Just occasionally a book comes along that I don’t just recommend to people. Sometimes, I tell them they have to get a copy of it, no matter what! And that’s the case with the recently published book, The Black Eyed Children, penned in masterful style by David Weatherly. There can be very few readers of Mysterious Universe who have not at least heard of the phenomenon, but if you haven’t, well, David starts his book with the following, atmospheric words to get you acquainted with the admittedly creepy controversy:

“They just want to come inside. Across the world, there are a growing number of accounts of strange, black eyed children. They appear on doorsteps, at car windows, hotel rooms and even boats. Their skin is pale, their mannerisms odd and they have one consistent request. They want to be invited inside. What exactly is this growing phenomena? Are they demonic entities? Alien hybrids? Perhaps they are some form of spirit seeking passage to another place. Or, are they simply a modern urban legend born of the computer age”

And it’s these questions, and many others, that David addresses at length in his book.

What I particularly enjoyed about The Black Eyed Children is that David not only relates the facts, the history, the rumors, the legends and theories relative to these kids, but he does so in a highly entertaining style. There’s nothing worse than reading a book that is packed with data, but that is as dull as the skies of England on a rainy October morning. Fortunately, David’s book is anything but dull!

I don’t exaggerate when I say that, in my opinion, this is destined to become the definitive study on the puzzle, and for several reasons. Thankfully, and very refreshingly, David details the various scenarios that have been presented to explain the mystery, but he doesn’t force-feed any particular one down the throat of his audience. Rather, he presents the witness testimony, the case-files, and the supporting data and evidence, and then uses this as a springboard to try and determine which theory – or, indeed, theories – might be the correct one when it comes to trying to understand what these “things” are or are not. And, given the macabre nature of some of them, I’m perfectly satisfied in calling them “things.”

The book begins with a number of significant witness reports of encounters that are downright creepy. Yep, I know I used that word – creepy – earlier, but it really is the best way to describe these “Damian-meets-E.T.” type kids. A lot of people view the Black Eyed Children from that torturous “Love and Light” angle and perspective. You know the one: E.T. is dabbling with our DNA and creating half-human/half-alien kids that are super-intelligent and that will play a big, positive role in our future as a species. Well, David most certainly addresses at length the “hybrid” angle, but, for me, I still get the deep feeling after reading his words that the phenomenon is very much self-serving and has its – rather than our – best interests at heart. And that’s probably a black heart, too.

This becomes particularly apparent when David begins to delve into highly alternative areas relative to not just the far more conventional “Nuts and Bolts”-UFO angle, but such realms as demonology; life after death and malevolent, tortured ghosts; Middle Eastern Djinn; definitive Tricksters; and a whole host of other entities that may not exactly be our best buddies in the slightest.

And, I’m pleased to say, David – always balanced and unbiased – doesn’t shy away from addressing the possibility that the whole thing is down to nothing stranger than modern-day urban legend. But, as he makes clear, even if some cases fall into that category, there is still a larger and wider mystery to be resolved. Like any aspect of Forteana, yes there are legends, hoaxes and friend-of-a-friend tales. But, strip them away and there’s still a phenomenon – and that applies to the Black Eyed Children, too.

There’s also an excellent chapter on the way in which certain medical conditions can affect the colors of the human eye – thus demonstrating that David leaves no stone unturned in his quest for the truth.

For me, the most fascinating sections of the book were those that highlighted the undeniable parallels between these eerie kids and the Men in Black, vampires and a host of other historical and horrific things that seem to take so much pleasure in tormenting us with their own, unique brands of evil mischief.

That the BEC reportedly, and specifically, have to be invited into the home of the person in their sights does, of course, evoke imagery of the classic blood-sucker of Eastern Europe and elsewhere. And, with regard to the Men in Black, David notes, intriguingly: “Perhaps the classic image of the MIB became too tame for some situations and a higher force created the black eyed children in order to grab the attention of a jaded, overwhelmed public that is tired of old stereotypes.”

If your main area of interest when it comes to the paranormal is UFOs and aliens, then you won’t want to miss this book. But, by delving deep into the hearts of a host of other supernatural conundrums too, the book will also satisfy, intrigue and inform the student of demonology, mythology, ghosts and specters, succubi, and the age-old phenomenon of changelings, which is so prevalent in fairy-lore.

In conclusion, then, David Weatherly’s The Black Eyed Children is a fascinating, insightful and remarkable piece of work on a subject that has been crying out for the definitive study  - and, now, we have that definitive study. If you thought you knew all there was to learn about these strange characters, you’re about to get a big wake-up call! Maybe a literal wake-up call, too, if “they” come knocking on your door on some dark, chilled night as the witching-hour looms…

It’s not often that a news story pops up that I find so fascinating that I must blog about it. Normally, if something piques my interest it’s passed on in a tweet and soon forgotten. However this week I stumbled across a Daily Mail article about the discovery of a WWII Kittyhawk P40 that disappeared 70 years ago. I was so intrigued by this discovery that I thought I should take a look at some other incredible WWII relics.

First the Kittyhawk P40. On the 28th of June 1942, Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping bravely climbed from the cockpit of his crashed fighter and set out into the Western Desert of Egypt to find rescue. Unfortunately that rescue never came and he, and his fighter were lost to an unforgiving landscape. This is until 70 years later, when the P40 emerged from the harsh monotonous terrain. The site has been described as a “time capsule” with much of the aircraft remaining intact. Aviation historian Andy Saunders has said “It’s the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun’s tomb.” Check out more of the photos here.

This great find isn’t the first rediscovery of wartime machinery and surely won’t be the last.

On May the 31st 1942, three Midget Japanese Submarines stealthy entered Sydney Harbour and killed 21 brave Australian sailors by firing a torpedo that detonated under the HMAS Kuttabul. The submarines were hunted down and sunk by Allied vessels including the USS Chicago and HMAS Geelong. Two of the submarines were found while one Midget Submarine, the M24 disappeared into the vast wartime crevices of Sydney Harbour. 64 years later in November of 2006, a group of recreational divers discovered the sub tangled in nets in 54 meters of water. The wreck site now falls under Australian Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks law, and a protective zone has been placed around the site. Recovery of the sub was estimated to cost upwards of $60 Million Australian Dollars, so for the moment it will continue its service as an artificial reef.

Speaking of Sydney. The HMAS Sydney was one of Australia’s greatest wartime mysteries. On the 19th of November 1941, the light cruiser engaged the German Raider HSK Kormoran, losing a fierce battle and taking 645 lives with it as it sank below the water. For decades, the location of the wreck was unknown. After the battle, only a single unoccupied lifeboat (damaged by machine gun fire) was found and added not only the mystery but the tragedy of such a disaster. The mystery was solved in March of 2008, when the wreck was found off the coast of Western Australia and it too is now protected under Australian Heritage Law.

Over to France, where a US M5 Light tank used in the D-Day Invasion of 1944 was discovered buried under a street 55 miles south-west of Paris in 2008. According to residents of the time, the tank rolled into town and simply broke down or ran out of fuel. It was then pushed into a hole and buried, only to be rediscovered decades later when the local council initiated routine road repairs.

The M5 wasn’t the only tank to undergo a multi-decade long subterranean slumber. In September of 2000, a Russian tank captured by the Germans in 1944 was pulled from the boggy bank of a lake near Johvi, Estonia. The 27 ton beast had rested there for 62 years.

Uncovering a wartime relic isn’t limited to benign wrecks. Some have been unfortunate enough to come across live and unstable ordinance. I know after my own Grandfather passed away, my grandmother found M16s hidden in the roof cavity. Fortunately it was the 80′s and Australian firearm amnesties were common so little inconvenience was caused. Although this wasn’t the case for 30 families in the UK’s Seaham just last week who evacuated from their homes after a WWII hand grenade was discovered during excavation works. The grenade was determined to no longer be live.

The same cannot be said for a 1,100 pound bomb that was discovered by workers building a sports stadium in Goettingen, Germany in 2010. Sadly, 3 people were killed during the defusing of the bomb.

While the discovery of these relics is exciting and provides endless fascination, it must always be remembered that many servicemen and servicewomen died defending freedom and it is because of their selfless actions that we able to go about our lives with the rights we have today. Lest we forget.

Among the quite colorful theories and quips proposed by American author Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn’s creator also was known to have guessed about the origins of of humankind’s most admired and often-stereotyped recessive trait. “While the rest of the species is descended from apes,” Twain wrote, “redheads are descended from cats.”

Indeed, there are an entire host of traditions that involve superstitions associated with redheads (and cats too, for that matter). Red haired individuals comprise less than two percent of the population worldwide, making them the rarest natural hair color among humans. Though we still manage to see red hair quite often despite these percentages–perhaps due in part to the accessibility provided through cosmetic hair dyes–the trait is uncommon enough that odd misconceptions do still crop up from time to time in modern times. Consider, for instance, the popular story that made rounds in 2007, claiming that redheads would become extinct within the next century.

But what is the likelihood, if any exists, that at least some superstitions involving redheads may actually have some factual basis? More specifically, could there be any evidence to support various legends involving the strange paranormal connections red haired people seem to maintain?

“In Greek myth,” it is said, “redheads turned into vampires after they died.” Others have claimed throughout the ages (in the pejorative sense, though largely tongue-in-cheek) that redheads may likely be vampires from birth. It cannot be denied, however, that due to the rarity of red hair among various cultures, the trait has seen both good and ill reception. This certainly has been associated with vampires and various other creatures of the night as well, and not merely among the Greeks. The self-proclaimed vampire hunter Montague Summers wrote in his translation of the Malleus Maleficarum that:

Those whose hair is red, of a certain peculiar shade, are unmistakably vampires. It is significant that in ancient Egypt, as Manetho tells us, human sacrifices were offered at the grave of Osiris, and the victims were red-haired men who were burned, their ashes being scattered far and wide by winnowing-fans. It is held by some authorities that this was done to fertilize the fields and produce a bounteous harvest, red-hair symbolizing the golden wealth of the corn. But these men were called Typhonians, and were representatives not of Osiris but of his evil rival Typhon, whose hair was red.

Red hair has often been stereotyped for being associated with sexual desire, bad temperament, and immoral activity. Aristotle was said to have expressed his similar feeling that redheads were “emotionally un-housebroken.” With little doubt, these sorts of myths were the obvious byproduct of the redhead presence among the cultural minorities; recognition of this aspect alone, however, would do little to qualm the superstitions that have persistently haunted those with red hair and fair skin. Even today, there are still a number of beliefs associated with red haired individuals, among them that gingers may have a greater propensity for harnessing things such as psychic abilities.

I discussed this recently with my friend Marti Marfia, a natural redhead, who had expressed that she, along with most other redheads she had known throughout her life, had claimed to have at least some ability to use such things as intuition. Having encountered stories that were remarkably similar to her own experiences along these lines, Marti began to research the possibility that there might be other stories like hers, or perhaps whether studies might exist that had to do with reasons for such things. Interestingly, at least two studies appear to show a link between red hair and tolerance for pain; this likely results from the fact that redheads have a mutated MC1R gene, and thus an MC1R receptor that is the similar byproduct of rare genetic mutation. These factors my also contribute to the need for larger amounts of anesthesia for redheads undergoing surgery.

