The Philadelphia Experiment: WWII's Invisibility Hoax

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A stormy night, a top-secret experiment, and a naval destroyer with the power to become invisible. Some mysteries were perhaps never meant to be solved. The disappearance of D.B. Cooper, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Malaysian Flight 370, to name a few. The longer we go without answers to these questions, the more time the public has to come up with conspiracy theories. And there are some truly incredible ones out there.

TIMELINE
1943: The year was 1943, a period overshadowed by the growing intensity of World War II.
1957: The story took an unexpected turn when in 1957, the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research received a package.
1965: In 1965, Vincent Gaddis explored the world of Fortiana with his book Invisible Horizons, True Mysteries of the Sea.
1978: Fast forward to 1978, George E. Simpson and Neil R. Berger, released the novel Thin Air.
1999: Later in April 1999, a reunion of Navy veterans who had served aboard USS Eldridge revealed to a Philadelphia newspaper that their ship had never made port in Philadelphia.
2012: Even as recently as 2012, a film based on the events of the Philadelphia Experiment was released.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Philadelphia is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 138 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 176 (Erie, Pennsylvania)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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