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A lake bombarded by
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00:00:03,086 --> 00:00:05,756
a thousand lightning bolts
in a single hour.
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(thunder crashes)
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00:00:08,133 --> 00:00:12,179
A never‐ending fire that
destroys an entire town.
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00:00:13,222 --> 00:00:15,766
And bizarre humming noises...
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(distorted screaming)
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00:00:16,975 --> 00:00:19,102
...that drive people insane.
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We call everything around us...
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"nature,"
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00:00:26,318 --> 00:00:29,571
as if the incredible world
we live in
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is "natural," "normal."
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00:00:32,616 --> 00:00:35,244
Something we can understand.
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00:00:35,244 --> 00:00:38,622
But what happens when nature
is unnatural‐‐
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00:00:38,622 --> 00:00:40,999
bizarre, unreal?
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How can nature defy
the very laws
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00:00:45,295 --> 00:00:46,672
that are supposed to govern it?
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What then?
Are we simply at its mercy?
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Or is it something
we must figure out
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00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:57,557
before it's too late?
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♪ ♪
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SHATNER:
Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela.
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This body of water, near the
mouth of the Catatumbo River,
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has been called "The Lightning
Capital of the World,"
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because almost every night,
it's a place
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where the lightning never stops.
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(thunder crashing)
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300 days out of a year,
we see this lightning.
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It's called
"Catatumbo lightning."
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It's like sheets of lightning
constantly for hours and hours
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00:01:51,486 --> 00:01:53,280
and hours,
and it goes on and on,
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00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,699
and it lights up
everything around it.
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And it's not like
any other lightning
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anywhere else on the planet.
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It's amazing.
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You have to wonder why is there
not lightning like this
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00:02:02,998 --> 00:02:04,499
everywhere else in the world?
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00:02:04,499 --> 00:02:06,918
SHATNER:
There's an old expression
that says lightning
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00:02:06,918 --> 00:02:10,005
doesn't strike twice
in the same place.
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But at Lake Maracaibo,
not only does it strike
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00:02:13,592 --> 00:02:18,513
at the same place,
it does so over and over.
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00:02:18,513 --> 00:02:21,808
But why?
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00:02:21,808 --> 00:02:23,810
There are some areas
of the Earth
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00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,271
which seem to be
like lightning valleys.
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00:02:26,271 --> 00:02:27,773
(thunder crashes)
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Areas that are just inundated
with lightning bolts
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on a given storm.
And why?
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Well, we're not sure.
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When you look at Venezuela,
you can take some guesses
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as to what's going on.
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Maybe it's the water.
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00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:44,414
But it also could be things
like the altitude,
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00:02:44,414 --> 00:02:46,166
or the general
atmospheric conditions.
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00:02:46,166 --> 00:02:49,419
So it's very hard to pin down
exactly what's going on
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00:02:49,419 --> 00:02:52,422
in that place,
and why that place is special.
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00:02:54,383 --> 00:02:56,051
There's a thing called
"chaos theory,"
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and in chaos theory,
there are these places
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that are called "attractors."
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They're regions that just occur
sort of randomly
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00:03:02,557 --> 00:03:04,935
that cause a vortex.
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00:03:04,935 --> 00:03:06,895
Things occur there,
things collect there.
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00:03:06,895 --> 00:03:10,357
Perhaps the Earth
has an attractor
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over this lake in Venezuela
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that's causing the
Catatumbo lightning.
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00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:17,572
One thing about lightning
is there is
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a tremendous amount
of energy involved.
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00:03:19,574 --> 00:03:21,284
But that's not
the most exciting piece.
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00:03:22,577 --> 00:03:23,829
It's the power.
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00:03:23,829 --> 00:03:26,373
It's how quickly
the energy is released.
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00:03:26,373 --> 00:03:28,834
Lightning represents
one of the most powerful,
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00:03:28,834 --> 00:03:31,920
high‐power phenomena in nature.
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00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,631
So lightning's really exciting
because there's pieces
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00:03:34,631 --> 00:03:36,049
we do understand,
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00:03:36,049 --> 00:03:38,552
but there's still a lot
of pieces we don't understand.
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00:03:38,552 --> 00:03:39,970
(thunder crashing)
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00:03:39,970 --> 00:03:42,264
KAKU:
For example,
recently it was revealed
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00:03:42,264 --> 00:03:44,474
that the energy of
a lightning bolt is so great
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that even antimatter
can be formed.
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00:03:47,018 --> 00:03:49,729
To create antimatter,
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00:03:49,729 --> 00:03:51,440
you need a particle accelerator.
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00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,818
You need an atom smasher
to create antimatter
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00:03:54,818 --> 00:03:57,904
‐in the laboratory.
‐(explosion)
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00:03:57,904 --> 00:04:00,157
But it turns out
an ordinary lightning bolt
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00:04:00,157 --> 00:04:02,367
will also create
minute quantities
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00:04:02,367 --> 00:04:04,703
of this exotic form of matter.
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00:04:04,703 --> 00:04:06,455
(thunder crashes)
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00:04:06,455 --> 00:04:10,500
The lightning in Lake Maracaibo
is an interesting case
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00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:14,754
of scientists trying to figure
out an unusual phenomenon.
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This region had been
identified for many years
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as a hotspot of lightning.
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00:04:21,595 --> 00:04:25,348
And it turns out,
with a detailed NASA study,
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00:04:25,348 --> 00:04:29,186
it is indeed the greatest
lightning hotspot in the world.
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00:04:30,896 --> 00:04:33,106
SHATNER:
Lightning hotspots?
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00:04:33,106 --> 00:04:37,319
Are there really places on Earth
that act like lightning rods?
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00:04:37,319 --> 00:04:39,154
Perhaps further clues
can be found
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00:04:39,154 --> 00:04:41,156
by examining not only places
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that are repeatedly
struck by lightning,
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00:04:43,283 --> 00:04:46,912
but the story of one woman
who's been struck twice,
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00:04:46,912 --> 00:04:49,623
and has lived to tell the tale.
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Fort Benning, Georgia.
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July 20, 1992.
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00:04:57,088 --> 00:04:59,633
Army specialist Beth Peterson
is working
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00:04:59,633 --> 00:05:02,511
at an ammunition point
when storm clouds
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00:05:02,511 --> 00:05:05,555
begin to gather over the base.
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00:05:05,555 --> 00:05:09,351
I saw lightning strike
and hit the concertina wire
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00:05:09,351 --> 00:05:13,480
on the‐the fence going around
the ammunition point.
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00:05:15,899 --> 00:05:19,778
And then I watched lightning
strike a tree across from me.
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00:05:21,071 --> 00:05:24,783
And next thing you know,
lightning struck again.
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00:05:25,826 --> 00:05:28,286
It entered my feet,
it exited my mouth.
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It grounded on top of my head.
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It felt like my body exploded.
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00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:40,131
And it just lifted me
as it launched me.
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00:05:40,131 --> 00:05:42,259
And everything just
felt like burnt.
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I felt like it took my head off.
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SHATNER:
Beth was rushed
to the infirmary,
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00:05:50,267 --> 00:05:53,895
and, incredibly, she survived.
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00:05:53,895 --> 00:05:56,648
But after months of recovery,
Beth realized that
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‐something was different.
‐(monitor beeping)
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00:05:58,733 --> 00:06:02,988
She had been changed.
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00:06:02,988 --> 00:06:05,156
Not enough people
get hit by lightning
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00:06:05,156 --> 00:06:09,536
and survive, like the strike
that I survived the first time.
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00:06:09,536 --> 00:06:12,330
And so there isn't
a lot of research
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00:06:12,330 --> 00:06:16,459
for my doctors to understand,
to be able to say,
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00:06:16,459 --> 00:06:20,630
"You've been hit by lightning,
and this is the end result."
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00:06:20,630 --> 00:06:24,384
In my case, they say,
"You've been hit by lightning,
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00:06:24,384 --> 00:06:26,761
and we have to help you figure
out a way to cope with it."
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00:06:26,761 --> 00:06:31,349
Because there are things that
happen that are unexplained.
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00:06:31,349 --> 00:06:34,686
I really believe
in the electromagnetic
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00:06:34,686 --> 00:06:39,024
changes in the body,
because the first ten years
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00:06:39,024 --> 00:06:42,485
of having, with my children,
having the Christmas tree up,
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00:06:42,485 --> 00:06:44,321
and putting maybe tinsel on it,
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00:06:44,321 --> 00:06:48,074
the tinsel would jump six feet
off the Christmas tree onto me.
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00:06:48,074 --> 00:06:51,661
I couldn't get it
to stay on the tree.
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00:06:51,661 --> 00:06:53,955
‐Turning on lights...
‐(electricity crackles)
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00:06:53,955 --> 00:06:55,957
...touching things...
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00:06:55,957 --> 00:06:57,083
I'm very staticky.
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00:06:57,083 --> 00:07:00,295
My hair likes to get
very floaty.
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00:07:00,295 --> 00:07:02,756
I can feel it in my body.
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00:07:02,756 --> 00:07:05,759
SHATNER:
After such a harrowing
experience,
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00:07:05,759 --> 00:07:08,970
Beth took solace, both in
the fact that she had survived,
140
00:07:08,970 --> 00:07:11,222
and that her near‐fatal
encounter with lightning
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00:07:11,222 --> 00:07:12,891
was over.
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00:07:12,891 --> 00:07:15,310
Or was it?
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00:07:15,310 --> 00:07:19,356
PETERSON:
July 19th of 1993,
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00:07:19,356 --> 00:07:21,775
I was struck by lightning again.
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00:07:21,775 --> 00:07:25,236
I had a psychologist tell me
that I was a soldier.
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I needed to get over it,
I needed to carry on
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00:07:28,156 --> 00:07:30,158
and soldier on,
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00:07:30,158 --> 00:07:32,535
and that I should go home
and watch the storm.
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00:07:32,535 --> 00:07:36,039
And that's what I told myself
as I drove home
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00:07:36,039 --> 00:07:40,335
and took off my boots,
and opened the French doors,
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00:07:40,335 --> 00:07:42,545
and was struck again.
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00:07:42,545 --> 00:07:45,256
It threw me approximately
eight to nine feet
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00:07:45,256 --> 00:07:48,051
back into the house.
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00:07:48,051 --> 00:07:50,679
No one has ever come forward
and told me why
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00:07:50,679 --> 00:07:52,097
this has happened.
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00:07:52,097 --> 00:07:56,935
I have had a team
of incredible doctors,
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00:07:56,935 --> 00:08:00,563
and they have tried
and tried and tried
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00:08:00,563 --> 00:08:04,901
through the years to medically
have some explanation.
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00:08:04,901 --> 00:08:07,862
Because when a person's going
through what I've gone through,
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00:08:07,862 --> 00:08:09,447
you want an answer.
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00:08:09,447 --> 00:08:12,992
And the answer just always
keeps coming back to,
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"You've been struck
by lightning."
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SHATNER:
Was it merely a coincidence
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00:08:18,081 --> 00:08:20,667
that Beth was struck
a second time?
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00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:25,046
Or could there have been
something larger at play?
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00:08:25,046 --> 00:08:26,047
(thunder crashes)
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00:08:26,047 --> 00:08:27,132
Is it possible that,
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00:08:27,132 --> 00:08:29,384
like Lake Maracaibo,
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some people attract lightning?
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They say that being hit
by a lightning bolt
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is similar to winning
the lottery,
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00:08:38,017 --> 00:08:40,311
and yet, some people are hit
by lightning bolts
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00:08:40,311 --> 00:08:42,605
more than once,
and what's the reason?
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Is it just bad luck?
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00:08:45,275 --> 00:08:48,028
DENNIN:
As people, we do have
a certain composition,
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and we're mostly water.
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And water is a great conductor
of electricity.
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00:08:52,490 --> 00:08:54,576
But the exact details
and specifics
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00:08:54,576 --> 00:08:57,662
of how each person is set up
is gonna vary enough
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00:08:57,662 --> 00:08:59,372
so you can imagine
some people are greater
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00:08:59,372 --> 00:09:00,999
or lesser lightning rods.
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00:09:00,999 --> 00:09:03,168
So if you think about
the whole electrical system,
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00:09:03,168 --> 00:09:05,045
and how they fit into
the electrical system
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00:09:05,045 --> 00:09:07,380
of the Earth and the atmosphere,
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00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:10,467
some people are more likely to
be hit by lightning than others.
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PETERSON:
I always have
a heightened awareness.
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I know where the storms
are coming.
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I can feel it by the hair
on my arms standing up.
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00:09:22,479 --> 00:09:24,022
The hair on the back
of my neck,
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00:09:24,022 --> 00:09:27,358
my static in my own hair...
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00:09:27,358 --> 00:09:28,902
it floats.
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00:09:28,902 --> 00:09:34,240
I can tell when the changes
in the weather are happening
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00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,035
by the response
of what I feel in my body.
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00:09:38,912 --> 00:09:41,748
I do not necessarily think
it was a coincidence
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00:09:41,748 --> 00:09:43,541
that I was struck a second time.
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00:09:43,541 --> 00:09:47,212
I think the changes in my body
made it more attractive.
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00:09:50,215 --> 00:09:53,551
Why are certain places
and people
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00:09:53,551 --> 00:09:56,471
repeatedly struck by lightning?
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00:09:56,471 --> 00:09:59,516
I'm sure Beth Peterson
would love to know the answer.
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00:09:59,516 --> 00:10:02,227
Just like the people
who used to live in a small town
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00:10:02,227 --> 00:10:03,853
in rural Pennsylvania,
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00:10:03,853 --> 00:10:06,773
one that has literally
gone up in smoke.
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00:10:06,773 --> 00:10:08,983
Not from being hit by lightning,
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00:10:08,983 --> 00:10:11,569
but from a fire...
205
00:10:11,569 --> 00:10:14,572
that has been burning...
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00:10:14,572 --> 00:10:16,616
for more than half a century.
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00:10:21,830 --> 00:10:23,706
SCOTT JONES:
You basically, you see
the fire and brimstone things
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00:10:23,706 --> 00:10:26,209
Population: five.
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00:10:26,209 --> 00:10:29,671
Once upon a time,
this small mining town
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00:10:29,671 --> 00:10:31,631
was home to more than
2,000 people.
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00:10:34,092 --> 00:10:37,762
Today, it's an almost
entirely abandoned wasteland.
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00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:41,599
Some would say
it resembles a war zone.
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00:10:41,599 --> 00:10:44,686
But it wasn't war
that ravaged Centralia.
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00:10:44,686 --> 00:10:49,190
It was something
much more devastating.
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00:10:49,190 --> 00:10:51,234
DAVID WHITEHEAD:
The story of Centralia
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00:10:51,234 --> 00:10:53,486
is both tragic and terrifying
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00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:56,990
in that it used to just be
a quaint mining town...
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00:10:58,324 --> 00:11:00,743
...but now
it's a total ghost town.
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00:11:03,496 --> 00:11:06,291
SHATNER:
February 14, 1981.
220
00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:08,293
Valentine's Day.
221
00:11:09,961 --> 00:11:12,422
12‐year‐old Todd Dombowski
222
00:11:12,422 --> 00:11:15,300
is playing
in his grandmother's backyard
223
00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:18,136
when he notices
something strange
224
00:11:18,136 --> 00:11:21,347
coming up from the ground.
225
00:11:21,347 --> 00:11:26,728
He sees what he thinks is‐is
smoke coming up from the lawn,
226
00:11:26,728 --> 00:11:28,313
goes over to investigate...
227
00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:32,150
...drops out of sight
into a steaming hole
228
00:11:32,150 --> 00:11:34,360
approximately 170 feet deep.
229
00:11:35,945 --> 00:11:38,948
He saves himself by grabbing
onto a tree root.
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00:11:38,948 --> 00:11:41,993
WHITEHEAD:
So after what happened
to Todd Dombowski,
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00:11:41,993 --> 00:11:43,578
the media started coming in,
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00:11:43,578 --> 00:11:46,206
and Centralia became
a big story.
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00:11:46,206 --> 00:11:48,958
DOROTHY LUCEY: Todd Dombowski
was playing when the earth
234
00:11:48,958 --> 00:11:51,127
opened up below his feet.
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00:11:51,127 --> 00:11:53,963
I see the smoke and when I did,
I just fell right through it.
236
00:11:53,963 --> 00:11:55,840
SHATNER:
After a brief investigation,
237
00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,009
the cause of the smoke
in Todd's grandmother's backyard
238
00:11:58,009 --> 00:12:00,637
becomes obvious.
239
00:12:00,637 --> 00:12:03,932
A fire that was
deliberately started,
240
00:12:03,932 --> 00:12:05,391
and thought to have
been extinguished,
241
00:12:05,391 --> 00:12:08,353
had, in fact, never gone out.
242
00:12:08,353 --> 00:12:10,813
And it was now being fueled
243
00:12:10,813 --> 00:12:15,777
by the vast reserves of coal
located underneath the town.
244
00:12:17,278 --> 00:12:21,699
Centralia was a very typical
small coal town
245
00:12:21,699 --> 00:12:25,078
in the anthracite region
of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
246
00:12:25,078 --> 00:12:29,082
Its only purpose for being
was to mine coal...
247
00:12:30,667 --> 00:12:35,004
...and its growth was in tandem
with the coal industry.
248
00:12:35,004 --> 00:12:38,883
As new mines opened up,
more people would move there.
249
00:12:38,883 --> 00:12:41,094
Some of those families
in Centralia had been there
250
00:12:41,094 --> 00:12:43,096
for as long as five generations.
251
00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:45,306
And what I'm leading to is that
252
00:12:45,306 --> 00:12:48,309
there's this massive labyrinth
of‐of abandoned coal mines
253
00:12:48,309 --> 00:12:51,354
beneath Centralia,
really under the entire town.
254
00:12:52,647 --> 00:12:55,358
And so, in 1962,
255
00:12:55,358 --> 00:12:57,986
the state dump inspector told
Centralia Borough Council
256
00:12:57,986 --> 00:13:00,446
that the location
of its landfill
257
00:13:00,446 --> 00:13:03,241
didn't meet state regulations.
258
00:13:03,241 --> 00:13:06,911
And they arranged
for the local fire department
259
00:13:06,911 --> 00:13:09,372
to set the dump on fire
to clean it up.
260
00:13:09,372 --> 00:13:10,999
And they had done this
in the past.
261
00:13:10,999 --> 00:13:12,959
They would just go out
and set it on fire,
262
00:13:12,959 --> 00:13:15,628
let it burn for a while,
and then wash it down with water
263
00:13:15,628 --> 00:13:19,173
from a tanker truck and go away,
everything's fine.
264
00:13:19,173 --> 00:13:21,426
Except, this time
it wasn't fine...
265
00:13:23,261 --> 00:13:26,472
...because this fire had stayed
smoldering in the garbage,
266
00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:29,309
and then it moved
into this labyrinth
267
00:13:29,309 --> 00:13:31,728
of abandoned coal mines
beneath the town
268
00:13:31,728 --> 00:13:34,439
and that was how
the mine fire got started.
269
00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:38,026
And eventually, the fire broke
out of the ground,
270
00:13:38,026 --> 00:13:40,445
and you could see
glowing red rocks,
271
00:13:40,445 --> 00:13:42,864
you could see
blue burning rocks.
272
00:13:42,864 --> 00:13:45,033
And so, so hot.
273
00:13:45,033 --> 00:13:47,618
If you got even, like,
within ten feet of it,
274
00:13:47,618 --> 00:13:51,914
your face was frying, you know?
It was that, that hot.
275
00:13:51,914 --> 00:13:54,834
They sent
the fire department back,
276
00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:56,794
but the damage was already done.
277
00:13:59,088 --> 00:14:02,300
WYSESSION: Attempts to put out
the Centralia coal seam fire
278
00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:05,386
had been a total failure,
starting in 1962,
279
00:14:05,386 --> 00:14:08,890
when they first lit
that trash pit on fire.
280
00:14:08,890 --> 00:14:12,894
That fire continued
to spread underground
281
00:14:12,894 --> 00:14:16,064
despite multiple attempts
to put it out.
282
00:14:16,064 --> 00:14:20,443
And then,
in over a period of 20 years,
283
00:14:20,443 --> 00:14:24,238
the fire just kept
growing out of control,
284
00:14:24,238 --> 00:14:28,785
to the point where smoke and
steam come up out of the ground,
285
00:14:28,785 --> 00:14:30,620
where the ground is as hot
286
00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:33,456
as 900 degrees Fahrenheit
in places,
287
00:14:33,456 --> 00:14:36,834
just consuming the entire town.
288
00:14:36,834 --> 00:14:38,294
SUSAN JELLIG: The people
of Centralia want to know
289
00:14:38,294 --> 00:14:40,546
when the 20‐year‐old mine fire
will be put out.
290
00:14:40,546 --> 00:14:42,548
They appeared tired
of living with the danger
291
00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:44,926
of toxic gases
entering their homes.
292
00:14:44,926 --> 00:14:48,179
Representative Frank Harrison
says it won't be easy.
293
00:14:49,388 --> 00:14:51,766
WHITEHEAD:
And it was at this point
294
00:14:51,766 --> 00:14:54,393
that the town started
to shut down and close shop.
295
00:14:54,393 --> 00:14:59,315
LUCEY: Residents take
a vote to move their homes.
296
00:14:59,315 --> 00:15:02,485
The federal government forked
over another $1 million
297
00:15:02,485 --> 00:15:05,780
to move them to safety.
298
00:15:05,780 --> 00:15:09,200
WHITEHEAD:
Businesses started closing,
299
00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,662
people started leaving,
300
00:15:12,662 --> 00:15:16,040
and the government actually
ended up buying the land
301
00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,876
to stop people
from coming back in,
302
00:15:18,876 --> 00:15:21,462
because they realized
at that point,
303
00:15:21,462 --> 00:15:24,257
that they had no way
to stop this fire,
304
00:15:24,257 --> 00:15:27,969
and sadly, this fire is raging
right up to this day.
305
00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:33,933
SHATNER:
But why,
306
00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:36,602
after nearly six decades,
307
00:15:36,602 --> 00:15:40,231
why won't the fires go out?
308
00:15:40,231 --> 00:15:43,693
WYSESSION:
It's a question that's almost
impossible to know.
309
00:15:43,693 --> 00:15:47,947
Because not only can we not
see through the rock,
310
00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:52,076
any attempts
to try to figure it out
311
00:15:52,076 --> 00:15:54,954
by drilling holes in the ground,
for example,
312
00:15:54,954 --> 00:15:59,834
you provide channels of air
that can actually feed the fire.
313
00:16:01,252 --> 00:16:05,131
And so, you can try
to cut off the fuel
314
00:16:05,131 --> 00:16:06,841
by digging out around it
315
00:16:06,841 --> 00:16:11,304
to remove the coal
to prevent it from spreading,
316
00:16:11,304 --> 00:16:14,098
and you can also
address the fire
317
00:16:14,098 --> 00:16:19,604
by pouring water directly in
through channels underground
318
00:16:19,604 --> 00:16:24,734
to try to cool that fire
below its activation energy.
319
00:16:24,734 --> 00:16:29,447
All of these were tried
in the case of Centralia.
320
00:16:29,447 --> 00:16:32,283
Not one of them succeeded.
321
00:16:33,701 --> 00:16:36,329
You would think
we understand fires enough
322
00:16:36,329 --> 00:16:38,039
that we could,
we could take care of this,
323
00:16:38,039 --> 00:16:39,790
because we know,
for a fire to occur,
324
00:16:39,790 --> 00:16:42,418
you have to have
an ignition source, a spark...
325
00:16:43,669 --> 00:16:46,672
...then you have to have fuel.
326
00:16:46,672 --> 00:16:49,508
Well, it's a coal mine,
so coal is a pretty good fuel.
327
00:16:49,508 --> 00:16:51,552
Then you also have to
have an oxidizer.
