Famous Parapsychologists Quiz

The SPR on its Facebook page has adopted this photo of "Popular Paranormal Researchers", but how many can people actually identify?



I can see Frederic Myers, perhaps Henry Sidgwick, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J. B. Rhine in the first row, and towards the end of the second Graham Hancock. I suspect the last one is meant to be a joke of some kind, but I don't get it because I haven't a clue who he is. Otherwise I'm stumped.

Does anyone know who all the others are?

The SPR on its Facebook pahe has adopted this photo of "Popular Paranormal Researchers", but how many can people actually identify?



I can see Frederic Myers, perhaps Henry Sidgwick, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J. B. Rhine in the first row, and towards the end of the second Graham Hancock. I suspect the last one is meant to be a joke of some kind, but I don't get it because I haven't a clue who he is. Otherwise I'm stumped.

Does anyone know who all the others are?

Bottom row, from the left:

Hans Holzer, J. Allen Hynek, John Mack, Bud Hopkins, Graham Hancock, X (I don't recognize this guy)

OK - Google tells me the first one on the second row is Hans Holzer.

Bottom row, from the left:

Hans Holzer, J. Allen Hynek, John Mack, Bud Hopkins, Graham Hancock, X (I don't recognize this guy)

Thanks. I'm impressed.

tineye.com tells me that the top row is:
Frederic Myers, Sir William Crookes (not Henry Sidgwick as I thought), Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J. B. Rhine and Major Donald Keyhoe.

And the same source says the final photo is Zac Bagans, presenter of the TV series "Ghost Adventures". I think that is indeed a sort of joke.

Thanks. I'm impressed.

tineye.com tells me that the top row is:
Frederick Myers, Sir William Crookes (not Henry Sidgwick as I thought), Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J. B. Rhine and Major Donald Keyhoe.

I was just about to correct you with Crookes instead of Sidgwick but you beat me to it. Keyhoe left me stumped, but as with the men in the bottom row, he was not a parapsychologist. Nor was Hans Holzer, for that matter.

Hmm. Ghosts, aliens and rewriting prehistory seem to have dominated in the last 80 years, according to that selection.

Maybe not the best image for the SPR to adopt.

Hmm. Ghosts, aliens and rewriting prehistory seem to have dominated in the last 80 years, according to that selection.

Maybe not the best image for the SPR to adopt.

Let's hope they get rid of it soon. For me, Bud Hopkins was a stain on UFO abduction research, as was Hans Holzer for ghosts.

Let's hope they get rid of it soon. For me, Bud Hopkins was a stain on UFO abduction research, as was Hans Holzer for ghosts.

It seems to have gone already.  

Perhaps you should try making a wish about Brexit.

It seems to have gone already.  

Perhaps you should try making a wish about Brexit.

It's back now. I thought it was part of their official banner, but it seems to be just part of a random collage of recently posted photos. The more time goes on, the less I understand social media.

It's noticeable that - except for the one that's a joke - they are all middle-aged/elderly white men.

Admittedly it doesn't seem to be a field that attracts large numbers of women, though Eleanor Sidgwick must surely rank as one of the most influential psychical researchers.

Non-white parapsychologists are like hens' teeth. By name, I can think of only a very few who are Indian by birth. I suppose there have been Chinese and Japanese researchers too. But in the West?