Signals from the Deep: Radio Hour

The Flannan Isles Lighthouse

In December of 1900, three men were tasked with manning the remote lighthouse of Eilean Mor in the Flannan Isles off the northwest coast of Scotland. When a passing ship reported the light to be out, a team was sent to investigate. They discovered the lighthouse in neat order, nothing out of place, and with no sign of a struggle, yet completely abandoned. The disappearance of the three men became one of the most enduring mysteries in Scottish history. We’ll look at a timeline of the events, the men, how they were found to be missing, and the theories about their ultimate fate.

The Beast of Gevaudan

We are back! From 1764 to 1767, a large wolf-like creature prowled the rural French countryside. Witnesses described it as being much larger than a normal wolf and having characteristics not typical of native species. By the time it was hunted down and killed, it had attacked and devoured more than 100 victims. We’ll look at the timeline of attacks, the efforts to hunt the beast, how the military got involved, and the theories as to what it could have been. Join us as we examine The Beast of Gevaudan!

The Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins

On a summer night in 1955, a rural farming family in Kentucky saw a UFO streak across the sky and disappear behind the trees not far from their farmhouse. Soon after, they were besieged by nearly a dozen short, metallic-skinned, yellow-eyed, goblin-like creatures. They defended their home with firearms, but the bullets had little to no effect on the strange invaders. Several hours and four boxes of ammo later, they ran for the police station for help; little did they know their nightmare was far from over. We’ll cover the night in question, the investigation, and how the family was treated.

The Voynich Manuscript

For as long as there have been books, there have been rumors of books containing arcane knowledge that have been lost to the ages. When Wilfrid Voynich received a load of books in a sale from the Jesuit Order in 1912, he took a particular interest in one specific text. The book was written in an unknown and seemingly indecipherable language and contained illustrations of plants and constellations that match none known to science. Researching the book, he found that its mysteries went back centuries, with multiple learned people of their eras trying and failing to decode the strange text. Is it the most carefully crafted hoax in history, a medical guide encoded to protect controversial information, or just fanciful gibberish? To this day, it has resisted all modern attempts at decryption. Join us this week, as we examine The Voynich Manuscript!

The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

In October of 1978, Frederick Valentich flew from the mainland of Australia to a nearby island. Along the way, he encountered an aircraft that began following him. He radioed to air traffic control, but they said nothing was supposed to be there. When asked if he could identify the craft, he merely replied, “It’s not an aircraft.” Then his voice cut off, and all that was heard was a metallic scraping noise. No one ever saw him or his plane ever again. We’ll explore who Frederick Valentich was, what happened, and the theories. Join us as we dive deep into The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich!