYdv John's Favorite Book from their Recommended Reading. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) http://bit.do/JohnReco Other recommended reading and viewing by Houston Ghost Research, the team that worked to help Jack. http://bit.do/HGR_RecoReading Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven https://youtu.be/XycBLF6kWuY "My name is Legion, for we are many." http://bit.ly/29J0BVz The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 040 - "The Sludge Entity, Part 2" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Original artwork by Chad Lewis; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
When your loved one is seriously ill, you take them to the doctor. But what do you do when you've taken them to every doctor, specialist and holistic healer you could see, ran every recommended test and all the professionals can tell you is something is definitely quite wrong, but no one can tell you why or what to do about it? This was the case with our guests John and Deborah, whose son Jack was so sick and getting worse that they sought answers where most wouldn't consider looking. Tonight's Quote: “In this generation, like so many others, people have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil. But the devil exists and we must fight against him.” — Pope Francis Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! John's Favorite book from their recommended reading, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book). http://bit.do/JohnReco Help! I'm Haunted!: Dealing with Ghosts: Ghost Hunter Edition by James Sangster http://bit.ly/29e3isC Other recommended reading and viewing by Houston Ghost Research, the team that worked to help Jack. http://bit.do/HGR_RecoReading The Dark Myths Collective: The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 039 - "The Sludge Entity, Part 1" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Original artwork by Chad Lewis; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
What happens when a single event turns out to dominate your life, and for everyone else who isn't a close friend, it's all they want to know about you? Only the Johnson family knows what happened or didn't happen to them, and regardless of what people believe or don't believe, all you can do is to go on living your life as best you can. Except you'll never look at the world the same way again. Tonight's Quote: “Mrs. Johnson noted an immediate numbing at her fingertips. She rubbed her hand against her leg in an attempt to remove the dirt, and that portion of her leg also became numb.” - Ted Phillips in his Case Histories report of the Flying Saucer Review, February 1972. Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Twitter Account for Odd X, a fun follow! https://twitter.com/Odd_X 1984 HBO Documentary on UFO’s which discusses the Cash Landrum Incident and more, featuring Dr. Stanton Friedman as well as J. Allen Hynek http://bit.do/HBO_UFO_Doc UFO Casebook on the Lonnie Zamora Incident http://bit.do/zamoraufo Spontaneous Shark Pregnancy http://bit.do/pregnantvirginshark The Delphos Wolf Girl http://bit.do/wolfgirl The Dark Myths Collective: The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 038 - "The Delphos Ring, Part 2" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
When it comes to the paranormal, people always say they want proof. Well, on Friday, November 2nd, 1971, evidence of what many believe to be "proof" of an Unidentified Flying Object touching down on the Johnson family farm in Delphos, Kansas appeared on the ground and would remain for a very long time. A crusty "ring" in the dirt and damage to the adjacent flora was left behind after the Johnsons described seeing a strange, brightly lit and noisy hovering craft of some kind leaving their property and disappearing into the night sky. This ring and the broken branches apparently in the path of this object would exhibit forensic properties that were not entirely explainable. The incident is still considered one of the best instances of a Close Encounter of the 2nd Kind: "A UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged." Whatever it was that left whatever it left, we can be certain of this — Ron Johnson will always remember this 2nd of November. Tonight's Quote: “Ronald Johnson doesn’t know what it was, but it rumbled, whistled like a jet or the high whine of tires on the freeway and shot into the sky and left a glowing ring behind on the ground.” — Page 2 of the Salina Journal, Friday, the 5th of November, 1971 Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The account from NICAP - the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena http://bit.do/nicapdelphos Journalist Robert Trussell's report of the incident in the Kansas City Star http://bit.do/trussell Excerpt from the book The Utah UFO Display: A Scientist Brings Reason and Logic to Over 400 UFO Cases http://bit.do/UtahUfoDisplay The Delphos case in the Flying Saucer Review - only 20 Pence! - in 1972 http://bit.do/flyingsaucerreview The Delphos landing: new evidence from the laboratory by British chemist Erol A. Faruk, Ph.D. http://bit.do/drfarukarticle The Compelling Scientific Evidence for UFOs by Dr. Erol A. Faruk http://bit.do/drfaruksbook Elvis sighting in Kansas! http://bit.do/elvisinkansas Article on the Delphos Ring from the Salina Journal newspaper, part 1 http://bit.do/delphosarticle1 Salina Journal article, part 2 of 3 http://bit.do/delphosarticle2 Salina Journal article, part 3 of 3 http://bit.do/delphosarticle3 The Delphos incident on the Science Channel http://bit.do/sciencechanneldelphos "Delphos has a wealth of interesting stories" from the Capital-Journal http://bit.do/delphosfacts Article on the Delphos Ring from the ufoevidence.org website http://bit.do/ufoevidenceorg Overview of the Delphos incident from the ufocasebook.com website http://bit.do/ufocasebook The Dark Myths Collective: The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org Credits: Episode 037 - "The Delphos Ring" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Edited by Sarah Vorhees, Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
As with any great mystery, it can turn some individuals into steadfast researchers and citizen detectives, dedicating years to a quest for answers. We were lucky enough to interview one such person, Professor Derek Abbott of the University of Adelaide in Australia. In addition to teaching Electrical Engineering at the University, Professor Abbott also has a background in Physics, biomedical engineering, complex systems, and probability theory, which can involve the fields of cryptography and forensics. He first became interested in the Somerton Man case around 1995, and then fully immersed himself in an effort to crack the cryptography aspect in 2007, even enlisting the aid of some of his students as a school project. In Part Two of our series, Professor Abbott gives us an overview of the story, then shares some of his findings and conclusions. Tonight's Quote: “Yes, this man has someone to love him. He is known only to God.” — Captain E.J. Webb of the Salvation Army at The Somerton Man’s Funeral, as cited in Gerald Feltus’ book, The Unknown Man Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Dark Myths Collective: The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org SIGN THIS PETITION FOR EXHUMATION OF THE SOMERTON MAN SO HE CAN BE PROPERLY LAID TO REST! http://bit.do/somerton Show Links - Links are the same as Part 1 as similar material is covered. New Links will appear for final Part 3 on Theories. • Link to purchase Gerry Feltus' book, "The Unknown Man: A Suspicious Death at Somerton Beach" http://bit.ly/1YGiX7m • One of the better of MANY websites devoted to the case http://bit.ly/1UEn83I • A HuffPo Article on the case by Professor Abbott who's interview will be heard in Part 2! http://huff.to/1ID8nqM • Another solid article at Phys.org about the case that discusses DNA findings http://bit.ly/1KDq8qj • Much of Professor Abbott's collected knowledge on the Case http://bit.ly/1pOYPVf • Audio Book versions of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam http://bit.ly/1pOZ42P • There are many more links to come, but we are saving some for the other parts of the series http://bit.ly/1R2hTZi • Credits: Episode 034 - "The Somerton Man, Part 2" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a,k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved. #somertonman #tamamshud
Of the six questions — who, what, when, where, how and why — we only know three when it comes to the mystery of "The Somerton Man." What and where: a middle-aged man found dead on Somerton Beach, which borders the Adelaide, Australia, suburb of Glenelg. When: he was found by passersby at 6:30 a.m. on December 1, 1948. As for the remaining questions, authorities, academics, authors, Australians and curious citizens the world over have been seeking answers ever since. The mundane yet mysterious items found on his person and in an unclaimed suitcase (thought to be his) at the Adelaide railway station would yield few clues and many more questions. He had no wallet or identification, and all the tags on his clothing were meticulously removed. Investigators had virtually nothing to go on, except for one intriguing thing: a scrap of paper torn from the last page of a first edition translation of eleventh-century poetry, the Rubaiyat of Omar Kayyam, which was found rolled up in the man's watch pocket. On it were the words, "Tamám Shud," meaning "ended" or "finished" in Persian, and giving this mystery its other renowned moniker: "The Tamám Shud Case." When the book from which the page was torn surfaced some time later, there appeared to be an unbreakable coded message written on one of the last pages. Further adding to the mystery, there was the assessment by a senior pathologist that the victim most likely died from an untraceable poison. Whether "The Somerton Man" was just a napping tourist with a degenerative disease, a jilted lover out to end it all, or a Cold War spy whose mission had been terminated, we may never know. This is Part 1 of our our 3 Part in-depth series on The Somerton Man Tonight's Quote: 'Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays: Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays, And one by one back in the Closet lays. - A selected quatrain from Edward Fitzgerald’s 1st edition translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Dark Myths Collective! http://darkmyths.org SIGN THIS PETITION FOR EXHUMATION OF THE SOMERTON MAN SO HE CAN BE PROPERLY LAID TO REST! http://bit.do/somerton One of the better of MANY websites devoted to the case http://bit.ly/1UEn83I A HuffPo Article on the case by Professor Abbott who's interview will be heard in Part 2! http://huff.to/1ID8nqM Another solid article at Phys.org about the case that discusses DNA findings http://bit.ly/1KDq8qj Much of Professor Abbott's collected knowledge on the Case http://bit.ly/1pOYPVf Audio Book versions of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam http://bit.ly/1pOZ42P There are many more links to come, but we are saving some for the other parts of the series http://bit.ly/1R2hTZi Credits: Episode 033 - "The Somerton Man" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Our ancient ancestors spoke of a legendary place -- where the young and young at heart could test their skills against a magical, electronic device, using strategy, and their reflexes at 25¢ a pop. These wondrous havens were called "Video Arcades" and these hulking machines were called "Video Games." Believe it or not kids, it was the only place you could play a decent-looking, somewhat sophisticated video game, housed in a heavy, laminated wooden cabinet, because at the time the only thing you could play on your "push-button" phone was the tune, "Mary Had a Little Lamb." There is another legend however, that at least in one or more of these Video Arcades in Portland, Oregon in 1981 A.D., there lurked a mysterious Arcade Game called "Polybius" and it had a much more nefarious purpose than to provide amusement and rook a kid out of a short stack of quarters -- it may have been there to try its hand at brainwashing you, and then report its findings to a sinister government agency. There were reports of players who suffered terrible side effects from the visual phantasmagoria of the gameplay, like severe headaches, nausea, memory loss, nightmares, an aversion to playing any video games afterwards and in some extreme cases, suicide. But were these reports true? Did this diabolical game ever exist? Was the legend of Polybius just an "Urban Legend?" One thing we do know is true, prior to the legend of Polybius, a secret government agency really did try to zap unsuspecting people's brains and take notes. Tonight's Quote: “The obvious objective of video games is to entertain people by surprising them with new experiences.” - Miyamoto Shigeru, the "Father of Modern Video Games" and Co-creator of The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers and many more. Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URLs, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URLs next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! "The Cosmos' Most Ridiculously Implausible Videogames: Polybius - the most mysterious game of all time?" an article by Jason Helton http://bit.ly/1JZlNST "Polybius: Video Game of Death" by Brian Dunning from his Skeptoid Podcast #362 http://bit.ly/1SZ8eFN "Polybius: Portland's Own Seizure-Inducing Mystery Game" an article by Richard Grunert in Willamette Week http://bit.ly/1PVKKRB Polybius, the real Greek historian http://bit.ly/1Pjh2Aa Text of Original Polybius Comments from Steven Roach and Cyber Yogi http://bit.ly/20HOSpY The Simpsons and all it's Math http://bit.ly/1mqpuEw Duane Weatherall's Interview with Steven Roach http://bit.ly/20s6U2K Power Gloves & Tinfoil Hats: Case #001 http://bit.ly/1S1SnWB Download the Supposed ROM of the Game. PC Required http://bit.ly/23Ka7tA Interview with Ed Rotberg about Battlezone and the Military http://bit.ly/1SZaGMi Vector vs Raster http://bit.ly/1UMB2Pr Another Good Summary Article http://bit.ly/1NRnZXj Halcyon Days The Book http://bit.ly/1nOykP7 TEMPEST http://my.ign.com/atari/tempest BATTLEZONE http://my.ign.com/atari/battlezone Episode 031 - "Polybius" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2016. All Rights Reserved.
