On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys discuss one of world's strangest mysteries. The Oak Island Money Pit.

In 1795, a teenager named Daniel McGinnis found an oval-shaped recession in the ground on the island. With little evidence that there was anything to be discovered, McGinnis started digging in the area and subsequently hit wooden planks every ten feet. The discovery of the planks led McGinnis and his friends to believe the pit was man-made and they began what would become a long-standing tradition of treasure seeking in the area.

From the beginning of the 19th century onward, many companies formed to begin their own digging expeditions in the pit, each discovering more "evidence" and attributing new theories to the region. Errol Flynn, John Wayne, and Franklin Roosevelt were at one point each involved in the hunt and held their own theories as to the pit’s contents.

Some believed pirate treasure lay just below the next layer of soil. Others believed Marie Antoinette’s lost jewels were surely buried there right after the French Revolution. Another theory even posited that Francis Bacon had stored documents in the pit proving himself as the author of Shakespeare’s plays. There are many other theories one big one is that "The Arc Of the Covenant" lies at the bottom.

Despite the wild theories, little has ever come out of the pit. Everything ever found in the pit has been attributed to some treasure theory. A cavern found during the dig was deemed a booby trap. Another tunnel leading out of the pit to Smith’s cove was deemed a secret floodway. Any wood found in tunnel was immediately considered a part of the pit’s foundation.

However, just enough evidence has been found to keep people digging. Among the biggest discoveries were a set of stone inscriptions found 90 feet below the earth. Symbols on the stones were translated as “forty feet below lie two million pounds.” Even more promising, was the alleged discovery of a few gold pieces.

As with many of the discoveries from the pit, the inscriptions and gold themselves disappeared, and have not been seen in over fifty years, thus little modern investigation on them can be done. Researchers have even begun to formulate theories as to where the inscriptions and gold are now, creating yet a new mystery tangent to follow. This of course, is the story of the Money Pit. Each new theory or discovery comes with yet more mystery and controversy and less hard evidence or treasure.

Further complicating matters of the pit, excavations have now gone 190 feet into the earth since the late 18th century. In many ways, the expeditions themselves have become a part of the history of Oak Island. It is often difficult to discern what the creators of the pit left and what belonged to treasure hunters, and a stone inscription marked “1701” is even considered by some to be a hoax left by past hunters.

Whether the pit is a natural sinkhole, a booby-trapped pit filled with gems, or one of the worlds greatest follies may forever remain a mystery. In 2010, a final treasure hunt was initiated, found nothing, and the government passed the Oak Island Act, banning all commercial treasure hunting on the island. However, in 2011 a new Oak Island Treasure Act invited the hunt to continue, with permission granted from the Minister of Natural Resources.

Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives. Have a great week!

Show Notes:

• Oak Island Money Pit
• The Secrets of Oak Island
• Treasure on Oak Island Documentary
• The Oak Island Mystery, Solved (Book) by Joy A Steele
• The Bones in the Pit: Who Built the Oak Island Money Pit and What's Hidden There (Book) by Bill Thompson
• The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar: Solving the Oak Island Mystery (Book) by Steven Sora  
• The Curse of Oak Island TV Show

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided by Pretty Lights. Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com and Bassnectar. You can purchase his music on iTunes or his website http://www.bassnectar.net/

Songs Used:

• Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
• Color Of My Soul
• Reaching Out (Bassnectar)