328
00:16:51,552 --> 00:16:54,222
That oxidizer is‐is air,
in most cases.
329
00:16:54,222 --> 00:16:56,641
But if they cut off the tunnels,
330
00:16:56,641 --> 00:16:58,142
or whatever's going
into this mine,
331
00:16:58,142 --> 00:16:59,435
no air should get down there,
332
00:16:59,435 --> 00:17:01,020
eventually all the air
should burn out,
333
00:17:01,020 --> 00:17:03,397
and it should go out,
but it's not doing that.
334
00:17:03,397 --> 00:17:05,816
DEKOK:
What I've been told
by engineers is that
335
00:17:05,816 --> 00:17:07,860
they could pump water
down there for a year,
336
00:17:07,860 --> 00:17:10,321
and if they turn the water off,
337
00:17:10,321 --> 00:17:12,531
there'd be a good chance
it'd be enough residual heat
338
00:17:12,531 --> 00:17:14,659
that the fire would start
right back up again.
339
00:17:14,659 --> 00:17:17,078
It's a tremendous monster.
340
00:17:17,078 --> 00:17:19,163
JONES: Once an accident
like this happens
341
00:17:19,163 --> 00:17:20,790
underground where you have
a fire burning,
342
00:17:20,790 --> 00:17:23,167
as time goes on,
the odds of putting it out
343
00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,628
get fewer and fewer and fewer.
344
00:17:25,628 --> 00:17:28,881
With a coal fire,
you're talking temperatures
345
00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:32,009
of a thousand
to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
346
00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:35,012
As the fire grows and grows
and grows like this underground,
347
00:17:35,012 --> 00:17:37,723
all that heat is radiated
through the earth.
348
00:17:37,723 --> 00:17:40,101
It warms up the earth,
and could get to the point
349
00:17:40,101 --> 00:17:41,978
where you can see temperatures
of two, 300 degrees
350
00:17:41,978 --> 00:17:43,396
on the surface.
351
00:17:43,396 --> 00:17:46,774
And asphalt
and different materials
352
00:17:46,774 --> 00:17:48,609
actually start melting.
353
00:17:48,609 --> 00:17:51,946
Sinkholes open up,
houses collapse.
354
00:17:51,946 --> 00:17:54,907
This can go on
for a very, very long time.
355
00:17:54,907 --> 00:17:58,119
In the case of Centralia, even
to this day, 50 years later,
356
00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:00,246
you see steam vents
with toxic gasses
357
00:18:00,246 --> 00:18:02,415
being emitted out of the ground,
358
00:18:02,415 --> 00:18:04,625
you see vegetation
that has been destroyed
359
00:18:04,625 --> 00:18:06,586
because of those gases
in the heat.
360
00:18:06,586 --> 00:18:08,588
This is almost a wasteland,
361
00:18:08,588 --> 00:18:10,548
caused by these
underground fires.
362
00:18:10,548 --> 00:18:12,550
Some people have estimated
that it'll take 200 years
363
00:18:12,550 --> 00:18:16,387
for this fire to burn out,
and my estimation, nobody knows.
364
00:18:16,387 --> 00:18:20,016
We could be talking
two, three, four, 500 years.
365
00:18:20,016 --> 00:18:22,059
There is no answer
to that question.
366
00:18:23,185 --> 00:18:24,979
It's basically hell on Earth.
367
00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:33,946
SHATNER:
Centralia, Pennsylvania:
once booming, now barren.
368
00:18:33,946 --> 00:18:38,117
The ghost of a town
that once was.
369
00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:40,119
The few structures that remain
370
00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:43,581
seem to defy the fumes
to consume them.
371
00:18:43,581 --> 00:18:48,419
Is this story a cautionary tale
about the futility of mankind
372
00:18:48,419 --> 00:18:51,964
trying to bend nature
to its will?
373
00:18:51,964 --> 00:18:53,382
Perhaps.
374
00:18:53,382 --> 00:18:57,720
But in a forest halfway
across the world,
375
00:18:57,720 --> 00:18:59,680
there's an equally
compelling story,
376
00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:02,642
not about mankind
trying to bend nature,
377
00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:08,272
but about nature succeeding
in bending itself.
378
00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:15,196
GEORGE NOORY:
People are hearing a strange hum
379
00:19:15,196 --> 00:19:17,490
just outside the village
of Nowe Czarnowo,
380
00:19:17,490 --> 00:19:21,327
stands a grove of pine trees
unlike any other.
381
00:19:21,327 --> 00:19:23,954
Instead of rising
straight up to the sky,
382
00:19:23,954 --> 00:19:27,124
these trees bend, bow...
383
00:19:28,751 --> 00:19:31,420
...and buckle
384
00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:36,425
in a most curious‐‐ and some
would say‐‐ unnatural fashion.
385
00:19:36,425 --> 00:19:40,221
Which is why this place
has come to be known as...
386
00:19:40,221 --> 00:19:43,224
the Crooked Forest.
387
00:19:43,224 --> 00:19:46,727
WYSESSION:
When you see this forest,
it's very striking.
388
00:19:46,727 --> 00:19:48,729
Trees come up
initially straight,
389
00:19:48,729 --> 00:19:51,941
and then they take a sharp bend
all to the north,
390
00:19:51,941 --> 00:19:56,153
and eventually curve
back up again.
391
00:19:56,153 --> 00:20:01,951
And to see maybe one tree grow
this way might not be unusual,
392
00:20:01,951 --> 00:20:05,287
but to see a whole grove
of trees grow this way,
393
00:20:05,287 --> 00:20:07,540
clearly something was at work.
394
00:20:11,210 --> 00:20:15,506
SHATNER:
Although scientists have dated
the unusual trees to the 1930s,
395
00:20:15,506 --> 00:20:19,176
local records became lost
after the end of World War II.
396
00:20:19,176 --> 00:20:21,429
The only thing
we know for certain
397
00:20:21,429 --> 00:20:24,306
is that these are otherwise
normal pine trees that,
398
00:20:24,306 --> 00:20:29,311
for whatever reason,
didn't grow straight.
399
00:20:29,311 --> 00:20:32,148
JOSH SLOAN: I don't know
of anywhere else in the world
400
00:20:32,148 --> 00:20:34,608
that we could walk into a forest
401
00:20:34,608 --> 00:20:39,613
and see such broad,
dramatic sweeping curves
402
00:20:39,613 --> 00:20:41,657
throughout the entire stand.
403
00:20:41,657 --> 00:20:44,326
And so there have been
a lot of questions,
404
00:20:44,326 --> 00:20:47,872
a lot of speculation
as to what caused this.
405
00:20:47,872 --> 00:20:51,208
Everything from tank maneuvers
406
00:20:51,208 --> 00:20:52,877
that might have occurred
in the area
407
00:20:52,877 --> 00:20:55,087
around the time of World War II
408
00:20:55,087 --> 00:20:58,299
to snow and wind loads
on these stands...
409
00:21:00,801 --> 00:21:03,429
...to chemicals that might have
been in the soil,
410
00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:06,932
or genetic questions
that might be at play.
411
00:21:15,900 --> 00:21:18,736
And be it
the human intervention...
412
00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:29,330
I think most of the natural
processes would cause
413
00:21:29,330 --> 00:21:32,291
a much more sort of
gradual curve or lean in a tree,
414
00:21:32,291 --> 00:21:35,169
but not such a distinctive
sort of hook shape.
415
00:21:35,169 --> 00:21:38,422
In this case, the fact
that it's very consistent
416
00:21:38,422 --> 00:21:40,883
and more extreme
than you would typically see
417
00:21:40,883 --> 00:21:43,302
in any sort of natural situation
418
00:21:43,302 --> 00:21:45,721
would suggest that it was
probably human manipulation.
419
00:21:45,721 --> 00:21:49,183
But we'll never know for sure
if that was the case.
420
00:21:50,392 --> 00:21:52,269
WYSESSION:
One possible explanation
421
00:21:52,269 --> 00:21:56,315
comes from records of timbers
called compass timbers,
422
00:21:56,315 --> 00:22:00,319
that were trees
that were grown particularly.
