Astonishing Legends

As it is said with legends, when you separate the wheat from the chaff, there is often a kernel of truth in them. So what is the truth about Loftus Hall? Whether the Devil himself came to visit this prominent family who can say with certainty, but it seems accurate that the real Anne Tottenham suffered so great an instance of emotional trauma that it left her to wither in a catatonic state for the rest of her short life. There may even be proof that she remained seated for years, staring out the window of her favorite room, waiting for her bewitching love to return. What is also known is that some occult force had disturbed the family and staff of the house so greatly and frequently thereafter, that Protestant nobility had broken with fierce tradition to seek help from a local Catholic priest. The much-beloved Father Thomas Broaders was called upon to exorcize the demonic presence and was successful, mostly. What remains true today is that Loftus Hall is a grand attraction, scarred by its history and haunted by a love lost.

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Loftus Hall is considered one of the most haunted residences in Ireland. But what made it that way? If you believe the local legend, it started when a mysterious stranger visited the Hall one dark and stormy night. During a game of cards, he would enchant the young mistress of the house. But with his true nature discovered, he would flee most violently and mystically, leaving the woman scarred for life. They would both routinely haunt the house since. If you believe the legend, then what drew the dark visitor to the Hall? Was it the fate of this noble family or could it have been the history of bloodshed on this land for a thousand years or more? Tonight, we examine the charmed, Irish history of Loftus Hall and the tale of a handsome devil who comes to call.

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Most everyone familiar with the tragedy of Dyatlov Pass believes that whatever mysterious and strange event occurred, not all of the details have been shared by the Russian government. Tonight, we speak with Keith McCloskey, author of two books about the subject, "Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident" and "Journey to Dyatlov Pass: An Explanation of the Mystery" who has also traveled to the site for his research. We'll hear about his hypotheses and the current state of his efforts to petition the Russian courts to reexamine the case and declassify any previously unreleased information. We first spoke with Keith for our coverage on the Flannan Isles Lighthouse mystery and trust that he will bring the same diligent investigation and keen observations into solving this unfortunate riddle once and for all.

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When people see horrific apparitions of a supernatural nature, what are they really seeing and what could be causing these images to appear? Could it be that the demons and terrors some people have witnessed sometimes come from a strange symptom of a rare medical condition? This seems to have been the case with tonight's guest, Sarah, who was seeing beings and elements more associated with demonic possession, a haunting or even a psychological disorder, rather than with a physiological illness. It might seem easy to say all supernatural occurrences are nothing but a byproduct of a medical ailment, but many people have also reported seeing and interacting with horrific specters similar to what Sarah was seeing, who have no medical issues. We are left to wonder then, on a case by case basis if seeing something supernatural is from a medical cause, a spiritual cause, or perhaps a combination of both.

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Our legends and folklore must begin somewhere, and if not from the creative imagination of a single individual then perhaps they are born from the collective experiences of a particular group. While it is difficult to trace the exact nascency of certain legends, we may be able to get a clearer idea of where a specific mystical being came to be known, the gremlin. The British pilots and aircrew of the Royal Air Force during the WWI and WWII eras began to experience baffling and inexplicable problems with their aircraft and missions. Wires that appeared to have been chewed through, sand particles found in machinery where none should be, punctures and damage that was incomprehensible were just some of the numerous mysterious problems they encountered. But with no known cause, blame fell to the gremlin a mischievous goblin-like entity said to inhabit the skies and aerodromes of the RAF and who delighted in causing trouble for airmen. Although rationality would suggest the gremlin was an invention of highly-stressed personnel looking for a comical and morale-boosting scapegoat for their problems, there are reports from veterans who claim to have seen these destructive imps in action. If true, then we must wonder if the creature creates the legend or if the legend creates the creature. Join us as we examine the discovery of a 20th-century folktale which just may be related to the ancient Wee Folk of nature.

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As we close this final chapter on the story of the Betz Sphere, we've all been given a rare and exclusive glimpse into what happens when an impossible object becomes known to the world. We've seen what can happen to a regular family that only sought to find answers about its purpose. We've seen how authorities and officials behave when they too are mystified about an item that most are satisfied to dismiss as discarded industrial junk; their public stance hiding personal and professional curiosity. We've seen how the news media tries to answer the questions we all have but falls short, leaving the real story untold and yet retold again and again with incorrect or incomplete information because that's all the public is allowed. Most importantly, we've all now seen inside this mystery but are once again reminded that when it comes to High Strangeness, the answers we receive we may not understand. In the end, what we can safely conclude is that the Betz Sphere may or may not have come from an alien world, but it was evidently created in a secret place the populace is not allowed to know.

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82 years ago Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan vanished. Since then millions of dollars have been spent at the behest of countless researchers in an attempt to find her. In all of that time, only one of those researchers has found an aircraft. Our audience knows that researcher as Bill Snavely. He was a guest on our show back in May of 2018 and now he's back to report on what the team he assembled found on their first in-depth expedition to Buka.

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For something that many would claim was just a misplaced piece of industrial equipment, the Betz Sphere attracted a lot of serious attention, some official, some dubious and some a bit of both. Despite the initial vague or dismissive statements from the US Navy and noted scientists such as Dr. J. Allen Hynek that were reported by the news media, they were determined to continue seeking answers from it. The interest didn't stop with our government either, as mysterious foreign agents had shown up and expressed a keen interest in obtaining the orb. Subterfuge, manipulation both social and scientific, a disproportionate offer of a large sum of money, and even a possibly related assault all seem like a lot of effort to obtain an old discarded valve ball. Never before seen photos of the sphere posted with this episode on all of our social media.

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With every paranormal event or object, there are the questions of how did this happen or what was this thing? But the equally important issue is, how would this affect me? Because when something seemingly impossible happens, we have no context unless it had interaction with somebody. It becomes meaningful when we ponder the implications to our own human experience. As much as the Betz Sphere created a scientific mystery it also created a family story. Tonight, we're fortunate to present an exclusive interview with a member of the Betz family who was there to witness the entire ordeal and who has generously agreed to share their family story and set the record straight. Someone or something secretive created this sphere and while its operation and purpose remain unknown to the public, how it became known to the world and how that affected their lives is their story alone.

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Sometimes people come into our lives that change everything. Sometimes that change can come from an object. In March of 1974, the Betz family of Fort George Island, Florida found such an object, while investigating their property for wildfire damage. It appeared to be a shiny steel ball, measuring 7.96 inches in diameter and weighing 21.34 pounds. Being a simple, yet so out-of-place item in the middle of nowhere, it caught the attention of the eldest Betz son Terry, who took it home as a souvenir. The family, and eventually the rest of the world, would soon learn that this was no ordinary metal ball. The sphere would demonstrate highly unusual properties, like rolling that would indicate self-guidance, vibrating and emitting high-pitched frequencies, and a strange magnetic quality. These actions would be witnessed not only by the family but by the military, scientists and news media, all eager to determine who made this thing and why. While most authorities would go on record as believing the sphere was human-made, all would admit that it was no doubt weird, and no group could come forward to claim it was positively theirs. In the end, it would not be the sphere so much that would change the lives of the Betz family, but the people who were interested in it. As one might expect, if you possess an item that breaks the laws of physics, some organizations will go to great lengths to acquire it.

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