In terms of how red hair actually developed among early humans, it is believed that having pale skin may have been advantageous in far-northern climates, and that in the absence of regular sunlight, lighter colored hair–which is typically paired with lighter skin color as well–would have been more conducive to absorbing and maintaining heat. Based on this observation, a 1976 study suggested that the underlying process likely may have to do with higher levels of Vitamin D production, granting redheads a natural ability to ward off conditions such as rickets that stem largely from vitamin deficiencies.

Altogether, what cannot be denied here is that redheads certainly do, without question, operate a bit different from the rest of us, based on their special (and slightly curious) natural physiology.  Could it be that such factors might contribute to a sense of heightened awareness that some redheads claim to sense, or even that such factors might cause them to be likely candidates for experiencing psychic phenomena?

This bizarre, allegedly self propelled, seamless metallic orb was discovered by members of the Betz family in 1974, and rapidly became the object of fascination, controversy and alarm for scientists, military officials, ufologists and the general public as the story of this mystery sphere spread like wildfire through the international media.

On May 26, 1974, Terry Mathew Betz, a 21 year-old pre-med student, along his mother Gerri and his marine engineer father, Antoine, were inspecting the damage caused by a brush fire that had raged across an 88-acre swathe of woodland that they had recently acquired on marshy Fort George Island, which is nestled just east of Jacksonville, Florida.

At first the trio found nothing out of the ordinary, but before their expedition was over they stumbled across a peculiar highly polished, metal orb that was just under 8-inches in diameter. The only delineating mark that the three could find on the eerily unblemished object was an elongated triangular shape stamped into its surface.

Stunned, Terry and his parents wondered whether or not they might have stumbled across some kind of downed NASA or maybe even Soviet satellite.

Perhaps they even speculated that the friction induced heat of this object plummeting from its orbit might have had something to do with the fire that had ravaged the property, but none of them could find any signs of an impact crater or any indication of collision or heat damage on the gleaming metal globe.

The trio then surmised that it might be an “old fashioned canon ball, which someone had silver plated,” as a souvenir. Intrigued by this extraordinary find, Terry decided to heft the 22 lbs., bowling ball sized sphere into their car and take it back to their castle-like home, where he showed the unusual object to a 12 year-old relative named Wayne. He was just as perplexed by the mystery object as the rest of the family had been.

The young medical student then placed his strange prize on a window seat in his bedroom, and there the anomalous object remained, virtually forgotten, until approximately two weeks later when Terry decided to entertain his friend, Theresa Fraser, with an impromptu guitar recital in his room, eliciting some decidedly unusual reactions from this enigmatic orb.

THE MYSTERY SPHERE AWAKENS

According to Terry’s report, moments after he began strumming his guitar the metallic ball started to “vibrate like a tuning fork,” and began emitting a curious throbbing sound in response to certain notes. This sound was accompanied by what seemed to be an inaudible — at least to human ears — resonance that deeply disturbed the Betz family’s dog.

Days later, in the April 15, 1974, edition of the Palm Beach Post, Gerri Betz was quoted as saying: “There must be high frequency waves from it. When we put our poodle beside the ball, she whimpers and puts her paws over her ears.”

In the days that followed this strange performance, the Betz family began to notice some of the sphere’s other peculiar attributes. They observed that when the orb was pushed across the floor it would stop, vibrate for a moment, change direction (often more than once) and invariably return to whoever first rolled it. In one unprecedented circumstance it rolled for 12-minutes straight without a single pause!

As if this weren’t astounding enough, Terry and his family soon realized that the sphere — in defiance of all logic — appeared to be responsive to weather conditions; becoming noticeably more active on bright days as opposed to overcast ones, as if it were being directly affected by the solar energy. Although it was clearly influenced by sunlight, the sphere did not register any obvious changes when exposed to direct heat or infrared light.

The steel globe would also sporadically vibrate at a low frequency as if “a motor were running inside” and, just as intriguingly, had just one, relatively small, intensely magnetic spot on its surface.

Terry — displaying the kind of inquisitive instincts that all science students should — began to conduct a series of homespun experiments on the object.

His initial efforts were rudimentary and consisted of tapping the orb gently with a hammer, which resulted in a distinctly bell-like “ringing” sound, but it wouldn’t be until Terry placed the object on the flat, glass surface of his mother’s coffee table in order to display his unique find that things would get really interesting.

In one attempt after another, the smooth sphere would consistently roll right to the precipice of the glass surface, pause and then reverse its direction; only to stop again at the opposite edge and repeat the maneuver.

The Betz family began considering the possibility that this object was equipped with a sophisticated guidance system or was perhaps being intelligently controlled either from within or by some enigmatic external force. The family decided that the sphere almost certainly appeared to be striving to get safely to the ground without falling.

An even more bizarre event occurred when one of the family members decided to slant the table at an upwards angle and the orb began to spin up the incline utilizing its own momentum. This seemingly impossible defiance of the laws of Newtonian gravity left the Betz tribe thoroughly baffled.

While there’s no overt connection between the cases, it’s worth noting that during the summer of 1972, a similar (though not spherical) anomalous object plagued a group of teens who repeatedly managed to capture and lose a small, self propelled, evidently intelligently guided device over a vexing 4-weeks period in the Kera area of Kōchi City, Japan. The strange device came to be known as the Kera UFO. This object’s movements also defied logic and appeared to be motivated by self preservation “instincts.”

As if to further indicate that the sphere may have been harboring something (or possibly someone) sensitive within, it seemed to resist all attempts at being shaken by its human handlers. In the April 16, 1974, edition of Lodi, California’s News Sentinel, Gerri stated:

“If you shake the ball vigorously and then place it on the ground it feels just like a huge Mexican jumping bean, which is trying to get away from you.”

The Betz family became so concerned about the sphere’s clear ability to independently navigate its way around their home that they took to placing it in a sealed bag at night so that the object couldn’t escape. After days of watching the sphere perform these incredible feats, the Betz family decided that it was time to go to the public and try to find out just what it was that they actually had in their possession.

THE MEDIA FRENZY BEGINS

The first call that Gerri Betz made was to the local Jacksonville Journal. The Journal was intrigued by their story — 1976 was, after all, near the peak of the halcyon days of paranormal research — and they sent out a seasoned photographer, Lon Enger, to get the story and snap a few pictures. The skeptical Enger dutifully accepted the assignment, but secretly feared he might be stepping into a den of crackpots… he would abandon that theory soon enough.

When Enger arrived at the Betz home he was eagerly greeted by Gerri who wasted no time in presenting him with the sphere. Enger described the moment for the April 12, 1974, edition of the St. Petersburg Times: “I’m leery of this kind of thing. When I got there, Mrs. Betz said, ‘you won’t believe this if you don’t see it.’”

That was when the matriarch of the Betz clan instructed the still dubious Enger to give the ball a little shove across the floor. Here’s the event in Enger’s own words:

“She told me to put it on the floor and give it a push. It rolled a ways and stopped. So what? She said, ‘just wait a minute.’ It turned by itself and rolled to the tight about four feet. It stopped. Then it turned again and rolled to the left about eight feet, made a big arc and came back right to my feet.”

Enger examined the steel ball intently and, like the Betz family before him, could find no seams and no indication of a manufacturer on the surface; save for the inscrutable triangular symbol stamped on its side. As soon as the now converted photographer relayed his fantastic story to his editor, the paper wasted no time in publishing his account and within days a worldwide media firestorm was ignited.

Reporters from such prestigious publications as the New York Times, the London Daily and dozens of other papers from as far away as Japan called or traveled down to St. George Island to see this mystery sphere with their own eyes, but it wasn’t just journalists whose curiosity was piqued by this strange case. The scientific and military communities were also clamoring for a good look at this unusual object.

Representatives of the both the U.S. Marine Corps and NASA contacted the Betz family, as did UFO investigators representing the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO). The visitors often arrived skeptical, but almost universally left both impressed and perplexed by the sphere’s bizarre abilities.

A U.S. Marine spokesman even went so far as to admit on television that the ball had behaved strangely in his presence and conceded that he was unable to explain its origin. An official press release issued by Marines publicly stated that the ball was not the property of the United States government.

By this point Antoine had been forced to return to the sea on a freighter and Gerri and her children were swept up in a media maelstrom from which there seemed to be no reprieve.

The family, who had intentionally chosen an isolated place to live, had become overwhelmed by the press feeding frenzy and in the April 14, 1974 edition of the Palm Beach Post, Gerri was quoted as saying:

“We came to Fort George Island to get away to a serene atmosphere. Now I can’t get away from the telephone. It means nothing to people in the West that it’s midnight here. And when they quit calling those on the East wake up and start.”

DR. HYNEK AND THE SPHERE

At the peak of this frenzy, renowned astronomer and ufologist, Dr. J. Allen Hynek, requested that the Betz family send the sphere to his office at Northwestern University in Chicago so he could personally inspect it, but Gerri refused because she was warned that the one of a kind object might be seized or misplaced.

According to 1980’s, extraterrestrial omnibus, “The Encyclopedia of UFOs” by Ronald D. Story: “After notices appeared in the press Dr. J. Allen Hynek, of Northwestern University, requested that the ball be sent to him for examination. Subsequent callers, however, suggested to Mrs. Betz that trusting it to a public carrier would break the continuity and allow for interception, substitution, or ‘loss.’”

Evidently this was an assessment that Dr, Hynek — who notably served as a consultant for, and had a cameo in, Steven Spielberg’s influential “Close Encounters of the 3^rd Kind” — agreed with. According to a report published in the April 16, 1974, edition of News Sentinel:

“She [Gerri Betz] said that experts she has talked to at Northwestern University decides it would be ‘too much risk’ to fly the sphere to Chicago for examination.”

To the chagrin of scores of scientists and military officers the sphere remained firmly entrenched in the Betz’ home, and that is where the unusual object remained until a bizarre series of unexplainable events forced the family to wonder whether or not this outwardly innocuous orb was capable of channeling — and perhaps unleashing — supernatural forces.

THE HAUNTED SPHERE

Just when the almost unbearably hectic scene that surrounded the Betz house started to become almost routine for the harried family, things suddenly took a decided turn for the weird… or weirder, as the case may be.

Gerri Betz reported that she and her family began to hear strange organ-like music wafting through their cavernous abode in the dead of night, even though there was no such instrument in their home. As if that weren’t creepy enough, doors began slamming, seemingly of their own volition, at all hours of the day and night.

While the Betz family claimed that they weren’t afraid of the poltergeist-like forces that seemed to have invaded their home, this new development did cause concern for Antoine and Gerri who decided that it was high time they got to the bottom of this mystery. To help them achieve that goal they contacted…

THE UNITED STATES NAVY

Following a series of frightening nighttime disturbances, the Betz family finally relinquished the sphere to the scientists posted at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The initial efforts of the Navy metallurgists were met with dead ends as their X-ray machines were not strong enough to penetrate the orb. According to Navy spokesperson, CPO Chris Berninger:

“Our first X-ray attempts got us nowhere. We’re going to use a more powerful machine on it and also run spectograph tests to determine what metal it’s made of… There’s certainly something odd about it.”

Eventually the scientists at the station were able to determine that the exact size of the sphere was 7.96 inches in diameter and that it weighed precisely 21.34 pounds. They also concluded that the shell of the orb was approximately one half inch thick — which, according to the report, could withstand a pressure of 120,000 pounds per square inch — and made of stainless steel, specifically magnetic ferrous alloy #431. This alloy is a magnetic, Nickel bearing stainless steel designed for heat treatment to the highest mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

The Navy team’s powerful 300 KV X-ray also discovered two round objects inside the sphere surrounded by a “halo” made of a material with an unusual density. They also noted that the sphere displayed four different magnetic poles, two positive and two negative, which were not concentric.

