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The Navy, A Rock Star, and UFOs by Ryan Sprague

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Ryan Sprague

The sordid history of UFO investigations by the U.S. Government dates all the way back to the beginning of the modern UFO era. After reports of UFOs being sighted over the Cascade mountains by a pilot named Kenneth Arnold, the term flying saucers had been coined and had permanently been placed into history. Several other reports by seasoned pilots and credible witnesses on the ground had pressured the United States Air Force to look into the growing phenomenon and potential threat to the American skies. From this, Project Sign was created. Answers were scarce, and the reports kept coming in. From here, Project Grudge was created in 1949, and no determination was made on just exactly what these objects were and where they came from. In 1952, the most visible and perhaps most famous of these military and governmental studies came in the form of Project Blue Book. 

Working in tandem with the Air Force, several scientists were brought in to study UFO reports, and in essence, find a prosaic explanation for as many reports as they could. Perhaps the most notable of these scientists was J. Allen Hynek; an astronomer brought in to debunk the reports and show the public that most of these sightings were misidentifications or pure fabrications. At this point, Project Blue Book was nothing more than a strategy for the government to calm the public’s nerves on unknown intruders in our skies, and explain away each and every report brought in. This would culminate in the Condon Committee: an Air Force sponsored project led by physicist Edward Condon at the University of Colorado. The data collected by Project Blue Book was scrutinized, and the final word on UFOs was that they were not a threat to our nation, and they could be explained in conventional and prosaic terms. Yet, with 701 cases remaining unexplained by the end of Project Blue Book in 1969, this would be the final stance and official investigation pertaining to the UFO issue by the U.S. Government. At least, this is what the public was told. But all that changed in 2017.

Ryan Sprague Talks UFOs with Jim Harold – Livestream Replay

It was the article read round the world. Accompanied by three extremely compelling UFO videos, the New York Times released an expansive write up titled, Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program. Co-written by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal, and Leslie Kean, the article exposed, for the very first time to the public, a classified program within the Pentagon that was researching and investigating UFOs. We learned that from 2007 to 2012, the Department of Intelligence had spent $22 million on AATIP, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Under the request and initiation of former Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, who had a keen interest in UFOs, the black-budget program flew under the radar and with very little oversight, investigating UFO reports from military witnesses in the skies and military witnesses back on the ground as well. Not only did we learn of the program, but we even discovered the man tasked with directing it: Luis Elizondo.

Elizondo’s resume boasted that of being a Career Intelligence Officer with the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, the National Counterintelligence Executive, and the Office of Director of National Intelligence. With an extensive background in supervising highly sensitive espionage and terrorism investigations, it would only make sense that if this Pentagon UFO program were to work and continue to receive funding, the “threat” angle had to be at the forefront. Were UFOs a threat to national security? And if so, how and just exactly what were these exotic craft and phenomena in our skies? It was Elizondo’s job to try to figure that out. But just like many before him, he hit a wall at every turn, both internally within the Pentagon, and with the elusive nature of the UFO phenomenon at large. Frustrated with the lack of support and transparency of AATIP, Elizondo resigned from the position. But he most certainly wasn’t done hunting UFOs. This is where things get downright weird.

Tom DeLonge was no stranger to UFOs and aliens. As a former guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist for the band Blink 182, he traveled the world playing to sold-out arenas throughout the mid-90s and into the mid-2000s. As part of the growing pop-punk scene, the music of Blink 182 spoke to a generation of teenagers longing for rebellion and change in the world. And while most of the music from Blink 182 was riddled with raunchy jokes and pissing the night away with friends, there was an undertone of conspiracy theory, aliens, and UFOs sprinkled throughout. It became clearer as the years went on that DeLonge was responsible for these UFO-themed lyrics, and it wasn’t just a passive interest in the topic. It was an obsession. He’d spend hours on the tour bus absorbing every UFO book he could find. He would make pit stops in towns to meet with those who claimed close encounters or having worked on secret projects dealing with UFOs. His obsession followed him for many years until it became not only an obsessive hobby of searching the skies, but he’d make it a career.

Only months prior to the release of the now-famous New York Times article on UFO Pentagon program, DeLonge started a new company called To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science. The organization presently boasts ambitious projects in three distinct areas: science, aerospace, and entertainment. The controversial team behind the company includes not only former members of intelligence agencies and advanced development programs but the former director of the AATIP program itself, Luis Elizondo.

To date, To the Stars Academy has been responsible for major mainstream media coverage of the UFO topic and has assisted in pushing the U.S. Navy to change their protocols for reporting UFOs The company is also working directly with the U.S. Army in analyzing and implementing highly anomalous materials said to have been recovered from UFOs. It’s a lot to digest, and in order to continue their work, DeLonge created an entertainment sector that has already cranked out several fiction and non-fiction books pertaining to UFOs, an investigative television series on the History Channel, and several documentaries and feature films currently in development. Whether supporting the efforts of DeLonge and company or not, it’s undeniable that they have made waves in the intelligence communities, the military branches, and the perception of the UFO issue by the public-at-large through mainstream media.

Returning to the New York Times, we were treated to three very specific UFO videos within the contents of the online version of the 2017 article. They included the “Go Fast” video in which an unknown object appeared to whiz across the surface of the ocean at breakneck speeds. The video was taken aboard a Navy fighter jet from the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt off the eastern seaboard, near the Florida coast in 2015. Similarly, another video dubbed the “Gimbal” video doesn’t give us an exact date of the incident, but it speaks for itself in terms of importance. We see an almost “saucer” or “spinning top” – shaped object traveling across the cloud cover and then rotating, mid-flight in characteristics that can only be described as highly unusual. The final video and the most talked about is the “FLIR1” or its more pedestrian name now, the “Tic Tac UFO.” In the video, we see an oblong-shaped object hovering in mid-air and then suddenly accelerating and shooting off at an extremely high velocity. While the video may not be the most exciting of the three, the story behind it gives a context and amplifies the truly anomalous nature of this Tic Tac UFO.

So, originally this story broke with the cooperation of Commander David Fravor, a Top Gun fighter pilot, who was on a routine training exercise over the Pacific Ocean on the coast of California on November 14th, 2004. In the middle of the exercise, he was instructed to intercept a strange object by his superiors on the USS Princeton, an accompanying carrier to Fravor’s USS Nimitz carrier. As Fravor began to head towards the direction of the object, he noticed a strange churning of the water below, as if something were under the water. A few moments later, Fravor noticed an object floating about fifty feet above the water. He would state that it was about forty feet in length, it had no wings and no rotors. He described it simply as “Tic-Tac- shaped.” He said it began to move both swiftly and erratically. According to Fravor, The G-Force alone would have killed any pilot inside of this object. Fravor then watched as the object ascended and came right at his plane: “All of a sudden it kind of turns, rapidly accelerates—beyond anything I’ve seen—crosses my nose, and…it’s gone.” He would later tell the press, “I have never seen anything in my life, in my history of flying that has performance or the acceleration like this. I can tell you; I think it was not from this world.” 

Fravor eventually landed his plane to report what had happened. Another pilot, Chad Underwood, has since come forward to confirm that he in fact, trailed the object and captured it on the plane’s camera system. But another interesting aspect to all this were the people involved with this incident on the carriers. In fact, if it weren’t for the following individual, this entire event may have never have been officially acknowledged. Or even worse, it’s possible it could have interfered even more dangerously with the training exercises occurring at the time.

Kevin Day was the air intercept controller and senior radar operator on the USS Princeton that day. He had over twenty years in strike group air defense, including war times operations. He had also graduated from the TOP GUN school, which is the most elite school of naval officers. For over a week, Day had been picking up strange objects on radar. By the time this intercept had occurred, he stated that his radar screens had showed at least a hundred objects, sometimes traveling in groups of ten or more in tight formation along the California coast. He said, “Watching them on the display was like watching snowfall from the sky.” Because of the taboo of reporting UFOs, he kept quiet. But according to Day, the objects appeared at an altitude of about 80,000 feet, far higher than commercial or military jets typically fly, so this was a red flag that something was definitely not normal. For a moment, they thought perhaps the radar equipment had malfunctioned. But after shutting it down and rebooting, it soon became clear that the equipment was just fine, and the objects remained on radar. It was at this point that Day even watched as one of the objects dropped in altitude at impossible speeds to right above the surface of the water. Day contacted his commanding officer and said that they had to intercept the object because of the threat it could cause to the pilots and the carriers. “I was chomping at the bit,” Day remembered. “I just really wanted to intercept these things.”

This is when Commander Fravor went up, and the Tic Tac UFO story solidified its place in the annals of UFO history. When asked his personal thoughts on the incident, Day had this to say: “The objects were aware. They were observed as having astonishing flight capabilities but reacting to us as if they simply wanted to be left alone to continue their journey. I don’t know what they are. But I sure know what they weren’t. They weren’t ours. Take that for what you will.”

After the 2004 Nimitz encounter of the Tic Tac UFO story broke, many other officers came forward to describe what they had experienced that day. As the list grows, it became quite obvious that this was an alarming event, and showed that while each individual did their job to the best of their abilities, there simply was no strict protocol on how to deal with the elusive objects in the skies that day. And clearly, something had to be done. Not only for the curious minds of those who wanted to know what it was, but for the safety of those who experienced it, and perhaps on a grander scale, the skies over the entire nation as well.

With mounting pressure due to the tenacious work by To the Stars Academy in obtaining the three Navy videos, and their continued efforts to work with military branches on deciphering these mysterious objects and their capabilities, Luis Elizondo assisted Commander Fravor in obtaining several meetings with members of Congress to explain what he’d encountered and why something needed to change in terms of reporting UFOs within respective military branches. And while the contents of these meetings would remain classified, one Senator, in particular, did comment briefly on one of these meetings. Senator Mark Warner, the vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated the following to the press: “If naval pilots are running into unexplained interference in the air, that’s a safety concern I believe we need to get to the bottom of.”

This meeting with Warner, and several other meetings with members of Congress and Intelligence communities, put the U.S. Navy in the limelight and they had no choice but to officially comment on the subject and even announce new protocols for pilots and ground crews to report UFO sightings and encounters. In an official statement to Politico, a Navy spokesperson said the following: “The Navy is updating and formalizing the process by which reports of any such suspected incursions can be made to the cognizant authorities. These kinds on incursions can be both a security risk and pose a safety hazard for both Navy and Air Force aviation. For safety and security concerns, the Navy and the USAF takes these reports very seriously and investigates each and every report.”

