Skeptical Inquirer — Investigative Files
Miracle Dirt of Chimayó
by Joe Nickell
Volume 37.1, January/February 2013
Investigative Files
El Santuariò de Chimayó in New Mexico is a place of pilgrimages. Scores visit the little adobe church daily, while thousands walk miles to worship there on Good Friday. Many come seeking a cure for their afflictions, scooping from a small pit in the church floor a reddish soil that they rub on afflicted areas of their bodies or even sprinkle on their food or brew in tea.
States of Mind: Some Perceived ET Encounters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Investigative Files
Together, as we shall see, these cases illustrate that UFOlogy continues its long tradition of mystery mongering and the implicit reliance on a logical fallacy called “arguing from ignorance”: “We don’t know what was seen in the sky; therefore, it must have been an extraterrestrial craft.”
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The ‘Murder’ of Vincent van Gogh
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.5, September/October 2012
Investigative Files
Enfield Poltergeist
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.4, July/August 2012
Investigative Files
In August 1977, a series of disturbances that were soon characterized as a case of poltergeist phenomena or even demonic possession began in Enfield, a northern suburb of London.
Ghost Author? The Channeling of ‘Patience Worth’
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.3, May/June 2012
Investigative Files
Pearl Lenore (Pollard) Curran (1883–1937), wife of John H. Curran of St. Louis, began in 1913 to receive poems and novels, via Ouija board, from a seventeenth-century Puritan english woman named “Patience Worth.”
Traditional Chinese Medicine: Views East and West
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.2, March/April 2012
Investigative Files
Perhaps no gulf between the East and the West is more significant than in theories and practices concerning medicine.
The Holy Mandylion: A Déjà-view
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.1, January/February 2012
Investigative Files
It was like déjà-vu. In 2008, in a traveling exhibition called “Vatican Splendors,” I had seen the Holy Mandylion, also known as the Image of Edessa, which was once held to be the miraculous self-portrait of Christ. Now, in Genoa the following year, I was seeing another such image...
Psychic Connections: Investigating in Hungary
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.6, November/December 2011
Investigative Files
While in Hungary from September 16–22, 2010—initially to participate in the fourteenth European Skeptics Congress (held in Budapest September 17–19)—I found time for some interesting investigations.
In Search of the Emerald Grail
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.5, September/October 2011
Investigative Files
Il Sacro Catino, “The Holy Basin,” is one of the most famous embodiments of the legendary “Holy Grail,” and I was able to study both it and its legend there in the fall of 2009, attempting to resolve some of the mysteries and controversies concerning it.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Séances of ‘Hellish Nell’: Solving the Unexplained
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.4, July/August 2011
Investigative Files
The Case of the Miracle Oil
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.3, May/June 2011
Investigative Files
I was invited to a home in Northern California where myriad icons, statues, and other religious effigies were “miraculously streaming oil”.
Heaven’s Stenographer: The ‘Guided’ Hand of Vassula Ryden
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.2, March/April 2011
Investigative Files
She claims to receive communications not only from her guardian angel, “Daniel,” but also from Jesus and even Yahweh himself, who guide her hand ...
‘Pop’ Culture: Patent Medicines Become Soda Drinks
by Joe Nickell
Volume 35.1, January/February 2011
Investigative Files
Mineral water, including naturally carbonated water, has long been promoted as a curative for various ailments.
The True Cross: Chaucer, Calvin, and the Relic Mongers
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.6, November/December 2010
Investigative Files
Calvin suggested that "if we were to collect all these pieces of the True Cross exhibited in various parts, they would form a whole ship's cargo."
Nostradamus: A New Look at an Old Seer
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.5, September/October 2010
Investigative Files
As these examples show, one cannot claim that Nostradamus successfully predicted the future.
The Real ‘Ghost Whisperer’
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.4, July / August 2010
Investigative Files
Although Winkowski distinguishes herself from both mediums and psychics (she claims no future-telling ability), she nevertheless shares much in common with...
John Edward: Spirit Huckster
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Investigative Files
“Psychic medium” John Edward is reemerging from relative obscurity after his popular television show, Crossing Over with John Edward, ended in...
Belgian Miracles
by Joe Nickell
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Investigative Files
A member of the European Union, Belgium is located between the Netherlands, Germany, and France. The country takes its name from its first recorded...
The Real Secrets of Fatima
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Investigative Files
Among the intriguing mysteries of modern Catholocism are the "miracles" and "secrets" supposedly imparted by the Virgin Mary...
Pirates’ Ghosts: Aar-r-gh!
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Investigative Files
They embody legend: romantic, swashbuckling, heroic figures--enchanting rogues whose ghosts eternally guard their buried...
Quest for the Giant Eel
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Investigative Files
On a six-day trip to the Canadian province of Newfoundland in Labrador, I encountered some very large creatures...
Demons in Connecticut
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Investigative Files
Take a house reeking of death, bring in a "demonologist," commission a professional writer to enhance the alleged events...
