Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, June 5
    Trending
    • This Day in History on June 5th
    • History Short: What is the Most Famous Trial in American History?
    • This Day in History on June 4th
    • History Short: The Remarkable Falcon 9 Rocket
    • Who Are My Favorite History YouTubers Named Matt?
    • This Day in History on June 3rd
    • History Short: What is the Highest Mountain on Earth? (Not What You Think!)
    • This Day in History on June 2nd
    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
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • 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»February»February 13»Spark Plug Found in 500,000-Year-Old Rock! (The Coso Artifact)
    February 13

    Spark Plug Found in 500,000-Year-Old Rock! (The Coso Artifact)

    Major DanBy Major DanFebruary 13, 2015Updated:February 4, 202012 Comments2 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On February 13, 1961, while 3 Californians were looking for geodes, they picked up a rock believed to be 500,000 years old that was later found to contain a spark plug!  Understandably, this find, now known as the “Coso artifact,” sparked a lot of mystery and controversy. 

    Digging Deeper

    Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell (love that name), were poking around the geology of Olancha, California when they came across their amazing discovery.

    Upon cutting open the supposed geode, they expected it to be hollow inside and containing crystals.  Instead the trio’s diamond-bladed saw blade was ruined, and rather than find crystals, they found a modern spark plug instead.  History and Headlines Note: Spark plugs were invented in 1860 and became common a few decades later.

    Explanations for this seemingly impossible event included: speculation that an ancient advanced civilization (perhaps Atlantis?) had produced the spark plug; that it was of alien origin; or that it had been forgotten by time travelers. 

    More scientific investigations have concluded the spark plug was of 1920’s manufacture (Champion brand used in Model T and Model A Fords) and that the supposed geode was actually a “concretion” of clay and stone that had formed over a period of decades, not thousands of years as would a geode.

    Still, the mystery continues to this day.  It is unknown who originally estimated the age of the rock around the spark plug to be 500,000 years old.  The location of the discovery is also unknown.  Of the 3 hobby geologists, one is dead, the other cannot be found, and the third refuses to discuss it.  And most mysteriously, the artifact itself has disappeared.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Is this a case of 3 people finding a recently-in-human-history discarded spark plug that became encased in dirt, or could there be a more mysterious explanation?  Let us know who or what you think is behind this “time-traveling” spark plug in the comments section below this article.

    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

    For more information, please see…

    Chittick, Donald E.  The Puzzle of Ancient Man: Evidence for Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations.  Creation Compass, 2006.

    Noorbergen, Rene.  Secrets of the Lost Races.  TEACH Services, Inc., 2015.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous Article10 More Fantastic Novelty Songs
    Next Article February 14: Happy Bloody Valentine’s Day!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Veteran, Author, Environmentalist, Banned From the USA!

    May 6, 2023

    History Short: What is the Highest Wind Speed Ever Recorded?

    May 3, 2023

    History Short: Is Nuclear Power Safe?

    March 12, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on June 5th

    June 5, 2023

    History Short: What is the Most Famous Trial in American History?

    June 5, 2023

    This Day in History on June 4th

    June 4, 2023

    History Short: The Remarkable Falcon 9 Rocket

    June 4, 2023

    Who Are My Favorite History YouTubers Named Matt?

    June 3, 2023
    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

    © 2023 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
    © 2023 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.

    x