423
00:22:00,319 --> 00:22:04,240
They were pruned, much like
topiaries or bonsai trees,
424
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:05,908
to have a curved shape.
425
00:22:05,908 --> 00:22:09,829
And these timbers
were used in the hulls of ships.
426
00:22:09,829 --> 00:22:14,250
Rather than trying to bend
boards with steam to make ships,
427
00:22:14,250 --> 00:22:18,838
they actually grew trees that
already had that curved shape.
428
00:22:21,215 --> 00:22:23,050
Whatever happened to these trees
429
00:22:23,050 --> 00:22:26,637
most likely happened
when they were very young.
430
00:22:26,637 --> 00:22:31,851
This obviously would have taken
a lot of thought and work
431
00:22:31,851 --> 00:22:36,313
on the part of somebody
to go out and plant this forest,
432
00:22:36,313 --> 00:22:41,318
to go in and prune or otherwise
manipulate these young trees
433
00:22:41,318 --> 00:22:46,240
and tend them to create this
kind of a big sweeping bend.
434
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,159
And then that raises
the other part of this mystery:
435
00:22:49,159 --> 00:22:52,913
what changed
that nobody came back?
436
00:22:54,790 --> 00:22:57,668
WHITEHEAD: So, the idea that
humans cultivated these trees
437
00:22:57,668 --> 00:23:00,880
to make furniture or for some
other manufacturing purpose,
438
00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:02,756
it doesn't really add up.
439
00:23:02,756 --> 00:23:04,174
The question is,
why would anybody
440
00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:06,218
go to that kind of trouble?
441
00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:08,679
And, I mean, we're talking
at least ten years
442
00:23:08,679 --> 00:23:10,973
to produce a tree
with that kind of bend,
443
00:23:10,973 --> 00:23:14,560
only to disappear when it comes
time to harvest them.
444
00:23:16,228 --> 00:23:18,689
SHATNER:
If the Crooked Forest
isn't the result
445
00:23:18,689 --> 00:23:22,109
of some arborist's bizarre plan,
then what else
446
00:23:22,109 --> 00:23:27,323
could explain the trees'
strange and contorted shapes?
447
00:23:28,908 --> 00:23:30,784
There's got to be
something more to this.
448
00:23:30,784 --> 00:23:33,996
Maybe it's something
that we haven't yet thought of.
449
00:23:33,996 --> 00:23:36,999
Could it be that these trees
have some kind of capability
450
00:23:36,999 --> 00:23:39,376
that we have yet
to fully understand?
451
00:23:39,376 --> 00:23:42,630
In Native American traditions,
452
00:23:42,630 --> 00:23:45,466
plants have spiritual essence‐‐
453
00:23:45,466 --> 00:23:48,260
or you might say souls,
plants have souls‐‐
454
00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:51,889
and in that sense, what we might
think in terms of being a person
455
00:23:51,889 --> 00:23:53,933
or having a consciousness.
456
00:23:55,601 --> 00:23:57,686
Amongst our people, the trees,
457
00:23:57,686 --> 00:23:59,355
they, they do have a spirit.
458
00:23:59,355 --> 00:24:01,649
Not only trees, but everything.
459
00:24:01,649 --> 00:24:05,903
But mankind, we don't see that,
we don't understand that.
460
00:24:05,903 --> 00:24:08,113
WHITEHEAD:
We see this also
in Japanese culture,
461
00:24:08,113 --> 00:24:12,284
where they talk about nymphs and
spirits that inhabit the trees.
462
00:24:12,284 --> 00:24:14,286
And even
in the Druid traditions,
463
00:24:14,286 --> 00:24:16,372
they wouldn't even
approach a tree
464
00:24:16,372 --> 00:24:18,165
or walk underneath
the leaves of a tree
465
00:24:18,165 --> 00:24:19,959
without asking permission.
466
00:24:19,959 --> 00:24:21,919
They would speak to the tree.
467
00:24:25,756 --> 00:24:28,592
SHATNER:
Is it possible that the pines
of the Crooked Forest
468
00:24:28,592 --> 00:24:31,303
are actually capable
of communication?
469
00:24:31,303 --> 00:24:33,931
While such a notion
may seem far‐fetched,
470
00:24:33,931 --> 00:24:36,600
scientists are beginning
to discover that trees,
471
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,435
and other plants,
472
00:24:38,435 --> 00:24:42,940
have far greater capabilities
than previously known.
473
00:24:42,940 --> 00:24:46,777
FISHER:
When you step into a forest,
all the trees around you
474
00:24:46,777 --> 00:24:49,279
are not just isolated organisms.
475
00:24:49,279 --> 00:24:51,490
They're actually a community
476
00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:55,327
that are communicating
with each other.
477
00:24:55,327 --> 00:24:59,123
Forests are more often
connected underground
478
00:24:59,123 --> 00:25:02,001
through their root systems
by fungal mycelia,
479
00:25:02,001 --> 00:25:04,461
which are basically
little threads of fungi
480
00:25:04,461 --> 00:25:09,383
that tap into the roots and then
connect that tree to other trees
481
00:25:09,383 --> 00:25:11,218
that it's also connected to.
482
00:25:12,469 --> 00:25:14,471
WHITEHEAD:
So, the question is,
483
00:25:14,471 --> 00:25:17,933
is there an advanced form
of consciousness, in a way,
484
00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:19,476
that inhabit trees?
485
00:25:19,476 --> 00:25:21,311
And even
in the scientific world,
486
00:25:21,311 --> 00:25:24,273
they've been changing the way
that they look at trees,
487
00:25:24,273 --> 00:25:25,482
and they've been
seeing that trees
488
00:25:25,482 --> 00:25:27,568
possess a sort of intelligence,
489
00:25:27,568 --> 00:25:31,530
where they communicate
amongst each other.
490
00:25:33,198 --> 00:25:35,242
SHATNER:
Did the trees
of the Crooked Forest
491
00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:39,329
grow that way because someone,
or some force, willed them to?
492
00:25:39,329 --> 00:25:43,125
If true, it could revolutionize
the way we humans
493
00:25:43,125 --> 00:25:46,295
interact with the wondrous world
we live in.
494
00:25:46,295 --> 00:25:48,380
But it might also
help to explain
495
00:25:48,380 --> 00:25:51,675
another, less benign phenomenon,
496
00:25:51,675 --> 00:25:55,012
one in which a sound is produced
that is so subtle,
497
00:25:55,012 --> 00:25:58,599
yet so persistent, that it can
drive those who hear it...
498
00:25:58,599 --> 00:26:00,100
(window rattling)
499
00:26:00,100 --> 00:26:03,645
‐...stark raving mad.
‐(screams)
500
00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,819
TAYLOR:
This hum is affecting people.ari
501
00:26:10,819 --> 00:26:14,239
Located along the Detroit River,
this Canadian city seems,
502
00:26:14,239 --> 00:26:17,493
by all appearances,
to be quite normal.
503
00:26:17,493 --> 00:26:22,206
But if you listen closely,
you'll hear something strange.
504
00:26:22,206 --> 00:26:23,832
(low humming)
505
00:26:23,832 --> 00:26:26,043
Do you hear it?
506
00:26:26,043 --> 00:26:27,711
That humming noise?
507
00:26:29,588 --> 00:26:31,590
Well, if you do, be careful.
508
00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:35,469
It may just drive you mad.
509
00:26:37,971 --> 00:26:40,599
WYSESSION:
About a decade ago,
in Windsor, Canada,
510
00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:43,227
people began hearing a hum.
511
00:26:43,227 --> 00:26:46,105
Some people, not everyone,
and not all the time,
512
00:26:46,105 --> 00:26:48,899
but this was a serious,
significant hum.
513
00:26:51,151 --> 00:26:53,987
NOORY: I was born in Detroit and
I would go to Windsor, Canada
514
00:26:53,987 --> 00:26:58,033
quite often during my days
as a reporter in that city.
515
00:26:58,033 --> 00:27:01,411
People are hearing a strange hum
that affects them.