Searching for Vampire Graves
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Investigative Files
It should not be surprising that there have been instances of reputed vampirism in the United States.
Return to Roswell
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Investigative Files
The crash of a UFO near Roswell, New Mexico has been explained as something much more mundane: a balloon-borne device.
‘Hex’ Signs: Searching for the Magic
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Investigative Files
My introduction to Pennsylvania Dutch "hex" signs came when I was a teenager running my own sign-painting business...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Lighthouse Specters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Investigative Files
Remote sentinels on rocky shores, lighthouses have been called "America's castles." Certainly, they are places of scenic...
A Skeleton’s Tale: The Origins of Modern Spiritualism
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Investigative Files
At the home of a blacksmith named John Fox, strange rapping noises began to occur in the bedroom of Fox's young daughters...
Eucharistic ‘Miracles’
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Investigative Files
Did an incident that reportedly occurred in Turin, Italy, in 1453 offer unimpeachable evidence of the supernatural?
Entombed Alive!
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Investigative Files
It is a horrifying concept: being buried—or walled-up—alive. Fears of such possibilities were once rife.
Exciting UFOs Become Bland IFOs
by Joe Nickell
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Investigative Files
Most "flying saucers" are eventually identified as planes, balloons, meteors, or other objects, or even as illusions or hoaxes.
The Netherlands: Visions and Revisions
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Investigative Files
Like people everywhere, the Dutch can also be superstitious--hence the conference theme, “the paranormal.”
‘John of God’: Healings by Entities?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Investigative Files
A Brazilian faith healer claims spirits take control of his body to enable him to perform surgeries without anesthesia.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Peru’s Ancient Mysteries
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.4, July / August 2007
Investigative Files
Peru, like all the Americas, was relatively recently settled. A succession of native cultures flourished in various regions...
Deciphering Da Vinci’s Real Codes
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.3, May / June 2007
Investigative Files
Leonardo da Vinci was something of a cryptographer, and much attention has been given his various "codes".
Mysterious Entities of the Pacific Northwest, Part II
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.2, March / April 2007
Investigative Files
Some assume that UFOs are a modern invention, but since ancient times men have reported seeing strange things in the sky.
Mysterious Entities of the Pacific Northwest, Part I
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.1, January / February 2007
Investigative Files
Mankind's imagination has always been excited by the possibilities of unknown regions.
Siege of ‘Little Green Men’: The 1955 Kelly, Kentucky, Incident
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.6, November / December 2006
Investigative Files
What were the humanoid-like creatures that terrified a family at their farmhouse?
Ghost Hunters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.5, September / October 2006
Investigative Files
Belief that spirits of the dead exist and can appear to the living is both ancient and widespread.
Riddle of the Crystal Skulls
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.4, July / August 2006
Investigative Files
Around the world are found mysterious artifacts, crystal skulls that many New Age enthusiasts believe possess mystical powers.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The ‘New’ Idolatry
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.3, May / June 2006
Investigative Files
For a live, prime-time television program, I was asked to evaluate claims that a statue in Sacramento streamed tears of blood.
Argentina Mysteries
by Joe Nickell
Volume 30.2, March / April 2006
Investigative Files
While visiting Argentina, I was also able to take a look at some local mysteries with which I already had some familiarity.
Legends of Castles and Keeps
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.6, November / December 2005
Investigative Files
During the Middle Ages, the castle arose as the private fortress of a monarch or nobleman.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Italy’s ‘Miracle’ Relics
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.5, September / October 2005
Investigative Files
In October 2004, after participating in the Fifth World Skeptics Congress in Abano Terme, Italy—near Padua, where Galileo...
The Case of the ‘Psychic Detectives’
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.4, July / August 2005
Investigative Files
Although mainstream science has never validated any psychic ability, mediums continue to sell their fantasies to the public.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Second Sight: The Phenomenon of Eyeless Vision
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Investigative Files
Natasha Demkina claims a special ability: She can supposedly peer inside people's bodies, observe their organs, and diagnose...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Intuition: The Case of the Unknown Daughter
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
Investigative Files
In the fall of 2003, my life was transformed by the news that I was the father of a beautiful, thirty-six-year-old daughter.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Mystery Painting: ‘The Shadow of the Cross’
by Joe Nickell
Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Investigative Files
An enigmatic painting is exhibited at the church of San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi) at Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico
Rorschach Icons
by Joe Nickell
Volume 28.6, November / December 2004
Investigative Files
People arrive in droves to view them: holy images that appear—many believe miraculously—in the most unlikely places.
The Stigmata of Lilian Bernas
by Joe Nickell
Volume 28.2, March / April 2004
Investigative Files
Canadian Lilian Bernas claims to exhibit-"in a supernatural state"-the wounds of Christ.
The Curse of Bodie: Legacy of Ghost-Town Ghosts?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 27.6, November / December 2003
Investigative Files
Today, the ghost town of Bodie, California, is one of the most authentic abandoned gold- mining towns of the Old West.
