recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Gimme The 411

"Lets talk about mysterious disappearances. A man named David Paulides wrote a book detailing the many missing people related to forests and strange locations. Known as The 411, David was hoping to shed light on a pattern and solve the mystery. No matter the cause always use the buddy system friends. Story starts at 33 minutes."

## The Missing 411

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Disappearance

**Content warning: Missing children.**

After being removed from the San Diego Police Department, a man named the David Paulides became a Bigfoot researcher. During the course of his study, he was approached by a park ranger about Stacey Arras, a 14 year old girl who had disappeared while hiking in Yosemite National Park, never to be seen again alive or dead. After a large search, the only trace of her was her camera's lens cap. It was considered unlikely that she'd been attack by the animal or that she had left the park by any means. Her unexplained disappearance became the basis of Paulides Missing 411.

The Missing 411 is a collection of disappearances in the national park system in the United States. The cases are specifically the ones that have a mysterious edge to them. In many cases, people go missing after only a few minutes, such as the case of Dennis Martin. In other cases, people disappear and die while having the means to help them. Jame McGrogran was experienced in the outdoors and had a satellite phone with him that he never tried to use.

In the cases where people are found alive, they mystery does not become clearer. People (and remains) are often found miles away from where they were last seen and up inclines that would be difficult for them to reach on their own power. Children who are found report being followed or helped by hairy men. Women report being followed by strange men. Steve Kubacki lost 14 months of memory when he found himself in another state and in another man's clothing.

Paulides creates a profile of people more likely to go missing, such as young men in good health, religious people and Germans. While the data is likely accurate, he doesn't seem to take into account that these are generic enough to be meaningless or from the self-selected group most like to be exploring the wilderness.

Takeaway: Never go out in the woods alone.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: A traveler explaining their homeland.
Snake Son of Godhead

"This week the ladies discuss what once was an up and coming British football star who then became a famous book seller discussing the soon to be ruled world by lizards. This week has all the Klaxons and boy what a ride this was. Hey stay safe out there fellow youths!"

## David Icke

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Conspiracy

David Icke was a football player who was forced to retire due to arthritis. He became to be a sportscaster for the BBC, but later quit. A psychic told him that he was "Son of the Godhead". After this he went through a number of religious experiences, believing that he was getting messages from the other side.He announced this, graciously after his father died and after he left the BBC, and began working on spreading his message.

His message was surprisingly successful. His environmental message appealed to the left and his anti-Semitism appealed to the white supremacist on the far right. His message about lizard people appealed to conspiracy theorists.

Takeaway:

## Trivia

* Patreon skit: Santa covering up a hit and run.
Levitating Warlocks Against War

"Today guest Savanna talks to us about a small Chilean island that has ancient tales of Warlocks. Don't mess with these people because they can fly and are cannibals. Cristina brings us an important historic event where the Pentagon was in fact lifted off the ground! It happened and it vibrated and turned orange."

## Warlocks of Chilean

### Presented by: Savanna

Category: Cult, Cryptid, Conspiracy, Curse, Seagull

**Content warning: Child abuse, Cannibalism**

When people think of the Witch Trials, they think of Salem first, Europe second and South America never. However, one of the "last, significant" witch trials centered around Chiloe, Chile.

Chiloe, Chile is the home of the Brujos, a sect of male witches who, by their own testimony, acted like a mob to the people of the island. Their activities including poisoning people and running protection rackets. They saw themselves as deep state government. The operated out of a cave guarded by two monsters. One was a goat and one was a wildman not unlike a Bigfoot created by dismembering a young child. Inside the cave was a book of magic given to them by a wizard from Spain after being defeated in a wizard's duel. A search at the time failed to find the cave.

The were finally arrested after poisoning people. They were convicted and sentenced to just 3 years, which was overturned a year later.

Takeaway: Don't eat people.

## Levitating Pentagon

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Historical Mystery

In 1967, the war in Vietnam had been going for twelve years. While the first U.S. military casualty in the war had been in 1955, America's involvement really began in 1961. After over half a decade of fighting, public protests against it were on the rise.

That year, at a Be-In protest (which was somehow different from a sit0in) a plan was form. The hippies would unite and march and perform a bit of good, old fashion sorcery.

The idea was the brainchild of Jerry Rubin and almost certainly a year's worth of LSD. First telling his plan to Michael Bowen and Abbie Hoffman, close friend of Timothy Leary, the influence of the three was enough to spread the word and before they were done, 50,000 people would join the movement.

Their initial idea was to levitate the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., Hoffman talked them out of it. Way to confident that the magic would work, he believed that it would seen as an attack on the country itself. To be fair, he wasn't wrong. If they only levitated the Pentagon, they would on'y be attacking the war effort. So on October 21, they marched to Virginia to levitate the Pentagon 300 feet in the air.

An altar was set up and an exorcism was preformed. However, they failed to make the Pentagon rise.

