All language subtitles for Beyond.the.Unknown.S03E14.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

WILDMAN: A weird floating
phantom puts a city on edge.

This story is one of New York’s
most sensational ghost stories.

WILDMAN: A strange hovering
object terrifies the town.

Many people claimed that
this was an alien spacecraft.

WILDMAN: And an ancient book
filled with shocking secrets.

ROSTAND: To great rocks
being engulfed in flames.

Nostradamus got
every part of right.

WILDMAN: But first,
this weatherbeaten artifact

was once at the heart
of an investigation

that was truly
out of this world.

LANASA: This story is about
a potential spaceship

on a South Carolina beach.

♪

WILDMAN:
Amazing mysteries,

bizarre phenomena

and chilling secrets.

I’m Don Wildman.

Join me on a journey
beyond the unknown.

WILDMAN: 2018, Seabrook Island,
South Carolina.

Lauren Rust is
a marine biologist

who heads a local
wildlife organization.

Rust is a very well‐respected
scientist in South Carolina.

She’s smart.

She loves what she does,

and she really cares
about animals.

WILDMAN: A key part of her work
involves rescuing dolphins,

whales and other sea creatures

that have become stranded
on the state’s beaches.

On October 4th, Rust is walking
along the shore

when she spots
something on the beach.

It looked like a weird mass
looming up out of the sand.

WILDMAN: It’s roughly
cylindrical in shape,

rust‐colored and about
the size of a small vehicle.

It appears to have
a hollow interior.

LANASA: It looked concrete

and had various
different gashes in it

with wires
and things hanging out of it.

WILDMAN: But when Rust places
her hands on the object,

she notices something strange.

LANASA: I believe she was
expecting something more firm.

It was almost eerie
when she touched it.

Some spots were hard.

Some spots on the inner
were bungee.

WILDMAN: To Rust,
the many layers

resemble some kind
of insulation.

But Rust has no idea what
to make of this weird object.

She was almost in a semi state
of shock of,

"What is this?
Is this dangerous?"

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

WILDMAN: Intrigued, Rust takes
photos and posts them online.

Rust really wanted to know
what this item was.

WILDMAN:
Within a matter of days,

theories start rolling in.

Some think it could be a piece
of the Challenger space shuttle,

which tragically exploded
more than 30 years earlier.

I remember sitting in school
and watching it.

Everyone there was shocked.

WILDMAN: Pieces of debris were
scattered across the East Coast.

Perhaps the massive
foam‐like ring

could be from
the destroyed spacecraft.

LANASA: Because of the multi
layers of insulation,

people thought that it could be
some part of a shuttle.

In outer space, that’s what
you need to protect you

from harsh environments.

WILDMAN: But when experts
examine the images,

they say the object
didn’t come from the Challenger.

LANASA:
It’s not the Challenger

because of how long ago
this happened.

There would be barnacles
all over the thing.

It would be pretty
thickly encrusted.

WILDMAN: Others believe the
finding is a piece of refuse

from a government munitions
dumping site

and could contain
harmful chemicals,

but there are no signs
of any toxic residue

coming from the object.

Then another very different
theory emerges.

Just a few weeks earlier,

Hurricane Florence
ravaged the East Coast.

The record‐breaking storm
brought wind gusts

over 100 miles per hour,

delivered more than
30 inches of rain

and killed dozens of people.

Ultimately, it caused around
$17 billion in property damage.

Hurricane Florence was one
of the weirdest hurricanes

I’ve ever saw.

It came in very strong

and then sat over
the East Coast for days.

It didn’t go anywhere.

It just sat there and churned.

WILDMAN: Some believe
that this intense storm

is behind all the fuss.

Several years earlier in 2014,

biologists at the University
of North Carolina

had set up solar‐powered
research buoys off the coast.

LANASA: It was possible that one
of these solar buoys

could have broken loose
and washed up onto the beach.

WILDMAN:
The mysterious foam object

and the buoys have quite
a few similarities.

