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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Unsolved Mysteries
Albert Einstein once said there is nothing more beautiful than a mystery. If so, CIG to Unsolved Mysteries is a very beautiful book indeed! It introduces readers to mysteries of all kinds -- disappearing ships and airplanes, disappearing people, unexplained tragedies, strange objects, unsolved crimes, secrets from the past.
-- The Bermuda Triangle
-- Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster
-- What really happened at Roswell, NM?
-- The origin of Dracula and other vampire tales
-- Did Bruno Hauptmann really kidnap the Lindbergh baby?
-- Stonehenge
-- D.B. Cooper, where are you?
-- Uri Geller and all those bent spoons
-- The Big Bang and the face on Mars
-- The Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations
-- The Shroud of Turin
-- Who really did all that writing -- Shakespeare or Marlowe (or Bacon)?
-- The Bermuda Triangle
-- Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster
-- What really happened at Roswell, NM?
-- The origin of Dracula and other vampire tales
-- Did Bruno Hauptmann really kidnap the Lindbergh baby?
-- Stonehenge
-- D.B. Cooper, where are you?
-- Uri Geller and all those bent spoons
-- The Big Bang and the face on Mars
-- The Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations
-- The Shroud of Turin
-- Who really did all that writing -- Shakespeare or Marlowe (or Bacon)?
- GenresNonfiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2000
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kurland
93 books46 followersaka Jennifer Plum
Michael Kurland has written many non-fiction books on a vast array of topics, including How to Solve a Murder, as well as many novels. Twice a finalist for the Edgar Award (once for The Infernal Device) given by the Mystery Writers of America, Kurland is perhaps best known for his novels about Professor Moriarty. He lives in Petaluma, California.
Michael Kurland has written many non-fiction books on a vast array of topics, including How to Solve a Murder, as well as many novels. Twice a finalist for the Edgar Award (once for The Infernal Device) given by the Mystery Writers of America, Kurland is perhaps best known for his novels about Professor Moriarty. He lives in Petaluma, California.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 30, 2023
AN INTERESTING SURVEY OF MANY WELL-KNOWN ‘MYSTERIES’
Author Michael Kurland wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, “In this book you’ll be introduced to mysteries of all sorts: mysteries of the universe itself, mysteries of early earth, mysteries of our own ancient past, mysterious disappearances, mysterious happenings, accidental mysteries, and mysteries created by design. We hope this gives you a feeling for the mysterious, for understanding what makes a mystery and why we are so fascinated by them…” (Pg. xx)
He notes, “in 1905, Albert Einstein theorized that, over very large distances and at very speeds, Newton’s laws wouldn’t work… Now it seems that, over very tiny distances and with very tiny particles, a whole new set of laws comes into play… But for all the knowledge that scientists and philosophers have gained since humans began ask questions, the wise ones will admit that there are still many more things out there that we don’t understand. And the really wise scientists and philosophers will admit that many of the things we do ‘know’ are probably wrong.” (Pg. 7-8)
He says of the Bermuda Triangle, “Is an evil presence emanating from an area of the sea bounded by Bermuda to the north, the coast of Florida to the west, and Puerto Rico to the south? Is there a portal into another dimension there through which passing craft are occasionally flung? Is the area a UFO landing base?... Is there another and even stranger explanation? Or is the whole thing just a myth?” (Pg. 19)
He says of ESP, “To call something ‘extrasensory perception’ is to imply that the perception is received by some sense of which we are not aware---not that there is no sense involved. If we do possess the ability to ‘read’ someone else’s mind, to know that he or she is thinking without any verbal or aural clues, then we must have volved some sensory organ to accomplish this. We have explored the human body thoroughly… and have yet o run across such a organ. If such extrasensory senses exist, it is unlikely that they are restricted to humans only. Some other mammals must also possess this ability.” (Pg. 53)
