Tag Archives: Hoax

Beale Codes: Solving an Unsolvable Code?

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Between 1819 and 1821, Thomas Beale buried a giant treasure in Virginia. It has never been found. The key to its location lies in one of the most mysterious codes in history…the Beale Codes. But how does one go about solving an unsolvable cipher?

The Mysterious Beale Treasure?

Last Friday, I posted the first story in a short series about the mysterious Beale Treasure. On Monday, I posted the second installment. Yesterday, I discussed whether the Beale Codes are real or a giant hoax. To recap, Thomas Beale and thirty other people excavated a massive treasure between 1819 and 1821. They reburied it in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Then Beale created three ciphers now known as the Beale Codes.

“The Beale Ciphers were three codes which would enable one to locate the treasure and distribute it to the rightful heirs in the event that the group didn’t survive. The first Beale Cipher revealed the location of the vault. The second Beale Cipher described the contents of the vault. And the third Beale Cipher provided names and residences of the group members as well as their heirs.” ~ David Meyer, Beale Ciphers: A Lost Treasure?

Only one of the Beale Codes – the second one – has ever been decoded. It revealed the exact contents of the treasure.

“I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three, herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. The second was made Dec. eighteen twenty-one, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at thirteen thousand dollars. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number one describes the exact locality of the vault, so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson Beale, Decoded Version of Beale Cipher #2

Solving Beale Code #2?

Beale Code #2 is a book code. The “book” is the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In order to solve it, you take each number from the code and compare it to the relevant word in the document. Then you take the first letter from that word. So, the first number is 115. The 115th word in the Declaration of Independence is “instituted.” And the first letter in “instituted” is i. Below, you can see Beale Code #2 for yourself, as presented in The Beale Papers, Containing Authentic Statements Regarding the Treasure Buried in 1819 and 1821, Near Bufords, in Bedford County, Virginia, and which has Never Been Recovered:

This code was supposedly solved by a “friend” of Robert Morriss. The friend claimed to have stumbled upon the solution. I’ve always considered this one of the hardest parts of the Beale story to swallow. Without the key, a book cipher would’ve been pretty much impossible to solve at the time. Oh yeah, and the Declaration used to encode Beale Cipher #2 contains numerous mistakes. And yet, the friend was still able to figure out those mistakes. So, either the entire thing is a scam or the friend was using a similar version of the Declaration (actually, that second option isn’t impossible to believe…flaws abound in early reprintings of the Declaration).

Solving the Unsolvable Ciphers?

Assuming the Beale Codes are real, it stands to reason the remaining ciphers are encoded like Beale Code #2. That means there are two ways to solve them. First, a budding treasure hunter could search for the right key. This would involve seeking out texts of the time period and comparing them to the ciphers. One interesting idea presented by Tim Haydock in his book, Treasure Trove, plays off the fact that Beale’s full name was Thomas Jefferson Beale. Beale Code #2 was encoded with the Declaration of Independence, which is usually associated with Jefferson. So, Beale Code #1 might correspond to someone named Thomas (perhaps Thomas Paine). Beale Code #3 would then be deciphered with something having to do with the name Beale. An alternative suggestion is that all three documents might link to works published by Thomas Jefferson.

The second approach is to employ computers in a brute force attack. I believe this has been done in the past, but I’d be curious to know what modern computers could do with it.

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

Before you run off searching for old books, there are two things you should know. First, some scholars think the Beale Codes story is nothing more than a Masonic allegory.

Actually, of course, Beale and his treasure are illusory-merely part of an allegory meant to evoke the anticipated Masonic “discovery of the secret vault and the inestimable treasures, with the long-lost word” (as expressed in the Royal Arch degree). The contrast between the futile quest for gold and that for more spiritual wealth are didactically expressed in the allegory.” ~ Joe Nickell, Mysterious Realms: Probing Paranormal, Historical, and Forensic Enigmas

And second, in 1980 Jim Gillogly used the same Declaration of Independence in an attempt to decipher Beale Code #1. This resulted in some curious strings of letters such as AAA, TTTTT, and most interesting, ABFDEFGHIIJKLMMNOHPP. Gillogly concluded that Beale Code #1 was fake, created by randomly selecting words out of the Declaration that, at least in part, formed the alphabet. On the other hand, this could indicate a two-stage code. In other words, the alphabetic sequence might line up with a keystring. Regardless, it seems almost certain at this point that the Declaration of Independence was used in some manner to create Beale Code #1.