The Navy also concluded that while the orb was intensely magnetic, it did not show signs of radioactivity and did not appear to be an explosive. At this point the Navy scientists wanted to cut into the object to get a better look, but Gerri Betz steadfastly refused; stating to the press:

“I told them we expect a comprehensive report in two weeks, and if it can’t be identified as government property it is to be returned to us.”

The Navy made good on their promise and returned the sphere, but lingering questions remained as to the origin and identity of the odd object. At this point the Betz family began to seriously consider the possibility that they were in possession of genuine extraterrestrial technology or an “alien bugging device” as the some of their neighbors dubbed it. According to Gerri:

“If no other explanation can be found that’s as logical as any… Who could say what’s on another planet, even speculations have been proven wrong. The Navy says what it isn’t. They say it isn’t an explosive. So we still want to know what it is.”

Berninger, of course, was hesitant to even entertain the extraterrestrial origin hypothesis, stating in April 15, 1974, edition of the Palm Beach Post: “I don’t know who manufactured it, but I say it came from Earth. We do know that it’s not explosive and presents no hazard.”

As assured as Berninger’s words seemed to be, this opinion regarding the supposed safety as well as the terrestrial origin of the sphere would not be shared by other scientists who tested the anomalous steel ball. The first of these men of science would represent the frankly insidious sounding…

OMEGA MINUS ONE INSTITUTE

On April 13, 1974, Dr. Carl Willson — representing a Louisiana research firm known as the Omega Minus One Institute in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — showed up on the scene. Dr. Willson examined the sphere for over 6-hours and discovered what Ottawa’s, The Citizen newspaper described as: “Radio waves coming from it and a magnetic field around it.”

Dr. Willson confirmed the Navy’s discovery of multiple poles within the sphere and claimed that this phenomenon was a “mind bender,” as the flux density of the field appeared to fluctuate in potency based on an as yet unidentified pattern. This, he claimed, defied the known laws of physics.

The good doctor evidently went on to suggest that the metal that made up the shell of the orb, while comparable to stainless steel, contained an unknown element making it slightly different from steel.

Dr. Willson also apparently witnessed the sphere’s ability to propel itself across surfaces and abruptly change directions, but “was unable to determine a pattern in the movement” or explain how that was even possible. One of the theories posited was that it might be a damaged extraterrestrial probe or perhaps even some sort of an anti-gravitational device.

In the end, the Omega Minus One Institute’s findings regarding the identity of the mystery sphere were just as inconclusive as the Navy’s, and the Betz family were no closer to the truth. It was be then that members of the APRO managed to convince the family that they might be in possession of evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence and as such were legitimately eligible to win the National Enquirer’s then $50,000 reward for…

PROOF POSITIVE OF UFOS

In the early 1970s, the editorial staff of the National Enquirer — and most other popular publications, for that matter — took a serious interest (at least in terms of profit margins) in subjects like cryptozoology, ufology and the supernatural.

On March 12, 1972, the publication offered an award of $10,000 for the “best scientific evidence of the reality of UFOs” and $50,000 to: “the first person who can prove that an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) came from outer space and is not a natural phenomenon.” This already bountiful sum was raised to $1,000,000 by 1976.

While the Enquirer was considered by most to be little more than a supermarket tabloid, the publication took great pains to assemble what they referred to as a “Blue Ribbon Panel,” which consisted of noted scientists including Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. James Albert Harder, Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle — who in 1974, was involved in the investigation of the infamous Carl Higdon abduction case — biologist Frank B. Salisbury and State University of New York professor of philosophy, Dr Robert F Creegan.

Besides the Ph.D holders, the panel was rounded out by such esteemed members as a former Supreme Court Justice, a former Attorney General of the United States and a former New York Court of Appeals Judge. The heads of the APRO, MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) and NICAP (National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena) were also on hand to form a sort of “mini panel,” that was in charge of deciding which cases would go before the primary panel.

The team came together once a year and was charged with the daunting task of designating the most legitimate cases of UFO encounters reported in the past year, as well as examining any physical evidence of said encounters.

It would be at the panel’s discretion to decide if any of this evidence represented incontrovertible proof of alien life and thus award its presenter the prize money. Up until this point the only winner was Durel Johnson and family who were involved in the renowned Delphos, Kansas UFO encounter, resulting in an intriguing series of photos, which won them $5,000 for “scientifically valuable evidence  on UFOs.”

TERRY AND THE SPHERE HEAD OUT

In 1974 the panel convened in New Orleans and the Betz family decided to send the mystery sphere to the event. While they no doubt hoped to become the recipients of the substantial reward, the family’s primary objective was to expose the sphere to these esteemed scientists who might be able to suggest what further analysis might be performed to identify the anomalous orb.

Terry was designated as the personal courier of the object and was sent to New Orleans with the sphere in tow. Needless to say, the mystery sphere became the center of attention and between April 20 and 21, 1974, the device was subjected to yet another battery of tests.

While the panel confirmed much of what the Omega Minus One Institute and the Navy’s researchers had already revealed — including the fact that that the object acted like an audio transponder — it could not discern the origin of the orb, but, as intrigued as the panel members were by the object, the fact that it had no direct connection to any UFO sighting negated any possibility of the Betz’s winning the $50,000 reward.

In the end, Hynek surmised that the object was likely man-made, although he conceded that he had no idea what it was or where it came from, but the orb also caught the attention of one of his Blue Ribbon Panel colleagues and this noted scientist’s investigation into the object would take a potentially terrifying turn, forcing him to ask:

IS THE SPHERE A DOOMSDAY DEVICE?

Dr. James Albert Harder — a professor emeritus of civil and hydraulic engineering at the University of California at Berkeley — became increasingly intrigued by the reports he was reading regarding the Betz sphere as was no doubt delighted by his opportunity to examine the object first hand.

Following the National Enquirer competition, the Betz’s allowed him to examine the globe, the results of which were disconcerting to say the least. Below is an excerpt from “The Encyclopedia of UFOs” that helps to illustrate the scene:

“Dr. James A. Harder, the APRO’s consultant in civil engineering, commented that an X-ray of the sphere should result in a donut shaped presentation. However, the Navy X-ray showed two internal spheres after the 300 KV X-ray bombardment rendered the shell invisible. This indicates that the internal material is more dense than the stainless steel shell. Thus, a substantial portion of the weight in the internal material, and the shell could be much thinner than half an inch.”

If all of the above seems a little anticlimactic, then all one needs to do is read the final conclusions that Dr. Harder came to regarding the nature of the sphere and its internal contents. In an announcement made at the International UFO Congress in Chicago on June 24, 1977, Dr. Harder presented his truly astonishing, and utterly terrifying, findings regarding the Betz sphere. According to Story:

“He [Dr. Harder] asserted, based on his X-ray studies, that the two internal spheres are made of elements far heavier than anything known to science. While the heaviest element yet produced in any atomic reactor here on Earth has an atomic number of 105, and the heaviest element occurring naturally on Earth is uranium, with an atomic number of 92, Harder claims to have determined that the Betz sphere has atomic numbers higher than 140. If one were to drill into the sphere, he asserted, ‘perhaps the masses would go critical’ and explode like an atomic bomb.”

As if this weren’t potentially dire enough, Harder went on to warn the assembled audience of scientists and UFO investigators that any attempt to discern the contents of the sphere might unintentionally set it off… or, worse yet, offend it’s ostensibly extraterrestrial creators:

“Because of this danger, and because the object is still presumably under surveillance by its supposed alien makers, Harder warned the audience against any attempt to go to Florida to investigate the Betz sphere.”

It went unreported whether or not the Betz family concurred with Dr. Harding’s potentially apocalyptic conclusions, but it is difficult to believe that they were not at least a little anxious about the potentially devastating effects tampering with their family’s favorite “toy” might cause.

It is at about this time that the stories surrounding the mystery sphere (not to mention the object itself) seemed to vanish without a trace — at least from the public eye. This is baffling considering the fact that it was at just this moment that the tale became truly fascinating, not to mention possibly dangerous. As the years have slipped into decades, two primary questions have haunted investigators. The first unanswered query is …

WHAT THE HELL WAS IT?

The million dollar question is, of course: “Did Terry Betz and his parents actually stumble across an alien artifact that spring day or is there a more prosaic explanation for the whole affair?”

Some of the more mundane hypotheses proposed have ranged from the sphere beings an extra large ball bearing, to a paper mill valve, to a cryogenic storage device known as a Dewer flask, to a check valve used in a phosphate-pumping line, but it seems likely that any of the number of scientists and engineers who examined the sphere were likely to have ruled out any commonplace industrial tool.

Nevertheless, there is one mechanism that numerous researchers have glommed onto as the true identity of the orb; and that is that the sphere was nothing more than a…

SEA BOTTOM MARKER:

The fact both the Marines and the Navy denied ownership of the device is noteworthy; especially in light of the fact that in the years that would follow there would be numerous investigators — including UFO author, Roland D. Story — who would suggest that the object might have been a sea bottom marker, which was used to assist missile launching submarines by giving them stable points of reference for ballistic calculations.

According to Story: “The Navy’s failure to identify [the sphere] could be due to ‘need to know’ restrictions related to classified devices.” The inherent flaw in this theory resides In the fact that even if Berninger and his team did not have “top secret” clearance, the hoopla surrounding the discovery of this sphere, not to mention the reams of paperwork that would have been necessary to conduct these experiments with Navy personnel, would have surely set off some kind of alarm, even in clandestine circles.

The Betz family had already agreed to give up the device if it proved to be military property and it would have taken very little effort on the Navy’s — or the Marines before them, for that matter — part to keep the sphere in their possession if the technology were that sensitive, even if they wanted to keep the device’s purpose a secret. The flip side of this coin is that the Betz sphere might have been a piece of top secret (or maybe even extraterrestrial) technology and that the Navy replaced with with and exact replica, but that is pure speculation.

One should also consider the fact that Antoine Betz was a marine engineer. While he was not likely to be an expert on military tech, it would seem improbable that he would not have at least recognized the device’s maritime origin. So, assuming that this was not a ballistic reference marker, perhaps we ought to consider the possibility that the Betz family came across a…

STOLEN STEEL BALLS:

According to the April 23, 1974 edition of the Ocala Star-Banner, a sculptor by the name of James Durling-Jones claimed to have lost the orb when a cluster of them fell off the luggage rack of his Volkswagen bus while he was driving through the Jacksonville area near Easter of 1971 on his way home to Taos, New Mexico.

Durling-Jones asserted that he had gotten the industrial valve spheres from an anonymous friend who had procured the objects illegally. He further asserted that the rattling that the Betz’s claimed to hear within the sphere was due to the fact that the company that manufactured it had drilled holes into the object allowing metal chips to fall inside, before re-welding them shut.

This seems to fly in the face of the fact that none of the experts who examined the orb noticed any weld marks and that the X-rays seemed to reveal distinct structures within the object. His testimony is further cast into doubt due to the fact that the artist — ostensibly in an effort to protect his friend and his illicit activities — refused to name the company that manufactured his spheres, which might have put the whole business to rest once and for all.

While it seems as if the industrial angle may rest on shaky ground, there’s the distinct possibility that the sphere was another kind of artificial object, which may have plummeted from the loftiest of heights to the Earth below in the form of a…

DOWNED SATELLITE:

It’s difficult to claim that the Betz mystery sphere does not resemble a Sputnik style Soviet satellite with its antennas ripped off, or perhaps even a simplified version of China’s Shijian-1 experimental satellite, which was launched in 1971.

