In Research Of

Blake and Jeb look for the real location of Mt. Sinai, where Moses was supposed to have received the Ten Commandments from God.

Jeb and Blake extinguish our cigarettes, put our trays in the upright position, and head out the back of the plane in search of the elusive skyjacker known as D. B. Cooper. Nimoy Fashion Alert - dimly lit corporate office edition.   D. B. Cooper - Wikipedia The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (Movie) - if you buy it on Amazon we get a few pennies. Recent Netflix series on D. B. Cooper Blake's friend Rick Ollerman offered some opinions on vintage round parachutes.     Later we meet Nimoy outside where you can make out more of his ensemble.   Of course this is an episode about D. B. Cooper - who for Jeb and I, evokes the classic "MIB" look.   This ain't deal-a-meal. This is a different Richard Simmons.   There is some great photography in this episode. I liked seeing the reservoir and dam. Imagine landing there on a stormy November night without jump boots...   Finally - kudos to the faceless Cooper stand-in who lugged stuff around in the anonymous re-creations. 

Jeb and Blake join Leonard Nimoy's search for Pompeii!  (Well - is it really about finding Pompeii?  Or is it about finding a possibly Christian cross in Pompeii?  Tune in and find out!)   Links:  Depictions of the crucifixion in Medieval Art People debating the cross at Pompeii Christian graffiti at Pompeii House of the Faun - Pompeii About that "lost Legion" thing Discovery and rediscovery of Pompeii Giuseppe Fiorelli  Terentius Neo Lupinar Villa of Mysteries Dinosyian Mysteries Greco-Roman Mysteries Thyrsus Nimoy Fashion Alert!   Hey - it's NOT a Jumpsuit.   We complain but there really is WAY too much red-shift in the majority of this episode:   You need pumice? WE GOT BUCKETS OF PUMICE!  

Jeb and Blake track the last cryptozoology episode of the original In Search Of… as we join the late Peter C. Byrne in a search for "The Abominable Snowman." Imagining the Wild Man: Yeti Sightings in Folktales and Newspapers of the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills More on Tom Slick - MonsterTalk Monty Python "abattoir" sketch Searching for Sasquatch (affiliate link) Article about Byrne still "hunting" in his 90s. The Eternal Return Bigfoot Map Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds (YouTube) Horror in the Heights - Kolchak Episode with Rakshasha   NFA - "Proof of Life"      Crevasse photo we mention from the episode.  

Jeb is right at home as we go In Search Of... Mexican Pyramids! Links from research Sacrifice City Great Pyramid of Cholula Templo Mayor Ruz' Palenque Dissertation The Christmas Robbery of the Century Secrets of the Maya Temple (1958) Museo (2018) movie about the robbery - affiliate link Mystery of the Meridas Ciudad Maya nightclub Music/Art film tied to the nightclub site Operation PBSuccess - CIA and Guatemala  Mystery film we think MAY have sourced part of this episode. Director Jean Chartier  Pyramid Comparison visual tool (wikipedia)   Nimoy Fashion Alert!  Jungle Cotton Blend edition:   There are actually subtle stripes on that shirt! This episode has some amazing models - so cool: And - of course - it wouldn't be ISO without some reenactments...  

Dr. Joe Nickell recalls his experiences working on the Season 4 episode of In Search Of… dealing with The Shroud of Turin. note: This interview will be cross-posted to MonsterTalk. The interview contents will be identical, but the framing intro/outro will be unique to the respective shows.  In Research Of… (Patreon) In Research Of (free feed) In Search Of… The Shroud of Turin (YouTube) Joe Nickell covered by The Daily Mail That's Incredible! segment on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. (YouTube) Joe Nickell's website Joe's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link)

Jeb and Blake unwrap the mystery of the shroud of Turin! (Which might, it turns out, be neither a shroud, nor from Turin - talk amongst yourselves!) Link to ISO on YouTube: While it lasts! The bucket brigade saves the shroud in re-creation... NFA - A return to "the Night Gallery?" Young Joe Nickell at work in Alan Landsburg's NYC apartment: The Rev. Francis Filas (1931 - 1985 - NYT OBIT) Prescriptive Linguistics Descriptive Linguistics Overview of use of Christ in Medieval Art Secondo Pia, photographer who discovered the "negative effect" on Shroud. (also, dead ringer for Seth Myers)   Just saying... Modern research suggests "blood on shroud" was applied artistically, not organically. More on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry    Dr. Harry Gove (Obit) The Shroud of Turin Research Project    Recent book that confirms Nickell's findings 

S04E06 - The Lost Colony of Roanoke The ISO team take us back to Colonial Virginia to investigate the cold-case of the lost colony of Roanoke. Jeb and Blake learn about armadas, plays, and rock diaries. Beach Action Nimoy Fashion Alert! The Money Shot...     Blake thinks the ISO actor is giving off Keenan Wynn vibes. And we've already discussed the ties between Rod Serling, Leonard Nimoy, Night Gallery, and more, so the visual similarities to this scene and Planet of the Apes might not be 100% coincidence. The famous "Dare Stones" preserved with all the decor and pomp appropriate their historical significance:     Links for this episode: History Channel's reboot of ISO covered this. Antiquarianism Play Sid Meiers Colonization  Book by David Stick on topic Park Ranger Phil Evans   The full text of the Dare Stones 

We're going to need a bigger boat!  Jeb and Blake head to Australia to investigate the idea that Great White sharks are immortal! Links: 1977 San Diego article about Sea World's shark exhibit Article about weird things allegedly found inside sharks. Henri Bource - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Bource Groo the Wanderer NFA - on the beach! Sharks are famous for their teeth - and Nimoy's have improved since season one as well. Nimoy just walking on the beach manages to attract a diver's audience. Diving pioneer and explorer, Hugh Edwards.   Ray Keys at Sea World has lots of great shark information.   And don't forget researcher Dr. William Gladstone! (You can find him on twitter at @DrBillGladstone)  

Jeb and Blake have a look at the Season 4 episode UFO AUSTRALIA which covers the Kaikoura UFO Sighting and the disappearance of Frederich Valentich.  Retrospective of the Kaikoura UFO sighting Better version of the video than what is in the episode Westall UFO case (Blake mentioned - but is not in ep) Skeptical Inquirer (McGaha & Nickell) Transcript of the Valentich air traffic discussion Psychic Hippie Lawyer article Nimoy Fashion Alert shot on location at the San Fernando Aerospace Solar Observatory. 

Jeb, Blake and Alex French go in research of The Amityville Horror! Typewriters 101 site History vs Hollywood: Amityville History of the House The Warren Omission The Calamityville Horror The Dictionnaire Infernal Nimoy gives us the calm and rational look in the midst of so much weirdness! So many faceless re-enactors in this one!   Horror writer Jay Anson and his trusty typewriter!   And this episode is quite notable for giving us a look at Father Mancuso from the book. Aka Father Ralph Pecoraro. Aka Father Delaney.  Aka "Jimmy the Shadow" . The Lutz couple at the table.   The two versions of Jodie the Pig: And we gotta include the super creepy ISO doll.  Kudos to the prop dept.   

  Jeb and Blake look back at the ISO team's coverage of the global manhunt for the terrorist known as "Carlos." This episode gets an Explicit tag because of language.   Nimoy Fashion Alert:   Dr. Frederick Hacker (Obit)  Carlos - aka The Jackal  (Wiki) Raid on Entebbe (Wiki) Carnaby Street, England (Wiki) Friendship University, Russia (Wiki) News story about how Carlos got his name Nydia Toban (Obit)  Carlos's Lawyer/"wife" 

Additional background material on this episode is available for Patrons. Jeb and Blake wade into the first episode of season 4 of In Search Of... to learn a thing or two about tsunamis. (Yes, the producers actually said that they called it "tidal waves" because if they'd used "tsunami" Americans wouldn't have bothered to find out what it was about.  I remember being taught the "new" term during my basic education. -B) Lots of good footage, interviews, reenactments, and science in this one!   Nimoy Fashion - Henley Shirt (we assume he's wearing pants below the cut?) To me, it looked like an AARP-style drug ad. The J.K.K. Look Laboratory (in honor of Mr. James K. K. Look - who's death in pursuit of scientific data is honored in the naming) There is shockingly little about Mr. Look on the net and he certainly seems like he deserves at least a Wikipedia page.   Hokusai's famous "wave" - and yes, he really did pioneer "tentacle porn," but I'm not linking to it - nor judging.        This is only a simulation.

Blake and Jeb discuss their thoughts on the third season of In Search Of...   Things get... weird.

