Into The Unknown (blog)

Into the Unknown was a blog founded by Sam Ferrian to explore mysterious phenomena from around the world and beyond. (PROSE: About This Site)

Professor Maxwell Grey took over after Sam left in 2021 (PROSE: Welcome Into the Unknown…) in circumstances Maxwell felt unable to share. (PROSE: Don’t link...Don’t even link) Maxwell removed most of the previous articles, (PROSE: Wester Drumlins - can you help?) though was later persuaded by Larry Nightingale to re-release one by Matt Shore about a police box sighted in 1955 Alabama. (PROSE: Life is strange...and precious., Alabama's Blue Box)

Maxwell became particularly interested in the mysteries surrounding Wester Drumlins, (PROSE: Wester Drumlins - can you help?) being contacted by Larry Nightingale (PROSE: Life is strange...and precious.) and Rani Chandra about it, (PROSE: Wester Drumlins, here we come...) at the behest of Sally Sparrow. (GAME: The Lonely Assassins ^[+]Loading...["The Lonely Assassins (video game)"]) Both Rani and Larry contributed guest articles about the true events going on there. (PROSE: The Very Real Mystery of Wester Drumlins, A Warning to the Incurious) After Larry’s wife Natasha and Larry disappeared, Maxwell and Rani used the blog to warn about a coming battle at Wester Drumlins. (PROSE: Quick favour, 19 March, The Angels are Coming)

The site was sponsored by Magpie Electricals. (PROSE: About This Site)

Larry Nightingale stated that Into the Unknown "[wasn't] exactly the BBC". (GAME: The Lonely Assassins ^[+]Loading...["The Lonely Assassins (video game)"])

Articles

Beyond the below, there was at least one further article entitled "Numbers Stations: Still On Air?", but - when viewed on Larry Nightingale's mobile phone - this had been corrupted. (GAME: The Lonely Assassins ^[+]Loading...["The Lonely Assassins (video game)"])

Alabama's Blue Box

An article by Matt Shore published on 21 August 2020. The article attempts to determine the truth behind the "Montgomery Blue Box". It featured a photo of the Doctor's TARDIS in Montgomery. (GAME: The Lonely Assassins ^[+]Loading...["The Lonely Assassins (video game)"]) The article was apparently republished on 15 February 2021, where it was open to comments from website users. (PROSE: Alabama's Blue Box)

Some of the most interesting puzzles in history are some of the smallest.

One of these is the mystery of the Montgomery Blue Box - an enigma that has stumped local historians for decades.

In December, 1955, an incongruous, blue-painted telephone box appeared in an alleyway in Montgomery, Alabama. Nobody knew where it came from, but reports suggest it was not there the previous day.

Written records show that enquiries from the local populace were met with confusion by county authorities - they had no record of its installation. Officials were sent to inspect the box, but by the time they arrived it had vanished as suddenly as it appeared.

The only visual evidence we have of its existence - and the only clue to its origins - is a single photograph of the box, taken by a local reporter.

Historians have identified it as a British police box. These were kiosks - or 'call boxes' - once used in the UK. They enabled police and members o the public to contact nearby police stations in the event of an emergency. But the strangest thing? Experts generally agree that the box in question probably originated from Great Britain in the early 1960's!

This raises more questions than it solves. What was a British phone box doing in Alabama? Where did it come from, and where did it go? How did a phone box from the 1960's appear in a photograph from 1955?

Some investigators have claimed that the blue box was NOT a police box and was instead some kind of prop constructed by hoaxers. Proponents of this 'counter theory' have pointed out that 'the windows are wrong'.

Update! Since originally running this story we've been contacted by several readers who have heard similar 'legends of the blue box'. We've had reports of wooden phone kiosks being spotted in the Punjab in 1947, Tibet in 1935, and most bizarrely allegations of two blue boxes spotted in Ypres in 1914. We'll be bringing you more updates soon!

The Drumlins Disappearances

An article by Cal Nye Wallers published on 9 October 2020. The article detailed part of the history of Wester Drumlins; specifically that of the disappearances of Mr and Mrs Satchwell in the 1960s. It featured a photo of the front gates of Wester Drumlins. (GAME: The Lonely Assassins ^[+]Loading...["The Lonely Assassins (video game)"])

Urban legends claim Wester Drumlins is a haunted house with a history steeped in mystery and death. Once a fine home in the boroughs of London, the building has long since fallen into disrepair. Its once luxurious decor has been the victim of neglect and vandals, although in recent years, it reputation has deterred most uninvited visitors.

