Charles Fort, American author (d. 1932)
Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold well and are still in print. His work continues to inspire admirers, who refer to themselves as "Forteans", and has influenced some aspects of science fiction.
Fort's collections of scientific anomalies, including The Book of the Damned (1919), influenced numerous science-fiction writers with their skepticism and as sources of ideas. "Fortean" phenomena are events which seem to challenge the boundaries of accepted scientific knowledge, and the Fortean Times (founded as The News in 1973 and renamed in 1976) investigates such phenomena.
1874Aug, 6
Charles Fort
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Events on 1874
- 28Feb
Tichborne case
One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. - 15Mar
Second Treaty of Saigon
France and Viet Nam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina. - 27May
Gert Alberts
The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria. - 7Nov
Thomas Nast
A cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly, is considered the first important use of an elephant as a symbol for the United States Republican Party. - 25Nov
Panic of 1873
The United States Greenback Party is established as a political party consisting primarily of farmers affected by the Panic of 1873.