As tempting as it is to suppose that the sphere was a man-made byproduct of the space race, the fact remains that that there was absolutely no indication of a crash on the Betz property (save the brush fire) and no sign of any reentry burns on the object itself. These two facts alone would seem to entirely disqualify the notion that the mystery sphere was a terrestrially constructed, orbiting object.

So leaving behind both industrial and satellite theories let’s look at some less ordinary options, including the fact that the orb seemed to have an eerie resemblance to the oft report World War II aerial marauders known as…

FOO FIGHTERS:

Beginning in November of 1944, WWII Allied aircraft pilots began to describe frightening encounters with small, glowing, silver colored spheres in the skies over Germany and, eventually, the Pacific Theater.

These strange airborne anomalies appeared to follow the Allied planes individually and in clusters. They were able to maneuver around the planes at tremendous rates of speed and displayed astonishing dexterity.

Even stranger was the fact that these peculiar “machines” seemed to toy with the crew of these aircraft, causing a great deal of consternation among those aboard, but exhibit few (if any) overtly hostile actions.

These sightings were taken very seriously by the military brass, who assumed that these “foo fighters” were yet another new weapon conceived by Nazi scientists to turn the tide of the war, but soon it became evident that these bizarre aerial acrobats were also accosting Axis pilots. According to UFO researcher and professor of natural sciences at Western Michigan University, Michael D. Swords:

“During WWII, the foo fighter experiences of [Allied] pilots were taken very seriously. Accounts of these cases were presented to heavyweight scientists, such as David Griggs, Luis Alvarez and H.P. Robertson. The phenomenon was never explained. Most of the information about the issue has never been released by military intelligence.”

While foo fighter run-ins continued to be reported by pilots following WWII, reports had dwindled down in the latter half of the 20^th Century, still it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the fact that the Betz sphere, at least on the surface, seem to be very similar to eyewitness descriptions of foo fighters. But if these round, glowing hummingbird-like objects are not to blame, then might this be some kind of…

ALIEN ATOMIC BOMB:

In his influential 1969, book “Chariots of the Gods?” author Erich von Däniken introduced the world at large to Robert Charroux’s theory that it might have been extraterrestrial atomic weapons that were responsible for the total destruction of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as other ancient disasters. According to von Däniken:

“Let us imagine for a moment that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed according to plan, i.e. deliberately, by a nuclear explosion.”

Supporters of the alien atomic bomb theory maintain that in the ancient past extraterrestrials — or, possibly, a lost civilization such as Atlantis — managed to detonate nuclear weapons on Earth. The venerated Hindu epic known as the Mahabharata even describes a “single projectile charged with all the power of the universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame as bright as ten thousand suns rose in all its splendor.”

This, one must admit, sounds suspiciously like an atomic explosion and its resultant mushroom cloud. The Mahabharata also refers to great battles were fought with in the ancient past with airships and beam weapons, which resemble some modern reports of UFO technology.

Needless to say, mainstream academics dismiss this theory out of hand, but if (for the sake of argument) we entertain the notion that aliens were visiting Earth in the ancient past and occasionally waging war with our ancestors, then is it not possible that the potential doomsday device described by Dr. Harding might not be a more modern alien weapon that accidentally (or intentionally) fell into the hands of human beings? The premise is admittedly thin, but still intriguing in a science fiction sort of way.

The truth is that we may never know what the Betz mystery sphere was, but one sure fire way to try and end this enigma is to solve the second biggest mystery surrounding this device; and that is…

WHERE THE HELL IS IT?

When all the routine theories and wild speculations are put finally aside, the single biggest mystery that remains is — whatever happened to the Betz mystery sphere? In the years that have followed this strange series of events numerous other unfathomable orbs have plummeted to the Earth in such diverse places as Russia, Australia, Iraq and Alabama, but none have ever managed to capture the world’s attention quite like the Betz sphere.

Is Terry Betz, or one of his relatives, still in possession of the orb? Have its allegedly alien creators reclaimed it or has it long since been confiscated by the United States military? The latter would make sense if Dr. Harding’s warning about the object’s destructive potential proved to be true.

Sadly, following Dr. Harding’s dire forewarning in 1974, there’s been very little mention of the sphere in the media. Like many flash-in-the-pan curiosity stories, this one likely ran its course and the public’s interest was captured by some other passing fad before wrapping this puzzle up in any satisfying fashion.

Of course, there’s a chance that in the years following these bizarre events some accredited scientific institution inspected the mystery sphere and made a formal announcement regarding its origin, thus solving this enigma once and for all, but if that’s the case than there’s no public record of it anywhere that I’ve found.

In the end there’s a good chance that we will never know definitive origin of the mystery sphere, but There is the (frankly minute) chance that as you read these words, the irrefutable proof of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence might be sitting in a cardboard box, collecting dust someone’s dingy basement just waiting for a curious child to discover its enthralling (and potentially apocalyptic) secrets.

World Health Organization officials are baffled as to the specific cause of a strange and terrifying new medical condition, known to exist since 2009, which has begun to afflict children in parts of Uganda. While some of the symptoms involve children falling asleep and passing out under bizarre circumstances (such as sudden weather changes or exposure to exotic foods), many of the conditions that accompany the onset of “nodding disease” are far more troubling, in that they remind us of popular depictions of zombies on the silver screen.

Some reports out of Uganda have described mothers having to tie their children down when they leave their homes, for fear that their children will wander away mindlessly, occasionally becoming lost in thickets and underbrush. In other incidents, the afflicted youngsters have shown the curious propensity for starting fires, contributing to a baffling set of circumstances for which, to date, there is no known cause or solution.

Nodding disease has already been compared to a number of similar conditions, including a variety of “river sickness” known to exist in the region for a number of years that can cause the onset of blindness. However, perhaps the most peculiar aspect associated with the nodding disease is that in nearly all cases, the children affected are between the ages of five and fifteen.

Please note some readers may find the following images distressing.

Among the various conditions that appear with the onset of nodding disease are also stunted growth, as well as seizures reminiscent of epilepsy; with regard to the latter, some epilepsy medications have garnered results in treating the condition, although the effects tend to be mostly offsetting, rather than capable of a full recovery.

The zombie-like effects were made most apparent in a recent article by the British Daily Mail, which described the plight of one mother and her family as follows:

(Grace) Lagat now has to tie up her children when she leaves the house to stop them from disappearing.

She told the TV station:’When I am going to the garden, I tie them with cloth.

‘If I don’t tie them I come back and find that they have disappeared.’

Almost immediately, the conditions described here begin to remind us of films such as Danny Boyles’ 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, both of which feature a strange virus known as “rage” that causes those affected to literally become bloodthirsty zombies. Of particular concern is the mention of such children mindlessly starting fires in their homes, as with such behavior the more obvious dangers associated with this alleged Ugandan “zombie” disease become frighteningly apparent.

As to what the actual cause may be, one can only guess. However, there are a few things that are indeed interesting to note about the apparent affects of this mystery illness. For one, the disease has been reported in children as young as three years of age, with reported cases declining after age fifteen (reports of nineteen-year-old victims do exist, however). If the 3 to 5 year age group is indeed a reasonable “gateway” demographic as far as this illness is concerned, we might consider what kinds of environmental circumstances would be most prevalent in conjunction with children around this time in their lives. Rather obviously, the weaker natural immunities of the children at this age may come into play, but it is also curious to note that this youngest age group also represents those who have only recently begun walking. Could the fact that the disease mostly strikes young children learning to walk–or even older ones who are more susceptible to contagions by virtue of their age–be a factor worthy of consideration here?

The strange and frightening effects of the so-called Ugandan “nodding sickness” remain puzzling to experts… what kind of agent could possibly be the cause behind this strange and damaging condition?

Today as I sit writing—better than “today as I lay dying” by an unequivocal measure—I’ve found momentary shelter from a very literal storm in a small, stony tavern near the banks of the French Broad River, where I’ve stopped to pound back a tall Guinness in the furtherance of my week-long celebration of that most hallowed of holidays, Saint Patty’s Day.

Yes, Saint Patrick’s Day is my very favorite holiday by a similarly unequivocal measure. What finer to celebrate than a holiday in which the tall glasses (and even the rivers in some locales) are dyed a beautiful Gralien-green, and some of the finest beer that’s ever been brewed is sold on special in all the most well-stocked taverns and breweries?

And never one to disappoint, how could I even broach the subject of Saint Patty’s day with out a bit of seasonally-themed Fortean Fear and Folk Devilry to quench your thirsty minds? Indeed, much like every known avenue of the strange and unusual, there is a lesser known patron saint for the Shamrock Holiday that I’d like to propose… and one who, unlike many of his anomalous kindred, was quite physical in the very realest sense.

One of my favorite breweries in Beer City USA (that is, Asheville, North Carolina) is known as Green Man Brewery, themed around an Irish pub that features the brews by the name of Jack Of The Wood; this name, in itself, is a reference to the infamous “Green Man” of European folklore, which constituted a kind of Sasquatch like man-beast of the pseudo-spirit variety (another common name for these beings were woodwoses, or more simply, sometimes just wild men).

However, there was another popular urban legend on separate continent that borrowed the name of “Green Man” which, while purely what I call a Folk Devil, and in the surest sense, had its origins rooted in fact.

Raymond Robinson of Beaver Country, Pennsylvania, was colloquially known around his area as “The Green Man,” or occasionally “Charlie No Face.” Having sustained permanent disfigurement following a terrible electrical accident he suffered as a young man, Robinson’s physical appearance was so frightening that he would never venture outside in the daylight, instead waiting until well after the fall of night to go for his long roadside walks. While Robinson was still alive, it was common that people would traverse the quiet country roads late in the evening, in hopes of coming across the famous Green Man of Western Pennsylvania on one of his nighttime romps.

As a result of the terrible accident (involving circumstances under which another boy had died only a year earlier), Robinson was not expected to survive. However, he did manage to pull through, despite his injuries, though at the cost of losing both of his eyes, an arm, and other several features. Regardless of his handicaps, Robinson went on to successfully work at producing a variety of things ranging from folk art projects to leatherworkings, becoming well known and well loved in his community.

Interestingly, Robinson’s most obvious handicap—the loss of his ability to see—never prevented him from his famous late-night strolls along State Route 351, where it is said that he was often met and hounded by locals that considered him a noteworthy item of color and interest. He would occasionally barter photographs and conversation with those who met him for beer or a smoke, and somehow managed to escape any serious injury throughout his years of wandering along the highways, shrouded in darkness.

To this day, it is common for teenagers and college students coasting along at night to recount legends about he famous Green Man of Route 351, though it is suspected that the urban legend status to which Robinson’s character had been promoted over time somewhat overshadowed the true nature of his legacy. In fact, it is suspected that many today remain unaware of the fact that a real Green Man did once exist, and that the legends of a eerie, disfigured man walking along the roadways in night actually have their basis in fact.

And thus, it is with certain delight that the Pennsylvania Green Man receives our accolades for being this year’s Favorite Fortean Folk Devil for the mid-March season… may the luck of the Irish shine on him always, wherever he may be.

This is a special guest post by Andrew Nicholson - www.weirdaustralia.com

A recent article by an Australian astronomer on UFOs and extraterrestrials illustrates the continuing ignorance of many within the scientific community in relation to the UFO phenomenon and other aspects of the paranormal, and exposes the double standards employed when it comes to making extraordinary claims.

