British author Mary Shelley has become the latest historical figure to be commemorated by Google Doodles, the Telegraph reports. On what would have been her 213th birthday, the author who brought us the classic horror tale Frankenstein received her own spooky doodle in place of the search engine’s traditional logo.

Images via Google.co.uk & Google.com

In true Gothic horror fashion, the image shows a dim room with several ghostly portraits hanging from the walls, while the shadow of a figure with arms outstretched looms from a passageway.  You can almost hear the zombie-like groaning sound that often seems to accompany such phenomena.

Images via Google

Hovering the mouse over the logo displays the words “Mary Shelley’s 213th birthday”, while clicking the image links to a search page for “Mary Shelley”.  Born in 1797, Shelly began writing Frankenstein at the age of 18.  The novel, while Gothic in style and influenced by the Romantic movement, is also considered one of the earliest works of science fiction.

Images by Theodore Von Holst (left) and Punch Magazine

(Images left and right in public domain)

The title character, scientist Victor Frankenstein, creates a terrifying monster in the likeness of man, albeit a big one, and all hell is let loose from there.  The story has generated numerous interpretations over the years, including the mistaken attribution of the name “Frankenstein” to the monster, and the 80s song China in Your Hand by T’Pau. Frankenstein’s monster even appeared in Victorian-era anti-Irish propaganda (above right).

Images by Richard Rothwell (left) and Amelia Curran. Inset by Reginald Easton, allegedly drawn from Mary Shelley's death mask.

(Images 1, 2, 3 in public domain)

Dark themes explored within Shelley’s work have been attributed in part to ongoing tragedy during her own life.  Her husband, the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, drowned at sea.  Three of the couple’s children never saw adolescence, and Shelley finally died after a decade of poor health at the age of 53.

Google Doodles – the search engine’s signature homepage images – change regularly to reflect major events.  Birthdays of authors JM Barrie and Hans Christian Anderson have also been celebrated, as have the Apollo 11 lunar landing and The Wizard of Oz.  The first Google Doodle depicted the Burning Man Festival of 1998, while last year UFOs and crop circles commemorated the birthday of science fiction genius H.G. Wells.

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Image by U.S. Federal Government

Few black projects – especially recent ones – can be seen on public display in museums, or at least museums that are open to the public! The Bird of Prey, developed in the 1990s by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing to test stealth technology, is one of the rare exceptions.

Image by HonoluluMan

(Image in public domain)

The Bird of Prey’s price tag of $67 million made it a relatively low cost solution in the world of huge budget stealth demonstration. While it never went into production, nor did it receive an X-plane designation since it was funded directly by Boeing rather than the military, it facilitated the development of technology and materials that were later used on Boeing’s X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle (UAV). The Bird of Prey, developed at Boeing’s Phantom Works and named after the Klingon Bird of Prey warship from Star Trek, made 40 flights between 1996 and 1999.

Image by HonoluluMan

(Image in public domain)

Coolest of all, the Bird of Prey’s shape was designed to prevent shadows, and was used – so it is believed – to test active camouflage, meaning its surfaces could change colour and luminosity to blend in with its surroundings, like the octopus or cuttlefish. This was surely the ultimate defense – a stealth aircraft practically invisible to the human eye as well as radar. The shape – which does away with a horizontal tailplane and a conventional vertical rudder – is aerodynamically stable enough to be flown without computer correction. This configuration is now standard in modern stealth UAVs such as the X-45 and X-47.

Boeing claims the highly classified Bird of Prey pioneered breakthrough low-observable technologies and revolutionized aircraft design.  It was revealed to the public on October 18, 2002 because the technologies and capabilities developed have become industry standards.  Can we glean from this that other black projects remain hidden away because their technologies are not yet industry standard, irrespective of whether these projects have been cancelled?  Bird of Prey now resides at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Watch it flying in the video above – where you’ll see that it really does look like its namesake! Not exactly a “flying triangle”, but certainly a contender for those 1990s UFO sightings out in the Nevada Desert.

Read more about black projects in our archives, and check out this patent for a potential top secret plane.

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Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem (image by Patrick A. Griffin)

As many people know, the local pub is the cornerstone of British culture.  Not only that, the country itself is rather old, meaning you can pop for a pint at establishments formerly visited by the likes of King Richard the Lionheart and Oliver Cromwell.  Here is an assortment of medieval ale houses to whet your appetite as we near the weekend.

Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, Nottingham

The name says it all! (Image by puptoes74)

There has been no shortage of debate over the years about which surviving British pub is in fact the oldest (more below), but Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem certainly has a fair claim.  Nestling beneath Castle Rock, the sign outside dates the building to 1189 AD, although the main building is thought to be rather newer, probably only 300 years old!  That said, the pub’s famous “caves” beneath and behind the building, forming its oldest drinking rooms, date back to the construction of castle in 1089 – so the claim still stands!

Folklore has it that crusading knights dropped in for a pint here on their way from Nottingham Castle to the Holy Land, and that King Richard I himself was a regular at the bar – unlikely since he actually spent most of his reign away from England crusading rather than frequenting the local pubs of Nottingham.  However, it is worth noting that the word “trip” relates to “a break in the journey”, rather than the entire journey.  So perhaps there is some truth in the legend after all.

