Terrifying & True | The Curse of King Tut

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Just over one hundred years ago,
researchers from England opened up the tomb of

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King Tut in Common. That's right, King Tutt, the most famous pharaoh

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of the modern time, but he
had been laid to rest three thousand years

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ago, and many believed to this
day his curse continues to take lines what

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you were about to spy. Based
on witness accounts, testimonies, and public

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record. This is terrifying and truth
I love those old black and white movies,

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especially ones like The Mummy. While
the original Universal Monster movie is a

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little bit slow, there's a true, unmitigated fear about the way this creeping,

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undead creature comes for you. I've
always found that to be eerie,

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and I've always found Egypt especially fascinating
thanks to the Pyramids and of course the

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Sphinx. Their folklore, their legends, and their vast history has influenced generation

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after generation after generation of entertainers,
storytellers, and just all around people like

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me. And tonight, I'm going
to give you the rundown and creep myself

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out, but we're going to get
to that right after these quick words.

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Imagine being immersed in the artifacts and
remains of an ancient pharaoh, his mummified

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corpse housed within a golden sarcophagus,
his treasures sparkling under torches, the air

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thick with sense of incense, prayers
still echoing through time, the tension rising

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as one struggles against their unease.
Has some claim the objects possessed some sort

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of curse that has plagued them for
centuries. It makes me shudder just thinking

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about it. All. Legend holds
that anyone who disturbs King tuts three thousand

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year old tomb will suffer dire repercussions. Yet is this really the case or

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was this simply created as a scare
tactic against grave robbers. To day,

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we go after one of the most
perplexing cases in history. We are going

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to delve into King Tutankhamon's curse,
one which has mystified historians for generations while

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also captivating the public's interest. They
say that the dead don't rest until their

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stories are told, and the story
of Teutencommon, the boy King of Egypt,

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is not a peaceful one. It's
a tale of greed, power and

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revenge. And it all started in
the Valley of the Kings. The Valley

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of the Kings was a place of
darkness and mystery, where Egyptian pharaohs could

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be interred with all their treasures and
slaves. Here also was where King Tut

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was laid to rest, along with
all his gold and curses. But why

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were these curses so terrifying. Some
have speculated that these spells came from gods

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who would punish anyone who interfered with
pharaoh's peace, while others argue such claims

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are just myths or fairy tales designed
to dissuade people from raiding their tombs.

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However, the curse of King Tut
has taken on a life all its own

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and refuses to die no matter the
countless efforts to explain it away, and

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some still hold to the belief that
it is a real force worthy of respect

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and fear. Let's first look at
the facts. King Tutankhamon was born in

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thirteen forty one BC and reigned for
just ten years before succumbing to an untimely

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death at nineteen years old. A
team led by British archeologist Howard Carter discovered

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his tomb in Egypt's Valley of the
Kings in nineteen twenty two, discovering a

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tomb was certainly exciting, but people's
excitement increased exponentially as mysterious events began occurring

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with those associated with the tomb's excavation. Soon the entire world became gripped by

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tales of an impending curse upon anyone
who would disturb the final resting place of

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the boy King. Lord Carnarvon,
a wealthy British aristocrat who had funded the

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excavation, was first alarmed when he
was bitten by a mosquito while visiting Egypt

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and later died from an infected wound. Many believed he was falling foul of

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a curse supposedly promising death to anyone
who disturbed the tomb of the young pharaoh.

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Most as though its curse were following
Lord Carnarvon, waiting to strike at

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just the right moment, and eventually
did. Lord Carnarvon was dead. No

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matter the money he had, the
power and status he claimed, none of

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it could save him from something so
simple as a mosquito buck. But was

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Lord Carnarvon really killed by a curse
or was his death simply a coincidence.

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After opening Tutankhamen's tomb with King Tut
as a central figure, there seems to

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be little distinction between fact and fiction. After the tomb was unearthed, those

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associated with its excavation began experiencing mysterious
and unexplainable occurrences. Lord Carnarvon's death was

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followed soon thereafter by that of his
half brother, who passed away suddenly and

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mysteriously. Just weeks later. Sir
Bruce Ingham, who had studied Tutonkamen's mummy

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using X ray technology, was found
dead in his bed at just fifty four

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years of age. In nineteen sixty
Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, the radiologist who

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had examined King Tut's mummified remains,
was later found dead in his bed with

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an odd expression on his face,
an inexplicable smile, leading many to speculate

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if perhaps the cursed pharaoh had made
contact, or perhaps that some kind of

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poisonous gas had been administered through some
unknown means. As we dig deeper into

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this mystery, it becomes apparent that
King Tut's curse may have inflicted harm not

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only upon those involved with the excavation, but also their families and loved ones.

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One such instance involves Richard Bethel Howard, Carter's personal secretary, who died

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suddenly and in mysterious circumstances shortly after
discovering the tomb. Soon thereafter came Carter's

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pet canary, who had also been
present during the excavation, eaten by a

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cobra. Cobras are associated in Egyptian
lore with goddess Wajette, who was thought

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to protect the pharaohs. In fact, another mysterious coincidence occurred upon Lord Carnovan's

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death, because upon finding his dead
body, there was a cobra in his

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room, albeit as far as we
know, it hadn't attacked him. Another

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eerie occurrence was that upon Lord Carnovan's
death, Susie, his beloved dog,

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died simultaneously while in England, thousands
of miles apart. Later research also revealed

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that there had been a cobra found
in the antechamber upon its first discovery.

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After King Tut's mummy was unwrapped,
an ancient scarab beadle was discovered within.

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Scarabs have been traditionally associated with resurrection
and eternal life. Lord Carnivan was very

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fond of them, in fact,
even wearing one on a ring until his

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untimely death. It's almost as if
the curse follows you, waiting for the

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right moment to strike. Rumors began
circulating about these strange happenings, and soon

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enough, the entire world was a
buzz with talk of King Tut's mysterious curse.

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Was it real or just something people
made up out of fear and speculation.

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To answer this question, one must
look back to nineteen twenty two,

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when archeologist Howard Carter and his team
discovered the tomb of the young Pharaoh in

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Egypt. As they entered, they
noticed an inscription which stated quote death shall

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come on swift wings to anyone who
disturbs the peace of the king. Some

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believe the curse was real and intended
to protect Carter's tomb from grave robbers.

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Others view it as nothing more than
an elaborate hoax by Carter and his team

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to keep treasure hunters at bay.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an outspoken believer

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of King Tut's curse and its significance. Best known for creating Sherlock Holmes,

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Doyle held strong beliefs in spiritualism and
the paranormal, being convinced of its reality

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while writing books which claimed the existence
of fairies, thus lessening any credibility to

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his claims. While the Curse of
the Pharaohs or Curse of King Tut has

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become an intriguing media and pop cultural
topic, skeptics and historians alike have expressed

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doubt over its validity. One criticism
suggests that Tutonkhamon's curse may have simply been

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a way of explaining away deaths associated
with his tomb at a time when Egyptology

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was at its height, leading to
significant media attention surrounding its discovery. Skeptics

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argue that its story became sensationalized for
publication purposes, in order to attract readers

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and, of course, wealthy donors
and benefactors to further excavations and research.

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An additional criticism suggests that the curse
may have been used as a form of

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psychological suggestion, leading some individuals to
believe they too were affected by said curse.

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This assertion is supported by the fact
that many of those who died after

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discovering the tomb were elderly individuals with
existing medical conditions, or those of an

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age where passing away of natural causes
was not unusual curses have also been widely

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criticized as being culturally insensitive and perpetuating
negative stereotypes about Egypt and its people.

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The term implies that ancient Egyptians were
primitive or superstitious, when in reality,

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they had highly advanced civilizations with extensive
scientific understandings, as well as many advancements

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in medicine. While the curse remains
an intriguing subject of speculation and debate,

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it's essential to examine both evidence and
historical context surrounding events of the purportedly cursed

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tomb. While conclusive proof cannot be
provided either way regarding the existence of this

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or any other curse, media narratives
love to run with such a sinceational concept,

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and I'm no better. You're sitting
here listening to me right now,

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tell you all about it. There's
a reason this story has lived for so

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long. However, skeptics such as
magician and paranormal investigator James Randy have pointed

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out that the apparent curse may have
been an example of confirmation bias. That

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is, people may have been more
likely to attribute strange events to the curse

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because their beliefs had already been primed
to accept it. Furthermore, the vast

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majority of the expedition participants did not
die mysteriously. Many skeptics agree with him,

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and some maintain the curse was just
an illusion to deter grave robbers and

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more importantly, to drive tourism.
As evidence for their argument, they point

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out how many of those involved with
finding and uncovering the tomb lived long and

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healthy lives after the discovery. Howard
Carter, the man who discovered the tomb,

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lived until he was sixty four and
passed away from natural causes. Other

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individuals closely related to the curse that
lived long and healthy lives were Lord Carnovan's

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daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, the
daughter of Lord Carnavan, who financed the

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expedition that discovered the tomb. She
lived until the age of seventy nine.

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Ali Gaber, an Egyptian police officer
who was part of the team that first

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entered the tomb, lived to be
eighty four years old. Doctor Douglas Dairy,

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the radiologist who examined King Tut's mummified
body, lived until the age of

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seventy nine, and doctor A.
R. Pelley the Anna Thomas, who

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assisted in the examination of King Tut's
mummy died at the rifled age of seventy

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eight. Those individuals were all closely
associated with the discovery and examination of King

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Tut's tomb, and yet they all
lived long, healthy lives. This is

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further evidence that suggests that the curse
was nothing more than a myth. Randy,

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in his book An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds and Hoaxes of the Occult

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and Supernatural, also notes that quote
the average duration of life for those who

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should have suffered the ancient curse was
more than twenty three years after the curse

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was supposed to become effective. He
further states, quote this group died at

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an average age of seventy three plus
years, beating the actuarial tables for persons

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of that period and social class by
about a year. The curse of the

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Pharaoh is a beneficial curse, it
seems. Additionally, many of the deaths

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attributed to the curse can be easily
explained by other factors. For instance,

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many were the result of common infections
or illnesses during this time. So where

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lies the truth of King Tut's curse
or was it all just an urban myth?

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Neither side has evidence to back up
their claims. However, it is

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easier to look back and find a
curse in the information if that's what you're

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looking for. There's still no definitive
answer that can be given as to whether

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the curse caused any of these deaths
or it was just a pure coincidence.

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Perhaps what is most striking about the
curse of King Tut isn't whether or not

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it was real, but why it
has captured so many people and for so

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long. Perhaps its appeal comes from
ancient pharaohs, whose mysterious lives make this

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tale especially captivating, or perhaps the
concept that a curse could be so aggressive

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that it would attack anyone with any
connection to violating the tomb. It remains

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certain that this legacy will continue to
fascinate and intreague generations to come. People's

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fascination can be seen through media reports. The press could hardly contain their excitement

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over this story, while rumors and
myths began circulating regarding its cause and effects.

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Some claim Tutenkhamen's mummy could cause physical
harm, while others believed that curse

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was some type of supernatural force affecting
our world. Even today, Hollywood joined

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in capitalizing on public fascination with King
Tut and his curse to produce horror movies

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and television shows about it, further
fueling public fascination. Soon enough, myth

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became more famous than the actual discovery
of Tutankhamen's tomb. No matter your opinion

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of the curse or its validity,
its influence has had a lasting effect on

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popular culture and archeology alike. It
caused a revolution within Mummy Hills, forever

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changing everything we knew about mummies as
characters and stories. Do you believe in

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the curse of King Tut or are
you skeptical, dismissing it all as mere

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superstition and coincidence? And would you
dare open his tomb today, risking the

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curses wrath? Or would you simply
let sleeping kings lie? When it comes

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to curses and legends, they're a
lot of fun. I generally consider myself

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a skeptic towards claims of the paranormal
and supernatural, but that doesn't mean that

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I don't love a good story.
And obviously, if you're here, you

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know that, and you love a
good one too. King Tut brought about

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so much imagination during a time period
when the average person, especially in the

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United States, could never hope to
afford to go to say Africa or the

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Amazon. If you look back in
that era, people read all kinds of

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pulp novels and radio programs about traveling
to the Far East, traveling to the

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Amazon, and the adventures that would
ensue. Alan Portermain was known for having

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so many adventures. He was the
fictional character in cereals, short films that

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play before features, and his fictional
adventures would become the inspiration for the iconic

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00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:37.599
character later known as Indiana Jones.
So out there listening to this right now,

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were you a big fan of these
legends as a kid, Whether you're

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00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:47.319
a millennial or a gen xer or
a boomer, do you remember thinking about

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00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:52.119
the curses across the ocean, how
they were so far away, Yet when

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you absorb that fear of the unknown, you felt like a mummy could be

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living right down the street to get
you simpler times, My friends. Terrifying

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and True is narrated by Enrique Kuto. It's executive produced by Rob Fields,

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produced by Daniel Wilder, with the
original theme music by Ray Maddis. If

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you have a story you'd like us
to cover, on the program, send

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us an email at Weekly Spooky at
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And I want to say a big
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folks who page us a little bit
more to hear their names on the

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show, and they are boble Topia, Megan Hua, Julia Kirsch, Christopher

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Sullivan, Brent McCullough, Gino Lyons, Steve King, Karen weeme At,

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Jack Ker, and Craig Cohen.
Thank you all so very much and we'll

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see you next Monday.