In Encounters of the third kind? Not even close published on The Sydney Morning Herald website on 19 January 2012, Perry Vlahos, an astronomy educator, author, broadcaster and past president of the Astronomical Society of Victoria discusses the subject of UFOs and extraterrestrials.

Vlahos begins by taking a refreshingly objective point of view in relation to the possibility of intelligent life existing elsewhere in the universe.

“From my experience, astronomers disagree on the possibility of sophisticated civilisations among the stars – some think ‘yes’ and others think ’no’,” he states.

But he is far less flexible in his thinking when it comes to the possibility that we may have been visited by any such ‘sophisticated civilisations’. “But most agree on one point,” he continues. “There is no credible evidence to suggest we have ever been visited by extraterrestrials.”

“If they exist, they’ve not been here yet,” he confidently concludes.

Oh, really!

This is a bold statement. In fact, it is an extraordinary claim. And as Carl Sagan famously said, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. This should be as true for a scientist claiming we have never been visited by extraterrestrials, as it should for an ancient alien proponent claiming we’re the descendants of a slave race of alien-human hybrids.

Perhaps he should’ve said that, “If they exist, we have no conclusive evidence that they have ever been here”. A far more scientifically acceptable approach, one would think.

Vlahos then takes it upon himself to share the thoughts of the astronomy community.

“Most astronomers think reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are just that – objects in the sky that are yet to be identified. Certainly, all reports of such sightings cannot be hoaxes and so we must accept that some of them are genuine.”

I commend Viahos for at least acknowledging that some UFO reports are genuine.

He then adds that, “It does not necessarily follow, however, that they are craft piloted by extraterrestrial beings.”

This is true. We do not know that such sightings are craft piloted by extraterrestrials. Unfortunately, there is a widespread misconception that any poor misguided soul who takes the subject of UFOs seriously believes they must be piloted by aliens from elsewhere in the universe. The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) is just one theory on the origin of the UFO phenomenon. There are other equally valid theories, and not everyone open minded enough to take the phenomenon seriously automatically equates UFOs with extraterrestrials.

The fact is, we do not know who or what is responsible.

Vlahos then discusses the astronomy community’s involvement in investigating sightings. “Many astronomers, including the author, have been involved in identifying sightings that have puzzled the public.”

“In most of these cases, natural phenomena, astronomical objects or local intelligence in the form of aircraft, balloons, satellites and the like are the cause.”

I agree with Vlahos here. The vast majority of UFO sightings, once investigated, usually have a more prosaic explanation.

It’s time to redefine what a UFO is.

It is time to weed out such reports that, with a little investigation, can be easily explained. The current convention that any anomalous object seen in the sky remains a UFO until it can be identified otherwise only damages the credibility of the many genuine, inexplicable UFO sightings. We need to turn this on its head. Only after a sighting satisfies certain criteria, and all other possibilities ruled out, should an anomalous object be classified as a UFO.

Such criteria might include, for example, the number and/or credibility of witnesses, the size and shape of the craft, the ability of the object to defy known laws of physics, and the object demonstrating speed impossible for any known aircraft.

Tick two or more boxes, and you have a UFO sighting. No more sightings of satellites, Jupiter, Chines lanterns, balloons or swamp gas please.

Double standards … what happened to scientific rigour?

Next, Vlahos links the UFO phenomenon with crop circles through the religious fervour of some believers.

“In some instances, it becomes almost a religious experience to people and no amount of explanation seems to change their beliefs.

“A good example of this is the crop circles that started appearing in England in the late 1970s. Some members of the public thought these to be the work of artistic aliens.

“Some years later, however, two men, Dave Chorley and Doug Bower, decided the joke had gone on for long enough and declared to news reporters how, under cover of darkness, they had made the circles in the wheat fields with rope and boards. They even gave a demonstration for the cameras.”

Ok, this is fair enough. This pair of pranksters was obviously responsible for some crop circles. But all crop circles? And where their claims rigorously tested as the scientific process dictates?

No. Because they came forward and admitted to some reporters they were responsible and gave their demonstration with a couple of planks and some rope, that’s good enough for this scientist. Case closed!

Similarly, the famous Belgian Triangle UFO photo was declared a hoax when last year, a Belgian man identified only as Patrick, obviously wracked with years of guilt, announced to the world that as an 18 year old, he had hoaxed the photo by making a simple polystyrene model and photographing it.

Okay, maybe he did perpetrate a hoax. But where was the scientific testing to prove or disprove his claims? There was none. Because he said he did it, again that’s good enough. Why weren’t his claims treated with scepticism until he could successfully reproduce the photos using the same camera he supposedly used to take the original photos?

Here is a case of double standards, as the scientific establishment is often quick to dismiss the claims of the paranormal due to the inability of paranormal investigators and researchers to replicate results.

A mystery no longer, should all the facts be known.

Vlahos concludes in his article that, “The tiny percentage of UFO reports that remain unsolved would almost surely be a mystery no longer, were all the facts known.”

Tell this to the former Head of Operations at the Belgian Air Staff and to the Iranian and Peruvian fighter pilots who contributed to Leslie Kean’s acclaimed book UFOs Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On The Record.

It is time for all of us to take a more mature, open-minded approach to the UFO phenomenon. This includes scientists taking a more objective stance and treating the true phenomenon with the same scientific curiosity admirably demonstrated in so many other areas of our everyday world.

And it applies equally to the so-called ‘true believers’ who treat every coloured light in the sky as a sign that our space brothers are lovingly watching over us.

Only then can we hope to have an intelligent conversation and perhaps gain some understanding of the perplexing UFO mystery.

This is a special guest post by Andrew Nicholson – www.weirdaustralia.com

Beverly French stepped outside her home November 25, 2008, dragging a box of Christmas lights she and her husband Bill would soon string across the eaves. Bill had taken his box of lights out back.

The French’s had lived in their home, along a cul-de-sac on the outskirts of a small, Northern California town, about 40 years, and owned a general store/gas station in this town of about 2,000 people.

The day, two days before Thanksgiving, was peaceful. That peace did not last.

“I was sitting on the porch with a box of lights at my feet when I heard someone call out to me,” Beverly said.

“Do you need any help?” the voice asked.

Beverly looked up from untangling strings of lights to find two children on the sidewalk in front of her house. She hadn’t noticed them approach, which was unlikely on this quiet dirt road, engine noise and a cloud of dust advertising visitors. What struck her as even more odd, she didn’t know them.

“Our neighbors, all six of them, were good friends of ours and we all looked out for one another,” she said. “Point being, not a single car, person, bike or bird came through that neighborhood that we all didn’t know about.”

One child, a tall girl of about sixteen, was dressed unlike a teenager. She wore slacks, an argyle sweater, overcoat and pearls, with her nearly white hair pulled back from her face. The boy, about ten, had thick, dark hair. He held the girl’s hand.

“She was the one who spoke to me and as I stared, not responding, she spoke again,” Beverly said.

“It looks like you have a lot of work to do,” the girl said, staring unblinking into Beverly’s eyes. “We would like to help you.”

The girl’s voice was confident, polished, “like a radio show host.” This wasn’t the voice of a teenager. A shock of fear ran through Beverly.

“I just felt afraid,” Beverly said. “I had no idea why but these kids unnerved me unlike anything else. I’ve been robbed at gunpoint and even that didn’t make me as quaky as these kids.”

It was the eyes.

“It was something about the way she looked at me,” Beverly said. “It took me a few months after the incident to place where I’d seen that look before but I remembered while watching TV one day. It was the way I see sharks look at their prey. No emotion in their eyes, no motivation beyond hunger, just this cold deadness.”

Beverly knew she had to make these children leave.

“No thanks, you all should run along, I’m fine here,” she said. Then the girl smiled and Beverly thought she might die.

“Beverly, we want to help you. It looks like you have a lot of work to do and you need some help with it,” the girl said.

Owning one of the ten businesses in this small town, Beverly was used to hearing her name come out of all sorts of mouths, but not like this.

“It was creepy as all get out hearing her address me like that,” she said.

“Do I know your parents?” Beverly asked her.

The girl ignored the question. “You should let us help you,” she insisted.

Beverly nearly screamed for her husband who worked on the other side of the house, but something inside her didn’t want these children to know she was terrified.

“I’m fine,” Beverly told her. “Your parents wouldn’t like you being all the way out here. It’s getting dark. You go on home.”

Then the expression on the boy, the quiet, quiet boy, changed. He looked directly at Beverly and smiled.

“It was kind of dazzling, like he was really happy,” Beverly said. “He didn’t say anything to me, he just kept smiling while they both stared through me.”

As she looked at the boy, his smile suddenly grew dark, sinister.

“I felt my hands start to shake,” Beverly said. “He was aggressively chewing on his lower lip.”

After what may have been a few minutes or a few seconds, the girl shrugged and led the boy away. When they disappeared down the street, Beverly dropped to the porch, tears welling in her eyes. The garage door opened, and Bill walked up to her; he was upset as well.

“What’s the matter?” Beverly asked.

“I was working out back and this real tall, black-haired girl comes around the gate and asks me if I need any help,” Bill said.

At first, he thought she may be selling magazines, but she looked too old for that.

“I told her that I was fine and asked what she needed. She told me she needed to help me,” Bill said. “Beverly, I tell you, something about her gave me the creeps. She kept staring at me like she wanted me to do something. I told her to leave and she went out the back gate into the alley.”

Beverly told Bill her story, and they realized these frightening children had no transportation – they had to still be in the neighborhood.

“I hadn’t heard a car or bike,” Beverly said. “How did they get down the road? Walking? No one would come out to our property by foot. It’s just too far off the highway and nothing else is in walking distance.”

They locked their house and got into their car to try and find the threatening strangers, but the children were gone.

“Bill and I drove the road between our cul-de-sac and the main highway four times,” Beverly said. “We even drove up and down the highway for a couple of miles in each direction. We saw no trace of them. At the time, I honestly thought that maybe they were casing houses.”

When the French’s returned home, they reported their encounters to the police, and told their neighbors. Beverly thought this was the last she would see of these strange children, but three days later they came back.

Beverly had just come home from the grocery store and while pulling bags from her car, someone said her name.

“I turned around to see the same two kids as before plus another girl, who I assumed was the one who had spoken with Bill,” she said.

The blonde girl and dark-haired boy wore the same clothes. The new girl, taller than the first, looked to be in her early 20s, her short black hair framing a strikingly pretty face. The young, dark-haired woman stood at the end of Beverly’s drive; the others remained further back.

“Can I help you carry those?” the young woman asked.

This new girl unnerved Beverly more than the younger children.

“This girl had a confidence that I could not believe. It absolutely oozed from her,” Beverly said. “It was like she was laughing at me or superior to me.”

“No thanks,” Beverly said. “Are you all Mormons? If so, I already have a stack of pamphlets in my recycle bin. No use for any more.”

The young woman smiled.

“No, Beverly, we just want to help you,” she said, then held out her hand like she wanted Beverly to shake it. Beverly didn’t move.

“I could see that she was visibly annoyed with that,” Beverly said.

Beverly put her grocery bags on the hood of the car, reached in and triggered the garage door opener, never taking her eyes off these terrifying children.

“I don’t need any help,” she said to them. “I told your two friends that I’m just fine. If you’re looking for a job, try the help wanted pages. You all should run along home.”