Beale Treasure: Real…or a Giant Hoax?

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Between 1819 and 1821, Thomas Beale buried a giant treasure in Virginia. The Beale Treasure has never been found. The key to its location lies in one of the most mysterious codes in history…the Beale Ciphers. But is the Beale Treasure even real? Or is it a giant hoax?

The Mysterious Beale Treasure?

Last Friday, I posted the first story in a short series about the mysterious Beale Treasure. Yesterday, I posted the second installment. To recap, Thomas Beale and thirty other people excavated a massive treasure between 1819 and 1821. They reburied it in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Then Beale created three ciphers now known as the Beale Ciphers.

“The Beale Ciphers were three codes which would enable one to locate the treasure and distribute it to the rightful heirs in the event that the group didn’t survive. The first Beale Cipher revealed the location of the vault. The second Beale Cipher described the contents of the vault. And the third Beale Cipher provided names and residences of the group members as well as their heirs.” ~ David Meyer, Beale Ciphers: A Lost Treasure?

Only one of the ciphers – the second one – has ever been decoded. It revealed the exact contents of the treasure.

“I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three, herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. The second was made Dec. eighteen twenty-one, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at thirteen thousand dollars. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number one describes the exact locality of the vault, so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.” ~ Thomas Jefferson Beale, Decoded Version of Beale Cipher #2

Is the Beale Treasure Real…or a Giant Hoax?

The remaining ciphers constitute two of the most famous unsolved codes in history. Many people find this suspicious. After all, high-speed computers and advances in code-breaking have enabled easy decryption of once unsolvable codes. That being said, numerous cryptographers have studied the remaining ciphers and concluded that the sequences of numbers appear non-random.

The story behind the Beale Treasure is problematic. Why would Beale and his companions dig up a giant treasure only to hide it somewhere else? Why didn’t they split it up and go on spending sprees instead? Why would they haul it out to Virginia if they intended to stay out west? And why would they entrust the secret to a man they barely knew – and thus further divide the Beale Treasure – rather than to one (or all) of the heirs?

Other problems abound. The second cipher – a description of the Beale Treasure – seems entirely unnecessary. And the third cipher – which provides the names and addresses of the heirs – seems entirely too short. It’s 618 characters long. Assuming it’s encoded like Beale Cipher #2 (one number is equivalent to one letter), each heir gets about twenty characters. That doesn’t leave much room for a full-blown address. For example, “Thomas Beale, Lynchburg,” runs twenty characters by itself. On the other hand, it is possible some of the heirs shared an address.

Also, some of the words used in Beale’s letters don’t seem to make sense. According to Joe Nickell, the words, “stampeding,” “improvised,” and “appliances” did not appear in print until decades after Beale’s letters were supposedly written. This would seem to indicate the letters were written at a later date or someone edited them along the way. There is also some evidence to suggest that the person who wrote Beale Cipher #2 also wrote the pamphlet that revealed the story to the public (The Beale Papers, Containing Authentic Statements Regarding the Treasure Buried in 1819 and 1821, Near Bufords, in Bedford County, Virginia, and which has Never Been Recovered).

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

The Beale Treasure suffer from the same problem as so many other legendary lost treasures…lack of falsifiability. There is simply no way to disprove the story. And there is no way to prove it either. Undoubtedly, Beale researchers will continue to study the codes, searching for a breakthrough. It may come someday. Or it may not.

That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at some possible ways to approach the Beale Ciphers from a treasure hunting perspective. See you then!

The Turk: History’s First Chess Computer?

