Something funny I read this week
Maybe not "haha" funny but more "huh, that's weird" funny.
I was reading a book that made a passing reference to Kerry W. Thornley who, along with Gregory Hill, helped to establish a belief system or religious movement called "Discordianism."
This counterculture-era religion was founded after the duo's publication of Principia Discordia. The book also heavily features in Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a psychedelic, conspiracy-laden, satirical romp. This book also helped popularize the nonsense word "fnord."
All of that isn't too surprising, considering what happened in the 60s.
What I did find interesting was this:
I looked him up and found he was born on April 17, 1938. He enlisted and was called up for duty in 1958. In 1959 he served as a radar operator at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Santa Ana, California.
While there, he met and befriended a young marine whom he shared common interests with. A while later, while reading a Stars and Stripe article, he comes across his buddy's name. Turns out, his friend had defected to the Soviet Union and declared his wish for Soviet citizenship.
He thought that was strange.
Eventually, he began writing about this friend. He wrote a book on a fictional unit of soldiers, inspired by his defector friend.
Eventually, his friend returns from the Soviet Union and heads to Dallas. By 1962 Thornley was all done with the book, with maybe a re-write needed, and he figured he'd meet up with his friend to figure out why he defected. Maybe get a chance to glean information for his book.
He never got the chance to.
Because his friend was Lee Harvey Oswald, who would, on Nov. 22, 1963, assassinate John. F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, Texas.
How strange is that?
A counterculture figure who helped popularize a satirical (of sorts) religion and helped influence popular culture was friends with one of the most infamous (and alleged) assassin in American and maybe world history.
This story reminds me why I love history so much. There are so many strange little stories like this all around us. And often, you'll come across them in the most random places.