Takeaway: Always do a dress rehearsal.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: Showboating D&D wizard (aborted)
Wolf Men and Lake Creatures

"Cryptids cryptids cryptids! Cristina kicks it off with a vicious wolf man prowling the east coast of America, while Chelsea talks about everyone's favorite Scottish lake monster."

## The Dwayyo

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Cryptid

The Dwayyo is one of the many wolf-like creatures said to prowl North America. This one was native to Maryland and was said to be the arch nemesis of another lumberjack cryptid.

While the Dwayyo was sighted back in the 1890s, it's real heyday began in 1965. People driving through the woods at night found themselves chased and attacked by a large, hairy creature with the face of a wolf and a long, bushy tail.

The news ran with the story, with reporter George May writing a series of articles about the creature and stirring the public up into a frenzy. Posses formed to hunt the Dwayyo, in at least one story in armor and armed with machetes. A hunting license was issued to one of the alleged victims of a Dwayyo (though likely applied for by May himself).

The last documented sighting of the Dwayyo in 1980.

Takeaway: Don't follow screaming in the woods. Call 911.

## The Loch Ness Monster

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Cryptid

Perhaps the second most famous Cryptid after Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster is the quintessential lake monster. Native to the North of Scotland, the creature has been sighted for more than 1000 years, though sightings really took on in the 1930s and its possible (if not probable) that the legend was attached to modern sightings to increase credibility.

The most famous photo is the Surgeon's Photo was captured in 1934. It was taken by gynecologist Robert Wilson and submitted anonymously to the Daily Mail. Called the Surgeon's Photo on the grounds that calling it the Gynecologist's Photo probably would have gotten the letter ignored, the hoax was perpetrated to get back at the news paper for an article about him. Instead, it launched the monster hunt and was not revealed until years later.

The most common theory about the Loch Ness monster is that it is a living dinosaur, despite the fact that the plesiosaur could not survive Scottish lake temperatures and that Loch Ness is millions of years to young to have trapped. Other theories include eels, a species of shark and even escaped circus elephants.

Takeaway: It's otters.
Recovery Rampage

Recovery Rampage is the second and upcoming episode of Brawl For Animate CC.

## Known info

Even though the episode has not come out yet, there is some known info about the episode.

•The episode will be named "Recovery Rampage"

•2 deaths are in this episode, those two being Creeper and Water

## Prize Voting results

**22 votes** were cast.

 Towel
 Coaster
 Floral Foam
 E
 Music Track
 Everyone Else
Ghost Juice

"This week Cristina has some great guests grace us with their presence. Kate and Christina and Cristina discuss a grisly murder in Iowa involving an axe. They discuss holy water and about how to juice a ghost."

## The Villisca Axe Murders

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Unsolved Murder, Ghost

The Villisca axe murders occurred in June of 1912. After coming home from a church function the Moore family-Josiah, Sarah and their four kids-as well as two of their kid friends were killed in the night by an unknown person who waited for them in their attic. Most were killed in their sleep though one of the girls woke up and fought back. The parents were attacked twice and Josiah was the only one struck with the sharp end of the axe, leading authorities to believe that it was personal against them. While there were suspects, it proved impossible to convict anyone, because the neighborhood trampled through the house and stole evidence.

You can still visit the house, but it's said to be haunting with activity first being reported after renovations began. It's all standard, with shadows and foot steps and moving objects.
The Mysterious Internet Test and Killer Water

"Chelsea talks about the organization Cicada 3301 who puts out "tests" in order to "recruit the best and brightest on the internet" and Cristina talks about the Devil's Pool in Australia where even the water is trying to kill you."

## Cicada 3301

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category:

Cicada 3301 is an ongoing internet mystery dating to 2012. A post of a picture of a cicada appeared on 4chan with a coded message imbedded in it. Decoding it led to more clues, some of which span the globe. The message accompanying it said it was looking for intelligent individuals. More puzzles were posted, but none since 2014. The last verified Cicada post was in 2017.

No one is entirely sure who Cicada is or why they're looking for code breakers. One theory is that they are an intelligence agency. Proponents of this theory point to other examples of intelligence agencies using similar recruiting tools. Critics point out that the groups have always been upfront about what they were doing. Others believe Cicada is an ARG, but no one has taken credit for it or tried to make money off it.

The most likely theory is that it is a group of hackers. This is supported by one of the clues being of pictures of street signs in areas with a strong talented hacking population.

## The Devil's Pool

### Presented by: Cristina

Category:

The Devil's Pool joins the ranks of the blue-ringed octopus and the drop bear as things in Australia that want to kill you.

The Devil's Pool is part of Babinda Creek, where several streams meet to from a treacherous stretch of water. No one is entirely sure where the water goes when it goes underground. Cameras have been drained of batteries and GPS tracker have been lost track of. Even ping pongs, usually reliable, have failed.

The indigenous people of Australia tell the story of the pool, explaining it's danger. Two young people from opposing tribes fell in love and ran away to be together. They were tracked down and the man was dragged away to be killed. The woman through herself into the pool, drowned and now haunts it.

