Category: History

As an order of warrior-monks, the Knights Templar defended Christians in the Holy Land. But for 700 years, all kinds of rumors and theories of shocking crimes and secrets have surrounded them. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss those theories and claims that the Knights are still among us.

Links for this episode:

• Prof. Thomas Madden’s audio course “The Lost Warriors of God”
• The Knights Templar
• Al-Aqsa Mosque
• The Knights Hospitallers
• The Crusader States
• Siege of Acre
• Philip IV of France
• Freemasonry
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• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Starquest Facebook page and the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Send your feedback or comments to mysterious@sqpn.com or send a tweet with the hashtag of #mysteriousfeedback

Mysterious Headlines

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Challenged on Media’s Overheated 12-Year Doomsday Warning
• A Thoughtful Critique of Mindfulness

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On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold saw something odd in the skies of Washington state. When he landed, he touched off the modern era of UFO sightings. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss the theories of what he saw and eliminate them all, until only one remains.

Further Resources

• Bruce Maccabee’s book Three Minutes in June: The UFO Sighting That Changed the World
• Picture of Arnold holding illustration of lead object
• Arnold’s diagram of other objects
• Wikipedia on Kenneth Arnold
• Wikipedia on the Sighting
• Kenneth Arnold’s book The Coming of the Saucers
• 1950 Arnold interview with Edward R. Murrow
• Article on mountain climbing hallucinations
• Wikipedia on Fata Morgana mirages
• Wikipedia on the Horten Ho 229

Mysterious Headlines:

• “Cryptid” Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary
• Pentagon Ends Contract with Secret Scientist Group the Jasons

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King Tut is one of the most famous pharaohs of Egypt, but a mystery surrounds his death, including being wiped from history for 3,300 years. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss Tutankhamun’s life and death and power politics machinations that compare with the most complex Game of Thrones plot lines.

Further Resources:

• Bob Brier’s Great Courses History of Ancient Egypt
• Bob Brier’s book The Murder of Tutankhamen
• Wikipedia on King Tut
• Skeptical article formerly on National Geographic web site
• Short video on chariot accident reconstruction

Mysterious Headlines:

• Two Mummies in One Coffin Discovered in 5,000-Year Old Cemetery
• Egypt Before the Pharaohs; 7,000 Year Old Village Discovered

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Of all the Dead Sea Scrolls, one stands out because it’s made of copper and contains directions for finding a huge secret cache of treasure. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli talk about the origins of the scroll, what it says, and Jimmy’s own unique theory for why it exists.

Links for this episode:

• MYS009: The Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• The Copper Scroll on Wikipedia
• The Great Courses has an excellent course by OT scholar Gary Rendsburg
• The Modern Scholar also has an excellent course by Rabbi Lawrence Schiffman
• Wikipedia on the Confidence Trick
• Photo of the Copper Scroll provided by Tom McDonald of WeirdCatholic.com
• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Send your feedback or comments to mysterious@sqpn.com or send a tweet with the hashtag of #mysteriousfeedback

Mysterious Headlines

• Sting Operations Expose Celebrity Psychics
• First Semi-Identical Twins Identified in Pregnancy

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The Russian woodpecker was a mysterious radio signal that began in 1976, originating in the Soviet Union and heard around the world. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss its purpose, its connection to Chernobyl, and why it suddenly stopped.

Links for this episode:

• Wikipedia on the Russian Woodpecker
• Russian Woodpecker documentary
• Article on Chernobyl theory
• Atomic Accidents: A History of Nuclear Meltdowns and Disasters: From the Ozark Mountains to Fukushima, by James Mahaffey
• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Send your feedback or comments to mysterious@sqpn.com or send a tweet with the hashtag of #mysteriousfeedback

Mysterious Headlines

• Purple and Green STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) Northern Lights Phenomenon
• Supernova May Have Prevented Earth from Being Barren Water World

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