The Hollow Earth

This is the first in a series of articles intended to draw attention to theories and beliefs that are a bit off the beaten path. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, or influence any beliefs. Each week I will introduce an unusual and thought provoking subject matter related to our human understanding of the forces that may or may not influence physical conditions, political policies, and systems of beliefs on Earth. I invite you to investigate these subjects on your own. Feel free to comment in letters to The Clock. Not everyone agrees on the origins of our existence, or the laws of physics that may be at work in the vast universe. Many models of planetary development and structure have been argued in our short history. One of my favorites is the Hollow Earth (Hollow Planet) Theory. It may seem pretty unlikely to most of us, but consider how long humans thought the earth was flat. In 1692 Edmund Halley, for whom the famous comet was named, proposed a theory which attempted to explain otherwise unaccountable variations in the earth’s magnetic field over time. He proposed that the Earth was not solid beneath the crust, but actually a series of concentric spheres. Further, Halley proposed that these spaces between the concentric crusts were inhabited. One might of think this as science fiction, but it was taken pretty seriously at the time.Subsequent theorists proposed different internal compositions for Earth, but many agreed it was likely that the earth was hollow. Eighteenth century Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euhler believed that there was a central sun hundreds of miles wide, which lit the interior of a single hollow shell. He, like Halley, believed that technologically advanced civilizations populated the interior of the planet. Sir John Leslie, a Scottish mathematician, suggested that there were actually two internal suns. He even named them; Pluto and Proserpine. Far from being the source of great skepticism, America actually produced some of the Hollow Earth Theory’s most vociferous supporters. John Symmes was not known as a scientist, but he proposed that the earth had openings at the poles through which explorers might travel to the interior surface of the planet and contact its inhabitants. Symmes put a great deal of effort into developing funding for a research expedition to test his theory, but died before he could see it through. Symmes’s follower, journalist Jerimiah Reynolds, is credited with influencing the decision to make an Antarctican expedition in 1838. The expedition failed to prove the Hollow Earth theory. However, it provided a great deal of valuable information about the frozen continent.Interest in the theory waned temporarily, but in 1846 the discovery of a frozen wooly mammoth in Siberia suggested to some that the animal had only recently died. The thought proposed by Marshall Gardner was that many extinct animals populated the interior surface of our hollow planet.The 20th century saw more supporters of the Hollow Earth theory. Some say the Nazis made polar expeditions during WWII to gain an advantage over the allies by contacting advanced subterranean civilizations, but I have been unable to verify this. After WWII, especially after the Roswell, NM incident of 1947, people started connecting the phenomenon of UFO’s to the theory, saying that the advanced civilization within the planet was the source of these enigmatic craft. There are people still attempting to investigate the poles for openings. As recently as 2001, author Rodney Cluff was attempting to assemble a group of investigators to accompany him on an investigation aboard a chartered Russian nuclear ice-breaker. View his proposal at: http://www.ourhollowearth.com/. Oddly enough, he hasn’t updated his website in a while.Numerous books and articles have been written on this theory. Several religious movements also believe in the Hollow Earth theory. Early Christian and Norse mythology speak of a subterranean Hell. For some, it is a dwelling place of spirits which are not necessarily evil- as in Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology. Do we know for sure that there is nothing beneath us? We would like to think so, but consider this: An advanced system beneath our feet would most likely cause social chaos, maybe a complete collapse. Would a responsible government allow that to happen?The web is full of Hollow Earth discussions and historical information. It is also filled with junk. It’s up to you to decide what is what. Some of the more interesting sites are:http://skepdic.com/hollowearth.htmlhttp://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF7/718.htmlhttp://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa011199.htmhttp://www.unmuseum.org/hollow.htm