Dec 7, 2017
Ben first reminds us all that the
History Channel still has not made good on their promise to be
transparent about their Amelia Earhart research debacle, and then
the guys discuss a listener question regarding “asking questions”
in a leading way. Then, for our main topic, we turn to Champ, the
legendary monster said to inhabit Lake Champlain, which borders New
York and Vermont. The best-known report of this monster is said to
be from Samuel de Champlain himself in 1609—except it’s a falsified
quote. Ben draws on his personal investigations of the legend,
giving us an overview of the nineteenth century’s yellow
journalism, the frequency and patterns of Champ sightings, and
similarities to the UFO phenomenon. The best photographic evidence
for any lake monster (after the famous Nessie photo was revealed as
a hoax) was the photo of Champ taken in 1977 by Sandra Mansi. Ben
talks about his interview with Mansi, his analysis of her photo,
and the subsequent practical investigations he did with Joe Nickell
at (and in) the lake itself. As you might expect, a few things
didn’t add up, and Ben walks us through the puzzle.
Wish Background Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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