The Confederate Army’s losses at the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July 1863 marked a turning point in America’s Civil War, one that was not favorable for furthering the cause of “Southern Independence.” With the hopes of an overall military victory for the Confederacy now beginning to fade, the clandestine leaders of the KGC took the movement fully underground, secreting not only their commands and communications, but also their amassed wealth and weapons. There is sufficient circumstantial evidence to suggest that significant amounts of gold and silver as well as armaments had been collected by the KGC from agents, members and sympathizers, but that then begs the question, where did it all go? If a vast, non-centralized network of money and guns needed to be kept from the hands of a dominant and soon to be victorious Union government, what methodology could a secret organization use to hide it all, and who and what system could be trusted to find it again when it was needed? Part Two of our series on the Knights of the Golden Circle takes a look at where they may have gotten their gains, and what legendary names, famous and infamous, may have helped them. Tonight’s Quote: “It’s my damn story, and if they don’t believe it I’m not gonna worry about it, damn it. Pardon my French.” – Bob Brewer Show Links: We’ve found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URL’s, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URL’s next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Maximilian I, of Mexico - http://bit.ly/1IOid7P Jesse Woodson James - http://bit.ly/1CLN084 J. Frank Dalton - http://bit.ly/1OJm4JY Forum on the KGC from treasurenet.com - http://bit.ly/1IOrDAp Link to Del Schrader’s “Jesse James Was One Of His Names” on Amazon - http://amzn.com/B0006CEQ4I Article on Betty Dorsett Duke and Jesse James - http://bit.ly/1m62IDv Blog entry on Orvus Lee Howk, a.k.a. Jesse James III - http://bit.ly/1YT3y4C “Was Orvus Lee Howk Really a Barnhill, as Dalton Claimed?” by Philip Kromer - http://bit.ly/1m63nF1 “What You Didn’t Know About John Wilkes Booth & Jesse James” by Mark Owen - http://bit.ly/1OcKEy5 Credits: Episode 028 – “Knights of the Golden Circle – Part 2” Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
America in the mid-nineteenth century was still a very young nation in the process of finding its own identity, its states not yet fully or harmoniously united. Differing ideas on what methods of production and government its inhabitants should employ were fomenting into a house divided and would lead to one of the bloodiest and devastating civil wars any country could experience. Leading up to America's Civil War, various factions were coalescing into numerous political parties and regional movements, with ideological lines drawn largely on the issue of slavery. The struggle for America's southern states' self-determination gave rise to a secret society known as the Knights of the Golden Circle, whose members were determined to gain power, wealth and influence for their cause either within the Union, or if necessary as their own autonomous territory. The birth of the United States as a nation would indeed be a painful and traumatic experience, the pangs of which would be felt and remembered to this day, and the hopes for the rise of the South kept alive perhaps more than the average American knows. Tonight's Quote: “No matter what secrets may be given to me by a 57, if given as the secret of a 57 and because I am one, I will hold the same sacredly in my own knowledge, and never re-communicate it, even to a 57, unless authorized so to do by the brother whose secret it is.” - KGC Initiation rites for their 3rd degree, within which membership was kept from all other members of the organization. (Published anonymously in 1861) Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URL's, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URL's next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! Knights of the Golden Circle on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/1NjC5aa Article on the KGC from the Texas State Historical Association http://bit.ly/1XjMJNt "An Authentic Exposition of the Knights of the Golden Circle" by a Member of the Order http://bit.ly/1OaGZ8m Report of the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army on the Order of American Knights, from 1864 http://bit.ly/1kP9A87 "Solving Lincoln's Assassination" - a blog posting by Steven Hager http://bit.ly/1ScpjbM Albert Pike, Freemasonry and the KGC http://bit.ly/21c7zTJ Albert Pike http://bit.ly/1QCVbIJ Clement Vallandigham http://bit.ly/1PIYQ7K Robert Rhett http://bit.ly/1I9xO1r John A. Quitman http://bit.ly/1jf5rIL Benjamin McCulloch http://bit.ly/1NKI81Y William Walker http://bit.ly/1PUzDFS Copperhead political faction http://bit.ly/1QZ59U9 The Young America political movement http://bit.ly/1HheKUa The Fire-Eaters political faction http://bit.ly/1P1GQW5 Credits: Episode 027 - "Knights of the Golden Circle" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
They watch us. They wait. Lurking in the shadows or in bright daylight, from afar, in the corners of our eyes or in our very own bedrooms, staring directly at us, sometimes with eyes of red fire. They observe us and learn our behavior or they try to choke the breath and souls from our bodies. But why are they here and what do they really want with us? Or are their sightings and interactions just a physiological or psychological anomaly, Hypnogogic or Hypnopompic Isolated Sleep Paralysis, a trick of the light, perhaps a wayward spark causing an electrical stimulation of the brain's left temporoparietal junction? Maybe this phenomenon is only one of the many unfortunate side-effects of a methamphetamine bender, but then why do sober and healthy people also see them? Join us tonight as we explore what these uninvited paranormal intruders might be, perhaps either interdimensional or bioelectrochemical and why they seem to enjoy the abject terror they instill in us in our 2nd Annual Halloween Special. If these spectral watchers are real, one thing is certain: they feed off our deepest, darkest fear. Tonight's Quote: “The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and the other begins?” - Edgar Allen Poe Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URL's, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URL's next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! A very general overview of Shadow People on Wikipedia http://bit.ly/1jH5sGz Induction of a Shadow Person via local electrical stimulation in the brain http://bit.ly/1kDGEPX Art Bell radio episode on YouTube about Shadow People http://bit.ly/1jHfGqs The Daily Mail Article Scott Referenced on the Documentary, 'The Nightmare' http://dailym.ai/1Ly2QDW The Film, The Nightmare http://bit.ly/1MPGDiz An article from the website Odd Xtreme on Black Eyed Kids http://bit.ly/1NteSz5 "Floaters" in the eye's vitreous humour http://bit.ly/1PK7PFq The Grinning Man and Indrid Cold http://bit.ly/1bX3Y0f The Tulpa - a Tibetan Buddhist thoughtform creature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa The Golem http://bit.ly/1kDKRD8 David Weatherly's books "Strange Intruders" and "Black Eyed Kids" http://bit.ly/1LUTSSA Ghost Hunters International star Susan Slaughter describes her encounter with a Black Eyed Kid to David Weatherly. http://bit.ly/1Rw4qaD The Slender Man http://bit.ly/1OOrbsI Jason Offutt's Shadow People Blog http://bit.ly/1OT5vfk Shadow People article by author Jason Offutt http://bit.ly/1O0iaNa Accounts by 15 people on their encounter with the "Sleep Paralysis Demon" http://tcat.tc/1qflsNu Interesting letter from a scientist named "Alex" on his SP encounters http://xfin.tv/1KxCzS8 Shadow People and the Djinn