naamcarchives

[naamcarchives]

C:/us-domestic/1998/Street Lamp Anomaly

First observed in Melbourne, FL in 1998, what is known as the streetlight anomaly refers to 10 streetlights, first installed in 1970, that never cease to function. Aside from not wearing out over a 28 year period, the lights also remained in operation when removed from power, immersed in water, and removed from it’s housing. Physical destruction, while resulting in an extremely reduced output, would still result in minor illumination coming from the debris, brightening or dimming based on the size of the piece.

The anomaly was traced to a batch #1526-24, produced by the Kentucky Lighting Fixtures Company in 1969-1970. According to company records, the batch was made using bulbs sourced from a new supplier, the Permalux Manufacturing Company of Dixon, WV, who was let go after a single batch due to high price and a high number of defective bulbs. Other cities recorded as having purchased the lights are Watervliet, NY, Lansing, MI, and Seaside, GA. Investigation revealed only 12 remaining in operation, with the rest having been routinely replaced and sent to recycling. 

Efforts since then have resulted in the recovery of 8 more intact bulbs, as well as 28 shards of varying size, sold through secondhand and craft stores throughout the years. A review of records at the Dixon Municipal Business Office did not include any reference to a Permalux Manufacturing Company, and the associated address from Kentucky Lighting Fixtures traced to an empty lot, last recorded as a Cities Service gas station in 1958.

[naamcarchives]

C:/us-domestic/1982/Bell System Hum

The Bell System Hum was first reported by a company lineman, Ray G. Hoffman, in 1973, as a “untraceable, ungroundable humming noise” while performing work on Bell-owned lines in Rock Spring, PA. Reports continued in 1974, increasing after the filing of an anti-trust suit against the Bell System, with further reports isolated from company notes including:

“Unknown humming, attempts to isolate failed” -Bartow, KY, 1974 “Weird buzz/hum, could not fix” -Dixon, WV, 1975 “Screeching, high pitched noise at lines near Stapleton Intl. ATC interference?” -Denver, CO, 1981 “LOUD, harsh buzz. Persists after multiple part replacements.” -Jackson, MS, 1982

Please see attached document [c:/us-domestic/1986/bell system hum/incident-list.pdf] for exhaustive list

The incident is first mentioned at a corporate level in 1978, with efforts being made to deal with the hum failing consistently. No proper solution was ever put into use, and it is assumed that the issue, while annoying, was relatively minor and pushed aside due to the proceedings of the 1974 anti-trust suit.

The relevant documents were handed over the Domestic Anomalies Department in 1980 by the Federal Communications Commission, who had discovered them as part of the ongoing anti-trust investigation. All reports of the hum ceased in 1984, following the break-up of the Bell System, and were not reported at any of the "baby bell" companies that resulted from the split.

ADDENDUM - JULY 7, 2016 (Last Updated - April 3, 2020)

Reports of similar unfixable and untraceable humming and buzzing noises in the cellular networks managed by AT&T Corporation and T-Mobile US are under investigation, but are, at this time, best assumed to be simple technical glitches, rather than anomalous in nature.

[naamcarchives]

C:/us-domestic/scanned-hist/1965/Texaco-South Nevada/ocr

In 1965, 3 crates of Texaco Motor Oil, delivered to a gas station outside Fisherstown, Virginia drew local newspaper attention, after the cans were found to be labelled as “Product of South Nevada”. When opened, the cans contained a viscous vibrant blue liquid, which was found to combust when used in place of motor oil in a test vehicle (an approx ~1943 Plymouth from a local scrap dealer). 

Initially chalked up to the efforts of a dedicated prank, combined with a manufacturing error, the anomaly was reported to regulatory authorities by the Texaco company, who expressed alarm after the package was returned to their offices in order for replacements to be sent.

Along with the “Product of South Nevada” text, the label’s text also refers to a “Desert States Republic” (abbreviated as Des. States Rep.), technologies developed by the “Arthur-Jay Oil Technologies Corporation”, and and accordance with guidelines set by the “American Coalition Standards Association”, none of which have been found to exist.

[naamcarchives]

C:/us-domestic/2003/2003 Trans-International Hijack

The 2003 International Hijack occured on March 8th, 2003, on Trans-International Airlines Flight 121, at roughly 9 AM EST. Flight 121 had left Orlando International Airport (MCO) as expected at 8 AM, to arrive at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) later that day. According to eyewitness testimony, at ~8:55 AM, two men in heavy coats got up from their seats, revealing black, wooden-gripped handguns, with one of the men then grabbing a passenger and placing a gun against her head. The second gunman then made his way to the cockpit door, which he then kicked open. The man demanded for the plane to be redirected to Stapleton International Airport (DEN), and was said to have become agitated when told that the flight would have to land at Denver International Airport (DEN), due to demolition efforts at the then-closed Stapleton International Airport.

The man then returned to his seat, and appeared to pull out a large, unwieldy mobile phone and began attempting to make a call multiple times, being met with a dial tone. The man then got back up from his seat, and made his way several feet down the aisle, before the passenger area was “filled with a blinding, soft-yellow light”. When the light cleared, both men were missing, with the hostage, Kathy Thompson, returned to her seat. The two firearms, later identified as CZ-75 pistols, were found laying on the floor. 

DNA testing on the firearms matched to Daniel Harkin, 28, and Kevin Reyes, 25, both reported missing in Kissimmee, FL in 1983.

[naamcarchives]

C:/canada-file-share/scanned-hist/1936/Final Lighthouse Image/ocr

“The Final Lighthouse Image” is the common name of a sepia-tone photograph, recovered from the site of the No. 23 Lighthouse, located on what is now called Norico Island, off the eastern coast of Canada. The photo depicts the lighthouse and it’s attached cottage, as well as two of the men on the island at the time, Jeffrey D. Locklier, and David L. Richards, who are both posing for the camera. Multiple unclear figures are also visible in the background- two on the railing outside the top of the light house, one in front of the cottage, and another, at the edge of the frame near the shore. 

The photograph was collected in 1936 by federal investigators as one of only 4 pieces of man-made debris recovered from the island, following the disappearance of the No. 23 Lighthouse and its associated structures and crew earlier that year.

[naamcarchives]

C:/US-domestic/1992/Dead Zone Sphere

First identified in 1992, though presumed to be in effect since the 1980s, the ‘Dead Zone Sphere’ consists of the former Dixon-Blackwell Mine in the Appalachian mountain range, outside Bartow, Kentucky. Strip-mined since the early-mid 1900s, the area was selected as an early candidate for ‘mountaintop removal’ mining by the Jackson Coal & Gas Company in 1973. Operations at the site would first pause in 1978, following a string of mechanical failures that would nearly bankrupt the Jackson Coal & Gas Co, as well as high worker turnover. 

Work would resume in 1979, and continue until 1985, following the bankruptcy of Jackson Coal & Gas that year. While the majority of equipment was removed, several pieces of equipment remain at the site due to difficulty of removal and a lack of resale value.

Following standard procedure, remediation efforts began in 1986, attempted by a string of third-party contractors hired by the Arrow Coal conglomerate, who purchased the mine as part of a bankruptcy auction bid. Initially blamed on poor soil, industrial contaminants, and low-quality seedstock, the property was finally brought to the attention of the Domestic Anomalies Department in 1992. Testing showed that any plant life within the zone will inevitably never take hold, wither, and die in short order. While not lethal to humans or other animals, exposure leads to lethargy and fatigue, among other symptoms. Equipment left at the property will also sink into the ground at an increased rate, leading to the loss of several pieces of heavy equipment.