Many have walked past Wester Drumlins without realising its paranormal significance. But its rundown appearance hides a dark history...

Written histories of the property are contradictory and confusing. Some say the house once belonged to the Satchwells, a married couple of 'discreet wealth' who lived there happily for many decades. Their tenancy ended when they mysteriously disappeared in the 1960s. Nobody knows how or when this happened, but the place fell into disrepair after their departure.

Whatever the explanation, they weren't the last people to disappear from Wester Drumlins. Some say as many as 12 individuals have gone missing after being seen in the vicinity of the house.

Despite a number of police inquiries over the decades, none of the missing people have ever been found. And in a sinister twist, we can reveal that no investigation has ever unearthed evidence of even an indication of how - or why - they disappeared.

Whatever the truth behind this mystery, there is a lingering danger in Wester Drumlins. That much at least is a stone cold certainty.

Welcome Into the Unknown…

Jan 27 - Written by Professor Grey

Welcome back to the site. Most of you will have noticed that Into the Unknown has undergone extensive changes, and some of you will be surprised to learn I’m the site’s new editor. No, let’s be honest with each other. Many of you will be aghast and appalled that I’m now the man in charge. But please, let me reassure you.

My illustrious predecessor, Sam Ferrian, created and oversaw this site for several years, and in that time we often clashed. I believed he was too easily swayed by ghost stories and tales of paranormal happenings. Even today I find his notions of alien bumble bees, living stone (!) and so forth difficult to accept on any objective level. He in turn found me intractable and hopelessly wed to the science of any situation, and hostile to anything that threatened my ‘cosy’ take on our world.

But the truth is, we were friends. Our arguments were just that. Arguments. Never quarrels or squabbling. He was a passionate, intelligent man. I miss Sam, very greatly. I saw it as my duty to continue his legacy with this site.

I’ll be populating pages at quite a lick in the days and weeks ahead. If you’d like to sign up for the Into the Unknown newsletter just let me know. I urge you to do so!

I’m Professor Maxwell Grey, and I’m here to peer into the unknown… I do hope you’ll join me.

- PMG

The Mandela Effect, Or Monsters on the Streets of London

Feb 2 - Written by Professor Grey

The Mandela Effect (MaE for short) is a phenomenon whereby a significant number of people apparently misremember a significant event, or their recollection of a given thing differs from recorded reality. Now, I’m not talking about members of the public simply not knowing stuff. People thinking Melbourne is the capital of Australia or that Darth Vader said, ‘Luke, I am your father!’ in the second Star Wars movie don’t – for me, at least – count as examples of the MaE. No, that’s just getting facts wrong.

The most interesting examples of the MaE are the more widespread ones. Many, many people have firm memories of the great Nelson Mandela dying in the 1980s, whilst he was still imprisoned by the erstwhile South African authorities. Individuals vividly recall bulletins and reports covering his passing in that decade, and even speak about how they felt upon hearing the news. In reality, Mandela was released in 1990 and passed away in 2013. But for many, the recollection of his death over twenty years earlier is detailed – and shared.

Other examples that are often cited include many people recall a USA which comprised 52 states (there are actually only 50) and certain company logos are often apparently misremembered.

You’ll notice that I have twice used the expression ‘apparently misremembered’. This is because we cannot be certain these ostensibly incorrect memories are false. It’s interesting to conjecture that we may sometimes ‘recall’ events from another version of reality; or perhaps another timeline that has subsequently been ‘rewritten’.

Let’s just hold that statement aloft. Time rewritten.

It may surprise many to hear that I genuinely believe this is a possible explanation for the Mandela Effect. Since taking over ‘Into the Unknown’ I’ve spoken to many people about the phenomenon and I’ve been amazed by how many have vivid memories of marauding monsters on British streets and even alien invasions of Earth.

Douglas (not his real name) told me about his strong and detailed recollection of ‘metal men’ on the steps near St Paul’s Cathedral in the late 1960s. His memories about them being part of some kind invasion taskforce are weaker, but he’s able to describe these ‘metal men’ in convincing detail. In an interesting twist, I’ve also interviewed many younger people who recall similar sightings – ‘blokes made of steel, or something’ in and around the St. Paul’s area, but they place the sightings in late 2014 – that’s over four decades after Douglas says the metallic men were at large in London.