from Psychology Today website http://bit.ly/1MiutV3 A critical look at the Shadow Person phenomenon from SKEPTOID http://bit.ly/1Miv2y7 reddit thread about a current encounter possibly with Indrid Cold http://bit.ly/1Miv2y7 Webpage on how to deal with Shadow Person encounters http://bit.ly/1Wbmgqf The Horla - a short horror story by Guy de Maupassant http://bit.ly/1LQlIMf Credits: Episode 026 - "Shadow People" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Some tales are tall tales, and some tales involve an ape-like creature that stands over 7 feet tall and weighs around 700 pounds. Such was the tale of Albert Ostman, who claimed that in 1924, while on a leisurely prospecting trip in British Columbia, Canada, he was kidnapped in the middle of the night by a Sasquatch, or what is more commonly known as "Bigfoot." While some folks might be quick to dismiss Mr. Ostman's story as a stretch of the truth by no small means, it's hard to deny the folksy charm and curious wonder his tale invokes, whether tall tale or sober testimony. Tonight's Quote: “ I have learned from experience that a modicum of snuff can be most efficacious.” Fictional Character Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Münchhausen on escaping from a monster. Show Links: We've found that some sites are not showing these links as clickable unless they are URL's, so until those outlets improve their show notes section, we are providing actual URL's next to the clickable description of each link to make things easier for our listeners! The Original Ostman Article - http://bit.do/OstmanArticle Albert Ostman's tale as told to author John Green, on a great site with other "Bigfoot Classics" - http://bit.do/ostmanstory An Actual Interview with Ostman on YouTube - http://bit.do/ostmanyoutube Russian Yeti at Dyatlov? - http://bit.do/dyatlovyeti Snowboarder Bigfoot Incident - http://bit.do/snowboarderbigfootincidentbc The Story of Muchalot Harry (also kidnapped!) - http://bit.do/muchalotharry Mike the Dog, Bowser Hotel Barmaid - http://bit.do/mikethedog A Mike the Dog Bowser Geocache - http://bit.do/mikethedogGEOCACHE Bowser, BC - http://bit.do/bowserbc Bowzer from Sha Na Na - http://bit.do/bowzer Toba Inlet, BC - http://bit.do/tobainletbc Baron Munchausen - http://bit.do/munchausen Gigantopithecus - http://bit.do/Gigantopithecus Why Bigfoot CAN'T Be Gigantopithecus - http://bit.do/ArgumentAgainstGigantopithecus Grover Krantz Talks About Cripplefoot - http://bit.do/KrantzCripplefoot Great Berkeley Museum Exhibit of Cripplefoot Casting - http://bit.do/CripplefootCast Patterson-Gimlin Shoot Location - http://bit.do/PattersonGimlinGoogleMaps Patterson-Gimlin Coordinates (not clickable, cut and paste to Google Earth): 41.4402000°, -123.7019167° Patterson-Gimlin Film Stabilized (The BEST one) - http://bit.do/PattersonGimlinStabilized Bad Bob the Albino from Judge Roy Bean (Adult Concepts) - http://bit.do/BadBob Episode 025 - "Kidnapped by Bigfoot: The Albert Ostman Story" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. #bigfoot
Background: Part 2 of our Special on Dyatlov Pass: On January 27, 1959, a group of outdoor enthusiasts, known as "tourists" in Russia, consisting of seven men and two women, mostly students and graduates of the Ural Polytechnical Institute (which is now the Ural Federal University) left the village of Vizhay in the northern Ural Mountains on a two-week ski trek, through a region called Sverdlovsk Oblast, the "gateway to Siberia" in Russia. In Russia a "tourist" is a serious outdoorsman. The goal was to reach Otorten Mountain at the end of their journey. Their planned route would rank as a "Category III," the most difficult classification for a hiking expedition in winter, which if successful, would qualify them as "Masters of Sport." On February 1st as they started to move through a mountain pass on their last leg of the trip, bad weather and decreasing visibility forced them off course, and the group decided to make camp on the eastern slope of a small mountain called Kholat Syakhl by the indigenous Mansi peoples, which translates to "Dead Mountain" due to the area's lack of wild game. Sometime during the night of February 2nd, the group suffered an unimaginably terrifying ordeal, sealing their fate. When they hadn't been heard from by February 20th, a search party was formed to look for the missing youths. On February 26th the search party reached their camp and what they found would bring more questions than answers. It appeared as though something had scared the hikers so badly, that they panicked and ripped a hole in the side of their tent in order to escape, shoeless, into - 20º F (-29º C) snowfall. It was determined by Soviet authorities that the group had met with a "compelling unknown force" causing them all to flee and ultimately die of exposure with some also suffering significant internal injuries such as broken ribs and fractured skulls. There have since been many theories put forth as to what this force actually was, but we may never know what was so horrific that it caused this group of experienced adventurers to take leave of their senses and take their chances in the deadly wilderness. Following the incident, the mountain pass was named "Dyatlov Pass" in honor of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. Tonight's Quote: "An unknown compelling force should be considered the cause of the hiker's deaths." - Lev Ivanov, Lead Prosecutor, Dyatlov Pass Incident Show Links: (Links work best in iOS on iTunes or on our webpage at astonishinglegends.com) Archive of a very comprehensive website about the whole Dyatlov story Supplemental documentation and analysis of the incident Dyatlov Pass on Wiki Terrific archive of all the photos from the group, in English and Russian Forum on the Dyatlov incident - in Russian - you'll need a browser that can translate Donnie Eichar's "Authors at Google" interview about his book, "Dead Mountain" Book Review of "Dead Mountain" Song: Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" from the album, "Doolittle" YouTube vid about Dyatlov - text pulled from Wiki entry but has good photos Interesting story about a family living isolated for 40 years in Siberia Russian Yeti at Dyatlov? Snowboarder Bigfoot Incident Nazi UFO's Foo Fighters More on the Foo Fighters Even more on Foo Fighting The Actual Foo Fighters (Because you were expecting that right?) Credits: Episode 024 - "Dyatlov Pass (Part 2)" Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Background: On January 27, 1959, a group of outdoor enthusiasts, known as 'tourists' in Russia, consisting of seven men and two women, mostly students and graduates of the Ural Polytechnical Institute (which is now the Ural Federal University) left the village of Vizhay in the northern Ural Mountains on a two-week ski trek, through a region called Sverdlovsk Oblast, the "gateway to Siberia" in Russia. In Russia a 'tourist' is a serious outdoorsman. The goal was to reach Otorten Mountain at the end of their journey. Their planned route would rank as a "Category III," the most difficult classification for a hiking expedition in winter, which if successful, would qualify them as "Masters of Sport." On February 1st as they started to move through a mountain pass on their last leg of the trip, bad weather and decreasing visibility forced them off course, and the group decided to make camp on the eastern slope of a small mountain called Kholat Syakhl by the indigenous Mansi peoples, which translates to "Dead Mountain" due to the area's lack of wild game. Sometime during the night of February 2nd, the group suffered an unimaginably terrifying ordeal, sealing their fate. When they hadn't been heard from by February 20th, a search party was formed to look for the missing youths. On February 26th