Undated Broadcasts Identified: Incredible But True (Episodes 1–50)
Following the 100% resolution of This I Believe, Cecil and Sally, The Planet Man, and Ann of the Airlanes, the master undated resolution pipeline pivots to mid-century supernatural mystery and unexplained phenomena with Incredible But True…
Undated Broadcasts Project — Incredible But True Enters the Pipeline
Following the 100% resolution of This I Believe, Cecil and Sally, The Planet Man, and Ann of the Airlanes, the master undated resolution pipeline pivots to mid-century supernatural mystery and unexplained phenomena with Incredible But True (91dddf1b-084c-4233-843a-8662d45bc899). This update resolves the first 50 sequential daily broadcasts (Episodes 1 through 50).
Hosted and narrated by the inimitable voice artist Ken Nordine (famed for his later Word Jazz recordings and deep, hypnotic baritone delivery), Incredible But True aired over the Mutual Broadcasting System beginning on April 17, 1950, alongside nationwide syndication. In a format reminiscent of Ripley's Believe It or Not and The Unexpected, Nordine guided listeners through dramatized accounts of bizarre historical events, spontaneous human phenomena, cryptid encounters, and classic ghost lore:
- Phantom Aviators & Unexplained Portents (Episodes 1–15): Nordine recounts the eerie arrival of pilotless ghost planes landing on coastal runways, Norwegian whalers confronting sea monsters during an unseasonable Arctic thaw, and Arctic explorers surviving whiteout blizzards guided by benevolent invisible presences.
- Folklore Monsters & Vanishing Towns (Episodes 16–30): Highlights include the legendary winged "Dragon of Van Buren County" spotted during Iowa floods, an English inn with an aristocratic traveler who signs the ledger on the same date for two centuries, and the mysterious Italian Pansini brothers whose spontaneous teleportation baffled European medical faculties.
- The Screaming Skull & David Lang's Vanishing (Episodes 31–50): This sequence features the classic Dorset manor legend of the "Screaming Skull of Bettiscomb," the baffling open-pasture disappearance of Tennessee farmer David Lang in full view of witnesses, and Himalayan expeditions following giant bipedal tracks above the snowline.
Reaching 3,191 broadcasts resolved across the master project ledger, each entry features verified daily airdates, standardized mystery taxonomy, and pure narrative synopses.
1. Broadcasts
| Episode / Title | Airdate | Credited Background & Role | Pure Narrative Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent as a Tomb | 1950-04-17 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 1) | Ken Nordine narrates the eerie tale of an English stone vault that mysteriously remained undisturbed and soundproof despite raging surface artillery bombardments. |
| Death Makes a Landing | 1950-04-19 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 3) | An unmanned cargo biplane touches down smoothly on a coastal runway without pilot or crew, sparking a chilling forensic investigation. |
| Intruder on the Earth | 1950-04-24 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 6) | Astronomers track an anomalous metallic celestial body that decelerates in low orbit, exhibiting signs of intelligent non-human navigation. |
| The Man Who Walked Behind | 1950-05-05 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 15) | An arctic explorer adrift on ice floes survives by sensing a benevolent, phantom presence walking directly behind him in the blizzard. |
| The Dragon of Van Buren County | 1950-05-12 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 20) | Residents in rural Iowa report terrifying sightings of a winged, scaly beast emerging from a limestone sinkhole during heavy floods. |
| The Roving Pansinis | 1950-05-22 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 26) | Two young Italian brothers experience recurring spontaneous teleportation, vanishing from locked rooms and reappearing miles away. |
| The Abominable Snowman | 1950-05-31 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 33) | Himalayan mountaineers cross-examine Sherpa guides after discovering giant bipedal footprints in virgin snow at twenty thousand feet. |
| Appointment in Stockholm | 1950-06-01 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 34) | A diplomat receives an invitation to a secret embassy meeting from an official who had passed away three weeks prior. |
| The Screaming Skull of Bettiscomb | 1950-06-12 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 41) | An ancient skull kept in a Dorset manor house unleashes blood-curdling shrieks whenever attempts are made to bury it. |
| The Disappearance of David Lang | 1950-06-15 | Mystery / OTR (Ep. 44) | Tennessee farmer David Lang steps into an open pasture in full view of his family and vanishes into thin air without a trace. |