Admiral Richard E. Byrd's Hollow Earth theory wasn't the first of its kind. Ever heard of Journey to the Center of the Earth? This classic book, written by Jules Verne in 1864, highlights the exciting idea of a civilization hidden inside Earth. And Jules Verne wasn't the first person to theorize about what might lie at the center of the Earth, either - by his time, there was an entire sub-genre of fiction dedicated to the idea of an inner earth, or of a hollow Earth.
While expeditions into inner Earth happened before Admiral Richard E. Byrd's time, it is Admiral Byrd's theory about Hollow Earth that has stood the test of time. He built his theory on the "facts" offered by earlier theorists, astronomers, astrologers, physicists, and mathematicians - some even famous enough you might recognize their names (Halley, of Halley's Comet fame, anyone?).
There are tales of people escaping the surface world for the refuge of the inner Earth. Some go as far as to say that when Adolf Hitler disappeared after World War II, he had actually found his way into the inner Earth and escaped persecution.
So where is the funding for further exploration? Where are the journalists getting on board to head in for a close-up look of the center of the Earth? According to conspiracy theorists, NASA and the United States are among many organizations and governments who keep the poles clear of expedition. Read on for more about theories of the hollow Earth and all the "evidence" to support it...
Richard Byrd (1888-1957) was an American naval officer. He specialized in exploration and expeditions into the unknown. Admiral Byrd served as a navigator on several polar exploration flights, including the first flights over the Arctic and North Pole, as well as Antarctica and the South Pole. In his first flight over the North Pole, Byrd claims to have discovered an entrance to Aghartha, a legendary city at the center of the Earth.
Admiral Byrd was also a Freemason. He served in World War I and in World War II. There are whispers that he was familiar with the Illuminati and the New World Order, and that John D. Rockefeller himself helped to finance Byrd's exploration and expeditions to the poles and the land beyond or inside them.
For Thousands of Years, People Around the World Have Theorized a Hollow Earth
Modern science might laugh at Admiral Byrd and his Hollow Earth theory, but no one could say it wasn't intricate.
The Hollow Earth theory states that the earth is either entirely hollow or it contains an amount of space in the interior that is open. There is an internal sun which helps to sustain life within the Earth. Sustainable life exists in the form of either people from another planet, or ancient beings who chose to live within the Earth because it was a very pure, clean place.
Various religions have their own versions of a Hollow Earth. The ancient Greeks believed in the Underworld ruled by the god Hades. The people of Mesopotamia believed that a man journeyed beneath a mountain and entered an underground garden. Tibetan Buddhists believe in an underground realm, and the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita are also allude to a world at the center of the Earth.
The Mysterious Land of Aghartha Is a Lost Paradise Right Under Our Feet
Photo: Symmes, Americus & Symmes, John Cleves / via Wikimedia
Aghartha is the name of the civilization at the Earth's core. It's been called many other names, including Agartta, Agharti, and Agarrtha, among others. It's considered to be a lost paradise. Some would call the capital city of Aghartha "Shangri-la." Sound familiar?
A variety of people still believe in Aghartha for religious reasons. Buddhists, among others, believe in the existence of beings in Aghartha. Macuxi Indians from the borderlands of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana believe in Aghartha, too.
Time moves differently in Aghartha, according to modern theorists like Dallas Thompson. The beings there live thousands of years, "protected from the harmful cosmic rays and other pollutants that exist on the surface."
Byrd Supposedly Has a Secret Diary That Details His Journey to Aghartha
Admiral Richard E. Byrd kept a log of his expeditions throughout his life, documenting explorations of Antarctica and the North Pole. These diaries were published, or at least made available to the public.
Yet one of the diaries remains "secret." Admiral Byrd supposedly kept a diary of his expedition over the North Pole in 1947. This diary notes Byrd's journey into the center of the Earth. He describes an entirely different environment as he passed the Pole, citing rolling green hills and temperatures of 74 degrees Fahrenheit! Directed to land by messages coming into his aircraft, Admiral Byrd explains that he and his pilot were approached by beings of inner Earth who referred them as "surface world men."
While Byrd continues his story, he pauses to say that the rest of it is written by memory, unlike the hourly log that describes the craft's landing in the inner Earth. He even mentions that the beings there summoned him to the center after the atomic bombs of World War II awakened their interest in surface humans.
On Byrd's return, he stated that he had a meeting with the Pentagon. Ordered to remain silent by top secret forces, Byrd zipped his lips and followed orders like the military man he was.
Byrd's other diaries were released after his death, in 1996.
The Inner Earth Is Populated by Giant Beings Who Live to be Up to 800 Years Old
The beings of inner Earth have been described by various explorers who claim to have encountered them. The "Elder Race" (also referred to as the "Giants") loom over surface humans with their lanky 12-foot-tall stature. Inner world animals are scaled up similarly. Why so big? Aghartha is closer to the center of the Earth's gravity, so beings need more body mass to be able to move around. These giant creatures also have superior life spans, living upwards of 400, perhaps even 800 years.
The Elder Race was described as very friendly to the people of earth. Olaf Jensen was even offered to come have dinner with a Giant during his first trip to Aghartha. Not only are they friendly, but they're highly intelligent and scientifically advanced. Admiral Byrd described their flying machines as impressive.
Hollow Earth theorists concur that there is a sun in the inner Earth. It isn't like the Earth's (outer) sun, though. Originally, theorists believed the Northern Lights (or Aurora Borealis) were an effect of the inner sun, but as more and more attention was paid to the hollow earth, this theory was disproved. However, since we've never been able to probe the inner earth, there is no direct evidence to prove or disprove the idea that the center of the earth contains a second sun.
