The Hollow Earth and the Edge of Reason

For centuries, stories have imagined hidden worlds beneath our feet, but the Hollow Earth theory transformed ancient ideas of subterranean realms into something presented as science, exploration, and eventually conspiracy.

In the Season 1 finale of The House of Strange, we trace the history of the Hollow Earth from astronomer Edmond Halley’s 17th-century model of a layered Earth to John Cleves Symmes Jr. and his proposed openings at the poles. We explore Richard Sharpe Shaver’s claims of subterranean beings, the legends surrounding Admiral Richard E. Byrd, and the conspiracy theories that grew around Operation Highjump in Antarctica.

From ancient underworlds and hidden civilizations to polar expeditions and modern conspiracy theories, the Hollow Earth has continually changed to reflect the fears and mysteries of its time. Beneath the impossible geography lies another question: why are we so determined to believe there might still be another world hiding beneath our own?