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Two centuries before Big Blue, there was the Turk, history’s first chess computer. From 1770 to 1854, this mechanical marvel played and defeated all sorts of challengers, including many top-ranked chess players as well as Benjamin Franklin. It wasn’t until 1857 that the Turk’s secret was revealed…it was a giant fake. Here’s more from  Krešimir Josić at the University of Houston:

The Turk was touted as an early robot that could play chess at the highest level. Built in Vienna in 1770 by the inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen, the machine consisted of a large pedestal, housing intricate machinery on top of which stood a chessboard. To this box was attached the upper half of a men dressed in oriental robes and a turban. Each performance began with an elaborate introduction to convince the audience that the Turk is really a machine. The automaton would then face a challenger.

The Turk first dazzled the court of the empress Maria Theresa in Vienna. The machine moved its own pieces, and would instantly recognize illegal moves by its opponent. It offered a surprisingly good game of chess! The automaton soon became a sensation, toured Europe and North America, and was matched against some of the best chess players of the time…

(See the rest at the University of Houston)

 

The Mysterious “Weeping” Statue of Jesus?

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On March 10, 2012, an Indian skeptic named Sanal Edamaruku traveled to Mumbai to investigate a mysterious statue of Christ. The statue appeared to be “weeping” tears which proceeded to run over its feet. Was the statue the real deal? Or was it a hoax?

Background

Sanal Edamaruku is a well-known rationalist. He has “exposed the man-made nature of the ‘divine flame’ at Sabarimala, and successfully challenged Hindu godmen on TV.” He is also the President of Rationalist International. This organization is intended to “argue for a rational approach to human problems, suggest reasoned alternatives to religious dogmas, defend freedom of thought and civil liberties and strive for the secularization of politics, society and educational system.”

On March 5, Sanal appeared on a television program in Delhi, India. At the time, the priest of the Our Lady of Velankanni church in Mumbai, India, along with several organizations, were “promoting the idea that water dripping from the feet of a statue of Jesus was a sign from God.” Hundreds of true believers had gathered at the Church to consume this “holy water.” Sanal proceeded to question the reports. So, the TV station flew him to visit the church and investigate the possible hoax on March 10.

Miracle or Hoax?

When he arrived, Sanal saw a priest leading a prayer near the cross. The “holy water” was being distributed to the participants. He also saw a photograph of the dripping water over which someone had written the world “miracle.” However, he wasn’t allowed to take a sample of the water for testing purposes.

So, Sanal investigated a nearby washroom. He pulled away some stones and discovered a blockage in the drainage system. This blocked water needed an outlet. And it found one in the statue.

“It was very simple: Water from the washroom, which had been blocked in the clogged drainage system, had been transmitted via capillary action into the adjacent walls and the base of the cross as well as into the wooden cross itself. The water came out through a nail hole and ran down over the statue’s feet.” ~ Sanal Edamaruku

In other words, the “holy water” was really just sewage run-off from a leaky drain. When Sanal returned to TV, he accused the Church of a hoax, describing it as “miracle mongering.” He specifically called out the PR campaign to support the “miracle” as well as the photographs they distributed of it. Church officials, who were present for the discussion, demanded he apologize and retract his statements. Sanal refused to do so.

Controversy Erupts!

On April 10, two separate individuals filed FIRs, or First Information Reports, against Sanal. The first was filed by Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum (CSF). The second was filed by Agnelo Fernandes, president of Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum.

In India, an FIR is a document used to kickstart a police investigation. In the case of Sanal, both individuals accused him of a violation under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code, which outlaws “deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community.”

“We never said it was a miracle, though devotees came to pray and atone for their sins. It was sad that it was claimed to be a money-making scam. Not a single penny was collected and even those who insisting on making donations, were told to feed the poor.” ~ Augustine Palett, Parish Priest, Velankanni Church, Irla.

Sanal, in turn, claims the FIRs are being used to silence his point of view on the “hoax.” He plans to use this opportunity to directly challenge the blasphemy law to India’s Supreme Court.

“I’m determined, I have a duty to develop scientific temper and promote inquiry so on these two grounds we will challenge the very veracity of this law in the Supreme Court.” ~ Sanal Edamaruku

Guerrilla Explorer’s Take

We wholeheartedly support Sanal Edamaruku in this endeavor. All too often, modern rationalists embrace a sort of relativism in which absolute truth is sacrificed for so-called individual truths. So, we find a lot to like about Sanal. He sought the truth and when he found a hoax, took it to the masses.

