1 00:00:01,166 --> 00:00:03,000 Coming up on Expedition Files. 2 00:00:03,867 --> 00:00:06,367 A knight discovers a sacred cloth 3 00:00:06,367 --> 00:00:07,734 in the 14th century 4 00:00:07,734 --> 00:00:12,433 that people believe could be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. 5 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:15,967 Now, 600 years later, 6 00:00:15,967 --> 00:00:18,467 recent scientific analysis may tell us 7 00:00:18,467 --> 00:00:21,500 if it's truly a relic from a higher power. 8 00:00:22,467 --> 00:00:26,367 In the 1800s, a photographer rises to fame and fortune 9 00:00:26,367 --> 00:00:27,600 because of his ability 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,133 to capture pictures of ghosts. 11 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,600 Could new evidence suggest it might actually be true? 12 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,300 And we investigate a mysterious stone monument 13 00:00:39,300 --> 00:00:41,533 erected in Elberton, Georgia, 14 00:00:42,367 --> 00:00:44,000 to find out who the mastermind 15 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,000 behind this explosive structure could be. 16 00:00:51,500 --> 00:00:53,300 In the corridors of time, 17 00:00:55,500 --> 00:00:58,433 are mysteries that defy explanation. 18 00:00:59,867 --> 00:01:03,900 Now I'm traveling through history itself. 19 00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,233 On a search for the truth. 20 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:11,500 New evidence. 21 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,600 Shocking answers. 22 00:01:16,266 --> 00:01:17,500 I'm Josh Gates 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,400 and these are my... 24 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:23,834 [Josh reading] 25 00:01:27,367 --> 00:01:29,000 My adventures have taken me 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,567 to over 100 countries, 27 00:01:30,567 --> 00:01:32,166 And along the way I've collected 28 00:01:32,166 --> 00:01:34,967 an impressive assortment of cultural objects. 29 00:01:34,967 --> 00:01:37,400 And I'm not talking about key chains or snow globes, 30 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,700 but my office trinkets have nothing 31 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:42,000 on the three extraordinary items 32 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,400 we're examining tonight. 33 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,200 Objects that have captivated 34 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,066 and confused humanity for centuries. 35 00:01:48,066 --> 00:01:51,300 From a controversial imprint of a divine figure, 36 00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:53,867 to photographs said to capture ghosts 37 00:01:53,867 --> 00:01:55,266 and a circle of stones 38 00:01:55,266 --> 00:01:57,100 that were mysteriously created 39 00:01:57,100 --> 00:01:59,467 and then mysteriously destroyed. 40 00:01:59,467 --> 00:02:02,100 Each relic faces the same question. 41 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:05,800 What is the true story of this extraordinary object? 42 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,667 And we begin in the year 1354. 43 00:02:08,667 --> 00:02:11,000 Inside the awe inspiring nave 44 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,667 of the Lirey Church in France. 45 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:16,166 And I'm here because legendary crusader 46 00:02:16,166 --> 00:02:19,367 Geoffroi de Charnay is returning from the Middle East 47 00:02:19,367 --> 00:02:21,000 with what will become perhaps 48 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,667 the world's most famous 49 00:02:22,667 --> 00:02:24,700 or infamous holy relic, 50 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,467 The Shroud of Turin 51 00:02:26,467 --> 00:02:30,266 the cloth said to wrap Jesus body after he died, 52 00:02:30,266 --> 00:02:32,734 capturing the imprint of his face. 53 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:35,266 In the centuries that follow 54 00:02:35,266 --> 00:02:37,100 this discovery by Geoffroi, 55 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:40,300 controversy will swirl around the shroud. 56 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:42,166 Many will claim it's fake 57 00:02:42,166 --> 00:02:44,367 created to promote Christianity. 58 00:02:44,367 --> 00:02:46,367 Others aren't certain it's real. 59 00:02:46,367 --> 00:02:50,367 Offering irrefutable evidence of Jesus and his resurrection. 60 00:02:50,367 --> 00:02:51,800 So who's right? 61 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,467 Well, the latest advances in technology 62 00:02:54,467 --> 00:02:56,700 may finally provide the answer. 63 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:06,600 [Josh] The first recorded encounter 64 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,400 with the shroud comes in the year... 65 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,000 [Josh reading] 66 00:03:23,100 --> 00:03:24,867 It is believed French knight 67 00:03:24,867 --> 00:03:27,667 Geoffroi de Charnay discovers the fabric. 68 00:03:27,667 --> 00:03:29,567 When the Knights Templar journey 69 00:03:29,567 --> 00:03:30,767 through Constantinople, 70 00:03:30,767 --> 00:03:33,433 during the 14th century crusades. 71 00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:37,000 The night finds a burial cloth 72 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,700 among the treasures of a Byzantine emperor. 73 00:03:40,367 --> 00:03:42,166 When de Charnay looks closer, 74 00:03:42,166 --> 00:03:44,200 he's overcome with emotion 75 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,100 because the faint image of the man 76 00:03:46,100 --> 00:03:49,767 embedded in the fabric looks like Jesus Christ. 77 00:03:49,767 --> 00:03:51,300 De Charnay wonders, 78 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:54,700 "Is this the burial shroud for the son of God?" 79 00:03:58,567 --> 00:03:59,900 After Christ's death, 80 00:03:59,900 --> 00:04:03,300 the Bible describes how he is prepared for burial. 81 00:04:05,467 --> 00:04:07,967 His body is first cleansed, 82 00:04:07,967 --> 00:04:11,533 then anointed with aloe and expensive perfumes. 83 00:04:15,166 --> 00:04:17,667 He is then wrapped in a white linen 84 00:04:17,667 --> 00:04:21,233 that's covered with resin to hold it close to the flesh. 85 00:04:23,266 --> 00:04:25,266 Embalmed in the burial shroud. 86 00:04:25,266 --> 00:04:27,900 Jesus is laid to rest in a tomb. 87 00:04:32,500 --> 00:04:35,900 When de Charnay inspects the shroud for more clues, 88 00:04:35,900 --> 00:04:38,400 he spots blood stains on the fabric, 89 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,967 like the wounds Jesus allegedly suffered 90 00:04:40,967 --> 00:04:42,467 during his crucifixion. 91 00:04:42,467 --> 00:04:44,033 Holes in his wrists, 92 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,533 a lance wound to his side. 93 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,600 And puncture wounds to his forehead. 94 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:53,467 To de Charnay this is more than mere coincidence. 95 00:04:53,467 --> 00:04:56,767 The knight is convinced this is the burial shroud, 96 00:04:56,767 --> 00:04:58,166 which enveloped the bloody, 97 00:04:58,166 --> 00:05:01,000 crucified body of Jesus Christ. 98 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,066 Geoffroi spirits the fabric out of Constantinople, 99 00:05:04,066 --> 00:05:05,767 to Lirey Church in France, 100 00:05:05,767 --> 00:05:08,900 believing he has recovered the holiest relic 101 00:05:08,900 --> 00:05:10,734 in all of Christianity. 102 00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:18,000 Despite doubts about the fabric's authenticity, 103 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,867 thousands of Christians make the pilgrimage to view 104 00:05:20,867 --> 00:05:23,467 what they believe is the image of Jesus. 105 00:05:23,467 --> 00:05:27,667 But in 1532, a fire nearly destroys it. 106 00:05:27,667 --> 00:05:29,500 The flames are so hot that it melts 107 00:05:29,500 --> 00:05:33,000 part of the silver container where the shroud is kept. 108 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,266 The sacred relic is then moved to the safety 109 00:05:35,266 --> 00:05:38,166 of the Catholic Church's Turin Cathedral. 