"That's "Hedy," not "Hedley!" Tuesday: As mysterious as Dorothy Kilgallen's death on November 8, 1965, is the 1965 blackout that overtook much of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada on this day. While the official cause was a series of mistakes and blown relays, there were also reports of UFOs near some of the power stations. We don't necessarily believe the reports; we're just saying ... Not all of the Northeast was affected, however, and a full moon that night kept things surprisingly safe, with New York City reporting only five instances of looting. When one speaks of New York, it's difficult to not think of Stanford White (whose 157th birthday falls on this day). White's distinctive architectural fingerprints can still be found all over Manhattan more than a century after his death. Such structures as the Municipal Building, the Washington Square Arch, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art – not to mention many of the millionaires' mansions on Fifth Avenue - were his designs. While White's firm designed things to be built, it's a demolished object that we take special notice of today, as it's the 21st anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall itself was the literal dividing line between East and West Berlin, constructed to keep East Germans from escaping the Communist regime. When that government fell, so did the wall. Something that irriatated those killjoy East German officials was rock music, and on this day in 1967, the first issue of "Rolling Stone" was published. While "Rolling Stone" was originally dedicated to rock, pop, and blues music and musicians – and those are still its primary focus – it's expanded in the decades since to become one of America's most respected magazines, known for its reporting on politics and entertainment. Speaking of respect, we throw a little of it to the creative community today as it's Inventor's Day, celebrated today because it's the birthday of actress Hedy Lamarr. Lamarr was not only one of the most glamorous and beautiful actresses of the 1930s and '40s, but was also something of a scientific genius. In 1942, she was granted a patent for a communication system that would "hop" frequencies in order to make radio-guided torpedoes harder to detect. While the technology went basically unused until the '60s, today it forms the basis for wi-fi networks and cell phones. Suggested Sites... November 9th, 1965 Blackout - sometimes Occam's Razor is a UFO. New York Architecture Images: McKim, Mead, and White - a century later, still some of Manhattan's most beautiful buildings. The Fall of the Berlin Wall: A Personal Account - the wall came a-tumblin' down. Hedy Lamarr Foundation - devoted to cultivating both brains and beauty. 5 Surprising Inventions From Famous People - Isaac Newton invented the cat door?

Directory categories: Electricity, Berlin, Rock and Pop Musicians, Magazines, Classic Hollywood Actors

Archived under: 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, 19th Century, Actors, American History, Anniversaries, Architects, Architecture, Arts, Beauty, Berlin, Birthdays, Buildings, Canada, Celebrations, Celebrities, Cell Phones, Communism, Communists, Electronics, Entertainment, Europe, European History, Events, Germany, History, Holidays, Ice, In Character, Invention, Inventors, Journalism, Magazines, Men, Museums, Music, Music History, New York, Rock and Roll, Science, Scientists, Tourist Attractions, UFOs, United States, Urban Legends, Weird Stuff, Women

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Crop circles in Switzerland. Swtizerland?! Swiss cheese has holes in in it too, doesn't it? Just sayin' ... Unless you've been out wanderin' the fields, you may not have noticed that crop circle season is in full swing. Cereologists around the globe are busy chasing trampled grains from site to site, and we wouldn't want you to miss out. Where do these miraculous masterpieces come from? Well one hypothesis, popularized in the 2002 film "Signs," attributes crop circles to aliens, who are to be found zipping about in their UFOs or flitting through fields as balls of light. Another more likely explanation is that these formations are the work of humans. Not only have the hoaxers admitted as much, but the acts have been documented as well. Yet, despite such evidence, some crop circle enthusiasts maintain that some designs are simply too intricate to be man-made. Whoever may be responsible, there's no doubt that many of the designs are downright beautiful -- and they're not as strange as some may think. Art visible only from above is hardly a new phenomenon. The Nasca created stunning art pieces in the Peruvian desert 2,000 years ago, and in Britain, the Uffington White Horse predates today's crop circles by 3,000 years. Regardless of their origins, crop circles are an impressive contribution to modern day land art (and advertising). So take a walk in the wheat and check some out -- before the season is over. Suggested Sites... Circlemakers - see how the pros do it. Crop Circle Connector: International Crop Circles 2010 - browse the best of what's cropping up around the globe. Crop Circle Secrets - crop circle research site. Glastonbury Symposium - it's not too late to book a ticket and attend this well-established crop circle conference.

