The story of John Titor

[WhiteCrow]

I remember first coming accross this internet urban legend back in 2003 time, though it interesting to reread.

The story is about a man who posted on the internet claiming to be a time traveller from the future making several wierd and wonderful claims about world events. He claimed to travel in a time machine built around a car (no really), and was stopping off in our time before going back to 1970 to pick up a computer part (no really) ...

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/...r_project.html

http://www.johntitor.com/

At some time in early November of 2000, someone showed up in a few Internet discussion boards calling themselves Timetravel_0. Over time, they then laid claim to the real name, John Titor, a time traveler from the year 2036. From there, the name John Titor will forever be embedded in the folklore of both alternative-topic boards like ATS, and the Internet as a whole.

As many will recall, one of the first things Titor did was post pictures of his time machine and his operations manual. As the days, weeks, and months went by, people began questioning Titor about his presence "in our timeline", the seeming impossibility of the physics of time travel and his thoughts about the issues of our time. He also posted on other Internet discussion boards including the old Art Bell site. In his posts John Titor often entertained, enraged, frightened and belittled those who engaged him in mostly one-sided conversation.

On March 24, 2001, John Titor announced he would be leaving our time and returning to 2036. After that, he was never heard from again. Speculation and investigation about who John Titor was and why he was online (curiously focusing his efforts on conspiracy community discussion boards) continues to this day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor

[Si Hunt]

But for the small fact that he predicted the United States would currently now be in the midst of civil war, it's utterly convincing.

Si.

[WhiteCrow]

But for the small fact that he predicted the United States would currently now be in the midst of civil war, it's utterly convincing.

Si.

Thats whats always fascinated me - it's someone out for a bit of one upmanship, telling a tale about the future designed to push some buttons. A lot of the responses and explanations are really well thought out, and many of them reasonably plausible.

But take a look closer and a lot of them are delibrately vague so that we fill in the blanks. He says America has an inept leader, we fill in he predicted George Bush. He says trouble in the Middle East, we fill in Iraq.

It's clever, but it's a hoax in my opinion.

[Rob McCow]

What nonsense!

We won't invent a working time machine until 2044.

It's a very nice little bit of creative well... writing? It's hardly guerilla art, but it's an interesting manipulation of the anonymity of internet users.

[Si Hunt]

Can't someone check birth records to see if there is a John Titor born in 1998? If he's supposed to come from a parallel Universe, why would any of his predictions happen in our Universe anyway?

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

Can't someone check birth records to see if there is a John Titor born in 1998? If he's supposed to come from a parallel Universe, why would any of his predictions happen in our Universe anyway?

I've done some reading on it, and he admitted that it was a false name.

I'll post in a bit more detail once i've woken up properly.

Ant x

[Nathan]

We had a thread on this on the old forum IIRC.

[Paul Monk]

Yes I remember it well, Nathan.

[Dave Lewis]

I remember this thread well - I first saw it in 2016 at the PS Ten Year Anniversary meet, which was the point in history that I first arrived at, having travelled back from 2017 to try and change history and stop myself marrying a cloned horse for a drunken bet.

Having eaten the horse (which was a member of PS - look out for Dobbin41 if you're still around in about four years, when he wins the Derby, the Grand National, and I'm A Horse, Get Me Out Of Here), I was intrigued by the forum he was a moderator of, and travelled back in time to see the inception of "Planet Skaro". Alas, I overshot and ended up in 2001, and consequently had to spend a year and a half on the BBC boards before PS existed.

Any questions about the wonderful world of the future?

[Carol Baynes]

When does my spaceship arrive?! It's outragous that a princess of Karanzan has been stranded on this planet for over 30 years!

[Captain Tancredi]

Sounds to me an awful lot like Ray Bradbury's story 'The Toynbee Convector', in which a hoaxer prepares an elaborate scam and pretends to be from 50 or 100 years in the future. What he never banks on (or at least as I remember it) is living long enough to be shown up for the fraud he is.

[Carol Baynes]

Are you trying to tell me my spaceship isn't coming?

[WhiteCrow]

We had a thread on this on the old forum IIRC.

I read it on another forum under a paranormal section. It's an interesting use of the internet to create an urban legend.

[Pip Madeley]

I first saw it in 2016 at the PS Ten Year Anniversary meet

Forgive my pendantic-ish-ness, but we'd be 14

[Milky Tears]

When does my spaceship arrive?! It's outragous that a princess of Karanzan has been stranded on this planet for over 30 years!

Sadly, your spaceship was destroyed over Faliraki in 2014, Princess. The Solar Brothers collided with it as they were on their way back to pick up Leader Jeno. Due to a timing malfunction, they materialized in the wrong place/time and missed the Athens Olympics by ten years.

[Wayne]

Sadly, your spaceship was destroyed over Faliraki in 2014, Princess. The Solar Brothers collided with it as they were on their way back to pick up Leader Jeno. Due to a timing malfunction, they materialized in the wrong place/time and missed the Athens Olympics by ten years.

Was it part of some cosmic anti-astrology protest? Did Mystic Karanzan know too much about the future? Was Batman at the controls?
The conspiracy theories start here.

[Nathan]

Forgive my pendantic-ish-ness, but we'd be 14

You're forgetting the hiatus.

[Carol Baynes]

Was it part of some cosmic anti-astrology protest? Did Mystic Karanzan know too much about the future? Was Batman at the controls?
The conspiracy theories start here.

I don't know about anything else, but I'd give them both an anti-arse protest.

[Doctor Vendetta]

Look who making a special guest star appearance in todays Wigu http://www.jjrowland.com/archive/20070112.html

[Wayne]

I don't know about anything else, but I'd give them both an anti-arse protest.

I bet you would, darlin'! :kiss

[Carol Baynes]

(whisper) Is Wayne drunk??

[Wayne]

(whisper) Is Wayne drunk??

Past tense now, You'll be relieved to know.

[Carol Baynes]

I've just read your private message...

[WhiteCrow]

We had a thread on this on the old forum IIRC.

Shame I can't read that.

I kind of take a look at this silly urban legend every couple of years. For some reason reading up about the urban legend of Bonsai Cats led me back here!

There does seem a lot of fuss still about this, despite most of his claims for the future being dashed. "Ah", his supporters say, "that's because John Titor himself said there were multiple timelines, and his timeline isn't exactly ours".

The bottom line is this was one of those kind of manipulative arseholes who liked to play psychological mind-games with people. Yet it still makes a very compelling urban legend.

Coming up next ... don't flash your lights at the car ahead whose lights aren't on, cos they will shoot you as part of an induction into a gang.

[Paul Monk]

There's an article on John Titor in this months Fortean Times. I haven't read it yet though.