Charles Reichblum, nicknamed "Dr. Knowledge," has built one of the largest collections in the world of fascinating facts and stories that serve as a source for his Knowledge in a Nutshell book series. He shared intriguing details about states that have inaccurate names, past presidents, and odd events in American history, including a city that experienced one of the most bizarre disasters of all time.
In 1919, Boston suffered what is perhaps the strangest flood of all time when a storage tank filled with two million gallons of molasses exploded, Reichblum explained. The tragic incident killed 21 people and injured another 150 victims. "People were knocked over, or crushed, or drowned in the goo," he said, noting how waves of molasses eight to 15 feet tall knocked over buildings, houses, and the nearby elevated train line.
Reichblum pointed to Rhode Island as an incorrectly named state since it is not actually an island. One theory posits an early explorer viewed the coastline and thought the state resembled the isle of Rhodes, he revealed. Another inaccurately named state is West Virginia as Virginia extends farther west than the state with the direction appended to its name. "The state could have just as easily have been called North Virginia," he added.
Reichblum also talked about a U.S. president (John Quincy Adams) who used to regularly swim nude in the Potomac River, a president (Andrew Johnson) who grew up unable to read and write, and the former State of Franklin — a territory named for Benjamin Franklin and once located between Tennessee and North Carolina.
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In the latter part of the program, author, hypnotherapist, and founder of Dream-Life Coach Training, Kelly Sullivan Walden, delved into dreams and energy vampires. "We all have the tendency to be psychic vampires or energy vampires when we're not taking responsibility for our energy," she said. According to Walden, vampirism occurs whenever an individual thinks he or she lacks something they must take from somebody else. Anyone who has ever had an obsession with another person that is unrequited is vampiristic, she added.
Many people do not know how to keep their own energy, Walden continued. One telltale sign of having little control over one's own energy is having dreams about being chased, she explained. "The truth is you have an unlimited source right where you are," Walden disclosed, noting it is one of humanity's missions to learn how to manage our power and keep other people from taking it. She provided some advice to help put up a shield against energy vampires, recommending the recitation of meditations, and the using the F-E-A-R formula (Face It, Embrace It, Ace It, Replace It) to gain control over dreams.
The final half hour featured a replay of paranormal podcaster Jim Harold sharing stories from the world of the strange and unexplained.
News segment guests: Chuck Coppes / Peter Davenport / Tim Binnall