Hans Holzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans Holzer
|
|
|---|---|
Holzer in the 1960s
|
|
| Born | 26 January 1920 |
| Died | 26 April 2009 (aged 89) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
|
| Education | University of Vienna Columbia University |
| Occupation | Author Parapsychologist |
| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Buxhoeveden
(m. 1962, divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Hans Holzer (born January 26, 1920 – died April 26, 2009) was an Austrian-American writer and parapsychologist. He wrote over 120 books about supernatural and occult topics. These books were very popular. He also created plays, musicals, films, and documentaries. Holzer even hosted a TV show called Ghost Hunter. This show is different from the later Ghost Hunters TV series.
Contents
Hans Holzer's Early Life and Work
Hans Holzer was born in Vienna, Austria. His father, Leo Holzer, was a businessman. His mother was Martha Stransky. Hans became interested in the supernatural when he was young. His uncle Henry told him many stories that sparked this interest.
Holzer studied archaeology and ancient history. He attended the University of Vienna. In 1938, his family moved to New York City. They were Jewish and felt it was not safe to stay in Austria. In New York, he studied Japanese at Columbia University. He also studied comparative religion and parapsychology. Holzer later taught parapsychology at the New York Institute of Technology.
Exploring Ghosts and the Afterlife
Hans Holzer spent a lot of time researching supernatural events. He investigated many famous haunted places. He also worked with people who claimed to be mediums. These mediums included Ethel Johnson-Meyers, Sybil Leek, and Marisa Anderson.
Holzer is known for using the phrase "The Other Side." This phrase refers to "The Other Side of Life." He is also sometimes given credit for the term "ghost hunter." This was the title of his first book about the paranormal, published in 1963. However, an earlier book from 1936 by Harry Price was titled Confessions of a Ghost Hunter.
In 1970, Holzer wrote a book about spirit photography. It was called Psychic Photography: Threshold of a New Science?. This book included photos taken by a spirit photographer named John Myers.
Holzer's Beliefs About Spirits
Holzer believed in life after death. He thought that ghosts and spirits truly exist. He called some spirits "stay behinds." According to him, ghosts are like energy imprints left in a place. Sensitive people might be able to sense these imprints. Spirits, he believed, were intelligent beings. They could interact with living people. "Stay behinds" were spirits who remained connected to Earth after death. Holzer also believed in reincarnation. He thought there were different "levels of consciousness."
Hans Holzer had two daughters with his wife, Countess Catherine Geneviève Buxhoeveden. She was a descendant of Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
Investigating The Amityville Horror
One of Holzer's most famous investigations was the case known as The Amityville Horror. In January 1977, Holzer visited the house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. He went with a spiritual medium named Ethel Meyers.
Meyers claimed that the house was built on an old Native American burial ground. She believed an angry spirit of a Shinnecock Indian Chief, "Rolling Thunder," had possessed a previous resident. This possession, she said, led to a terrible event where a family was harmed. Photos taken at the house showed strange things. For example, halos appeared around what were thought to be bullet marks.
However, the local Amityville Historical Society disagreed with Holzer's claim. They said the house was not on Native American sacred land. They also pointed out that the Montaukett Indians, not the Shinnecocks, were the original people in that area. Holzer later wrote several books about the Amityville case.
Hans Holzer's Vegetarian Lifestyle
Hans Holzer was a vegetarian. In 1973, he wrote a book called The Vegetarian Way of Life. In this book, he shared his own eating habits. He said, "I myself am a Lactarian: I eat cheeses and milk products but I do not eat eggs or egg products." He believed that this diet was healthy and provided enough different foods.
