Who is the rightful inventor of the motion picture? It's been accepted that Thomas Edison or the Lumière Brothers can lay claim to that honor. But what if the story isn't so simple? In this episode we look at the life and the mysterious end of Louis Le Prince. A man who got on a train ready to unveil his world changing invention only to vanish without a trace. How does someone simply disappear from a non-stop express train? ***I called Le Prince 'Le Grand' a few times during this episode. I have no idea why. I'm blaming a lack of sleep. My apologies. ~Katie***

Sources:
https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/louis-le-prince-created-the-first-ever-moving-pictures/

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33198686

https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/tragedy-louis-le-prince/

https://www.historyhit.com/culture/louis-le-prince-the-father-of-cinematography-who-vanished/

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/the-unsolved-mystery-of-yorkshires-vanished-film-pioneer-2945313

https://fstoppers.com/originals/mysterious-disappearance-louis-le-prince-father-cinematography-156151

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702108701603

https://www.satnavmag.com/post/louis-le-prince-the-father-of-film-who-disappeared

https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2022/0531/Who-invented-motion-pictures-Hint-Not-Edison-nor-the-Lumieres#:~:text=Most%20Americans%20believe%20that%20Thomas,in%20Paris%20in%20December%201895.

https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/Mystery-Disappearance-of-the-Man-Who-Invented-the-Motion-Picture-Camera-Louis-Le-Prince

https://www.thedailybeast.com/louis-le-prince-shot-the-worlds-first-motion-picture-and-then-disappeared-forever-was-it-murder

In 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died in a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The facts of his death are well-documented, but the cause (or causes) are still unknown to this day and the theories raised by Poe historians and biographers run from murder to alcoholism to rabies. In today’s episode we take a look at the tragic life and untimely death of the “master of the macabre” and explore some of the many theories that have been presented to explain the curious circumstances of his passing.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/still-mysterious-death-edgar-allan-poe-180952936/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/poe-death.htm

https://www.history.com/news/how-did-edgar-allan-poe-die

https://poemuseum.org/poe-biography/

YouTube: Weird History: Bizarre Facts You Didn’t Know About Edgar Allan Poe

BuzzFeed Unsolved Network: The Macabre Death of Edgar Allan Poe

For centuries people have reported mysterious lights around Brown Mountain in Western North Carolina. Where they come from and what causes them is a mystery that has bewildered both scientists and believers in the supernatural. Join us as we discuss the story behind the Brown Mountain lights, the legends, the studies, and the theories. Maybe some things are just better left unknown.

Sources

Video evidence:

https://wlos.com/news/local/asu-scientists-capture-rare-images-of-wncs-brown-mountain-lights

Articles:

https://www.ncblueridge.com/great-little-blue-ridge-towns/morganton-mystery-the-brown-mountain-lights

https://www.romanticasheville.com/brown_mountain_lights.htm

https://www.ourstate.com/brown-mountain-lights/

https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/brown-mountain-lights/

https://www.carolinacountry.com/departments/departments/feature-story/the-mysterious-brown-mountain-lights

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2016/04/the-brown-mountain-lights-solved-again/

https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2010/10/the-brown-mountain-lights.html

https://www.deweyfox.com/alookbackatburke.htm

https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1971/0646/report.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/movies/alien-abduction-a-thriller-directed-by-matty-beckerman.html

The story of the SS Ourang Medan has captured the curiosity of historians and mystery lovers. It’s the tale of a ship with no records or proof of existence, except a few scattered accounts of the fateful day when all aboard were found dead after a cryptic SOS was received. What killed the crew is unknown to this day, and many wonder if the Ourang Medan ever existed at all.

https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/ourang-medan.htm

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/651575/ourang-medan-ghost-ship

https://www.historicmysteries.com/ourang-medan/

https://www.theshipyardblog.com/how-to-sink-a-ghost-ship-the-story-of-the-ourang-medan/

Things That Go Bump “The Ourang Medan: Mysteries, Legends, and Hauntings” on YouTube

"Mysterious SOS From Death Ship." Yorkshire Evening Post. Thursday 21 November 1940

In January 1959, nine accomplished hikers set off to complete an intense Grade III trek through the cold, snowy Ural Mountains in the former Soviet Union. Despite the numerous photographs and journal entries left behind, what happened on that final night remains a mystery 64 years later. What caused the hikers to cut their way out of the safety and warmth of their tent and run into the woods?

