Inside creepy summer solstice conspiracy theories and violent deaths from Ron Baker’s ‘satanic ritual’ murder to UFOs
A SERIES of wild conspiracy theories have surfaced online as millions of revelers mark the summer solstice.
June 21 is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere as the sun reaches its highest point.
Baseless conspiracy theories wildly claiming the world was going to end on June 21, 2020, went viral – years after the 2012 phenomenon has hit the headlines.
Extraterrestial enthusiasts believe Stonehenge - one of the landmarks that revelers visit on the summer solstice- was built by aliens, while cops initially thought that the violent death of a student in 1990 was linked to a satanic cult.
END OF THE WORLD
The Mayans prophesized that the world would end in December 2012.
An apocalypse didn’t happen on December 21, 2012, prompting conspiracy theorists to wildly claim that the calendar was read incorrectly.
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Scientist Paolo Tagaloguin claimed on Twitter: "Following the Julian Calendar, we are technically in 2012."
"The number of days lost in a year due to the shift into [the] Gregorian Calendar is 11 days.
"For 268 years using the Gregorian Calendar (1752-2020) times 11 days = 2,948 days. 2,948 days / 365 days (per year) = 8 years."
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It fuelled fears that the Earth would be destroyed on June 21, 2020.
One social media user claimed at the time: “The date the Mayan calendar predicted for the ‘end of the world’ (the end of an age) is in fact next week (June 21).
“The solar eclipse in cancer next week (June 21) occurs on the same day as the summer solstice.
“The Mayans believe this is a massive shift point for all of humanity.”
While another claimed: “The end of the world next week.
“Remember the Mayan calendar? The one that predicted the end of the world on 21 December 2012.
“Well, a theory doing the rounds claims the calendar was read wrong the first time and the real doomsday is actually on the next Sunday, June 21, 2020.”
DEATH OF RONALD BAKER
Rumors circulated that Ronald Baker, a University of California Los Angeles student, was killed in 1990 as part of a sacrifice.
His body was found on June 22 - the day after the summer solstice.
Baker was studying Wicca – a pagan religion – and was part of a group called the Mystic Circle.
Two hikers found Baker’s body near a railroad tunnel entrance in Chatsworth Park, Los Angeles.
His dad Gaylon told the that Baker and his friends had “gone into the tunnel before”.
He described his son as “inquisitive” and said he was someone who liked to explore.
Police initially believed that he had been hit by a train before launching a homicide investigation.
Detective Frank Garcia told the LA Times: “We don’t know if it is an occult-related crime. We are looking at that very hard.
“He was exploring avenues of magic and meditation, metaphysical stuff… we don’t know if at some point he graduated from the light to the dark side of that.”
Baker was found wearing a pentagram pendant, which a friend described as a “protection against evil”.
And, his friends said the astrophysics student was “very adamantly” against Satanism.
Cops revealed that Baker had been stabbed 18 times and his throat was badly slashed.
Baker’s roommates Nathaniel Blalock and Duncan Martinez were convicted of first-degree murder.
SERPENT MOUND
The Summer Solstice is marked differently across the world.
Revelers in the UK tend to flock to Stonehenge, while festivities in Sweden include bonfires and picnics, but some in rural Cincinnati will see if the sun aligns with a serpent’s head.
The land is in the shape of a twisting snake and has seven twisting coils.
Some researchers claim it was built around 1100AD, while others say it dates back as far as 300 BC.
Jen Aultman, the World Heritage director of Ohio History Connection, told that the site was built by the American Indians.
She said: “There is absolutely no evidence aliens have been involved in Serpent Mound.”
ALIENS AND UFOS
The stones of Stonehenge were erected in 2500BC and experts say the site was deliberately built to align with the movement of the sun.
Professor Timothy Darvill concluded the site was designed as a calendar based on a solar year of 365.25 days, helping people keep track of the days, weeks, and months.
Gatherers at the ancient site will see the rays shine through the stones of the prehistoric monument.
It is also one of the ancient sites that some claim was built by aliens.
Danish author Erich von Daniken claimed that the stones have a similar function to landing pads, the revealed.
von Daniken’s book claimed aliens built the structure or provided civilization with the tools to create the circle of stones.
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Some astronomers have claimed that Stonehenge represented the world’s first “computer,” while the 12th-century cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth suggested a giant figure brought the stones from Africa.
There’s no evidence to support the wild theories.