As many of you know, we here at Guerrilla Explorer have been the lead skeptics of the Baltic Anomaly. We’ve questioned the Ocean X Team’s vague and conspiratorial statements. We’ve pointed out that one of the co-founders of the Ocean X team, Mr. Dennis Åsberg has professional acting experience (albeit from several years ago). Thanks to an anonymous tipster, we’ve also learned that the Team created their website three months BEFORE they claim to have discovered the Anomaly.

And now, the Ocean X Team is attempting to turn their publicity into a major financial windfall, complete with a documentary produced by Titan Television, submarine rides, picture sales, sponsorships (it appears they’ve already used equipment from their sponsors to look for shipwrecks at a separate site), and most recently, a clothing line. All of these things don’t necessarily mean a hoax is at work, but it’s enough to raise a bunch of red flags in our mind.

We’ve received much grief for our position, especially from UFO enthusiasts. That’s not terribly surprising. Many people, especially true believers, find skepticism frustrating. However, we think it’s extremely important.

“Question: Why do people so readily believe in miracles?

Answer: For many, the regressive belief in superstitions and miracles is an escape from the hardships of life. Once trapped into irrationalism, they become more incapable of mastering reality. It is a vicious circle, like an addiction. They become vulnerable to exploitation by astrologers, godmen, dubious pseudo-psychologists, corrupt politicians, and the whole mega-industry of irrationalism.” ~ Jon White (Questioner) & Sanal Edamaruku (Answerer)

As we’ve stated before, skepticism isn’t about rejecting other people’s beliefs. It’s about suspending judgement until claims can be properly tested and verified. Just because we’re skeptical of the Baltic Anomaly being anything more than a natural formation doesn’t mean we reject it as a hoax out of hand. Indeed, we believe keeping an open mind is important.

“But while I’m extremely skeptical of Bigfoot, I certainly don’t reject the possibility of its existence. One of the things that frustrates me about modern science is the built-in disdain many researchers hold for fields like cryptozoology. Regardless of our opinions, we must continue to evaluate any and all scientific claims with an open mind…even if its about the legendary Sasquatch. After all, that’s what science is all about.” ~ David Meyer, Bigfoot Lives…!

The Baltic Anomaly: Is it a Hoax?

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The Ocean X Team has finally returned to port after investigating the Baltic Anomaly, a mammoth underwater formation. Is there something down there? Nothing at all? Or is this just a massive hoax?

Background on the Baltic Anomaly

Here’s the background. Last summer, the Ocean X Team used side-scan sonar to “photograph” a strange object deep in the Baltic Sea, approximately 260 feet below surface. It’s about 200 feet in diameter, with a tail stretching over 1,300 feet across the sea floor. Recently, the team returned to the site to give it a closer look.

On June 10, Dennis Åsberg, one of the cofounders of the Ocean X Team, posted his latest update on Facebook.

“Everything is top secret now … because of the risks … hope you all understand this is no game. But the truth will be reported shortly.” ~ Dennis Åsberg, Ocean X Team, June 10, 2012

The Ocean X Team’s ship, the Ancylus, is back in port. Curious onlookers have been swarming it, photographing the crew and equipment. There is talk of a press conference, perhaps as early as tomorrow.

Accusation that the Baltic Anomaly is a Hoax?

However, that’s not the only new information. Disclose.tv recently announced the discovery of “documents stored on the team’s website that strongly suggest that the Baltic Sea anomaly is nothing more than a publicity stunt to raise money.” The documents are now gone, but still available in web cache form. One document is the group’s budget. Another appears to be an investor letter. It includes the following paragraphs (translated with Google Translate and with a few adjustments).

“Ocean X Team will do their utmost to raise awareness of the Circle project thus attracting considerable media value, which can be used in advertising. So far, about 700 million viewers around the world have been reached through news broadcasts, Internet-based news outlets are not included.”

