Who is John Day?

It was my privilege to visit the John Day Fossil Beds in east-central Oregon. As part of that visit, one specific question arose that has an answer that is simply hilarious. Who is John Day? My daughter’s immediate suggestion is that he was most probably some “privileged rich white guy” who made a large enough … Read more

Weird Ideas: The Phantom Time Hypothesis

When it comes to utterly bizarre claims then the “Phantom Time Hypothesis” is one of those that does indeed stand out. Basically this was dreamed up historian Heribert Illig and first published in 1991. In summary, the idea is that roughly about three centuries of history (AD 614 to 911) never actually happened and that … Read more

Life’s a Beach

Right now I’m in Ireland on the North Antrim coast. Its a very interesting area. OK, yes I’ve been to the Bushmills distillery to sample the water of life, thats where you take the tour, then get to sample the product afterwards, but thats not what I’m on about. All along the coast there exists … Read more