Beverly shut her car door, picked up the groceries and began backing into the garage when she noticed something that froze her soul.

“I glanced over at the boy, who was staring at me intently,” she said. “This is when I began to realize there was something else going on. I tell you, this kid’s eyes were solid black. They were the color of asphalt and had no shine to them at all. I felt angry at myself for being afraid and angry at my inability to understand what was going on. I stared at that little boy’s black eyes and wondered how much was going on in the universe that I didn’t know about.”

Beverly knew she was in danger. Maybe the young woman felt the fear inside Beverly; she took a few bold steps forward. As this eerie woman stepped closer, the urge to sit rushed through Beverly, “like suddenly I had no energy.”

Drawing as much strength as she could find, Beverly remained on her feet. The young woman didn’t move closer, but when Beverly looked back at the blonde girl, the child’s eyes, like the boy’s, had darkened into dull black voids.

“Although I was quite unnerved, I will admit that I wondered if they had put in contact lenses or were playing some kind of a trick on me,” Beverly said. “I hadn’t yet given in to thinking this was a paranormal experience. I did think that I was potentially the victim of a clever robbery, although they made no motions to take anything from me.”

“I want you to leave,” Beverly said to the young woman and the two monstrous children. “I want you to leave and I never want you to come back. I want you to get off my property or I’m going to call the police again.”

The young woman smiled again, sending more chills through Beverly. This person’s eyes weren’t black like the children, they were an icy blue.

“She nodded like she thought what I said was cute, the way you nod at a child telling a story,” Beverly said. “I am not a violent woman but I felt this rush of hatred toward her and, I’ll admit, I toyed with the idea of attacking her.”

As this ran through Beverly’s mind, the young woman slowly shook her head, like she could hear Beverly’s thoughts.

“You don’t want to do that, Beverly. You should really think first,” the ominous young woman said. “Some people don’t realize that other people are just trying to help them. It makes me really sad that these people who refuse help have no idea what they’re missing. You’re going to regret this.”

The woman stared deeply into Beverly’s eyes for an uncomfortably long time. Then she turned and walked down the gravel road toward the highway, the two children close behind her. When the three were out of sight, Beverly bolted inside the house, locked the doors, and called the police.

“I didn’t really know what to say, except that I thought a group of kids was casing houses,” she said. “I had no proof of this and although the officer I spoke with was very polite, I could tell that nothing more would come of it. I didn’t mention the black eyes.”

Beverly never saw those children again, but they weren’t through with her.

“Later that afternoon I began to feel ill,” she said. “I had a horrible migraine and spent the day in bed.”

Her sleep was wracked by dreams of those children with their dead, black eyes.

“I wrote this all off as stress but I was still sick the next day – and the next,” she said. “I figured I just had the flu or a cold, but my dreams were getting really intense. I even started to imagine I was seeing the two kids wherever I went.”

Nausea, fever, and rashes plagued Beverly for two weeks. Fear gripped her tightly, and she refused to leave the house without Bill or a neighbor accompanying her.

“I hated the idea of pulling up to my driveway and seeing those kids again,” she said. “I did eventually get well but I never forgot my meeting with these people. I continued to have vivid, frightening dreams for close to six months.”

Bill and Beverly eventually sold their house and moved to a larger town, but the memories of the wicked children followed them.

“I was relieved to not have to look at my home and remember my experience with those kids,” she said. “I have no idea to this day what they were or what they wanted.”

One of the most bizarre, not to mention flat out terrifying, mysteries of the modern age concerns the enigmatic deaths of nine Russian mountaineers whose cross-country skiing trip ended in a tragedy so ghastly and perplexing that it has mystified experts for over half a century.

Excursions into nature can be serene for some and exhilarating for others, but for an unfortunate few these sojourns into the untouched wilds of our world can be tragic. Still other such journeys into the unknown end in such unfathomably frightening circumstances that they become the stuff of legend. Such is the destiny that befell nine ill-fated skiing enthusiasts in the late 1950s.

Unlike so many of the most intriguing mysteries of the 20^th Century — including the fate of the crew of the Ourang Medan or the whereabouts of the missing Anjikuni Villagers of Canada — What makes the so-called “Dyatlov Pass Incident” so fascinating is the fact that there is absolutely no doubt that these events actually occurred… and dreadfully little doubt that one of the last sensations experienced by these poor souls was one of abject terror.

The proof of this tragedy exists not only in the plethora of photographs that have been preserved, but also in the extensive records (many of which are still allegedly classified) of the Soviet military who investigated the odd case and were manifestly unable to reach any definitive conclusions despite an overwhelming amount of physical evidence. In fact, the investigators tasked with solving this case were eventually forced to attribute the whole peculiar affair to: “a compelling unknown force.”

But, before we go any further; like any good mystery we must begin at the beginning…

TEN LITTLE SKIERS

On January 25, 1959, one ski instructor, three engineers and seven students from the former Soviet Union’s Ural Polytechnic Institute, located in the city then known as Sverdlovsk, boarded a train and embarked on a journey to the nearby Otorten Mountain range, which is nestled in the northern Urals, for a strenuous cross-country skiing expedition.

The leader of the excursion was an enthusiastic 23 year-old by the name of Igor Dyatlov — for whom the notorious Pass would eventually be named — who had assembled a crack team of male and female skiers with the intention that this arduous trip would serve as a training exercise for a future expedition to the more difficult and treacherous Arctic regions.

As the group of seasoned skiers left the train station and hopped a truck headed toward their very own “Alpine in the Urals,” one of the team members, Yury Yudin, fell ill and was forced to remain behind at the settlement of Vizhai, which was the last outpost before the Otorten range.

Yudin hugged his comrades goodbye and with envy watched them leave… scarcely could he imagine at the time that he would the lucky one.

Later in life Yudin would claim that the one thing that had haunted him the most over the years was not being able to discover what kind of diabolical force stole the lives of his friends; a fate he would have shared were it not for his unexpected illness. According to Yudin:

 “If I had a chance to ask God just one question, it would be, ‘What really happened to my friends that night?’”

Two day after embarking on their adventure, the nine remaining athletes — including engineers Rustem Slobodin, Georgyi Krivonischenko and Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel, as well as students Yuri Doroshenko, Zinaida Kolmogorova, Lyudmila Dubinina and ski instructor and guide, Alexander Zolotarev — all followed Dyatlov toward the first stop on their long and grueling journey, the Gora Otorten mountain.

The date was January 28, 1959. The team would never make it to their destination… and none of them would ever be seen alive again.

THE SEARCH BEGINS

On February 11, 1959, The Dyatlov Ski Team was supposed to arrive in Vizhai. Among their first orders of business, following a hot meal and a stiff drink, were to send their loved ones telegrams announcing the success of their mission.

When no telegrams were received, most of the team’s family members were not concerned, realizing that journeys like this rarely end on schedule, but when over a week went by with no word from the skiers, their relatives began to demand that the Ural Polytechnic Institute organize a search and rescue operation, which they did posthaste.

Within days it became clear that the institute’s ground based initiative would not be able to produce any results on their own and that was when both military and civilian authorities got involved in the search.  Military planes and helicopters were swiftly dispatched to the area and it was on February 25, that a pilot first spotted something curious on a mountainside below.

A MYSTERY IS BORN:

The next day the search party — including fellow Polytechnic student Mikhail Sharavin — made their way up to an abandoned encampment on the eastern slope of a mountain listed as “1079.”

The foreboding peak is better known to the indigenous Mansi tribesmen as “Kholat Syakhl,” which (prophetically perhaps) translates from their native tongue as the “Mountain of the Dead.”

The would-be rescuers discovered a badly damaged tent and a plethora of footprints made by what appeared to be at least eight different people radiating out from the devastated tent. Sharavin then described the state of the large tent that the skiers all shared:

“We discovered that the tent was half torn down and covered with snow. It was empty, and all the group’s belongings and shoes had been left behind.”

The search party members quickly realized that the tracks consisted of either bare or sock clad feet and, in one case, a single shoe. Two sets of prints led down a slope toward a densely forested area, but the tracks were covered by snow roughly 1,500 feet away from the tent.

Sharavin followed the trail and found the remains of a fire beneath a looming, ancient pine… and with it something much worse.

Near the long dead fire were the frozen remains of team members Doroshenko and Krivonischenko. The searchers noted with utter bewilderment that even though the men were well within range of the now ravaged tent both men were naked and shoeless, save for their underwear. The investigators also saw that the branches of the old pine had been snapped off up to a height of almost 15-feet.

Forensic tests later confirmed that traces of skin were found embedded in the bark, indicating that the pair had frantically attempted to climb the tree, snapping off branches until their hands were mass of pulpy flesh.

At this point the searchers no doubt began to wonder what manner of “beast” could scare these men so much that they abandoned their clothes, despite the freezing cold, and tore the skin from their palms in a desperate attempt to get to safety. The fact that there were no evident animal tracks and that they had the time to try and start a fire, combined with the fact that the bodies of the men remained untouched only heighted the searchers puzzlement.

Not long after the party found the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischenko, they stumbled across the corpse of team leader Dyatlov nearly 900-feet away from the other cadavers, but somewhat closer to the tent. Dyatlov was on his back; one hand was clinging to an undersized birch tree branch while his other hand, locked in ice and rigor mortis, appeared to be protecting his head from some unknown assailant.

Half buried in the snow not far from the tent was the body of Rustem Slobodin, which rescuers found lying face down in the snow. Slobodin’s skull bore a deep fracture nearly 7-inches long; nevertheless medical experts later determined that the most likely cause death was hypothermia, which only compounded the befuddlement of the volunteer and military search party participants.

The carcass of Zinaida Kolmogorov was turned up the furthest away from the group. Traces of blood were found near her corpse, yet it was not revealed if she was its source, although that conclusion would seem likely. The rescuers could not understand why there was no evidence of a struggle.

The party continued their efforts to locate the rest of the team, but a lengthy search for the remaining members turned up nothing. The men on the site could not comprehend why a group of experienced skiers would dash half-naked into the bitter cold of the forest in the black of night. Nor could they fathom the kind of terror that must have inspired these young people to act so recklessly.

Even more perplexing was the fact that the searchers, after inspecting the severely damaged tent, came to the conclusion that the material had been torn from the inside, as if its occupants had been frantic to escape from something that was already sealed in the tent with them or were in such a rush that unclasping the tent from the inside was not an option!

Amidst the broken wood, shredded canvas and debris of the ravaged tent, investigators discovered rolls of undeveloped film and the journals of a few of the expedition members, but rather than helping to illuminate the truth, these finds would only add more layers to this already dense mystery.

MAY 4, 1959:

After two months of fruitless searching, the spring thaw finally set in and the weather let up enough to reveal the corpses of the missing team members in a ravine situated some 225-feet from the pine that served as an arboreal memorial to Doroshenko and Krivonischenko.

The four lost skiers — instructor Alexander Zolotaryov, engineer Nicolas Thibeaux-Brignollel and students Alexander Kolevatov and Ludmila Dubinina — were discovered buried beneath 12-feet of snow and ice. All had apparently succumbed to brutal internal injuries. Unlike their friends who had perished above, these victims were all fully dressed.

As in the case of Slobodin, Thibeaux -Brignollel’s skull showed evidence of having been struck by a heavy object. Zolotarev and Dubunina’s chests had been crushed inward, shattering several ribs and causing massive internal damage. Strangely there were no indications of what may have caused this severe trauma and, even more bizarrely, the corpses showed no signs of bruising or soft tissue damage.