Directory categories: Crop Circles, Paranormal Phenomena, Land Art, Nazca Lines, UFOs

Archived under: Aliens, Arts, Crop circles, Hoaxes, Paranormal, Tourist Attractions, UFOs, Weird Stuff

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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's -- just what the hell is it? (Photo by Jonas Smith) Humans have always been seeking explanations for what we see in the skies. We’ve figured out a lot of it over time, but we still have much to learn. While we keep an eagle eye on outer space, we sometimes encounter surprises closer to home. Ever since pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted an Unidentified Flying Object over Mount Rainier in Washington on June 24, 1947, worldwide incidents of UFO sightings have really taken off. We celebrate World UFO Day each year in honor of Mr. Arnold’s contributions to UFO research. Stories of encounters with aliens and their vehicles have inspired countless movies and television shows. We remain fascinated by historical accounts of unexplained occurrences, such as the destructive column of blue light that flattened part of Russia more than a hundred years ago, and the disturbing deaths of several skiers on the other side of Russia in 1959. There’s always someone ready to say that these kinds of cases provide proof that we are sometimes visited by alien life forms. But there never seems to be conclusive evidence to say what really happened. With many UFO sightings, we have to rely on eyewitness accounts, and the occasional bit of footage that naysayers are quick to label as hoaxes. But sometimes sightings are reported by those who would generally be regarded as reliable sources. Back in 1942, the U.S. Army itself must have seen the lighted crafts over Los Angeles -- it launched an attack on them. A couple of years ago, a Royal Navy aircraft engineer reported seeing a flying saucer over the motorway in Somerset, England. With their cameras constantly rolling, the TV news networks are bound to snag a glimpse of something once in a while, right? And, indeed, both the BBC and CNN have inadvertently filmed UFOs in recent years. Keep your eyes on the sky, and have your camera ready. Whether or not you make a special trip to seek out the mysteries of the universe, they may appear when you least expect them. Suggested Sites... SETI Institute - scientists and educators try to answer the question: "are we alone?" National UFO Reporting Center - browse reports or file one of your own. UFO Hunters - watch episodes of the History Channel show. Ten best UFO hoax videos - Mashable.com - fodder for skeptics. Top Ten Alien Encounters Debunked - Space.com deflates your shiny weather balloon.

Directory categories: Paranormal Phenomena, UFOs, Astronomy, Extraterrestrial Life, Kenneth Arnold

Archived under: Aliens, Astronomy, Hoaxes, Mysteries, Paranormal, Science, Science Fiction, UFOs, Weird Stuff