18 people have died in the Devil's Pool, 17 of which were men. The legend says that the women is either after revenge or trying to bring her lost love back to her.
Where Are You From, Where'd You Go?

"Cristina gives us some great historical knowledge about cargo cults. There is a great life lesson here america I hope you're listening. Chelsea brings us the biggest mystery of them all! Well the biggest mystery involving a mystery writer. Agatha Christie and her strange disappearance."

## Cargo Cults

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Cult

Cargo Cults are one of the more benign cults you might find in the world. They are uniquely modern form of cult, arising after the First and Second World Wars.

The most famous of them can be found on Vanuatu. In the 1910 or 1930s, a native man dress in a western fashion, calling himself John Frum, promised to bring more materials and comforts left behind from soldiers. Whichever date range to believe about this, from the adherents point of view, John Frum made good on his promises. Vanuatu was the sight of American bases in World War II and the soldiers brought all the things John Frum said he would.

The cult of John Frum still exists today, having becoming politically active in the 1970s.
Parlor of the Paranormal Episodes

1. Parlor of the Paranormal Teaser
2. Parlor of the Paranormal: How To Date A Dragon
3. Parlor of the Paranormal: Digging The Wolf
4. Parlor of the Paranormal: A Quick Bite
5. Parlor of the Paranormal: The Magpie Lord
6. Parlor of the Paranormal: Wild
7. Parlor of the Paranormal: Dark needs at Nights Edge
8. Parlor of the Paranormal: Fantasy Lover
9. Parlor of the Paranormal: Slave to Sensation
10. Parlor of the Paranormal: Samson's Lovely Mortal
11. Parlor of the Paranormal: Burn
12. Parlor of the Paranormal: Halfway To The Grave
13. Parlor of the Paranormal: Butt Tingle With Chuck Tingle
14. Parlor of the Paranormal: The Killing Dance
15. Parlor of the Paranormal: Dark Lover
16. Parlor of the Paranormal: How To Date Your Dragon
17. Parlor of the Paranormal: Twilight
18. Parlor of the Paranormal: Twilight New Moon
19. Parlor of the Paranormal: Twilight Eclipse
20. Parlor of the Paranormal: Twilight Breaking Dawn
Chelsea is Dying in Spooktober

"This week join us as Chelsea dives deep into the suspects of the Black Dahlia Murder case in the 1940's. The only truth is that proper police work and investigative ethics could've come into play here."

## The Black Dahlia Murder

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Unsolved Murder

**Content Warning: Graphic Descriptions of Murder, Mentions of Rape**

Elizabeth Short was a women living in Los Angeles in the 1940s. She was last scene alive after being dropped off at a hotel by her boyfriend. She was found the next morning cut in half and her mouth cut in a Glasgow smile. Her bother was further mutilated.

At one one point, the police had has many as 300 suspects, but Chelsea chose to highlight three of the more serious ones. Leslie Dillon was a former mortician assistant and bellhop (hotel robber). He revealed in a letter that a man called Connors killed Short, but it was believed that he made the man up. It turned out that Connors was real, but the alias of one of his partners in crime. While he worked at a place that Short frequented, it could not be determined whether they knew each other. The theory was Short found out a robber and was murdered to keep it silent.

Ed Burns was a medical student who it was believed to have dated Short. He committed suicide two months after her death and suicide note confessing to the killing is attributed to him.

George Hodel, Jr. was a doctor and considered to be the most likely suspect of the known ones. He was investigated for the rape of his daughter and the death of his secretary by drug overdose. While bugging his house, he was recorded alluding to the Black Dahlia. While he never confessed to it on tape, he said that the police couldn't prove it before or then. He fled the country for 40 years, living in the Philippines before returning in 1990. His own son believes we was guilty of it, though him blaming other crimes on this has made him less credible.

While theories differ, it is likely that the murder would have been solved today. Elizabeth Short will never receive justice because of police corruption and police incompetence.

Takeaway: Fuck the police.
Little Boxes Out In Space

"The cold war was full of confusion and conspiracy. What happened to the one man with enough secrets to eliminate the American side of the space race? Enter William Howard Hughes JR. His story takes a surprising twist. At thirty six minutes is where our story begins."

## William Howard Hughes, Jr.

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Disappearance

Not to be mistaken for Howard Hughes, William Howard Hughes, Jr. was a member of the Air Force with top clearance and involvement in several NASA activities in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, Hughes was seen taking money out of his bank accounts in Albuquerque while on leave. The total added up to a years salary. he was officially declared a deserter that same year.

The failure of several air and space projects, including the *Challenger*, led to fears that someone with high clearance and access to information has giving information to the Russians and working sabotage. Hughes would have fit the bill.

However, in 2018, Hughes was found alive living in Daly California during an investigation for a passport fraud. He explained that he was depressed and decided to start a new life.

Takeaway: Just quit your job.
Neither Confirm Nor Deny

"Here it is the big one! Listen to us discuss how Area 51 came to be. We delve into the history of this not so secret military location and about Bob Lazar the man with the 'Answers'."