Elaine (not her real name) spoke to me about a massive artificial star – possibly an alien spaceship – hanging over the world during Christmas, 2006. She’s adamant it was shot down by the British military, but of course, no publicly available records back-up her story.

And this is no recent thing. I’ve found many examples of respected historians chronicling an event using facts that are quite different to the narrative that has become accepted as historical truth. The award-winning writer Doctor RV Singh, who specialised in the period 1936-48, recounted an astonishing story that he claims to have witnessed first-hand, involving Winston Churchill’s use of large, mechanised units known as ‘Ironsides’ and a Spitfire that was adapted for spaceflight! When his essays on these matters were rediscovered in the 1960s, Singh claimed they were a childish prank and he rejected their voracity completely.

However, a former colleague of mine spoke with Singh, shortly before his death in 2010, and confirmed that the Professor swore his original writings to be true – that the Ironsides and space-faring Spitfire actually existed. And interestingly, he met many of Churchill’s staff who corroborated his recollections, although for the sake of balance, it must be said that many Whitehall staffers of the 1940s laughed out loud when asked about these matters.

It’s a fascinating topic and I’d relish the opportunity to garner more examples. That’s where you come in!

Do you have any memories of alien invasions, monsters, or bizarre occurrences that people dismiss as lunacy or fiction? It’s worth noting you will not be judged for your recollections, however extraordinary they may sound. We are here to peer into the unknown. And I need your help to shine a light into that dark cavern… So, please, email me your thoughts, theories and memories!

- PMG

Comments

10/02/2021

Prof – you are crazy man! Loving your site tho!!! Most of your stuff is fake news, obvs, but that Mandela Affect thing is scary true. Specially the bit you said about time differences or something.

See – I remember shop dummies coming to life and there wrists like falling away and there arms were packin, and they were gunning down people like left, right and centre. It was all over the news back in 2005, then boom! No Joe remembers it! I thought I was losin it big time then my old man says – whoa there! That DID happen! Shop dummies coming to life, breaking out onto the streets and shooting people with their wrist blasters or whatever. Weird fact tho – he can’t actually remember the dummies shattering the windows. Just they came alive and THEN they were steaming over the pavement. But get this – he remembers this happening in the dark ages – 1970 or something!!!

This all sounds bobbins but it’s true, man! Anyone else remember this? From 1970 or 2005?

Anyways – tysm for the site and keep it up!

Josh

10/02/2021

Hi Professor! And welcome to the world of Into the Unknown! I’m so pleased you’ve started the site up again, though I miss Sam, big time.

My point! Your Mandela Effect article – loved it! Very thought provoking! Now, I’m not saying I personally remember this – but do any Into the Unknowners recall a HUGE amount of small cubes just turning up and being EVERYWHERE for a bit, before they all suddenly vanished? Asking for a friend.

Thanks!

DM

11/02/2021

Dear Professor Grey,

I read your recent article concerning the Mandela Effect with interest - and I must confess relief. For many years I have had a strong memory of individuals who could be described – as per your feature – as ‘metal men’. I recall these steel soldiers (as I have termed them) on the streets not just of England, but around the globe – from India to Isleworth, one might say.

I even recall the media terming confrontations with these soldiers, ‘the Battle of Canary Wharf’. I have vague, less tenable recollections of these individuals warring with another race of mechanised invaders and have very faint recollections of both sides battling it out above London’s Docklands.

My memories were so strong that I was amazed and appalled when I discovered others didn’t share them. However, I’ve mentioned these occurrences to some friends, who seem to recognise my descriptions, before they check themselves and dismiss my claims as whimsy.

I wonder – do any other Into the Unknowners share my memories? Can anyone expand on them? Any help or information would be gratefully received!

Very best wishes,

GH

The Artie Maitland-Porridge chess match was a game of chess between Artie Maitland and Porridge. Artie challenged Porridge, under the guise of a chess-playing Cyberman, to chess to win five Imperial shillings from Webley. Artie offerred a sandwich to earn the right to play. The Eleventh Doctor, Clara Oswald and Angie Maitland spectated.

Artie, to the Doctor's displeasure, opened with the infamous Fool's mate, moving his pawn to f4, enabling Porridge to check and subsequently checkmate Artie's king in two moves with his queen, ending the game in a decisive victory for Porridge. (TV: Nightmare in Silver)