110 00:05:38,166 --> 00:05:40,900 Where it becomes known as the Turin Shroud. 111 00:05:41,467 --> 00:05:43,667 For the next 400 years, 112 00:05:43,667 --> 00:05:45,100 scholars around the world 113 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:47,467 are captivated by one question. 114 00:05:47,467 --> 00:05:49,900 Is the shroud real or fake? 115 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:51,600 In the 1980s, 116 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,667 advances in radiocarbon dating technology, 117 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:57,967 give Vatican officials the opportunity to confirm 118 00:05:57,967 --> 00:06:01,266 the shroud's authenticity once and for all. 119 00:06:01,266 --> 00:06:03,800 Scientists get permission to remove a piece 120 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,700 of the shroud's fabric for carbon 14 testing. 121 00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:11,667 Will the ancient mystery of the shroud finally be solved. 122 00:06:11,667 --> 00:06:14,266 On October 13th, 1988, 123 00:06:14,266 --> 00:06:16,567 at a press conference at the British Museum, 124 00:06:16,567 --> 00:06:18,567 The world learns the truth. 125 00:06:18,567 --> 00:06:21,500 Radiocarbon dating conducted on the fabric sample 126 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:23,266 indicates the shroud was created 127 00:06:23,266 --> 00:06:27,000 between 1260-1390 AD. 128 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,800 That's over 1200 years after the death of Jesus. 129 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,400 For the faithful, the results call into question 130 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,367 the authenticity of the artifact. 131 00:06:35,367 --> 00:06:39,100 Yet for others, the findings raise an intriguing question. 132 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:40,200 If it's not Jesus, 133 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,900 who is the mysterious figure depicted on the shroud? 134 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,100 Some have argued that the shroud, in fact, 135 00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:52,967 captures a soldier from the late Crusades. 136 00:06:52,967 --> 00:06:55,266 Who was crucified in the same manner 137 00:06:55,266 --> 00:06:58,266 as Jesus centuries after he died. 138 00:06:58,266 --> 00:06:59,867 This was said to have been done 139 00:06:59,867 --> 00:07:02,300 to warn off Christian invaders. 140 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:03,467 If you come to the Holy Land, 141 00:07:03,467 --> 00:07:07,600 you will suffer the same fate as your Lord Jesus. 142 00:07:11,667 --> 00:07:14,767 And there were even more sensational theories. 143 00:07:14,767 --> 00:07:16,166 Some scholars have proposed 144 00:07:16,166 --> 00:07:17,600 that the shroud was made by 145 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,467 artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, 146 00:07:20,467 --> 00:07:22,667 asserting the face in the shroud 147 00:07:22,667 --> 00:07:24,800 perfectly matches the one depicted 148 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,767 in Da Vinci's famous painting, 149 00:07:26,767 --> 00:07:28,233 The Salvator Mundi. 150 00:07:31,467 --> 00:07:34,500 But some experts who analyze the ancient artifact 151 00:07:34,500 --> 00:07:38,100 still see compelling signs that the shroud is real. 152 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,700 They claim the evidence can be found 153 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:42,667 in the fabrics markings. 154 00:07:42,667 --> 00:07:44,867 Close inspection of the shroud reveals 155 00:07:44,867 --> 00:07:47,400 the image is embedded in the fibers. 156 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:49,166 Not painted on the surface. 157 00:07:49,166 --> 00:07:52,000 Which would likely appear in a forgery. 158 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,700 Some have argued that the image 159 00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:55,667 is impossible to replicate. 160 00:07:55,667 --> 00:07:58,467 And was likely created by a powerful burst 161 00:07:58,467 --> 00:08:01,967 of ultraviolet light, or electromagnetic radiation. 162 00:08:01,967 --> 00:08:04,767 Beyond the capabilities of any technology 163 00:08:04,767 --> 00:08:06,233 at the time of Christ. 164 00:08:08,266 --> 00:08:10,300 Experts demand new tests 165 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:14,433 to confirm or dispute the 1988 radiocarbon dating. 166 00:08:15,066 --> 00:08:17,400 Yet the Vatican refuses to provide 167 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,400 any more access to the shroud. 168 00:08:19,767 --> 00:08:21,166 Could one of the most 169 00:08:21,166 --> 00:08:23,900 powerful religious organizations on earth, 170 00:08:23,900 --> 00:08:25,133 be hiding something. 171 00:08:26,867 --> 00:08:30,667 In 2022, archeologist William Meacham 172 00:08:30,667 --> 00:08:34,100 discovers five pieces of fabric cut from the shroud 173 00:08:34,100 --> 00:08:36,300 during the 1988 testing. 174 00:08:36,300 --> 00:08:37,700 And submits the strands 175 00:08:37,700 --> 00:08:39,700 to the stable Isotopes laboratory. 176 00:08:39,700 --> 00:08:41,700 At the University of Hong Kong. 177 00:08:43,066 --> 00:08:45,567 Testing the composition of the strands 178 00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:47,800 can uncover their geographic origin, 179 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:49,767 determining exactly where 180 00:08:49,767 --> 00:08:51,867 in the world the shroud came from. 181 00:08:51,867 --> 00:08:53,700 And when the results are revealed, 182 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:55,100 they are stunning. 183 00:08:55,700 --> 00:08:57,266 Historian Joe Marino, 184 00:08:57,266 --> 00:08:59,767 one of the foremost experts on the shroud, 185 00:08:59,767 --> 00:09:02,233 has studied the isotopic results. 186 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:05,800 [Joe] This test was one of the most compelling 187 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,700 pieces of evidence I've seen, 188 00:09:07,700 --> 00:09:10,567 especially for the 20th and 21st century. 189 00:09:10,567 --> 00:09:12,967 The reason is because the Shroud of Turin 190 00:09:12,967 --> 00:09:14,767 is made of flax fibers, 191 00:09:14,767 --> 00:09:17,467 an isotope testing can indicate 192 00:09:17,467 --> 00:09:20,567 where the flax had originally been grown. 193 00:09:20,567 --> 00:09:23,166 And the results revealed 194 00:09:23,166 --> 00:09:25,400 that it came from Israel, Lebanon 195 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,600 and are the western parts of Syria. 196 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:28,900 So when I saw the results, 197 00:09:28,900 --> 00:09:32,233 I was just absolutely captivated. 198 00:09:33,567 --> 00:09:36,300 [Josh] For believers, this is the best news possible. 199 00:09:36,300 --> 00:09:38,467 The shroud comes from the same place 200 00:09:38,467 --> 00:09:40,400 that Jesus lived and died. 201 00:09:41,567 --> 00:09:45,100 And groundbreaking new findings might finally provide 202 00:09:45,100 --> 00:09:48,133 the identity of the image on the shroud. 203 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,367 [Josh] For centuries, The Shroud of Turin has inspired millions, 204 00:09:57,367 --> 00:10:00,667 while also inspiring a tantalizing question. 205 00:10:00,667 --> 00:10:01,700 Is it real? 206 00:10:02,567 --> 00:10:04,200 New scientific findings 207 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,000 may confirm that the shroud 208 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,200 came from the same place where Jesus was buried. 209 00:10:10,967 --> 00:10:13,800 But even if the shroud was made in the Holy Land, 210 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,667 carbon 14 testing indicates 211 00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:18,300 the fabric was created over a thousand years 212 00:10:18,300 --> 00:10:19,634 after Christ's death. 213 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,500 However, Joe Marino, 214 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:23,300 believes there are major flaws 215 00:10:23,300 --> 00:10:26,967 with the 1988 radiocarbon test results. 216 00:10:26,967 --> 00:10:29,166 I felt that something had to be wrong 217 00:10:29,166 --> 00:10:32,166 with that carbon 14 test 'cause it just did not match 218 00:10:32,166 --> 00:10:33,700 the other data it accumulated. 