Monday, May 31, 2010

Interview: Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, part 1 

Good interview with Loren Coleman. Part Two is here.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:19 PM

In search of Sasquatch 

Billy Willard leads Sasquatch Watch of Virgina, a group that investigates reported Bigfoot sightings in the state. "We believe we may be close to some kind of major discovery," he says.

See also: Central Illinois man on watch for Bigfoot

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:26 PM

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Cambodian 'jungle woman' flees back to wild 

Cambodia's "jungle woman", who spent 18 years living in a dense forest, has fled back to the wild after struggling to adapt to society.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:11 PM

Thursday, May 27, 2010

UFO Spiral in the sky seen and heard across Western Canada 

Another strange sky spiral? With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:52 AM

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Fugitive Colombian 'model-turned-drug lord' arrested 

Colombian former model and beauty queen Angie Sanclemente, who has been on the run from the law since March, was arrested in Buenos Aires on Wednesday on charges of masterminding a drug trafficking ring, reports local media.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:11 PM

Mysteries of Maine 

Strange stuff in the Pine Tree State.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:08 PM

Things that go boom in the night 

There is an ongoing mystery in South Minneapolis.

See also:‘Big boom’ mystery: Source of widespread noise remains unidentified.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:58 PM

Original Amityville Horror house on sale for $1.15 million 

The five-bedroom, Dutch Colonial-style home in Long Island, New York is on the market for $1.15 million (£796,000) and estate agents are hoping that its notoriety will spark interest among buyers.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:57 PM

The cursed Bulgarian cell phone number of death! 

A Bulgarian cell phone number has been suspended after three owners of the unique number have died in the last ten years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:13 AM

Robert Tralins wrote banned and bordello books, as well as stories that inspired 'Beyond Belief' 

Awesome obituary. Seriously.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:39 AM

Bathe in the unearthly light of alien abductions, with UFO lamps 

When the aliens finally come to sweep you up into their tentacled embrace, their dazzling lights may disorient you so much, you'll be helpless to stop them. So it's best to prepare by getting one of Jason Dietz's UFO lamps.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:20 AM

New Crater May Have Helped Create Antarctic Ice Sheet 

An enormous impact dome has been discovered lounging idly under the Timor Sea. The approximately 50 kilometer-wide (31 mile-wide) dome is evidence that a huge asteroid collided with the Earth around 35 million years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:59 AM

Meteorite? Piece of Icelandic volcano? Rock? 

Elia Angulo was relaxing in her backyard when she says a rock shot out of the sky.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:57 AM

Monday, May 24, 2010

After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all 

Exactly a century after rumours of his death turned out to be entirely accurate, one of Mark Twain's dying wishes is at last coming true: an extensive, outspoken and revelatory autobiography which he devoted the last decade of his life to writing is finally going to be published.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:42 PM

Lair of the Beasts: Chasing the Chupacabras 

I’m sometimes asked what I think of the controversy surrounding Puerto Rico’s infamous Chupacabras. Well, having now visited the island on a number of occasions, I have come to appreciate that something weird is most certainly afoot, as you’ll now see.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:35 PM

Key to legendary mechanical lion found in code for Leonardo Da Vinci's robot 

You wouldn't rely on him for a compatibility rating on your chances of love with a stranger and he definitely can't project holographic distress calls from Rebel princesses.

But to be fair, Leonardo Da Vinci's robot is more than 500 years old.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 PM

Israeli art detectives crack a forgery riddle 

The portrait of a glum, bespectacled man was about to go on auction in Amsterdam when someone at Sotheby's noticed a problem: Israel's national museum owned precisely the same painting.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:14 PM

Treskilling Yellow: World's rarest stamp sells for record £1.6million 

The world's most expensive stamp has been sold for what is believed to be a record sum at an auction shrouded in secrecy.
The Treskilling Yellow had been expected to fetch up to £1.7million.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:39 PM

Crop circle 'inspired by most beautiful formula in mathematics' appears in Wiltshire 

A crop circle thought to be inspired by a formula acclaimed as the most beautiful in all mathematics has appeared on a hillside in Wiltshire.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 PM

Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers 

While the U.S. Air Force is mum about the orbital whereabouts of its X-37B mini-space plane, a dedicated band of amateur skywatchers has got its cross-hairs on the spacecraft.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:14 PM