Doctor Boris Vozrozhdenny, who inspected the bodies, stated that the force with which these corpses were hit exceeded that capable by man and went on to claim that the damage: “…was equal to the effect of a car crash.”

The searchers were startled to observe that Dubinina’s head was tilted back; her stretched mouth wide as if emitting a silent scream. Upon closer inspection the rescuers realized that her tongue had been ripped out by the root.

They also noted that at some point these poor individuals had either exchanged or stolen the clothing off their comrades as Dubinina’s foot was swaddled in a tattered piece of Krivonishenko’s wool pants and Zolotaryov was found wearing Dubinina’s faux fur hat and coat. The searchers were unsure if this was the result of dressing too swiftly in a dark tent or a case of scavenging articles of clothing from deceased teammates.

At the funerals that soon followed the discovery of the bodies, many family members claimed that the skin of the deceased bore an unnatural orange color and, even more disturbingly, most reports insisted that their hair had lost its pigmentation and was a dull shade of grey. Skeptics claim that the orange skin was caused by exposure and that the hair had not lost its color, but it’s interesting that so many of the bereaved relatives took the time to notice these strange features.

As if all of this were not odd enough, some of the articles of clothing found on the bodies were measured as emitting higher than normal levels of radiation.

THE INVESTIGATION:

The compounding enigmas surrounding this fantastic case, combined with the youth and popularity of the victims, sent Soviet investigators into overdrive.

The first thing they did was to try and reconstruct the series of events that led to the Dyatlov Ski Teams shocking demise with the help of the journals and film rolls discovered at the scene.

The primary mystery that faced them was why Dyatlov and his team would have chosen to make camp on an exposed mountain face when a detour of less than a mile would have afforded them some shelter from the harsh Russian elements.

It would be Yudin — the only team member to survive thanks to a timely illness — who would shed light on this question:

“Dyatlov probably did not want to lose the distance they had covered, or he decided to practice camping on the mountain slope.”

The photos developed from the rolls of film found in the tent revealed that the expedition members had set up camp on February 2, at approximately 5:00 pm. on the slope of Kholat-Syakhl, in order to get out of the inclement weather. The group had cleared the tree line and was a mere 10-miles from the first destination on their long trek, Gora Otorten. In the photos they all looked healthy and jovial.

Investigators came to the conclusion that sometime around 7:00 pm. the team ate a meal and not long thereafter members began to settle down for the night. The temperature on the slope was less than five degrees Fahrenheit, which has always made investigators wonder why it was that so many of the skiers were in a state of undress. Whatever their reasons may have been, most researchers agree that at this point everything was relatively normal.

Forensic pathologists later estimated that the events which ultimately led to the untimely deaths of the skiers must have occurred somewhere between 9.30 and 11.30pm. They based this speculation on the undigested food found in the stomachs of the victims. At this point military investigators began piecing this puzzle together to the best of their ability. What follows is, in their best estimation, what occurred:

THE TIMELINE OF A TRAGEDY:

The investigators speculated that sometime before midnight on February 2, the skiers were frightened by an “unknown event.” Members of the team managed to cut or rip through the fabric of the tent in a frantic attempt to escape whatever might have been attacking or approaching them and in their haste they burst out into the icy night mostly unclothed and in a state of sheer panic.

Being experienced skiers and mountaineers, the group must have been fully aware of the fact that they would not be able to survive long in the frigid wastes without protection. This indicated to the investigators that the team must have been convinced that they were facing mortal peril and had opted to flee for their lives.

The generally bare tracks found in the deep snow implied that the team had initially scrambled outward in all directions, but that they managed to rejoin one another down the incline about 900-feet away from the now shredded tent. Investigators then surmised that the group then huddled for safety beneath the large pine that Doroshenko and Krivonischenko tried so desperately to climb.

At this point the investigators speculated that an attempt was made by teammates to share clothes, but the states of undress that so many of the victims were found in would seem to indicate otherwise. Still the evidence suggests that the group, obviously terrified by the prospect of returning to their tent, manage to gather enough kindling to start a fire.

The agents on the case then begin to wonder of if Doroshenko and Krivonischenko’s efforts to climb the tree were a futile attempt at escape or if they might have been trying to gain a better vantage point to see if their tent, which was much higher up on the slope, was still under siege by whatever unknown menace had compelled them to take flight.

At some point during the night investigators proposed that Doroshenko and Krivonischenko likely had succumbed to exposure. It was then that three members of the team — Kolmogorova, Slobodin and Dyatlov — determined that braving whatever it was that had apparently infested the tent was preferable to dying of hypothermia. Resolute (and almost certainly terrified) the exhausted trio attempted to make their way back up the slope — none of them would make it.

With their young leader out of sight one can only assume that the remaining team members Zolotaryov, Thibeaux-Brignollel, Kolevatov and Dubinina hoped for the best, but expected the worst. Likely terrified beyond belief the four remain survivors strip whatever they can from the corpses of their comrades… and almost certainly pray for daylight.

Fearing that their friends are all dead, investigators hypothesized that Zolotaryov, Thibeaux-Brignollel, Kolevatov and Dubinina decided to move nearer to the forest in hopes of finding some kind of shelter. Somewhere along this journey and eventual descent into a nearby ravine the remaining teammates would sustain their fatal internal injuries, but investigators could not find an obvious cause.

The first to perish, according to forensics reports, was Thibeaux-Brignollel. Within hours he was followed by Kolevatov and Dubinina. Zolotarev would be the last to expire from a combination of internal trauma and hypothermia. It was not clear if the removal of Dubinina’s tongue occurred postmortem or if it contributed to her demise.

When all was said and done, the final survivor died less than eight hours after the initial event. As with everything else in this case, the discovery of the missing team members offered more questions than answers, and the most important one was…

WHAT HAPPENED?

While investigators were able to piece together much of what happened that terrible evening from the physical evidence left at the scene, the primary questions remained unanswered; firstly what could have possibly have frightened these athlete caliber skiers so badly that they were willing to freeze to death rather than confront it… and secondly, what (if anything) lethally injured the remaining survivors?

Despite the popularity of the region, for 3-years following this harrowing event the pass was closed to outdoorsmen, hikers and skiers. This was, presumably, to avert the same terrifying fate from befalling anyone else.

This proves how seriously authorities took this case, but after months of dead ends and disappointments the case was closed and the files were sent to what many allege was a clandestine Soviet archive, but even though the final official word on the event was that the skiers fell to: “a compelling unknown force,” that does not mean that there weren’t plenty of theories floating around. The first supposition that the investigators proposed was that they were murdered by…

MANSI WARRIORS… AND GHOSTS:

The first theory offered up as grist for the rumor mill regarding the fates of the nine skiers was that they had unintentionally run afoul of some Mansi tribesman by trespassing into their territory and that these legendarily harsh Siberian natives had dispatched them accordingly. The theory goes something like this…

Mansi natives enraged by the intrusion of the team tear their way into the communal tent and force the mostly disrobed skiers down the slope, where they build a fire.  After Doroshenko and Krivonischenko perish, Dyatlov, Slobodin and Kolmogorova desperately try and make their way toward what’s left of their tent. Slobodin’s skull is crushed by the butt of a rifle or some other heavy object, knocking him cold. He and his friends then succumb to the elements.

Following the deaths of their compatriots, Zolotaryov, Thibeaux-Brignollel, Kolevatov and Dubinina are compelled to balance on the steep precipice of the ravine wherein their bodies were found the following spring. Thibeaux-Brignollel is wounded with perhaps the same blunt instrument that claimed Slobodin’s  life and Dubinina’s screams prove to be so annoying that one of the Mansi throws her to the ground, breaks her ribs with his knee and forcibly removes her tongue to prevent her from shrieking.

They are both thrown into the ravine, followed by Zolotarev and Alexander Kolevatov. At this point the Mansi leave the interlopers for dead… or so this admittedly dubious theory goes anyway.

Military investigators were swift to dispel this rumor, stating that the damage done to the corpses were inconsistent with an attack by a human being. Some modern day researchers have suggested that the Soviets may have concealed evidence of a Mansi attack in order to avoid a distracting and potentially costly confrontation with the Mansi on their own oil rich soil, which they hoped to exploit.

To even the armchair investigator — a clan of which I am a proud member — it would seem that the total absence of bullet wounds in the victims, combined with the utter lack of footprints, essentially rules out the Mansi as potential suspects in this heinous crime.Add to this the fact that the groups’ provisions were left untouched and we can all but totally dismiss the circumstantial case again these aboriginal hunters

As if that weren’t enough evidence to exonerate these native Siberians, there is conclusive proof that the Mansi assisted in the hunt for the missing skiers. Regardless of how sound the Soviet’s motivation may have been for covering up a Mansi attack, the evidence simply does not bear out this hypothesis.

Intriguingly, Mansi legend has it that Kholat-Syakhl received it’s ominous name after nine Mansi warriors had mysteriously perished on the same peak years before. This has led some investigators to surmise that the region might be cursed or infested by ancient and malicious spirits, but for the most part the mountain was not considered to be a particularly sacred region by the Mansi.

So if we rule out the indigenous human culprits as well as undead ones, then perhaps we should (like so many before us) look to the skies and wonder whether or not the Dyatlov Team might have fallen prey to an…

ALIEN ATTACK:

Like all classic 20^th Century mysteries involving groups of missing persons or enigmatic deaths, someone, somewhere is bound to blame strange flying saucers and their insidious occupants for the crime and this case proved to be no different.

According to archived reports, Lev Ivanov, the lead Soviet investigator on the case, collected a report from a group of hikers suggesting that something extraterrestrial might have resulted in the Dyatlov Team’s tragic demise.

The hikers were camping in an area about 32-miles south of Kholat-Syakhl on the night in question when they spied a series of “strange orange spheres” in the northern sky.  It’s worth noting that during the next month and a half other residents of the area report similar anomalous aerial phenomenon.

Ivanov himself believed that these spheres might have been involved with the unusual deaths. In a 1990 interview, Ivanov claimed that he had been ordered to close the case and classify the findings as secret.

He stated that officials were worried that reports of U.F.O.s in the area by multiple eyewitnesses — including members of both the military and weather service — could result in some unnecessary speculation. In an interview with a small Soviet newspaper, Ivanov was alleged to have stated:

“I suspected at the time, and am almost sure now, that these bright flying spheres had a direct connection to the group’s death.”

Ivanov speculated that one of the skiers might have spotted the U.F.O.s and that his or her cries might have panicked the other team members into rushing out just as one of the vehicles exploded above, sending them all fleeing in terror. He even speculated that the concussive blast may be what had cracked Slobodin’s skull. I feel compelled to add that the removal of the tongue is one of the most common features in cattle mutilations, but that seems to be a sketchy link at best.

Other “evidence” that researchers claim is evidence of alien interaction is the allegedly orange flesh and grey hair found on the victims — a point which is hotly debated — and the fact that some of the team members were wearing clothes contaminated with a low level of radiation.

While it’s certainly impressive that the head of the Dyatlov investigation supported this theory, and the anomalous radiation readings are intriguing, it seems as if we might be yet again casting unwarranted aspersions upon our intergalactic brethren. While there can be little doubt that there was some kind of bizarre object soaring in the skies above the Urals that night, perhaps it was not from out of this world, but an all too terrestrial…

MILITARY EXPERIMENT GONE AWRY:

This conjecture supposes that the Soviet government was conducting a highly classified test of an unknown weapon on the secluded slopes of Kholat-Syakhl and that — either by intention or accident — the ski team fell prey to this monstrously powerful weapon.