219 00:10:34,367 --> 00:10:37,100 And in all scientific experiments, 220 00:10:37,467 --> 00:10:39,367 when a test is done, 221 00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:42,767 labs are supposed to release what's called the raw data, 222 00:10:42,767 --> 00:10:46,700 meaning all the data that they worked with 223 00:10:46,700 --> 00:10:49,333 and what they used to come to their conclusions. 224 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:53,400 People asked the British Museum 225 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,500 for the raw data, but they wouldn't release it. 226 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:59,867 Even more intriguing, recent analysis of bacteria 227 00:10:59,867 --> 00:11:02,767 found on the shroud may raise further questions 228 00:11:02,767 --> 00:11:05,900 about the accuracy of the carbon-14 dating 229 00:11:07,567 --> 00:11:09,066 [Joe] If the shroud is authentic 230 00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:12,166 it's been in the open for approximately 231 00:11:12,166 --> 00:11:14,600 2000 years and obviously would 232 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,400 accumulate a lot of debris on it 233 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,700 and environmental factors. 234 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:22,767 Mold, mildew, skin cells 235 00:11:22,767 --> 00:11:26,667 so it's not really well suited for carbon 14. 236 00:11:26,667 --> 00:11:29,467 And the dating of the linen could be 237 00:11:29,467 --> 00:11:31,266 a thousand years off. 238 00:11:31,266 --> 00:11:33,166 [Josh] And photographic analysis 239 00:11:33,166 --> 00:11:35,767 of the shroud dating back to 1978 240 00:11:35,767 --> 00:11:39,500 provides even more possible evidence of its authenticity. 241 00:11:39,500 --> 00:11:42,467 [Joe] When the scientists put the picture 242 00:11:42,467 --> 00:11:44,400 of the face and the image analyzer, 243 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,800 they saw over both eyes what appeared to be 244 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:49,266 buttons or possible coins. 245 00:11:49,266 --> 00:11:52,567 And the coins were used in Jewish burial customs 246 00:11:52,567 --> 00:11:55,000 of that period in which Jesus lived 247 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,300 and they would put coins on the eyes, 248 00:11:57,300 --> 00:11:59,300 so they keep them from seeing 249 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:01,867 the afterlife until they got there. 250 00:12:01,867 --> 00:12:04,000 [Josh] Further analysis of the shroud images 251 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,500 reveals the coins placed over the eyes 252 00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:08,700 are pilate leptons. 253 00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:13,500 Small bronze coins minted only between 29 and 32 AD, 254 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:15,500 linking the artifacts to the era 255 00:12:15,500 --> 00:12:19,100 in which Jesus is believed to have lived and died. 256 00:12:19,100 --> 00:12:22,166 Jesus was believed to be by most scholars, 257 00:12:22,166 --> 00:12:26,667 to have been crucified in either 30 or 33. 258 00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:30,433 So the fact that this coin is actually there 259 00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:33,000 and it was in use at the time. 260 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,000 That's I mean, that's about as much evidence as you could get 261 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 that the shroud could be authentic. 262 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,166 You know, if I were a betting man, 263 00:12:41,166 --> 00:12:45,634 I'd bet every dollar I ever had and ever will have that it's authentic. 264 00:12:59,567 --> 00:13:02,266 After all this new evidence, many feel validated 265 00:13:02,266 --> 00:13:04,567 that the shroud is the real deal. 266 00:13:04,567 --> 00:13:07,500 Has science really come to the rescue of belief? 267 00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:09,300 Well, not so fast. 268 00:13:09,300 --> 00:13:11,800 Critics would argue that the radiocarbon dating 269 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,100 undertaken in the 80s 270 00:13:13,100 --> 00:13:15,133 was comprehensive and accurate. 271 00:13:16,066 --> 00:13:18,400 And even if the shroud is genuine, 272 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:20,600 it raises another question. 273 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,700 Is this what Jesus even looked like? 274 00:13:23,700 --> 00:13:25,767 Historical and archeological evidence. 275 00:13:25,767 --> 00:13:28,300 suggests that someone from that region 276 00:13:28,300 --> 00:13:31,266 at that time may have looked very different 277 00:13:31,266 --> 00:13:34,700 from the image we've come to associate with Christ. 278 00:13:36,467 --> 00:13:39,367 After almost a thousand years of controversy, 279 00:13:39,367 --> 00:13:42,066 perhaps the only thing we can truly be certain of 280 00:13:42,066 --> 00:13:44,100 is that the debate between Holy Relic 281 00:13:44,100 --> 00:13:47,133 or holy hoax, is sure to continue. 282 00:13:52,467 --> 00:13:54,800 Welcome to the trial of the century. 283 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,700 The 19th century, that is. 284 00:13:57,567 --> 00:13:59,300 It is 1969, 285 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:01,800 and that man on the stand is fighting for his life. 286 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:05,133 Or actually, maybe afterlife would be more appropriate. 287 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:07,100 He is William Mumler, 288 00:14:07,100 --> 00:14:10,567 a photographer, and his pictures have captivated America 289 00:14:10,567 --> 00:14:14,567 because he swears he's able to photograph ghosts. 290 00:14:14,567 --> 00:14:17,800 Today, the state of New York is prosecuting him as a fraud. 291 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,000 But Mumler will vow to the very end 292 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,734 that his photos are real. 293 00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:25,767 So could he really have been 294 00:14:25,767 --> 00:14:27,667 the paparazzi of the paranormal? 295 00:14:27,667 --> 00:14:29,367 Well, in the 150 years since, 296 00:14:29,367 --> 00:14:30,600 many have struggled 297 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,100 to replicate his remarkable images. 298 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:35,367 Now, we can reveal new insights 299 00:14:35,367 --> 00:14:37,066 that explain the true story 300 00:14:37,066 --> 00:14:40,700 of William Mumler and his photographic phantoms. 301 00:14:53,667 --> 00:14:56,767 Our story really begins. eight years earlier. 302 00:14:56,767 --> 00:14:58,567 It's 1861, 303 00:14:58,567 --> 00:15:01,266 and Mumler the owner of a Boston based 304 00:15:01,266 --> 00:15:02,767 engraving studio, 305 00:15:02,767 --> 00:15:05,400 has dipped his toe into family portraiture. 306 00:15:07,266 --> 00:15:09,867 Taking pictures is not the take it for granted. 307 00:15:09,867 --> 00:15:11,367 Pull out your smartphone 308 00:15:11,367 --> 00:15:13,900 to capture every moment that it is today. 309 00:15:15,867 --> 00:15:17,400 In 1861, 310 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,467 photography is still in its infancy. 311 00:15:20,467 --> 00:15:23,066 The process of taking a single photograph 312 00:15:23,066 --> 00:15:24,266 is labor intensive, 313 00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:27,900 often requiring the subject to sit for several minutes. 314 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:31,467 While the plate or film is exposed to light. 315 00:15:31,467 --> 00:15:35,367 And in this case, the subject is Mumler himself. 316 00:15:35,367 --> 00:15:37,734 Mumler poses for a self-portrait. 317 00:15:38,367 --> 00:15:40,000 And, as the story goes, 318 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:41,667 after developing the plate, 319 00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:44,133 he notices something very strange. 