516
00:27:01,411 --> 00:27:05,415
It literally drives them crazy,
517
00:27:05,415 --> 00:27:07,251
and nobody's been able
to pinpoint exactly
518
00:27:07,251 --> 00:27:08,669
what's happening.
519
00:27:11,755 --> 00:27:14,758
Most people would describe it
as a very low frequency,
520
00:27:14,758 --> 00:27:16,510
modulating sound,
521
00:27:16,510 --> 00:27:20,764
or they'd characterize it
as a large diesel truck
522
00:27:20,764 --> 00:27:24,726
or even train locomotive
parked outside their window,
523
00:27:24,726 --> 00:27:26,562
chugging away.
524
00:27:28,730 --> 00:27:32,192
Sometimes I get, like, a rumble,
like, almost thunder,
525
00:27:32,192 --> 00:27:34,736
but it's definitely not thunder.
526
00:27:34,736 --> 00:27:36,572
It changes from one moment
to the next.
527
00:27:36,572 --> 00:27:39,324
Sometimes we get four hours,
sometimes we get four days,
528
00:27:39,324 --> 00:27:42,286
four weeks,
sometimes it's nonstop.
529
00:27:44,079 --> 00:27:45,706
DREW TRAUX:
Some nights it's been, like,
530
00:27:45,706 --> 00:27:47,749
really, really intense,
where it kind of has a little,
531
00:27:47,749 --> 00:27:50,836
to me, I‐‐ has a little grind
to it as well.
532
00:27:50,836 --> 00:27:54,214
SONYA MACKIE:
It would be
in the middle of the night.
533
00:27:54,214 --> 00:27:57,009
You couldn't tell whether you're
hearing it or, or feeling it.
534
00:27:57,009 --> 00:28:01,847
It was, uh,
it's like a "voom, voom" noise.
535
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,893
TAYLOR: Imagine that you're
sitting in a room
536
00:28:05,893 --> 00:28:07,895
trying to relax,
537
00:28:07,895 --> 00:28:11,940
and there is this low‐level
humming sound in the background
538
00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:15,986
that you can just barely hear,
and it's continuous.
539
00:28:15,986 --> 00:28:19,990
So, if you have this constant
acoustic hum in the background,
540
00:28:19,990 --> 00:28:22,367
this could cause
adverse reactions.
541
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:25,245
This hum is affecting people,
keeping them awake.
542
00:28:25,245 --> 00:28:26,955
It's ruining their lives.
543
00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:28,957
(loud humming)
544
00:28:31,919 --> 00:28:33,754
PROVOST:
It does affect my sleep.
545
00:28:33,754 --> 00:28:36,965
The pulsing and the pounding,
yeah, it‐it wakes you up.
546
00:28:36,965 --> 00:28:39,676
It just resonates
through the house.
547
00:28:39,676 --> 00:28:42,137
Sometimes it gets so bad,
you get so infuriated with it,
548
00:28:42,137 --> 00:28:44,264
that it scares the hell
out of you.
549
00:28:44,264 --> 00:28:46,683
You just want to get away.
550
00:28:48,810 --> 00:28:51,480
Windsor being such
a highly industrialized city,
551
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:53,649
we have a lot of different
sources of noise.
552
00:28:53,649 --> 00:28:55,442
But when it didn't go away,
553
00:28:55,442 --> 00:28:58,528
that's when people
started to get concerned.
554
00:28:58,528 --> 00:29:00,322
SHATNER:
For the residents of Windsor,
555
00:29:00,322 --> 00:29:03,075
the hum is no longer
a mere curiosity.
556
00:29:03,075 --> 00:29:07,162
For them, it's become
a full‐fledged crisis,
557
00:29:07,162 --> 00:29:11,583
one that the local authorities
have tried to address.
558
00:29:11,583 --> 00:29:13,919
CRAIG PEARSON: The Canadian
government did a study
559
00:29:13,919 --> 00:29:18,215
and the report suggested
that it came from Zug Island,
560
00:29:18,215 --> 00:29:21,802
across the Detroit River
in Michigan.
561
00:29:21,802 --> 00:29:23,679
WHITEHEAD:
And the conventional theory
562
00:29:23,679 --> 00:29:27,182
is that the U. S. steel factories
that are located on Zug Island
563
00:29:27,182 --> 00:29:30,394
are somehow causing
a weird reverberation effect
564
00:29:30,394 --> 00:29:32,688
that is carrying that sound
565
00:29:32,688 --> 00:29:35,816
across the lake
and people are hearing it.
566
00:29:35,816 --> 00:29:38,986
WYSESSION:
One possible explanation
has to do
567
00:29:38,986 --> 00:29:41,697
with a phenomenon
called resonance.
568
00:29:41,697 --> 00:29:46,326
So, it could be, whatever
the low frequency machinery is
569
00:29:46,326 --> 00:29:51,498
that's vibrating, it's vibrating
at just the wrong frequency
570
00:29:51,498 --> 00:29:54,751
that is causing
surrounding structures
571
00:29:54,751 --> 00:29:59,006
to begin to amplify at that
exact resonant frequency.
572
00:29:59,006 --> 00:30:01,425
DENNIN:
The human use of industry
573
00:30:01,425 --> 00:30:03,844
is fairly common
from place to place.
574
00:30:03,844 --> 00:30:05,846
And so when you think
about Detroit,
575
00:30:05,846 --> 00:30:08,015
if the hum or the noise
is from industry,
576
00:30:08,015 --> 00:30:12,477
and that type of noise, you
would expect it in other places.
577
00:30:12,477 --> 00:30:14,730
However,
nature and natural noise
578
00:30:14,730 --> 00:30:17,024
is more localized and distinct.
579
00:30:17,024 --> 00:30:21,778
MACKIE:
When it first started,
no one knew what the hum was.
580
00:30:21,778 --> 00:30:23,071
They started studying it,
581
00:30:23,071 --> 00:30:24,948
and that's where the Zug Island
theory came up,
582
00:30:24,948 --> 00:30:27,534
but there's all these
what‐if questions that come up.
583
00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:30,537
Why is it felt
in the evening hours,
584
00:30:30,537 --> 00:30:32,998
maybe verses
more so during the daytime?
585
00:30:32,998 --> 00:30:35,333
Why do you feel it on a weekend?
586
00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:37,461
Are they actually running
their facility on the weekend?
587
00:30:37,461 --> 00:30:40,714
Why is it worse during when the
weather patterns are different?
588
00:30:40,714 --> 00:30:45,886
It definitely does pose a lot of
questions and a lot of what‐ifs.
589
00:30:45,886 --> 00:30:49,431
It could be many other places
that generate this.
590
00:30:49,431 --> 00:30:53,018
And low frequency sound could
be due to seismic activity.
591
00:30:53,018 --> 00:30:54,686
In the Detroit area,
592
00:30:54,686 --> 00:30:59,649
we know there's been
an increase in seismic activity.
593
00:30:59,649 --> 00:31:02,444
One natural phenomenon
that creates low frequency noise
594
00:31:02,444 --> 00:31:04,196
is earthquakes.
595
00:31:04,196 --> 00:31:07,949
In several cases, you can hear
the earthquakes occurring.
596
00:31:07,949 --> 00:31:09,409
They're very low frequency,
597
00:31:09,409 --> 00:31:11,661
mostly below
the human hearing range.
598
00:31:11,661 --> 00:31:13,830
But in some cases,
they can be heard.
599
00:31:13,830 --> 00:31:16,249
Interestingly,
some of the residents in Windsor
600
00:31:16,249 --> 00:31:19,336
have noted
the rattling of windows.
601
00:31:19,336 --> 00:31:23,465
And I've experienced an
earthquake where I had no idea
602
00:31:23,465 --> 00:31:25,884
it occurred except
all the windows of my house
603
00:31:25,884 --> 00:31:27,636
started vibrating.
604
00:31:27,636 --> 00:31:30,138
There was something in that
resonance of that earthquake
605
00:31:30,138 --> 00:31:33,141
that was the same frequency
as my windows.
606
00:31:34,434 --> 00:31:36,978
NOORY:
So, these hums are around
607
00:31:36,978 --> 00:31:39,940
on this planet in certain areas.
