Fortean Times

Fortean Times, named after maverick American writer Charles Fort, is one of the world’s most individual and best loved magazines. For over 35 years FT has been chronicling the stranger side of life, delivering a heady mix of weird world news, up-to-date reports and features on every aspect of the unexplained: myths, monsters, ghosts and UFOs rub shoulders with ancient wonders and future science, while expert columnists bring you the latest on everything from cryptozoology to conspiracy theory. Open-minded, well informed and maintaining a healthy sense of humour, FT is the only place to go for a sensible look at our mad planet – it will change the way you see the world.

Fortean Times

EDITORIAL • ON THE ROAD AGAIN

REAL BOGUS SOCIAL WORKERS • France witnesses a bizarre case of conspiracy theory-fuelled kidnapping

SOMERTON MAN EXHUMED • The Tamám Shud cold case is reopened with a search for DNA matches

EXTRA! EXTRA! • FT’S FAVOURITE HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A MUSEUM THAT’S HARD TO SWALLOW

COVID CORNER • More crazy cures, further online blunders and the horror of India’s ‘black fungus’

SIDELINES…

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD! • Or, as in some of these cases, don’t…

BON APPÉTIT • For some people, sitting down to a balanced meal can be an exercise in fear and loathing

The “marijuana frequency” • DAVID HAMBLING asks if Elizabeth Rauscher discovered the truth about radio waves and the brain

CLASSICAL CORNER • 260: FALLEN IDOLS

Spectres on the stage • With venues still closed, ALAN MURDIE explores the many hauntings reported from British theatres

THE CONSPIRASPHERE • When is a conspiracy theory not a conspiracy theory? When the Wuhan lab leak origin theory of Covid-19 is suddenly rehabilitated by the mainstream media, says NOEL ROONEY.

WEIRD ATTACKS • Ageing IT systems leave utilties vulnerable to mystery hackers, while new developments emerge in the ‘Havana Syndrome’ story

ALIEN ZOO NEWS FROM THE CRYPTOZOOLOGICAL GARDEN • KARL SHUKER reveals a case of cryptozoological fakery and welcomes back an elusive owl

BIRD INVASIONS • Hitchcockian scenes in California, birds behaving badly in Florida, and a very out-of-place vulture on the Kent coast

STRANGE CONTINENT • ULRICH MAGIN rounds up fake news, daft pranks and cases of mistaken identity froma cross Europe

FORTEAN FOLLOW-UPS • A hefty sentence for Turkey’s kookiest crook, plus a solution to Canada’s severed feet mystery

NECROLOG • This month, Hunt Emerson says goodbye to a Renaissence Man and longtime collaborator, andwe remember themultifarious output of a fortean fictionwriter

FAIRIES, FOLKLORE AND FORTEANA • SIMON YOUNG FILES A NEW REPORT FROM THE INTERFACE OF STRANGE PHENOMENA AND FOLK BELIEF

Fifty-two shades of Grey: Paula’s story • NIGEL WATSON speaks to the Bradford abductee whose story appeared in the British tabloid press

TRASHED O’ MULLOS GHOST STORIES OF THE GYPSIES • In the quiet places of the English countryside, a legacy of strange experiences has been passed down within the travelling community. JEREMY HARTE brings to light the stories told by a fiercely independent people, and finds that traditions among the Romany have much to tell us about the supernatural itself.

TROMPE LE MONDE THE RETURN OF ERWIN SAUNDERS • After a gap of almost two years, intrepid pixie-hunter Erwin Saunders has resumed his investigations. With his YouTube views ascending into the millions, global Erwinmania seems imminent: even the British tabloids have begun to speculate about the truth behind these eccentric short films. BOB FISCHER rounds up the latest developments, and even secures an interview (of sorts) with the elusive Erwin himself…

IN THE WAKE OF MORAG...