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Nessie, that infamous serpentine monster that calls Scotland home, has reportedly been stirring up both controversy and the murky waters of Loch Ness since at least the sixth century A.D. The very first tale recounting a sighting of the beast was penned in 565 A.D. In the story, Saint Columba saves a swimmer from a mysterious lake monster, although even the Catholic Church has its doubts as to the veracity of the tale. Stone carvings from the area dating back about 1,500 years depict an unknown creature. And in 1868, a local newspaper reported a strange and mysterious fish, saying "neither the name or the species of the strange visitor could be satisfactorily explained." However, what is considered to be the first modern Nessie sighting occurred on July 22, 1933, by one Mr. Spicer and his wife. Driving down the recently opened road that circled Loch Ness, the couple spotted a large animal crossing the road in front of them. In a letter, Mr. Spicer had this to say about the encounter: Whatever it is, and it may be a land and water animal, I think it should be destroyed, as I am not sure whether I had been quite so close to
it I should have cared to tackle it. It is difficult to give you a better description, as it moved so swiftly, and the whole thing was so sudden. There is no doubt it exists. Many skeptics of the day felt otherwise, writing off the beast as nothing more than an otter. To be sure, Mr. Spicer's story had some serious credibility issues, as the size of the monster changed considerably from retelling to retelling. The very first photo of Nessie was taken in April of 1934 by Hugh Gray. The photo supposedly showed a long-necked monster parting the waters of the lake, but many are convinced it's simply a blurry shot of a dog with a stick in his mouth. Since that time, numerous stories and photos have
emerged, claiming to document sightings of the mysterious creature, but they have all been subject to intense speculation and skepticism. If you have the patience, you may want to try your hand at Nessie-watching on this live web cam. Who knows? You might just get an eyeful.
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