608
00:31:39,940 --> 00:31:42,359
Exactly what's causing it,
nobody knows.
609
00:31:42,359 --> 00:31:44,528
But it's very annoying
to a lot of people.
610
00:31:44,528 --> 00:31:46,905
Just imagine yourself
trying to sleep,
611
00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:49,699
feeling this hum all the time.
612
00:31:49,699 --> 00:31:52,077
It drives you nuts.
613
00:31:52,077 --> 00:31:53,495
I don't think
it'll ever be solved.
614
00:31:53,495 --> 00:31:55,288
I'm hoping it will be.
I won't give up
615
00:31:55,288 --> 00:31:59,000
until they find an answer
or tell us what's going on.
616
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:02,546
If they can fix it, fix it.
If not, let us know why not.
617
00:32:02,546 --> 00:32:05,173
MACKIE:
It'd be nice
if it would be explained.
618
00:32:05,173 --> 00:32:07,008
Maybe one day.
619
00:32:07,008 --> 00:32:08,552
It would be great
if it went away.
620
00:32:08,552 --> 00:32:10,595
It'd be nice
not to hear it anymore.
621
00:32:10,595 --> 00:32:13,640
SHATNER:
Is the nauseating hum
622
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,851
experienced by the people
of Windsor
623
00:32:15,851 --> 00:32:20,021
really caused by nearby
industrial plants?
624
00:32:20,021 --> 00:32:23,817
Or is it due
to something even stranger?
625
00:32:23,817 --> 00:32:26,653
There are some who believe
that the hum
626
00:32:26,653 --> 00:32:28,613
may come from the same place
627
00:32:28,613 --> 00:32:32,826
where geologists believe there
lies an incredible energy,
628
00:32:32,826 --> 00:32:35,912
one so powerful
and so unstoppable,
629
00:32:35,912 --> 00:32:39,291
that one day it may
actually wipe out
630
00:32:39,291 --> 00:32:42,085
all of mankind.
631
00:32:49,259 --> 00:32:52,596
WYSESSION:
It is so anomalous, it is easy
632
00:32:52,596 --> 00:32:56,266
stretching out
to strike the sky.
633
00:32:56,266 --> 00:33:00,437
A colossal, 900‐foot shaft
of rugged rock,
634
00:33:00,437 --> 00:33:05,775
one whose very name
conjures notions of both awe
635
00:33:05,775 --> 00:33:07,611
and dread.
636
00:33:07,611 --> 00:33:11,072
Devils Tower.
637
00:33:11,072 --> 00:33:15,160
Devils Tower is remarkable
because you can drive across
638
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,955
the sedimentary plains,
see nothing but flat ground
639
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:20,624
for miles and miles,
640
00:33:20,624 --> 00:33:25,170
and then this tall,
dark tower emerges
641
00:33:25,170 --> 00:33:26,796
as you drive towards it.
642
00:33:26,796 --> 00:33:30,592
There is nothing like it
in the surrounding area.
643
00:33:30,592 --> 00:33:34,387
The rock has a grayish,
even a greenish‐gray color.
644
00:33:34,387 --> 00:33:37,349
And so, as you approach
Devils Tower,
645
00:33:37,349 --> 00:33:42,562
it's a distinct, stark contrast
to the sort of tans and browns
646
00:33:42,562 --> 00:33:46,149
of the surrounding
sedimentary rocks.
647
00:33:49,152 --> 00:33:51,363
SHATNER:
Located in northeastern Wyoming,
648
00:33:51,363 --> 00:33:54,699
Devils Tower was declared
America's very first
649
00:33:54,699 --> 00:33:59,079
national monument in 1906
by President Theodore Roosevelt,
650
00:33:59,079 --> 00:34:04,626
who sought to protect it as an
object of scientific interest.
651
00:34:04,626 --> 00:34:06,753
Since then, many have asked:
652
00:34:06,753 --> 00:34:12,467
what could have caused
this massive tower to form?
653
00:34:12,467 --> 00:34:14,511
There are many theories
about it,
654
00:34:14,511 --> 00:34:17,055
but there's no agreement
on what it was
655
00:34:17,055 --> 00:34:18,723
that produced
this miracle of nature.
656
00:34:21,643 --> 00:34:23,561
It's made of volcanic‐type
materials,
657
00:34:23,561 --> 00:34:26,106
but there's no other
volcanic activity around it.
658
00:34:26,106 --> 00:34:28,650
So what caused this thing?
659
00:34:28,650 --> 00:34:30,694
We don't know the answer
to that question.
660
00:34:30,694 --> 00:34:33,405
It's a really interesting
conundrum.
661
00:34:35,240 --> 00:34:38,827
SHATNER:
Is Devils Tower really
a miracle of nature?
662
00:34:38,827 --> 00:34:40,954
Something that simply
cannot be explained
663
00:34:40,954 --> 00:34:43,415
by natural and scientific laws?
664
00:34:43,415 --> 00:34:49,337
Sorry, but that explanation
is simply not good enough.
665
00:34:49,337 --> 00:34:52,966
As much as we like to walk
around with the confidence that
666
00:34:52,966 --> 00:34:54,259
we know this planet
667
00:34:54,259 --> 00:34:56,177
and we understand
the planet we live on,
668
00:34:56,177 --> 00:35:01,182
there seems to be nothing
but mystery on this planet.
669
00:35:01,182 --> 00:35:03,560
We don't understand
how to predict earthquakes.
670
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:05,895
(rumbling)
671
00:35:05,895 --> 00:35:09,232
We don't understand
how lightning travels.
672
00:35:09,232 --> 00:35:10,984
There's so many questions
that we have
673
00:35:10,984 --> 00:35:14,070
about what produces
the forces of nature.
674
00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:19,200
SHATNER:
Some have suggested that the key
to understanding Devils Tower
675
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:23,246
is to think of it the way
many Native Americans do:
676
00:35:23,246 --> 00:35:26,041
not as a natural formation,
677
00:35:26,041 --> 00:35:30,211
but as an unnatural one.
678
00:35:30,211 --> 00:35:33,548
The native peoples of the area
have worshiped this tower
679
00:35:33,548 --> 00:35:35,342
as an altar of sorts,
680
00:35:35,342 --> 00:35:39,012
and many feel like they can
climb to the top of this place
681
00:35:39,012 --> 00:35:42,515
and get divine inspiration, uh,
become empowered.
682
00:35:42,515 --> 00:35:46,227
And the question is, is there
some truth to this native legend
683
00:35:46,227 --> 00:35:49,147
that this place is a
sacred place on the planet
684
00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:52,484
and it is a sort of altar that
allows humans to communicate
685
00:35:52,484 --> 00:35:55,070
to the spirits
or to the universe
686
00:35:55,070 --> 00:35:58,406
or to the gods
that they believe in?
687
00:35:58,406 --> 00:36:01,493
To view Devils Tower,
if you want to call it that‐‐
688
00:36:01,493 --> 00:36:03,953
Mathó Thípila
is what we call it‐‐
689
00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:05,413
it's a sacred place,
690
00:36:05,413 --> 00:36:09,292
and when you see it
from a certain distance,
691
00:36:09,292 --> 00:36:13,838
even then, you start to feel
the wonder of it,
692
00:36:13,838 --> 00:36:17,425
the sacredness of it, and as you
get closer and closer,
693
00:36:17,425 --> 00:36:21,471
the positive sacred energy
starts to build,
694
00:36:21,471 --> 00:36:23,556
and you feel it
even more when you
695
00:36:23,556 --> 00:36:27,769
get to the base of the tower.
696
00:36:27,769 --> 00:36:30,063
I think, in the case
of Devils Tower,
697
00:36:30,063 --> 00:36:33,733
it is so unusual,
it is so anomalous,
698
00:36:33,733 --> 00:36:37,612
that it is easy to ascribe
a mystical
699
00:36:37,612 --> 00:36:40,407
or spiritual attribute to it.
700
00:36:40,407 --> 00:36:43,118
It's not surprising
that Hollywood directors
701
00:36:43,118 --> 00:36:44,994
would choose this as the place
702
00:36:44,994 --> 00:36:49,040
that aliens would land
from outer space.
