Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, August 12
    Trending
    • This Day in History on August 12th
    • History Short: Machine Guns Beat Cavalry Every Time!
    • History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!
    • History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?
    • History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!
    • History Short: What is the Greatest Anti-War Song?
    • History Short: Does Barry Bonds Belong in the Hall of Fame?
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through August 7th)
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»November»November 12»The First Known Photograph of the Loch Ness Monster
    November 12

    The First Known Photograph of the Loch Ness Monster

    Dr. ZarBy Dr. ZarNovember 12, 2013Updated:June 10, 202019 Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    A Brief History

    On November 12, 1933, Hugh Gray took the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster.

    Digging Deeper

    Outside of maybe Bigfoot, Nessie (the Loch Ness Monster) is probably the most well-known cryptid in the English-speaking world.  Claims of the existence of this monster date back possibly as far back as to Saint Columba (December 7, 521 A.D. – June 9,  597 A.D.).  According to legend, Columba helped rescue a man from a water beast in Scotland.

    Of course, humans had not yet invented photographs and so it would not be for another nearly millennium and a half until “evidence” of the monster outside of eye-witness accounts would come about.

    To that end, Hugh Gray would achieve his place among the world’s most famous photographers of cryptids for his “encounter” on November 12, 1933.  After attending church, he walked along Loch Ness, eventually noticing something strange happening in the water.  He claims that a massive creature then emerged, prompting him to take pictures, only one of which actually showed “something” upon being developed.  The famous photograph shows what appears to be an elongated creature surfacing, possibly splashing about, thereby blurring the image, with possible flippers also identifiable.  On the right side of the photograph, perhaps you can see what might be a head versus a tail on the left side.

    Or maybe it just shows a dog carrying a stick in its mouth making its way in the water toward the cameraman.

    For better or worse, we have no definitive explanation of what is actually in that photograph, but it was only the beginning.  Throughout the 1930s and even in the present decade, more photographs and videos would emerge purportedly depicting the so-called “monster”.  During the past 80 years, others would search for Nessie using everything from sonar to submersibles and yet no irrefutable proof has yet materialized.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think?  Is the photograph of Hugh Gray depicting some kind of “monster”, a dog with a stick, or something else altogether?  Please let us know in the comments below!

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    While many books and documentaries have been written about the subject covered in today’s article, a good starting place is the following book:

    Holiday, F. W. and Ivan T. Sanderson.  The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters.  W. W. Norton & Company, 1969.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleWorld War I did not really End on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month…of 1918!
    Next Article A Dark Ages Genocide: When Danes were Once Not Welcome in England
    Dr. Zar
    • Website

    Dr. Zar graduated with a B.A. in French and history, a Master’s in History, and a Ph.D. in History. He currently teaches history in Ohio.

    Related Posts

    Happy Halloween: A Brief Look at Halloween Over the Years

    October 31, 2020

    British Army Defeated in 10 Minutes!

    September 21, 2020

    The King that Killed Braveheart

    March 30, 2020
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on August 12th

    August 12, 2022

    History Short: Machine Guns Beat Cavalry Every Time!

    August 12, 2022

    History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!

    August 11, 2022

    History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?

    August 10, 2022

    History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!

    August 9, 2022
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.