publication date: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 (part of Winter 2021)

category: Radio

clue: This paranormal investigator spent years shining a light into the blackest shadows of supernatural mysteries on his bicoastal AM show, which would have made him the right man to look into a case of identical cloned orphans.

explanation: Bell, who hosted Coast to Coast AM, inspired the name of Arthur "Art" Bell on Orphan Black. more…

intended difficulty: easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, Richard Slominsky, Denise Sawicki, Erik Bates, and Ruth Cichoski

Sci-Fi Namesakes: Science fiction is a genre of ideas, and the best ideas are the ones connected to reality. This two-week theme presents 14 real-life people who inspired the names of characters in sci-fi TV shows, including shows with fantastical elements not normally considered sci-fi. Dr. Who, I presume?

Similar Goos

Art Bell

Weirdness becomes this host, including sudden retirements and relocations around the world. Go »

Syd Barrett

Pink Floyd's original frontman shocked legions of fans when he was fired for the band for schizophrenic illness, a topic that might make for an interesting show set in the world of the X-Men. Go »

John Locke

This English philosopher is known for developing the theory of empiricism and connecting consciousness to the notion of self, not for getting lost on a mysterious tropical island with his wheelchair after a plane crash. Go »

John F. Kennedy

His assassination in November 1963 birthed many conspiracy theories about lone gunmen, and one lone gunman was literally birthed on the same day. Go »

Harry S. Truman

Being the president of the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s was a far more important elected office to hold than, say, being sheriff of a very strange valley town in Washington state roiled by a teenager's murder. Go »

Albert Einstein

This physicist so profoundly advanced our understanding of the universe that it's possible to imagine aliens someday visiting our nation. Go »