Charles Fort

Born in Albany, New York, in 1874, Charles Fort became an American writer and researcher remembered for gathering accounts of odd and hard-to-explain events. He spent years combing through newspapers, scientific journals, and archives, looking for reports that seemed to fall outside accepted ideas.

He is best known for books including The Book of the Damned, New Lands, Lo!, and Wild Talents. Rather than simply arguing for one belief, Fort often challenged certainty itself, using humor and sharp commentary to question how facts are chosen, dismissed, or explained.

Fort died in 1932, but his influence lasted far beyond his lifetime. The term "Fortean" grew from his work and is still used for people interested in unusual phenomena, paranormal claims, and other mysteries at the edge of mainstream thought.