He asserts, “Did Nostradamus foresee the future? I don’t believe it for an instant… And yet… some of his verses seem eerily accurate. If you ask me whether I have a better explanation of what was going on, I’ll probably do my best to change the subject. There have been many books, articles, and Web sites dedicated to Nostradamus and his prophecies, but be careful and selective when you look at them. Many people have twisted Nostradamus’s predictions or have made up their own versions to fit their agendas.” (Pg. 88)
He explains, “what are we to make of Mr. Edgar Cayce? From all accounts, he was a well-meaning man who almost certainly believed in his own powers… Many people believe he helped them, and he probably did. He may have delayed professional diagnosis for some people with cancer or other incurable diseases, but back then there was no real treatment, he at least had the placebo effect going for him… those who used him believed in his powers. That in itself could have cured many…” (Pg. 99-100)
Of the Egyptian pyramids, he comments, “The pyramidologists [John Taylor, Charles Piazzi Smyth] continue on to this day, combining scripture with nonsense to come up with dates for things that already have happened and predictions for an end of the world that seems to be stubbornly refusing to come when bidden.” (Pg. 106) He rejects the ‘Ancient Aliens’ theory for the pyramids, noting, “The only thing wrong with this theory is that Egypt does have an extensive, if not well-documented, history from the time before the pyramids. The luxurious tombs, colossal statues and the rest were built over a period of several thousand years.” (Pg. 113)
Of Ignatius Donnelly’s theories about Atlantis, he comments, “he amassed a great deal of evidence which is impressive from its sheer volume, and much of it can be neither proved or disproved…. Donnelly’s book is entertaining and, on first reading, very convincing. It isn’t until one looks closely at the details that one realizes on that a thing support he has constructed his theory.” (Pg. 138)
He says of astrology, “Although there is no scientific basis for astrology, and no logical reason to assume that the position in the night sky of great balls of mud or gas millions of miles away form us has any effect on human affairs, the enthusiasm for astrology continues unabated around the world.” (Pg. 168)
Of the Roswell ‘crashed saucer’ story, he reports, “The Air Force now admits that it was hiding something about the Roswell crash, but the truth the Air Force admits is not the truth UFO believers want to hear… the Air Force was conducting a top-secret program code-named Project Mogul… It was one of these secret balloons, the Air Force believes, that crashed… I think that finding real aliens in a crashed alien spaceship would be the most important story of the past 2,000 years. The number of people who would have known about it… would have been too large to keep such a secret all these years. Instead of one or two people with dubious claims, we would have had a dozen people with detailed stories---some probably with photographs.” (Pg. 283)
Of the Loch Ness Monster, he comments, “sightings of Nessie have continued, and other pictures, less clear but intriguing nevertheless, have been made showing strange phenomena on the loch. In the 1970s, a team of scientists took sonar and flash pictures with underwater cameras and caught fuzzy images of long-necked creatures 20 to 30 feet long.” (Pg. 317)
He says of the Patterson film of Bigfoot, “In 1967, Bigfoot enthusiasts Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin took a short movie, about five or six seconds’ worth, of what they claimed was a Bigfoot sighting. The creature in the film is definitely not an animal. Whether it is a Bigfoot or a man in a funny suit is still being debated.” (Pg. 325)
This survey will be of interest for those looking for a non-credulous overview of such stories and phenomena.
Author Michael Kurland wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, “In this book you’ll be introduced to mysteries of all sorts: mysteries of the universe itself, mysteries of early earth, mysteries of our own ancient past, mysterious disappearances, mysterious happenings, accidental mysteries, and mysteries created by design. We hope this gives you a feeling for the mysterious, for understanding what makes a mystery and why we are so fascinated by them…” (Pg. xx)
He notes, “in 1905, Albert Einstein theorized that, over very large distances and at very speeds, Newton’s laws wouldn’t work… Now it seems that, over very tiny distances and with very tiny particles, a whole new set of laws comes into play… But for all the knowledge that scientists and philosophers have gained since humans began ask questions, the wise ones will admit that there are still many more things out there that we don’t understand. And the really wise scientists and philosophers will admit that many of the things we do ‘know’ are probably wrong.” (Pg. 7-8)
He says of the Bermuda Triangle, “Is an evil presence emanating from an area of the sea bounded by Bermuda to the north, the coast of Florida to the west, and Puerto Rico to the south? Is there a portal into another dimension there through which passing craft are occasionally flung? Is the area a UFO landing base?... Is there another and even stranger explanation? Or is the whole thing just a myth?” (Pg. 19)
He says of ESP, “To call something ‘extrasensory perception’ is to imply that the perception is received by some sense of which we are not aware---not that there is no sense involved. If we do possess the ability to ‘read’ someone else’s mind, to know that he or she is thinking without any verbal or aural clues, then we must have volved some sensory organ to accomplish this. We have explored the human body thoroughly… and have yet o run across such a organ. If such extrasensory senses exist, it is unlikely that they are restricted to humans only. Some other mammals must also possess this ability.” (Pg. 53)
He asserts, “Did Nostradamus foresee the future? I don’t believe it for an instant… And yet… some of his verses seem eerily accurate. If you ask me whether I have a better explanation of what was going on, I’ll probably do my best to change the subject. There have been many books, articles, and Web sites dedicated to Nostradamus and his prophecies, but be careful and selective when you look at them. Many people have twisted Nostradamus’s predictions or have made up their own versions to fit their agendas.” (Pg. 88)
He explains, “what are we to make of Mr. Edgar Cayce? From all accounts, he was a well-meaning man who almost certainly believed in his own powers… Many people believe he helped them, and he probably did. He may have delayed professional diagnosis for some people with cancer or other incurable diseases, but back then there was no real treatment, he at least had the placebo effect going for him… those who used him believed in his powers. That in itself could have cured many…” (Pg. 99-100)
Of the Egyptian pyramids, he comments, “The pyramidologists [John Taylor, Charles Piazzi Smyth] continue on to this day, combining scripture with nonsense to come up with dates for things that already have happened and predictions for an end of the world that seems to be stubbornly refusing to come when bidden.” (Pg. 106) He rejects the ‘Ancient Aliens’ theory for the pyramids, noting, “The only thing wrong with this theory is that Egypt does have an extensive, if not well-documented, history from the time before the pyramids. The luxurious tombs, colossal statues and the rest were built over a period of several thousand years.” (Pg. 113)
Of Ignatius Donnelly’s theories about Atlantis, he comments, “he amassed a great deal of evidence which is impressive from its sheer volume, and much of it can be neither proved or disproved…. Donnelly’s book is entertaining and, on first reading, very convincing. It isn’t until one looks closely at the details that one realizes on that a thing support he has constructed his theory.” (Pg. 138)
He says of astrology, “Although there is no scientific basis for astrology, and no logical reason to assume that the position in the night sky of great balls of mud or gas millions of miles away form us has any effect on human affairs, the enthusiasm for astrology continues unabated around the world.” (Pg. 168)
Of the Roswell ‘crashed saucer’ story, he reports, “The Air Force now admits that it was hiding something about the Roswell crash, but the truth the Air Force admits is not the truth UFO believers want to hear… the Air Force was conducting a top-secret program code-named Project Mogul… It was one of these secret balloons, the Air Force believes, that crashed… I think that finding real aliens in a crashed alien spaceship would be the most important story of the past 2,000 years. The number of people who would have known about it… would have been too large to keep such a secret all these years. Instead of one or two people with dubious claims, we would have had a dozen people with detailed stories---some probably with photographs.” (Pg. 283)
Of the Loch Ness Monster, he comments, “sightings of Nessie have continued, and other pictures, less clear but intriguing nevertheless, have been made showing strange phenomena on the loch. In the 1970s, a team of scientists took sonar and flash pictures with underwater cameras and caught fuzzy images of long-necked creatures 20 to 30 feet long.” (Pg. 317)
He says of the Patterson film of Bigfoot, “In 1967, Bigfoot enthusiasts Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin took a short movie, about five or six seconds’ worth, of what they claimed was a Bigfoot sighting. The creature in the film is definitely not an animal. Whether it is a Bigfoot or a man in a funny suit is still being debated.” (Pg. 325)
This survey will be of interest for those looking for a non-credulous overview of such stories and phenomena.
March 9, 2009
Quite interesting book but towards the end it became boring. Maybe it was just me, who got tired of unsolved mysteries...who knows?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews