Top Paranormal Events of 2012

By Stephen Wagner, About.com Guide

IT'S EASY TO forget how many paranormal news stories are reported with a year until you see a roundup like the one following. And these are just the top stories; there were many, many more, proving that 2012 was another remarkable year for the unexplained. There were ghost sightings, ghost pictures and video, dozens and dozens of Bigfoot sightings and lots of alleged Bigfoot pictures and videos. There were also many sightings of lake monsters, chupacabras, and other undefined crypto-creatures. There were reports of psychic phenomena, work by psychic detectives, stories of exorcisms and miracles... and a lot more, as you'll see in this roundup of the entire year.
GHOSTS, POLTERGEISTS AND HAUNTINGS
Ghost photos and video. The ghost of an 18th century nun¹ was photographed in Galway. The ghost of Guildford² was photographed in thick fog. A ghostly photo³ was captured by students from Triabunna High School. The ghost of Glastonbury pub⁴ was allegedly also caught on camera.
A ghostly apparition⁵ caught on camera at Perth tearoom was hailed as best evidence of paranormal in 10 years, while a daylight photo from a gazebo at the Weems-Botts Museum shows a ghostly figure⁶. Guests captured yet another spooky visitor in a picture at the haunted Glastonbury pub⁷.
Workers at the Manchester Arms pub⁸ in Hull's Old Town claimed to have captured a ghost on video. A grandmother was astonished when a photo⁹ from her granddaughter's christening seemed to show the ghost of her late husband. And reporter Vanessa Bolano was working on a story about a haunted plantation when she discovered a ghost on film¹⁰. Then some said a ghost appeared in a photo¹¹ taken at the Stansted pub.
Poltergeists. A grocery throwing poltergeist¹² was reported in a Brompton IGA store. A woman pleaded for help in her own poltergeist nightmare¹³. And a phony video of a woman who claimed she had a haunted toaster¹⁴ went viral.
Haunted places. Noise from a "ghost train"¹⁵ drove residents mad in Kerry. A couple tried to sell a house plagued by the ghost of the Titanic captain¹⁶ who was born there. And a family in Toms River fled their house¹⁷ that they said was haunted.
The Sports Legends Museum¹⁸ was speculated to be haunted. Screaming spirits, unexplained voices and ghosts were reported in the kitchen of a New Mexico haunted saloon¹⁹. Kansas City was named haunted house capital of the world²⁰ by USA Today, while Hertford claimed to be the most haunted town²¹ in the U.K. And ghosts doled out advice at the Hotel Galvez²² in Galveston.
Ghost hunting. Grant Wilson²³ explained why he left the Ghost Hunters Syfy show. And a ghost hunter died after exposure²⁴ to bat and rodent droppings during an investigation.
Life after death. A University of California, Riverside philosophy professor, John Martin Fischer, was awarded a $5 million grant to study life after death²⁵. And two quantum physics experts claimed that near-death experiences²⁶ occur when the soul leaves the nervous system and enters the universe. A woman claimed that her dead son was guiding her hand to send her messages from beyond the grave²⁷. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil analyzed brain activity²⁸ of spirit mediums.
PSYCHIC PHENOMENA AND PROPHECY
Prophecies. December 21 came and went without an apocalypse or advance in human enlightenment, nullifying any fears about the Mayan calendar. NASA²⁹ did its best to debunk the prophecy, but mild panic³⁰ arose in some places.
Mind over matter. A woman in Pittsburgh stunned doctors with her ability to control a robotic arm with her thoughts alone³¹.
Psychic phenomena. A Forest Lake mum won $1.3 million³² in Gold Lotto after a psychic prediction. Remote viewers³³ in Nevada helped solve a California murder. A US intelligence officer revealed that a psychic³⁴ was used to track spy Jean-Philippe Wispelaere during a secretive operation.