The Exorcist
More than forty years after its release, The Exorcist remains one of the most influential horror movies and books of all time. The film is so disturbing that it has forever changed the way people view pea soup. Surprisingly, the origin of the story is not scary but rather silly. In 1961, the eventual author of the novel,
William Peter Blatty, was a struggling writer unsure of his career path. One of his projects at the time was an article titled "I was an Arab Prince." The article was a humorous piece where Blatty would attend Hollywood parties dressed as a Saudi royal named "Prince Xeer" and share outrageous stories about his life in the Middle East. Although it may not seem funny in hindsight, it was a hit at the time. Blatty's act was so well-received that Groucho Marx invited him to appear on his popular show, You Bet Your Life, dressed as the Saudi prince. Blatty won the show and received a $5,000 prize. When asked about his plans for the money, he replied, "It will finance me to complete my next book." The following day, Blatty quit his job as the publicity director at the University of Southern California to pursue writing full-time. This decision led to the creation of several acclaimed works, including A Shot in the Dark, Ninth Configuration, and his most renowned masterpiece, The Exorcist.
Fake Nazi Scientist
In 1949, Argentina's President Juan Peron hired Dr. Ronald W. Richter to help the country become a nuclear power. Richter, who claimed to be a high-ranking Nazi scientist and expert in nuclear energy, turned out to be an Austrian with limited experience in the field. Despite this, Richter managed to deceive Peron for a year, claiming to have made breakthroughs in fission and fusion. When Peron asked for proof, Richter staged a fake fusion explosion using TNT, which failed to convince the scientific community. Nazi scientists like Werner Heisenberg denied knowing Richter, leading to an investigation that exposed Richter's deception. He was arrested by the military, and his lies ultimately led to the overthrow of Peron's government.
Country Music
John Brinkley, a highly influential doctor in the music industry, has been compared to Dre in terms of impact. Beginning his career in the 1920s as a renowned quack, Brinkley gained fame for his unconventional medical practices. Inspired by observing two energetic goats, he developed the idea of transplanting goat testicles into sterile men to enhance fertility. Operating from his clinic in Kansas, Brinkley promoted his pseudoscientific treatment on radio station KFKB in 1923, leading to a surge in demand for his surgeries. Notable figures such as Woodrow Wilson, Huey Long, and Rudolph Valentino were rumored to have undergone procedures by Brinkley. Despite criticism from the American Medical Association for his unscientific methods, Brinkley continued his operations by relocating to Mexico after his broadcast license was revoked by the FCC. Erecting a powerful tower in Mexico, he launched radio channel XER to advertise his services back to the United States, pioneering what would later be known as the modern infomercial. In addition to promoting goat implants, Brinkley also showcased entertainment on his radio station, becoming the first to broadcast country music nationwide. His station played a crucial role in popularizing the genre beyond its regional boundaries, ultimately shaping the country western sound that would define the genre in the years to come. Following his passing, Brinkley's legacy was carried on by Wolfman Jack, who continued to spread the influence of rock and roll in a manner reminiscent of Brinkley's impact on country music.
Johannes Gutenberg
During the Middle Ages, people would travel long distances to see religious artifacts in Europe. However, many of these items were actually fake. Pilgrims would journey for miles just to catch a glimpse of a random body part, knowing they would never see it again. To capture the holiness of these shrines, some faithful individuals would wear mirrors on their heads. The reflection of the image would bounce off the mirror and be captured in a box, containing the relic's divinity. Whether this actually worked depended on one's faith. However, Johannes Gutenberg and his partner Andreas Dritzehn saw this as a worthless endeavor. Instead, they saw an opportunity to make money. They moved to Aachen, a city known for housing many relics, to sell mirrors and get rich quick. Unfortunately, their plans were thwarted when the pope banned pilgrimages to Aachen in 1439 due to a plague outbreak. As a result, none of Gutenberg's mirrors were sold, leaving him bankrupt. In order to repay his debts, Gutenberg turned to the wine industry. It was during this time that he transformed a wine press into the first printing press, a groundbreaking invention. This failed con from 500 years ago ultimately led to the creation of the article you are currently reading.
Fox Sisters
Spiritualism was a popular belief system in the late 1800s, with many still holding onto its main ideas such as communicating with spirits through possessions, mediums, or Ouija boards. Despite the admission of fraud by its founders, faith in these beliefs remains strong. In 1848, Maggie Fox and her sister Katy initially tried to scare their mother by pretending their house was haunted. They would tap on walls, knock on floors, and even tied strings to apples to create the illusion of a ghost. Eventually, they claimed they could communicate with the ghost, impressing their mother with their knowledge of her life. As more neighbors came to ask the ghost questions, the hoax spread and similar supposed mediums were seen across the country within a year.
Fraudulent Letter
Although Jesus was born in the Middle East, most paintings and depictions of him resemble Ted Neeley rather than Chaim Topol. This is due to a letter written centuries after Jesus' death, which described him as having a white, flawless face. The letter, allegedly written by Publius Lentulus, the governor of Jerusalem before Pontius Pilate, was published in the 15th century in "The Introduction to the works of St. Anselm." Renaissance artists used this description as a basis for their paintings, which then became the standard for Western depictions of Jesus. However, the letter contains numerous mistakes, such as not being found in any of St. Anselm's writings, the nonexistence of the position of governor of Jerusalem, the nonexistence of Publius Lentulus, and the use of language that did not exist at the time it was supposedly written. Despite these errors, this portrayal of Jesus has become the widely accepted standard.
Robert-Houdin
In 1856, Algeria was on the brink of rebellion due to the influence of local holy men known as marabouts, who had convinced the population of their magical abilities. Recognizing the threat posed by these marabouts, the French government sought to discredit them. To achieve this, Napoleon III sent Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, a renowned magician and pioneer of modern magic, to Algeria disguised as a more powerful sorcerer.
Robert-Houdin's illusions were relatively simple, such as pulling a cannonball out of a hat, but they astounded the Algerians nonetheless. Using electromagnets, he demonstrated his power by making a light box appear heavy with a flick of a switch, leaving the marabouts unable to lift it. Robert-Houdin also claimed to drain their strength by sending small electrical shocks through the handles. When a local challenged him to a duel in anger, Robert-Houdin accepted and the following morning, he "caught" the bullet in his teeth. This trick solidified his reputation as the country's greatest wizard and discredited the marabouts.
Despite Robert-Houdin's successful mission, Algeria would not achieve independence for over a century.
