The Why Files: Operation Podcast

JANET AIRLINES.  Heard of Janet Airlines? No? Good. That's exactly what the US government wants. One of the government's biggest secrets is hiding in plain sight. In Las Vegas.  Janet is the top-secret government airline that doesn't exist.   Next time you're in Vegas, visit one of the big casinos next to McCarran Airport. I'm talking about Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay. When you get there, look East at the airport.    All day long, but especially early in the morning and late in the evening; you'll see mysterious planes taking off and landing. You can't miss them. They're big. They're Boeing 737s.    They have no markings. No logos. They're plain white with a single red stripe. This is Janet Airlines.   Janet is a top-secret, air-force owned commuter airline. For civilians.  But the destination Janet goes to the most -- I'm talking a few times a day-- is... Area 51.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

Was Polybius real? In 1981, an arcade in Portland was the scene of countless gamers coming down with migraines, having heart attacks, seizures and strokes. Local teens were suffering from amnesia and having hallucinations. All due to a mysterious game that seemed to arrive out of thin air.   The game was called Polybius.   And even though playing the game was dangerous, it was highly addictive and caused some teens to become hyper-aggressive.    Fights started breaking out at the arcade. One player was stabbed to death. All traced back to people who played Polybius.   Why would the government allow the public to play such a dangerous game? Because the government created it.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

THE KARDASHEV SCALE.  We have no idea what an alien civilization would look like. Humans are evolved primates. What if an alien species is reptilian? Or more like an insect? Or a hybrid of these? Or maybe something completely unique that we couldn't even imagine.   There is only one set of universal laws that every species must follow. Physics. Specifically energy.   One way to measure a civilization is by its energy consumption. This is done with the Kardashev Scale.   By using the Kardashev Scale, we can address some big questions about alien civilizations. Like: Fermi's Paradox. It's estimated that there are 40 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way that could support life. Certainly a few of these should have given rise to intelligent life. And if so, where is everyone?   A recent study done by researchers at JPL and CalTech states that when a civilization finally reaches a certain point on the Kardashev Scale, it destroys itself. Which is why we haven't discovered any evidence. They're gone.   And the Kardashev Scale addresses the most worrisome theory of all. If there are advanced civilizations in our universe, it's probably best if we don't make contact with them.    Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

THE DOG SUICIDE BRIDGE.  In Dumbarton, Scotland, there's a 19th-century gothic bridge that crosses a 50-foot ravine. It's *officially* called Overtoun Bridge. But it's *unofficial* name is the "dog suicide bridge."   Built in 1895, the ornate bridge leads up to Overtoun House, a 19th century manor built by wealthy industrialist James White on the outskirts of the village of Milton in the Scottish Lowlands. It spans Overtoun Burn, a deep gorge with a small river.  Hundreds of dogs have attempted to commit suicide by jumping off this bridge. Stories about Overtoun Bridge are all over the internet and have been featured on the TV series The Unexplained Files. There's even an entire book dedicated to the phenomenon.   But despite all this attention, the mystery is still unsolved.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

THE MAX HEADROOM INCIDENT.  November 22nd, 1987 was a pretty normal evening for television viewers in Chicago. That night, like every night, Dan Roan was covering sports on WGN-TV, Channel 9.  Then suddenly, the signal was disrupted and screens across the city cut to black.   Engineers at WGN-TV thought their transmitters were failing.    They weren't. A few seconds later, something crazy happened.   WGN's broadcast signal had been hijacked in what is now known as "The Max Headroom Incident".    WGN-TV was able to act quickly and get their signal back. But, Two hours later, it would happen again to another TV station and there was nothing they could do to stop it.   What happens next remains one of the most bizarre unsolved crimes in television history.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

LEVITATION. The ruins of several ancient civilizations - like the pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge in the UK, and many others - are monuments constructed of massive stones. How the great pyramids of Egypt were built has been the subject of debate for a long time.   The fact is, no one really knows for certain exactly how some of these megaliths were constructed. Some researchers think ancient cultures may have mastered levitation through sound which allowed them to easily manipulate massive objects. Unfortunately, anyone suggesting the use of this kind of technology is attacked and labeled a "pseudoscientist".   Abul Hasan Ali Al-Masudi is known as the Herodotus of the Arabs. Like everyone, he was awestruck by the pyramids. He wrote a very intriguing passage about how the giant stone blocks were transported -- through levitation.   The Great Pyramid of Giza does possess some extraordinary acoustic properties, and can dramatically amplify sounds at certain frequencies. The Egyptians clearly knew a lot about sound science.    Let's explore the Coral Castle in Florida, built by Edward Leedskalnin, who cut, transported and sculpted over 1,000 tons of rock into a sprawling complex -- alone, without heavy machinery.  We'll visit The Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek in Lebanon which boasts the largest stones ever carved by human hands.    Nan Madol is an archaeological site in Micronesia. It's been called the Machu Picchu of the Pacific. The engineering of Nan Madol is so complex, no one can figure out how it was built.   Let's hear the story told by Dr. Jarl about Tibetan monks who lifted stones by chanting and playing instruments -- which Jarl put on film.  There is science behind all these stories, yet "mainstream" academia dismisses each and every one as pseudoscience. Why is it wrong to want to explore ancient knowledge that contradicts modern beliefs? Isn't this the exact purpose of science?   I think so.  Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

