George Van Tassel facts for kids

George Washington Van Tassel (March 12, 1910 – February 9, 1978) was an American inventor, pilot, and writer. He became well-known for his belief that he communicated with beings from other planets. He also built a unique structure called the Integratron in the California desert.

Early Life and the Desert

George Van Tassel was born in Jefferson, Ohio in 1910. He grew up in a comfortable family. After finishing high school, he worked at a small airport near Cleveland. He also earned his private pilot licence.

When he was 20, George moved to California. There, he worked as a car mechanic for his uncle. While working, he met Frank Critzer. Critzer was an interesting person who claimed to have a mine near Giant Rock. This Giant Rock is a huge boulder, about seven stories tall, located in the Mojave Desert.

After Critzer passed away in 1942, Van Tassel took over the small airport near Giant Rock. The government gave him a contract to develop and take care of the airstrip.

George Van Tassel was a skilled aircraft mechanic and flight inspector. Between 1930 and 1947, he worked for big airplane companies like Douglas Aircraft Company, Hughes Aircraft, and Lockheed Corporation. He was even a top flight inspector at Hughes Aircraft. In 1947, he left the busy aerospace industry to live in the desert with his family. He first lived in rooms that Frank Critzer had dug under Giant Rock. Later, Van Tassel built a new home, a cafe, a gas station, a store, a small airstrip, and a guest ranch next to the Rock.

The Integratron Project

Historical marker near the Integratron in Landers, California

In 1953, George Van Tassel started leading group meditation sessions. These took place in a room under Giant Rock. That same year, Van Tassel claimed something amazing happened. He said a being from the planet Venus woke him up. This being invited him onto a spaceship. There, the alien shared a special technique to make the human body young again.

In 1954, Van Tassel and others began building a structure they called the "Integratron." Its purpose was to perform this "rejuvenation." Van Tassel believed the Integratron would help with scientific research. This research would explore time, anti-gravity, and how to make human life longer. He said his ideas came partly from the work of scientists Nikola Tesla and Georges Lakhovsky.

Van Tassel described the Integratron as a "time machine." He said it was for basic research on making people young again. It was also for studying anti-gravity and time travel. The building is a wooden dome. It has a spinning metal device on the outside called an "electrostatic dirod." Van Tassel claimed it was made only of non-magnetic materials. These included wood, concrete, glass, and fiberglass. It did not even use metal screws or nails.

The Integratron was never fully finished. George Van Tassel died suddenly a few weeks before its planned opening. Today, some visitors to the unfinished Integratron say they feel refreshed after spending time there. They also enjoy "sound baths" inside the unique building.

Spacecraft Conventions

George Van Tassel was a well-known "contactee" in the 1950s. A contactee is someone who claims to have met or communicated with aliens. He was like other famous contactees of that time, such as George Adamski.

From 1953 to 1978, Van Tassel hosted "The Giant Rock Spacecraft Convention" every year. These events took place next to Giant Rock. At its busiest in 1959, as many as 10,000 people attended. Guests traveled to the desert by car or landed their airplanes on Van Tassel's small airstrip. This airstrip was called Giant Rock Airport.

Many famous contactees came to these conventions over the years. Even George Adamski, one of the most famous contactees, attended the third convention in 1955. He gave a long talk and was interviewed there.

Van Tassel also started a group called The Ministry of Universal Wisdom. He also created The College of Universal Wisdom. These groups were meant to organize the spiritual messages he believed he was receiving from space beings.

Death

George Van Tassel passed away in Landers, California, in 1978. He died while visiting friends and printing a publication in Santa Ana.