320 00:15:45,166 --> 00:15:47,266 Having been all alone in the studio, 321 00:15:47,266 --> 00:15:49,800 Mumler is amazed to see there 322 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,767 sitting in a chair next to him, 323 00:15:51,767 --> 00:15:53,100 a young girl. 324 00:15:53,700 --> 00:15:55,066 The chair visible 325 00:15:55,066 --> 00:15:57,533 through her almost transparent body. 326 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:02,266 According to Mumler, he's confused. 327 00:16:02,266 --> 00:16:04,266 He thinks he must have made a mistake somehow. 328 00:16:04,266 --> 00:16:06,467 He's just started photography after all. 329 00:16:06,467 --> 00:16:07,667 This isn't even his studio. 330 00:16:07,667 --> 00:16:09,767 It's his girlfriend's Hannah Stuart. 331 00:16:09,767 --> 00:16:11,467 But Hannah isn't confused. 332 00:16:11,467 --> 00:16:14,700 She's fascinated because Hannah deals in the dead. 333 00:16:16,266 --> 00:16:19,867 She's involved in a new religious movement called spiritualism 334 00:16:19,867 --> 00:16:23,100 that believes the living can interact with the dead. 335 00:16:23,767 --> 00:16:26,000 So when Hannah sees Mumler's photo, 336 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,567 She immediately knows what she's looking at. 337 00:16:28,567 --> 00:16:31,133 The girl in the chair is a spirit. 338 00:16:31,767 --> 00:16:33,767 Mumler looks at it in shock. 339 00:16:33,767 --> 00:16:36,567 Then realizes something remarkable. 340 00:16:36,567 --> 00:16:40,000 The girl does look a lot like his long dead cousin 341 00:16:41,467 --> 00:16:43,000 Through Hannah's contacts, 342 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,100 Mumler's photo gets reprinted 343 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:49,367 in the popular spiritualist publication Banner of Light. 344 00:16:49,367 --> 00:16:51,800 And the community embraces Mumler's photo 345 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,300 as the first picture of a ghost ever captured. 346 00:16:56,567 --> 00:16:59,600 Mumler vows that he can't explain what's happening 347 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,367 and that he's just as astonished as everyone else 348 00:17:02,367 --> 00:17:04,033 by this haunting photo. 349 00:17:05,667 --> 00:17:08,000 Keep in mind that in 1861, 350 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,300 the Civil War is in its bloody beginnings. 351 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:13,667 Thousands of men are dying, 352 00:17:13,667 --> 00:17:16,100 which means many passionately believe 353 00:17:16,100 --> 00:17:17,567 there are thousands of ghosts 354 00:17:17,567 --> 00:17:19,266 that need contacting. 355 00:17:19,266 --> 00:17:23,300 But can Mumler capture additional spirits in his photos? 356 00:17:23,300 --> 00:17:25,367 And will these same ghosts 357 00:17:25,367 --> 00:17:28,400 end up haunting him In the end. 358 00:17:33,967 --> 00:17:35,266 [Josh] In 1861, 359 00:17:35,266 --> 00:17:38,166 as the nation mourns its losses in the Civil War. 360 00:17:38,166 --> 00:17:40,066 Photographer William Mumler 361 00:17:40,066 --> 00:17:41,700 seems to capture the ghost 362 00:17:41,700 --> 00:17:44,266 of a deceased girl with his camera. 363 00:17:44,266 --> 00:17:47,867 He soon discovers that this is a recurring phenomenon, 364 00:17:47,867 --> 00:17:50,300 and after sessions with other customers, 365 00:17:50,300 --> 00:17:51,767 the resulting photos, 366 00:17:51,767 --> 00:17:54,166 continue to reveal the spirit images, 367 00:17:54,166 --> 00:17:57,100 of people's dead relations. 368 00:17:57,100 --> 00:17:59,100 Word of Mumler's amazing ability 369 00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:02,266 to connect with the dead spreads like wildfire. 370 00:18:02,266 --> 00:18:04,166 Suddenly there are lines out the door 371 00:18:04,166 --> 00:18:06,700 at Hannah Stuart's little photography shop. 372 00:18:08,467 --> 00:18:12,600 Mumler is able to replicate his process again and again, 373 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:17,033 capturing so called spirits for customer after customer. 374 00:18:17,667 --> 00:18:20,066 With business booming, Mumler charges 375 00:18:20,066 --> 00:18:22,700 an outrageous $10 per photo, 376 00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:25,300 or about $350 today. 377 00:18:25,867 --> 00:18:27,300 Mumler is becoming rich. 378 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:29,300 And as the most famous spirit 379 00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:30,500 photographer in the world, 380 00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:32,567 it starts putting him in touch 381 00:18:32,567 --> 00:18:34,400 with higher class customers. 382 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,900 As William Mumler's business grows, 383 00:18:38,900 --> 00:18:40,500 so does spiritualism, 384 00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:42,767 the movement that embraces him. 385 00:18:42,767 --> 00:18:45,900 But spiritualism does have its detractors. 386 00:18:47,100 --> 00:18:49,867 Particularly Christianity. 387 00:18:49,867 --> 00:18:51,700 Many Christians are horrified 388 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:54,867 by who they view as godless spiritualists. 389 00:18:54,867 --> 00:18:56,266 And are determined to prove 390 00:18:56,266 --> 00:18:58,834 that men like Mumler are frauds. 391 00:19:00,266 --> 00:19:02,700 One person that tries to debunk Mumler 392 00:19:02,700 --> 00:19:05,767 is expert photographer James Wallace Black. 393 00:19:05,767 --> 00:19:09,000 But when Black arrives at the studio to investigate, 394 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:10,567 Mumler is all too happy 395 00:19:10,567 --> 00:19:13,300 to allow Black to observe his process. 396 00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:15,066 He has nothing to hide. 397 00:19:15,066 --> 00:19:16,967 As he takes Black's photograph, 398 00:19:16,967 --> 00:19:18,367 he shows him the plate. 399 00:19:18,367 --> 00:19:21,400 And includes him in every step of the process. 400 00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:23,467 [Black] So you're using mercury 401 00:19:23,467 --> 00:19:25,000 in your development process? 402 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:26,367 [Mumler] Helps develop the highlights. 403 00:19:26,367 --> 00:19:27,934 And that's where I find the ghosts. 404 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,000 [Josh] Upon developing the photograph, 405 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:32,867 Mumler lets Black watch 406 00:19:32,867 --> 00:19:37,200 as a translucent figure appears in all its ghostly glory. 407 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,433 Next to the bewildered expert. 408 00:19:40,266 --> 00:19:42,567 Even the people trying to discredit him 409 00:19:42,567 --> 00:19:44,900 be grudgingly begin to admit 410 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:46,800 that he may be the real deal. 411 00:19:49,266 --> 00:19:51,100 All the while, Mumler swears 412 00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:52,767 that he has nothing to hide. 413 00:19:52,767 --> 00:19:55,166 He claims to simply remove the lens cap 414 00:19:55,166 --> 00:19:56,567 and expose the photo. 415 00:19:56,567 --> 00:19:59,367 Having no other insight into the miraculous results, 416 00:19:59,367 --> 00:20:02,100 that appear on his photographic plate. 417 00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:05,367 But then Mumler starts to take things further. 418 00:20:05,367 --> 00:20:09,100 A visit to his studio is no longer just point and shoot. 419 00:20:09,100 --> 00:20:13,567 It now also includes a seance to summon the spirits. 420 00:20:13,567 --> 00:20:16,266 At an extra cost to his customers. 421 00:20:16,266 --> 00:20:19,166 If a ghost shows up, it may announce its presence 422 00:20:19,166 --> 00:20:22,133 by rapping on a table, wall or floor. 423 00:20:22,767 --> 00:20:24,867 Sometimes the camera levitates. 424 00:20:24,867 --> 00:20:29,667 Or a table tips over the customers completely buy into it. 425 00:20:29,667 --> 00:20:33,600 But the spiritualists who supported him start to turn on him. 426 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:35,467 Smelling a possible huckster. 427 00:20:35,467 --> 00:20:38,000 Who makes their whole movement seem fake. 428 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:39,767 Mumler doesn't care if he's lost 429 00:20:39,767 --> 00:20:41,700 the support of the spiritualists. 430 00:20:41,700 --> 00:20:45,400 Everyone's efforts to prove that he's a fraud has so far failed. 431 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,100 Plus, he's made a pile of money. 432 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:48,600 But there is one problem. 433 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,367 Mumler is running out of customers in Boston. 434 00:20:51,367 --> 00:20:55,100 All the bad publicity is taking its toll. 435 00:20:55,100 --> 00:20:58,300 So William and his now wife, Hannah Stuart Mumler, 436 00:20:58,300 --> 00:21:02,133 leave Boston behind and set up shop in New York City. 437 00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:07,533 And are immediately the toast of the town. 438 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,600 [Stuart] Thank you so much for coming, right this way. 439 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,800 [Josh] The hoi polloi flood to the new studio, 440 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:19,367 and Mumler churns out one ghost photograph after another. 441 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:21,367 [Stuart] Okay. This could take some time. 442 00:21:21,367 --> 00:21:24,967 So you want to sit very still and sit up? 443 00:21:24,967 --> 00:21:27,166 [Josh] But Mumler's prolific output attracts 444 00:21:27,166 --> 00:21:30,367 the ire of New York's mayor, Abraham Oakey. 445 00:21:30,367 --> 00:21:34,100 whose political opponents are mostly spiritualists. 446 00:21:34,100 --> 00:21:36,000 Nothing would make Oakey happier 447 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,600 than to reveal the spiritualist community 448 00:21:38,900 --> 00:21:40,033 as charlatans. 449 00:21:41,367 --> 00:21:43,066 [Stuart] Sir, we're ready for you. 450 00:21:43,066 --> 00:21:45,467 [Josh] It's not long before a sting is set up. 451 00:21:45,467 --> 00:21:48,667 An NYPD Officer J.H. Tooker 452 00:21:48,667 --> 00:21:51,800 drops by Mumler's studio undercover. 453 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,166 Mumler photographs Tooker and claims 454 00:21:54,166 --> 00:21:55,867 that the ghost appearing next to him 455 00:21:55,867 --> 00:21:58,667 is the policeman's father in law. 456 00:21:58,667 --> 00:22:01,967 Not recognizing the apparition as his father in law, 457 00:22:01,967 --> 00:22:04,367 Tooker arrests Mumler on the spot, 458 00:22:04,367 --> 00:22:06,300 charging him with fraud. 459 00:22:06,300 --> 00:22:09,266 Suddenly, Mumler's entire life is at stake. 460 00:22:09,266 --> 00:22:11,166 He's now accused of being a fake 461 00:22:11,166 --> 00:22:13,967 by the legal system and facing prison. 462 00:22:13,967 --> 00:22:17,300 Which brings us to April 21st, 1869 463 00:22:17,300 --> 00:22:18,667 when the trial begins. 464 00:22:18,667 --> 00:22:22,567 The prosecution needs to prove that the ghosts in Mumler's photos 465 00:22:22,567 --> 00:22:25,900 are entirely created by the photographer. 466 00:22:25,900 --> 00:22:28,100 But when Tooker takes the stand, 467 00:22:28,100 --> 00:22:29,567 he is forced to admit 468 00:22:29,567 --> 00:22:31,500 that he never met his father in law. 469 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:34,767 And so there is a possibility that it's him. 470 00:22:34,767 --> 00:22:36,967 The trial is a circus 471 00:22:36,967 --> 00:22:40,066 and becomes more so when the renowned promoter of hoaxes, 472 00:22:40,066 --> 00:22:43,700 P. T. Barnum, testifies against Mumler. 473 00:22:43,700 --> 00:22:46,000 But Barnum's testimony falls apart 474 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,600 when he can't definitively confirm that Mumler's ghosts 475 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,266 are made using fraudulent techniques. 476 00:22:52,266 --> 00:22:56,100 Others testify against Mumler also saying that he's a fraud, 477 00:22:56,100 --> 00:22:58,700 but no one can prove how he did it. 478 00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:01,700 So the jury finds him not guilty. 479 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,967 On May 5th, 1869 480 00:23:04,967 --> 00:23:06,767 William Mumler walks free. 481 00:23:06,767 --> 00:23:10,367 The city of New York has not been able to disprove 482 00:23:10,367 --> 00:23:13,600 that he is a bona fide photographer of ghosts. 483 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:16,100 But it isn't a complete victory for Mumler, 484 00:23:16,100 --> 00:23:18,900 as the trial has left him in financial ruin 485 00:23:18,900 --> 00:23:21,500 and his reputation is destroyed. 486 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:25,100 He's forced to close up his shop and return to Boston. 487 00:23:25,100 --> 00:23:30,300 By 1879, Mumler stops taking spirit photographs altogether. 488 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:32,667 Not long after his wife leaves him, 489 00:23:32,667 --> 00:23:36,734 and he dies in 1884, destitute and alone. 490 00:23:37,567 --> 00:23:40,667 So what's the truth behind Mumler's methods? 491 00:23:40,667 --> 00:23:42,967 Did he perpetrate a massive fraud? 492 00:23:42,967 --> 00:23:45,600 Or can the impossible really be true? 493 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:47,100 Were the ghosts real? 494 00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:50,800 Now some picture perfect insights may explain it all. 495 00:23:56,166 --> 00:23:57,800 [Josh] At the dawn of photography, 496 00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,500 William Mumler becomes instantly famous 497 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:01,467 for photographing ghosts, 498 00:24:01,467 --> 00:24:04,767 but no one was able to explain how he did it. 499 00:24:04,767 --> 00:24:06,967 Now, 150 years later, 500 00:24:06,967 --> 00:24:09,400 historian Brandon Hodge, who has studied 501 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:11,600 the spiritual movement extensively, 502 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,200 believes he can explain how Mumler 503 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,400 was able to pull this off with his clients, 504 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,567 both emotionally and practically. 505 00:24:19,567 --> 00:24:21,867 [Brandon] Mumler was able to fool the nation 506 00:24:21,867 --> 00:24:25,500 because he engaged in some subtle sleight of hand. 507 00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:28,500 And this was in a day and age when communion with spirits 508 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:30,500 was thought to be not only possible 509 00:24:30,500 --> 00:24:33,000 but practical through the spiritualist movement. 510 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,600 Mumler's photography comes at a crucial time 511 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,767 when spiritualists are seeking to claim 512 00:24:38,767 --> 00:24:40,767 a sort of scientific legitimacy. 513 00:24:40,767 --> 00:24:42,767 And Mumler's results are able to provide 514 00:24:42,767 --> 00:24:45,367 what they think is tangible evidence of that. 515 00:24:45,367 --> 00:24:48,100 At a time when the nation is already in deep 516 00:24:48,100 --> 00:24:50,867 mourning with the American Civil War, 517 00:24:50,867 --> 00:24:54,000 And so this was just seen as yet further proof 518 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,934 of the validity of the spiritualist claims. 519 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,166 But even if Mumler was fraudulently taking advantage 520 00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:03,367 of people's desperation to believe, 521 00:25:03,367 --> 00:25:06,066 It doesn't explain how he tricked the masses, 522 00:25:06,066 --> 00:25:09,100 including leading photography experts. 523 00:25:09,100 --> 00:25:12,967 James Wallace Black, himself a famous photographer in his own right. 524 00:25:12,967 --> 00:25:15,600 He was unable at the end to explain 525 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,500 how the image had appeared on film. 526 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:21,700 While Mumler's exact methods were never conclusively proven. 527 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,266 During these long exposure times, 528 00:25:24,266 --> 00:25:25,467 one of Mumler's methods 529 00:25:25,467 --> 00:25:28,467 may have been pre exposure of the plate. 530 00:25:28,467 --> 00:25:30,467 Where only brief exposure of a subject, 531 00:25:30,467 --> 00:25:32,967 possibly dressed in a shroud or as a ghost 532 00:25:32,967 --> 00:25:34,900 would be exposed to the plate. 533 00:25:35,867 --> 00:25:39,000 That plate would then be set aside, 534 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,867 and when the next subject arrived, 535 00:25:40,867 --> 00:25:42,300 it would be inserted 536 00:25:43,700 --> 00:25:44,700 And once the subjects sat 537 00:25:44,700 --> 00:25:47,400 for several minutes for their own exposure, 538 00:25:48,100 --> 00:25:50,100 the end result would show them 539 00:25:50,100 --> 00:25:53,133 fully formed as well as this ghostly image. 540 00:25:54,767 --> 00:25:57,166 It's incredible to think Mumler's talents 541 00:25:57,166 --> 00:25:59,567 may have been less spiritual, medium 542 00:25:59,567 --> 00:26:01,100 and more street magician. 543 00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:04,000 A street magician taking advantage of a grieving nation, 544 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,300 But is it fair to write off Mumler so completely. 545 00:26:07,300 --> 00:26:08,567 For instance, 546 00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:12,667 consider this photograph, which William Mumler took in 1872. 547 00:26:12,667 --> 00:26:15,166 For someone who gave the name Mrs. Lindahl, 548 00:26:15,166 --> 00:26:16,867 Mumler took her picture, 549 00:26:16,867 --> 00:26:18,900 and it was only after developing it. 550 00:26:18,900 --> 00:26:21,567 That he realized she had given a fake name. 551 00:26:21,567 --> 00:26:24,667 Mrs. Lindahl was in fact, Mary Todd Lincoln. 552 00:26:24,667 --> 00:26:26,567 And if Mumler really didn't know that, 553 00:26:26,567 --> 00:26:28,667 how did this very familiar figure 554 00:26:28,667 --> 00:26:31,200 appear behind the former first lady. 555 00:26:31,567 --> 00:26:32,967 Chills anyone? 556 00:26:32,967 --> 00:26:35,200 Whatever you may think about Mumler's methods, 557 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,500 his work really is haunting. 558 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,600 From photographs from the beyond. 559 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:47,266 Our next case file takes us 560 00:26:47,266 --> 00:26:49,834 to a monument that is beyond belief. 561 00:26:50,367 --> 00:26:52,266 It is June 1979, 562 00:26:52,266 --> 00:26:55,100 and I'm standing on five acres of empty farmland. 563 00:26:55,100 --> 00:26:57,000 outside of Elberton, Georgia. 564 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,900 A mystery man has just bought this land for $5000. 565 00:27:00,900 --> 00:27:02,967 He goes by Robert C. Christian, 566 00:27:02,967 --> 00:27:04,800 but that is not his real name. 567 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,367 And he's not a farmer or a rancher, as you might expect, 568 00:27:08,367 --> 00:27:10,000 No, he has much bigger 569 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,266 and stranger plans for this land. 570 00:27:12,266 --> 00:27:14,166 R.C. Christian wants to build 571 00:27:14,166 --> 00:27:16,867 America's Stonehenge, right here. 572 00:27:16,867 --> 00:27:20,400 A huge the granite monument, with ten principles 573 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,100 for the future of humanity carved into it. 574 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:24,567 The monument will be built 575 00:27:24,567 --> 00:27:28,266 and mystery and controversy will surround it for decades. 576 00:27:28,266 --> 00:27:30,767 And now for the very first time, 577 00:27:30,767 --> 00:27:32,300 we can reveal the secrets 578 00:27:32,300 --> 00:27:35,100 of perhaps America's strangest object, 579 00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:39,300 the unsettling monument known as The Georgia Guidestones. 580 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,467 On a late afternoon in June 1979, 581 00:27:49,467 --> 00:27:51,500 a well dressed middle aged man 582 00:27:51,500 --> 00:27:54,567 walks into the Elberton granite finishing company. 583 00:27:54,567 --> 00:27:56,867 With a strange request for the company President 584 00:27:56,867 --> 00:27:58,500 Joe Findlay. 585 00:27:58,500 --> 00:28:01,166 He wants to build a monument, 586 00:28:01,166 --> 00:28:03,500 one that will rival Stonehenge 587 00:28:03,500 --> 00:28:06,100 but with significant differences. 588 00:28:06,100 --> 00:28:08,166 R.C. Christian shows Findley 589 00:28:08,166 --> 00:28:10,467 a scale model of his monument. 590 00:28:10,467 --> 00:28:13,367 He wants it to have messages etched into the stones 591 00:28:13,367 --> 00:28:17,100 to guide humanity on everything from human population 592 00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:19,767 to government, to the use of language. 593 00:28:19,767 --> 00:28:23,867 The messages need to be written in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, 594 00:28:23,867 --> 00:28:26,367 Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi and Swahili. 595 00:28:26,367 --> 00:28:28,900 The world's eight most popular languages, 596 00:28:29,367 --> 00:28:30,800 plus four dead ones. 597 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,166 Babylonian cuneiform, Sanskrit, 598 00:28:33,166 --> 00:28:36,100 classic Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphics. 599 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,066 And like Stonehenge, he also wants the monument 600 00:28:41,066 --> 00:28:43,200 to be an astrological calendar, 601 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,000 tracking the winter and summer solstices 602 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,367 as well as marking the equinoxes 603 00:28:48,367 --> 00:28:49,934 and phases of the moon. 604 00:28:51,767 --> 00:28:54,767 Findley, whose company deals with wholesale orders 605 00:28:54,767 --> 00:28:57,367 of granite for buildings and tombstones, 606 00:28:57,367 --> 00:28:59,100 has never had a request like this, 607 00:28:59,100 --> 00:29:00,767 and he never will again. 608 00:29:00,767 --> 00:29:03,467 After listening to R.C. Christian's plans, 609 00:29:03,467 --> 00:29:05,567 he's convinced the man is crazy. 610 00:29:05,567 --> 00:29:07,967 So to get rid of him, Findley quotes a price 611 00:29:07,967 --> 00:29:09,867 of several hundred thousand dollars. 612 00:29:09,867 --> 00:29:11,867 Christian doesn't bat an eye. 613 00:29:11,867 --> 00:29:13,266 He just pulls out his checkbook 614 00:29:13,266 --> 00:29:15,533 and asks "Who do I make it out to?" 615 00:29:16,266 --> 00:29:17,767 But a check won't do, 616 00:29:17,767 --> 00:29:19,266 and Christian needs to set up 617 00:29:19,266 --> 00:29:21,700 an escrow account at the local bank. 618 00:29:21,700 --> 00:29:25,900 But in order to do this, the Granite City Bank president, Wyatt Martin, 619 00:29:25,900 --> 00:29:29,800 needs R.C. Christian to give him his real name. 620 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,066 Christian agrees after he gets a promise from Wyatt 621 00:29:33,066 --> 00:29:35,266 to never reveal his identity. 622 00:29:35,266 --> 00:29:39,033 Wyatt says he'll take Christian's secret to the grave. 623 00:29:45,467 --> 00:29:48,800 Christian is now ready to build his monument. 624 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:53,967 This structure will consist of six huge pyramid blue granite stones, 625 00:29:53,967 --> 00:29:56,367 and will weigh 120 tons, 626 00:29:56,367 --> 00:29:59,100 about the same as 20 African elephants. 627 00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:00,367 [elephants trumpeting] 628 00:30:00,367 --> 00:30:04,266 R.C. Christian has one last ominous request for the builders. 629 00:30:04,266 --> 00:30:07,567 The monument needs to withstand a cataclysmic event, 630 00:30:07,567 --> 00:30:09,800 like a nuclear explosion. 631 00:30:10,300 --> 00:30:11,834 [objects shattering] 632 00:30:14,467 --> 00:30:18,066 After months of construction, the guide stones are unveiled 633 00:30:18,066 --> 00:30:22,300 to a crowd of hundreds of people and dozens of journalists. 634 00:30:22,300 --> 00:30:25,700 But there is one person that's noticeably missing. 635 00:30:25,700 --> 00:30:30,767 The creator, R.C. Christian, who seems to disappear for good. 636 00:30:30,767 --> 00:30:34,000 But this only adds to the mystery of the Guidestones. 637 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,066 What kind of man spends hundreds 638 00:30:36,066 --> 00:30:38,567 of thousands of dollars building a monument 639 00:30:38,567 --> 00:30:41,567 and then doesn't attend its unveiling? 640 00:30:41,567 --> 00:30:44,667 And while the huge stone structure is impressive, 641 00:30:44,667 --> 00:30:47,467 it's the ten guidelines carved into the granite 642 00:30:47,467 --> 00:30:49,667 that capture the public's attention. 643 00:30:49,667 --> 00:30:53,867 [man] "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature. 