## Bob Lazar

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Extraterrestrial

Area 51 is a giant in the annals of American conspiracy theories and mysteries. Located on Groom Lake in Nevada and part of Nellis Air Force Base, it's official purpose is for the testing of experimental aircraft, it has long been rumored to house recovered UFOs and even aliens, living or dead.

Though not officially declassified and recognized by the U.S. government until 2013, it was an open secret for decades before that. In 1989, a man going by the name Dennis gave an interview where he claimed to have been an employee in a branch of Area 51 where his job was reverse engineering UFOs. In his second interview of that year, he revealed his true identity as Bob Lazar.

UFO, according to Lazar, relied on a stable element 115, otherwise known as Moscovium. In reality, however, Moscovium is highly radioactive and highly unstable. While aliens may have found a way of keeping it stable, we certainly haven't and it's unlikely that he keeps one in his house like he claims.

Lazar claims that his life has been ruined since coming forward. He insists that the government has scrubbed his education records and that he's been raided by law enforcement to find his Moscovium samples. However, no one has come forward to corroborate his story or to even say they remember from school. His raids were related to his involvement with crimes, including possibly selling (inadvertently) a murder weapon, violation of controlled substances and connection to a prostitution ring. His bankruptcy report prior to him coming forward lists his career as a film processor.

Takeaway: Research the validity of claims.
It Is Mystery

"This week Chelsea brings up possibly the most haunted place in America. And you can get a tour today! The Winchester Mystery House! Please join us for a great episode with historical context."

## The Winchester Mystery House

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Ghost, Curse

Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Winchester, the inventor of the Winchester repeating rifle. After the death of her husband and her daughter (from a disease common to the poor), her search for answers and closure lead her to a medium who told her she was cursed by the people who were killed by the rifle. She was allegedly told to build a new house to house the spirits.

She did just that, moving to California in 1884 and beginning construction on her new home. She hired workers to work on it nonstop until her death in 1922. The house, built without a professional architect, grew to 7 stories high and features bizarre architecture. Some notable examples include a door on an outside wall leading to a sudden drop, labyrinthine halls and two basements.

The popular story is that she was afraid of the ghosts and built the house to confuse them. Another interpretation is that she built the house out of guilt and designed so the spirits could be at peace.

One more mundane, but intriguing theory is that Sarah had an interest in being an architect, but couldn't because of her gender. The Winchester House was her way of playing and experimenting in home designed entirely by herself.

Visitors to the house still report ghosts on their tours.

Takeaway: Stop vilifying women. Don't horde your wealth.
Alt Right 2, Electric Boogaloo

"Times are hard and there is a specific group of agitators out there hoping got the next civil war. The Boogaloo Boys hide on 4Chan and Facebook and believe there guns and ethos will help them win the eventual second civil war. Also hey Black Lives Matter! The story starts at 26 minutes."

## Boogaloo Boys

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Cult

The Boogaloo Boys are a United States death cult. Taking their name from the movie *Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo*-a movie that would otherwise be forgotten if "Electric Boogaloo" wasn't so fun to say-they differ from most other doomsday cults in that they want to cause the end times. Or, more precisely, the second American War.

Militia groups are nothing new, especially under Democratic presidents. They were nearly 900 in the U.S. under President Clinton and rising to over 1200 under President Obama. The groups, which are not monolithic, can be divided into two basic groups. The first who are openly racist, declaring that the Boogaloo will explicitly be a race war. The second claim not to be racist and will speak in tacit support of African-Americans who protest against police brutality and deny Neo-Nazis into their cells. They do this while posting racist memes and posing with Confederate flags.

Boogaloo Boys try a facade of secrecy, using code names like "Big Igloo", "Blue Igloo" and "Big Luau". Allegedly these sound like "Boogaloo". At protests they can be identified by the Hawaiian shirts.

Takeaway: She because people agree with you on something doesn't mean you're allies.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: Mal selling the patreon in an alley.
"Politics is Weird, Yo"

"This week Cristina brings up Shark week! Are there Israeli trained sharks stalking the waters with lasers and mind control?? Special guest star Kendra, our dearest friend, takes on the Kennedy Curse! Was the reason so many Kennedy's died due to an all powerful curse? Or was it just complete negligence and no mental health support?"

## Israeli Spy Sharks

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Conspiracy

Animals have long been a part of war. Horses have carried cavalry. Pigeons have carried messages. Hannibal got elephants on skis down the Alps. They attempted to deliver bombs with bats and dogs. And, if you believe some conspiracy theorists, Israel has spy sharks.

In 2010, there were a series of shark attacks off the coast of Egypt. Almost immediately, Tawfik Okasha-because even Egypt needs their own Alex Jones-declared it an Israeli plot. He brought a captain on his show-because even Egypt needs their own Info Wars-who produced a GPS device he found on a shark that he claimed was used to control the sharks. In fairness, he probably did find it on a shark. It was a common tracking device used by scientists doing research. It was never explained how a device on the fin was used as mind control.