the search party reached their camp and what they found would bring more questions than answers. It appeared as though something had scared the hikers so badly, that they panicked and ripped a hole in the side of their tent in order to escape, shoeless, into - 20º F (-29º C) snowfall. It was determined by Soviet authorities that the group had met with a "compelling unknown force" causing them all to flee and ultimately die of exposure with some also suffering significant internal injuries such as broken ribs and fractured skulls. There have since been many theories put forth as to what this force actually was, but we may never know what was so horrific that it caused this group of experienced adventurers to take leave of their senses and take their chances in the deadly wilderness. Following the incident, the mountain pass was named "Dyatlov Pass" in honor of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. Tonight's Quote: "I wonder what awaits us in this hike? Will anything new happen?" - Zina Kolmogorova from her last diary entry. Show Links: (Links work best in iOS on iTunes or on our webpage at astonishinglegends.com) Archive of a very comprehensive website about the whole Dyatlov story Dyatlov Pass on Wiki Terrific archive of all the photos from the group, in English and Russian Russian website about Dyatlov Forum on the Dyatlov incident Donnie Eichar's "Authors at Google" interview about his book, "Dead Mountain" Book Review of "Dead Mountain" Song: Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" from the album, "Doolittle" YouTube vid about Dyatlov - text pulled from Wiki entry but has good photos Interesting story about a family living isolated for 40 years in Siberia Russian Yeti at Dyatlov? Part 1 of "Golden Symphony" Ellorsith on BandCamp Credits: Episode 023 - 'Dyatlov Pass (Part 1)' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Background: While having lunch near the Los Alamos National Laboratory one day with the likes of Edward Teller, "father of the nuclear bomb" Nobel Prize winning physicist Enrico Fermi wondered out loud (after the topic of recent UFO sightings came up) "Where is everybody?" Basically what he meant was, if the universe is so seemingly infinite and old, and it's mathematically probable that other star systems have developed intelligent life like ours has, and it's also theoretically possible that an alien civilization with tens or even hundreds of thousands of years of technological advancement could have made it to our galaxy by now, even with sub-lightspeed travel, why haven't we seen any aliens yet? Tonight, in one of our more conversational shows, we take a broad look at the paradox that bears his name. By the way, supposed UFO sightings are commonly reported around atomic activities. Tonight's Quote: “It is surely unreasonable to credit that only one small star in the immensity of the universe is capable of developing and supporting intelligent life. But we shall not get to them and they will not come to us.”― P.D. James, The Children of Men Show Links: Jon Stewart Interviews Elizabeth Kolbert In a Nutshell – Kurzgesagt's YouTube video on "The Fermi Paradox" Enrico Fermi The Fermi Paradox Frank Drake The Drake Equation Arecibo Message Song: Frank Black - "Parry the Wind High, Low" (WARNING - F Bomb!) Jill Tarter The Hubble Deep Field Image The TED Blog: "Peering Into Space" The TED Radio Hour featuring Jill Tarter and Brian Greene Jill Tarter's full TED Talk regarding SETI Space Travel in Ancient Art (Site is in German so visit with a browser that does translation.) "Why Aren't The Aliens Here Already?" - an article by Adam Frank on NPR's 13.7 blog Former Lockheed "Skunkworks" director Ben Rich and some interesting confessions Tardigrades/Water Bears Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny The CARET Documents Ezekiel and the Wheel The Nuremburg UFO Battle The Basel Switzerland Incident Seth Shostak's Piece in the NY Times about Contacting Other Civilizations If you are unable to click links, visit our website. Credits: Episode 022 - 'The Fermi Paradox' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Ryan McCullough Sound Design. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Legend: Pirate treasure? English, French or Spanish military plunder? The secret Rosicrucian works of Sir Francis Bacon and therefore also the possible original missing folios of Shakespeare? Or perhaps the greatest sacred antiquities lost to history, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Longinus or the menorah from King Solomon's temple? Or maybe it's all just natural geological processes forming a sinkhole, plain and simple? These are just some of the theories of what could be down in the infamous and mysterious "Money Pit" on Oak Island, Nova Scotia -- thought by many to be one of the greatest archeological mysteries of North America, and possibly the world. Background: Part 3 of our series picks up from where we left off in Part 2, which covered the years between 1867 and 1965. Part 3 starts after the tragic accident that befell the Restall crew on August 17, 1965 and continues with the history of the Money Pit up until the present day. Now that you'll know the entire timeline of the events of the Money Pit's mysterious history, Part 4 will cover all of the major theories of what is or was, down there. Tonight's Quote: "This project, when we get through with it, may or may not make us rich. But at least we will have solved one of the world's greatest mysteries." ~ David Tobias, one of the founders of the Triton Alliance, Ltd. in 1969 along with Dan Blankenship. If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Nova Scotia Ashley Morgan's website that covers the main points of the Oak Island story Oak Island Treasure website Google Maps Location of Oak Island The Reader's Digest Article that Inspired the Current Treasure Hunters Ken Polsson's Chronology of the Oak Island Treasure Hunt In Search Of on Oak Island Is Oak Island A Hoax? Credits: Episode 020 - 'Oak Island Money Pit Part 3' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Legend: Pirate treasure? English, French or Spanish military plunder? The secret Rosicrucian works of Sir Francis Bacon and therefore also the possible original missing folios of Shakespeare? Or perhaps the greatest sacred antiquities lost to history, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Longinus or the menorah from King Solomon's temple? Or maybe it's all just natural geological processes forming a sinkhole, plain and simple? These are just some of the theories of what could be down in the infamous and mysterious "Money Pit" on Oak Island, Nova Scotia -- thought by many to be one of the greatest archeological mysteries of North America, and possibly the world. Background: Part 2 of our series on the elusive Money Pit on Oak Island continues from where we left off in Part 1, which covered the initial discovery of the pit in 1795 up to 1867. Part 2 covers the dissolution of The Oak Island Eldorado Company (later known as the Halifax Company) in 1867 up until a fateful day in 1965, when the island would claim its next four victims in just a matter of minutes. Tragic as this was, this did not deter the line of treasure seekers from that moment until the present day, even though local legend claims the island will take one more life before it will give up its secrets. Our App on iOS at the App Store - Here And on Google/Play - Here If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Nova Scotia Ashley Morgan's website that covers the main points of the Oak Island story Google Maps Location of Oak Island The Reader's Digest Article that Inspired the Current Treasure Hunters Ken Polsson's Chronology of the Oak Island Treasure Hunt In Search Of on Oak Island Is Oak Island A Hoax? Credits: Episode 018 - 'Oak Island Money Pit Part 2' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
If you can't click on these links, visit our astonishinglegends.com. Legend: Pirate treasure? English, French or Spanish military plunder? The secret Rosicrucian works of Sir Francis Bacon and therefore also the possible original missing folios of Shakespeare? Or perhaps the greatest sacred antiquities lost to history, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Longinus or the menorah from King Solomon's temple? Or maybe it's all just natural geological processes forming a sinkhole, plain and simple? These are just some of the theories of what could be down in the infamous and mysterious "Money Pit" on Oak Island, Nova Scotia -- thought by many to be one of the greatest archeological mysteries of North America, and possibly the world. Background: Now that you've heard Parts 1 through 3 (hopefully!) covering the entire history and timeline of the Oak Island Money Pit, Part 4 covers most all of the theories out there of who could've built it, what they put down there and why. Tonight's Quote: "...I’ll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book." ~ Prospero, from William Shakespeare's (or Sir Francis Bacon's?) The Tempest; Act 5, Scene 1, Page 3 If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Apologies for this show being late, our computer died. In an effort to get it posted asap, we've published it even though we are still adding links to the show notes. Visit our webpage for this episode in a few hours for more links than you see listed below! Captain William Kidd The Knights Templar Pope Clement V The Kensington Runestone Nicolas Poussin The First Nations tribe of the Mi'kmaq of Canada's Atlantic Provinces A skeptical investigation of Oak Island by Joe Nickell Christian Rosenkreuz Rosicrucianism The pillars of Solomon's Temple, Boaz and Jachin Robert Fludd Lecture on Spiritual Alchemy and The Great Work Sir Francis Bacon Credits: Episode 021 - 'Oak Island Money Pit Part 4' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design , Special Thanks Tess Pfeifle Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Have you ever collected anything? Have you ever been a fan of anything or anyone? If so, how serious were you about it, how far would you go to obtain a collectible and what would be your most treasured "gets?" Background: After our cold open on Charly Charlie, Scott sits down for a discussion with Astonishing Legends' own intrepid reporter in the field, "Master" Marc D'Andre (you'll find out who called him "Master" later in the episode) to find out about two of his passions: movies and the occasional autograph, letter or interaction from some of his favorite actors and personalities. Some of Marc's memorable encounters include: the great Robert DeNiro; a phone call from 80s & 90s heartthrob Kelly LeBrock (The Woman in Red, Weird Science); from Star Wars - Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing & Anthony Daniels, and a heartfelt and inspiring correspondence with character actor, Steve James (To Live and Die in L.A., the American Ninja series). Tonight's Quote: "I hope this doesn't sound pompous, but I don't think of myself as famous. Whatever fame I've got has come through what I've done and associations of things I've done." - Peter Cushing If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Charly Charlie The Catholic Church's Position on Charly Charlie Vidiots Vidiots Saved 3 Days After Marc's FB Post (Pictured at our Website) Shishito Peppers Night of the Creeps Tom Atkins Kelly LeBrock Peter Cushing Steve James Steve's Website Final Observations: Fame and celebrity in our culture are curious things. On the one hand being famous can make an actor seem quite familiar to the average citizen, while at the same making a personal interaction with them a rare and exclusive occurrence for us mere mortals, especially in the days before the internet. However, much like the world of the paranormal, if you cast an inquiry out into the void, you just might get a response, whether it's Kelly LeBrock or Charlie Charlie. Credits: Episode 017 - 'Collections and Connections' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Have you ever taken a camping trip by yourself? A trip to get away? Were you alone? Are you sure? Background: Tonight we interview retired Emergency Room Physician and now published author Dr. Richard J. Goldstein who took a simple little camping trip by himself a while back and found that he was not welcome at the campsite he chose. Tonight's Quote: “Ghosts could walk freely tonight, without fear of the disbelief of men; for this night was haunted, and it would be an insensitive man who did not know it.” ~ John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Haunted Places in New Mexico Jemez Mountains Holy Ghost Campground Chaco Canyon National Geographic's Goo Rain Video Gutenberg Project Link of The Elephant's Child by Kipling Maria's of Santa Fe Final Observations: Years ago, Richard J Goldstein encountered something that he cannot explain and that still haunts him to this day. Do you think that we know all that there is to know about life, death and what exists beyond the realm of our comprehension? If this story doesn't make you second guess whatever you already believe then you are way ahead of the rest of us. Credits: Episode 016 - 'Are We Ever Alone?' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Legend: In 1837, someone or something leapt into history in nine foot bounds, assaulting women and men, breathing fire and tearing at their clothes. What exactly was Spring-Heeled Jack? Background: Tonight we're diving into the history of Spring-Heeled Jack. We're going to take a look at one of the most detailed research papers ever done on him and try to figure out just who or what he might have been. Join us as we unravel the various sightings and take a look at all the plausible explanations that have been put forth over the years and then you can decide for yourself if Spring-Heeled Jack was super natural or a cunning hoax followed by copycat hoaxing for over 150 years. Tonight's Quote: "He also has spring-heeled or india-rubber soled boots, for no man living could leap so lightly, and, I might say, fly across the ground in the manner he did last night.’ ~ GHR Davidson (Greater London Citizen, 1872) If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Mike Dash Mike's Definitive Paper on Spring-Heeled Jack Spring-Heeled Jack on Wikipedia Was Mass Hysteria Responsible for Jack? A Recent Case of Mass Hysteria You Might Remember from the News The Wikipedia Entry on Steampunk and it's Anachronism's as Mentioned by Forrest Spiritualism, an Influence on the Zeitgeist and Mindset of the Time The Industrial Revolution, Another Possible Influence on the Minds of Witnesses The Red Barn Murder The Incredible Mystery of the Coral Castle A Gutenberg Link to a 1903 Book Detailing A Spring-Heeled Jack Assault (scroll to page 27 as annotated in the right column) Final Observations: Even if some of these sightings can be explained as exaggerated or explainable by other means, what is at the root of what witnesses first saw all of those years ago that could jump over nine feet in the air? Perhaps that first sighting or the first few were the only real sightings and if so what was it? I lean towards a mechanical contraption of some kind, although I can't imagine it's design and Forrest leans in the direction of something super natural. Credits: Episode 015 - 'Spring-Heeled Jack' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. Photos: All images Public Domain. Various Spring-Heeled Jack Photos from Penny Dreadful Covers and Portrait of the Marquess of Waterford, a possible Suspect.
Legend: Technically an invasive species has to kill off a pre-existing species to meet the definition of being invasive. After you hear this episode, we'll be you'll agree there are some things though that should be classified as invasive no matter what. Background: Tonight we talk with two guests. One who may never spend the night in New York City with a window open again, and another who although his Texas doctor was ultimately shot to death by a jealous husband, has a story about a visit to his practice a few years earlier that eclipses that event. Tonight's Quote: "Two-legged creatures we are supposed to love as we love ourselves. The four-legged, also, can come to seem pretty important. But six legs are too many from the human standpoint. ~ Joseph W. Krutch (Author, Critic, Naturalist) If you can't click on these links, visit our website. It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Super Cockroach! The Emerald Cockroach Wasp The Ceti Eel of Star Trek Fame, or Khan's Best Friend Candiru The European Chafer Guinea Worm Disease (Not For the Faint of Heart) The Earwig Worm Removed from Woman's Brain after Eating a Pork Taco? That Thing We Seem to Never Get To Interesting Facts Jerry Browning's father was Master Chief Petty Officer on the USS Forrestal (CV-59) for 3 years. The Forrestal was named for the first Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal. Mr. Forrestal was the gentleman who multiple witnesses claimed showed up on Saipan to either rescue Amelia Earhart and her navigator, or if determining they were dead, perpetrate a colossal cover-up. Listen to our two part special on Amelia Earhart if this intrigues you. Jerry's doctor, Dr. Kenneth Dooley was gunned down on July 4th, 1984 by Fort Worth District Fire Chief Joe Dinkins after he found out Dr. Dooley was having an affair with his wife Paula, whom he also shot and killed. Dinkins is set to get out of prison soon, and Dr. Dooley's widow just passed away in February of this year. Credits Episode 014 - 'What's Eating You?' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. Photos: Jerry Browning, copyright Astonishing Legends 2015 - All rights reserved, New York's Super Cockroach - AP, Candiru PD, Ceti Eel Courtesy Khan Noonien Singh, Earwig and European Chafer (June Bug) - PD, Article on Dr. Dooley's Murder (Newspaper Archives)
Legend: There are many different levels of torment that some ghosts seem to offer, but what could be worse than mocking? Background: When our guest was 12 years old and home alone in upstate New York he experienced an encounter with something heard but not seen. Was it real? What would you have done? Listen to his tale and try to decide if you could have handled it differently. Stories If you can't click on these links, visit our website. Woodstock, New York The Lenape Tribes of the Eastern US The Mahican Tribes The Magic Meadow An Article on The Magic Meadow A Blog Entry on the Magic Meadow (The Campfire) The Buddhist Monastery Neighboring the Magic Meadow Interesting Facts: There is a Buddhist Monastery neighboring the Magic Meadow. The woods surrounding the meadow are filled with Buddhist shrines were many offerings are routinely made. For well over 100 years, people have been making journeys to the meadow to make offerings of all different kinds. Credits: Episode 013 - 'The Laughing Indian' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Legend: Time traveler stories have abounded throughout history, but one of the most enduring ones of the past hundred years is the legend of John Titor, a man from the year 2038 who's story of how time travel works proves to be plausible. Background: There are more than few recent stories of folks appearing out of town in old photos or even a Chaplin film and we will visit the most famous of them. Even the guy who found a wormhole while fixing his kitchen sink. If you can't click on these links, visit our website. The Blue Dress The 25 Best Time Travel Movies Stories of Time Travel - Including John Titor The Solway Firth Spaceman JohnTitor.com The Patent for Titor's Time Machine The Y2038 Problem Schrodinger's Cat Definition of Akimbo Is Everyone a Time Traveler When They're On a Plane? John Titor on Pinterest The C204 Time Displacement Machine Some Background on the 5100 More on the 5100 Current Day Info on IBM's Project Chameleon? More on Chameleon Interesting Facts: There are many UNIX embedded systems that do not keep track of time as it is not relevant to their operation. These machines are not threatened by the Y2038 problem. I was completely wrong about the pronunciation of IMGUR. I apologize to Forrest. Imgur (pronounced /ˈɪmədʒər/like image-er; imager[2] and stylized as imgur) Credits: Episode 012 - 'John Titor and Other Time Travelers' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Legend: In the 1890's an illicit affair centered around a hotel in Norway ends badly. Are the departed lovers still hanging around the original section of the hotel's top floor? Background: Marc Brugnoni and Marisol McIlvain work for a large travel and entertainment company in their marketing department. This means they frequently are sent to exotic locations around the world to produce high-end filmed content to inspire people to come and visit. On this 2013 trip to the Geiranger Fjord in Norway, they both experience something unexplained in their rooms and their denial of the events drop away when it comes up just prior to the beginning of the next shooting day at breakfast, and that wasn't the end of it. Stories: If you can't click on these links, visit our website. The Geiranger Fjord Geiranger, Norway The Hotel Union Geiranger More on the Hotel The Hotel Union Oye The Munch Museum in Oslo The Maya Illusion The Radiolab Episode - Seeing in Tongues Credits: Episode 011 - 'The Flirting Ghosts of Norway' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
Legend: A spirit visits two siblings multiple times a week for several months during their highschool years. Neither one of them knew it was happening to the other. Background: Comedy and Improv performers, writers and producers, Liz and Craig Cackowski were both visited by something almost nightly for over a year when they were in highschool. It visited them in nearly the identical way several nights a week. They never spoke of it to anyone until 10 years later when they were both out with friends telling ghost stories and Liz found out that her brother had been visited by the same spectral being that haunted her 8 years after him. Stories: If you can't click on this link, visit our website. Woodbridge, Virginia History of Woodbridge Welcome to the town of Occoquan Wikipedia on Occoquan The House on the Hill in Occoquan Liz Cackowski on Wikipedia Craig Cackowski on the Thrilling Adventure Hour Website Craig doing an interview at Comic Con Sleep Paralysis Hypnagogia Hypnopompic The Intruder from the Dream Dictionary A Stanford Professor's take on Intruders in Dreams Credits: Episode 010 - 'The Cackowski Intruder' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. photos: The Cackowski Home Copyright Astonishing Legends 2015 All Rights Reserved, The Poltergeist Movie House, The Hallway Outside the Kid's Rooms, Copyright Astonishing Legends 2015 All Rights Reserved, The Cackowski Mirror Wall, Copyright Astonishing Legends 2015 All Rights Reserved, Liz Cackowski Photo by Joe Pugliesi for The Hollywood Reporter, Craig Cackowski photo from Box Angeles Podcast Episode #13, Featured Image - 'The Nightmare' by John Henry Fuseli; Public Domaiun
Legend: Bird flies at the window, death knocks at the door. According to legend, if a bird crashes into a window in your house and dies from the collision, it is a portent that someone close to you is going to die. Background: Can someone who's passed away send the living messages by manipulating our world and even other living things in it? That's what Eric Robinson says happened to him and his entire family and when you hear the details, you'll have a hard time drawing a different conclusion. Stories: If you can't click on this link, visit our website. Eric's story starts out with the passing of his mom in 2004 and the events that lead up to that and followed it as well. A Great List of Eerie Bird Superstitions Bird Flies at the Window, Death Knocks at the Door Moses Maimonides The Wikipedia Page on Maimonides Hervey Medellin The Crime The Arrest of the Perpetrator Interesting Fact: On the day that Lucille Ball's dad passed away from Typhoid Fever, a bird flew into her house becoming trapped and knocking down a picture. After that event, she had a fear of birds (ornithophobia) for the rest of her life. She didn't even like to see them flying outside and forbid the use of wallpaper with birds on it everywhere she went. Credits: Episode 009 - 'The Birds, the Psychic and Ollie the Crime-Fighting Dog' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. photos: Bird Smack by Scott Philbrook Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved, Robinson Family photo (from Left, Eric's sister, Eric, and his mom about a month before she passed, Copyright Eric Robinson 2015 All Rights Reserved, Eric's Dad's Barbershop via Google Streetview, Moses Maimonides public domain, Ollie the dog, Copyright Eric Robinson 2015 All Rights Reserved, Hervey Medellin and the man who killed him.