703
00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:52,419
In the mid‐1970s,
one of the most important events
704
00:36:52,419 --> 00:36:54,838
in the history of, uh,
Devils Tower took place,
705
00:36:54,838 --> 00:36:56,506
and that was the filming
of the movie
706
00:36:56,506 --> 00:36:58,508
Close Encounters
of the Third Kind.
707
00:36:58,508 --> 00:37:02,387
In that movie
by Steven Spielberg,
708
00:37:02,387 --> 00:37:07,600
the tower is a spot that
many people are drawn to,
709
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,811
and they don't know why
they're drawn to it.
710
00:37:09,811 --> 00:37:12,856
They're drawn to it
from all over the country.
711
00:37:12,856 --> 00:37:15,150
It turns out,
as the movie goes on,
712
00:37:15,150 --> 00:37:17,402
that they're drawn here
because they've been abducted
713
00:37:17,402 --> 00:37:19,863
some time during their life
by aliens.
714
00:37:19,863 --> 00:37:24,576
A UFO lands on top of the tower,
715
00:37:24,576 --> 00:37:28,455
and Richard Dreyfuss
and several other people
716
00:37:28,455 --> 00:37:33,209
climb into the UFO
and fly off into space.
717
00:37:34,919 --> 00:37:37,172
The number of visitors
that came to the tower
718
00:37:37,172 --> 00:37:39,632
doubled the year after
that movie came out,
719
00:37:39,632 --> 00:37:44,387
and it stayed at that level
every year ever since.
720
00:37:44,387 --> 00:37:47,098
I don't know if it's
a landing site for UFOs,
721
00:37:47,098 --> 00:37:48,808
as Spielberg had in his movie,
722
00:37:48,808 --> 00:37:51,060
or what it might be.
723
00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:53,897
I mean, the more we look at it,
the more baffled we are.
724
00:37:53,897 --> 00:37:57,358
We are going to find things
as we continue
725
00:37:57,358 --> 00:38:01,154
to observe and search and study
the Earth that we had no idea
726
00:38:01,154 --> 00:38:05,408
how they got there, what type of
physical process created them,
727
00:38:05,408 --> 00:38:07,911
and we're gonna learn
new things all the time.
728
00:38:10,663 --> 00:38:13,625
SHATNER:
Is it Devils Tower
that is unnatural,
729
00:38:13,625 --> 00:38:17,504
or is it our own limited
understanding of nature
730
00:38:17,504 --> 00:38:20,006
that produces the confusion?
731
00:38:20,006 --> 00:38:25,303
Perhaps Devils Tower exists
to keep mankind humble,
732
00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:29,516
as a reminder that we still have
a lot to learn.
733
00:38:36,272 --> 00:38:38,733
ATNER:
Yellowstone National Park.
734
00:38:38,733 --> 00:38:42,362
Each year, more than
four million people
735
00:38:42,362 --> 00:38:44,072
travel from all over the world
736
00:38:44,072 --> 00:38:47,283
to experience its canyons,
737
00:38:47,283 --> 00:38:51,538
hot springs,
and other natural wonders.
738
00:38:51,538 --> 00:38:55,500
But the most wondrous
sight of all
739
00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:59,170
is a geyser that shoots a jet
of superheated water
740
00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:01,381
more than 150 feet into the air.
741
00:39:03,216 --> 00:39:06,719
And it does so
at such regular intervals
742
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:10,014
that you can practically
set your watch by it,
743
00:39:10,014 --> 00:39:12,100
which is why
they call this geyser
744
00:39:12,100 --> 00:39:15,353
"Old Faithful."
745
00:39:15,353 --> 00:39:16,855
WYSESSION:
If you visit Yellowstone,
746
00:39:16,855 --> 00:39:19,941
it's spectacular; there are
geysers all over the place.
747
00:39:19,941 --> 00:39:23,653
Some erupt every few minutes,
748
00:39:23,653 --> 00:39:27,198
some erupt every few hours.
749
00:39:27,198 --> 00:39:30,410
But what is remarkable
about Old Faithful
750
00:39:30,410 --> 00:39:34,372
is you can go there with a
stopwatch and‐and you can time,
751
00:39:34,372 --> 00:39:36,040
almost to the minute,
752
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:41,379
when the next eruption
of Old Faithful will occur.
753
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:45,592
DENNIN:
Most of nature is radical
and unpredictable,
754
00:39:45,592 --> 00:39:48,720
but the really surprising
feature of Old Faithful
755
00:39:48,720 --> 00:39:51,014
is not that it's periodic
and regular‐‐
756
00:39:51,014 --> 00:39:53,808
because that also happens
in many places in nature‐‐
757
00:39:53,808 --> 00:39:56,769
it's that it's been periodic
and regular for so long.
758
00:39:56,769 --> 00:39:59,689
That is something that
really shows us there's a lot
759
00:39:59,689 --> 00:40:03,192
we don't understand about nature
and a lot more we need to learn.
760
00:40:03,192 --> 00:40:07,363
SHATNER:
Old Faithful. For centuries,
761
00:40:07,363 --> 00:40:10,783
we've thought of it as
a mere tourist attraction,
762
00:40:10,783 --> 00:40:12,452
a quaint example
of Mother Nature
763
00:40:12,452 --> 00:40:13,870
at her most punctual.
764
00:40:13,870 --> 00:40:17,540
But what if we're wrong?
765
00:40:17,540 --> 00:40:20,835
What if it is really providing
a geological countdown
766
00:40:20,835 --> 00:40:24,505
to mankind's
ultimate extinction?
767
00:40:24,505 --> 00:40:27,884
Yellowstone is famous for bears,
768
00:40:27,884 --> 00:40:31,137
it's famous for
magnificent geysers,
769
00:40:31,137 --> 00:40:32,847
but underneath your feet
770
00:40:32,847 --> 00:40:36,809
is a supervolcano,
771
00:40:36,809 --> 00:40:40,313
and it's at least
44 miles across.
772
00:40:40,313 --> 00:40:43,983
Is a whole network
of magma pools
773
00:40:43,983 --> 00:40:45,985
that could one day blow up...
774
00:40:47,654 --> 00:40:51,449
...and cause tremendous havoc.
775
00:40:51,449 --> 00:40:53,451
TAYLOR: A supervolcano,
if it were to erupt,
776
00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:56,496
is so massive amount of energy
being released
777
00:40:56,496 --> 00:40:59,165
that it would destroy half of
the continental United States,
778
00:40:59,165 --> 00:41:01,584
and it would be more devastating
to the entire planet
779
00:41:01,584 --> 00:41:05,588
than the asteroid that hit, that
we think killed the dinosaurs.
780
00:41:07,590 --> 00:41:11,219
KAKU:
This gigantic eruption
has happened three times,
781
00:41:11,219 --> 00:41:13,763
three times in
the recorded history,
782
00:41:13,763 --> 00:41:17,850
and we are due for another one
who knows when,
783
00:41:17,850 --> 00:41:22,063
maybe tomorrow, maybe a hundred,
maybe 200,000 years from now,
784
00:41:22,063 --> 00:41:24,065
but it will happen.
785
00:41:28,152 --> 00:41:32,949
What do we really know
about this planet we live on?
786
00:41:32,949 --> 00:41:35,702
Just when we think we have
Mother Nature figured out,
787
00:41:35,702 --> 00:41:41,082
something reminds us that we're
not as smart as we think we are.
788
00:41:41,082 --> 00:41:45,169
After all, have we found a way
to put out the Centralia fire?
789
00:41:45,169 --> 00:41:49,090
Or how Devils Tower was formed?
790
00:41:49,090 --> 00:41:51,217
What if not knowing
all the answers
791
00:41:51,217 --> 00:41:53,261
is why we were put here
in the first place.
792
00:41:53,261 --> 00:41:56,431
Perhaps we're made to keep
searching, to keep learning,
793
00:41:56,431 --> 00:42:00,351
and to keep trying to figure out
the answers...
794
00:42:00,351 --> 00:42:02,311
to The UnXplained.
795
00:42:02,311 --> 00:42:05,356
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