LANASA:
The insulation is actually
the reason why the buoy floated.

The wiring is what attached
to the solar panels.

WILDMAN: So perhaps Rust found
a damaged part of a buoy

on the beach that day.

But some critics don’t buy
this explanation.

They believe the object
may have otherworldly origins.

LANASA: They proposed that
an alien spacecraft crashed

into the ocean
and washed up onto the beach.

♪

WILDMAN: Eventually, the town
removes the object

from the beach,

and many think that this action
is part of a larger conspiracy

to cover up evidence
of extraterrestrial life.

A lot of people from the area
think the item was removed

and taken to Area 51.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, a fragment
of this strange object

is now on display

at the Museum of the Bizarre
in Wilmington, North Carolina.

It recalls how a piece
of mysterious rubble

washed up on the beach

and sparked a storm
of speculation

that’s continued to this day.

♪

Salon‐de‐Provence, France,
has a unique claim to fame.

It was once home to the most
controversial clairvoyant

in history who some say
predicted many of history’s

most critical events
hundreds of years

before they happened ‐‐

Nostradamus.

And in the center of town
is an institution dedicated

to celebrating
this puzzling prognosticator,

the Nostradamus Museum.

♪

Located in his former home,

the establishment features
a treasure trove of artifacts

detailing the famous
prophet’s career,

but the centerpiece
of the collection

is a tome that solidified

the soothsayer’s
mystical reputation.

The artifact is about 4 inches
wide and 7 inches high.

It’s wrapped in a fine
green leather,

and embossed on the front
is a circular laurel wreath

in bright gold.

It looks in extremely
good condition

which belies its age
of 500 years old.

♪

WILDMAN:
This ancient book is said

to hold the secrets
of the future.

This item contains some of
the most extraordinary writings

that have ever been known.

♪

WILDMAN: Throughout history,
countless clairvoyants

have claimed the ability
to predict the future,

but none of them compares
to the great Nostradamus.

The name Nostradamus
echoes through the centuries.

♪

WILDMAN: In the early 1500s,

Nostradamus worked as
a physician

in his native France,

but he rose to fame thanks to
his fascination with the occult.

During the nights, he would
apparently meditate

with a bowl of water suffused
with all kinds of herbs,

and he would go into a trance.

WILDMAN:
Nostradamus claimed that during

these hypnotic episodes

he could see into the future.

In 1555, he published a record
of his visions

in a book called
"Les Propheties,"

a first‐edition copy
of which is on display

at the Nostradamus Museum
in Salon‐de‐Provence, France.

♪

Among the events he foresaw
are the Great Fire of London,

the French Revolution, and even
the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Nostradamus talks about
from the depths of the west,

a child born of poor people
conquering the world

and battles
raging against Hister.

Now Hister is very close
to Hitler,

who came from the west,
who was born in a poor family.

♪

WILDMAN: And many believe
the famous prognosticator

anticipated the tragic events
of September 11, 2001.

ROSTAND: Nostradamus
spoke of two great rocks

being engulfed in flames
in a place called New City.

♪

WILDMAN:
While some hail Nostradamus’s

mystical abilities,

others think he’s nothing
but a fraud.

They point out that many
of the omens are vague

and riddled with troubling
inconsistencies.

For instance, the passages
about Hister,

which many believe refer
to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler

could be about
something else entirely.

Hister is also the Latin name
for the Danube River,

and throughout the ages,

the waterway has been
the site of numerous battles.

Fighting near the Danube
was bound to happen

because there were
constant wars in Europe.

WILDMAN:
The prediction about 9/11

is also seen as flawed.

It is incredibly vague.

New cities were springing up
all the time over Europe,

and great fires
have destroyed them,

so again
there’s nothing new there.

WILDMAN: But buried deep
within "Les Propheties"

is one divination that
even the toughest critics

can’t dismiss.

ROSTAND: While many people think
Nostradamus is a fraud,

this one prediction
just blows that argument

right out of the water.

WILDMAN: So what is this
mysterious premonition?