So there’s one last development in this entire affair that adds to the rich tapestry of the Navy, the Department of Defense, To the Stars Academy, and the UFO issue here in the United States: The Pentagon’s official acknowledgement of the three Navy videos and the release of them. In an official statement on April 27th, 2020, the Department of Defense stated: “The Department of Defense has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos, one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015, which have been circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017. After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena. DOD is releasing the videos in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos. The aerial phenomena observed in the videos remain characterized as unidentified.”

This statement shot across mainstream media outlets and once again, these videos circulated as if they were brand new. The videos came to a surprise to many, unlike most who’d spent every waking moment studying the UFO topic and these videos for the past two years, some even a decade or so ago when at least one of the videos had been uploaded to online forums and websites. So, while there may be a media-driven amnesia by most, it can also be argued that while the videos aren’t new, it shows that they were never supposed to have seen the light of day. It proves two other things as well; these videos were not hoaxed or fabricated, and they remain, even to this day, unidentified and truly unknown. With the tireless efforts of Tom DeLonge, Luis Elizondo, and countless UFO researchers hammering the intelligence agencies with Freedom of Information Act requests, there’s no denying that a sizable amount of progress has been made in terms of an official acknowledgement of the UFO reality by the U.S. Government. Elizondo, being directly involved with the 2017 release of the Navy videos, said the following in an official To the Stars Academy statement: “We are fueled by the Pentagon’s significant actions and hope this encourages a new wave of credible information to come forward.” 

But the real question remains; is this the nail in the coffin in terms of Pentagon releases and acknowledgment of the UFO phenomenon? Well, for that rockstar-turned-UFO researcher, Tom DeLonge, he believes that his company is partially, if not completely responsible for the official release of the videos. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, he stated: “I can’t believe we pulled this off. It’s a big deal, and so much more is coming. I think people need to buckle up.”

So, as To the Stars Academy continues their work, so do many other UFO researchers whose collective passions have only been reignited and fueled by all the attention UFOs have been getting. Gone are the days of retracing footsteps on UFO cases from fifty-plus years ago, and looking forward at modern cases dating all the way up to 2015. These cases are within reach, and many of the witnesses are still coming forward to detail their involvement. A new flame has been lit and it’s an exciting time to be in the self-proclaimed field of “ufology.” And perhaps DeLonge is right; there’s certainly going to be more to come, whether the government likes it or not. And as we move forward and rebuild our world after a global crisis, we can hopefully take an opportunity to rebuild the way we look at UFOs and piece it back together in a whole new light. Could this usher in a whole new era of study, perception, and acknowledgment of a legitimate and physical reality the UFO phenomenon?  

UFOs exist, according to the Pentagon. It’s official. And some of the most credible evidence we have has been given to the public. And while many argue it’s not a lot, it’s all we have. And that’s a big step. But perhaps even bigger are the follow-up questions that remain; What exactly are these UFOs? Who is in control of them? And what do they want? Like DeLonge said, “buckle up.” It’s going to be an exciting, frustrating, weird, and wonderful ride as we continue to search for answers somewhere in our skies.

Bio: Ryan Sprague is a lead investigator and co-host of the CW television series, Mysteries Decoded, and is also a regular on the Travel Channel series, Mysteries at the Museum. He is the author of Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon, and is also the creator and host of the Somewhere in the Skies podcast. His UFO journalism found him interviewing witnesses in all walks of life about UFO sightings and possible encounters with extraterrestrials. He’s interviewed military and intelligence officials directly on the topic, writing for such news sites as Open Minds Magazine, Rogue Planet, JimHarold.com, and Futurism. Speaking on the UFO topic, he has been featured on ABC News, Fox News, and the Science Channel. For more info, visit: www.somewhereintheskies.com

Tic Tac UFO Video Discussion – Hidden History – Paranormal Podcast 639

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We discuss the infamous “Tic Tac” video and other recent videos that have turned UFOlogy on its head with Ryan Sprague.

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You can find Ryan’s website at SomewhereInTheSkies.com

In part two, Jim Willis talks to us about hidden history, the possibility of ancient ETs and his smash hit book on the subject.

You can find Jim’s hit book on Amazon: Hidden History: Ancient Aliens and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization

Thanks Ryan and Jim!

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HAUNTED SKIES: The Ghostly Tale of Flight 401 – A Paranormal Braintrust Article by Ryan Sprague

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Ryan Sprague

The idea of a classic haunting conjures many images of eerie old houses, graveyards, and spirits being forever trapped in the rooms where their life had seemingly ended. But sometimes these often reported hauntings don’t occur on the ground around us but in the skies above. And such was the strange case involving the ghosts of Flight 401.

It was December 29th, 1972. Eastern Airlines Flight 401, holding 163 passengers, broke through the clouds, taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City. It was a routine flight, leisurely touching down in Miami. At the helm was Head Pilot, Bob Loft, a thirty year veteran of the skies. He was accompanied by Albert John Stockhill, his First Officer, and Donald Lois Repo, the flight engineer. The rest of the crew consisted of ten top-notch flight attendants. All seemed to be going just as planned as they coasted through the air, their destination of Miami International Airport within reach.

As they prepared for landing, Stockstill noticed that the landing gear indicator light hadn’t turned on when it should have. Alerting the crew of the situation, he tried several times to cycle the landing gear, hoping that this would solve the problem. But it didn’t seem to resolve. Soon, Loft radioed the flight tower of the situation. Soon, the plane was put into a holding pattern over the nearby Everglades. At an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the plane was put into autopilot as the crew hurriedly tried to resolve the situation. Distracted by the supposed malfunctioning landing gear, the entire crew was oblivious to the fact that someone had accidentally turned off the autopilot feature and the plane was quickly losing altitude. By the time the crew was made aware, it was already too late. The plane crashed into an unforgiving swampland at a speed of 227 miles per hour. The fuselage disintegrated almost immediately, jet fuel sending fiery blazes throughout the downed aircraft. It was a tragedy beyond comprehension.

Stockstill perished on impact. Loft and Repo initially survived, but Loft died while being pulled from the wreckage. Repo later succumbed in the hospital due to major complications. In total, 97 out of 163 people died in the crash that fateful day. It was one of the most horrific and deadliest plane disasters in U.S. history. And while the tragedy certainly struck the hearts of many, the lingering spirits of those lives lost refused to fade away.

The aircraft was an Eastern L-1011 Tristar jet. Not long after the deadly events in the Everglades, both passengers and crew of flights flown in the same model aircraft began to report strange occurrences as they made their way through the skies. Many of these reports included sightings of Robert Loft and Donald Repo. They would often stand in the aisles, looking over the passengers. Or sometimes they would even be seated next to passengers, a cold dark stare shooting forward towards the cockpit.

One report, in particular, came from flight attendants who said they saw Robert Loft wandering up and down the aisles of the plane right before takeoff, talking to passengers and warning them to get off the flight before it was too late. It was then said that as they prepared for takeoff, Loft’s supposed spirit vanished into thin air. The crew was so visibly shaken by this event that the flight had to be canceled that day. Another incident involved the vice-president of Eastern Airlines. As he sat in first class during a routine flight, he assumed the man sitting next to him was the Captain and began to speak to him. It wasn’t until halfway through the conversation that the strange truth dawned on him. The man, sitting silent and staring at him was none other then Loft himself. When the realization hit the vice-president, the man that was sitting next to him faded away into thin air.

Another report came from a flight attendant who noticed an engineer fixing an oven in the galley (kitchen) of the plane. When the flight attendant later saw a different engineer who usually worked that shift, she asked who the new guy was that fixed the oven. He insisted that no other engineers had been on that flight and that there was nothing wrong with ovens that had been reported to him. When the flight attendant described the mysterious engineer, it struck a chord with several other crew members. They retrieved several photos of a man to show her, and she insisted that the man in the photos was most definitely the man she saw that day. All of the photos were that of flight engineer Donald Lois Repo.

Repo seemed to be the boldest of the two spirits haunting these flights. During a flight of Tri-Star 318, a flight attendant witnessed an apparition of a man who warned she and several other crew members that they should keep a lookout for possible fires on the plane. The flight engineer knew Repo in life and had no doubt that this apparition before him was indeed the man himself. Soon, the apparition disappeared. Halfway through the flight, the plane suffered major engine issues that caused a fire. The last leg of the flight was canceled.

It is worth acknowledging that almost every report of both Repo and Loft boasted incidents involving what appeared to be flesh and blood individuals, and not spectral entities. The only time that the events seemed supernatural were when an individual recognized Repo or Loft, and they would dematerialize before the witness’ very eyes. Another interesting fact is that whenever they were seen, they would often warn crew members of impending problems on a particular flight. They were almost acting as omens for some sort of disaster or preventing it altogether. The last interesting aspect of nearly every report is that Repo and Loft were never seen together on any flight or in any witness testimony, prompting one to presume that in the lingering spiritual purgatory high in the skies, they were working alone to haunt these flights.

One of the most contentious and intriguing aspects of this entire ghostly affair came to light when rumors began to spread that salvaged pieces from Flight 401 had been recycled and used on other Tri-Star jets. If one is to believe that objects themselves can contain the disembodied spirit of someone, then this most certainly was the case for the ghosts of Flight 401. Almost all reports of Repo and Loft supposedly came from flights that had pieces of the original plane attached to them somehow. This claim of using parts from a tragic disaster was contested for years by airlines who stated that they would never do such a thing. But many who’ve worked on the planes did admit that this was a common practice among airlines to cut corners and save money on construction of their aircraft, even down to the last screw and bolt. There were also rumors that once this notion of recycled pieces of Flight 401 went public, the pieces were swiftly and silently removed from other planes. Immediately, all reports of ghostly activity on Tri-Star flights ceased.

No matter the case, the actual presence of these ghosts had taken a toll on the airline. So many reports were submitted to the US Flight Safety Foundation that they actually published a response in their newsletter, in which they stated: “The reports were given by experienced and trustworthy pilots and crew. We consider them significant. The appearance of the dead flight engineer (Repo) … was confirmed by the flight engineer.” But Eastern Airlines itself did everything they could to distance themselves from these reports, not wanting a reputation of being the “haunted airline,” nor did they want to bring any more attention to the tragedy of Flight 401. No matter the case, the reports of these supposedly haunted flights pales in comparison to the loss of life that fateful day over the Everglades.

Eastern Airlines went out of business in 1991 after extensive labor disputes and a massive strike in 1989. And while the airline itself is long dead, the stories of possible ghostly crew members continue to live on both here on the ground and in the air. Perhaps the next time you find yourself on a flight, you may want to order several of those overpriced mini bottles of bourbon and gin. Because you never truly know if that person you’re sitting next to is an actual passenger or a ghostly tag along to keep you both startled and sober in the skies.

