In the 12th century, two green children suddenly appeared in the town of Woolpit in England. The brother and sister looked normal, that is except for the bright green hue of their skin. Apparently, they spoke an unknown language, wore strange clothing, and the only thing they would eat was raw beans. The boy eventually died, but the little girl grew up, learned English, ate other foods, and lost her green coloring. She told others she and her brother came from a place called St. Martin's Land, an underground world where everyone was green.
The basis for this story is unclear. Some believe it's merely a fairly tale. Others claim it must be an altered version of a true story. Others still hypothesize that the children were actually extraterrestrial beings.
Kryptos
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This sculpture, which sits outside the CIA headquarters in Virginia and was made by artist, Jim Sanborn, contains four encrypted messages. Three of those messages have been solved, but one remains a mystery -- no one, amateur nor expert, has been able to crack the code.
Bimini Road
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Bimini Road is an underwater rock formation consisting of huge, rectangular limestone blocks near North Bimini Island in the Bahamas. The formation's appearance has led several people to claim that it is evidence of a lost ancient civilization. The prevailing opinion is that it is indeed a natural landform, but some experts still aren't so sure.
The really spooky thing is that while Bimini Road was discovered in 1968, mysticist Edgar Cayce made an eerie prediction in 1938, stating, "A portion of the temples may yet be discovered under the slime of ages and sea water near Bimini... Expect it in '68 or '69 -- not so far away."
The Wow! Signal
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Detected by Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977 during a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project, the Wow! signal (named for the note written next to it) was a super strong radio signal that came from deep space and has never been detected again. It lasted for 72 seconds -- the maximum length of time the Big Ear telescope could observe any given point. The length of the signal, along with the intensity pattern of the signal, may point to an extraterrestrial origin.
While some attempt to provide other explanations for the signal, not many other scenarios are likely. If the signal did come from extraterrestrial beings, scientists say it is likely a very advanced civilization with a transmitter more powerful than any we have on Earth.
The Unexplained Mystery of The Bermuda Triangle
WHERE? The Bermuda Triangle is held responsible for the disappearance of countless airplanes and boats in the ocean between Florida, San Juan, and Bermuda. This area is one of the most heavily sailed shipping lanes in the world, with vessels crossing through daily for ports in the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean Islands.
WHAT'S THE STORY? Over the years, there have been a number of disappearances that happened in mysterious circumstances, which some people claim fall beyond the possibilities of human error, equipment failure or natural disasters. Paranormal fans talk of a suspension of the laws of physics.
The first unexplained event occurred in the 1950s when the story of Flight 19 came to light, detailing a group of five US Navy bombers on a training mission. The flight leader was reported to have said: "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." It was also claimed that Navy officials said the planes "flew off to Mars".
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE EXPLAINED. Is this part of the Earth haunted? Is it a portal to another dimension? Should we be freaked out?
Actually, no. If you take any other patch of ocean with comparable sea and air traffic, the Bermuda Triangle is responsible for no more disappearances than any other.
Phew. Now we can all go vacation in the Caribbean in peace.
The Unexplained Mystery of Pyramid Power
WHERE? The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt really are something special. We still don't really know how the Egyptians built the largest pyramid of all, known as the Great Pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu), some 5,000 years ago. Remember, this was even before the invention of the wheel.
The Pyramid of Cheops is the size of a 40-storey building and covers an area big enough to fit 10 football fields in it. More than 2 million stone blocks were used to make the pyramid, each weighing 2-5 tons and cut from a distant limestone quarry on the other side of the Nile. Experts reckon it took 400,000 men some 20 years to complete.
WHAT'S THE STORY? Engineering feats aside, these structures are claimed by some to possess the unexplained phenomenon of Pyramid Power. In the 1940s, a Czech radio engineer named Karel Drbal claimed that small pyramids of the same relative dimensions as the Great Pyramid (on a 1:1,000 scale) could sharpen razor blades. His explanation was that the pyramid shape focuses cosmic energy when precisely aligned on the north-south axis, which can renew the crystalline structure of steel.
Does the pyramid shape tap into supernatural cosmic powers?
PYRAMID POWER EXPLAINED. Despite the claims of Drbal and others, there is no scientific evidence that Pyramid Power exists. It is a cut and dry myth, presumably driven by the compelling nature of pyramids and their ancient, unexplained origins.
But as the Skeptic's Dictionary enthusiastically points out: "That almost anything in the universe can be found to have interesting mathematical proportions or be related to several interesting mathematical formulae is of little interest to pyramidiots."
