In the latest episode of Mysterious Universe season 33, hosts Benjamin Grundy and Aaron Wright explore a fascinating array of curious topics that combine the supernatural with historical intrigue. The discussion delves into the concept of alien hauntings, cursed waters, and the surprising revelation about Benjamin Franklin's role as a historical troll through his elaborate almanac pranks.

The episode highlights how misinformation has deep historical roots, with Franklin's persistent false claims about a rival publisher's death serving as a prime example. This historical perspective on fake news reminds listeners that today's concerns about disinformation aren't new phenomena but rather part of a cyclical pattern in human communication that extends back centuries, from Franklin's pranks to the 19th-century "great moon hoax" that had even scientists believing in bat people on the lunar surface.

Key Takeaways

Historical figures like Benjamin Franklin engaged in elaborate misinformation campaigns long before modern concerns about fake news.
The cyclical nature of apocalyptic predictions has remained constant throughout human history, with vague timelines proving more successful than specific dates.
Supernatural and paranormal concepts often intersect with historical events in ways that reveal recurring patterns in human belief systems.

Alien Haunting Crossover

The concept of aliens and hauntings merging into a unified phenomenon has gained traction among paranormal enthusiasts. These crossover cases blur the traditional boundaries between extraterrestrial encounters and ghostly manifestations.

Researchers have noted striking similarities between alien abduction reports and haunting experiences. Both often involve lost time, unusual light phenomena, and a sense of presence that victims cannot fully explain. The psychological impact on witnesses tends to follow similar patterns as well.

Some theorists suggest that what we perceive as separate phenomena might actually be different manifestations of the same underlying reality. This perspective challenges conventional categorizations in paranormal research.

Historical accounts show this overlap isn't new. Ancient texts frequently described celestial visitors and spiritual entities with interchangeable characteristics. Modern reports often contain elements that could fit either classification.

Key similarities between alien and haunting experiences:

Feature Alien Encounters Hauntings Time anomalies Missing time, time slips Temporal distortions Physical effects Unexplained marks, illness Cold spots, physical contact Sensory phenomena Strange lights, humming Apparitions, unexplained sounds Psychological impact Post-traumatic stress, obsession Fear, fixation, changed worldview

The cultural interpretation of these experiences tends to reflect the prevailing beliefs of the era. What might have been described as angelic or demonic visitations centuries ago could now be interpreted through a technological or extraterrestrial lens.

Investigators approaching these hybrid cases face unique challenges. The evidence often defies easy classification, with technological anomalies appearing alongside more traditional spectral manifestations. This has led to new investigative methodologies that accommodate this crossover nature.

The Water That Carries a Curse phenomenon mentioned in some of these cases introduces another layer of complexity. These incidents involve mysterious liquid substances that appear during crossover events, often associated with both alien and ghostly manifestations simultaneously.

Cursed Waters

Bodies of water have long held mysterious and sometimes ominous significance in folklore around the world. Water isn't always the life-giving substance we commonly depend on. In some cases, lakes, rivers, and even wells carry reputations for supernatural dangers.

Historical accounts of cursed waters date back centuries, with communities developing specific rituals and warnings to protect themselves. These bodies of water often gained their sinister reputations through unexplained drownings, strange phenomena observed at their surfaces, or connections to local tragedies.

Many of these aquatic legends represent a fascinating overlap between hauntings and alien phenomena. Witnesses have reported strange lights beneath the surface, unexplained ripples when no wind is present, and eerie sounds emanating from supposedly cursed lakes. Some lakes develop mists that locals claim contain ghostly figures or unexplained crafts.

Scientists typically attribute these phenomena to natural causes like:

Methane gas releases
Bioluminescent organisms
Temperature inversions
Underwater currents
Acoustic anomalies

Traditional protections against cursed waters include:

Never visiting alone
Carrying specific protective charms
Avoiding the water at specific times (often dusk or midnight)
Speaking certain words or prayers before approaching

Despite rational explanations, reports of cursed waters persist across cultures and time periods. The persistence of these beliefs highlights humanity's complex relationship with water—simultaneously essential for life yet potentially dangerous and unpredictable.

Modern investigations into these sites often capture unusual electromagnetic readings, temperature fluctuations, and occasionally photographic anomalies. These findings neither confirm nor disprove supernatural claims but continue to fuel interest in these mysterious locations.

Benjamin Franklin: Master of Mischief

Phillips Explores Historical Pranks

Tom Phillips' newest book, "A Brief History of the End of the World," delves into various apocalyptic predictions throughout history. This follows his successful earlier works about human failures and falsehoods. His exploration of doomsday forecasts reveals a pattern of failed predictions that have existed for centuries.

Apocalyptic Predictions Through Time

People have been predicting the end of times since ancient civilizations. In the 16th century, these claims carried serious consequences for those who made false prophecies. The stakes were much higher than today's social media embarrassment when predictions failed to materialize.

The Prophecy Dilemma

Smart prophets avoid what Phillips calls "the prophet trap" - giving overly specific dates for apocalyptic events. Those who make predictions beyond their lifetime or with flexible timeframes protect themselves from accountability. The most successful doomsayers create predictions with built-in ambiguity or timelines extending beyond their own lives.

Severe Consequences for False Prophets

One notorious example involved a Dutch baker who transformed into a 16th-century cult leader. After leading followers outside city gates to await the apocalypse, his failed prediction resulted in brutal punishment. When the world continued, authorities executed him by decapitation and subjected his remains to public display as a warning to others.

Franklin's Almanac Deception

In the 1700s, almanacs were essential publications containing valuable information about astronomical events, tides, and seasonal changes - information we now access instantly on our phones. These reference books were profitable ventures for publishers, with certain almanacs dominating the market.

Benjamin Franklin created his own competing almanac with a brilliant deception. He published a false obituary for his main competitor, a publisher named Titus, claiming he was starting his own almanac only because his "dear friend" had passed away.

The Titus Publication Dispute

When Titus discovered his own death announcement, he was understandably outraged. He published a rebuttal in his next annual edition, creating what became a years-long dispute:

Year 1: Franklin announces Titus's "death"
Year 2: Titus responds that he's clearly alive
Year 3: Franklin claims an impostor is using Titus's name

The back-and-forth continued for years, essentially creating a slow-motion argument that Franklin maintained purely for his amusement. When Titus eventually did die, Franklin doubled down on his prank by claiming the "real" Titus had died years earlier.

This wasn't Franklin's only such deception. He fabricated various stories that spread widely, some even influencing public opinion during major historical events like the French Revolution. His false narratives demonstrate that "fake news" has existed since the earliest days of publishing, not just in our digital age.

A Historical Overview of False Information

The Moon Fiction Phenomenon of the 19th Century

The 1830s saw one of history's most remarkable episodes of mass deception when the New York Sun published a series of articles claiming astronomers had discovered life on the moon. These reports described fantastical creatures, including bat-like humanoids and giant beavers supposedly living on the lunar surface. The stories gained extraordinary traction, fooling not just ordinary readers but even respected scientists and physicists of the era.

What made this hoax particularly effective was the detailed "scientific" descriptions and supposed testimonials from authoritative sources. Elaborate illustrations accompanied the text, depicting these imaginary lunar landscapes and creatures in a style that mimicked scientific documentation of the time. The public's limited scientific literacy, combined with their trust in printed media, created perfect conditions for widespread acceptance of these fantastical claims.

The Recurring Patterns of Misinformation

False information has moved in predictable cycles throughout human history. While today's concerns about "fake news" and misinformation might seem like modern phenomena, they represent merely the latest iteration of a centuries-old pattern.

In the 1700s, for example, Benjamin Franklin demonstrated the power of misinformation through a sustained prank against a rival almanac publisher named Titus. Franklin:

Published a false obituary for Titus in a competing almanac
Claimed to be launching his publication only because Titus had "died"
Continued insisting Titus was dead even after public denials
Maintained this fiction for years until Titus actually passed away

This early example shows how misinformation could persist even in an era when communication moved at a yearly pace rather than at digital speed. The fundamentals haven't changed:

False information spreads when it aligns with audience interests
Authority figures (like Franklin) lend credibility to falsehoods
Printed materials historically carried inherent trustworthiness
Corrections rarely reach the same audience as the original misinformation

What has evolved are merely the vectors and velocity of spreading falsehoods, not the underlying human tendencies that make them effective.

Upcoming Segment Teasers

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UK Student's Terrifying Alien Abduction Experience: Supernatural Encounters or Something More? | MU Podcast 33.11