Thor's Hammer was discovered in 1964...in Quebec 

In 1964, archaeologist Thomas E. Lee discovered a 10.8-foot tall, 4,000 pound stone cross on the Arnaud River in far northern Quebec.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:37 PM

Bald Beast of KI: It’s A Mink 

Cryptomundo takes a look.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:07 PM

Remarkable Creatures - Tracking the Ancestry of Corn Back 9,000 Years 

Corn is much more than great summer picnic food, however. Civilization owes much to this plant, and to the early people who first cultivated it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:57 PM

2,000-Year-Old Shipwreck Creates Deep Sea Mystery : Discovery News 

Although the 2,000-year-old shipwreck under the Gran Sasso mountain in central Italy may be a godsend for nuclear physicists, the “Ship of the Thousand Ingots” has been one big mystery for archaeologists.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:55 PM

Martin Gardner, Puzzler and Polymath, Dies at 95 

Martin Gardner, who teased brains with math puzzles in Scientific American for a quarter-century and who indulged his own restless curiosity by writing more than 70 books on topics as diverse as magic, philosophy and the nuances of Alice in Wonderland, died Saturday in Norman, Okla.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:03 PM

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Spear of Longinus: The Dark Past of The Double Edged Sword 

The spear is reputed to be the one that pierced Christ’s side as He hung upon the cross.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:24 PM

Bizarre 'monster' seen decades ago: locals 

The mystery surrounding the discovery of a bizarre animal corpse in Canada has taken a new turn, with locals claiming they saw the creature alive generations ago.

See also: ‘The ugly one’ monster mystery

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:00 AM

Friday, May 21, 2010

Library of Congress holds conference on origins of portolan charts 

Where and how did medieval mapmakers, apparently armed with no more than a compass, an hourglass and sets of sailing directions, develop stunningly accurate maps of southern Europe, the Black Sea and North African coastlines, as if they were looking down from a satellite, when no one had been higher than a treetop?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:13 PM

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Girl, 15, tells of terror after being stalked through forest by a big cat she claims was a panther 

A 15-year-old schoolgirl has told of her terror after being chased by a big cat she claims was a 'black panther' in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:00 PM

Breasts "inadequate"? Contemplate balloons, peaches and peacock feathers 

Studies in Crap examines the classic Natural Bust Enlargement With Total Mind Power.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:06 PM

Mystery at the bottom of Priest Lake 

The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office has successfully recovered a body from Priest Lake but there remains a huge mystery ahead for investigators. The body was found near a rowboat 300 feet below the surface and may have been there for nearly a century.

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:03 PM

Scientist Craig Venter creates life for first time in laboratory sparking debate about 'playing god' 

Dr Craig Venter, a multi-millionaire pioneer in genetics, and his team have managed to make a completely new "synthetic" life form from a mix of chemicals.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:25 PM

Paintings Worth Millions Stolen From Paris Museum 

The prosecutor's office initially estimated the five paintings' total value at as much as €500 million (about $600 million). Mr. Girard, however, said the total value was "just under 100 million euros."

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Chinese archaeologists unearth more terracotta warriors 

Chinese archaeologists have unearthed about 120 more terracotta warriors in their latest excavations at the Terracotta Army site that surrounds the tomb of China’s first emperor in Shaanxi province.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 PM

Drunks in northern Minnesota claim they killed a river monster 

Well, here is a story told to me by an elderly gentleman who lives in northwest Minnesota. He claims that he and four friends not only got a first hand look at one of these mysterious giant water serpents -- but they actually killed it!

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 AM

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Captured: Protest Leaders Forced to Surrender in Bangkok, Thailand 

Amazing photo set from the Thai unrest. Not for the squeamish.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:56 PM

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

May 18, 1952: Carbon-14 Sets Stonehenge Date at 1848 B.C., More or Less 

This Day In Tech at Wired.com.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:43 AM

Oldest Pyramid Tomb Ever Discovered in Mexico 

Archaeologists in southern Mexico announced Monday they have discovered a 2,700-year-old tomb of a dignitary inside a pyramid that may be the oldest such burial documented in Mesoamerica.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:00 AM

Monday, May 17, 2010

Strange & Mysterious Facts Examiner 

I've put some links to my Examiner articles on the left side of the page. Go read 'em!

