David Hatcher Childress
Encyclopedia
David Hatcher Childress is an American
author
and publisher of books on topics on alternative history
and historical revisionism
. His works cover such subjects as pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
, Atlantis, Lemuria, Ancient Astronauts, UFOs, Nikola Tesla
, the Knights Templar
, lost cities
and vimana aircraft
. Childress claims no academic credentials as a professional archaeologist nor in any other scientific field of study, having left the University of Montana after one year to travel the world to personally research the subjects about which he would later write.
to American parents, and raised in Colorado
and Montana, United States
, Childress began travelling at 19 in pursuit of archaeological interests. He moved in 1983 to Stelle, Illinois
, a community founded by New Age
writer Richard Kieninger. He had been given a book by Kieninger while touring Africa. Childress chronicled his explorations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in his Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries series of books.
Childress' first book, A Hitchhikers Guide to Africa and Arabia, was published in 1983 by Chicago Review Press. In 1984, Childress moved to Kempton, Illinois and established a publishing company named Adventures Unlimited Press, which is a sole proprietorship. His company published his own works and then those of other authors, presenting fringe-scientific
theories
regarding ancient civilizations, cryptozoology
, and little-known technologies. In 1991, in Kempton, Illinois
, Childress founded the World Explorers Club, which occasionally runs tours to places he writes about, and publishes a magazine called World Explorer".
Childress has appeared on NBC
(The Mysterious Origins of Man
), Fox Network (Sightings
and Encounters
), Discovery Channel
, A&E
, and The History Channel
(e.g. Ancient Aliens
), to comment on subjects such as the Bermuda Triangle
, Atlantis
, and UFOs. He has been involved in two lawsuits regarding publishing. One, concerning the Kennedy assassination, failed after expiry of a statute of limitations
and the other, involving an unpublished master's thesis about UFOs written in 1950, was settled out of court. Childress writes humorously about these suits in his 2000 book A Hitchhiker's Guide to Armageddon.
In over 25 years of publishing, Childress' company has created nearly 200 books, many of which have been translated into foreign languages.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and publisher of books on topics on alternative history
Secret history
A secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
and historical revisionism
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
. His works cover such subjects as pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
Theories of Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact are those theories that propose interaction between indigenous peoples of the Americas who settled the Americas before 10,000 BC, and peoples of other continents , which occurred before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1492.Many...
, Atlantis, Lemuria, Ancient Astronauts, UFOs, Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, lost cities
Lost city
A "Lost City" is a term that is generally considered to refer to a well-populated area which fell into terminal decline, became extensively or completely uninhabited, and whose location has been forgotten. Some lost cities whose locations have been rediscovered have been studied extensively by...
and vimana aircraft
Vimana
Vimāna is a word with several meanings ranging from temple or palace to mythological flying machines described in Sanskrit epics.-Etymology and usage:Sanskrit vi-māna literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out"...
. Childress claims no academic credentials as a professional archaeologist nor in any other scientific field of study, having left the University of Montana after one year to travel the world to personally research the subjects about which he would later write.
Life and career
Born in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to American parents, and raised in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Montana, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Childress began travelling at 19 in pursuit of archaeological interests. He moved in 1983 to Stelle, Illinois
Stelle, Illinois
Stelle is an unincorporated village located in northern Ford County, Illinois. Its estimated population as of 2008 is 101. Stelle is an example of an intentional community.- Geography :...
, a community founded by New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
writer Richard Kieninger. He had been given a book by Kieninger while touring Africa. Childress chronicled his explorations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in his Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries series of books.
Childress' first book, A Hitchhikers Guide to Africa and Arabia, was published in 1983 by Chicago Review Press. In 1984, Childress moved to Kempton, Illinois and established a publishing company named Adventures Unlimited Press, which is a sole proprietorship. His company published his own works and then those of other authors, presenting fringe-scientific
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
theories
Fringe theory
A fringe theory is an idea or a collection of ideas that departs significantly from the prevailing or mainstream view in its particular field of study. Examples include ideas that purport to be scientific theories but have little or no scientific support, conspiracy theories, unproven esoteric...
regarding ancient civilizations, cryptozoology
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, and little-known technologies. In 1991, in Kempton, Illinois
Kempton, Illinois
Kempton is a village in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 231 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Kempton is located at ....
, Childress founded the World Explorers Club, which occasionally runs tours to places he writes about, and publishes a magazine called World Explorer".
Childress has appeared on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(The Mysterious Origins of Man
The Mysterious Origins of Man
The Mysterious Origins of Man was a television special that originally aired on NBC on February 25, 1996. Hosted by Charlton Heston, the program argued that mankind has lived on the Earth for tens of millions of years, and that mainstream scientists have suppressed the fossil evidence for this...
), Fox Network (Sightings
Sightings
Sightings was an American paranormal documentary and news television series that originally aired from April 17, 1992 to August 1, 1997 on Fox. The program began as a special titled The UFO Report: Sightings on October 18, 1991...
and Encounters
Encounters (TV series)
Encounters: The Hidden Truth was an hour-long TV series that featured real-life stories of paranormal phenomena. The format featured a host and a team of reporters presenting 3 or 4 stories per episode dealing with UFOs, crop circles, exorcism, prophets, psychics, reincarnation, and other...
), Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, and The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
(e.g. Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens is an American television series that premiered on April 20, 2010 on the History channel. Produced by Prometheus Entertainment, the program presents theories of ancient astronauts and proposes that historical texts, archaeology and legends contain evidence of past...
), to comment on subjects such as the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
, Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, and UFOs. He has been involved in two lawsuits regarding publishing. One, concerning the Kennedy assassination, failed after expiry of a statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
and the other, involving an unpublished master's thesis about UFOs written in 1950, was settled out of court. Childress writes humorously about these suits in his 2000 book A Hitchhiker's Guide to Armageddon.
In over 25 years of publishing, Childress' company has created nearly 200 books, many of which have been translated into foreign languages.