In the News:
Biggest Planet Found - Astronomers have found
what may be the universe's largest known planet, a giant ball of hydrogen
orbiting a star 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Hercules.
Scientists believe the planet is twice the size of Jupiter with a temperature
of 2300 degrees and a density about half that of Saturn. Astronomers are
bewildered at why the planet is so "fluffy." Scientists used the California
Institute of Technology's Palomar Observatory in San Diego County and
telescopes operating in Spain's Canary Islands to locate the planet. They
suspect that this system may have a second planet orbiting its star and
continue to search for it.
Europe's Largest Dinosaur Grave - An amateur
paleontologist in Switzerland may have found what might be Europe's largest
dinosaur mass grave. The find was made in the village of Frick, near the
German border while the amateur paleontologist was looking at a construction
site for a house. The hobbyist saw what he believed were the bones of
two Plateosaurus. Scientists think that the Frick area, already known
for dinosaur skeletons, may contain more than 100 Plaeosaurus, making
it the largest dinosaur site in Europe.
A Really Old Footprint - Egyptian archaeologists
have found what could be the oldest human footprint in history, said Zahi
Hawass, the country's antiquities' chief. In an interview with Reuters
he stated, "This could go back about two million years. It could be the
most important discovery in Egypt." The footprint, imprinted on mud and
then found in the rock will be tested to determine its exact age. The
earliest human archaeological evidence from Egypt, before the footprint,
dated to around 200,000 years. Scientists suggest that this recent find
may go back as far as three million years.
Etruscan Tomb - A 2,000-year-old perfectly preserved
Etruscan tomb was found in the hills of Tuscany, Italy. It was apparently
filled with 80 objects including vases and mirrors in bronze and ceramic.
It also included urns containing remains of about 30 people. The tomb,
according to scientists, probably dates from between the 1st and 3rd centuries
B.C.. It's quite exceptional to find so many objects in a tomb so small,"
said Andrea Marcocci, who was in charge of excavations at the site. The
Etrscans were one of Italy's first and most mysterious civilizations which
lasted just a millennium during the 7th and 6th century B.C..
Dinosaurs Faster Than Humans - A new study estimating
top speeds of dinosaurs gives the ferocious velociraptor, who was highlighted
in the film Jurassic Park, a top speed of 24 miles per hour. The
massive T-Rex was calculated to be slower, but still fast enough
to overtake most humans at 18 miles per hour. The chicken sized Compsognathus
was estimated to run at nearly 40 miles per hour. Scientists used a computer
model to calculate the running speeds of the five dinosaurs based on the
skeletal and muscular structure of the animals. Researchers then checked
their method by getting data from a professional, human runner and seeing
the program accurately come up with top running speed for a human.
What's New at the Museum:
The Legend of the Lambton Worm - Worms were not
always the little, squiggly creatures we are used to seeing.
>Full Story
Notes from the Curator's Office: Houdini
Lives! - Or at least he does in Scranton, PA. >Full
Story
Ask the Curator:
The Berkeley Horror - I have a book by Daniel
Cohen called Worlds Most Famous Ghosts. In it is a chapter on something
called the "Berkeley Square Horror" in London. It is something about a
room at 50 Berkeley Square that if anyone stays one night in there they
will either be dead or have gone insane. Supposedly this has happened
several times. I have searched several sights including wikipedia.com
and I have found nearly no info. It would be much appreciated if you could
help me out. - Frank
There are multiple stories about 50 Berkeley Square, many of them contradictory. The house was constructed in 1740 and for a number of years was the home to British Prime Minister George Canning. The source of the haunting stories starts around 1830 with either young woman who committed suicide by jumping from the top floor, or a Mr. Myers was preparing the house for the just new bride and went insane after he was jilted. Or maybe the haunting really comes from a Mr. Dupre, who confined his insane brother in an upper story room. Or maybe the story about the little girl who was tortured to death by a sadistic servant is what started it. Well, take your pick. According to the story after Mr. Myers/Dupre/young woman/little girl was gone and a new family had moved in, a maid was found in a third floor bedroom screaming and muttering she has seen something "horrible" there. The story continues next with a Captain Kenfeild, fiancée, to the family's daughter (In other versions this is a young aristocrat named Robert Warboys) who decides to challenge the apparition by staying in the room overnight. He sees something that either kills him with fright (in some versions) or leaves him crazed.
Another tale connected with the house brings the story into the 20th century with two sailors in 1943 who break into the long empty house to stay overnight and encounter a monstrous, shapeless, oozing mass in the third floor room. One sailor escapes to tell the tale while the other jumps out the window to his death (speared on the points of an iron railing) to avoid the horror.
The house became famous for these stories and by the beginning of the 20th century and was listed by some authors as "the most haunted place in Britain." The current owners still get visitors from time to time curious about the house. The stories were also an inspiration for a 1947 movie "The Ghosts of Berkeley Square."
As far as I am aware nobody has carefully researched the history of the house to determine if any of the 18th century stories are real. This could probably be done by checking records to see who owned the house, who died there, and going though police reports associated with the house, etc. Clearly there are problems with the 1943 story as it indicates the house was empty, but history shows that in 1938 Maggs Brothers Rare Books moved into the location. The company reports no ghostly incidents since they have been there even though there were many all-night fire watches held during the Second World War.
You can visit the building, even the supposedly haunted 3rd floor, by going to the Maggs Brothers website and taking a virtual tour. So far nobody has reported any virtual horrors. http://www.maggs.com/maggstour/0/exterior.asp
Have a question? Click here to send it to the curator.
Vanished Farmer Hoax - On September 23, 1880
David Lang, a resident of Tennessee, was walking in a field near his home
when he vanished before the eyes of his family and several friends. Despite
an exhaustive search he was never found. The legend of Lang's disappearance
was considered an unexplained true mystery for many years until library
researcher Hershel G. Payne investigated and found no evidence a Lang
family had lived in that area. Further investigation by Payne revealed
that the story was a journalistic hoax by a Joseph M. Mulholland who was
responsible for several such tales during the late 19th century.
In the Sky:
Harvest Moon - Ever wonder what the term harvest
moon means? It refers to the full moon that occurs closest to the
autumnal equinox. This year in the northern hemisphere the harvest moon
will occur on September 26th, with the equinox occurring on the 23rd.
It gets it name from the habit farmers had of continuing the harvest even
after the sun had seen under the light of this full moon.
Observed:
Washington Crop Circle - On June 29, 2007, a crop
circle appeared on a field near Wilbur, Washington, USA. The circle, actually
a set of 8 circles and a ring in an "X" formation, is 150 wide and deep.
Crop circles are common in England, but less so in other parts of the
world. They have been attributed, by those interested in them, to natural
phenomena or extraterrestrial activity, but the only proven cause is known
to be hoaxers.
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Copyright Lee Krystek 2007. All Rights Reserved.