Browsing: December

A Brief History On December 21, 2012, people across the globe waited for the end of the world!  Of course, we know the world did not end then, but why did so many people think it would? Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the roots of this “prophecy” in the Mayan calendar. The Mayan civilization not only made impressive pyramids and other buildings, but also was observant of astronomical phenomena and based a long term calendar cycle on those observations.  In the cycle that was computed, the last date was December 21, 2012.  Many people since then have taken that…

A Brief History On December 20, 1987, the passenger ferry Dona Paz sank with twice as many drowned as the Titanic! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find around 1500 souls lost on the Titanic, and perhaps 4300 lost on the Dona Paz! Originally built and operated in Japan (1963), the Dona Paz was designed for only 608 passengers, although when operated in the Philippines after being sold in 1975 it was given a capacity of about 1500. On the fateful day of December 12, 1987, the ferry carried far more than the claimed roughly 1600 people, probably about 4000 or…

A Brief History On December 19, 1956, Dr. John Bodkins Adams was accused of murdering 160 (or more!) of his patients! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Dr. Bodkins practicing medicine in Sussex, England when suspicions began about his practice. Never considered a “good” doctor, Adams was a poor student and considered a sloppy and inefficient doctor, although for some reason he made spectacular sums of money.  Not being accepted as a worthy peer by other doctors should have been a clue! Odd facets of Adams practice surfaced, such as being named in at least 132 of their wills.  His…

A Brief History On December 18, 1912, Charles Dawson announced the discovery of the prehistoric missing link between ape and man! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Dawson, an amateur archaeologist presenting fossilized skull pieces to the Geological Society of London, claiming they were found in a quarry near Piltdown, East Sussex. The scientific community accepted the skull and jaw bones as genuine and declared a new species of ape-man, naming it Eoanthropus dawsoni.  This creature was touted as the “missing link” between ape and man. As usual with new scientific discoveries, critics did not accept the discovery and conclusions as…

A Brief History On December 17, 1969, the U.S. Air Force shut down Project Blue Book, its investigation of UFOs. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the late 1940s spawning a spate of UFO sightings.  The U.S. Air Force conducted Project Sign in 1947 to study these reports, and Project Grudge in 1948.  In 1952, Project Blue Book became the exhaustive investigation we know of today, the brainchild of Air Force generals who demanded a more thorough approach. Lasting until 1969 (mere months after the first moon landing), Project Blue Book had investigated over 12,000 reported incidents!  The final report…