644 00:30:53,867 --> 00:30:57,667 Guide reproduction wisely improving fitness and diversity. 645 00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:59,567 Be not a cancer on the earth. 646 00:30:59,567 --> 00:31:01,367 Leave room for nature. 647 00:31:01,367 --> 00:31:03,367 Leave room for nature." 648 00:31:03,367 --> 00:31:07,166 A strange stone monument covered with cryptic messages 649 00:31:07,166 --> 00:31:10,567 written in 12 languages standing in the middle of nowhere. 650 00:31:10,567 --> 00:31:13,266 I don't know about you, but I have a few questions. 651 00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:15,867 Like what is the purpose of the Guidestones? 652 00:31:15,867 --> 00:31:17,867 What exactly do their messages mean? 653 00:31:17,867 --> 00:31:21,000 And why were they erected here of all places? 654 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,867 The one man with the answers is nowhere to be found. 655 00:31:23,867 --> 00:31:27,066 So it's up to investigators, journalists and the public 656 00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:29,800 to interpret the message and find the meaning, 657 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,500 and they argue over it for the next 40 years. 658 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,100 There are several different interpretations 659 00:31:37,100 --> 00:31:39,700 for the principles carved in stone. 660 00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:44,100 Some believe the Guidestones are a plan for rebuilding civilization 661 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:47,500 after a catastrophic event, like nuclear war. 662 00:31:48,667 --> 00:31:51,667 Or perhaps the ten principles are a manifesto 663 00:31:51,667 --> 00:31:54,867 to usher in a new age of reason. 664 00:31:54,867 --> 00:31:59,100 But some believe that the stones showcase a more sinister purpose. 665 00:31:59,100 --> 00:32:04,300 The total control of the world's population by a select few. 666 00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:08,200 The first line of the Guidestones makes a shocking decree. 667 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:11,500 "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 668 00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:14,000 in perpetual balance with nature." 669 00:32:15,266 --> 00:32:17,467 In 1980, the world's population 670 00:32:17,467 --> 00:32:20,467 is already around $4.5 billion. 671 00:32:20,467 --> 00:32:24,367 To achieve the goal of keeping humanity under 500,000,000, 672 00:32:24,367 --> 00:32:28,800 almost 90% of the world's population needs to disappear. 673 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,400 In other words, a mass genocide or extinction event. 674 00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:38,266 The very next line, 675 00:32:38,266 --> 00:32:40,200 "Guide reproduction wisely, 676 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,567 improving fitness and diversity" is equally troubling. 677 00:32:44,567 --> 00:32:47,367 This sounds like an idea known as eugenics. 678 00:32:47,367 --> 00:32:49,200 A favorite of the Nazis 679 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,500 and considered highly unethical by modern society. 680 00:32:54,900 --> 00:32:56,667 And there's the sinister lines, 681 00:32:56,667 --> 00:33:00,100 "Unite humanity with a living new language," 682 00:33:00,100 --> 00:33:02,567 and "Let all nations rule internally, 683 00:33:02,567 --> 00:33:05,867 resolving external disputes in a world court. 684 00:33:05,867 --> 00:33:09,867 Avoid petty laws and useless officials." 685 00:33:09,867 --> 00:33:14,400 These seem to be promoting some kind of unified one-world government. 686 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,367 And this, if you believe the conspiracy theorists, 687 00:33:17,367 --> 00:33:20,800 is the very same goal as fabled sinister organizations 688 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:22,300 like the Illuminati. 689 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,266 For the conspiracy inclined, 690 00:33:25,266 --> 00:33:28,467 the Guidestones aren't a plan for a better life on Earth. 691 00:33:28,467 --> 00:33:30,266 Its ten messages are instructions 692 00:33:30,266 --> 00:33:33,400 for instituting a terrifying New World Order. 693 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,266 One that includes eugenics, depopulation, 694 00:33:36,266 --> 00:33:38,100 and a one-world government, 695 00:33:38,100 --> 00:33:40,867 all in service of a mysterious elite. 696 00:33:40,867 --> 00:33:45,000 It's a decree about the total domination of humanity as we know it. 697 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:49,033 And it's right there, chiseled in granite for all to see. 698 00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:53,166 And the messages written on the Guidestones 699 00:33:53,166 --> 00:33:56,100 seem to have a literary source. 700 00:33:56,100 --> 00:33:59,900 In 1986, a book titled Common Sense Renewed 701 00:33:59,900 --> 00:34:02,867 is sent to every member of Congress. 702 00:34:02,867 --> 00:34:05,800 It expounds on the evils of overpopulation 703 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:08,500 and suggests that having more than one child 704 00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:10,967 should be a punishable crime. 705 00:34:10,967 --> 00:34:12,867 The author listed on the book... 706 00:34:12,867 --> 00:34:15,033 You guessed it, Robert Christian. 707 00:34:15,867 --> 00:34:17,767 With such a controversial creed, 708 00:34:17,767 --> 00:34:19,667 it's not surprising that the monument 709 00:34:19,667 --> 00:34:22,166 becomes a magnet for vandalism. 710 00:34:22,166 --> 00:34:24,767 In 2008, someone spray paints 711 00:34:24,767 --> 00:34:29,066 "Death to the New World Order" on the granite stones. 712 00:34:29,066 --> 00:34:32,867 And in 2014, the FBI is even called in, 713 00:34:32,867 --> 00:34:34,867 to look at incomprehensible markings 714 00:34:34,867 --> 00:34:36,900 scrawled on the monument. 715 00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:41,900 On July 6, 2022, just after 4:00 a.m., 716 00:34:41,900 --> 00:34:46,266 security cameras pick up a shadowy figure carrying a package 717 00:34:46,266 --> 00:34:48,333 as they run towards the monument. 718 00:34:48,867 --> 00:34:50,000 [explosion] 719 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:54,133 Seconds later, an explosion rocks the Guidestones, 720 00:35:00,066 --> 00:35:01,367 The Shroud of Turin may have been the first item 721 00:35:01,367 --> 00:35:03,000 to bear the image of a holy face, 722 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,100 but it certainly wasn't the last. 723 00:35:05,100 --> 00:35:06,767 Whether it's the "Nun Bun," 724 00:35:06,767 --> 00:35:10,100 a cinnamon roll with an uncanny resemblance to Mother Teresa, 725 00:35:10,100 --> 00:35:12,800 or "Cheesus," a snack-sized Cheeto 726 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:14,767 that looks like the son of God, 727 00:35:14,767 --> 00:35:18,467 the Divine seems to have a penchant for unconventional canvases. 728 00:35:18,467 --> 00:35:22,100 And while the legitimacy of these objects is certainly up for debate, 729 00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:25,300 one thing is for sure, they can be quite lucrative. 730 00:35:25,300 --> 00:35:29,467 In 2004, a 10-year-old frozen grilled cheese sandwich 731 00:35:29,467 --> 00:35:32,166 that seemed to bear the image of the Virgin Mary, 732 00:35:32,166 --> 00:35:36,166 sold for a whopping $28,000 on eBay. 733 00:35:36,166 --> 00:35:38,767 -[gospel music playing] -Whether these images are divine intervention 734 00:35:38,767 --> 00:35:41,567 or just wishful thinking, remains to be seen. 735 00:35:41,567 --> 00:35:43,767 But the next time you're brunching at IHOP, 736 00:35:43,767 --> 00:35:46,400 you might want to take a good look at those pancakes. 737 00:35:51,367 --> 00:35:53,600 February, 2024... 738 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,700 The enigmatic monument known as the Georgia Guidestones 739 00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:59,100 is destroyed by an explosion. 740 00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:02,000 And then, hours after the explosion, 741 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,200 claiming the structure is unstable, 742 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,567 authorities knock down the Guidestones 743 00:36:06,567 --> 00:36:10,600 and cart the remains away to an undisclosed location. 