Category Archives: History

Conspiracy, History

Flat Earth Theory

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In this episode  Strange Matters tackles one of the most controversial and bizarre conspiracy theories still spreading to this day – The Flat Earth Theory.  Though it might come as a surprise to many, the shape of our home planet is still up to debate according to those who don’t buy into the “Round Earth” conspiracy.   To those holding the notion that our planet is in fact a flat plane, they believe that the world leaders, scientists, and most of all NASA are all involved in a widespread cover up to continue to fool the mass population  into thinking we are living on a globe.

To a Flat Earther, you should only believe what you can see and perceive with your senses.  Since you can not see the Earth’s curvature on the horizon, it must mean that the land is flat all around the world.  In this theory, the sun and moon are relatively small spheres that travel in circles only a few thousand miles above the plane of our planet.   Surrounding Earth is a thick, impassable wall of ice that holds in Earth’s oceans, and perhaps even a massive dome above us that is illuminated by holograms giving the illusion of a starry sky, when in reality something much difference than space lies beyond our planet.

Listen to this episode and hear all about the strange and bizarre ideas and conspiracies involved in the Flat Earth Theory!

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History, Podcast, Unsolved Mystery

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Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a man among men. A leader in the British military and an expedition who had been out on countless excursions into uncharted and enemy territory was obsessed with the idea of a lost yet wondrous city in the deep jungle of the Amazon. In the early 20th century, he set out on his third and last expedition in search of this great alleged myth. This adventure would present numerous obstacles including but not limited to vicious jaguars, reptiles and angry natives. Amazon

2 long years passed without any word from the rugged Fawcett, his son Jack and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimell. Various different explanations have been suggested many of which have significant degrees of plausibility. Could these brave men have gone native and simply joined the Indians in the Amazonian jungle? Perhaps a strange obsession with the cult known as Theosophy had something to do with their disappearance. Listen in to this episode and find out!

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History

The Colonia Dignidad

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In 1961, a German man named Paul Schäfer formed a community in an isolated region in Chile.  Known as the Colonia Dignidad, or Dignity Colony, this large complex was constructed originally  as a place of community welfare and harmony, which promoted free schooling and health care for all.  Behind it’s barbed wire fences however, Paul Schäfer was secretly creating  a living nightmare of violence and abuse for those trapped inside.

The Colonia Dignidad would operate independently and secretly for three decades.  During that time thousands of people were forced to suffer cruelties under their harsh leader.  Schäfer, a former Nazi who served in World War II, turned his “Dignity Colony” into his own personal paradise of sadism and torture.  Those who suffered the worst in that time was the young children, on whom Schäfer would turn his perverse attention to for years.  Disturbingly, both the Chilean and German governments turned a blind eye as to what was going on inside the colony, leaving their people to the whims of a deeply disturbed man.

It took nearly thirty years until those on the outside finally started to stand up to Schäfer and work to take down the evils occurring inside the Colonia Dignidad.  Though the evil place was eventually disbanded, and its leader finally brought to face up to his awful crimes, thousands of innocent people were still left to  put together their shattered lives.

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Cryptozoology, History, Urban Legend

American Monsters

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In this episode of Strange Matters a number of infamous and legendary monsters and vile creatures of America are discussed.  Each of these monsters have become well known urban legends in their own specific regions across the country. Whether it is the dark woods of New Jersey, the creeks of Kentucky, or even the snowy lands of Michigan, rumors and stories have spread of terrifying beast lurking in the dark.

Jersey_Devil_Philadelphia_Post_1909The Jersey Devil is one of America’s most well known and oldest monster story.  This hybrid creature’s origin supposedly dates back before the formation of the United States even.  Combining the body parts of numerous different animals, this horrifying creature was rumored to be the spawn of the Devil itself.  This monster allegedly lurks in the deep woods of New Jersey,  scaring unsuspecting hikers with its blood curdling scream.

The Dogman of Michigan is a mysterious creature that lives in the deep snowy woods of the northern state.  Combining the torso of a man with the legs and head of a canine, the Dogman has been spotted and encountered for over a century.  Whether the Dogman is actually some type of freak hybrid creature, or just the over-imagination of the locals, has been an ongoing debate for years.

The Pope Lick Monster is a terrifying abomination, a creature combing the body parts of man, goat, and sheep together.  This violent monster is rumored to lure innocent victims onto the train tracks on its home bridge.  There, they are helpless to either face the oncoming train, or jump to their own demise below.  Though the Pope Lick Monster is well known to be merely a myth, the popularity and danger of its tale has lead to many unfortunate accidents.

Finally there is the Beast of Bladenboro, a creature responsible for a string of attacks on people’s pets and livestock in the winter of 1954.  When its legend grew, over a thousand people swarmed to the town to try and hunt this vampire like beast.  Just as quickly as the Beast arrived, the attacks soon ceased, leaving the people of Bladenboro to wonder to this day exactly what kind of creature was behind the violent animal murders.