The Egyptian government, usually no one to shy of blaming Jews for stubbing their toes in the morning, declared the rise in shark attacks to be caused by chumming and over fishing.

Takeaway: When someone makes an extraordinary claim check for anti-Semitism.

## The Kennedy Curse

### Presented by: Kendra

Category: Curse

The Kennedys are a family of politicians in the U.S. and the closest thing the American government has to a ruling family. They are also centered around tragedy, with many Kennedys dying tragic and premature deaths or otherwise suffering misfortune. Either the first victim or origin of the curse, depending on your interpretation, was Rosemary Kennedy who was given a lobotomy to cure her mental illness. It failed and she lived in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.

Aside from the two most famous cases-the assassinations of JFK and RFK-many of them involve planes. Joseph, Jr., Kathleen and John, Jr. all died in three separate crashes, while Ted survived one. Drug overdoses has also been a common theme.

However, while extraordinary examples of tragedy are not unheard of, many of the instances of the curse are not supernatural in origin. Many are the result of risky behavior. Aside from John, Jr. who was flying a plane in conditions he was not rated to, Michael died file playing football while skiing with out a helmet. Joseph II (distinct from Joseph, Jr.) got his passengers, including his brother, injured.

The curse has also been blamed for the "failing" political career of Ted Kennedy, but as he left a girl to die and his punishment was to "only" be a U.S. senator, it doesn't fit the curse theory.

Takeaway: If the curse exists, it's the curse of power, privilege, wealth and high-expectations.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: CIA spy.
* Chelsea brings up QAnon
When Mom is away The Cryptids Come Out To Play

"Hey this week listen to Mal talk about his hometown of Fresno in California. Is there any evil pants overlord stealing all of our pajamas? Buckle up for this tale or else your jeans may walk away."

## Fresno Night Crawlers

### Presented by: Mal

Category: Cryptid

The Fresno Nightcrawler, first appearing in 2007, is one of the more recent Cryptids to enter the lore and has only been sighted twice, but nonetheless captured the attention of people across the internet. They were first caught on the security camera of a man who gave the alias José when he gave the footage to the show *Weird Fresno*. As Mal says, the two creatures can best be described as looking like white pants walking of their own accord. The incident terrified José and he was adamant up to his death that he had not faked the footage. Even those who still believe the creatures were fake now believe him.

A second, longer, video was captured by José. In this, their were two creatures which seemed to be wearing clothes. *Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files* tried to recreate the footage and the movement. They failed and declared the footage inconclusive.

Mal came from Fresno, but failed to deny is involvement in the events.

Takeaway: All about the leg.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: Mal goes to the doctor.
* Cristina is absent.
God Might Be In This Episode

"Chelsea talks about a fiery hot cult that certainly won't warm up your heart. All aboard to bummersville! Then with Cristina we begin the search for a special gentleman you may have seen in your sleep. Let's just say sandman didn't give you these dreams."

## This Man

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Hoax

In 2006, a psychiatrist in New York City discovered that two of his patients were dreaming of the same man whom they had never met in their life. He took the sketch of the man he'd drawn and released it online, hoping to find him. The picture went viral as others also came forward.

Theories for the man include:

* A Jungian archetype
* God
* A Dream traveller

In reality, he was Andrew Lloyd Weber, attempting to prevent the *Cats* movie from the future. He failed.

Takeaway: Fact check.

## The Order of the Solar Temple

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Cult

The Order of the Solar Temple was a cult, for once not from America, but nonetheless terrible. Founded in Switzerland in the 1980s, they took usual tactic of focusing on the Book of Revelation, their apocalypse of choice was environmental disaster. They're goal was the prepare the world for the Second Coming (the Solar Emperor) and reuniting all the sects of Christianity and Islam.

They're most famous (rather, infamous) for a series of murders and suicide between the years of 1994 and 1995. The worst of which was when a 3 year old boy was murdered, along with his father, on the belief that he was the Antichrist. Shortly after, a series of mass suicides were set off after a Last Supper ritual. All of them were around solstices and equinoxes.

It's believe that the cult has ended, but it's possible that it still exists in some form.
The San Diego Moisture Man

"Ever wonder how in the early ages of America rain was brought to the land? Well here is one answer that has both science and some mystery. No one had a thirst after this wet and wild winter."

## Charles Hatfield

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Historical Mystery

In 1915, San Diego was suffering from a drought. Facing pressure to to something about the rapidly declining reservoir of water, the San Diego city council hired a man named Charles Hatfield to make it rain. A sewing machine maker by trade, Charles Hatfield claimed to have a mixture of 23 chemicals that he could send up into the sky to attract rain clouds. This practice is now called cloud seeding. The fact that he had skipped out on a town in Alaska after his failure did nothing to detour the city council,who promised him $10,000 upon the filling of the reservoir.

It worked (maybe). A little too well. Hatfield began the process on New Year's Day, 1916. Four days later, in began to rain and wouldn't stop for another 2 weeks. Even then, it only stopped for 2 days before beginning again. Unable to handle the flooding and knowing that they'd be on the line for the lawsuits in they recognized Hatfield's claim of having brought the rain, the city council refused to pay on the grounds that there had been no written contract unless Hatfield assumed responsibility for the deaths and damages. Hatfield tried to settle be was eventually forced to leave town for fear of his life.

Cloud seeding is pseudo-science at best and researchers now argue that, it being an El Nino year, that San Diego wasn't actually in a drought at the time. Hatfield died in 1956 without revealing his formula.

Takeaway: No one can control the weather. If you wish for rain, be very specific.
Scientific Theory

The following scientific mysteries have been covered by Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies:

* The 10% of the Brain Myth, episode 170
* Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, episode 39
* The Big Bounce, episode 103
* Cellular Memory, episode 22
* The Great Filter, episode 10
* The Mandala Effect, episode 15
* Split Brain Syndrome, episode 27
Pop Culture Breakdown

"And we're back! Cristina talks about the legend surrounding Walt Disney's frozen head and Chelsea talks about the mysterious past of writer/director/actor Tommy Wiseau."

## Walt Disney's Head

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Conspiracy

England has King Arthur, Transylvania has Dracula and Mongolia has Genghis Khan, but America's version of the King Under the Mountain myth is Walt Disney. The rumor has it that Walt Disney had his head frozen after his death so that he could come back to life in the future and fix it from whoever was running it in his stead. The rumor seems to stem from the fact that Disney had a fascination with the idea, but the the first person cryogenically frozen didn't happen until shortly after his death. In reality, Disney was cremated.

## Tommy Wiseau

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Conspiracy

Often compared to *Citizen Kane*, *The Room* was directed by a man going by the name Tommy Wiseau. But very little is actually known about him. He claims to have been born in New Orleans in the 1960s, but sources close to him say he was born in the 50s in Poland (this does seem to be the truth. Or, at least, closer to it). He claims to have made the 6 million he used to fund the movie working by himself on Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco, but this seems unlikely. He has thus become the subject of theories as to the truth:

* He's a gangster and *The Room* was a money laundering scheme.
* One or more of the actors are aliens posing as humans. This one explain the weird acting choices in one or two scenes in the movie.
* Tommy Wiseau is really D. B. Cooper (this does seem to be the truth. Or, at least, closer to it).

Takeaway: Don't let traumatic injuries be the spark that makes you follow your dreams.
Castro Cuckolding Canada

""

Start on a Reddit for the 45th president, the theory goes that Justin Trudeau is really the son of Fidel Castro. It's based on 3 "pillars".

1. Justin Trudeau looks like Fidel Castro.

Yes.

2. Justin Trudeau's mom "slept around".

Neither of Trudeau's parents seemed to be burdened by *fidel*ity. His father had an affair with Elizabeth Taylor and his mother had one with Ted Kennedy.

3. It was possible for his mother to have conceived Justin with Castro.

While the Trudeaus we're close to Castro, they did not officially meet him until Castro was 4. However, they were known to be in the Caribbean in the window when he was conceived and were on a deliberately undisclosed island.
Planetary Doomsday

"This week lets get some science knowledge. Chelsea learns about how the shifting of the planets can mean the San Andreas fault could rupture. There is a whole lot of physics involved to calculate our doom."

## The Jupiter Effect

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Scientific Theory

The Jupiter Effect comes from a book of the same name published in 1974, where two scientist predicted the end of the world when all nine planets-one *this* wiki, we respect Pluto- were all on the same side of the sun. There confidence in this theory was puzzling, given that they admitted that such an event had happened before with no negative side effects. Still, they believe that a number of disasters, including a massive earthquake on the San Andrea's Fault would occur in 1982.

1982 came and went without incident, other than being one of the few years where there *wasn't* a significant earthquake on the fault. They wrote a second book speculating that it had already happened two years prior with the Mt. St. Helens eruption, but recanted their theory before it was published.

Takeaway: No one can predict earthquakes.
Curse

The following curses have been covered by Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies:

* Cecil Hotel, episode 195
* Oak Island, episode 25
* The Kennedy Curse, episode 116
* The Terracotta Warriors, episode 104
* Warlocks of Chiloe, episode 113
* The Whaley House, episode 65
* The Winchester Mystery House, episode 126
Vaguely Egg Shaped

"This week join Cristina as she discusses Project Sign! We also learn what boosted the science fiction of the time and where the term for UFO probably came from. Remember everyone to be safe, wear a mask and go out and vote!"

## Project Sign

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Extraterrestrial

In 1947, Kenneth Arnold made his famous UFO sighting while flying over Mt. Rainer is Washington. This coined the term "flying saucer" and led to a UFO craze where many more people called in reports. At the time, the Cold War was just beginning, and so the U.S. government took these reports seriously. Under the belief that these object could only be alien or foreign (most likely Russian), the started Project Sign to investigate.