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon, published by Richard Dolan Press. He is the co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Into the Fray, available on iTunes & Stitcher. You can also catch him frequently on Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum. His other work can be found at: somewhereintheskies.com

Reel Horror – Ryan Sprague Writes

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Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

THE TERRIFYING TRUTH BEHIND HORROR MOVIES

Every Halloween season brings forth the cozy sweaters, the pumpkin-spiced drinks, and the undeniable beauty of autumn colors. But for me, it brings out something else. It’s the only time of the year that I sit down every single night and watch a horror movie.

This has in more recent years been dubbed, “Shocktober” when many consume horror movies on a daily basis. Maybe it’s the young boy in me wanting to challenge my level of fear and masculinity, or perhaps it could even be the curiosity deep down of what I would do if thrust into the horrified shoes of those being victimized. Either way, I would crawl into the corner of the couch, turn off the lights, and watch from a safe distance as the terror unfolded on the screen. But the more I watched, the more I became interested in just exactly what inspired the dark and deranged minds of those who’d created these movies. I was surprised to find that more than a fair share had been inspired by true events. And that, more than anything, became all the more terrifying. Here is just a small glimpse of some of those films based on true stories.

The Exorcist (1973)

Perhaps the most classic supernatural horror film in modern history, The Exorcist, swept the nation and made the world fear the Devil unlike ever before. Directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty, this demon-possession film was based on Blatty’s original novel of the same name. The novel wasn’t entirely dreamt up, however, and was steeped in much reality.

In 1948, a young boy known by the alias of “Robbie Mannheim,” began to act very odd in his hometown of Cottage City, Maryland. He’d spit, shout profanities, and would suffer deep scratches all over his body. His family soon called in a group of priests of different faiths and the activity intensified. Edward Hughes, a Roman Catholic priest, claimed that when he placed a Bible to the boy’s forehead, Robbie began to levitate and the bed below him started to vibrate. When the priest asked who seemed to be in control of the boy, a harsh voice spewed from his mouth, proclaiming “I am legion.” As the activity progressed, the family thought that moving to a new home would help calm the demon within the boy. But it didn’t. Now in St. Louis, Missouri, the priests were called in once again. Confined to a psychiatric ward of a hospital, six weeks of exorcisms were performed on the boy. During this time, scratches appeared all over his body from out of nowhere, guttural voices erupting from the boy spouting expletives and hate. The priests had only one defense left to try to rid young Robbie of the demon. They baptized him, forcing a communion wafer into his mouth. While the effects weren’t immediate, within days, he seemed to be devoid of any further possession.

While the film, The Exorcist, portrayed a young girl with much more horrifying experiences, there is no doubt that this story was just as scary, if true. The testimony of the priests involved holds much weight, one even claiming that he was thrown across the room at one point during the baptism/exorcism. And while the movie version went on to become one of the most successful films in history, for young Robbie, the memories of his experience presumably live on. And one can only hope that the demons within him will stay at bay for many years to come.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

This film came to us from the director, Charles B. Pierce, who is best known for his 1972 cult-classic docudrama, The Legend of Boggy Creek. In this 1976 slasher movie, a small town Texas Ranger is investigating a slew of gruesome murders by a hooded serial killer known only as the Phantom. This predecessor to 1978’s Halloween, was raw and gritty, following the predator on his murderous rampage of young lovers in the town. While this plot may seem simple, it became much more complex when I learned that it was based on an actual unsolved string of murders in Texarkana, Arkansas.

To learn more about the actual case, I interviewed documentary filmmaker, Joshua Zeman, who investigated this case heavily in a one hour special on Chiller TV, titled, Killer Legends. Zeman learned that the murders in Texarkana were dubbed, “The Moonlight Murders.” Four brutal crimes occurred in less than three months. The first of the crimes took place with young couples who were parked at several “Lover’s Lanes” in the area. The fourth crime was the shooting of a couple in their farmhouse on the outskirts of town. By the end of the supposed rampage, several were severely wounded, and five people had been shot dead.

But the story of the Moonlight Murders didn’t end there. Zeman also discovered that once the film that was made, the town didn’t turn away from it. They embraced it. They would hold an annual screening during the Halloween season on the grounds where some the murders had taken place. It had become somewhat of a sense of pride to the town. So much so, that another version of the film with the same title was released in 2014 in which a copycat killer who saw the 1976 version began to terrorize the town in the same fashion almost sixty-five years later. The meta nature of this entire string of events was almost too hard to believe, but it soon became clear that anything to draw publicity to a small town struggling to survive would be welcomed. Even at the dismay of the original victims and their families. To hear the entire interview about the Moonlight Murders with Joshua Zeman, CLICK HERE

The Entity (1982)

Carla wakes up from a peaceful sleep to the worst nightmare she could imagine. She is being brutally assaulted by an unknown and unseen presence. Completely traumatized, she reaches out to friends and family who believe she has gone crazy. This is when she enlists the assistance of two parapsychologists to investigate. They discover that there is a dark and evil spirit attached to Carla, and it isn’t through with her. The true story behind this film was inspired by the strikingly similar experience of Doris Bither in 1974.

While at a California bookstore, Blither approached two men who she’d overheard were talking about investigating a haunted home nearby. She explained to them that she believed her home also to have some sort of entity haunting it, and she wanted them to investigate. One of these men was Kerry Gaynor, an associate of the now-famous Dr. Barry Taff. Soon, they were learning all about Doris’ current living situation. She was in her mid-thirties, a single Mom of four children, an alcoholic, and suffered serious emotional distress. Gaynor and Dr. Taff were hesitant to take on the case, worried that her claim of hauntings was just a mask for her personal life. But they agreed to at least assess the situation in the home.

Dr. Taff arrived to see a home in complete disarray. The house was unlivable, and her children seemed to have to fend for themselves to eat. It was clear that this was not something Dr. Taff could work with, and he decided to leave, claiming that Doris was very uncooperative, to begin with, even though she had been the one to ask for help. This all changed one evening when she called Dr. Taff pleading for his help. Apparently, the violent activity in the home had intensified and that it was now hurting her children as well. Dr. Taff and a team of investigators documented what they believed were four different manifestations haunting the home. One was a harmless old man that never caused trouble. But the others weren’t as innocent. Things in the home would begin to levitate and be thrown across the room, and the family was being attacked on a daily basis. But Doris seemed to be the centerpiece of the supposed evil spirits. Witnesses claimed to see her attacked by an invisible force that threw her against a wall, punched, and slapped. Immediately, Dr. Taff assembled a team of photographers to accompany Doris in her bedroom one night. He asked Doris to provoke the entities, and soon, a green mist appeared, morphing into a male figure. Sadly, little could be seen on the photos taken, but one curious photo of Doris, sitting on her bed, showed a strange arc of light over her head.

Eventually, she moved her family to Texas, hoping this would end the traumatic attacks of the entities, but she did report that it had followed her and the rampage continued. Very little is known of what happened to her and her family after that. But according to one of her children, she had died in 1995. Was this the final confrontation between the entity and Doris? We’ll never truly know. But we now have this 1982 horror film to cast a dark shadow on the tragic happenings of Doris Blither.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Perhaps the most unique slasher film in horror history, this killer not only hunted down his victims in real-life, but he did so in their dreams. Freddy Kruger, dawning his now iconic sweater, hat, and claws, has become an international cultural icon, spawning one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. But no good idea comes without some sort of inspiration. And as I soon learned, the brilliantly gruesome idea for the film, according to the creator, Wes Craven, originated from a very unlikely source.

In various interviews about how he came up with the idea of “a nightmare that could kill.” He admitted that it came from a newspaper article he’d come across in which the deaths of several South East Asian refugees were unsolved. The refugees, seventeen men, and one woman had fled to the United States in 1975, fearing the horrible genocide taking place in their communist province of Hmong during the Vietnam War. Most of them took refuge in Minnesota and California, adjusting to a modern American world. This caused a great deal of anxiety and a sense of isolation, especially since they spoke very little English. The transition was so intense that many of the eighteen refugees immediately sought out doctor’s to treat outbreaks of imaginary venereal diseases and parasites that they truly believed were thriving under their skin.

The paranoia only intensified, and tragically, all eighteen refugees were found dead in their beds, the cause of death being attributed to “Probable Cardiac Arrhythmia.” However, other doctors attributed their deaths to something known as “Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome.” This is a condition that seemed only to affect young Hmong males, as well as Filipinos. Victims seem to die of fright and a core belief that what happened in their dream was in fact reality.

In Hmong culture, a spirit called “dab tsuam,” often takes the form of a woman, snatching men while they sleep and taking them to the spirit world. There the dab tsuam will torture and kill them. Hmong men would go so far as to dress like a woman before falling asleep, hoping to fool the spirit from taking them. In many instances, this legend has become fodder for many claims of sleep paralysis, but going one step further, it had indeed been connected to Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome as well.

These horrific deaths of the refugees were a great tragedy to those seeking a better life in America. But without a chance glance at an article one day, the world may never have been introduced to the burnt and scarred monster we love to hate in the form of Freddy Kruger. And as he continues to haunt our nightmares on the silver screen, we can only hope that the impetus of “Freddy” remains a tragedy that never repeats itself again.

The Conjuring (2013)

Considered a modern-day classic, this strikingly authentic film came to us from the brilliant direction of James Wan, best known for his work on the original Saw movie, and 2010’s Insidious. In the film, we follow a duo of paranormal investigators who are also husband and wife. They are summoned to the home of Carolyn and Roger Perron. The Perrons and their five daughters have recently moved into a farmhouse where a supernatural force seems to be present. The events in the home take a drastic and horrifying turn as the investigators uncover the troubling history of the farmhouse. While this uniquely stylized film garnered much praise for its original content, it was based heavily on real events and real people.

Ed and Lorraine Warren were indeed a married couple who were also paranormal investigators. In 1952, they founded the New England Society for Psychic Research. They are most notably recognized for their work on the Amityville incident, and to a much lesser and controversial extent, The Enfield Poltergeist case that became the basis of the sequel to The Conjuring. But this case out of Harrisville, Road Island with the Perron family would be one of the Warren’s greatest challenges.