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History, Podcast, Unsolved Mystery, Urban Legend

Close Encounters

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Aliens… Do they really exist? Are we really all alone in the universe? Perhaps it depends on your definition of the term “alien”; perhaps your stereotypical small-bodied Grey or maybe something as simple as a microbe could define this term. But how could we know that aliens exist? Some think that crop circles are a sign that aliens not only exist but have visited earth. With reports dating back centuries, this concept is not foreign. Many crop circles are localized to southern England however they can be found all over the world.

While many suggest that they are all simply pranks or hoaxes performed by very creative and skilled artists, others think that at least a certain percentage are the result of otherworldly visitors.

Other evidence for the existence of extra-terrestrial life lies in personal reports of human abduction. Perhaps the oldest reports of these abductions occurred in 1961. “The Hill Abduction” is the story of Barney and Betty Hill who were an inter-racial couple were well educated and involved in professional organizations. These individuals would have much to lose and little to gain from fabricating a story of the sort. Nonetheless they share the tale of traveling down a country road in their car one night while following a mysterious light.

Hill abduction
As the light approached closer Barney stopped the car and got out wielding his trusty pistol. As he got closer he was able to spot “non-human” creatures inside what appeared to be a disk-shaped flying object. He screamed “They’re going to capture us!” as he ran back to the car, however shortly thereafter both of them report slipping into a strange trance. After waking up 35 miles south of where they had originally stopped the car, they would go on to continue their lives while being plagued by strange dreams and other odd occurrences.

Another alien encounter was reported by a “Dr. Jonathan Reed”. While out in the woods one day he came upon a strange humanoid creature fighting with his beloved dog, Suzy. When the alien got the upper hand and somehow reduced his dog to a pile of dust, Reed angrily approached the creature from behind and struck it in the head, killing it.

Reed Alien

The remains were captured in various photographs, however the authenticity of this story has been questioned.

Travis Walton, on the other hand was a logger who was in the presence of five of his buddies when he encountered aliens. Traveling in a truck down yet another country road after a long day’s work, the men spotted a strange glowing object in the distance. As they approached it, one man would describe it as “a luminous object, shaped like a flattened disk” and nearly 20 feet in diameter.

Walton aliens

Walton got out and approached the saucer but was immediately struck by a bright blue light emanating from the craft which knocked him back onto the ground. While the other men bolted, Walton would go missing for 5 days, only to return with a tale of alien abduction. Despite this wild tale, all the men would go on to pass polygraph tests suggesting that they were telling the truth. Tune in to this podcast episode and decide for yourself: are aliens really out there?

 

History, Podcast, Unsolved Mystery, Urban Legend

Ancient Mysteries II

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In this sequel to the original Ancient Mysteries, Eric discusses several mysterious cases from olden times. First is the legend of the screaming mummy. Gaston Maspero, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service was inspecting various different mummies found at Deir El Bahri near the Valley of the Kings. Amongst the newly-discovered, legendary leaders of Egypt was an unmarked sarcophagus belonging to an unknown mummy. However this was no ordinary mummy. Upon opening the case he discovered this mummy’s face was locked in an eternal scream. This body had been bound by his hands and feet, so tightly that there were marks on his bones. But despite this apparent torture the remains were carefully mummified and preserved. The body had also been wrapped in sheep or goat skin which is considered by the ancient Egyptians to be ritualistically unclean. While many believe this individual to be the traitor son of Ramses III who was punished for his alleged betrayal of his father, others suspect him to be a prince from the nearby rival civilization of the Hittites. Modern advancements in technology have shed some light on the details regarding this unexplained anomaly however this mystery has yet to be confirmed.

Next up is the “Devil’s Footprints” which were a line of footprints left in the snow, discovered one morning in 1855 in Devon, England. These footprints were said to have stretched over 100 miles which is more distance than any earthly creature would be able to cover in a single night. Devils footprintsThese cloven hoof prints were said to have either scaled 14 foot walls or passed directly through them and continued on the other side, unimpeded. One report states that the trail passed a two-mile stretch of the River Exe and then continued on the other side. While clergymen were eager to jump on this opportunity and claim these prints belonged to Satan himself and that he was here to collect souls of sinners, others took a more reasonable approach and attempted to rationalize the anomaly as belonging to animals. One thing is for sure: these footprints caused a significant amount of unrest in Devon in the 1850s.

Our final investigation is the mysterious disappearance of James Burne Worson. This story of a shoemaker and established citizen in his community in Warwickshire, England tells of this boastful individual’s habit of getting involved in impossible wagers. His latest bet involved him running to a nearby town and back again — a total round trip of nearly 40 miles. After setting out on this venture, with two fellows following him in a carriage to vouch for his completion of the task, Worson began running without difficulty for several miles. Then suddenly with their eyes fully upon him, he stumbled and began to fall, let out a shrill gut-wrenching scream and immediately vanished without hitting the ground. There have been very few reasonable explanations for what could have happened here, however the truth of the story is in question. Is it possible for individuals to not only go missing but to disappear entirely?