♪

It’s 1863.

In Paris,
a well‐known biologist

has just made
an astounding discovery.

The tiny microbes commonly found
in wine and beer

can be killed by heating those
liquids to around 120 degrees.

The scientist’s name?

Louis Pasteur.

His process becomes known
as pasteurization,

and when applied
to other liquids, such as milk,

it puts a stop to one
of the primary

causes of food poisoning.

ROSTAND: It has saved millions
of lives since then.

It was one of the most
important inventions

in public health ever.

♪

WILDMAN: Amazingly,
this earth‐shattering discovery

may have been predicted by
Nostradamus 300 years earlier,

but unlike many
of his other prophesies,

this one is so detailed
that it can’t be explained away.

It tells of a great invention

that will save
millions of lives,

and it specifically
mentions Pasteur.

ROSTAND: Here is the exact name,
the exact process,

and the impact
of his invention.

Nostradamus
got every part of that right.

♪

WILDMAN:
To this day, this accurate

prediction motivates people

to scour Nostradamus’s writings
for a glimpse into the future.

Some prophesies that have yet
to come true include

an asteroid
slamming into the Earth,

the coming of the Antichrist,
and even World War III.

ROSTAND: His writings have
endured for a reason.

Is it just this sort of romantic
desire to know the unknowable,

or is there really
something there?

♪

WILDMAN: Today, on display at
the Nostradamus Museum

in Salon‐de‐Provence, France,

is a first‐edition
copy of "Les Propheties."

It recalls the mystical
visionary

who revealed the secrets
of the future.

♪

Albany, New York.

In 1911, a devastating fire

tore through
the state capitol building,

killing a night watchman.

Although the structure
has since been restored,

some say the ghost
of a doomed guard

can still be seen
patrolling the halls at night.

More stories from the region’s
past can be found nearby

at the New York State Museum.

♪

The impressive collection
includes

a fully functional carousel
from 1912,

a vintage New York City
subway car,

and a 1910 milk delivery wagon.

♪

But among these oversized relics

is a small item
with a chilling past.

MARSHALL: It’s 7 inches tall,
4 inches in diameter.

It is made of tin.

The artifact has a lens
on the front.

The object appears worn,
like it has gotten a lot of use.

WILDMAN:
This antique lantern sheds light
on an unwelcome visitor

who put a city on edge.

This story is one of New York’s
most sensational ghost stories.

♪

WILDMAN:
January 1863 ‐‐ New York City.

A popular weekly broadsheet
called The Sunday Mercury

has published the account
of a family

who says their home on
East 27th Street is haunted.

♪

According to the report,
the husband and wife

were enjoying a quiet evening
at home

when a ghostly white figure
floated into the living room.

The couple claims
that the apparition

then took a seat by the fire
and began to warm itself.

And when they approached
the spectral figure,

it shot them a ghoulish glare.

MARSHALL: They said
they were very scared.

It was inexplicable to them
what this was,

but they knew that
it was something supernatural.

WILDMAN:
Then, according to the family,
the spirit vanished.

But the episode
left them spooked.

MARSHALL: The family ended up
fleeing the premises in terror

and never came back
to the property.

WILDMAN:
When their tale is published
in The Sunday Mercury,

it triggers a frenzy of interest
across the region.

MARSHALL: The story
was a huge deal.

People came from all over
to see this ghost,

and they flocked to
the street in droves.

WILDMAN: Soon, the street
is jammed with so many onlookers

that the police are called in
to maintain order.

MARSHALL: The crowds of people
had gotten so wild and unruly

that police were stationed
24 hours a day

to ensure the safety
of the residents.

WILDMAN: But the suspected ghost
never makes another appearance.

And soon the crowds fade.

But the story doesn’t end there.

The following year, a new family
moves into the home.

MARSHALL:
Enough time had passed,

and ultimately, someone
was interested in the house.

WILDMAN: But before long,
they, too,

report strange
bumps in the night.

The new occupants say
that one afternoon,

they arrived
with furniture movers

to carry in
a sofa and a few chairs.

After placing the items
in the living room,

they left for the night.

But when the family returned
the next morning,

they found an unusual scene.

The chairs had disappeared.

Eventually, the seats were found
in the basement...

...arranged around the
smoldering remains of a fire.

♪

MARSHALL:
They thought it clearly had to
be the work of the supernatural.

They all wondered, "Could this
be the 27th Street Ghost?"

WILDMAN: So, is this house
really haunted?

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s the 1860s in New York City.

Several residents of
an upscale home on 27th Street

claim the building is haunted.

Seven years later in 1870,

a reporter
from the New York Times

decides to investigate
the paranormal claims.

When he interviews several
longtime residents

of East 27th Street,
a shocking story emerges.

It all started in 1863

when several vacant houses
on the block

were occupied by some unsavory
new tenants ‐‐

brothels.

The appearance of these
scandalous salons

alarmed the neighbors.

They were worried that this
would ruin their neighborhood

that they loved so much.

WILDMAN: So to scare them off,
the residents of 27th Street

started a wicked rumor.

MARSHALL:
They thought that if they
planted a story about a ghost

in one of the houses
on 27th Street in the papers,

that this would be enough
to run the brothels out of town.

♪

WILDMAN:
Sure enough, the ghost story
caused so much commotion

that the police
began regular patrols.

Officers even illuminated
the street with lanterns,

like the one on display
at the New York State Museum.

Eventually, the brothels
were forced to leave.

For the Times reporter,
just one question remains ‐‐

what of the alleged
freaky furniture incident?

♪

As it turns out,
the answer also lies with

the increased police presence.

One night, one of the policemen
who was stationed on 27th Street

really wanted to find a warm
place to rest for the night.

He shimmied down into this house
that he knew to be vacant.

When he saw the furniture,
he thought,

"Wow, I can bring this furniture
over to the fire, start a fire

and be warm
for the rest of my shift."

WILDMAN: On September 18, 1870,

the New York Times
publishes the report,

putting the entire episode
in a whole new light.

Today, a lantern like the ones

used by the police officers
keeping watch on 27th Street

is on display at the
New York State Museum in Albany.

It recalls the unsavory source

of a legendary
Big Apple apparition.

♪

This strange artifact
recalls a baffling event

that may be proof
of extraterrestrial life.

This is a story of a threat
from beyond the stars.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1984.

35 miles north
of New York City,

on the banks
of the Hudson River,

is the Indian Point
nuclear power plant.

This massive complex generates
electricity

for more than 7 million
residents of the Big Apple.

As a result,

it’s one of the most secure
locations in the nation.

This is a highly guarded
facility.

In the event of a breach
or an accident,

you have millions of people

that would be affected
just 35 miles downstream.

♪

WILDMAN:
On the night of July 24th,

security workers are settling in

for what they think will be
a quiet evening shift,

but then something
breaks the calm.

The system that monitors
the plant’s security

suddenly goes out.

GONYO:
Alarms, cameras,

all sorts of monitoring
and notification systems ‐‐

they just die.

WILDMAN:
Security workers scramble to
find the source of the glitch.

At such a sensitive location,
security systems going down

is a very dangerous
and alarming situation.

WILDMAN:
If someone were to infiltrate
the plant and shut it down,

New York City could be plunged
into chaotic darkness.

♪

Even worse, a sabotaged reactor
could trigger a nuclear disaster

the likes of which
has never been seen.

GONYO:
So they’re scared.

They’re unsure
of what’s going on.

WILDMAN: But this night is about
to get even more bizarre.

One member of the security
detail, a guard named Carl,

claims that while patrolling
the plant’s fence line,

he saw something strange
in the sky.

GONYO:
He sees a series of lights,

and they appear to be attached
to a V‐shaped structure ‐‐

an aircraft that almost looks
like a boomerang.

WILDMAN:
The guard claims the craft

was the width
of three football fields,

and despite its enormous size,
it didn’t make a sound.

