About
A registry of odd claims — and where they came from
oddpatterns is a blog about strange patterns in the world, built around a searchable research tool: who said what, when, on whose authority, and which book or film an idea may have come from.
How the registry works
A claim is an abstract proposition — for example, “a craft was recovered at Roswell.” An assertion is one person stating that claim on a date, in a context, backed by sources. The same claim can be asserted by many people across decades, so dates and sources live on the assertion, never on the claim. Claims can be tied to the media works where an idea may have originated.
Our stance
Inclusion records provenance; it is not endorsement. We catalogue claims with their sources so journalists, fact-checkers, and curious readers can see the evidence and judge for themselves. Every source stores an archived copy where possible, to survive link rot.
Contribute
Spotted a claim worth logging? Suggest it — our editors review every submission. You can also search the registry or read the journal.