TELL ME MORE? As the neurologist Terence Hines wrote: "Pyramid Power became quite a craze in the world of pseudoscience for a brief time in the mid-1970s. The idea was that the pyramidal shape itself was magical and filled with a mysterious energy and power."
"Pyramid Power claims have actually been tested. In 1973, Alter and Simmons showed that pyramid-shaped containers were no more effective than any other shape at preserving organic matter (flowers or meat) placed in them. Nor did putting dull razor blades in a pyramid-shaped holder restore them to sharpness."
The Unexplained Mystery of UFOs
The Unexplained Mystery of UFOs
WHERE? The first reported sighting of a UFO came from Texas in 1878, when a local farmer reported seeing a large, dark, circular flying object flying "at wonderful speed".
WHAT'S THE STORY? In the 1950s, the number of reported UFO sightings went through the roof. The most common kind were flying saucers, described to have awesome maneuvering capabilities beyond any man-made aircraft.
How many UFOs are in this picture?
UFOs EXPLAINED. The acronym UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object, so in the sense that these flying objects are unidentified by the viewer, UFOs are very real. However, countless UFO sightings can be later identified as dust on the camera lens, airplanes, helicopters, weather balloons, comets, meteors and even planets that can be seen with the naked eye.
TELL ME MORE? Today, there appears to be some pretty astounding video and photo evidence of alien spacecraft. Of course, there's also the movie Independence Day. Hoaxes are the best explanation for computer-generated images of UFOs.
Ancient Greece Homer's Odyssey History >>
Ancient Greece The Odyssey is an epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer. It tells of the many adventures of the hero Odysseus. Homer wrote the poem in the 8th century BC.
Plot Summary The Odyssey begins with Odysseus telling the story of his adventures. He has been trying to get home for ten years.
Heading Home Odysseus began his journey after the end of the Trojan War. He and his men had been fighting for 10 years. With the end of the war they could finally head home. They set out for their home of Ithaca. However, Zeus was angry with the Greeks and a huge storm pushed Odysseus and his men off course. They had many adventures while trying to find their way home.
Adventures
Here are a few of the adventures encountered by Odysseus and his men. Lotus-Eaters The first adventure Odysseus had was on the island of the Lotus-eaters. These people ate only plants. They gave some of his men a plant that made them forget about home and want to stay with the Lotus-eaters. Odysseus had to drag his men to the ships and chain them so they would continue on the journey.
Cyclopes Odysseus and his men next landed on an island inhabited by one-eyed giants called Cyclopes. They were captured in a cave by one of the Cyclops named Polyphemus. In order to get away they clung to the bottom of his sheep as they went out to graze.
Aeolus At one point Odysseus arrived at the island of Aeolus, the god of winds. Aeolus agreed to help Odysseus get home. He gave him a bag containing the energies of the winds, then he sent a strong wind to carry their ships to Ithaca. The men were nearly home, in fact they could see the island of Ithaca, when one of them decided to open the sack to see what was in it. He let the winds out of the bag and they blew them all the way back to Aeolus.
Scylla and Charybdis While continuing to sail home, the crew had to pass through a dangerous straight. There they encountered a monster named Scylla. Scylla had six heads and 12 tentacles. With her six heads she grabbed six of Odysseus' men. This allowed the ship to get away. However, the ship soon encountered the terrifying whirlpool named Charybdis. They narrowly escaped being pulled into the depths of the sea.
Calypso Eventually all of Odysseus' men died during the adventures and his ships were destroyed. Only Odysseus was left and he floated in the ocean clinging to a piece of wood for nine days. Finally, he landed on an island ruled by the nymph Calypso. Calypso fell in love with Odysseus. She wanted him to stay with her forever. She kept him captive for seven years. The goddess Athena began to feel sorry for Odysseus. She asked Zeus to make Calypso set Odysseus free.
Finally Home After twenty years, Odysseus finally returned home. He disguised himself at first. There were many men at his house trying to convince his wife Penelope to marry them. They were sure that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus wife had set up a contest. Any man that could shoot an arrow through 12 axe heads would win her hand in marriage. Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, was the only one to make the shot. He then killed all of the men and revealed himself to his wife.
Interesting Facts about the Odyssey The saying "between Scylla and Charybdis" is often used to mean that you are stuck between two dangers. It was Odysseus who came up with the idea for the Trojan horse that helped the Greeks defeat the Trojans in the Trojan War. Odysseus' dog Argos recognized him even though he was in disguise and it had been 20 years. Odysseus is called Ulysses by the Romans. Many of the stories in the Odyssey were passed down for hundreds of years orally before Homer wrote them down.
Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/odyssey.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.
Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/odyssey.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.
WHICH GREEK GOD ARE YOU???
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