Jeb and Blake head out into the valley of the kings to learn more about King Tut.  History of the Valley of the Kings  Pyramid Secrets (IRO S02E09)  Significance of pyramids (Benben)  The Colossi of Memnon (the singing statue)  Nimoy Fashion - in the desert  Demotic writing  Example of Cartouche: James Lew - martial artist & actor  The complex history of the Noah's Ark Hoax (article by Jim Lippard) (featuring Gerald Larue)

We're joined by Dr. Nathan French to discuss the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah and the ISO team's efforts to examine archaeological evidence supporting its actual historical existence. Nimoy Fashion: Dr. Avrahamm Biran (1909 - 2008) The concept of Biblical Maximalism  The big dig at Ebla where the library of clay tablets was found. In 1976 Giovanni Pettinato claimed tablets found at the dig contained the names of five cities of the plain including Sodom and Gomorrah.  Modern scholarly consensus is that this was incorrect. I think this is archaeologist Paulo Matti (Pettinato's fellow researcher on the dig) alongside an unnamed female researcher. As promised, the animated gif of the sinners in our "re-creations" of ancient Sodom. Discussion of Baal in the episode doesn't hint that this Biblical "villain god" may actually represent an entire class of deities.  About 17 mins into the episode there's a guy who runs a hot spring and his moustache reminded Jeb of a certain someone... D

We are joined again by Alex French to discuss "Brain Power."  No kids were harmed, but some hosts were shaken. The ISO episode contains outdated wording about cognitive states that are now considered offensive.  Our podcast episode steers clear of that but we wanted you to be aware if you decided to watch the original episode.  Nimoy Fashion: Discussed in this episode: The Raimondi Stele (Jeb discusses flipping it to see different interpretation) Discussion of Haeckle's Embryos (Amazon Affiliate Link) Article on controversy (New Scientist) The 1997 article that brought Haeckel back into fresh scrutiny Biorhythms (pseudoscience popular in late 70s/early 80s) Alleged Russian "psychic" Nina Kulagina    Robert Doman (brother of founder Glenn Doman) Orville Redenbacher called and wants his look back... Louise Emerson of The Morgan Autism Institute Art teacher Betty Edwards    Thelma Moss  What is Kirlian Photography? 

Jeb and Blake drag Alex French back into the studio to endure a "ghostly stakeout" with the sultry voiced Sylvia Browne. Haunted Lives (Tobe Hooper, Nimoy, Sylvia Browne) The Dead Files - S01E09 Scandal in the South (episode set in Blake's hometown of Cartersville, GA) 1972 Akai Video Camera Sylvia Browne - self-proclaimed psychic - and she started a church!   Site of first "haunting" in renovated farmhouse (which burned in the 1980s) Near the village of Jenner   Antoinette May, freelance journalist, who worked the episode cases and co-wrote with Browne   Adventures of a Psychic: The Fascinating and Inspiring True Life Story of One of America's Most Successful Clairvoyants Nick Nocerino  

A look at the Hope Diamond and other allegedly cursed gems from recent history.        DeBeers slogan (1947) predates Bond book (1956) and is different: A Diamond Is Forever | Diamonds Are Forever The Gift - anthro book about reciprocity Superman and the giant spider story - Kevin Smith Osiander's preface to Copernicus Robert Conrad (the actor) famous battery ads from 1979 David Trampier - artist for D&D PHB The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins Recent TV adaptation of same The Mark of the Beast - Kipling Jean-Baptiste Tavernier The Order of the Golden Fleece (NatGeo) Curator of Gems at Smithsonian Institution Paul Desautels Jeb alluded to trouble at the end of his career Link to "The Dollop" episode on the McClean family. We don't know if the Koh-i-noor diamond is related to Star Trek's Kolinahr.

We're joined by Sharon Hill to look into the vital 1970s question: Was Noah's Ark Real? (And does it disprove Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection?)  spoilers: No and No.  The episode opens with "footage" (re-creations, repurposed footage) of the famous 1889 Flood. The footage in the movie appears to be from a short film called The World that Perished (1977) but we couldn't find a version of that to share.  The 1976 film In Search of Noah's Ark is available (in poor quality) on YouTube.  Nimoy reminds of us the other Ark with this library fashion-alert moment. The episode re-creates the famous "undressing in excitement" story of George Smith discovering the Utnapishtim version of the flood myth.  (Later in the episode we get a better shot of Nimoy in the Library.) We discussed the "Ararat Anomaly" briefly. The many searches for Noah's Ark. Physicist Rainer Berger (1930 - 2003) puts a lot of fake evidence to rest with his radiocarbon dating skills. Creationist Henry Morris "an expert in th