The Perrons claimed that they were experiencing both haunting and spiritual possessions amongst the family of five daughters. The claims consisted of both harmless and angry spirits moving things around the home, causing unbearable stenches, slamming doors shut, and in dramatic fashion, levitating the beds of the children at 5:15 in the morning. As the activity increased, and progressively became more dangerous, the Warrens dug deep to find out the history behind the farmhouse and the property, hoping this would help find some answers and a possible resolution. What they found was horrific in nature. Over eight generations of families had lived and died on the property, including 93-year-old Mrs. John Arnold, who’d hung herself from the rafters in a nearby barn. Several other suicides had taken place there as well, including more hangings and poisonings. Even more tragic was the unsolved rape and murder of eleven-year-old Prudence Arnold. It was also reported that there were two drownings in the creek near the home and four men had mysteriously frozen to death on the property. With so many gruesome acts having been committed in this area, it was no wonder that so much paranormal activity seemed to be plaguing the Perron family.

While the film portrayed the Warrens in a very altruistic and heroic light, performing a successful exorcism of the home towards the end of the film, the Perron daughters claimed that this was anything but the truth. Apparently, the Warrens were not successful in their cleansing endeavors. And while their intentions were good, the activity seemed only to get worse with the Warrens present. Fearing for his family’s safety and lives, the father, Roger Perron demanded that the Warrens leave and never return. This contention between the actual events and the film would only continue in the sequel, The Conjuring 2, where the Warrens were once again portrayed as heroes and being much more involved in these cases than they were. More about this contention can be heard directly from the eldest daughter, Andrea Perron, in an extensive interview with Jim Harold by CLICKING HERE.

Conclusions

Whether we like it or not, horror movies have become a cultural staple in our lives, inducing some of the most primal reactions and emotions we can muster. They make us fear the unknown, prepare for the worst, and most importantly, play out our worst nightmares from a safe distance of imagination. But when we discover that some of these terrifying and disturbing movies are directly connected to actual events, it blurs the lines between reality and fantasy with haunting results. And it proves, that when we sit down to watch our greatest fears be played out before our wide or covered eyes, sometimes the truth is far scarier than anything we could create in the darkest corner of our minds.

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon, published by Richard Dolan Press. He is the co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Into the Fray, available on iTunes & Stitcher. His other work can be found at somewhereintheskies.com

The Strange Life of A Soviet Psychokinetic, Nina Kulagina – Ryan Sprague Writes

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

She was a mere fourteen years of age when she joined the Red Army. The Nazi regime was making its deadly presence in the siege of Leningrad, and along with her father and two siblings, Nina Kulagina was thrust into defending her town in freezing winter temperatures, meager rations of food, and very little electricity or heat keeping her and her fellow soldiers alive.

It was more than any young teenager should ever endure, but for Nina, she not only suffered through the nine hundred day siege but excelled in her regiment. She bravely served on the front line as the radio operator of a battle tank. Her endurance led her to climb the ranks, and she eventually became a senior sergeant. But the risk of her bravery and dedication to Russia would catch up to her when she would be seriously injured by artillery fire at the tail end of WWII.

She was left emotionally and physically scarred. Disabled, Nina lived a rather secluded life until she married and had children in the mid-1960s. But what exactly was Nina doing in the time between leaving the war and starting a family? Information is scant, but when she resurfaced, it was certainly in full force. And while her past was full of valor and intrigue, her future brought an entirely new reputation of the most mysterious kind.

Nina recalled, as a child, that her mother was able to move objects with her mind. This seemed impossible to Nina, but she would watch in awe as her mother focussed intently on household objects as they began to spin, drag, and even fly across the room. Many years later, when Nina realized that her motor skills had been hindered during the war, she wondered if this strange ability her mother possessed could be passed on to her. And as she would soon learn, it most definitely could.

For Nina, the objects began to move when she was angry. She had very little control over it. But slowly, she began to harness this ability, and would find herself in periods of deep meditation. Her mind would become crystal clear, and her focus on the object was at its prime. She would feel a sharp pain in her spine, and her vision would blur. This was when she knew that it was now time to move the object. And move it did. She began to harness this power and gained more control over it. Was this something to keep secret? Or was this something that could give her the confidence back that had been stripped of her since the end of the war? This was when she decided to come forward with her amazing abilities.

A noted physicist, V.F. Shvetz, came forward stating that he once observed Nina mentally projecting the letters A and O onto a sheet of photographic paper. She was also capable of transferring an outline of an image she was looking at onto photographic paper as well. These abilities often came with a harsh aftermath. Nina would suffer unexplained burn marks on her hands after demonstrating her powers, her clothes even catching on fire at one point. One European journalist even claimed that Nina had mentally caused a red patch of discomfort to appear on their arm after demonstrating a telekinetic test for them.

As time progressed, more people began to learn of this simple housewife’s fantastic gift. Word eventually spread to members behind the Iron Curtain, and Nina once again found herself in the tight grasp of the Red Army. The Cold War was heating up, and the American public would catch wind of several silent films where a middle-aged woman appeared to move objects on a table in front of her without touching them. These cryptic black-and-white films were allegedly made under controlled conditions by Soviet authorities and were observed closely by over forty scientists, including two Nobel laureates. All had examined Nina, and every single one of them confirmed that her telekinetic abilities were indeed genuine. However, many skeptics at the time believed these videos to be pure fabrication meant as propaganda to show the Russian superiority in right-brain functioning and the possibility of psychic ability control.

One of these curious videos showed a water-filled tank in which an egg was cracked open and poured into it. Using her abilities, Nina was able to separate the egg yolk from the white, spreading them to opposite ends of the tank, supposedly with nothing more than her mind. During this remarkable event, sensors placed on her body showed a highly elevated body temperature and heartbeat. Her electromagnetic field and brainwaves had also intensified to abnormal heights. As if separating the egg wasn’t enough, Nina was also able to meld it back together again with ease.

While this event was truly astounding, Nina would raise the psychic bar in March of 1970 when another video surfaced when she would use her powers not on inanimate objects, but on the heart of an actual creature. Curious if her psychic power could have an effect on cells, tissue and organs, a frog’s heart was placed into a tank filled with saline solution. Using a small amount of electrical current, the heart was kept beating. At this point, Nina was asked if she could change the pace of the heartbeat. Astonishingly, she was first able to make the heart beat faster, then slower, and finally she was able to make the heart completely stop. This came to a huge shock to all, and the Soviets wondered if this peculiar ability could be used on human beings. Could it, in essence, be one of the greatest weapons against an enemy attack? Fortunately, Nina admitted that her abilities couldn’t penetrate the cellular make-up of humans, fatiguing her greatly. It appeared as though the hearts of potential enemies would be safe.

While Nina’s abilities would make her a semi-celebrity, this also attracted the skeptical minds of many debunkers who believed it all to be a hoax. Many argued that the experiments conducted on her were not done in proper scientific conditions. Sleight-of-hand trickery, magnets, and hair-thin string were all culprits thought to be responsible for the objects being moved across tables and floors. Scrutiny over her abilities even caught the attention of well-known stage magician and scientific skeptic, James Randi. Randi backed up these claims that everything Nina was known for could easily have been fabricated and that absolutely none of her actual psychic powers were authentic.

As the tests continued, it became clear that Nina’s abilities were taking a serious toll on her health. Doctors who’d been monitoring her were concerned after several experiments caused her to lose weight, her heart beat would become irregular, and she would spend days in bed suffering severe exhaustion. It appeared that to perform these feats, Nina was somehow converting the matter of her own body into psychic energy. Other symptoms began to appear, including a complete loss of her taste buds, disturbed motor skills, and extreme pain in her extremities. During this deterioration of health, she also suffered a nervous breakdown in 1964 and was put under close observation in a local hospital. While recovering, it was said that she spent most of her time sewing. While this may seem innocent in nature, something strange caught several of her doctors’ attention. Nina was able to reach into a sewing basket, select a specific color of thread, and all without looking. Upon inquiring how she could choose a color without seeing it, she claimed that she could see the colors with her fingertips. This was yet another fantastic ability to add to the list.

The contention and skepticism by the scientific community began to eat away at Nina. She struggled merely to prove that her powers were real. The Soviets welcomed her determination, and would push her to the furthest limits. Unfortunately, this caught up with her when in the late 1970s, she suffered a near-fatal heart attack. It was a clear message to the scientists, doctors, and the military intelligence agencies to finally slow down and give Nina the space she rightfully deserved to recover in peace.

Nina would conduct personal experiments with private institutions for the next two decades, knowing that she couldn’t completely suppress these special abilities. No matter the intentions of the Red Army, she knew that her powers could also be used for good. Many claimed that by merely placing her hands on them, she could heal some ailments and wounds. While this could not be proven, it brought about a whole new level of potential for what Nina could truly do to benefit her country. She was watched very closely for the remainder of her life, never being able to escape the fame and burden of those who believed in her psychokinetic abilities and those who didn’t. This would haunt her until her death in 1990 at the age of 64.

The attention to Nina was not unjustified at the time as Russia was willing to explore any type of alternative warfare in the race to beat the Americans. Remote viewing and anomalous cognition were specific areas that they found of keen interest. While the Americans focussed on the nuclear arms and space race, Russia was digging deep into the mind to create the “psi race.” The Americans wouldn’t truly catch on and take this topic seriously until many years later.

In October of 1978, Maj. Edmund Thompson, then the Army’s top intelligence officer, ordered Intelligence and Security Command to look into Extrasensory Perception, and a Pentagon-wide program, known as Project Grill Flame was set into motion. Another program of note came in 1986, with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Project Sun Streak, in which psychic abilities were used to find the whereabouts of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi before American planes bombed the country. It was clear that there was potential for such extraordinary abilities in warfare, and thinking outside the box was a beneficial strategy. Could this all have been prompted by the exploitation of Nina’s abilities over in Russia? Did the so-called “propaganda films” actually have more of an impact than once thought? There’s no way of truly knowing, as there is also no way of knowing if her abilities were authentic or not, to begin with. But one thing was certain: the doors of psychic warfare had been opened, and it is doubtful that they will ever truly be closed as top secret black budget projects hide in every corner of both countries’ intelligence and defense agencies.

While the strange life of Nina Kulagina involved abilities that even today have yet to be proven authentic, it wasn’t the psychokinetic aspect of her life that would be most remembered. Even at her funeral, she was praised for her dedication and service to the army earlier in her life, being hailed as the “Hero of Leningrad.” She had fought for her life defending her people and her country, becoming a cultural icon for both soldiers and women everywhere. Whether the fringe-filled aspects to her story afterward hold any true merit will be debated by believers and skeptics alike for many years to come. But for Nina, it surely was a life worth living. And as this article, and many others may suggest, it is most certainly a story worth telling.

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He is the co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Into the Fray, available on iTunes & Stitcher. His other work can be found at somewhereintheskies.com

The People With No Past – Ryan Sprague

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

Who were these mysterious people with no past? Paranomal Braintrust writer Ryan Sprague asks.