Background: Have you ever encountered someone other-worldly? Someone who seemed to exude a dark charisma that frightened you with their ability to be so magnetic? Legend: Talented comedy writer, Paula Pell, joins us in this episode for a glimpse over her shoulder at an event from her past that while fleeting, was so poignant it stuck with her for the rest of her life. A chance crossing of paths with what on the surface seemed to be a man, but upon closer inspection felt like much, much more than that. Stories: If you can't click on this link, visit our website. This story is a personal one and it took place years ago so there are not many images to offer with this particular posting, but we are including at least a link Paula's IMDB page. The crux of this story is in the interview. We hope you enjoy! Happy New Year! Paula's IMDB page with her credits Credits: Episode 008 - 'The Devil in the Diner' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design, Scott Philbrook Editing. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved.
All pictures from The Running of the Butt Mandle in Bertchesgaden, Germany, Dec 6th 2014. Photos property of Astonishing Legends/Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2014 - All Rights Reserved Background: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Krampus? Every part of the world has different traditions at the end of the year. Have you ever stopped to think about the origins of those traditions? Ever stop to think they might be Pagan in nature? Well we not only stopped to think about it, we dove into it and came back with some amazing information, bolstered with an iPhone movie taken only days ago in Germany at one of the strangest, but most interesting traditions of them all, The Krampus! Legend: Twas the Night Before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring except for The Krampus on the front porch waiting for the bad kids so he could kidnap them in the basket on his back and take them away. Stories: If you can't click on these links, visit our website. We've got some good stuff for this one. Chuck Jones, born in the regions of Mr. F.M. Burgess. Perry Futard (yes I mispelled that on purpose to aggravate Forrest) A link to one of our inspirations, Jim Harold and Scott's favorite show of his, Campfire. Friends of the show, George and Ashley have agreed to share their video from The Running of the Butt Mandle, shot just days ago on December 6th, 2014, clicking this link will put it in your downloads folder, don't worry, it's only 20MB and about 1 minute long. Kindle version of Mary Beth Crain's book, 'Haunted Christmas'. The Venture Brothers - A Very Venture Christmas Credits: Episode 007 - 'A Krampus Christmas' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design, Scott Philbrook Editing. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2014, All Rights Reserved. photo sources: All photos by Astonishing Legends, Copyright 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Legend: Did Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan live short lives as castaways, or were they lost at sea after running out of fuel and ditching their Lockheed Electra 10E? Maybe they were taken prisoner, interrogated and eventually executed by the Japanese in Saipan? If none of those are right, maybe Amelia changed her identity and lived her days out as a woman named Irene Bolam who settled down in New Jersey? This episode is part 2 of a special about aviation's most famous disappearance of all time, that of Amelia Earhart. Stories: Normally we break these down a little more, but it's Thanksgiving Day and I've got to get in the kitchen. All links as promised from this episode are below. If you can't click on these, visit our website. Triangulating Amelia's last radio signals, Youtube. TIGHAR's Smoking Gun, Artifact 2-2-v-1, The Aluminum Panel The 1991 LA Times Article by Paul Dean discounting 2-2-v-1 Earhart and Noonan's Take-off from Lae, Papua New Guinea. TIGHAR's Wire & Rope Movie Mike Campbell's Blog, Earhart Truth. TIGHAR's Debris Field Analysis TIGHAR on the Bevington Object Prepping the Electra for the trip. The In Search Of on Amelia Earhart The SS Norwich City The Consolidated PBY on Wikipedia TIGHAR's PBY Rebuttal, posted just days ago TIGHAR's page on the Norwich City shipwreck. TIGHAR on feasibility of Betty Klenck hearing Amelia. A diagram of Betty Klenck's shortwave radio antenna. Betty Klenck's notes from the day she thought she heard Amelia. SKIP on CB Radios. Documentary, Earhart's Electra. World of Mysteries Documentary supporting Elgen Long's hypothesis. The Chater Report. Flight Route Map Nauticos Mike Campbell's Book, The Truth at Last on Amazon. Richard Martini's Film, Earhart's Electra on Amazon. Earhart on Saipan, Martini and Mike Harris' website. Credits: Episode 005 - 'Amelia Earhart Vanishes (Part 2)' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design, Scott Philbrook Editing. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2014, All Rights Reserved.
Background: Amelia Earhart is one of the most famous aviators in the world and she flew into the history books in July of 1937 when she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off from Lae, Papua New Guinea for Howland Island. They never made it. Come with us on part 1 of this 2 part special while we take you back to what her life was really like in the years leading up to her vanishing. Legend: There are dozens of theories about Amelia's disappearance, most of which don't hold water, but there are three or four that any one of which proven true would make for one of the most fantastic tales ever told. This episode is about aviation's most famous disappearance of all time, Amelia Earhart. Stories (Links work best in iOS on iTunes or on our webpage at astonishinglegends.com) On Amelia Earhart: The Wikipedia Page on Amelia Her Official Website A great History Channel Page on Amelia The 99's Her Lockheed Electra 10E Special Her Lockheed Vega 5B Interesting Facts: Contrary to popular belief, Amelia was considered by many, including close friends, not to be a great pilot. Paul Mantz supposedly cited pilot error after their failed take-off in Hawaii (he later died of pilot error himself). Her lack of finesse was also apparent on various occasions when she would compete in air races and finish far in the field with a bouncy landing in front of all the spectators. No one on Earth ever doubted her courage however. On Fred Noonan: The Wikipedia Page on Fred A History Channel Page on Fred Interesting Facts: Noonan had reportedly wanted to open a navigation school and saw his participation in the circumnavigation as a way to generate interest. Unfortunately he was lost at sea. On Paul Mantz: Wikipedia Page on Mantz Youtube Video showing Paul Mantz's final fatal accident. Interesting Facts: Paul Mantz became a movie stuntman and died filming 'Flight of the Phoenix'. Credits: Episode 004 - 'Amelia Earhart Vanishes (Part 1)' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design, Scott Philbrook Editing. Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2014, All Rights Reserved.
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