744 00:36:11,467 --> 00:36:13,667 It is a quick and violent end 745 00:36:13,667 --> 00:36:17,033 for the granite structure that stood for 42 years. 746 00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:20,166 While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 747 00:36:20,166 --> 00:36:23,767 the ATF, and local police all investigate the bombing, 748 00:36:23,767 --> 00:36:27,000 no arrests are made, and they won't be made. 749 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,166 Today, there are still no suspects 750 00:36:29,166 --> 00:36:31,000 in the Guidestones' destruction. 751 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,200 But while the destroyer of the stones may remain a mystery, 752 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,834 it seems its creator won't be much longer. 753 00:36:38,467 --> 00:36:40,166 [explosion] 754 00:36:40,166 --> 00:36:43,934 After the Georgia Guidestones is destroyed by an explosion, 755 00:36:44,667 --> 00:36:47,000 investigative journalist, Van Smith, 756 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,567 publishes a story on the Internet. 757 00:36:49,567 --> 00:36:52,100 As I spent a lot of time, uh, 758 00:36:52,767 --> 00:36:54,767 researching the monument, 759 00:36:54,767 --> 00:36:58,300 I began to realize that it was a much more serious 760 00:36:58,300 --> 00:37:02,400 and, uh, troubling, um, monument 761 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,500 than I had originally expected. 762 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:09,967 [Gates] In his search to find answers about the Guidestone bomber, 763 00:37:09,967 --> 00:37:12,667 he comes across an obscure documentary film 764 00:37:12,667 --> 00:37:14,667 on the history of the Guidestones 765 00:37:14,667 --> 00:37:17,300 called Dark Clouds Over Elberton. 766 00:37:17,300 --> 00:37:21,066 In this documentary, they interview banker Wyatt Martin, 767 00:37:21,066 --> 00:37:24,567 the one man that knows R.C. Christian's true identity 768 00:37:24,567 --> 00:37:26,600 but refuses to reveal it. 769 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:31,100 But Van Smith realizes something shocking in the video. 770 00:37:31,100 --> 00:37:34,367 The banker accidentally gives a visual clue 771 00:37:34,367 --> 00:37:38,166 that will lead to the unmasking of the monuments builder. 772 00:37:38,166 --> 00:37:40,767 During the filming, Wyatt shows the filmmakers 773 00:37:40,767 --> 00:37:42,900 some corresponding business letters 774 00:37:42,900 --> 00:37:45,467 between himself and R.C. Christian. 775 00:37:45,467 --> 00:37:49,333 And on one of those letters, there's a return address. 776 00:37:50,567 --> 00:37:51,967 According to Lake, 777 00:37:51,967 --> 00:37:54,166 the filmmakers, armed with the address, 778 00:37:54,166 --> 00:37:56,800 are able to track down R.C. Christian 779 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,200 and reveal his identity. 780 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:03,667 So we discover that the address 781 00:38:03,667 --> 00:38:09,133 belongs to a medical doctor, Herbert H. Kersten. 782 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,266 The doctor died in 2005, 783 00:38:12,266 --> 00:38:14,900 which, uh, corresponds to the last letter 784 00:38:14,900 --> 00:38:17,867 that, uh, Wyatt Martin received. 785 00:38:17,867 --> 00:38:21,900 He was also a compulsive writer of letters to the editor, 786 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,667 and his writing style 787 00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:28,200 and, uh, subjects that he would write on, 788 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,033 were very similar to what we see in Common Sense Renewed. 789 00:38:35,767 --> 00:38:37,467 [man] "America should now begin to direct 790 00:38:37,467 --> 00:38:40,800 the attention of the world to solving the fundamental problem 791 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,433 which threatens to engulf all humanity. 792 00:38:44,467 --> 00:38:47,734 The uncontrolled reproduction of our species. 793 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:50,767 Rational planning of human reproduction 794 00:38:50,767 --> 00:38:53,300 is becoming increasingly essential. 795 00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:57,000 Contrary to widespread opinion, 796 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,400 our nation is now overpopulated." 797 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:04,367 Those editorials hardly seem shocking 798 00:39:04,367 --> 00:39:06,367 for someone who seemingly chiseled 799 00:39:06,367 --> 00:39:09,200 "Maintain humanity under $500,000,000 800 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:12,400 in perpetual balance with nature" into granite. 801 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:14,700 But if Dr. Kersten's views were extreme, 802 00:39:14,700 --> 00:39:18,266 just wait till you hear those of some of his so-called friends. 803 00:39:18,266 --> 00:39:22,166 Herbert Kersten frequently bragged about his friendship 804 00:39:22,166 --> 00:39:25,367 with physicist William Shockley, 805 00:39:25,367 --> 00:39:29,600 who won the Nobel Prize in 1956 806 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,400 for being one of the co-inventors of the transistors. 807 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,000 But Shockley went on to infamy in the '70s 808 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:41,166 when he started endorsing eugenics plans. 809 00:39:41,166 --> 00:39:43,500 For instance, one of the things he wanted to do, 810 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:49,867 uh, was to pay people who had IQ's under 100 to get sterilized. 811 00:39:49,867 --> 00:39:53,166 If Kersten's friendship with Shockley wasn't bad enough, 812 00:39:53,166 --> 00:39:57,367 we uncovered a letter that he wrote to a South Florida newspaper 813 00:39:57,367 --> 00:40:00,100 where he was endorsing the, uh, former, uh, 814 00:40:00,100 --> 00:40:03,600 KKK grand wizard, David Duke, 815 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:06,567 considered America's most well-known racist 816 00:40:06,567 --> 00:40:10,667 and anti-Semite, according to the Anti-Defamation League. 817 00:40:10,667 --> 00:40:14,000 Dr. Kersten's friendship with Shockley, 818 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,166 and his support of David Duke 819 00:40:16,166 --> 00:40:18,166 is troubling. 820 00:40:18,166 --> 00:40:20,500 Especially when you consider what was written 821 00:40:20,500 --> 00:40:22,367 on the face of the Georgia Guidestones 822 00:40:22,367 --> 00:40:25,567 and in the book Common Sense Renewed. 823 00:40:25,567 --> 00:40:29,166 These messages of the Georgia Guidestones 824 00:40:29,166 --> 00:40:33,467 about maintaining global population of under 500,000,000 825 00:40:33,467 --> 00:40:38,100 and guiding reproduction wisely... 826 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:41,367 That it's actually a much more sinister message 827 00:40:41,367 --> 00:40:45,400 and deciding actually who will live and who will die. 828 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:49,300 Were the Georgia Guidestones some vast conspiracy? 829 00:40:49,300 --> 00:40:50,266 Probably not. 830 00:40:50,266 --> 00:40:52,867 They were likely just one man's pet project. 831 00:40:52,867 --> 00:40:54,300 Some build model railways, 832 00:40:54,300 --> 00:40:56,567 others build America's Stonehenge. 833 00:40:56,567 --> 00:40:58,567 But if Dr. Herbert Kersten 834 00:40:58,567 --> 00:41:01,000 was the creator of the Georgia Guidestones, 835 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:03,367 then the stones themselves are tainted 836 00:41:03,367 --> 00:41:05,266 by some very disturbing ideas. 837 00:41:05,266 --> 00:41:08,467 You could say they were much more dangerous than divine. 838 00:41:08,467 --> 00:41:11,266 And let's not forget our remaining mystery. 839 00:41:11,266 --> 00:41:14,800 While we now may know who created the Georgia Guidestones, 840 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:17,266 we aren't any closer to knowing who destroyed them. 841 00:41:17,266 --> 00:41:18,634 [explosion] 842 00:41:18,634 --> 00:41:22,433 But I guess they weren't made to withstand nuclear war after all. 843 00:41:23,700 --> 00:41:25,800 I'm Josh Gates. Until next time... 844 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,367 Travel adventurously.