GONYO: He’s really struck by the
fact how silent this thing was

in the air despite
how close it was in the sky.

WILDMAN: Then Carl says that
just as suddenly as it arrived,

the flying object disappeared,
and amazingly,

it was at that exact moment that
the security system rebooted.

With all systems restored,
just one question remains.

What was the curious craft?

GONYO: Everyone wanted
a logical explanation,

but what they got
was completely unexpected.

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s 1984 in New York state.

An unidentified flying object

is seen above the Indian Point
nuclear power plant,

and security workers
are astonished and terrified.

Some say a clue may be found
in the shape of the craft.

Its alleged "V" shape is similar
to one of the military’s

most advanced warplanes,
the B‐2 stealth bomber.

It’s thought that the aircraft’s
state‐of‐the‐art

radar‐jamming technology

may have interfered with
the plant’s security systems,

but this theory
has its detractors.

They point out that the B‐2
is only 69 feet wide,

and the unidentified
flying object was reported to be

more than 10 times larger.

And that’s not all.

You wouldn’t test an aircraft
over a nuclear reactor,

where, if this aircraft
should have an accident,

you have a nuclear explosion.

That’s a very shortsighted
decision.

♪

WILDMAN: Others suspect the UFO
could have been a meteor.

Some researchers believe that
when the interstellar objects

slam into the Earth’s surface,
the impact can create

an electromagnetic pulse,
or EMP.

Such a force could have
shorted out

the facility’s security system.

But this, too, seems unlikely.

While asteroids streak
across the sky,

the mysterious craft
was said to hover in place.

This theory just doesn’t
make sense.

WILDMAN: With no logical
explanation at hand,

some look to the stars
for an answer.

GONYO:
Many people claimed that...

this was an alien spacecraft.

♪

WILDMAN: Incredibly,
the theory has some credence.

Over the years,
thousands of people have claimed

to see the same
triangular‐shaped craft.

GONYO:
In fact, between 1982 and 1985,

there are over 7,000
credible reports

of people seeing
a large UFO in the sky

over the Hudson Valley.

WILDMAN:
Today, the identity of the craft

remains shrouded in mystery.

♪

And this model
of the Hudson Valley UFO

is on display at the Pine Bush
UFO and Paranormal Museum

in Pine Bush, New York.

It recalls an otherworldly
object that defies explanation.

♪

Michigan’s upper peninsula ‐‐

In the town of Negaunee

is an institution
that celebrates innovation.

The Michigan
Iron Industry Museum.

On display is a 19th century
wooden wheelbarrow,

a metal car that once
transported explosive powder

deep underground,

and a replica of a mine shaft.

♪

But there’s one object in the
collection that recalls

a spooky,
supernatural story.

COX: The artifact is 18 inches
wide and about a foot tall.

It’s made of brass.

There’s a lot of different
moving parts.

There’s a dial and the words
inscribed on it

are "Burt’s patent."

WILDMAN: This device,
called a solar compass,

helped solve a mystery
that baffled the nation.

This artifact is linked
to a haunted forest,

terrified explorers,
and a skeptical scientist.

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s 1824 in the wilderness
of what is present day

Marquette County, Michigan.

As the story goes, a fur trapper
named John C. O’Driscoll

has come to the area
to hunt in uncharted forest.

But when he encounters
local Native Americans,

he learns that the terrain
is believed to be haunted.

These woods were acting
like a Bermuda Triangle.

People would go in
and they would get lost.

The native people believe
that there were evil spirits

that drove men insane
and it even killed some people.

WILDMAN: But O’Driscoll
doesn’t believe in ghosts.

COX:
He was a frontiersman.

He had conquered other places,

and he thought he’d be able
to conquer the forest, too.

WILDMAN:
He grabs his compass, his Bible,
and backpack of supplies

and sets off
into the deep, dark woods.

At first, his foray
into the wild goes smoothly,

but he soon gets disoriented.

COX:
He’s not quite sure where he is.

