The Why Files: Operation Podcast

On November 2nd, 1966, Woody Derenberger was driving home from a business trip when he encountered an extraterrestrial being named Indrid Cold.

Cold communicated with Woody telepathically, and the two went on to be lifelong friends. Other people close to Woody, including family, friends, and even his therapist claimed that they, too, had experiences with Indrid Cold.

Woody wrote and published a detailed account of his experiences, and never went back on his story. Since the 1960s, the legend of Indrid Cold has become one of the most famous in all of UFO lore.

Taken at face value, this story sounds strange.

But the *real* story … is even stranger.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of humans began a long time ago.

Three and a half billion years ago protein molecules floated around the ooze called the primordial soup. Then something happened and a molecule made a copy of itself.

And then another copy and another. Soon these molecules arranged themselves into something called a cell.

Then cells clumped together and multiplied. Organisms were created. Over the next three billion years, the organisms became more complicated and more diverse.

375 million years ago one of those organisms crawled out of the sea.

4 million years ago hominids emerged. Hominids had large brains and advanced cognitive abilities. They could reason, communicate and cooperate.

200,000 years ago, homo sapiens, modern humans appeared. They developed agriculture, organized into civilizations and became masters of the planet.

The story of humans began a long time ago. But all stories end.

And according to many leaders in business, science and technology: we're in the final chapter. The part of our story where we finally go extinct.

And there's nothing we can do to stop it.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1886, mining engineer John T. Reid was told the Paiute legend

of a giant people defeated by the natives near Lovelock, Nevada. The last of the giants met their fiery end deep within the bowels of a cave.

Reid’s belief in this legend stirred great interest in the secrets held within Lovelock Cave.

Official excavations were undertaken in both 1912 and 1924 by the University of California, with reports telling of thousands of artifacts being recovered. Of these artifacts, the most puzzling were human remains. Well, they were *almost* human.

Skeletons measuring between eight and ten feet tall were said to be found during the dig. Skeletons belonging to who are now known as “The Lovelock Giants.”

Legends of people of enormous size are told across a myriad of cultures, And despite what we’ve been told by *mainstream* science, there *is* evidence to suggest they really existed. The remains of giants have been found all over the United States; and all over the world.

So why aren’t these amazing finds on display in any museum? Or taught in any classes? Or mentioned in any history books?

Because the existence of giants, for some reason, has been covered up.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a sunny afternoon on June 24th, 1947, and Kenneth Arnold was flying his small aircraft over Mineral, Washington. He was heading to Yakima but took a slight detour to look for a lost US Marine Corps plane. If he could find it, he’d collect a nice reward.

Flying near Mount Rainier, he spotted a shiny object in his plane's mirror. Then, he saw multiple flashes of light. It looked like a group of aircraft, flying in formation. But something was wrong - these 'aircraft' didn't have tails. And they were flying faster than anything he’d ever seen. After about two minutes, the objects vanished near Mount Adams.

When Kenneth landed in Yakima, he immediately told his friends and airport staff about his bizarre experience. By the time he reached Pendleton, Oregon, his story had spread. Reporters were eager to hear it.

In describing the odd movement of these objects, Kenneth said it was like a teacup saucer skipping across a lake. At that moment, the term “flying saucer” was born.

And over the next two weeks, events would unfold that would affect every person on Earth. And change the course of history.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On April 30, 1943, in the middle of World War II, a body washed up on the shore of Huelva, Spain. The deceased man was wearing a British military uniform. There was a briefcase strapped to his body containing British and American military secrets.

The man was Major William Martin, a British Royal Marine who was the single victim of a fatal plane crash at sea.

He had just returned from temporary leave in London, where he had gone to the theater and purchased an engagement ring for his fiancee, Pam.

But there was something very strange about Major William Martin.

He didn’t exist.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 1990, in a remote village above the Arctic Circle, two Russian scientists embarked on a daring experiment. Their goal was to enhance human “super-perception” or ESP.

They built a device that could shield subjects from electromagnetic interference and amplify their biological energy. The device was a large tube of rolled aluminum with a chair inside.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1974 a group of scientists beamed a message into space. The message, meant to be received by an intelligent alien species, described life on Earth.

Written in simple binary code, and using the most powerful radio telescope on the planet, the message was broadcast to a dense cluster of stars in the constellation of Hercules.

This exercise was just ceremonial; a way to demonstrate new technology in radio astronomy. Nobody was really expected to receive it. And even if they did, it wouldn't be any time soon. The nearest star in the direction of the broadcast is 25,000 light-years away.

So, the telescope was tuned to 2380 Megherz, aimed at Hercules, and fired up. The scientists congratulated each other, shook hands, and went on with their lives.

But 27 years later, something very unexpected happened with that message beamed into deep space.

We got a reply.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Of all the species that have ever existed on Earth, 99% of them are gone. Most of those were wiped out during what are known as "Mass Extinction Events".

Since life emerged on our planet, there have been five mass extinctions. Sometimes these events last many years. But sometimes a mass extinction can happen very, very suddenly.

Some scientists think we're on the verge of a sixth mass extinction. Others think it's already begun.

But the question everybody asks is: "Is there anything we can do to stop it?"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The North American Air Defense Command, known as NORAD, was established in 1958. It was to provide early warning and defense against Soviet bombers and missile launches.

But it wasn't long before NORAD would be monitoring skies around the entire planet.

Early in the morning, on January 13th, 1996, NORAD contacted Brazilian Air Defense to report an object entering the Earth's atmosphere about 200 miles Northeast of Sao Paolo.

When asked what type of object, NORAD said it was "unidentified". A few minutes later, it crashed somewhere near the town of Varginha.

The Brazilian Army and Air Force quickly scrambled to get to the crash site before any civilians did.

But they were too late. The craft was seen -- and the beings driving the craft: we're gone.

Over the next few days, a series of events would unfold that would change the lives of the people in Varginha forever.

Well, at least the lives of the people who survived.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even though UFOs are seen everywhere: over the desert, over the ocean, over cities; there's no way to predict when and where they'll show up.

Well, no way except for one: build or detonate a nuclear weapon.

Since the dawn of the atomic age, UFOs have been seen -- and photographed -- during nuclear weapons tests and near nuclear weapons facilities.

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most mysterious artifacts in human history. The Ark, a sacred chest made of wood and covered in gold, has been missing since 587 BC. Its last known location was Jerusalem, somewhere under the Temple Mount.

What does this have to do with UFOs?

In 2011, a UFO was hovering over the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It emitted a flash of light, then shot straight up and disappeared into the night sky.

This could be just a coincidence. But it could be that the craft was looking for the Ark.

The Ark of the Covenant is an object of extreme religious importance to over 2 billion people. But why would a UFO be looking for it? Because it's the most dangerous weapon of mass destruction ever created.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices