Are there real time travelers? It’s a question that has fascinated many for more than a century. We are intrigued by the idea of travelers that can jump back in time, or even go forward into the future. But while time travelers remain firmly in the realm of science fiction, there have been stories of alleged real-life time travelers making the rounds in the conspiracy theory circles for a long time.
JOHN TITOR – THE REAL JOHN CONNOR
One such story is that of John Titor. John Titor emerged in the year 2000 with an astonishing claim – that he was a time traveler from 2036! He claimed that he was assigned the extraordinary mission of travelling back to 1975, on behalf of a secret government project, to retrieve an IBM 5100 computer to prevent “The UNIX Year 2038 Problem.”
UNIX Time
The majority of modern computers use the 32-bit or 64-bit compatibility mode, which is associated to the UNIX time. UNIX time is a crucial aspect of computing used to accurately measure the number of seconds since 1970. Its origins trace back to the first versions of the UNIX operation systems and has now become an integral part in many areas such as file systems, programming languages and databases. With these advancements, we can keep track of time down to the millisecond with precision.
Epochalypse
The UNIX Year 2038 Problem is the Epochalypse. It refers to the moment when computer systems that use the 32-bit and 64-bit modes for critical computations may encounter critical errors if this problem is not addressed. This time encoding error in computing could lead to serious disruptions in machines and services dependent on this coding system. John Titor also made numerous prophesies about the future, like calamitous predictions about a global nuclear war in 2004 and beyond, which, thankfully, has not yet come to pass.
ANDREW CARLSSIN – THE TIME TRAVELING ESCAPE ARTIST
If you are still asking, “Are there real time travelers?” you might want to hear about the enigmatic story of Andrew Carlssin. It was March of 2003. Out of nowhere, Andrew Carlssin made waves within the investment community after turning an initial investment of $800 into a staggering $350 million in just two weeks. To everyone’s great wonder, he claimed to have gained his insight through time traveling from the future. However, his gig was up when it eventually caught the attention of The Security & Exchange Commission, who promptly arrested him on suspicion of violations relating to high-risk stock trades.
200 Years from the Future
In his confession during an interrogation that lasted many hours, Carlssin reiterated the claim that he was from 200 years in the future, sent back in time with the knowledge that could prevent tragedies like the 911 attacks and even provide the cure for AIDS. As the story goes, a mysterious man – possessing neither identity records nor existing background information – allegedly materialized out of thin air to post Carlssin’s bail. Even more mysterious is that after his bail was posted, Carlssin vanished without a trace and never to be heard from again.
MIKE MARCUM – THE VANISHING MAN
Are time travelers real? When it comes to this poignant question perhaps the most compelling story of alleged time travelers is that of Mike Marcum. It all began in the year 1995 when the young Marcum attempted to build a time machine on the porch of his home in Stanberry, Missouri. His mischievousness soon drew the attention of the Art Bell’s Coast to Coast Radio Show. In appearances on the show between 1996 and 1997, Marcum talked about experimentations associated with time travel. During his last known appearance on the show, Marcum revealed that he was 30 days away from completing his time machine, and when asked what he was planning to take with him in the time machine, Marcum replied, “Just my cell phone.”
The Extraordinary Incident
After this interview appearance, Mike Marcum vanished from the face of the earth. Strangely, a few months later, someone called in to the Arts Show with a mind-boggling story. The caller recalled an extraordinary incident from the 1930s when a body was discovered washed up on a California beach. Trapped inside a damaged metal tube, the body was mangled beyond recognition. However, there was a strange device discovered on the dead man’s body, that looked a lot like a modern-day mobile phone. The bizarre turn of events has since raised many questions and the most asked one is whether this grim discovery were the remains of Mike Marcum, the man who built a time machine. Had he really, and tragically traveled back in time?
POSSIBILITIES
While none of the stories explored here conclusively answer the question, “Are there real time travelers?” it is nonetheless interesting to think how time travel would benefit humanity. If time travel was possible, it would give us a remarkable glimpse into our past, and perhaps enable us to preemptively correct past mistakes, such as errors in historical records, catastrophic events, or disastrous decisions made by certain historical leaders.
We would be able to travel back in time to preserve important cultural heritage sites and artifacts that may have been lost or destroyed over time. Traveling ahead into the future would give us the opportunity to observe and learn from key scientific and technological breakthroughs, enabling us to accelerate human progress and civilization. But remember that time travel could also have negative consequences, such as altering timelines and causing dangerous consequences, or creating paradoxes.
Read this far? You might also like my blog post, The Mystifying Appearance of UFOs in Old Paintings.
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ATTRIBUTIONS: Feature Image: The Young Time Traveler by Artistrophe – Powered by AI-Generated Art
