History Archives - The Debrief

These Enigmatic Viking Symbols, Used in Ancient Encrypted Messages, Keep One of History’s Strangest Language Secrets

Micah Hanks·September 4, 2023

Why part of an ancient set of Viking symbols strangely vanished around 700 A.D. remains one of history's most perplexing linguistic mysteries.

Ancient Magical Texts to be Studied in Unprecedented Depth by Cadre of University Professors

Christopher Plain·June 30, 2023

A team of Professors in Germany has established a 4-year, multi-million euro program to study ancient magic and magical texts called “Magic between Entanglement, Interaction, and Analogy,” or MagEIA.

Key to Ancient Mayan Calendar Mystery May Have Finally Been Discovered, Scientists Say

Micah Hanks·May 5, 2023

One of the great mysteries of the ancient Americas has finally been solved, according to anthropologists who say they may have unraveled the longstanding mystery of the ancient Mayan calendar.

Incident 207: A Tic Tac over Washington, DC, in 1948?

Jazz Shaw·March 10, 2023

A 1948 UFO event in Washington, DC, may have featured an aircraft resembling the famous "Tic Tac" observed by Carrier Strike Group 11 in 2004.

Some of the Most Mysterious, Bizarre, Even Terrifying, Holiday Traditions in History

Tim McMillan·December 22, 2022

Terrifying demons, pooping logs, and peasant kings hosting drunken parties, The Debrief discusses some of the most bizarre and terrifying holiday traditions.

After Kenneth Arnold Saw “Flying Discs”, This is the Journalist Who Tracked One Down

And what Project Grudge investigators really thought about his sighting

Jazz Shaw·April 1, 2022

Widely recognized as the "first" UFO sighting of the modern era, there are two little-discussed aspects of the famous sighting by pilot Kenneth Arnold in 1947.

Was This Underreported Fighter Plane Crash UFO-Related?

A Significant FAA Investigation Leaves Many Questions

Jazz Shaw·March 15, 2022

Multiple FOIA requests were sent to the Air Force based on the assumption that if one of their planes had gone down and they had lost a pilot, they would clearly have taken an interest... but did they?

The “Moscow Signal”: How Russian Directed Microwave Rays Once Caused an International Incident

Decades ago, the Soviet Union admitted it spent decades blasting the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with "mysterious" beams.

Micah Hanks·March 4, 2022

Decades ago, the Soviet Union admitted it spent decades blasting the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with mysterious rays later dubbed the "Moscow Signal".

This Ancient Babylonian Tablet Contains the Oldest Image of a Ghost Ever Found

Raquel Santos·October 21, 2021

The rediscovery of a Babylonian tablet might be the world’s oldest ghost story... and it arrives just in time for Halloween.

Study Finds Disinformation is Being Used to Manipulate Western Media… Like it Has Been Doing for Centuries

Micah Hanks·September 20, 2021

Researchers at Cardiff University say Western Media is being steered by Russian propaganda, but archaeology reveals it is a practice with ancient roots.

Four Submarines All Vanished in the Early Months of 1968. The Story Behind Their Disappearances Remains a Cold War Mystery.

Questions linger over a bizarre series of Cold War incidents involving submarines that left few clues about what caused their destruction.

Micah Hanks·September 9, 2021

Questions linger over a bizarre series of Cold War incidents involving lost submarines, which left few clues about the cause of their destruction.

The Lost Cosmonauts: A Story of Soviet Secrets and Space Hackers

Did the Soviets really have a secret space program?

Micah Hanks·May 11, 2021

At the height of the Space Race, two Italian brothers claimed they uncovered evidence of a secret Soviet space program, and even lost cosmonauts.

The Antikythera Mechanism Still Challenges Our Ideas About the Past

This ancient computer and other anachronisms from early times leave us with more questions than answers.

Ryan Sprague and Jane Moore·April 1, 2021

This ancient computer and other anachronisms from early times leave us with more questions than answers.

This Rare Area 51 Footage Was Recently Removed by the CIA

Micah Hanks·March 23, 2021

Footage from Area 51, made at the remote USAF facility in 1960, offers a unique glimpse at one of the most secretive locations on Earth.

Superior Mirage Appearances Explain “Phantom Ships” Seen for Centuries

Micah Hanks·March 8, 2021

A superior mirage photographed off the English coast helps explain tales of "ghost ships" that shaped maritime folklore for centuries.

History

These Enigmatic Viking Symbols, Used in Ancient Encrypted Messages, Keep One of History’s Strangest Language Secrets

Ancient Magical Texts to be Studied in Unprecedented Depth by Cadre of University Professors

Key to Ancient Mayan Calendar Mystery May Have Finally Been Discovered, Scientists Say

Incident 207: A Tic Tac over Washington, DC, in 1948?

Some of the Most Mysterious, Bizarre, Even Terrifying, Holiday Traditions in History

After Kenneth Arnold Saw “Flying Discs”, This is the Journalist Who Tracked One Down

And what Project Grudge investigators really thought about his sighting

And what Project Grudge investigators really thought about his sighting

Was This Underreported Fighter Plane Crash UFO-Related?

A Significant FAA Investigation Leaves Many Questions

A Significant FAA Investigation Leaves Many Questions

The “Moscow Signal”: How Russian Directed Microwave Rays Once Caused an International Incident

Decades ago, the Soviet Union admitted it spent decades blasting the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with "mysterious" beams.

Decades ago, the Soviet Union admitted it spent decades blasting the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with "mysterious" beams.

This Ancient Babylonian Tablet Contains the Oldest Image of a Ghost Ever Found

Study Finds Disinformation is Being Used to Manipulate Western Media… Like it Has Been Doing for Centuries

Four Submarines All Vanished in the Early Months of 1968. The Story Behind Their Disappearances Remains a Cold War Mystery.

Questions linger over a bizarre series of Cold War incidents involving submarines that left few clues about what caused their destruction.

Questions linger over a bizarre series of Cold War incidents involving submarines that left few clues about what caused their destruction.

The Lost Cosmonauts: A Story of Soviet Secrets and Space Hackers

Did the Soviets really have a secret space program?

Did the Soviets really have a secret space program?

The Antikythera Mechanism Still Challenges Our Ideas About the Past

This ancient computer and other anachronisms from early times leave us with more questions than answers.

This ancient computer and other anachronisms from early times leave us with more questions than answers.

This Rare Area 51 Footage Was Recently Removed by the CIA

Superior Mirage Appearances Explain “Phantom Ships” Seen for Centuries

NASA’s Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena

Can AI Actually Create Art?

Japan’s Decision to Release Radioactive Fukushima Wastewater into the Pacific

Can Wearable Technology Really Improve Your Health?

These Mushroom Gummies Can Help Promote Calm, and Even Increase Productivity

How to Manage Your Company’s Apple Devices