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Stainton Moses
William Stainton Moses (1839 – 5 September 1892) was an English cleric and spiritualist medium. He promoted spirit photography and automatic writing, and co-founded what became the College of Psychic Studies. He resisted scientific examination of his claims, which have generally been demolished. Life Moses was born in Donington near Lincoln. He was educated at Bedford School, University College School, London and Exeter College, Oxford. He was ordained as a priest of the Church of England by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce in 1870. Moses attended his first séance with Lottie Fowler in 1872. Charles Williams and Daniel Dunglas Home were the next mediums he visited. Five months after his introduction to spiritualism, he claimed to have experienced levitation. The automatic scripts of Moses began to appear in his books ''Spirit Teachings'' and ''Spirit Identity''. The scripts date from 1872 to 1883 and fill 24 notebooks. All but one have been preserved by the London Spiritualist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donington, Lincolnshire
__NOTOC__ Donington is a large village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is north from the market town of Spalding on the A152, is bypassed by the A52, and sits between the A16 and A17. The parish includes the hamlet of Northorpe, and falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board. Donington is the birthplace of the explorer Matthew Flinders. History Donington was large enough in the C18th to attract the travelling theatrical companies. In 1784 Mathew Flinders, father of the famous navigator, wrote 'in the latter half of October and beginning of November we have a small Company of Comedians with us. I went 3 or 4 times and once or twice was tolerably entertained'. Governance As well as having its own parish council, Donington is part of the electoral ward of Donington, Quadring and Gosberton within the South Holland district of Lincolnshire. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 7, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janet Oppenheim
Janet Oppenheim (1948–1994) was an American historian. Oppenheim was born in Manhattan. In 1975, she received her PhD in history from Columbia University. She worked as a professor of history at American University. She is most well known for her scholarly works on British life in the 19th century. She was the author of the book ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850-1914'' (1985) which received positive reviews.Vogeler, Albert R. (1986). ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850-1914 by Janet Oppenheim''. Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, Vol. 18, No. 2. pp. 323-324. Publications * ''The Nationalization of Culture: The Development of State Subsidies to the Arts in Great Britain'' (published under the name Janet Minihan, 1977) * ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850-1914'' (Cambridge University Press, 1985) * ''"Shattered Nerves" : Doctors, Patients, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milbourne Christopher
Milbourne Christopher (23 March 1914 – 17 June 1984) was a prominent American illusionist, magic historian, and author. President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to The Magic Circle, and one of the founding members of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Christopher wrote a number of books, including a biography of Harry Houdini titled ''Houdini: The Untold Story,'' a chronicle of his own craft titled ''The Illustrated History Of Magic,'' and thousands of essays relating to magic and mentalism. Debunking work Christopher regarded those individuals who claimed extrasensory perception or psychic powers to be actually using magic trickery. He wrote three book-length exposés regarding those he said were false seers or psychics: ''ESP, Seers & Psychics;'' ''Mediums, Mystics & The Occult;'' and ''Search For The Soul.'' In the latter book he found no evidence for the existence of the soul. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell who was influenced by C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronald Pearsall
Ronald Joseph Pearsall (20 October 1927 – 27 September 2005) was an English writer whose scope included children's stories, pornography and fishing. His most famous book ''The Worm in the Bud'' (1969) was about Victorian sexuality, including orgies, prostitution and fetishism. A prolific writer, his other books included three on popular music between 1837 and 1929, several on the history of sexuality and many on antiques. He held other jobs as a shoe shop assistant, cinema manager and store detective. His book ''The Table Rappers'' (1972) was an exposure of fraud mediums, tricksters and charlatans in Spiritualism.The Telegraph. (2005)Ronald Pearsall Obituary. Bibliography *1966: ''Is That My Hook in Your Ear? a light-hearted look at angling''. London: Stanley Paul *1969: ''The Worm in the Bud: the world of Victorian sexuality''. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson *1972: ''The Exorcism''. London: Sphere Books (a novel) *1972: ''The Possessed''. London: Sphere Books (a novel) *19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician Robert-Houdin (1805–1871). He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it. In 1904, thousands watched as he tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London's ''Daily Mirror'', keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini prese ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
True-believer Syndrome
True-believer syndrome is an informal or rhetorical term used by M. Lamar Keene in his 1976 book ''The Psychic Mafia''. Keene coined the term in that book. He used the term to refer to people who continued to believe in a paranormal event or phenomenon even after it had been proven to have been staged.Keene, Lamar M. (1976). ''The Psychic Mafia''. St. Martin's Press; New YorkKeene and Spragett, p.151 Keene considered it to be a cognitive disorder, and regarded it as being a key factor in the success of many psychic mediums. The term "true believer" was used earlier by Eric Hoffer in his 1951 book ''The True Believer'' to describe the psychological roots of fanatical groups. True-believer syndrome could be considered a type of belief perseverance for paranormal phenomena. Psychology In an article published in ''Skeptical Inquirer'', psychologist Matthew J. Sharps and his colleagues analyze and dissect the psychology of True Believers and their behavior after the predicted apocaly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Podmore
