Charles Hoy Fort [1874-1932]

Type: Trimmer, Evil Sourcer
Relevant Bibliography:

• The Book of the Damned, 1919
• New Lands, 1923
• LO!, 1931
• Wild Talents, 1932

Fun Fact: Fort was the first person to coin the word 'teleportation' for the ability to travel instantly between two places. Now you know who to thank, Star Trek fans!

Charles Fort's books collected what he termed "damned data"... events that scientists refused to acknowledge occurred, which would generally be ignored or explained away. In the plethoria of odd incidents that he dutifully clipped from newspapers and magazines from all around the world, Fort himself saw the possibilities of a larger picture of things beyond the normal realm... but he also had a tendency to sweeten stories by conveniently leaving out some details, or choosing to not present articles that might explain away some of the clippings he had chosen. And I know this is true because I've looked up a number of his original sources only to discover what Fort left out of the story on more than one occasion.

        Let's be fair, though; Fort's books were groundbreaking in making it acceptable for lay people to question the conclusions of both scientists and authorities, and to make 'experts' in all fields be responsible for their conclusions. And many of the anomalies and curiosities he pointed out remain unexplained and intriguing today... but he also liked to create a sense of mystery where it didn't exist before, and did give in to the urge to trim more often than many of his fans would currently want to believe.

        Below is the list of Charles Fort's questionable accounts that are in Anomalies.