In August of 2004, in Savannah, GA, a man was found sunburned and brutally beaten behind a dumpster outside of a Burger King restaurant. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors were able to save his life. But when the man finally awoke, he had no memory of what had happened. But even scarier, he had absolutely no idea where he’d come from or who he was. The man in question, Benjamin Kyle, had been diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, which occurs often after an injury or onset of disease. With very little to go on, Kyle found himself in a purgatory of life, seemingly lacking an identity, family, and a past. Upon recovery, Kyle spent many years on the streets, not being able to obtain employment due to his not being able to remember his social security number.

The entire incident caught the attention of many news outlets and afternoon talk shows, and through the generosity of viewers, and other sources, Kyle was able to find employment at a restaurant in Florida, where he took up residence in a small home. Eventually, Kyle was able to match his DNA through an online resource and found several family members. He was slowly piecing the puzzle back together again by finding relatives, but continued to struggle with who he truly was. But he took solace, knowing there was still hope of discovering the life he’d once led. “Looking at all these names, all these people, kind of gives me a sense of belonging,” Kyle stated in an interview with ABC News. “I have a history. I’m not just some stranger that materialized out of thin air.”

The idea of someone appearing out of thin air is actually more prevalent than one may think. There have been many others who have lived lives shrouded in mystery, drifting in and out of the world in the most obscure of fashion. And as we’ll see, they disappeared into thin air just as mysteriously.

Riddle of His Time

On May 26th, 1828, a teenage boy was found wandering the streets of Nürnberg, Germany. His clothes tattered, he tightly clutched two letters in his hands. One of the letters was addressed to the captain of the cavalry regiment, requesting that the boy be left in his possession, supposedly written by a poor laborer who’d raised the boy but could no longer afford to. The second letter was written by what was apparently the boy’s mother, and this letter stated that her husband had died and she herself couldn’t raise the boy alone. Her hope was that the boy would join the military.

The young boy was asked by local authorities to write down his origins, but he seemed very confused, and couldn’t read or write. The only thing he could recall was his name, Kaspar Hauser, which he scribbled down on paper. When some in the town tried to feed the boy, he requested nothing but bread and water, eventually explaining that these were the only form of subsistence he was given, having been held in a cell all alone for an undetermined amount of time and severely abused by an unknown captor. Pity, generosity, and curiosity led locals to take the boy in and try to educate him.

Astonishingly, within weeks, he’d learned to read and write. Word began to spread about this apparent idiot savant, and the curiosity of his origins only heightened. He became an overnight sensation, and countless books, magazines, films, and plays were eventually written about him. Such theories surrounding the true identity of Hauser ranged from a deranged epileptic who’d been passed on by caregivers to the dramatic theory that he’d been the rightful heir to a royal throne, but was stashed away in a cell so that someone else could take power. While many scholars today refute this theory, it fueled many to find some sort of political intrigue behind the boy’s origins. No matter the case, Hauser’s fame would lead to his untimely death, when in the winter of 1833, he returned to the house of Lord Stanhope, with whom he’d been taking up residence with at the time. He staggered into the home with a deep stab wound in his chest. He eventually died, a police investigation turning up a small violet purse with a note in its contents. The note, having been written in German, was translated as the following:

Hauser will be
Able to tell you quite precisely how
I look and from where I am.
To save Hauser the effort,
I want to tell you myself from where
I come _ _ .
I come from from _ _ _
the Bavarian border _ _
On the river _ _ _ _ _
I will even
tell you the name: M. L. Ö.

While M.L.Ö was never detained, let alone found, the mystery behind the death of Hauser was just as elusive as his life itself. While much contention remains on who this young man was, he has become a legend in the eyes of many, having been buried in the world famous cemetery, Stadtfriedhof, amongst many scholars and even those who’d been granted the Nobel Peace Prize. Hauser’s life was known to no one else except he himself, and it will remain that way for the rest of eternity. It could best be concluded with what was etched on his gravestone, eloquently stated in Latin: “Here lies Kaspar Hauser, riddle of his time. His birth was unknown, his death mysterious. 1833.”

A Tragic Tale of Persian Poetry

It was the first day of December in 1948. On the beach of Somerton, just south of Adelaide, Australia, the body of a man was found laying on top of the sand. Within his possession was an unused train ticket, a comb, gum, and a few loose cigarettes. The man was in peak physical condition, and no sign of illness or ailments seemed to be the cause of death. He was dressed in a very well-tailored suit, but mysteriously, no labels could be found anywhere on his clothing. In a hidden pocket of the suit, a small piece of paper simply read: “Taman shud”, which in Persian, means: “finished.” No identification of the man could be found.

While the tragedy of this man’s death was obvious, the intrigue behind his possession of the piece of paper is what struck most who had heard about the case. The piece of paper seemed to have been torn from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, an extremely rare 12th century poetry book by the Persian poet. Police soon conducted a search for the book, and came across an anonymous man who said he’d found a copy in the backseat of his car around the same time the body had been found on the beach. When the police examined the book, they noticed that the book was indeed missing the exact words that were found on the man. Even more bizarre, the book had random capital letters throughout the poem circled, prompting investigators to theorize that this was some sort of code, perhaps one that could lead them one step closer to discovering who this man was.

Another big mystery was how exactly this seemingly healthy man had died. The prevailing theory was that he must have been poisoned, yet no trace of any type of poison such could be found in his system. But the pathologist who’d performed the autopsy believed it was possible that some sort of soluble barbiturate could have been responsible, which would have completely dissolved within a day. While this was contentious amongst other pathologists, even more contentious was a theory on breaking the code that the poetry book supposedly held. One theory was that the strong of circled letters, ITTMTSAMSTGAB, actually stood for, “It’s Time To Move To South Australia Moseley Street.” This crack in the code was only strengthened when a phone number was found in the book which belonged to a former army nurse who just so happened to live on Moseley Street. The woman, who also remained anonymous, confirmed that she’s in fact given a copy of this rare poetry book to a lieutenant Alfred Boxall, whom she’d met while in service. Many believed that Boxall was in fact the dead man, but in 1949, the actual Boxall came forward, stating that he held a fully intact version of the book in his possession, and clearly was alive and breathing. But some were suspicious of him, wondering if during his service, he was actually working for an intelligence program, and had in fact discovered the dead man was a Soviet spy, and had poisoned him. This was rather outlandish in the eyes of Boxall himself who once stated that this theory was “quite a melodramatic thesis”, claiming that he was no more than an engineer for a water transport company during his service.

The case remained unsolved for many years. But a possible break occurred in 2009 when Derek Abbott, a professor at the University of Adelaide, theorized that the supposed coded letters in the poetry book were a one time pad code, meaning that it’s based solely on one document being the key, in this case the book itself. But because the book was so rare, and no copies can be found today, the code is in essence, unbreakable, rendering Abbott’s theory unprovable as well. But this didn’t stop him from pursuing the identity of the man. Working off of the frustration of lost autopsy reports and a reluctance by the government in exhuming the man’s body, all Abbott had to go on were grainy photos of the dead man right before the autopsy. This is when Abbott made a very striking discovery. In the photo, the dead man had an unusual shape to the upper half of his ears. This formation could only be found in about two percent of caucasians, and he also had a condition known as hypodontia, in which one or more teeth fail to develop, present in less than two percent of the entire population. Abbott had spoken to the anonymous nurse who’d known Boxall, and discovered that her son had the same ear features and also had hypodontia, the same conditions of the Somerton man. The chances of two unrelated individuals with these conditions were one in ten million, prompting Abbott to postulate that they were possibly biological father and son.

In 2013, in an interview with the television news show, 60 Minutes, the nurse came forward as one Jessica Thomson. Her daughter, Kate, was also interviewed, stating that her mother did indeed know the Somerton man, and that she believed that her mother and the man were both spies, and that her late brother, Robin, was quite possibly the love child of the Somerton man. Kate went so far as to petition the Australian government to exhume the body to collect DNA evidence to make the connection between her brother and the man, but they remain steadfast on that not happening. The reasons remain quite conspiratorial, but the theory of both her mother and the Somerton man having been spies at the time could be one of those many reasons.

The Somerton man case remains unsolved, and hundreds of identities have been presumed of who this man may have been. As time lingers on, it is possible that perhaps a connection could be made to unravel this mysterious death in 1948. But for now, all we have is a modest gravestone that lay in Australia’s West Terrace Cemetery simply stating: “Here Lies The Unknown Man Who Was Found At Somerton Beach.”

For the Room

He checked in to the Lake Quinault Inn on September 14th, 2001. It had only been three days since the unfathomable tragedy struck the World Trade Center in New York City. And the entire country was on edge. The same could be said on this very day when a young man known as Lyle Stevik checked in to the inn, paying cash. He headed to his room, and didn’t leave for almost two days, requesting no cleaning of the room or any disturbance. He requested extra clean towels being left at the doorstep, and nothing else.

On September 17th, the housekeeper knocked on the door.It was past checkout time, so she needed to clean the room. There was no answer. After a few more knocks, she took it upon herself to open the door. There, she found the young man kneeling in an alcove in the corner of the room. His back was to the door, his arms by his side, and his head tilted back. It seemed as though he were praying, but he was completely unresponsive to the innkeepers entrance and apologies. This is when she phoned the owner of the inn, who made the long trek almost ninety miles away, to come see what was happening. When she arrived, the two approached Lyle hesitantly. Upon closer inspection, the owner noticed a leather belt wrapped snuggly around his throat, the other end attached to a coat rack on the other side of the room. It was now clear that he’d hanged himself. And while this site was gruesome, the events were about to become much more curious.

On the nightstand in the room, a comment card rested innocently with the words, “For the Room” scribbled on it. Inside, eight twenty dollar bills were present, a generous tip included. Soon, law enforcement was brought in and the body brought to the local coroner. Back in the room, police had also discovered, in the trash can, a crumpled piece of paper with the word: Suicide, scribbled on it. Investigators found no identification for Lyle on his person or in the room. For weeks, the police waited to hear any reports of the man missing. None turned up. They also ran Lyle’s DNA, dental information, and fingerprints in every database they could, finding nothing. A home address he’d left at the front desk merely belonged to a Best Western Inn located almost six hundred miles away in Idaho. When the police inquired with the owner of the Best Western, who’d been there for over six years, he could not confirm that anyone under that name or description had stayed there. After searching countless databases, phone directories, and community outreaches, nothing whatsoever turned up on the man known as Lyle Stevik. He, in essence, had never existed.