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:20 PM

The Wickedest Man in LA 

Brian has been guided by a "weird string of coincidences" to reach the place in which he now stands. After bearing witness to a demonic ritual, or "soul brokering," at a seedy Hollywood hotel, his curiosity was piqued. He purchased Magic in Theory and Practice by the prolific occult writer Aleister Crowley at Gilberts Book Shop, an old haunt of Jimmy Page.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:33 PM

Utah’s Flying Prehistoric Monster 

Half Bird and Half Reptile Carries Away Live Horses.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:24 PM

New Mexico’s Bighoot 

In the piney mountains and desert mesas of southcentral New Mexico, citizens of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation still tell legends of an enormous and evil bird: Big Owl.

And: NM Giant Owl

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 PM

Top 10 Bizarre & Controversial Archeological Discoveries 

Many strange archeological discoveries have been made in modern history. Hundreds of artifacts have been unearthed that have baffled scientists and challenged modern man’s view of history.

Thanks again to Scott.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:57 PM

The mysterious Edward J. Kelty 

For two decades, at this season of the year, he would pack his small truck with an enormous camera and lenses and roam America photographing likely — and unlikely — subjects at circuses and sideshows. Oddball? Sometimes, but he is nationally known as the world’s greatest circus photographer. Miles Barth, author and historian, called him, “a Cecil B. DeMille.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:24 PM

Probing the link between slaughterhouses and violent crime 

Criminology professor Amy Fitzgerald says statistics show the link between slaughterhouses and brutal crime is empirical fact.

In a recent study, Fitzgerald crunched numbers from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report database, census data, and arrest and offence reports from 581 U.S. counties from 1994 to 2002.

“I have a graph that shows that as the number of slaughterhouse workers in a community increases, the crime rate also increases,” she says.

Very interesting. Thanks to Scott for the link.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:36 PM

Bigfoot in Greater Minnesota: Fact or Fiction? 

Giant footprints, fuzzy photos and scattered sightings. Some say it's fiction and others fear it as the search continues.

Video. See also: Lair of the Beasts: Monsters of Texas

Bigfoot in East Texas

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:28 PM

Tibetans developed genes to help them adapt to life at high elevations 

Researchers have long wondered why the people of the Tibetan Highlands can live at elevations that cause some humans to become life-threateningly ill.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:16 AM

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Have a voodoo curse? You can call police, but there's not much they can do 

Delray Beach police occasionally get calls from Haitian residents fearing supernatural death threats and curses. The department takes a report and leaves it at that. There are no specific records available for voodoo calls.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:54 PM

Royal Navy 'does not keep sea monster sighting archive' 

The Royal Navy may hold records about possible sea monsters but it does not collect them centrally, it has revealed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:40 PM

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Top 10 Cryptozoological Creatures that Have Yet to be Exploited in Film and Television 

The following 10 creatures have yet to be exploited on film or television (to our knowledge), but should be!

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:26 PM

Longtime Tampa Theatre organist Rosa Rio dies at 107 

The Queen of the Soaps has played her last note.

Rosa Rio, the spirited organist who earned her nickname providing accompaniments for soap operas and radio dramas decades before thrilling Tampa Theatre audiences with her witty turns on the Mighty Wurlitzer, died Thursday (May 13, 2010) at 107.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:40 PM

Scientist tackles Magnetic Hill mystery 

A Japanese scientist has won an award for duplicating the kind of optical illusion that for decades has baffled tourists who visit the fabled Magnetic Hill in Moncton, N.B.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:33 AM

Sacramento’s great airship mystery 

The mystery of the secret airship flying over Sacramento on a storm swept November night in the late 19th century was never solved, and the story spread throughout the nation with eventual sightings in the Midwest.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:41 AM

Trial begins in killing that has captivated D.C. 

