BACK in late 2000, a man surfaced on the internet claiming to have travelled through time.

The man, who came to be known as John Titor, alleged to have travelled from 2036 by using a time machine installed in a 1987 Chevrolet.

According to Titor, it was the first time machine of its kind, produced and built by multinational conglomerate GE (or General Electric) in 2034.

“No bright flash of light is seen. Outside, the vehicle appears to accelerate as the light is bent around it,” he said of the experience.

“Personally I think it looks like your (sic) driving under a rainbow. After that, it appears to fade to black and remains totally black until the unit is turned off. We are advised to keep the windows closed as a great deal of heat builds up outside the car.”

It’s easy to palm it off as an elaborate hoax, but during the five months of John Titor’s online existence, he spent hours answering questions from believers and sceptics on (now defunct) public conspiracy forum Art Bell about the future, time travel and his own life, including eerie predictions that some internet types believe are coming true.

Perhaps the most compelling argument revolves around the search for an IBM 5100 computer, mentioned by John in one of his first posts.

“The first ‘leg’ of my trip was from 2036 to 1975. After two VGL checks, the divergence was estimated at about 2.5 per cent (from my 2036). I was ‘sent’ to get an IBM computer system called the 5100. It was one the first portable computers made and it has the ability to read the older IBM programming languages in addition to APL and Basic.”

In other words, the computer had the ability to imitate other programming languages. This fact was not widely known during that time frame, reports Kernel Mag.

This time, it seemed different. Real. Believable.

“A world war in 2015 killed nearly three billion people,” he wrote.

“The people that survived grew closer together. Life is centred on the family and then the community. I cannot imagine living even a few hundred miles away from my parents.”

“There is no large industrial complex creating masses of useless food and recreational items. Food and livestock is grown and sold locally. People spend much more time reading and talking together face to face. Religion is taken seriously and everyone can multiply and divide in their heads.”

Asked why he used a conspiracy forum to reach the public, he wrote:

>TimeTravel_0: I enjoy the “paranormal” chat rooms for 2 reasons.

>TimeTravel_0: 1. I find the people here are more open to ideas.

>TimeTravel_0: 2. I find it ironic that when what they are looking for falls in their lap, they can’t believe it.

In March 2001, Titor announced he was going offline to travel the boundaries of time yet again, leaving us with this cryptic message: “Bring a gas can with you when the car dies on the side of the road. Farewell. John.”

Since then, private investigators and amateur sleuths have been persistent in trying to crack the mystery of John Titor. Who was he and was he legit?

In a video posted to YouTube, a group of sleuths track down Dr Larry Haber, a Florida-based entertainment lawyer who represents Kay Titor, a woman who has claimed to be the mother of John since 2006.

In the clip, Haber is asked for further details about Ms Titor, but asks the crew to delete his comments.

Haber remains fairly tight-lipped throughout the interview, and denies allegations the story is a hoax.

No wonder. Haber is the CEO of The John Titor Foundation, the company behind the merchandise and book sales that profit from perpetuating John’s story.

He continues to deny allegations his brother, John “Rick” Haber, was John Titor, even though an Italian investigative TV show, Voyager, directly linked him to John and is seen to be the most credible explanation.

His expertise in IT has been well documented, as have the skills of Haber’s son, Brandon.

Brandon’s extensive IT knowledge has led him to work for various US government organisations including NASA and the US Air Force.

The problem is there is little evidence to suggest who John Titor was, real or not. It’s unlikely the mystery will be solved. His mother has never gone public — in fact there is no evidence she even exists.

Maybe John Titor is real. Maybe, at this very moment in time, he’s rolling around with prehistoric reptiles, or conversing with cavemen, or dodging dinosaurs.

Maybe, as Titor suggests, an incredible piece of history has fallen into our lap, and we simply can’t believe it.

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