The search for the man’s identity widened, and many theories were thrown about. In Lyle’s room, two copies of the Daily World News were found, endless articles about the September 11th attacks filling the pages. Many speculated that perhaps he had something to do with the terrorist attack. While absolutely no evidence could solidify this theory, it remains on the table until today. Others believe he was a severely ill individual, as he seemed like he had recently lost a large amount of weight. The front desk clerk had noticed that his belt was much longer than it should have been, assuming it used to fit him much better before he’d at least arrived to the inn.

Many other theories centered around young men who’d been reported missing many years prior, but none of them matched the description of Lyle in the slightest. Perhaps even more intriguing was his name, which most likely was an alias, resembling all too strikingly that of the tragic character, Lyle Stevick in the classic novel, You Must Remember This, by Joyce Carol Oates. In the book, the character took his life as well. This easily could have been a cryptic way of this unknown man wanting to end his life in the shadow of the character of the book. Either way, the case remains unsolved until today, the man’s legacy living on in complete mystery, leaving many indeed remembering him long after his life was cut all too short at his own hand.

Conclusions

The mystery behind each of these men captivated many throughout their almost non-existent lifetimes. But perhaps even more captivating was the fact that even with today’s modern technology, it is quite possible that there are those who can walk through life and leave no identity or past behind, as we saw with Lyle Stevik. And while Kaspar Hauser became a celebrity of his time, the sad thought lingers that he never fully knew who or where he came from before he was murdered. Or did he? Could each of these men, in one way or another, have conducted a social experiment of epic proportions? Hiding their true identities to see if the world could somehow crack the code? Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this all is that each of these men were laid to rest by strangers who barely knew them, and that even in death, humanity and respect for the deceased reigned supreme. And even if they seemed to have no past, a questionable present, their futures cut far too short, their stories remain, whether they truly wanted them to or not.

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He is the co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Into the Fray, available on iTunes & Stitcher. His other work can be found at somewhereintheskies.com

Beyond The Bermuda Triangle: Visiting Other Mysterious Triangles Around The Globe – Ryan Sprague’s Hidden Auditorium

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

On December 5th, 1945, five US Navy bomber planes were making their way over the waters of the Atlantic during a training mission. Lieutenant Charles Taylor was in constant communication with the base, updating them on the progress of the mission. Without warning, the line went dead over the radio. The base tried to make contact to no avail. A rescue plane was dispatched to find the bombers, but failed to do so. In fact, the rescue plane, along with the bombers, were never seen nor heard from again.

This is one of many tales surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, an extremely enigmatic area of the Atlantic Ocean, that when viewed from above, creates the shape of a triangle. The first point begins at Miami, Florida. The second traces down to San Juan, Puerto Rico and the remaining point to complete the triangle is none other than the island of Bermuda. The triangle, however, isn’t officially recognized by the United States Board on Geographic Names, nor acknowledged on any maps. The term was coined by author, Vincent Gaddis, in an article he penned in 1964 for the pulp-magazine, Argosy. In the article titled, The Deadly Bermuda Triangle, Gaddis compiles many anomalous events that occurred in the boundaries of this area where many planes and ships in the water seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. Since then, the Bermuda Triangle has been the subject of countless books, television shows, and movies. Theories on what is actually occurring in these waters range from magnetic vortices, space-time warp, electronic fog, UFOs, ancient technology from the lost city of Atlantis, methane gas hydrates, and even more unusual; the souls of slaves.

While these theories all harbor serious debate and controversy, the mystery remains as to why this certain area seems so active with unexplainable disappearances. But what if it wasn’t this particular area that held the answers? What if the mystery actually lay in the shape these areas seem to create. Let’s take a look at several places throughout the world that also boast these three-pointed tales of mystery.

Lake Michigan Triangle

Stretching from Ludington, MI to Benton Harbor, MI, and then all the way to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, this triangular portion of Lake Michigan has inspired many anomalous events. Dating all the way back to 1891, a schooner by the name of Thomas Hume, and seven other men, were making their way across the lake to retrieve a shipment of lumber. As they crossed the waters, they came up against an unusually high wind storm. When locals didn’t hear from the men for a few days, a search and rescue team were sent out for the crew. They found nothing.

The second major incident occurred in 1921. Eleven members of the Benton Harbor House of David were making their way across the lake in the Rosa Belle ship. When they were reported missing some time later, a rescue team was sent out. They found the ship floating in the lake, overturned, yet no bodies were recovered. It appeared as though the ship had been badly damaged by a collision. Even if this were so, not a single shred of evidence turned up any other ship, nor any reports of an accident of any kind. There simply was no conventional explanation for the brutal damage to the ship, and missing bodies.

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The legend behind this mysterious triangle began to spread, and more and more stories began to be told of tragic accidents and unexplained phenomena surrounding the waters. Some even claimed that the triangle was some sort of inter-dimensional portal where ships were hopping in and out of time. And while no clear explanation can solve the puzzle, it has become a cautionary tale to steer clear of the Lake Michigan Triangle at all costs.

The Burle Triangle

The Burle Triangle is comprised of Mount Pilat, Mount Mézenc, and the small town of Le Puy, in France. The area was named after the extremely high winds and snow storms in the area, and it holds the French record for unexplained aircraft accidents; surely a record nobody wants to hold. Supposedly, more than sixty people have died in miscellaneous plane crashes throughout the years.

One of the more peculiar aspects of many of these plane crashed were that of UFO sightings in the areas making up the triangle. One in particular occurred in 1943 when a fighter plane plummeted to the ground, leaving a sole survivor. This man went on to claim that he’d witnessed a multitude of small, multi-colored lights surrounding the aircraft before it made its tragic descent. Another similar event occurred in 1965 over Mount Mézenc, where two F-104 planes went down. Witnesses in the area claimed to have seen six spheres, pink in color, surrounding the impact site.

Whatever was happening over the skies of the Burle Triangle, it seemed that some sort of aerial phenomena didn’t want the planes there. Could this area somehow be a portal for UFOs to hop in and out of? Could something more mysterious even be hiding the mountains, making this planes lose control and spiral to a fiery end? Whatever was happening at the Burle Triangle remained a mystery, and continues it’s enigmatic lore even up until today.

The Dragon’s Triangle

Similar to the Bermuda Triangle, this area of water is located in the Philippine Sea off China’s eastern coast. It can be marked off on a map by connecting Japan, Taiwan, and Yap Island. The name, Dragon’s Triangle, comes from a Chinese myth from many centuries ago. According to the myth, dragons live deep beneath the surface and their movement can suddenly churn up waves, whirlpools, thick fog, and sudden storms. These myths became startlingly true between the years, 1952 and 1954, when a total of five Japanese military vessels were lost in the waters of the triangle, racking up over seven-hundred people missing.

These disappearances led the Japanese government to acknowledge the area as a danger zone and to send a team of scientists to study the triangle. Their vessel, the Kaiyo Maru No, also went missing, prompting the Japanese government to abort the study. While may unusual explanations could attribute to the disappearances, seismic events seem to be the main culprit. The Dragon’s Triangle is a very volcanically active area, and were said to be the fault for the disappearance of the vessel of scientists. But could the volcanic activity also have been responsible for the other disappearances?

Many other phenomena have been linked to the Dragon’s Triangle. They include USOs (unidentified submerged objects), time warps, and electromagnetic anomalies. One of the most extensive studies on the area was done by author, Charles Berlitz, who ambitiously connected the Dragon’s Triangle to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. No matter the case, the myth of the Dragon’s Triangle continues, with more answers laying somewhere in the depths of the sea.

The Bridgewater Triangle

Situated in southeastern Massachusetts, the town of Bridgewater sits smack dab in the center of an area whose points stretch from the neighboring towns of Abington, Freetown, and Rehoboth. Unlike the other triangles that encompass mountain ranges or bodies of water, this triangle mostly stretches across land, and is littered with countless claims of paranormal activity.

One particular area is known as the Hockomock Swamp. This is a five-thousand acre area that includes an eight-thousand year-old Native American burial ground. When archaeologists stumbled upon a site of tombs, they noticed that the red ochre around the graves began to bubble, and then mysteriously disappeared. This, and many other unexplainable activity has plagued the swamps for decades. The Wampanoag Tribe, of the Algonquian nation, avoid the area because of many supernatural occurrences, warning others to steer clear because it’s what they consider “the place where spirits dwell”. Another area of Hockomock Swamp is known as Anawan Rock, located along Route 44 in Rehoboth. It is named after named after Chief Anawan, and is the site where he and his tribe had surrendered to the colonists during the First Indian War. The angry spirits of Anawan’s men are said to haunt the area, dancing and starting fires. Many have reported hearing the sounds of the spirits echoing through the swamp, the flicker or fire being witnessed from the roads nearby.

Other areas of the Bridgewater Triangle have boasted high amounts of UFO activity throughout the years, including one in 1760 that could possibly be considered one of the first recorded UFO reports in history. A multi-witnessed event occurred in 1968 when five people claimed to have seen a strange all of light hovering through the trees of Rehoboth. Another major event occurred in 1994 when an law enforcement officer reported seeing a triangular craft with red and white lights ominously floating through the night sky. As the years passed, more UFO reports flooded in, continuing up until today.

Strange sightings of creatures have also been reported within the triangle. In 1970, there were various accounts of a seven foot tall hairy beast wandering through the area. Both Bridgewater and Massachusetts State Police conducted an extensive search for the creature, assuming it was a bear. The search turned up nothing. Similar reports also came in of a hairy creature slowly walking through Hockomock Swamp. But it was reports of an alleged creature in flight that caught the attention of many others. Since the early 70’s, many reports have come in about unusually large black birds, with wingspans stretching well past eight feet.

Perhaps one of the more terrifying aspects of the Bridgewater Triangle were reports of cattle mutilations in the forested areas. They were attributed to Satanic cult members, who were making animal sacrifices. But legend also has it that grisly murders of the human-kind have also taken place in the forest, attributing this to cult members as well.

While some of the activity in the Bridgewater Triangle has been documented, not all of it can be substantiated. But one thing is clear; whatever is going on within the confines of this area is beyond unusual, and many paranormal investigators continue to travel its supposed points of origin, trying to narrow in on one of the most active paranormal hotspots on the planet.