Project Sign looked into every UFO report they could, but in most cases didn't investigate beyond, "Is it Russian? No? Good." In fairness to them, their mission was hampered by the branches of the U.S. military not communicating with each other and in some cases, actively keep secrets. In at least one occasion, the reported UFO was revealed to be a genuine weather balloon a year later when the people tracking it finally got around to telling them.

Project Sign officially ended, but similar programs replaced it such as Project Bluebook.

Takeaway: UFOs being ridiculed is linked to the AIr Force's incompetence.
Buried Treasure in the Apocalypse

"Cristina tells us about the doomsday plot concerning a rogue planet passing by Earth (mark your calendars for November 19th) and Chelsea tells us about the Oak Island Money Pit."

## Nibiru

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Extraterrestrial

Nibiru, AKA Planet X, AKA the Twelfth Planet, is a planet that is supposed to be on a collision course with Earth. It was first by Nancy Lieder in 1995, who claimed that she communicated with a race of aliens called the Zetan through an implant in her head she got following an abduction. In her claim, Planet X would pass by Earth and cause the end of the world via polar shifts in 2003. This did not happen.

Zecharia Sitchin later expanded on the mythos, tying it Ancient Mesopotamia. She renamed the planet as Nibiru and the Zetans as the Anunnaki. Sitchin claimed that they had come to earth to mind gold to save their atmosphere and had bred with early humans to make modern humans to be more effective slaves, but had left when their own government shut the project down.

Believers in Nibiru can be counted on to push back the date of destruction when it fails to happen. As of yet, the world is not known to have ended.

Takeaway: Sometime conspiracy theories make great plots for books you know have to write.

## Oak Island Money Pit

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Historical Mystery, Curse

The Oak Island Money Pit may very well be the closet the world has to real life buried treasure. Discovered in Nova Scotia 1796 when a boy playing on the island found a stone depression in the ground. Following rumors of buried treasure, a company was formed to excavate the island. They found a series of oak platforms buried periodically in the hole. 90 feet into the hole, they found a tablet in code they translated as "Forty feet below two million pounds are buried." After going deeper, the hole flooded and the were forced to try to find another way down.

Numerous companies have formed and dissolved trying to find the treasure. Famous people, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, have worked on the project. There has even been some success, with artifacts and chests of coins. The also discovered that the beach was manmade.

Most recently, the Money Pit is the subject of a show on the History channel.

Theories for the origin of treasure include:

* Captain Kidd
* Captain Blackbeard
* Marie Antoinette
* The Mason

A curse of unspecified and possibly apocryphal curse says that seven people have to die before the treasure can be claimed. 6 people have died so far.

Takeaway: Sometimes, treasures are real.
Jet Fuel Doesn't Need To Melt Steel Beams

"This week in the lead up to a continuing explanation of QAnon and How We Got Here, Chelsea is tackling 9/11 truthers. Join us as we discuss the break down of events and science surrounding the attack on the Twin Towers, as well debunk the conspiracies that truthers spread."

## 9/11 Truthers

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Conspiracy

The 9/11 truther movement is a conspiracy that rose up almost immediately after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It came in a variety of flavors, all of them based on a profound misunderstanding of science.

One of the early claims was that a missile struck the Pentagon, based on the size the hole in the wall. The picture associated with this is the hole of the landing gear, not the main hole. Another is that Flight 93 was shot down to protect the Capitol. While this is a standing plan if need be, the recordings prove that this did not happen.

Most of the theories, however, center on the World Trade Center. It would take to much time to give an exhaustive list of debunked claims, but the claim that the steel beams were melted is untrue. The true is that building had planes crash into them, which somewhat weakened the structural integrity of them. They feel down, because they were built that way for the protection of the buildings around them.

Much of the "knowledge" of the Truther movement comes from a documentary called *Loose Change*, which started life as fake film until it got expensive. It contains many deliberate inaccuracies, though the director refuses to deny the Truther movement entirely.

Takeaway: If the theory is more complicated that the official story, it's probably not true.
The Man From Stratford

"Willy Shakes certainly couldn't have written all those plays right? Listen to Chelsea and Cristina discuss one of the biggest conspiracies in academia. Was Shakespeare an earl or duke? Maybe a man of bacon or even a woman? Maybe these attempted cover ups deserve a play about them."

## The Shakespeare Conspiracy

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Conspiracy

The question of who authored the plays attributed William Shakespeare began in the 1800s when anti-Stratfordians (people who believe that Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon didn't write his own plays) noticed a lack of written evidence of Shakespeare being a professional writer (other than his plays and sonnets). In perhaps the greatest example of confirmation bias on record, they support their claims with a number of spurious, misunderstood and sometimes made up pieces of evidence:

* There's no record of his education (There's no records of anybody attending his local school that survive to the present day)
* His six surviving signatures are spelled differently (This predates standardized spelling)
* His will is written in a "mundane" style (It's a legal document)
* His statue originally had him holding a bag of grain instead of a quill (this is a lie)

The list of 80 suspects is too big to list in full, but some notable names include:

* The Earl of Oxford
* Sir Francis Bacon
* Christopher Marlowe
* Sir Walter Raleigh
* Queen Elizabeth

The basis of this conspiracy is not in reality, but blatant classism.