NOSTRADAMUS.  2022 Predictions: Earthquakes, Asteroids & Zombies? If you believe the predictions of Nostradamus and you enjoyed 2020, you're gonna *love* 2021.  While many astrologers, seers and mystics are predicting a hopeful future. If you believe Nostradamus, you better start kissing your mommies and saying your goodbyes.   He predicted that 2020 would be a "great trouble for humanity". Well, that was true. And he says a greater trouble is coming in the form of a global famine. According to Nostradamus, the famine will be the worst the world has ever faced and will ultimately end in a disruption of social hierarchies and state power.   Nostradamus predicted solar storms will take place. He said: "We shall see the water rising and the earth falling under it".   Then he predicts a comet or asteroid will hit the earth or come very close to striking the planet which will cause earthquakes and other natural disasters: "In the sky, one sees fire and a long trail of sparks."   FYI, we did have a few close calls with asteroids this past year. And NASA's automated asteroid watching system -- called Sentry -- is currently tracking asteroid 2009 JF1. JF1 is around 130 meters in diameter. About the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. This could hit Earth in 2022.   Nostradamus predicted a great calamity would shake through the New World in the "Lands of the West" causing it to fall into the ocean. This is thought to be California. He suggested that this great calamity will happen when "Mercury in Sagittarius, Saturn fading". The date when Mars and Saturn will be in those exact positions in the sky is Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021.   And the last prediction is a doozie. Two words: Zombie Apocalypse. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

STUXNET.  The virus that prevented; then started the next world war. Cyberwar is being waged right now in your name. No matter what country you call home, your government is engaged in highly dangerous combat on the Internet. Infrastructure around the world is under siege and everyone is at risk. Even you.  In 2010, the Stuxnet virus was discovered in Natanz, Iran and thousands of control systems that operate factories, power plants and nuclear reactors around the world. It was 20 times more sophisticated than any malware ever recorded. It could halt oil pipelines, destroy water treatment plants and bring down entire power grids.   Stuxnet is back, stronger than ever.   And we should *all* be concerned.   Cyber-security experts knew Stuxnet wasn't ordinary malware thrown together by some basement hacker. This was something different.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

NUMBERS STATIONS.  Not a relic of the past. Intelligence agencies use shortwave to communicate with spies, agents and assets in the field. Right now. Today. Let's listen to a few and learn how to tune in from home -- for free.   Since World War One, numbers stations have been transmitting coded messages to spies around the world using shortwave radio. And they're still transmitting right now. We're going to listen to a few in this episode.   These transmissions sound strange to casual listeners. But to the right set of ears, they contain information that could change the course of history. In fact, numbers stations *have* changed the course of history.   Countless numbers stations are on the air right now -- for what purpose, few really know. And the people that *do* know? They aren't talking. They're essentially pirate stations -- operating illegally. But, nobody shuts them down. And no government acknowledges they even exist.   Let's find out why. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support

Is time travel possible? According to physicists, yes. Time travel *to the future* is not only possible, it's been scientifically proven.   But what about traveling to the past? Well, that's a little trickier.   BUT, there does seem to be evidence that travelers from the future have visited us in the past; and may be among us right now.  The human race has been fascinated with traveling through time ever since, well, ever since the human race understood what time was.   But has time travel been achieved by future humans? And if so, did they leave us clues that they were here?   We've scoured the internet for the best time travel stories we could find. You may know some of them. Some are hoaxes. A few have been debunked. But there are a couple of stories that defy explanation.  Why are we so obsessed with time travel? Probably because we're obsessed with time. Time rules our lives.    Who doesn't wish they could go back and talk to our younger selves, or meet our ancestors, or witness historical events.   Time creates possibilities; but time also *ends* possibilities. It's finite. When a moment is over. It's over. There are no second chances.   The expression "time is money" isn't exactly true. Time is much more valuable than money. Wealth can be made; lost and made again. But time? Once we lose it, we can never get it back.  Time is the most valuable thing you have.   Spend it wisely. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thewhyfiles/support