Shaping the Mysteries

While no singular answer can explain the plethora of mysteries in each and every one of these areas, it is interesting to note that they all seem to run the sharp three lined path of a triangle. One can speculate endlessly as to why this may be, but perhaps the symbology of the triangle itself could bring us a bit closer to an answer. Some occultists use the triangle as a summoning symbol. At the culmination of a ritual, the summoning of some sort of spirit or entity is expected to appear within a triangle inscribed upon the floor. The occultist often performs his ritual from the protection of a circle. Could this practice hold some meaning in terms of the Bridgewater Triangle, and the Native American spirits said to haunt the area? And what about the supposed cultist activity? Perhaps the form of the triangle itself has prompted the unusual frenzy of the bizarre and strangeness that occurs there.

According to western culture, the orientation of a triangle can have powerful meaning as well. The elements of earth and water form from triangles that point upward. Could this possibly have something to do with why these triangles seem to form over bodies of water? Even more interesting is that triangles that point downward symbolize the formation of air and fire. This could perhaps have something to do with the fiery plane crashes in the air that brought many pilot’s lives to a tragic end.

One could speculate endlessly as to why such mysterious and terrifying things have happened at each and every one of these locations. But one thing is for certain; we have, throughout many decades, shaped the narrative of these incidents around that of a triangle, almost fearing the word when tragedy strikes. It seems to be a classic “which came first, the chicken or egg?” scenario. In this case however, we are left wondering; what came first, the mystery or the triangle? We may never truly know. And perhaps the best action we can take is to steer, swim, fly, or walk as far away from these areas as we can, knowing that some mysteries are best left unanswered.

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He co-hosts both the Into the Fray and UFOmodPod podcasts, both available on iTunes & Stitcher. His other work can be found at: www.somewhereintheskies.com

The Most Haunted Theater On Broadway: The Reprise of Mr Belasco – Ryan Sprague

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

“She hasn’t worked here since.”

These were the words of an usher concerning a fellow co-worker of hers. It was my first night working in this particular theater, and I’d heard many stories concerning strange noises, smells, sights, and feelings. But nothing quite like this. The usher would go on to tell me that every night, this usher would be the “closer”. She’d make sure the entire theater was empty of patrons and employees, she’d shut off all the lights, and she’d lock up all the doors. Upon leaving, she would always say goodnight to the original owner of the theater, Mr. David Belasco. Though one night would prove unusual as she completely forgot to do so. She locked the last remaining door and turned to leave. Suddenly, every single door of the front lobby forcefully swung open. The usher stared in disbelief as she knew full-well she’d locked them all. This was long before automatic doors, and not a single gust of wind was felt on that calm night. There simply was no apparent reasoning for the doors to have done what they did. Completely in shock, the usher reported what had happened to the police, and asked for a theater transfer the following morning, never to return.

Through my various jobs working on Broadway, I’d heard many stories of this particular theater being a haven for paranormal activity. The Belasco Theatre; a thousand-seat venue tucked snuggly on 44th Street in New York City, was originally built in 1906, under the direction of its owner, David Belasco. Belasco was a play and musical producer known for choosing unknown actors and elevating them to stardom. He also preferred playwrights whose success depended upon his collaboration. He soon gained a reputation in the theater community for productions that included lavish sets, special effects, and experimental lighting. But perhaps the most interesting thing about Mr. Belasco was that he even took up residence in the attic of the theater, converting it into a ten-room duplex penthouse where he could make work his home. Rumors spread that he’d even had floorboards carved out so that he could see into the theater when rehearsals and performances were going on. His reputation came to an unfortunate halt when he took his final bow of mortality on May 14th, 1931. But it seemed that both his work and presence in the building were far from facing its final curtain.

Immediately following his death, actors and crew members in the theater claimed to see a full-body apparition of Belasco. He would dawn his frequent outfit which included a clerical collar and cassock. These clothes caused many to nickname him the “Bishop of Broadway”. Actors onstage reported that they could often see a figure dressed as such, watching rehearsals from the balcony. Some actors even went so far as to claim that he would shake the hands of the males and would pinch the rear-ends of female performers. It was rumored, that in life, Belasco was very fond of beautiful actresses and may have even had peep-holes in his apartment that led directly into the female dressing rooms. This is, of course, only speculative, as the apartment has suffered much damage throughout time and a lot of the original floors have been renovated. But while this prolific (possibly “Peeping-Tom”) theater owner congratulated performers from the grave, he may have also shown his disapproval. After particularly bad performances, performers would often hear drawn-out moans echoing from the theater wings, and they’d even find their dressing rooms in disarray upon entering them after the show. It was also well known that Mr. Belasco loved smoking cigars, and even today, the staunch smell of cigar smoke sporadically wafts through the balcony seats and beyond.

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The story of the usher and the swinging doors was very dramatic in fashion. And as I would soon learn, many of Mr. Belasco’s ghostly activity often came in the form of small pranks. This led me to a rather entertaining story from author, Adam Carpenter, who has written a detective series set in the Broadway community. Aside from his writing, Carpenter is also the head-ticket taker at the Belasco Theater, He would relate the following incident to me:

“The date was July 15th, 2015, and the front of the house staff had gathered to celebrate the 162nd birthday of Mr. Belasco. Having worked there on and off since 1991, I had seen no proof of ghost-like activity. Until that fateful day. Prior to the opening of the doors for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, I changed into my black suit, and I happened to be wearing a black shirt and tie as well. Deciding to play a trick on the staff, I waited until everyone was gathered in the house manager’s office—what would have been Belasco’s office back in the day. Before joining them, I took a white napkin and made it into a clerical collar, and attached it to my shirt. I then proceeded up the stairs, from the lobby to the office, where I then flicked the lights, and announced in a spooky voice that “I am the ghost of David Belasco…” I freaked out some staff, but most thought it was funny. Except Belasco. That night, when it came time to activate my scanners to scan tickets, they didn’t work. I had to tear tickets the old fashioned way, which is not the way to get 1,000 people through the door in 30 minutes. When I went to return the scanners to their chargers, I noticed a curious thing. The plug was not in the socket, a phenomenon which had never happened in all my years of working. Belasco, after all these years of ignoring me, had finally announced his presence. And he wasn’t happy.”

David Belasco, "The Bishop of Broadway"
David Belasco, “The Bishop of Broadway”

Adam’s story led to several others who may have had a brush with Mr. Belasco’s playful nature. I would speak to Andrew Sanford, the manager at the interior bar at the Belasco theater. He recounted a rather creepy experience he had one night in his office. Here it is in his own words:

“One night I was alone, in the office, counting the money for the night. And the office is room temperature, tops. Suddenly, and I do mean suddenly, a wave of cold air came through the office. It lasted about fifteen seconds and was gone. But it wasn’t just a wave. The room changed and then went right back to room temp. What was weird, is that to my recollection, there are no vents in that office and my door was completely shut tight. There was no where for this cold snap to come from. Needless to say, I put my money in the safe and waited out the rest of the show in the coatroom. Didn’t go back in the office till the next day.”

This experience was intriguing because of its correlation to many who’ve experienced some sort of paranormal activity. In the realm of ghost investigations, this phenomenon is known as a “cold spot”, in which a supposed area of localized coldness or a sudden decrease in ambient temperature that can not readily be explained by other natural or mechanical causes. But as I would soon learn, this wasn’t the only story coming from the bar staff at the Belasco Theater. Vinnie Costa, a bartender, recalled an unusual incident that occurred the week of Mr. Belasco’s birthday:

“That night, there was an odd feeling permeating the theater. Something electric was certainly in the air. I was working the coat room (bartenders often doubled as coatroom attendants), so it was my job to stay until the end and return checked coats. During the actual performance, we’re allowed to leave during the actual performance, so I decided to grab a bite to eat. I unlocked the door, closed it, checked to make sure it remained unlocked, and left for about fifteen minutes. When I got back, the manager had left and the coat room door was locked. Assuming he’d accidentally locked it, forgetting I was coming back, I texted him and he said he never touched the door that night. I asked another bartender, and they too confirmed they hadn’t touched the door. This bartender proceeded to tell me that he thought I’d been locking his cabinets after he unlocked them that night. Not one, not twice, but three times! I later found out that even the House Manager of the theater suffered the same issue, having gotten locked out of her office twice that night! Now, every time I enter the Belasco Theater through the stage door, I greet the spirit of Mr. Belasco, respectively, and with reverence. I’ve yet to be locked out of anything there again.”

Every evening after a Broadway theater is closed and all the lights are shut off, a single light is left on the bare stage to prevent hazardous falls or injuries the next day. But this instrument, aptly named a “ghost light”, is also a tradition that is supposed to ward off any negative spirits haunting the theater. But in the case of Mr. Belasco, it would seem that the “ghost light” in his theater illuminates his presence more than warding it off. So next time you find yourself sipping a cocktail at the Belasco Theater, or sitting in the balcony to watch a play, remember to either say hello or goodbye to Mr. Belasco. And behave yourself. Who knows who may be watching you from the apartment above?

– – –

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He co-hosts both the Into the Fray and UFOmodPod podcasts, both available on iTunes & Stitcher. His other work can be found at: www.somewhereintheskies.com

Moonwalker: Remembering Edgar Mitchell by Ryan Sprague

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

He’d taken his first ride in a plane when he was four years old in his hometown of Pecos Valley, New Mexico. It was a happy accident by a barnstormer pilot who’d ran out of fuel. That emergency landing on the farm of Edgar Mitchell’s father led he and the four year old to drive the pilot to get fuel. In appreciation, the pilot gave them a ride in his small plane. But the impact on a young Mitchell was anything but small, and inspired him to eventually become a pilot himself at the age of sixteen.

In 1952, he’d graduated from Carnegie Tech. From there, he enlisted in the Navy, and soon found himself in the seat of a fighter plane during the Korean War. All the meanwhile, he’d been studying Aeronautics in Navy Post-Graduate School, eventually receiving his Doctorate in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. In 1966, Mitchell made the biggest decision of his life, and at the age of 36, began working at NASA, hoping one day to leave the Earth behind for higher altitudes.

His work at NASA was rigorous and time consuming, working tirelessly on the ground for the Apollo 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo 13 missions. His dedication clearly shined through, and he eventually worked his way up to a possible flight in space. After several years of intensive training, he was officially accepted into the Apollo 14 mission as a Lunar Module Pilot, heading for the moon. Along with his commander, Alan Shepard, and Command Module pilot, Stuart Ross, Mitchell prepared for take-off on January 31st, 1971.

Despite a few setbacks, Shepard and Mitchell stepped foot on the moon on February 5th. Mitchell helped collect 94 pounds of lunar rock and soil samples that were distributed across 187 scientific teams in the United States and 14 other countries for analysis. The mission also broke records, having succeeded in being the lengthiest distance traversed on the moon, the largest lunar payload returned from the moon, and also the longest stay on the moon, which lasted about 34 hours.