“Is the circle something that can be salvaged and which is worth the money? If the circle is a natural resource, the OX can not guarantee income as it is within an economic zone.” ~ Ocean X Team, Investor Letter

Honestly, I think Disclose TV is overreacting here. None of this is a surprise. The Ocean X Team are professional treasure hunters and I can’t fault them for trying to do everything within their power to profit from the Baltic Anomaly.

Is this a Hoax?

Still, the question remains…is this a hoax, perhaps similar in spirit to the 2006 Great Lakes Dive Company hoax? Well, there’s no indication the Ocean X Team has lied about anything. Also, they have a reputation to protect, especially since they will need outside funds for their other projects, such as the “three missing Fabergé eggs.” And finally, the second paragraph from the investor letter above indicates the Team was unsure of what it would find, if anything, at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

However, we remain highly suspicious of a hoax. The entire expedition is being filmed by Titan Television. Titan has apparently reserved the website, BalticCowboys.com, for the eventual documentary. If the Baltic Anomaly turns out to be a natural formation, which is far and away the most likely possibility, how will Titan monetize its film? One possibility is to play the “military intervention” card. That is, the Ocean X Team could claim they are being forced to keep quiet by outside forces. That way, the documentary ends in mystery rather than disappointment. Interestingly enough, the Ocean X Team has called attention to military exercises in the vicinity of their search at least twice in the last two weeks.

“Do you know that there is a large military exercise in the Baltic Sea now, with Germany U.S., england. why is it so … what do you think?” ~ Ocean Explorer, May 30, 2012

“Right now there is a military exercise in the area where both Russians and Americans are involved. I can not help but wonder why it is happening right now.” ~ Dennis Åsberg, Translated from Aftonbladet, May 31, 2012

These military exercises are real, but hardly unexpected. They are called BALTOPS and take place every year in the Baltic Sea. However, they could still be used as a cover story for military intervention.

“The odds of finding a UFO are beyond miniscule. And no one’s going to buy a documentary about a hot spring. So, we can’t help but wonder if the purpose of the May 30 tweet was to lay the groundwork for a story about ‘military intervention.’ Ufologists are paranoid about government cover-ups of alien spacecraft, perhaps rightly so. However, that same paranoia can be tapped into by unscrupulous people looking to make some money.” ~ David Meyer, The Baltic Anomaly: A New Discovery?

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

After investigating it, the Ocean X Team claims the Baltic Anomaly is real, calling it “something unusual hiding at the seabed.” Assuming that’s the case, we here at Guerrilla Explorer think the Baltic Anomaly is nothing more than a hot spring. A hot spring would explain the initial radiation reported by the Ocean X Team, as well as the Anomaly’s strange shape.

“When hot water is expelled from a hot spring, it causes dissolved minerals and the surrounding soil to be driven outward. These materials eventually cool and harden in the water. All in all, this might account for the vast amount of disturbed seabed as well as an object that looks like a sandbar.” ~ David Meyer, The Baltic Anomaly: UFO…or just a Hot Spring?

We don’t want to be completely skeptical. It’s very possible the Ocean X Team has discovered a shipwreck or something else of interest. And if not, it’s very possible the team will be upfront about what they find. However, our skepticism on both counts is still growing.

 

Guerrilla Explorer’s Coverage of the Baltic Anomaly

A Dinosaur…during the Civil War?

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Did Union soldiers shoot down a living dinosaur during the midst of the Civil War?

A Living Dinosaur During the Civil War?

Take a good look at this image. It appears to show a group of soldiers standing around a dead pterodactyl. What do you think…is it real? Believe it or not, the answer is yes…with a big caveat. The photograph definitely isn’t photo-shopped. But its not from the 1860s either. Rather, it was a promotional tool for a science fiction TV show called Freaky Links. The soldiers are Civil War reenactors and the pterodactyl is a prop (incidentally, used for Episode 4, “Subject: Coelacanth This!“).

“What’s interesting is that this story was picked up by many other websites who simply repeated the information without spending five minutes to check, which all the time I devoted to this. Life is short, after all.” ~ Sean McLachlan, Civil War soldiers shoot down a pterodactyl???

