Percival Lowell
publication date: Saturday, October 11, 2025 (part of October 2025)
category: Paranormal
clue: He never did find any little green men or their canals, but his Arizona observatory did make valuable contributions to astronomy during and after his lifetime.
explanation: In the 1890s, Lowell was so confident in his theory of Martian canals made by intelligent life forms, the result of his own mistranslation of an Italian text, that he founded the Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff. more…
intended difficulty: easy
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Matthew Preston, Erik Bates, and LaVonne Lemler
trivia: Lowell claimed to be a distant relative of Pocahontas, which if true would also make him a relative of original Hulk actor Edward Norton.

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