The paramedics summoned to a townhouse in the posh Dupont Circle neighborhood on a steamy night in August 2006 had seen their share of crime scenes, but the room where 32-year-old Robert Wone lay dead was different.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 AM

Tthe hero who ended Nazi tank ace's reign of terror 

Evidence has emerged which proves Trooper Joe Ekins fired the shot that ended the Nazi’s reign of terror.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:12 AM

Caravaggio's remains 'found' 

Italian researchers say they may be close to identifying the remains of Caravaggio, the great Italian painter whose death 400 years ago is shrouded in mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:09 AM

Friday, May 14, 2010

'Orphan Annie' strip wrapping next month 

The iconic comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" will end its more than 85-year run in U.S. daily newspapers next month, the Chicago Tribune reported.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:07 PM

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Travel legends: Separating fact from fiction 

Bodies in the bed frame, toilet-seat suction and more.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:38 PM

Air-sea rescue but ‘large ship’ just disappears 

Emergency sea rescue services in Durban and East London scrambled yesterday after reports of a mystery vessel in distress off the Wild Coast.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:36 PM

More 'alien' footage surfaces as Chalfonts' UFO mystery deepens 

More film of supposed UFO sightings in and around Chalfont St Giles has been sent to the Advertiser this week.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 PM

Digging up Brahe 

If everything goes according to plan, sometime in November a group of about a dozen Czech and Danish scientists will descend on the Church of Our Lady Before Týn on Old Town Square. Soon thereafter, a man who has been dead for more than 400 years will say hello to the 21st century.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Fossil find resolves ancient extinction mystery 

Researchers have revealed remarkably well preserved fossils of soft-bodied marine creatures that are between 470 and 480 million years old.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 PM

The Phantom Killer terrorized a town back in 1946 

At Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:21 PM

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Last Broadway Ziegfeld Follies Girl dies at 106 

Doris Eaton Travis, one of the legendary Ziegfeld Follies chorus girls, who wore elaborate costumes for the series of lavish Broadway theatrical productions in the early 1900s, died Tuesday at age 106.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:55 AM

New evidence suggests Wallenberg didn't die in Soviet prison 

The fate of Wallenberg, who is credited with saving Jews from the death camps, is an enduring mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:57 AM

Easter Island discovery sends archaeologists back to drawing board 

Archaeologists have disproved the fifty-year-old theory underpinning our understanding of how the famous stone statues were moved around Easter Island.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:50 AM

Museum Explores History of Jersey Devil 

Horrific Fantasy or Genetic Mutant?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:26 AM

Lair of the Beasts: Hoaxing the Giant 

The Cardiff Giant led numerous others to jump on the bandwagon and create their own versions of the mighty creature.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:21 AM

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Quantum Honeybees 

How could bees of little brain come up with anything as complex as a dance language? The answer could lie not in biology but in six-dimensional math and the bizarre world of quantum mechanics.

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 PM

Frank Frazetta Dies 

New York Times obit.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:49 PM

Creepy Neighborhood Exorcism Caught On Tape 

Don't you hate it when your neighbors keep you up all night, expelling demons with the power of Christ? One smart blogger has not only captured the holy event on video, but posted the perfect follow-up note.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:48 PM

Odd Mosaic of Dental Features Reveals Undocumented Primate 

It's in the teeth. An odd mosaic of dental features recently unearthed in northern Egypt reveals a previously undocumented, highly-specialized primate called Nosmips aenigmaticus that lived in Africa nearly 37 million years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:39 AM

Monday, May 10, 2010

Superstitious Serbia 

Serbians are a deeply religious people devoted to their Christian orthodoxy, but this devout nature is also deeply steeped in superstition which dates back to pre-Christian paganism and a culture of mythology, local folklore and superstition, linked together with customs and an oral storytelling tradition.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:18 PM

Frank Frazetta 1928-2010 

We are sad to confirm via Frazetta’s agent Robert Pistella that the artist passed away this afternoon in a hospital near his home. The cause of death was a stroke. Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:15 PM

Prahlad Jani baffles scientists as he proves he does not eat or drink - ever 

An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:12 PM

Scientists zero in on ancient Land of Punt 

To the pharaohs who built their palaces along the Nile, the Land of Punt was the source of great treasure. Among the most prized were Punt's leopards and baboons, which they viewed as sacred and took as royal pets.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:12 PM

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Top 10 Creepiest Places in Illinois 

As we at the Legends and Lore of Illinois know, the Prairie State is a very creepy place!