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start off talking about how three amateur archaeologists recently found the largest Viking gold hoard ever discovered in Denmark. At 900 grams (1.948 pounds), the hoard consists of seven beautifully worked bracelets, six of gold and one of silver. Then, one of Indiana’s most haunted hotspots has been scaring off midnight visitors and road workers alike for hundreds of years, but now the mysterious Grave in the Middle of the Road has gotten even stranger after the discovery of not one, but seven bodies under the single headstone. Then, if sharks at the Pacific atoll of Palmyra used Google Maps, they'd see a lot of red dashes for traffic between 7 and 8 o'clock every evening. Shark traffic in and out of the lagoon at Palmyra Atoll, halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa, peaks during this hour, according to new research published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Then, recently a woman named Joanne Barnaby went mushroom picking in a forest near Fort Smith in the Canadian Northwest Territories. It was an inauspicious beginning to what would end up being a 12-hour ordeal, one involving a desperate wolf, swarms of mosquitoes, an unwitting bear cub—and a can of beer. After the break Cam brings up the unusual and mystifying Hoia Baciu Forest. The Hoia-Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ) is situated near Cluj-Napoca, Romania covers an area of over 250 hectares and is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of the country. Hoia Baciu Forest ( World’s Most Haunted Forest ), has a reputation for intense paranormal activity and unexplained events. Reports have included, ghost sightings, unexplained apparitions, faces appearing in photographs that were not visible with the naked eye, and in the 1970s, UFO sightings were reported. Visitors to the forest often report intense feelings of anxiety and the feeling of being constantly watched. Moreover, the local vegetation is somehow bizarre in appearance, like something out of a make-believe story with strangely shaped trees, and unexplained charring on tree stumps and branches. The forest was named after a shepherd that disappeared in the area with a flock of two hundred sheep. Most people who live near the forest are afraid to enter it due to the stories and legends that have been handed down. They believe that those who visit the site will never return back home. Many of the locals who have been brave enough to venture into the forest complained of physical harm, including rashes, nausea, vomiting, migraines, burns, scratches, anxiety, and other unusual sensations. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives, have a great week!

Show Notes:

• Shocking Discovery at Indiana's Haunted "Grave in the Middle of the Road" site
• Amateurs Find Largest Ever Viking Gold Hoard in Denmark
• Sharks' Evening Rush Hour Discovered
• Woman Stalked by Starving Wolf for 12 Hours Survives Harrowing Ordeal 
• The Hoia Baciu Forest
• The Hoia Baciu Forest Documentary
• Romania's Bermuda Triangle 
• White Belt Survival Strategy
• Slow Joe Zombie Mugs

 Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com 

Songs Used:

• Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
• If I Gave You My Love
• Starlit Skies
• After Midnight Remix

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off by talking about a recent reptilian sighting. Then, the home in Long Island, New York where the Amityville Horror took place is now back on the market. Then, deep in the jungles of southeast Asia, archaeologists have rediscovered the remains of an invisible kingdom that may have been the template for Angkor Wat. Then, a private company wants U.S. clearance to fly to the moon with it's new MX1 Lunar Lander. After the break Kyle brings up some unusual Phantom Train sightings from around the world. Are these truly apparitions of days gone past or are they somehow a ripple in time that much like a scratched record, keeps repeating or replaying itself time and time again? All of this and more on this installment of Expanded Perspectives.

Show Notes:

• Strange Reptilian Sighting
• "Amityville Horror" house hits the market Again
• Lost City of Cambodia
• Private Company wants U.S. Clearance to fly to the Moon
• Moon Express

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com

Songs Used:

• Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
• Done Wrong
• Future Blind
• Kaleo (Way Down We Go)

The story of King Arthur is known throughout the world. The fabled Camelot, Sir Bedivere casting Excalibur into the lake and Arthur’s secret burial at the isle of Avalon: these are just a few of the enchanting themes in the ancient saga that historians have long considered to be pure fantasy. Now, in The Lost Tomb of King Arthur, Graham Phillips presents compelling evidence that such legends were actually based on real events. During a quest lasting over twenty-five years, he has followed a fascinating trail of historical clues showing Arthur to have been a living warrior who led the Britons around the year 500. He has discovered that the legendary Camelot, Excalibur and Avalon were based on a real city, a real sword and a real island. And, most astonishing of all, Graham has found what he claims to be the location where Arthur was finally buried. An ancient manuscript still persevered at Oxford University, Graham believes, reveals the whereabouts of King Arthur’s long-lost tomb. Not in the South West town of Glastonbury, as the popular myth maintains, but at an ancient site in the isolated countryside of central England. With the help of archaeologists employing the very the latest scientific equipment, Graham now has what he is certain is the final proof that this disregarded Dark Age text really does reveal the last resting place of the man behind the legend of King Arthur.

