Crop Circles – Man Made or Supernatural?

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BACKGROUND:

By definition, a crop circle is a “pattern created by flattening a crop.” These circles are believed to be created over a single night, although there are speculations that some appear in the middle of the day.

Stories of crop circles date back to as early as 1678 when images were depicted in news pamphlets. It wasn’t until the early 1970s or 80s that the term “crop circle” was coined. This was by Colin Andrews, who studied crop circles and believed most were man-made. He thought any others were created by the Earth’s magnetic field.

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CASES:

1686. Naturalist Robert Plot reported rings of mushrooms.

1880. Scientist John Rand Capron described several circles of flattened field crops.

1932. Archaeologist E.C. Curwin witnessed dark rings in a field.

1963. Patrick Moore spoke of a crater in a potato field.

From the 1960s on, stories and reports of crop circles have greatly increased.

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HOAXES:

In 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley admitted to being the pranksters behind many crop circles found throughout England. Interestingly, before their revelation, an investigator stated that there was no way one particular circle could have been man-made. When in actuality, it was. To prove they were behind the hoaxes, they created a circle in front of journalists. They claimed they were to blame for more than 200 crop circles between 1978 and 1991. Of course, that leaves more than 1,000 crop circles with unknown origins.

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THEORIES:

There are many theories that are more believable. Like Colin Andrew’s theory of magnetism. Or perhaps it’s weather oriented, like from tornadoes or ball lightning. In 2009, someone from Tasmania blamed wallabies for creating the phenomena in their fields of opium poppies.

Of course, we have the popular theory that crop circles are caused by paranormal or extraterrestrial activity. Many believe the patterns are too intricate for any person or machine to create. It must be created by something not of this world.

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INTERESTING FACTS:

Some scientists found differences between crops inside and outside the circles.

One would think farmers would be concerned that their crops would fall victim to the supernatural happenings, but quite the opposite occurred. Many people, farmers included, were excited and took advantage of the situation, encouraging tourists and scientists to visit their properties. Bus and helicopter tours became a thing for people to take part in.

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SOURCES:

Wikipedia
The Smithsonian Magazine

The Taos Hum – #phenomena #unexplained #newmexico

image from Sporcle

Background:

Taos is a small town in the northern part of New Mexico. There’s desert, mountains, and less than 7,000 people in this artsy, laid-back community.

Taos is actually famous for an unusual hum. The sound that surrounds the town was first reported in the early 1900s. It’s a persistent, low-frequency humming or buzzing, and because of the low-frequency, it’s not easily heard by just anyone.

Tests were performed during those early years by an engineering professor, Joe Mullins. Two percent of the residents claimed they could hear the hum. Neither age nor gender mattered. So to further test what was happening, equipment was set up in some of those homes. Sounds and vibrations were sought after, but nothing out of the ordinary was found.

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Theories of Explanation:

• Normal background noise – vehicles, boats, trains, airplanes, heavy machinery, industrial plants, weather.
• Auditory hallucinations. The hum only exists in the minds of those that report it.
• Animals. For example, Sausalito, California had its own hum that was the result of a toadfish’s mating call.
• Tinnitus.
• Jet stream.
• Underground UFO bases.
• Secret government mind control experiments.

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Interesting Facts:

Some celebrities have once called Taos home, like Julia Roberts and Dennis Hopper.

The Tao Hum has been the subject of tv shows and podcasts. Even fictious shows, like Criminal Minds, have focused episodes on the Hum and its impact on people.

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Other Hums:

• Auckland Hum
• Windsor Hum
• West Seattle Hum, traced to a ship’s vacuum pump
• Wellington Hum, caused by a diesel generator

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Sources:

• Live Science
• Wikipedia
• Astonishing Legends

The Legend of the Mothman

Background:

Definition – a humanoid creature

Location – West Virginia, area of Point Pleasant

First Report – Two couples-Roger & Linda Scarberry and Steve & Mary Mallette-saw a large flying creature when they were driving just outside their town. The creature was described as gray with glowing red eyes and ten-foot wings. The following day, November 16, 1966, the Point Pleasant Register published an article titled “Couples See Man-Sized Bird…Creature…Something.” So there the story begins.

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Origin of the Name:

The name actually came from one of the press companies that first ran stories on the creature.

The first sightings occurred at the same time a popular Batman show was on. In the comic book version, there was a villain called the Killer Moth. It’s believed this is where the name derived.

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Sightings:

Since that first sighting in 1966, many people have surfaced admitting that they, too, have seen the creature.

On November 12 of that same year, and only a few days before the reported sighting, a group of gravediggers saw something large moving from tree to tree in a quick pace.

The Gettysburg Times reported eight sightings within a few days of those first reports. This included two volunteer firemen that described it has a large bird with red eyes.

Newell Partridge saw a creature with eyes that glowed “like bicycle reflectors.” In addition, his television set started acting up at this same time, and his German Shepherd vanished.

Sightings declined over the years. The latest stats come from Chicago in 2017, where there were 55 reported sightings.

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Theories:

The County Sheriff dismissed the claims, stating the creature was only a large heron.

Wildlife Biologist Robert Smith told reporters he thought it was a sandhill crane that had veered off its migration route.

The collapse of the Silver Bridge in December 1967, was thought to be caused by the Mothman. They blamed the creature for the 46 lives that were lost that day.

Some scientists believe Mothman could be an alien or unknown animal species.

There’s an area just outside of Point Pleasant that the townsfolk call the TNT area. It’s called this because of bunkers lining the area, leftover from the second World War. It’s believed that toxins leaked, affecting the wildlife and this could be what created the mystery creature.

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Interesting Facts:

Some people claim the Mothman is only seen during times of turmoil, like the Silver Bridge collapse.

In 2002, the town of Point Pleasant held its first annual festival, celebrating the Mothman legend. More than 10 thousand people attend the event each year. For those interested, the event takes place the third weekend of September. You can see cosplayers, live bands, and guest speakers.

The year following when the festival started, a 12′ metallic statue of the Mothman was unveiled. It was created by sculptor Bob Roach.

Another two years pass and the Mothman Museum and Research Center was opened.

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Author’s Opinion:

I’m a fan of legends surrounding unknown creatures and cryptids. I definitely think there are some unknowns out there. I’ve seen stuff with my own eyes. Of course, I also feel like people’s imaginations get the better of them.

As for the case of the Mothman, I like to think it’s true. There are a lot of firsthand stories that corroborate the tale. And I think it did a lot of good for the town of Point Pleasant. It helped them put a mark on the map and the town has grown over the years. Maybe one day, I’ll get to attend the festival.

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Sources:

wikipedia.org
allthatsinteresting.com
mothmanfestival.com