Takeaway: The simplest solution is usually the right one. Classism is stupid. Look at why people believe things.

## Trivia

* Patreon Skit: Mal is a pokemon.
* Chelsea teases the story of Amelia Bassano, possibly the Dark Lady, had a hand in helping Shakespeare.
Bonus Episode: Fun with Friends

"While both of us were in San Diego together, we decided to record a podcast to make up for the one that was lost to the road trip. Joined by our friends Nic and Bones, we talk about the cursed Hope Diamond and the cursed Italian Royal Wedding."

## The Hope Diamond

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Curse

The history of the Hope Diamond is somewhat murky, but it originated in India as was part of a pair that served as the eyes of statue. It ended up in the hands of a French merchant, either through theft, purchase or, most likely, theft. It was sold and resold until it ended up in the Smithsonian Museum, where it resides today.

The only reason anybody knows about this diamond is because of the curse rumored to be attached to it. A number of tragedies have befallen those who have owned it, or even possessed it for a short time. One borrower was murdered by her lover and another died in prison, as did one who given it to clean. Of course, there is little physical evidence to back up these claims.

## The Cursed Italian Royal Wedding

### Presented by: Cristina

Category: Curse

The wedding Prince Amadeo of Savoy to Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, and the preparation thereof, may very well hold the record for the highest body count:

* The maid making the wedding dress hung herself (the bride elected to get a different dress).
* An officer on horseback died when he fell from his horse from sunstroke.
* The gate keeper was found dead, another possible suicide.
* The best man shot himself in the head while checking his gun.
* The official writing the marriage contract suffered a stroke.
* The stationmaster who was going to help him board a train for their honeymoon was crushed under a train.
* Another officer fell from his horse and was crushed under a carriage.

Many agree there was a curse, but the cause is unknown. The story does not have a happy ending, as Maria died giving birth to their third child.
A Whole Can Of De-Rattled Snakes

"In today's episode we have possibly the most aggression cult in existence. If you even need help with substance abuse then please seek help and love, But not from these people. This episode includes people shaving their heads and screaming for days at each other."

## Synanon

### Presented by: Chelsea

Category: Cult

Syanon was a cult found Charles Dederich in 1958. He had been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, but started his own program as AA did not allow people wishing to stop drugs from joining. Much of what was started by Synanon is still used today.

As the group transitioned into a cult, he decided that people could not leave-contrary to the original 2-year program. He moved the group and used his Hollywood friends to promote Synanon to get more followers and and more money. It was successful enough that the California courts started sentencing kids to the group despite them not being licensed.

Abuses of Syanon included beating people who tried to leave, giving parents limited access to their kids and forcing vasectomies and abortions on people to prevent more children. With a group this famous, this was discovered An attorney named Paul Morantz started fighting Synanon, leading to a murder attempt when they planted a de-rattled rattlesnake in his mail box. Morantz survived the attack.

The attack sparked a police investigation. Dederich was arrested for drunk driving and the IRS revoked Synanon's tax-exempt status and demanded back pay. Bankruptcy brought the group down in America, though it still exists in Germany.

Takeaway: Don't sentence kids to unlicensed therapists.
God Demands Micro-Transactions

"The idea that humans have only used 10% of their brain has existed for decades, but where did it start? Is it based on scientific fact? Why does it make Cristina so angry? Join us for a discussion about the origins of a misconception and more tangents than your mind can handle."

## 10% of the Brain Myth

### Presented by Cristina

Category: Scientific Theory

That we as humans only use 10% of the brain is a popular myth with no clear origin. The myth comes in two varieties. The first is that humans only use a total 10% of their brains, full stop. The second, slightly more reasonable, is that humans only use 10% of their brain at any given time.

Once possible explanation is the in studies of William James and Boris Sidis, Harvard psychologists who, after studying Boris' son, became convinced that humans, by and large, did not reach their full mental potential. The myth may have grown through a series of lectures they gave on that point.

A second, not mutually exclusive, point of origin is Wilder Pennfield a neurosurgeon who studies on people's brains during surgery. In these studies, he would prod parts of the brain to see what the reaction was. Through this he concluded that around 10% of the brain controlled physical responses.

Despite being false, the myth has bled into pop culture (including Nicolas Cage movies), so it is unlikely that it will die like Paul McCartney any time soon.

Takeaway: Despite what it seems, people use all of their brains all of the time.
Disappearance

Instances where people go missing and are never seen (at least alive again). The following disappearances have been covered by Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies:

* The Mary Celeste, episode 4
* The Missing 411, episode 162
* The Missing Dutch Women, episode 1
* Rebecca Coriam, episode 96
* Roanoke, episode 2