Frank Podmore (5 February 1856 – 14 August 1910) was an English author, and founding member of the Fabian Society. He is best known as an influential member of the Society for Psychical Research and for his sceptical writings on spiritualism. Life Born at Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, Podmore was the son of Thompson Podmore, headmaster of Eastbourne College. He was educated at Haileybury and Pembroke College, Oxford (where he first became interested in Spiritualism and joined the Society for Psychical Research – this interest remained with him throughout his life). In October 1883 Podmore and Edward R. Pease joined a socialist debating group established by Edith Nesbit and Hubert Bland. Podmore suggested that the group should be named after the Roman General, Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, who advocated weakening the opposition by harassing operations rather than becoming involved in pitched battles. In January 1884 the group became known as the Fabian Society ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Mulholland (magician)
John Mulholland (born John Wickizer) (9 June 1898 in Chicago, Illinois – 25 February 1970 in New York City) was an American magician, author, publisher and intelligence agent. Early life Mulholland was born on June 9, 1898, in Chicago, Illinois.''Contemporary Authors: First Revision, Volumes 5-8''. Gale Research Company, 1969. p. 806 His parents were John and Irene Wickizer. While still at school Mulholland started his professional magic career from 1913. He was educated at Columbia University and College of the City of New York. Mulholland supplemented his income by teaching industrial arts at Horace Mann School during 1919–1925. Life and work Mulholland learned the art of magic as a teenager with John William Sargent, President of the Society of American Magicians. Mulholland was a professional magician for two decades, working in small companies and large stage shows. He ran one of the first magic workshops and was from 1930 the editor of the magical trade magazine '' T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph McCabe
Joseph Martin McCabe (12 November 1867 – 10 January 1955) was an English writer and speaker on freethought, after having been a Roman Catholic priest earlier in his life. He was "one of the great mouthpieces of freethought in England". Becoming a critic of the Catholic Church, McCabe joined groups such as the Rationalist Association and the National Secular Society. He criticised Christianity from a rationalist perspective, but also was involved in the South Place Ethical Society which grew out of dissenting Protestantism and was a precursor of modern secular humanism. Early life McCabe was born in Macclesfield in Cheshire to a family of Irish Catholic background, but his family moved to Manchester while he was still a child. He entered the Franciscan order at the age of 15, and spent a year of preliminary study at Gorton Monastery. His novitiate year took place in Killarney, after which he was transferred to Forest Gate in London (to the school which is now St Bonaventure's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Édouard Isidore Buguet
Édouard Isidore Buguet (1840–1901) was a French medium and spirit photographer. Harry Houdini. (2011 edition). Originally published in 1924. ''A Magician Among the Spirits''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 120-124. Buguet became a "sensation" among spiritualists during the early 1870s. He was even loaned money to set up his own studio. In June 1875, a police sting operation in Paris discovered that Buguet's photographic plates had pre-exposed images on them. After the exposure, Buguet admitted in court that his photographs were fraudulent. He was convicted and served a year jail time. According to the magician Harry Houdini, the police discovered figures and doll heads at Buguet's studio. He had used these as his "spirit" extras. Houdini noted that although Buguet was exposed as a fraud and he had confessed, some spiritualists still insisted his spirit photographs were genuine. The English medium Stainton Moses had supported Buguet in an article for ''Human Nature'' in May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spirit Photography
Spirit photography (also called ghost photography) is a type of photography whose primary goal is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual Non-physical entity, entities, especially in ghost hunting. It dates back to the late 19th century. The end of the American Civil War and the mid-19th Century Spiritualism movement contributed greatly to the popularity of spirit photography. Photographers such as William H. Mumler, William Mumler and William Hope (paranormal investigator), William Hope ran thriving businesses taking photos of people with their supposed dead relatives. Both were shown to be frauds, but "true believers", such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, refused to accept the evidence as proof of a hoax. As cameras became available to the general public, ghost photographs became common due to natural camera artifacts such as flash reflecting off dust particles, a camera strap or hair close to the lens, lens flare, pareidolia, or in modern times, deception ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Eglinton
William Eglinton (1857–1933), also known as William Eglington was a British spiritualist medium who was exposed as a fraud.Hereward Carrington. (1907). ''The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism''. Herbert B. Turner & Co. pp. 84–90 Massimo Polidoro. (2001). ''Final Séance: The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle''. Prometheus Books. p. 51. Biography Eglinton was born in Islington, London. He claimed to materialize spirits in his séances. It was discovered that the materializations were fakes. In 1876, Eglinton was exposed as a fraud when the psychical researcher Thomas Colley seized the "spirit" materialization known as "Abdullah" and cut off a portion of its cloak. It was discovered that the cut piece matched a cloth found in Eglinton's suitcase. Colley also pulled the beard off the materialization and it was revealed to be a fake, the same as another one found in the suitcase of Eglinton. In 1886 the spiritualist John Stephen Farmer wrote a supportive b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