Needless to say, the pub is a centre of supernatural activity.  The cursed galleon is a small wooden model that has supposedly brought death to anyone who has ever tried to clean it over the years.  Such is the superstition surrounding it that numerous landlords have refused to allow anyone to clean it.  As a result, it is now preserved in a glass case, covered in decades of dust.  Curiously, an antique chair inside “The Trip” is thought to make women who sit in it more likely to become pregnant, although this could of course have more to do with the beer!

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St. Albans

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (image by Sacred Destinations)

The medieval bar (image by Neilwill)

Standing in the shadow of St. Albans Abbey, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is one of the strongest contenders for oldest pub in the land.  The pub itself is 11th century, although documents show that the foundations and cellars date back to 793 AD – meaning there’s been a fair bit of boozing done in here over the years!

Originally called The Round House (it was built as a pigeon coup), it is thought to have been renamed The Fighting Cocks around the 1800s after the sport – banned long ago in Britain – that used to take place there.  The original “cock pit” is now one of the bars, although this room originally served as a stable for the inn.  It is said that this is where Oliver Cromwell stabled his horse when he spent the night here.

There are also believed to be tunnels running between the old cellars and the nearby cathedral, which were once used by monks for safety.  The Fighting Cocks is believed by many to be the oldest true pub, as opposed to a tavern or inn which has accomodation.  (These words are often used interchangably today.)

Ye Olde Man & Scythe, Bolton

Ye Olde Man & Scythe (image by Ian Roberts)

(Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0.  Image here)

I think by now we’ve established that any establishment with “Ye Olde” in its title is going to be up there with the most antiquated of them.  And here’s another trying to stake it’s claim as the oldest watering hole in the realm!  Ye Olde Man & Scythe actually only dates back to 1251, and even then it’s only the cellar.

The building on the site today is much more modern – 1636 to be precise.  But that hasn’t stopped the landlord trying to convince all and sundry that the original cellars are 234 years older than is generally acknowledged, and if so, could potentially bump the old pub up the list.  Either way, Ye Olde Man & Scythe oozes history.

A chair hanging in the pub bears the inscription: “15th October 1651 In this chair James 7th Earl of Derby sat at the Man and Scythe Inn, Churchgate, Bolton immediately prior to his execution.”  After enjoying his last few pints, James was then taken outside and executed for his role in the English Civil War.  But legend has it that he is still around!

The Old Queen’s Head, Sheffield

The Old Queen's Head (image by JeremyA)

(Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5.  Image here)

As a Sheffield native, I felt obliged to throw this charming old battlecruiser in!  The oldest domestic building in Sheffield, the Old Queen’s Head was built by George Talbot, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, around 1475.  It is the last remaining section of a timber framed medieval town and, as part of the Earl’s estate, may have been used as a banqueting hall for parties hunting wildfowl in the nearby ponds.  The only reminder of this – other than the river – can be found in the name of the road the pub is built on: Pond Street.

In reality, the Old Queen’s Head is today sandwiched between the 1960s Post Office building and the city’s bus interchange.  And if brutalist architecture is your thing, the Eastern Bloc-era flats on the hillside behind received a mention is this earlier article.

The pub boasts several interesting gargoyles, including Spring Heeled Jack – a well known local legend about a mischievous sprite that supposedly lived in the tunnels beneath the city and would jump out on unsuspecting pedestrians when the mood took him.  Some are even trying to capture any supernatural activity at the pub on camera!

The George Inn, London

The George, Southwark, London (image by Ewan Munro)

(Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0.  Image here)

The main bar (image by Ewan Munro)

(Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0.  Image here)

Okay, so this one isn’t trying to claim the accolade of oldest pub in the land, dating back to a mere 1676.  But it is the only galleried coaching inn surviving in London and was the local pub of Charles Dickens, who gave it a mention in his much loved Little Dorrit.  Once upon a time, plays were performed in the yard at the back (now the beer garden), with spectators watching from the galleries lining the side of the building.  But the most famous pub in the area was The Tabard, located nearby.  It was here, in 1388, that Chaucer’s characters met before embarking on their pilgrimage to Canterbury.  The Tabard was sadly demolished in 1873, although the original one had burned down long before.

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Ghostly 747 captured on Google Earth

You may have heard stories about ghostly World War Two aircraft appearing alongside modern airliners and frightening the living daylights out of passengers.  But now it seems that even Google Earth could be picking up the supernatural essence of a high tech bundle of nuts and bolts.  Can you locate this ghostly Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet?  Perhaps the US military could take a leaf out of its book as the latest incarnation of stealth!

The only clue is that it’s sitting at the terminal of an airport in the United States, and the photo was taken in February 2007.  You’ll know when you find it, because it’s not alone!

Download Google Earth here for free!

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Ghost Station: RAF Binbrook

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All images by: Compound Eye - in Practical Photography Now!