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We love J'onn J'onzz, but this is why Martian invasions fail (Photo by Jim Reynolds) We see that "V" returns to television this evening, and the spectacle of aliens visiting the Earth yet again makes us pause to reflect on the virtual parade of strange races that have been inexplicably drawn here over the decades. Let's stipulate in the beginning that we love the Earth. It's our home and everything we know and love is here. In spite of that, we have to admit that it's not the most impressive planet. It's relatively small, certainly out of the way, and other than all of us living here, doesn't offer anything especially remarkable. So, just why is the place so darn attractive to aliens? Over the last century or so, it's been hard to swing a dead cat without hitting an extraterrestrial. The trouble seems to have started in 1898 when H. G. Wells wrote "The War of the Worlds," which depicted an invading army of Martian tripods, and there's been little rest since -- particularly from those pesky Martians. Wells' Martians have been the most persistent, returning in 1938 (with the help of Orson Welles), 1953, 1988, and 2005 -- fortunately being defeated every time by germs (you think they'd learn...). The '50s were an especially fertile decade for Martians in particular and aliens in general. That decade brought us Marvin the Martian, who didn't "invade" Earth (though he did want to blow it up -- we interfere with his view of Venus, apparently), and more "Invaders From Mars," but that one may have been a dream so it doesn’t really count (or does it?). 1956 saw the arrival of J'onn J'onzz, the "Martian Manhunter." J'onn didn't "invade," either -- he was unwillingly transported here -- but he chose to stay on and fight crime, even becoming a founding member of the Justice League of America. And, of course, in 1963, "Uncle Martin" crash-landed on Earth and became Tim O'Hara's "Favorite Martian." Martians aren't our only extraterrestrial tourists, obviously. Seems like hardly a week went by in the '50s (again!) when we weren't being invaded by Things, Blobs, Its, Kanamits -- or even Teenagers -- all of whom tried to take over the Earth with their evil plans. Of course, for every hostile invader, there was a Klaatu, Kreton, or even a Superman who came in peace, or who didn't threaten to blow up the planet -- for the time being, at least. As the century drew to a close, alien invaders became a little more persistent. There were the unnamed aliens who started to blow things up in July of 1996, all those nameless extraterrestrials who plagued Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and even Martians again in 1996, who seemed on the verge of worldwide conquest until defeated by Slim Whitman. But even they were balanced by more benign beings whose cars broke down, made long-distance calls, or who were cruising the planet looking for dates. Conspiracists have suggested since 1947 that we've been visited by actual aliens, but that the government has covered up the truth in order to protect the public. Given our cinematic exposure to extraterrestrials, though, we're likelier to react to Gazoos or Psychlos with boredom rather than fear. Suggested Sites... Top 30 Alien Invasion Movies - if these are the "top," please keep us away from the bottom. Highest Grossing Alien Invasion Movies - now this is more like it -- even if they do include M. Night Shyamalan. Hollywood's 10 Best Alien Stories - how could we have left out "Close Encounters"? Wikipedia: Martians - sometimes they come to visit, sometimes they stay at home. Wikipedia: Films Featuring Extraterrestrials - oh, dear -- they have Ewoks in there....

Directory categories: Extraterrestrial Life, Science Fiction Movies, Science Fiction TV Shows, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Mars

Archived under: 1950s, Aliens, Entertainment, Mars, Monsters and Creatures, Movies, Orson Welles, Paranormal, Science Fiction, TV, UFOs, Villains, War of the Worlds

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Crop circles in Switzerland Unless you've been out wanderin' the fields, you may not have noticed that crop circle season is in full swing. Cereologists around the globe are busy chasing trampled grains from site to site, and we wouldn't want you to miss out. Where do these miraculous masterpieces come from? Well one hypothesis, popularized in the 2002 film Signs, attributes crop circles to aliens, who are to be found zipping about in their UFOs or flitting through fields as balls of light. Another more likely explanation is that these formations are the work of humans. Not only have the hoaxers admitted as much, but the acts have been documented as well. Yet, despite such evidence, some crop circle enthusiasts maintain that some designs are simply too intricate to be man-made. Whoever may be responsible, there's no doubt that many of the designs are downright beautiful -- and they're not as strange as some may think. Art visible only from above is hardly a new phenomenon. The Nasca created stunning art pieces in the Peruvian desert 2,000 years ago, and in Britain, the Uffington White Horse predates today's crop circles by 3,000 years. Regardless of their origins, crop circles are an impressive contribution to modern day land art (and advertising). So take a walk in the wheat and check some out -- before the season is over. Suggested Sites... Circlemakers - see how the pros do it. Crop Circle Connector: International Crop Circles 2008 - browse the best of what's cropping up around the globe. Crop Circle Secrets - crop circle research site. Glastonbury Symposium - it's not too late to book a ticket and attend this well-established crop circle conference.

Directory categories: Crop Circles, Paranormal Phenomena, Land Art, Nazca Lines, UFOs

Archived under: Aliens, Arts, Crop circles, Hoaxes, Paranormal, Tourist Attractions, UFOs, Weird Stuff

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