Legend of the Lake Champlain Monster
by Joe Nickell
Volume 27.4, July / August 2003
Investigative Files
Termed "North America's Loch Ness Monster", "Champ," reportedly haunts the waters of its namesake.
Amityville: The Horror of It All
by Joe Nickell
Volume 27.1, January / February 2003
Investigative Files
Although the original event proved to be a hoax, that fact does not seem well known to the general public.
Psychic Pets and Pet Psychics
by Joe Nickell
Volume 26.6, November / December 2002
Investigative Files
Many believe that the bond between man and animals, known from great antiquity, includes extrasensory perception (ESP).
Benny Hinn: Healer or Hypnotist?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 26.3, May / June 2002
Investigative Files
Hinn's selection process is-- perhaps not surprisingly--virutally identical to that employed by professional stage hypnotists
Voodoo in New Orleans
by Joe Nickell
Volume 26.1, January / February 2002
Investigative Files
New Orleans has been declared America's most haunted city, and tour guides-following the imaginative lead of Anne Rice...
John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved
by Joe Nickell
Volume 25.6, November / December 2001
Investigative Files
I was asked by television newsmagazine Dateline NBC to study Edward's act: was he really talking to the dead?
Tracking the Swamp Monsters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 25.4, July / August 2001
Investigative Files
Do mysterious and presumably endangered manlike creatures inhabit swamplands of the southern United States?
In Search of Fisher’s Ghost
by Joe Nickell
Volume 25.3, May / June 2001
Investigative Files
Joe Nickell investigates Australia's most famous ghhost
Mysterious Australia
by Joe Nickell
Volume 25.2, March / April 2001
Investigative Files
Joe Nickell investigates paranormal claims in Australia
Exorcism! Driving Out the Nonsense
by Joe Nickell
Volume 25.1, January / February 2001
Investigative Files
Belief in demonic possession is getting a new propaganda boost.
The Flatwoods UFO Monster
by Joe Nickell
Volume 24.6, November / December 2000
Investigative Files
Joe Nickell investigates the Flatwoods UFO Monster of West Virginia
Haunted Inns: Tales of Spectral Guest
by Joe Nickell
Volume 24.5, September / October 2000
Investigative Files
Joe Nickell investigates the resident ghosts of various hotels
Aura Photography: A Candid Shot
by Joe Nickell
Volume 24.3, May / June 2000
Investigative Files
At psychic fairs and other popular venues, "aura" photographic portraits are all the rage.
The Secrets of Oak Island
by Joe Nickell
Volume 24.2, March / April 2000
Investigative Files
Joe Nickell on Canada's best-known mystery
Miracles or Deception? The Pathetic Case of Audrey Santo
by Joe Nickell
Volume 23.5, September / October 1999
Investigative Files
As we near the millennium, the media have been pointing to "millennial madness" as the source for a wide range of divine claims.
Paranormal Lincoln
by Joe Nickell
Volume 23.3, May / June 1999
Investigative Files
Guiding the United States through its greatest crisis has caused the shadow of the sixteenth president to loom still larger.
The Silver Lake Serpent: Inflated Monster or Inflated Tale?
by Joe Nickell
Volume 23.2, March / April 1999
Investigative Files
On July 13, 1855, in Wyoming County, New York, two boys and five men were fishing from a boat on Silver Lake.
Helix to Heaven
by Joe Nickell
Volume 22.6, November / December 1998
Investigative Files
The Staircase Stands but the Myth Falls
Fiery Tales That Spontaneously Destruct
by Joe Nickell
Volume 22.2, March / April 1998
Investigative Files
Spontaneous human combustion cases continue to spark controversy, largely due to the efforts of nonscientist journalists.
A Case of ‘SHC’ Demystified
by Joe Nickell
Volume 22.2, March / April 1998
Investigative Files
Sidebar to this month's article on spontaneous human combustion
Not-So-Spontaneous Human Combustion
by Joe Nickell
Volume 20.6, November / December 1996
Investigative Files
Like Count Dracula, the mythical specter of "spontaneous human combustion" (SHC) refuses to die.
Ghostly Photos
by Joe Nickell
Volume 20.4, July / August 1996
Investigative Files
A rash of new “ghost” photographs is plaguing the Western world.
A Study of Fantasy Proneness in the Thirteen Cases of Alleged Encounters in John Mack’s Abduction
by Joe Nickell
Volume 20.3, May / June 1996
Investigative Files
Since Robert A. Baker's article appeared in the Skeptical Inquirer, a controversy has raged over his suggestion...
Miracle Photographs
by Joe Nickell
Volume 20.2, March / April 1996
Investigative Files
October 27, 1995, the television program "Unsolved Mysteries" aired a segment that included investigative work by CSICOP.
“Alien Autopsy” Hoax
by Joe Nickell
Volume 19.6, November / December 1995
Investigative Files
It keeps going and going and...