While these accomplishments were certainly reasons to be proud, they paled in comparison to the profound nature that the entire experience personally had on Mitchell. The nature of walking on the moon would obviously change any individual. But seeing the earth rise just over the horizon completely changed Mitchell’s outlook on humanity itself. He was once quoted as saying: “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’”

These new ways of thinking led him to search deeper within, testing the limits of how space exploration can truly alter the human condition. He would further study these implications through the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which he founded in 1973. The institute currently conducts research on such topics as meditation, consciousness, spirituality, psychic abilities, and even psychokinesis. The institute currently offers thousands of articles pertaining to the possible benefits meditation may have on both physical and mental health.

His search for deeper answers to what many consider fringe topics didn’t end there. Mitchell soon became an advocate for demanding world governments to disclose what they knew about UFOs and the existence of extraterrestrial intelligences visiting our planet. In at interview on Kerang Radio in 2008, Mitchell stated: … “it is a real phenomenon and there are a few of us who know. It’s been covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so. But slowly it’s leaked out and some of us are privileged to have been briefed on some of it… I’ve also been in military circles and intelligence circles that know below the surface of what has been public knowledge that, yes, we have been visited.”

His knowledge on the topic, and passion to search for answers on what really lay beyond our planet only grew, and he soon became a board member for the Foundation of Research into Extraterrestrial Encounters (F.R.E.E), which facilitates scientific investigations into UFO reports and possible contact with extraterrestrial intelligences. Mitchell’s recent death prompted the other members of the organization to directly name the foundation after him. Their work continues today, comprised of members in many different scientific, psychological, and legal fields.

The life of Edgar Mitchell was clearly what many would consider well-lived. His passion for exploration inspired so many to literally reach for the stars, the diversity of those training to become astronauts growing every day. His footprint on the moon spoke volumes for those back on Earth, and with his passing, he leaves a legacy far beyond any mission he could have completed in life. He stared the unknown in the face, and used those revelations to expand the knowledge of each and every person back on Earth in the most ambitious ways he believed he could.

Commenting on his Apollo 14 mission, Mitchell once said, “To me, that spaceflight was the culmination of my being, and what can I learn from this? What is it we are learning? That’s important, because I think what we’re trying to do is discover ourselves and our place in the cosmos, and we don’t know. We’re still looking for that.” As we continue to explore the vastness of space and the possibility of travelling to other planets, we remember Dr. Edgar Mitchell for the true hero he was. Perhaps the answers he sought lay somewhere in the skies of possibility. And as we stare outward, we can take comfort in knowing, that with his accomplishments and contributions to humanity, something will undoubtedly begin to stare back.

—

Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He co-hosts the podcasts, Into the Fray and UFOmodPod, both available on iTunes. His other work can be found at: somewhereintheskies.com

Are We ET? – Ryan Sprague’s Hidden Auditorium

By

Ryan Sprague
Ryan Sprague

Who are they and where do they come from?

Two of the most profound questions we find ourselves pondering when dealing with the UFO phenomenon. The often elusive nature of these mysterious objects, the almost mystical interactions with supposed extraterrestrials, and even the reports of abductions by non-human entities leave us wondering how in the world anything like this could ever be the work of humans. We then find ourselves searching the skies for many of the answers to these deeply complex inquires. But could the answers we seek actually be closer than we think? When we begin to move away from the magical and mystical, we see that maybe science, in all its methodical and unforgiving glory, could bring about proof that aliens do not only exist, but that we may be the aliens we seek.

A Feeling of Alienation

In his recent book, Humans are not from Earth: A Scientific Evaluation of the Evidence, noted ecologist, Dr. Ellis Silver, makes a rather controversial argument that human physiology could perhaps show signs that it isn’t suited properly for this blue planet we call home. Comparing us as human beings to that of most animals on the planet, Silver also says, in an interview with Yahoo! News, that “Lizards can sunbathe for as long as they like, and many of them do. We can just about get away with it for a week or two. But day after day in the sun? Forget it. You might as well just lie down on the freeway and wait for a bus to hit you.”

Going into greater detail, Silver also says that human beings have vastly more chronic illness than that of other mammals. “Indeed, if you can find a single person who is 100% fit and healthy and not suffering from some condition or disorder, I would be extremely surprised.” He also theorizes that because most adults seem to have bad backs or signs of onset scoliosis, this could be an indicator that humans may have evolved on a planet with much lower gravity.

Perhaps his most intriguing theory is that we innately feel almost prisoners to our own world. “There’s a prevailing feeling among many people that they don’t belong here or that something just isn’t right,” Silver continues. “One reason for this, is that the Earth might be a prison planet, since we seem to be a naturally violent species, and we’re here until we learn to behave ourselves.” This is a very interesting theory, and one I personally glean with a skeptical lens. Could there perhaps be a similar race of human-like beings, watching us from afar, shaking their heads at us as we kill, rape, and torture one another? Is this a penal colony of cosmic proportions? Maybe we should begin to entertain the possibility that we are being watched not by big brother in the form of three letter agencies here on Earth, but a perhaps by a galactic federation somewhere beyond the stars.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Ryan Sprague asks, Are We ET?” quote=”Ryan Sprague asks, ‘Are We ET?'”]So the real question is, does Silver have any proof to back up the sweeping claims above? “Recent scientific reports suggest that life itself might not be from Earth,” he explains. “…but might have arrived here on meteors or comets. This primitive form of life then evolved over billions of years into what we find on the earth today. My thesis proposes that mankind did not evolve from that particular strain of life, but evolved elsewhere and was transported to Earth (as fully evolved Homo sapiens) between 60,000 and 200,000 years ago.” Here we have one person’s opinion that we may in fact be alien to our own planet. But is there actual scientific evidence,  as Silver suggests, that we stem from somewhere else? It’s actually much more possible than we may think.

Planting the Seeds

“Seeds everywhere.” This is the literal translation of the Greek word panspermia. It states that the seeds of life on Earth exist all over the universe and can be propagated through space. These seeds are mechanisms that include the deflection of interstellar dust by solar radiation pressure and extremophile micro-organisms traveling through space within asteroids, meteorites, and comets. There are several forms of panspermia such as Lithopanspermia (from one solar system to another) or Ballistic Panspermia (from one planet to another). This idea does not set out to explain evolution or the origin of life in the Universe, but it attempts solely to solve the mystery of the origins of life on Earth and the potential transfer of life throughout the Universe.

We see the first variations of this concept through the writings of the Greek philosopher, Anaxagoras, somewhere around 500 BC. Although it differs from what we consider panspermia today, it still remains relevant in terms of this ambitious way of thinking. Anaxagoras states that “All things have existed from the beginning. But originally they existed in infinitesimally small fragments of themselves, endless in number and inextricably combined. All things existed in this mass, but in a confused and indistinguishable form. There were the seeds (spermata) or miniatures of wheat and flesh and gold in the primitive mixture; but these parts, of like nature with their wholes, had to be eliminated from the complex mass before they could receive a definite name and character.”

The theory of panspermia was then touched on in the writings of French diplomat and natural historian, Benoit de Maillet. In 1743, de Maillet wrote that he believed life on Earth was seeded by germs in space that had descended to the oceans rather than ascending from abiogenesis (living cells emerging from chemical evolution on Earth.) Panspermia continued to theoretically evolve throughout the nineteenth century by many scientists such as Jons Jacob Berzelius and Hermann von Helmholtz. Then, in 1973, Nobel Prize winning molecular biologist, physicist, and neuroscientist, Francis Crick (along with British chemist, Leslie Orgel), brought forth the even more ambitious theory of directed panspermia, which consists of possible deliberate transport of microorganisms in space to planets that have no life whatsoever. Perhaps most ambitious in their theories is that an extraterrestrial civilization may have been responsible for our seeding on Earth.

NASA Gets Involved

As the theories on panspermia continued to evolve throughout the scientific community, it soon became clear that the official space program had to weigh in on the topic. This is when NASA eventually got involved. Dr. Michael Callahan, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, once stated that: “People have been discovering components of DNA in meteorites since the 1960’s, but researchers were unsure whether they were really created in space or if instead they came from contamination by terrestrial life.”

But as time progressed, Callahan, along with other astronomers were able to deduce that the building blocks of life were most likely created in space. This discovery came on the tail end of evidence that suggests that the chemistry inside meteorites is capable of producing biological molecules. Therefore, it is also likely that the molecular structure of life on Earth could have been chemically created outside of the planet, and then were seeded when certain asteroids or meteorites crash landed on the planet itself.

Martian in the Mirror

So while many theorize that earth-based life could have potentially started in space, what about the possibility that it perhaps started on another planet? This is one theory brought to the table by chemist, Steven Benner, one of the leading experts on the origins of life. Benner postulates that because meteorites stemming from the planet Mars contain boron and molybdenum, these could be precursors to the formation of RNA, which is in essence, a molecule that takes on many biological roles, including expression, regulation, coding, and decoding of human genes.

Benner’s theories are strengthened by the work of Elizabeth Hausrath and Christopher Adcock, researchers from the University of Nevada. They discovered that Martian meteorites also contained phosphates, which is another vital chemical in the formation of RNA and DNA. They also discovered that proteins in these meteorites are vastly more water-soluble than proteins seen on Earth. They have deduced that since life supposedly began in the presence of water, Mars could have perhaps formed life much more efficiently than on Earth.

Conclusions

While the ambitious claims of Dr. Silver, Dr. Callahan, Elizabeth Hausrath, and Christopher Adcock are enticing, there simply isn’t irrefutable evidence to back up their claims to a point of certainty. But their theories remain in a hopeful state of evolution, resting on the shoulders of the many panspermia theorists before them. Only time will truly tell as we move forward in our exploration of both Mars and the many other planets within our reach.

The explosive budget increase in NASA missions to explore these planets could give us further insight into the possibility that we may have stemmed from somewhere other than this blue, rocky planet we call home. As we draw closer to manned missions to these potential planets, this could unlock many mysteries not only to the universe itself, but where we may lay in the cosmic agenda we call life. The potential to travel from planet to planet was once thought fantasy and science fiction. But as we’ve seen throughout the panspermia timetable, everything we once thought science fiction could slowly, but surely be turning to science fact.

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Ryan Sprague is a professional playwright & screenwriter in New York City. He is also an investigative journalist, focusing on the topic of UFOs. He is the author of the upcoming book, “Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon”, published by Richard Dolan Press. He co-hosts the podcasts, Into the Fray and UFOmodPod, both available on iTunes. His other work can be found at: somewhereintheskies.com