He can’t seem
to catch his bearings.

Everything looks the same.

WILDMAN: But then he notices
something unique.

An eerie, bright white tree.

This is the first time
he saw something

that actually stood out

among all of the repetition
of the forest

and the trees over
and over again.

WILDMAN: O’Driscoll decides
to begin a new course,

taking his bearings off
this distinct marker.

Using his compass.

He heads due north.

He had this
renewed sense of hope

he’d be able to
find his way out.

WILDMAN:
But after a day of trekking
through the forest,

he comes to a spot
that looks eerily familiar.

There is even
a strange white tree.

Then glancing at the ground,
he spots his own Bible.

♪

COX:
It was the exact same tree,

so even though he thought
he was going north,

he had gone
in a complete circle.

WILDMAN: For the first time,
O’Driscoll starts to believe

the legend
of the haunted forest is true.

How could it be possible
to follow a course north

and wind up walking
in a giant circle

and he’s beginning to get this
really creeping sensation

that maybe the natives
were right.

WILDMAN: It takes O’Driscoll
days to find his way out.

When he does, his tale
spreads through the region.

For years,
people are terrified

to go back
into the freaky forest.

But two decades later,
one man will reveal the truth

behind this bewildering woods
once and for all.

♪

WILDMAN: According to legend,
a vast forested area

in northern Michigan’s
Marquette County is haunted.

Locals claim the woods
are populated by evil spirits

and those who dare to enter
never come out.

♪

It’s 1844.

William Burt is a surveyor
for the U. S. government.

William Burt had always had
an interest in mathematics

and astronomy
and navigation,

and so he had parlayed
those interests into a job.

WILDMAN: Burt is tasked
with mapping the wilderness

of the newly admitted state
of Michigan,

including the supposedly
haunted forest.

♪

COX: He heard the rumors
that there were evil spirits,

that it drove men insane,

but William
was a man of science.

He didn’t believe any of that.

WILDMAN:
Burt grabs his compass

and ventures
into the imposing area.

And like those before him,

he soon witnesses
strange happenings.

♪

COX: Just as it had happened
20 years before,

he’d see the same things

and he couldn’t seem
to catch his bearings.

WILDMAN: Most significant

is the fact that the needle
on Burt’s compass

is behaving strangely.

The needle on his compass
would spin erratically,

and it was clear
that it was not marking north.

WILDMAN: Burt’s compass
had been working normally

before he set out
into the woods,

so he reasons that
something else must be going on.

It turns out the answer
is right beneath his feet.

♪

Burt concludes that he must be

standing atop
a vast deposit of iron ore.

Burt knew that iron ore
was one of the most magnetic

of all naturally
occurring minerals on Earth.

It must have been the reason
his instrument wasn’t working.

WILDMAN:
Burt eventually finds his way
back to civilization.

And when word of his discovery
gets out,

it draws prospectors
from all over the country.

In the years that follow,

billions of dollars
worth of iron ore

are pulled from the ground,
and the newly created state

of Michigan
becomes rich in the process.

It became the largest
mining stampede

that the young country
had ever seen.

♪

WILDMAN: For his part,
Burt goes on

to develop a navigational tool

that isn’t affected
by the presence of metal.

He created a compass
that used the sun

instead of a magnetic field

to map out your position.

WILDMAN: Using
a device called a solar compass,

Burt eventually completes
his task of mapping the area.

Burt’s Solar Compass became
the most accurate way

of surveying land.

♪

WILDMAN:
This red‐winged blackbird

recalls an ominous event

and a terrifying prophecy
of doom.

DELGADO: This is a story about
thousands of dead birds

and the end of the world.

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s 1958 in Tabasco, Mexico.

Poet Carlos Pellicer
is exploring

an old Mayan ruin
named Tortuguero.

Hidden among the overgrowth,

he comes across
three rectangular stones.

What he saw was shocking.

WILDMAN:
The light‐colored slabs

are covered
with rows of intricate carvings.

Try as he might,
Pellicer is unable to decipher

these ancient hieroglyphs.

For the next two decades,
the strange carvings baffle

even
the greatest cryptographers,

but in 1978,
a fascinating theory emerges.

It recounts an ancient ritual,

and it makes a catastrophic
prediction.

On December 21, 2012,
the world is going to end.

DELGADO:
If this Mayan legend were true,

was humanity just doomed?

WILDMAN: As the clock counts
down towards Doomsday,

speculation is rife as to
what form the Mayan Armageddon

will take.

Some believe the end
of the world

will come in the form
of a nuclear disaster.

Others think the Earth
will be pulled into the sun,

but while many scoff
at the thought of Doomsday,

in the small town of Beebe,
Arkansas,

something happens that suggests

perhaps the Mayans
were right after all.

♪

On December 31, 2010,

the townsfolk are preparing
to celebrate the new year.

DELGADO: People are excited.

They’re looking forward
to what the new year will bring.

WILDMAN: Suddenly, the revelry
is interrupted

by an ominous noise.

[ Thudding ]

DELGADO: It’s almost midnight,

and just as they were preparing
to toast and celebrate,

they started to hear
these thuds outside.

They had no idea
what was going on.

WILDMAN:
When the townsfolk look outside,

they are met
by a startling sight.

People saw these small, dark
figures crashing into cars,

trees, windows,
and people were horrified.

It looked like it
was raining birds.

♪

WILDMAN:
In a matter of minutes,

the small town is littered

with the corpses
of red‐winged blackbirds

like the one on display

at the Arkansas State University
Museum in Jonesboro.

Over 5,000 of these birds
had fallen from the sky.

WILDMAN: And it causes many
to speculate

that it could be the harbinger

of the Mayan’s
Doomsday prophecy.

DELGADO:
If this Mayan legend were true,

these deaths were just
the beginning of the end.

Some people couldn’t help
but wonder if they were next.

WILDMAN:
So what’s the truth

behind this baffling
blackbird mystery?

WILDMAN:
It’s 2011 in Beebe, Arkansas.

The discovery of
a Mayan prophecy

that warns
of the end of the world

has caused panic
among the masses.

And when thousands of dead birds
suddenly fall from the sky,

many fear their days
are numbered.

Cleveland, Ohio.

A man named Mark Johnson

is determined
to solve the mystery.

DELGADO: He needed to figure out
what caused these birds

to fall from the sky.

WILDMAN: He digs into the events
of that night

and in doing so
discovers a clue.

What he found was shocking.

WILDMAN: According to research,
red‐winged blackbirds

have notoriously bad eyesight,

so they normally only fly
during the day.

DELGADO:
For them to have taken flight

in the middle of the night
was very bizarre

and made this entire event
that much more strange.

WILDMAN: But what could have
caused these blackbirds

to risk their lives
by leaving their roost?

The answer lies in the calendar.

It was New Year’s Eve.

DELGADO: In the town of Beebe
on New Year’s Eve,

they were known to have
lots of firework celebrations.

WILDMAN: Johnson concludes that
the earsplitting display

must have startled the birds,

causing them
to take to the skies,

and ultimately it was
this impromptu night flight

that led
to their collective demise.

DELGADO: Because these
blackbirds have poor eyesight,

they became disoriented,
so they were flying into

buildings,
into cars, into the pavement.

WILDMAN: And it turns out

that the Mayans
had it wrong after all.

The blackbirds’ death spiral
was not a sign

that the world was ending.

They were just in the wrong
place at the wrong time.

♪

WILDMAN:
Austin, Texas, is home

to Bullock
Texas State History Museum.

Among the exhibits celebrating

the Lone Star state’s
illustrious past

is a curious contraption
with a deadly tale to tell.

BETZ: This artifact weighs
about 200 pounds.

It’s painted a very
distinctive green.

It’s very clear that it’s a
mechanical device of some kind,

but it’s not immediately obvious
what its use would be.

♪

WILDMAN: This strange machine
recalls a tragedy

that inspired
a life‐saving innovation.

This device was created
so that something good

could come out
of horrible devastation.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1937.

The nation is mired
in the Great Depression,

but in the rustic town
of New London, Texas,

things are looking up.

The reason?

It sits on one of the world’s
richest oil deposits.

BETZ: New London was really
an anomaly during that time.

Because of this discovery of oil
within the town,

the population exploded.

Money came pouring in.

WILDMAN: The town has recently
invested much of the windfall

into a brand‐new school.

BETZ: The school was a huge
point of pride for the town.

It cost, at that time, more than
a $1 million to build.

WILDMAN:
But this prized institution

is about to go up in smoke.

On March 18th
just after 3:00 p. m.,

the school is rocked
by a massive explosion.

The force was incredibly
powerful.

It was strong enough to push
large pieces of concrete

hundreds of feet into the air.

WILDMAN: When rescuers rushed
to the scene,

they’re met with a sight
of utter devastation.

MAN: The scenes of the disaster
were indescribable.

WILDMAN:
Crews frantically searched

the rubble for survivors

and pull out the remains
of those who were not so lucky.

When the dust settles,

311 students
and faculty are dead,

and many more are injured.

MAN:
Hundreds of school children

and their teachers killed
and mangled

and everywhere sobbing,
hysterical parents.

WILDMAN: The tragedy leaves
New London stunned,

but the cause of the disaster
is a mystery.

Everyone wanted answers,

and a number of crazy rumors

started spreading around town.

WILDMAN:
Some believed the school

may have been destroyed
by a disgruntled student.

BETZ: Some people saw a student
earlier that morning

yelling at a teacher

and thought that he might have
brought dynamite into the school

and caused an explosion.

WILDMAN: The school was near
several oil‐drilling sites

that were stocked
with the volatile material,

but none of them reports that
any dynamite had gone missing.

It seems the cause of the blast
may never be known,

but an explosive new piece
of evidence

is about to blow
the case wide open.

♪

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1937
in New London, Texas.

A massive explosion has leveled
the town school

leaving hundreds dead
and wounded.

Now investigators are determined
to discover

the cause of this lethal blast.

The case is taken up by
a Texas inspection bureau agent

named H. Oram Smith.

BETZ: H. Oram Smith was a fire
investigator,

so he was brought in

to determine
the cause of the explosion.

WILDMAN:
Smith and his team begin

by speaking with the survivors.

Eventually, an intriguing story
begins to emerge.

In the days leading up
to the blast,

those inside the school
suffered from strange symptoms

including prolonged headaches
and burning eyes.

For the investigator,

this points to a different
cause for the explosion.

BETZ: These complaints could be
the result of prolonged

exposure to natural gas.

WILDMAN: But where did this
dangerous gas come from?

The answer lies with
the construction crews

who built the school.

BETZ:
To save about $300 a month,
roughly $4,000 to $5,000

in today’s money,

the school had cut their
contract with the gas company.

WILDMAN: Instead, they tapped
into a gas line

from a neighboring oil refinery,

but the connection was shoddy,

and gas began to leak
into the school’s basement.

Over time, the dangerous fumes
build up unnoticed

beneath the building.

BETZ: Gas is orderless
in its natural state,

so this leak could’ve gone
undetected for quite some time.

WILDMAN: And it only took
one small spark

to blow the whole
building sky high.

BETZ: The shop teacher had been
plugging in a belt sander,

which caused a spark,
which ignited the explosion.

[ Explosion ]

WILDMAN: In the aftermath,

Texas passes
a law requiring all natural gas

to be odorized.

Integral to the process is
a machine called an odorizer.

BETZ: The device would make gas
smell bad like rotten eggs.

Now there’s a very obvious smell
that is a first warning sign

if there is a gas leak to ensure

that this wouldn’t
happen anywhere again.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, of the original
odorizers sits on display

at the Bullock Texas
State History Museum.

It recalls the tragedy
and the life‐saving innovation

that linger to this day.

♪