Sources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/dyatlov-pass-incident

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-dyatlov-pass-incident#:~:text=In%20January%20of%201959%2C%2023,all%20nine%20of%20their%20bodies.

https://dyatlovpass.com/1079

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/how-did-nine-russian-hikers-lose-their-lives-during-the-dyatlov-pass-expedition

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-may-have-finally-unraveled-mystery-dyatlov-pass-incident-180976886/

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/03/confirmed-avalanche-is-likeliest-explanation-for-tragic-dyatlov-pass-incident/

Dead Mountain, a book by Donnie Eichar

Discovery+ TV series Expedition Unknown season 7 hosted by Josh Gates did a two episode special following the same route as the Dyatlov group.

On the morning of February 9th 1855 in Devon England, residents woke to find strange hoof prints burned into the snow. The tracks spanned miles of the English countryside and had Britons wondering if perhaps the Devil himself had been roaming the land during the snowy night, looking for souls.

Sources:
https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/the-mystery-of-the-devils-footprints/

A True Relation of those Sad and Lamentable Accidents,which happened in and about the Parish Church of Withycombe in the Dartmoores in Devonshire on Sunday the 21. Of October last 1638

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/night-devils-footprints-were-left-4970856

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/75045/ongoing-mystery-devils-footprints

https://the-terror.fandom.com/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Footprints

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/day-the-devil-visited-dartmoor-571004

https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/devon/churches/widecombe-in-the-moor.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/victorian-era-timeline

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/12/the-1855-devils-footprints-mystery-in-devon-england/?safari=1

The holidays are finally here! Anomaly starts us off by discussing the interesting history of the Yule Log. Is it a tree? Is it a cake? Can it be both? Katie put together a Letterman-style top 10 list of curious holiday traditions from around the world. What do fried chicken, flammable objects, and roller skates have in common?
https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/yulelog

https://thehistoryjunkie.com/the-yule-log-tradition

https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/yule-log.htm

https://www.gotquestions.org/Yule-Christmas.html

https://www.italiarail.com/culture/legend-la-befana

https://museum.wales/articles/1187/Christmas-Traditions-The-Mari-Lwyd/

https://www.history.com/news/krampus-christmas-legend-origin

https://www.foreverbarcelona.com/meet-el-caganer-the-figurine-that-rocks-every-christmas-in-barcelona/

https://www.tiodenadal.online/history-caganer-tradition-catalan-pooper/

https://www.fodors.com/world/asia/japan/experiences/news/the-surprising-reason-kfc-is-japans-biggest-christmas-tradition

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161216-why-japan-celebrates-christmas-with-kfc

https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/the-strange-legend-of-the-swedish-yule-goat

https://www.thelocal.se/20221103/swedens-arson-afflicted-christmas-goat-is-moving-after-56-years/

https://metro.co.uk/2017/12/20/christmas-around-the-world-why-venezuelans-roller-skate-to-mass-on-christmas-eve-7018407/

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/11/18/catholic-christmas-venezuela-roller-skating-241863

https://theculturetrip.com/mexico/articles/a-uniquely-oaxacan-festival-night-of-the-radishes/

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20141217-mexicos-whimsical-night-of-the-radishes

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/christmas-pickle-tradition

Additional Sources can be found on our website

It’s the holiday season and that can only mean one thing: Fruitcake! Either you love it or you regift it, everyone has a strong opinion. The divide over nutty, fruity cakes isn’t the mystery that we are discussing today. What happened when bakery employee Sandy Jenkins had champagne wishes and caviar dreams but only a fruitcake budget? Find out in Episode 8: Fruitcake Mystery. You don’t want to miss the twists and turns of this sweet swindle.

For today’s episode Katie used the following sources:

Southern Living Japanese Fruitcake Recipe: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/japanese-fruitcake-recipe

The brilliant reporting of Katy Vine for Texas Monthly in an article entitled ‘Just Desserts’

https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/just-desserts/

An article from the Washington Post entitled ‘A Letter from the Collin Street Bakery’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/12/17/letter-from-the-Collin-street-bakery/d7f96d22-0e01-4884-9ee5-c548d6fff7b5/

An article from the Corsicana Daily Sun

https://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/sandy-jenkins-gets-10-years-prison-probation-for-wife-kay/article_ae1a73b0-5c9d-11e5-a527-9baff4805c5f.html

An article from the Fort Worth Business Press

https://fortworthbusiness.com/featured/fruitcake-crime-spice-up-a-small-texas-town-in-documentary-with-local-ties/

A press release from the FBI’s US Attorney’s Office

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/dallas/news/press-releases/former-Collin-street-bakery-executive-and-wife-sentenced

An article from Dallas Reports.com

https://www.dallasreports.com/documentary-tells-story-of-fraud-at-fruitcake-bakery-nbc-5-dallas-fort-worth/