This Day In Spiritualist History

May
16
Fri
1918: Death of Eusapia Paladino
May 16 all-day
1918: Death of Eusapia Paladino

Eusapia Palladino (alternative spelling: Paladino; 21 January 1854 – 16 May 1918) was an Italian Spiritualist physical medium. She claimed extraordinary powers such as the ability to levitate tables, communicate with the dead through her spirit guide John King, and to produce other supernatural phenomena.

Her Warsaw séances at the turn of 1893–94 inspired several colorful scenes in the historical novel Pharaoh, which Bolesław Prus began writing in 1894.

May
22
Thu
1859: Birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
May 22 all-day
1859: Birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was both the creator of Sherlock Holmes and an influential supporter of the #Spiritualist movement. In the rare newsreel footage found here, Sir Arthur speaks about both. 

Jun
12
Thu
1851: Birth of Sir Oliver Lodge
Jun 12 all-day
1851: Birth of Sir Oliver Lodge

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, FRS (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was a British physicist and writer involved in the development of, and holder of key patents for, radio. He identified electromagnetic radiation independent of Hertz‘s proof and at his 1894 Royal Institution lectures (“The Work of Hertz and Some of His Successors“), Lodge demonstrated an early radio wave detector he named the “coherer“. In 1898 he was awarded the “syntonic” (or tuning) patent by the United States Patent Office. Lodge was Principal of the University of Birmingham from 1900 to 1920.

Lodge was also noted for his Spiritualist beliefs and research into life after death, a topic on which he wrote many books, including the best-selling Raymond; or, Life and Death (1916), describing what he believed to be detailed messages through a medium from his deceased adult son who was killed in World War I.

Jun
21
Sat
1886: Death of DD Home
Jun 21 all-day
1886: Death of DD Home

Daniel Dunglas Home (pronounced Hume; 20 March 1833 – 21 June 1886) was a Scottish physical medium with the reported ability to levitate to a variety of heights, speak with the dead, and to produce rapping and knocks in houses at will. His biographer Peter Lamont opines that he was one of the most famous men of his era. Home conducted hundreds of séances, which were attended by many eminent Victorians

Aug
11
Mon
1826: Birth of Andrew Jackson Davis
Aug 11 all-day
1826: Birth of Andrew Jackson Davis

Andrew Jackson Davis (August 11, 1826 – January 13, 1910),  known as the “Poughkeepsie Seer,”  was an early healing medium and spiritualist. As a young man, he developed the ability to go into magnetic trance on his own, and in that state, he was able to diagnose disease. In the late 1840s, he claimed he met the spirit of the ancient Greek physician, Galen, who gave him a magic staff that he believed he could use for healing.

Aug
16
Sat
1884: Birth of Mollie Fancher
Aug 16 all-day
1884: Birth of Mollie Fancher

Mollie Fancher,  born on Aug. 16, 1848  was known as the Brooklyn Enigma.  Despite spending 50 years bedridden , she gained fame as an intimidating spirit medium. She died on Feb. 11, 1915.

Aug
22
Fri
1940: Death of Sir Oliver Lodge
Aug 22 all-day
1940: Death of Sir Oliver Lodge

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, FRS (12 June 1851 – 22 August 1940) was a British physicist and writer involved in the development of, and holder of key patents for, radio. He identified electromagnetic radiation independent of Hertz‘s proof and at his 1894 Royal Institution lectures (“The Work of Hertz and Some of His Successors“), Lodge demonstrated an early radio wave detector he named the “coherer“. In 1898 he was awarded the “syntonic” (or tuning) patent by the United States Patent Office. Lodge was Principal of the University of Birmingham from 1900 to 1920.

Lodge was also noted for his Spiritualist beliefs and research into life after death, a topic on which he wrote many books, including the best-selling Raymond; or, Life and Death (1916), describing what he believed to be detailed messages through a medium from his deceased adult son who was killed in World War I.

Sep
5
Fri
1892: Death of Stainton Moses
Sep 5 all-day
1892: Death of Stainton Moses

William Stainton Moses (Nov. 5, 1839 – September 5, 1892) was an English cleric and spiritualist medium. He promoted spirit photography and automatic writing, and co-founded what became the College of Psychic Studies.

Oct
5
Sun
1861: Birth of Spirit Photography
Oct 5 all-day
1861: Birth of Spirit Photography
On October 5, 1861, in a photographic studio at 258 Washington Street in Boston, William Mumler created the first spirit photograph. According to the popular retelling, Mr. Mumler was developing some experimental self-portraits that he had taken when he discovered that an image of a ghostly young woman appeared in one of them. Mr. Mumler reported later that he recognized the image as a cousin who had passed away 12 years earlier. This date marks the beginning of spirit photography, a practice whose rise in popularity corresponded with the early days of Spiritualism.

Oct
17
Fri
1880: Birth of Hereward Carrington
Oct 17 all-day
1880: Birth of Hereward Carrington

Hereward Carrington (17 October 1880 – 26 December 1958) was a well-known British-born American investigator of psychic phenomena and author. His subjects included several of the most high-profile cases of apparent psychic ability of his times, and he wrote over 100 books on subjects including the paranormal and psychical research, conjuring and stage magic, and alternative medicine.