That pretty much sums up the problem with cryptozoology and claims of living dinosaurs. The field is ripe for hoaxers. Heck, even the earliest claim of this specific type was nothing more than a hoax.

Perhaps the earliest ‘living pterosaur’ account dates to 1856 when, according to the Illustrated London News, a live pterodactyl with a 3 m wingspan emerged alive from within a rock dislodged during the construction of a French railway tunnel…This story is clearly a hoax: the pterosaur allegedly represented a new species dubbed Pterodactylus anas. Anas means duck; in France (where the pterosaur was allegedly found), a duck is called a canard. Canard is another word for hoax.” ~ Darren Naish, Pterosaurs alive in, like, the modern day!

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

So, is there any chance living dinosaurs exist in this day and age? It’s pretty unlikely. If such creatures still existed, it’s hard to believe legions of bird watchers would’ve missed them. The 1890 Thunderbird story is slightly more believable, but not by much. And Ivan T. Sanderson’s famous 1932 encounter with a possible olitiau is interesting but even Sanderson believed the creature to be a giant bat rather than a living dinosaur (with a 4 meter wingspan, that must’ve been one helluva bat!).

So, for now we have to side with the skeptics. Although I have to admit I’m tempted to trek out to the Huachua Desert one of these days and see if I can’t locate the 1890 Thunderbird’s skeleton. Anyone up for an expedition?

Shakespeare’s Signature?

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Nearly 400 years after his death, mystery continues to surround William Shakespeare. What did he look like? What religion did he practice? And did he really write all those plays? So many questions, so few answers.

The Mysterious Shakespeare Signature?

Recently, scholars at The Lazarus Project discovered a bit of writing in an old legal text that just might be the signature of Shakespeare. It’s difficult to say for sure, at least for the moment. However, if the signature is ever proved genuine, it will undoubtedly raise even more questions about the famous bard. Why did he own this legal text? Did he work as an attorney prior to writing plays? If so, how did that influence his creative work? Here’s more on the mysterious Shakespeare signature from Ars Technica:

A professor and his students have identified a probable new Shakespeare signature in a 16th century legal text. Using a 50-megapixel multispectral digital imaging system, members of The Lazarus Project have tweaked the status of the autograph from “who knows” to “possible.”

…The signature in the book had been identified as possibly being in Shakespeare’s hand in 1942, though some suspected it to be a forgery.

Like an archaeologist, Heyworth takes pains to state in no uncertain terms that it may never be possible to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is by Shakespeare. However, if the spectral fingerprinting they did on this signature is consistent across other known signatures, it would come very close to definitive proof. If, however, it is consistent with known forgeries, that too would be a near-definitive judgment…

(See Ars Technica for more on Shakespeare’s signature)

Piltdown Man: The Fraudulent Missing Link?

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On December 18, 1912, Charles Dawson and Arthur Smith Woodward announced the discovery of mysterious bone fragments at a meeting of the Geological Society of London. These fragments, which included part of a skull and a jawbone, seemed to prove the existence of a previously unknown human species with chimpanzee-like features. In other words, the Missing Link. What was Piltdown Man?

The Piltdown Man Hoax?

The discovery of the so-called Piltdown Man was greeting with frenzied excitement and some skepticism. But it would take another 41 years before scientists were able to uncover the dark truth about Piltdown Man.

In 1953, Kenneth Page Oakley, Sir Wilfrid Edward Le Gros Clark, and Joseph Weiner used modern chemistry to shed new light on Piltdown Man. In the process, they exposed perhaps the greatest paleontological hoax of all time…Piltdown Man was a fake.

Until that point, researchers believed Piltdown Man had lived 750,000-950,000 years ago. However, fluorine testing showed the bone fragments actually came from three different creatures. The skull was human and just 600 years old. The jaw was 500 years old and came from an orangutan. And the teeth had belonged to a chimpanzee.

The hoax quickly unraveled. The fragments had been treated with chemicals to create the impression of age. Also, someone had filed down the teeth and deliberately removed parts from the fragments to confuse scholars.

Who was behind the Piltdown Man Hoax?