Graham Phillips has been one of Britain’s bestselling non-fiction authors for over twenty years. In the 1980s, after working as a radio journalist and broadcaster for the BBC and editing a popular monthly magazine, Graham turned his talents to investigating unsolved historical mysteries. He has since written twelve books which are in print around the world and have been published in many different languages.

Graham Phillips has never been afraid of controversy. In 1995 he made headlines around the world, and created a storm in the Vatican that even involved the Pope himself, when he discovered a lost artifact that may have been the original Holy Grail. His first solo book, The Search for the Grail, told the fascinating story of this modern-day Grail quest.

Graham’s latest books are Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon which examines the mysterious death of history’s most renowned soldier, The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant, in which Graham goes in search of the lost Ark, Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World, a personal quest to discover the truth behind the Merlin legend, and The End of Eden which investigates an ancient comet that may have shaped civilization.

Critics often wonder how Graham has managed to solve so many historical enigmas. The answer is that he employs a hands-on, investigative approach to his research that gives him a cutting-edge advantage. By collating evidence from many different subject areas, such as archaeology, history and Egyptology, he is able to gain an overall perspective that those tied to a particular discipline are often prevented from doing. More often than not, he has simply applied himself to a mystery that academics have been unwilling, or even afraid to touch.

Show Notes:

• The Official Graham Phillips Website
• The Lost Tomb of King Arthur
• Atlantis and the Ten Plagues of Egypt
• Merlin and the Discovery of Avalon in the New World
• The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant
• The End of Eden
• The Virgin Mary Conspiracy
• The Chalice of Magdalene

Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com

Songs Used:

• Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
• Understand Me Now
• Future Blind

On this episode of Expanded Perspectives the guys start the show off talking about how a man in Clarke County, Alabama says he and his family are “tired of dealing” with a Bigfoot creature and are threatening to kill it unless officials come to “capture and remove it”. Then, the elusive, deep-sea-dwelling giant squid, with eyes the size of basketballs, may be larger than it has gotten credit for. In fact, the monster cephalopod may grow to be longer than a school bus, researchers say. Specimens recognizable as giant squid (Architeuthis dux) have been found washed up onshore since at least 1639. However, these sea monsters — which some people say inspired the legend of the giant kraken, though not all scientists agree — are so elusive that they were largely thought to be mythical until they were first photographed alive in their natural environment in 2004. Then, a team of young Japanese engineers is developing a flying car with the goal of launching it in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The futuristic vehicle  dubbed Skydrive  is fitted with three wheels, a motor and four rotors, enabling it to take off and land vertically from public roads without the need of a runway. Measuring only 9.5 feet by 4.3 feet, Skydrive claims to be the world’s smallest flying car, with a target top flight speed of 62 mph, while travelling up to 32 feet above the ground. Then, In India, witch hunting dates back hundreds of years. It emanated in the Morigaon district of Assam which is now infamously known as the ‘Indian Capital of Black Magic’. People from far-flung areas would come here to learn 'witchcraft'. Even today, witch hunting is being practiced in the State and has become a burning issue, where predominantly women fall prey to this heinous crime. After the break we talk about and listen to some strange encounters several of our listeners have had. Thanks for listening to Expanded Perspectives! If you want more, you need to sign up for Elite. You can accomplish that by going to the website www.expandedperspectives.com.

Show Notes:

• Alabama Family Threatening to Kill Local "Bigfoot"
• School Bus Size Giant Squid May be Lurking Deep in the Sea
• Japanese Engineers Say their Flying Cars will be in the air by the Tokyo Olympics
• The Practice of Witch Hunting and Killing in the Name of Superstition still Persists

 Music:

All music for Expanded Perspectives is provided with permission by Pretty Lights! Purchase, Download and Donate at www.prettylightsmusic.com and Beats Antique www.beatsantique.com/#tour

Songs Used:

• Pretty Lights vs. Led Zeppelin
• Spiderbite (Beats Antique)
• Color of My Soul
• Finally Moving