In 1995, Michael “Mad Man” Marcum, then a 21-year-old electronics enthusiast from Missouri, made headlines with his ambitious attempts to construct a time machine. His journey began with experiments involving a Jacob’s Ladder—a device that creates a continuous electrical arc between two metal rods. During one such experiment, Marcum noticed a peculiar shimmering effect above the arc. Curious, he tossed a metal screw into the phenomenon, observing that it disappeared momentarily before reappearing a short distance away. This led him to speculate that he had inadvertently created a time distortion.
Eager to scale up his experiments, Marcum sought more substantial power sources. In a controversial move, he stole six transformers from a power station, leading to localized brownouts in his community. These activities did not go unnoticed; Marcum was arrested for theft and subsequently served jail time. His story gained wider attention when he appeared on Art Bell’s “Coast to Coast AM” radio show on April 18, 1995, where he detailed his experiments and aspirations.
Following his initial radio appearance, Marcum received support from listeners, enabling him to acquire legal components for his experiments. He claimed to have conducted further tests, reportedly sending small objects and animals through the device, observing that they would momentarily vanish and then reappear. In a subsequent interview, Marcum expressed his intention to use the machine on himself. However, after 1997, reports about his activities dwindled, leading to various speculations and urban legends about his fate.
In 2015, Marcum resurfaced in an interview with Art Bell on the “Midnight in the Desert” radio show. He recounted that during an experiment, he was transported two years into the future and found himself 800 miles away in Fairfield, Ohio. Suffering from amnesia, he gradually regained his memories while staying at a homeless shelter, eventually recalling his identity and past. Despite these claims, official records, such as those from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, do not corroborate his account of being reported missing during that period.
Michael “Mad Man” Marcum’s story remains a fascinating blend of ambition, controversy, and mystery, capturing the imagination of those intrigued by the possibilities of time travel.