So who perpetrated the hoax? And why? Over the years, historians have pointed the finger at a number of individuals. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame has found himself a suspect. However, most people believe the hoax was originated by none other than the discoverer, Charles Dawson himself.

It turns out Dawson had the bad habit of forging other archaeological finds years before Piltdown Man. His personal collection included at least 38 fakes, some of which showed filed-down teeth. He deliberately aged flints with chemicals. And his written work included numerous examples of plagiarism. In short, Dawson had the means to perpetrate the archaeological hoax.

“Piltdown was not a “one-off” hoax, more the culmination of a life’s work.” ~ Miles Russell, Charles Dawson: ‘The Piltdown faker’

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

As for motive, Dawson once wrote to a friend that he was “waiting for the big ‘find’ which never seems to come along.” This, along with his penchant for creating bizarre fossils and passing them off as real, would seem to imply he was driven by a desire for fame. Finally, Dawson had the best opportunity. Apparently, he was the only person present for the various discoveries of Piltdown fossils over the years. And all such discoveries ceased after his death in 1916.

Do Woolly Mammoths still Exist?

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The last woolly mammoth died off around 1700 BC on Russia’s Wrangel Island. Or did it?

The Mysterious Woolly Mammoth Video?

Check out this footage of a supposed woolly mammoth. It was supposedly captured last summer by a Russian engineer. According to The Sun, this person was in Siberia at the time, surveying for a new road. Some people believe it shows a woolly mammoth struggling to cross a river. The article even claims hair samples from the beast match up with those obtained from woolly mammoth carcasses.

Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis

I’ve spoken at length about my views on cryptozoology. In my mind, the most believable cryptids are so-called sea monsters such as the Daedalus Sea Serpent and the Valhalla Sea Serpent. On the other hand, I’m highly suspicious of claims about undiscovered, land-based megafauna. Unfortunately, this video does nothing to change my mind. It’s blurry and short. The “tusks” don’t appear to attach to the creature’s skull and seem to flop around with the current. Suspiciously, the video cuts off before the creature’s legs and lower body become visible.

Assuming it’s not an out-and-out hoax, I think it looks most like a large bear carrying a fish. Here’s more on this mysterious “woolly mammoth” from The Sun:

A beast lurches through icy waters in a sighting a paranormal investigator thinks could prove woolly mammoths are not extinct after all. The animal – thought to have mostly died out roughly 4,000 years ago – was apparently filmed wading through a river in the freezing wilds of Siberia.

…Its hair matches samples recovered from mammoth remains regularly dug up from the permafrost in frozen Russia…

(See Woolly Mammoth Spotted in Siberia for the rest)

The Horse that Could Calculate?

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Beginning in 1891, crowds throughout Europe were spellbound by the amazing feats of the horse Clever Hans. Urged on by his owner William Von Osten, Clever Hans would answer questions by tapping a hoof on the ground. For example, 5 and 9 were once written on a blackboard and he was asked to add them together. Clever Hans proceeded to tap his hoof 14 times. What was his secret?

The Secret of Clever Hans?

It took 16 years but finally, a philosophy professor named Carl Stumpf and his student Oskar Pfungst solved the mystery. It turned out that Clever Hans based his responses on “unconscious cues” provided by Von Osten. In other words, when Clever Hans reached the correct number of hoof taps, Von Osten would unknowingly change facial expressions or lean forward. Clever Hans would stop and then receive a reward for his “guess,” which served to reinforce the behavior.

Incidentally, this is a primary reason that modern psychologists use double-blind experiments or communicate with subjects via computers. Here’s more on Clever Hans from Benjamin Radford at Discovery News:

You may think your dog or cat is smart and amazing, but it’s got nothing on a horse that drew huge crowds in Germany and throughout Europe over a century ago.

The horse, named Clever Hans, was known around the world for his inexplicable abilities. William Von Osten put his amazing horse on display in 1891, and together he and Hans treated crowds to sights never before seen.

Not only could Hans count — something no other animals were said to do — but he could also tell time, read, and spell (in German, of course).

(See Discovery News for the rest on Clever Hans)