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:14 PM

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Kanellos the Greek riot dog inspires protesters 

Greeks protesting looming austerity cuts have discovered an unlikely mascot - a dog known as Kanellos who seems to enjoy being at the center of the action.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:32 AM

Domed UFO hovers 30 feet over Atlanta’s ‘Spaghetti Junction’ 

Two Georgia witnesses traveling southbound along I-75 near Atlanta’s “spaghetti junction” at 11 p.m. on April 17, 2010, watched a domed object with multiple lights hovering 20 to 25 feet above the highway, according to testimony from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:26 AM

Planet of the Skunk Apes 

Has legendary creature visited South Georgia?

See also: In search of the skunk ape - Callers say they’ve seen it

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:21 AM

Monster colossal squid is slow not fearsome predator 

The world's largest invertebrate is not a fast and voracious predator as previously thought, say scientists.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:26 AM

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

NASA team cites new evidence that meteorites from Mars contain ancient fossils 

NASA's Mars Meteorite Research Team reopened a 14-year-old controversy on extraterrestrial life last week, reaffirming and offering support for its widely challenged assertion that a 4-billion-year-old meteorite that landed thousands of years ago on Antarctica shows evidence of microscopic life on Mars.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 PM

World's smallest horse born, named 'Einstein' 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 PM

Monsters of the Deep! 

A scientific look at sea serpents.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:39 PM

Iron Man Technology Has Real-Life Analogs 

Iron Man, the most technologically advanced super-hero to ever hit film, is making a triumphant return to the big screen this week. Now sneak a peek into the inventions that power Tony Stark in his quest to save the world.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 PM

Dreams about taking exam, being naked -- what they mean 

Scientists know about as much about the dreaming brain as they do the waking brain -- in other words, there's still a lot to learn about how the brain creates the dreaming consciousness and wakeful consciousness.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:26 PM

John James Audubon describes bird’s markings in 1843 

A bird seen flying near old U.S. 90 last month continues to defy identification.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:25 PM

The Real History Of John Dillinger And Henry Ford 

Notorious gangster John Dillinger's thank you letter to Henry Ford for making a great getaway car's widely considered to be a hoax. It isn't, but Ford covered up the real letter, likely parading a forgery for decades.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:59 PM

Piranha Reported Loose at Opry Mills Mall 

A pair of piranha reportedly escaped from their aquarium during Nashville's recent flood.

UPDATE: Reportedly captured.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:44 PM

Forgotten Asian UFO files found in Roswell, New Mexico 

Sightings by Thai pilots, strange lights over Japan and reports of alien-human coupling -- just part of what was unearthed from the dusty depths of the UFO Museum and Research Center.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:44 PM

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

World's biggest beaver dam can be seen from space 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:11 PM

Monday, May 03, 2010

Stone Age Mystery: German Excavation Reveals Signs of Mass Cannibalism 

Was it mass cannibalism, ritual slaughter or both? Archaeologists who unearthed the remains of 500 Stone Age corpses in the German town of Herxheim say the meat was cut off their bones as if they were livestock. One conclusion is that the people were eaten -- after volunteering to be sacrificed

Creepy.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:15 PM

The savant and the occultist 

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy and Aleister Crowley.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:50 AM

Reagan and the occult 

Ronald Reagan had an interest in lucky numbers and newspaper horoscopes. Less known is that a certain scholar of occult philosophy had a lifelong influence on the 40th president of the United States.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:45 AM

The yogification of America 

While its explosion is certainly a product of the last few decades, it still comes as a surprise -- given its massive popularity -- to find that not so long ago, yoga was considered dangerous, possibly evil, and certainly a threat to the chastity and delicate nature of American women.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:33 AM

The Other Unknown WOW Signals 

Signals from space.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:56 AM

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Medieval African possibly found buried in England 

A 13th century skeleton unearthed on the grounds of a friary may be the earliest physical evidence that Africans lived in England in medieval times.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:58 PM

Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Wiki List of Unusual Deaths 

A pretty good way to waste your Saturday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:45 PM

The Wonderful World of Prison Inventions 

Someone once said that necessity is the mother of all invention. Prison is one of the few places where very few common wants and needs are fulfilled; resources are incredibly limited and ardently regulated.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:38 PM