Charles Fort

The publication of The Book of the Damned in 1919 marked a turning point for Charles Fort, transforming a struggling writer into a chronicler of rejected scientific data. Born in Albany in 1874, Fort spent decades meticulously gathering reports of anomalous phenomena, challenging the foundations of established scientific positivism and influencing the development of science fiction through his skeptical, contrarian lens.

Early Life and Education

Raised in Albany by an authoritarian father, Fort experienced a childhood marred by physical abuse, which he documented in his unpublished autobiography, Many Parts. This upbringing fostered a deep-seated distrust of authority and a desire for independence. As a young adult, he pursued interests as a naturalist, studying birds, minerals, and sea shells. Despite his intellectual curiosity, he was an autodidact who prioritized personal reading over formal schooling, a habit that shaped his comprehensive, if unconventional, knowledge base.

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Journalism and Literary Pursuits

At eighteen, Fort traveled across the United States, Scotland, and England to gain life experience. After falling ill in Southern Africa, he returned home and married Anna Filing in 1896. The couple resided in the Bronx, often living in poverty while Fort attempted to establish a career as a writer for magazines and newspapers. His only published novel, the tenement story The Outcast Manufacturers, appeared in 1909 but failed to achieve commercial success. Discouraged by the rejection of his manuscripts, including works on extraterrestrial influence and a South Pole civilization, he turned his focus toward collecting accounts of inexplicable events.

Research and Methodology

The death of his uncle in 1916 provided an inheritance that allowed Fort to devote himself to full-time research. He frequented the New York Public Library and the British Museum, spending years sifting through scientific journals and global newspapers. His method involved collecting thousands of notes on scraps of paper and cards, which he stored in shoeboxes. These notes formed the basis of his later work, focusing on phenomena dismissed by the scientific community as "damned" data. He lived intermittently in London between 1920 and 1928 to facilitate this exhaustive archival research.

Legacy and Death

Fort’s health and eyesight declined in his later years, yet he refused medical intervention, focusing instead on finishing his final work, Wild Talents. On May 3, 1932, he collapsed and was transported to the Royal Hospital, where he died hours later, likely from leukemia. He was interred in his family plot in Albany. His work eventually garnered a dedicated following, with admirers adopting the term "Fortean" to describe the study of phenomena that challenge current scientific boundaries. His extensive collection of notes eventually found a permanent home at the New York Public Library.