One of the biggest proponents of this theory was the only surviving member of the team, Yudin. Yudin believed that his friends inadvertently entered a covert military testing ground and had paid for it with their lives. He speculated that this was why the military had been so secretive about the investigation and that it also explained his comrades’ irradiated clothing.

After all of the evidence had been collected, the searchers asked for Yudin’s help in identifying who the objects found at the site belonged to. He said that he saw in the mix of his friend’s possessions a torn swathe of fabric that resembled a piece of a soldier’s coat as well as a pair of glasses and skis that had not belonged to any of the team members.

This proof — combined with the fact that Yudin testified to seeing documents that indicated the actual investigation had begun two weeks before the camp’s “official” discovery — compelled him to claim that the military had discovered the camp before the volunteer search party arrived. Yudin also claimed that he knew for a fact that: “there were special boxes with their organs sent for examination,” but this was not reflected in any of the papers that were released.

Be that as it may, the fact remains that the search party found no indication on any explosion on or near the campsite at Kholat-Syakhl. There is also no record of any missile launches in the region, but even in the 21^st Century records of clandestine Soviet military operations are still few and far between.

But if we’re dealing with a hazardous unidentified weapon there’s no reason to assume it was explosive. Perhaps there was a bacteriological or chemical spray released that resulted in their panic and eventual demise. A few have even suggested, due to the haphazard method they used in building the fire, that they were blinded by a bright flash, but most researchers do not agree with this assumption

There are also some who believe that it might have been some kind of experimental sonic weapon that employed Infrasound, which has been known to cause feelings from dread to outright panic in humans. Since this sound is inaudible in a classic sense, many people who have been subjected to Infrasound experiments claim to feel that some manner of paranormal force is at work.

This would frankly explain a lot, but that doesn’t change the fact that there’s absolutely no proof to support this assumption. Bringing this back down to Earth… literally… there are those who feel that the team may well have surrendered to…

AVALANCHE PARANOIA:

The eastern face of Kholat-Syakhl is a potentially disastrous avalanche zone and while these intrepid mountaineers chose to brave the slope rather than retreat to the safety of the forest, it seems indubitable that they were keeping one ear open for any tell tale signs of an avalanche.

While there is no evidence supporting the theory that the skiers were caught in even a small avalanche, there are a few who suspect that they might have heard a strange rumbling sound during the night, which led them to believe an avalanche was imminent and in their haste to escape they cut their tent and ran half-naked into the 3-foot deep snow drifts.

While this is a distinct possibility, one would envision that the manifest lack of falling rocks and snow would be enough to compel the team to return to their torn tent to patch it up and bundle up in the clothing they left behind. Investigators have reported that the base of the pine tree where the group gathered was just out of sight of the tent, but I find it difficult to imagine that these seasoned skiers would run that far and never look behind them.

Beyond that, “avalanche panic” doesn’t account for the extensive injuries suffered by so many team members. Still, the one element of this mystery that is universally agreed upon is that the frenetic condition in which the  team members ripped, then abandoned their tent indicates that they were genuinely afraid. The biggest question has always been “what caused this fear?” and some have suggested that the Dyatlov crew might of had a nasty run-in with a…

VICIOUS SIBERIAN YETI:

Although the evidence for this supposition is scant to say the least, there are some who have proposed that the skiers fell victim to the notoriously territorial wild man of Siberia, known to locals as the Almas. They speculate that the terrifying roar of the beast might have sent the team into a panic, resulting in their poorly prepared escape into the snow.

The two primary reasons for the existence of this theory are the seemingly inexplicable impact wounds found on the skulls and torsos of nearly half of the corpses and an as yet unverified piece of paper that was allegedly discovered near the campsite which read:

“From now on we know there are snowmen.”

While the crypto-dork in me salivates at the idea of lumbering, ape-like beasts dwelling in the dark and forested nether regions of our ever shrinking world, the evidence in this case simply does not support the involvement of hairy hominids. The first and most obvious point is that amidst all the manmade tracks that the searchers found, there is no way a pair of gargantuan, bare prints would have gone undetected.

Secondly, while a punch from a Bigfoot-like beast could most assuredly shatter ones ribcage, why would these commonly gentle giants choose to attack some in the group, while allowing others to succumb to the elements? It might be suggested that they were hurling large rocks from a distance, as these creatures are sometimes known to do, but if that were the case then where was the debris when the searchers arrived? Finally the existence of the note itself is highly debatable and most researchers dismiss the entire theory. I’m inclined to agree.

A LEGEND IS BORN

In 1967, journalist Yuri Yarovoi wrote a novel about this enduring mystery titled: “Of the highest rank of complexity.” Yarovoi had served as the official photographer for the Dyatlov Ski Team search party, so he was privy to inside information. Nevertheless, many modern investigators think that due to the fact that the book was published in an era when Cold War tensions were running high and secrecy was the rule rather than the exception, the likelihood that this book told the full story was not very good.

Regardless of how revealing Yarovoi’s book may actually have been — and he conceded that it was a “dramatization” of the actual events, with a much more happy ending — it did manage to lay the groundwork for the legend that would eventually creep its way past the Iron Curtain and into the outside world.

Yarovoi’s colleagues would later reveal that he had written alternative (and ostensibly more authentic) versions of the novel, but his first two attempts were scratched by Soviet censorship. Sadly, following Yarovoi’s death in 1980, his photos, diaries and manuscripts were, conveniently perhaps, lost.

In 1990, author Anatoly Guschin had been granted “special permission” to study the original files of the Dyatlov inquest for a book he wanted to write about the incident. He later reported that scores of pages had been removed from the files, including an “envelope” mentioned in the evidence list. What this envelope was supposed to contain (or if it ever really existed) remains just one of the many mysteries surrounding these events.

In his book: “The price of state secrets is nine lives,” Guschin speculated that the team had fallen victim to a “Soviet secret weapon experiment.” While his theory was just as controversial as the rest, Guschin’s reintroduced this mystery to a brand new generation of curiosity seekers and the floodgates were thrown open with literally hundreds of articles and documentaries following in its wake, including a 2011 segment on the History Channel’s hit program “Ancient Aliens.”

CONCLUSION

So what really happened to these nine poor souls? For over half a century forensics experts, scientists, military officials and amateur investigators have scratched their collective heads over this eerie enigma… and it doesn’t seem as if any answers are forthcoming.

On February 2, 2008, an investigative conference was organized by Ural State Technical University and the Dyatlov Foundation. The six surviving members of the original search party as well as 31 technical experts assembled in Yekaterinburg, Russia, to look at the evidence and determine the actual fate of the Dyatlov Ski Team. After much deliberation the panel concluded that their deaths were likely the unintended result of a secret military test. Needless to say there are many who disagree with this conclusion.

Regardless of the fact that the victims’ grey hair may be an exaggeration or that the radiation readings might be dismissed due to mild exposure to Radium or Radon in one of the Polytechnic Institute’s many laboratories, the fact is that nine experienced hikers were thrust into such a terrified state that they literally doomed themselves in an effort to escape a fate that they believed would be even more horrendous that freezing to death on an icy mountain slope… what could do that?

In the end we must never forget that this is first and foremost a tragedy in which nine young lives were tragically cut short, with little more than a memorial stone and a rusted plaque to commemorate the terrible loss. Almost as sad is the fact that none of their families were offered the dubious consolation of knowing why it was there loved ones had perished in such a frightening fashion.

There are many who would attribute this mystery to little more than a mundane series of unfortunate mishaps that resulted in nine sorrowful deaths, but these were experienced skiers and it seems unlikely that they would all follow such a foolhardy path. Now, despite generations of effort to debunk and demystify this extraordinary event, the “Dyatlov Pass Incident” remains one of the great mysteries of the 20^th Century…  and one of the most frightening true life campfire stories I’ve ever encountered.

The long sordid history of Forteana is rife with tales of chance encounters with unsettling weirdos and beasts whose very existence seems impossible, at very best. Due to the nature of these strange sorts of visits, it becomes difficult to discern how much of the mythos that surrounds such beings from the twilight world of the unexplained is based on pure fact, and how much could stem from the surreal archetypal realms of the human mind.

There are curious reports of creeping strangers the likes of the infamous “Grinning Man,” described by John Keel in his volumes pertaining to supernatural lore and oddities. There are reports of “Mad Gassers” that sneak noxious fumes into the homes of the middle class citizenry through pinhole-sized crevices along the edges of windows. There are also tales of demons, devils, and otherworldly goonies that lurch at the unsuspecting as they wander suburban roadsides during the still moments after the sun has gone down. While many of these denizens of the shadow realm might be attributed to various goings on of the physical realm (if not misidentification or outright hoaxes), one of their curious propensities relies on their odd tendency to court ill fortune and disasters… and for many readers of this blog, such creepy creatures of the night do have a particular name…

Indeed, here I’m speaking of what I call “Fortean Folk Devils,” the more high-strangeness entities within the areas of Forteana tha bear a number of consistencies throughout various reports, often bridging the gap between differences in cultures beliefs and societal norms. Recently, I spent a few minutes outlining the curious preponderance of strange visitations by uninvited guests throughout the centuries, encapsulating this “Folk Devil” concept, where I noted that these “entities,” whatever they may be, could be both physical, in some sense, as well as the result of some strange archetypal formation or manifestation from within the mind. But how, exactly, could this be? Does it suggest that people’s reports of strange encounters with mystery beings might actually be rooted in our own subconscious, and that the kinds of stories being elucidated by those claiming to have had encounters are really the result of “thought projections” or, to borrow the Tibetan term for this, Tulpas?

To answer these questions might really involve a foray into the realms of psychology and the subconscious mind, and certain extends beyond the scope of the present article. However, to begin with another question, I first might be inclined to ask, “can the resolution to the Folk Devil mystery not draw from each of these, perhaps being both physical as well as archetypal or mystical in nature? In a sense, it might not be too much of a stretch to consider whether the human mind, under the right circumstances, couldn’t interpret an uncomfortable or unsettling event in such a way that it literally interprets (or we might even say “projects) imagery that, while not wholly physical, is something that appears very real in the eye of the beholder. Even more curious, perhaps, would be the notion that certain phenomena that is discussed within the annals of paranormalia could bear striking resemblance to each other from one encounter to the next, based solely on the consistent elements involving human perception that stem from within the mind. To put it concisely, the sorts of “archetypes” that Carl Jung spoke of could be likened to being “programs” that come pre-installed within every human mind, and remain capable of interpreting various phenomenon, given certain conditions, with remarkable consistency.

I don’t think this removes the possibility that there could be strange beings in a very real sense that do appear and haunt us from the fringes of humanity at times. What it does lend itself to, however, is the resulting cultural interpretations that stem from such encounters, lending to a sort of legendary substructure that builds itself into our folklore, inspired by people’s chance encounters with outright weirdness. A recent article featured by Reuters news even discussed this notion to some degree, building on the cultural parallels that seem to exist within the interpretation of ideas such as “the unknown visitor,” a concept that has close cultural consistency spanning a number of traditions around the globe. Perhaps unraveling the mysteries of the Fortean realm lay not so much in interpreting whether they exist solely within a physical capacity, or merely within the realms of the mind; it could very well be that culture, perception, and belief work together to interweave what ultimately becomes our interpretation of reality, and in ways that continue to allude us.