Mike "Madman" Marcum, a 21-year-old electrical engineering student from Stanberry, Missouri, embarked on a mysterious journey in early 1995 when he attempted to construct a time machine on his porch. His gadget of choice, the Jacobs Ladder, aimed to reduce air resistance between two poles using a modified Compact Disc laser, creating a continuous arc. However, Marcum encountered an unexpected phenomenon: a heat mark resembling a vortex.
Intrigued, he conducted an experiment by throwing a sheet metal screw into the vortex, which vanished for a brief moment before reappearing a few feet away. Marcum, known for his cleverness among peers, had a unique goal for his time machine—to obtain winning lottery numbers from the future. The challenge arose when he realized the substantial electricity required for the machine to function.
After a few attempts, the CD laser caught fire, prompting Marcum to consider using larger transformers. Facing the prohibitive cost of purchasing them, he resorted to acquiring ancient transformers from a local power plant. This decision inadvertently caused a widespread blackout in his neighborhood during testing.
Arrested for stealing transformers on January 29, 1995, Marcum spent months in jail before joining Art Bell on Coast to Coast Radio. During the interview, he shared his intentions and recounted the screw experiment. Marcum vowed to pursue his experiments legally moving forward.
Despite facing financial constraints, Marcum's second time machine project gained momentum with contributions from listeners. The enhanced machine, running at 3 megawatts, featured a rotating magnetic field inspired by the Philadelphia Experiment. Marcum later disclosed his progress on Art Bell's show, expressing his proximity to achieving the required power level.
In 1996, Marcum hinted at a more advanced time machine capable of accommodating a person. However, by 1997, he mysteriously vanished and hasn't been seen or heard from since. The tale took an eerie turn when a listener reported an unusual incident from the 1930s involving a deceased man found on a California beach with a mysterious gadget resembling a mobile phone beside him. The story leaves many questions unanswered, adding to the enigma of Mike Marcum's disappearance.