Just over twenty years ago, RAF Binbrook was a front line fighter base, tasked with protecting the northern approaches of Britain against the Soviet Union.  Today, the station is largely derelict except for several hangars which form part of a trading estate.  The “married quarters” have been reclaimed by the council and turned into a village – Brookenby – while most of the other buildings within the site remain as they were when the base closed in 1988.  Despite being sadly vandalised, what remains on site makes for some great photography.  Furthermore, this pleasant station atop the Lincolnshire Wolds has been at the centre of an enduring mystery since 1970…

RAF Binbrook opened as a Bomber Command station in June 1940, during World War Two.  In 1943 it became home to No. 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, which sustained heavy casualties (there is a memorial in the village of Binbrook dedicated to the squadron).  After the war, the airfield was at the forefront of the RAF’s transition to jet bombers with the English Electric Canberra.  But it will be as home of the English Electric Lightning that Binbrook is best remembered.

The Lightning, the last all-British fighter aircraft, flew from Binbrook from 1965 until the base’s closure in 1988.  After closing it was used briefly as a relief landing ground for nearby RAF Scampton, and served as the US air force base in the film Memphis Belle, starring Eric Stoltz, Sean Astin and Matthew Modine.  Since then, much of the runways has been ripped up for hardcore and the bulk of the buildings are rotting away into dereliction.  But one Lightning remains on the airfield today, maintained by the Lightning Association.

Binbrook “UFO” Mystery – Fact or Hoax?

For almost four decades, RAF Binbrook has been at the heart of a pervading mystery which has been branded a government cover-up by some UFOlogists and conspiracy theorists.

The story goes that on the evening of 8 September 1970, 28-year-old American exchange pilot Captain William Schaffner was scrambled on QRA (quick reaction alert) to intercept an unidentified aircraft.  Sava Vord radar station on the Shetland Islands had picked up the contact coming through the Iceland Gap.  During this period, at the height of the Cold War, it was not uncommon for Russian aircraft to test British fighter response times in this manner, and the Lightning (call sign Foxtrot 94) was duly sent to intercept the intruder (as in this picture).

The events that unfolded have led to the most debated and controversial British UFO mystery on file, with varying accounts from both identified and unidentified sources.  The government, however, bolstered by a more recent investigation from the BBC’s Inside Out programme, has always maintained it was a training accident.  Here is a greatly abridged version of the story told in as impartial a manner as possible:

At some stage during the mission, something went terribly wrong and Captain Schaffner crashed into the North Sea several miles off Flamborough Head, North Yorkshire. (Alternative versions suggest he was ordered to ditch the aircraft and await a rescue helicoptor).  Interestingly – but not necessarily bizarrely – the aircraft survived the crash relatively intact.

Some accounts say that a Shackleton aircraft circling overhead reported that the Lightning’s canopy was open, suggesting Captain Schaffner had attempted to climb out.  But on its next pass, the canopy had closed and the Lightning was sinking; there was no sign of the pilot.  However, the aircraft’s canopy was heavy and the hydraulic system would only keep it open for so long after the engines were shut down, perhaps explaining why it had closed.  Despite a wide search of the area, Captain Schaffner’s body was never found.

Some time later, the wrecked Lightning was located on the seabed by Royal Navy divers.  It was brought to the surface and returned to Binbrook – unusual practice according to some, since the standard procedure was for wreckage to be passed to the crash investigation team at Farnborough, without exception.  The level of security was supposedly very high, with investigators sworn to secrecy – again, probably not unusual during the Cold War.

In addition, some accounts suggest the divers reportedly found Captain Schaffner’s body in the cockpit.  But when the aircraft was raised, the seat was empty.  Others say that when the accident investigation team was finally allowed access to the Lightning in a closely guarded hangar at Binbrook, many of the instruments had already been removed (strictly against protocol) and there was a putrid smell in the cockpit.  There is also an argument that the aircraft’s ejection seat at the time of the investigation was not the one fitted when it took off!

The final anomaly is what became of the wreckage.  One suggestion is that it was scrapped on site at Binbrook after the investigation had been concluded – normal procedure as the aircraft was not repairable.  Others, on the other hand, report that it was taken to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico (see base home page).  Whatever the truth may be, the disposal of the Lightning (serial number XS894), remains a mystery.  But due to the high level of secrecy at that period of the Cold War, it is perhaps unsurprising that certain documents have yet to see the light of day.

With so many conflicting reports circulating the internet, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.  There seem to be some loose ends surrounding several of the more mundane aspects of the case – such as disposal details of the wreckage – but the less sensational claim that this was a training sortie  which went horribly wrong certainly seems the most plausible.  All we can really be sure about is that this tragic incident claimed the life of a young man, whose body was never found.

Here are some links to the different sides of the debate.

Click here to read the purported transcript of the incident and subsequent discussion.

Click here to read the official line (plus interesting comments) as reported by the BBC.

Further reading and pictures of the recovered wreck.

Finally, check out this piece by senior journalism lecturer Dr David Clarke, which argues that this case is sensationalised at best and a hoax at worst.

ALL images link directly to sources.  Click them for further great pics and more information on their subjects.

Click here to view related article: Britain’s Most Famous Derelict Fighter Plane