The Why Files: Operation Podcast - 581: The Disappearance of Peter Williamson | Lightning Pants from Another Dimension

Episode Date: January 31, 2025

A summer barbecue transformed into a nightmare when lightning split the sky above Somerset, England. Peter Williamson dashed across his rain-soaked lawn to rescue his terrified dog, unaware that his next step would carry him beyond the boundaries of our world. His family watched in horror as a blinding flash illuminated his silhouette against the stormy sky. When their vision cleared, Peter had evaporated into thin air. The police launched a search, but found no footprints, no scorch marks, and no explanation for how a man could disappear from a walled garden. Sixteen witnesses swore they watched him vanish in plain sight. Three days passed before Peter materialized in his backyard, wearing unfamiliar clothes and carrying items that defied explanation. His memories painted a picture of a hospital that both existed and didn't exist, where reality shimmered like heat waves rising from summer pavement. The investigation into his disappearance uncovered something extraordinary: evidence suggesting Peter had slipped through a crack between parallel universes. His impossible story forces us to question everything we think we know about the nature of reality.

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His wife, kids, and guests ran to the patio to stay dry and keep the party going. Peter packed up the grill as the rain came down harder. When the thunder and lightning started, everyone laughed nervously. When a lightning bolt split a tree next door, people stopped laughing. It was then that his kids noticed their dog was still out in the yard, cowering under a bush. Peter told them to stay put and ran out to get the dog. He was halfway across the lawn when lightning hit again, this time even closer.

Peter's friends and family saw his silhouette against the flash. Then he was gone. He just vanished. Three days later, he reappeared in his backyard. But everything was wrong. There might be more to reality than we think. Or there might be more realities than we think. It splits with every choice we make. Whoever proposed this in 1957 with his many-worlds theory of quantum mechanics.

Picture an electron spinning in every direction at once. Superposition. Traditional view says measuring it forces it to choose one direction. Everett disagreed. He said the electron keeps spinning in all directions, but in different universes. Each measurement splits reality, creating infinite parallel worlds. That means there are infinite versions of you out there,

and every version of you results from the billions of choices that you make. So there's a reality where you're the president of the United States. There's one where you're a movie star. There's one where you're on death row. So there's a universe out there where I didn't get married? Yep. That lucky son of a... Okay, take it easy. A few months ago, Google unveiled Project Willow,

a 105-cubic quantum computer that solves problems in five minutes that would take the world's fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years. That's a one with 25 zeros following it, or a timescale way longer than the age of the universe. How does it do that? Because quantum computers might be combining computing power across parallel universes. It sounds like science fiction, but the math works.

Then in 2014, the many-worlds theory got an upgrade. Physicists from Griffith University said that parallel universes not only exist, they interact through gravity. That electron spinning up and down? It's two universes merging briefly, each with its own version of that electron. This is the many-interacting world's theory. Again, the math works, and this theory could explain everything from quantum tunneling to zero-point energy to human consciousness. And I've been thinking about

doing a video on quantum consciousness, but it's a brain buster, so let me know if you want me to cover it, or I should just stick to aliens. Yeah, stick with the aliens, boy, Dexter. But here's where the many interacting worlds theory gets dark. The Griffith team warns that when parallel worlds get too close, quantum effects intensify. Electromagnetism becomes unpredictable. Entangled particles become unentangled. Superposition breaks down. This could cause other realities to cross into ours, where things could exist in two

places at once. There's only one known natural phenomenon that can produce enough energy to do this. Lightning. Mary Williamson screamed. No! Her husband vanished in a flash of lightning. No burn marks, no footprints, no body. Peter was just gone.

The police searched everywhere. The house, the property, and the neighborhood. At first they thought the lightning had thrown him from the yard, but it was surrounded by high walls. The only exit was a locked gate. The key never left Mary's pocket. Sixteen people gave the same eyewitness statement. Peter was struck by lightning and disappeared. Yeah, some people would do anything to get out of a dinner party.

I know I would. The police insisted Peter climbed over the eight-foot wall. They said the lightning flash blinded witnesses longer than they remembered. The officer said if Peter had been hit by lightning, he might have a concussion or amnesia. He'd eventually show up at home or the hospital. But he didn't. Mary's friends watched the house all night. No Peter.

No hospitals reported anyone matching his description. An alert went out on national television. Still nothing. At this point, the police told Mary she should probably prepare for the worst. She didn't take this well. But on the third day, at about 8 a.m., she heard the gardener frantically calling for her.

Mary ran outside. Peter was sitting on the grass near the bushes in a daze. She hugged him through tears of joy, and then she noticed something strange. It rained in Somerset for two days. Everything was wet, but Peter's clothes were completely dry. And then she noticed those weren't his clothes. Mary took Peter to the hospital immediately.

Aside from amnesia, he was perfectly fine. He barely remembered the barbecue. He didn't remember the lightning. And he had no idea where he was during the past 60 hours. Mary asked him where he got the new green corduroy pants he was wearing. He didn't remember that either. You go missing for three days and show up in the wrong pants. The wife is going to have some questions. She did, but she believed Peter

was telling the truth. So did the doctors. This was just amnesia. Yeah, what did the cops say? Well, the police were pleased with themselves. Peter was struck by lightning and had amnesia just like they said. Oh, right. Just another case of the mysterious corduroy lightning that stabs you with new pants. Yeah, the police didn't explain it. Peter was home and they considered the matter closed.

Peter stayed in the hospital for about a week and went home feeling perfectly fine. But he still had no memory of where he was. But a few days after returning from the hospital, Peter started having strange dreams. At first, he saw only brief glimpses of scenes. He was in the rain, frightened, and walking down a road. Someone stopped to help. Then the images started coming to him while he was awake. At first, he thought he was hallucinating,

but they felt like memories. He just couldn't piece it together. He remembered a kind doctor. The doctor found him on the side of the road. He almost remembered his name, but not quite. Then he was in a hospital, a different hospital. The hospital staff asked his name, but he didn't know. His clothes were torn.

There was another patient in his room. Then he remembered... Pants! Pants. The other patient loaned him the corduroy pants because his jeans were torn apart. That memory hit, and Peter jumped up and ran to his bedroom to see if the pants were there. He didn't expect them to be, but there they were.

The label inside said the tailor was Herbert Fox, who had a shop a few towns over. The label also had the letters JB sewn into it. Inside the pockets, he found a pack of cigarettes. He didn't smoke. The brand was Senior Service, the same brand that James Bond smoked. He knew the brand, but the logo was wrong.

He found a handkerchief, also monogrammed with the letters JB. Peter finally had a lead. If he could find this JB, he would have answers. JB wasn't much to go on. That's pretty common initials. But a tailor named Herbert Fox a few miles away? There would be only one of those.

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Find your pro at your local Tread Experts. From tires to auto repair, we're always there. Tread Experts.ca You searched for your informant who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth,

while curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. Peter Williamson didn't sleep at all that night. Finding the clue inside the label of the corduroy pants caused his memories to come rushing back. By the time the sun came up, Peter had pieced together everything. Well, almost everything. He remembered waking up in a yard or a garden, but he didn't recognize it. He just knew it felt wrong. He didn't know where he was. He didn't even know who he was. Soaking wet, he stumbled around until he found a road and decided to rest. He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually a car stopped. The driver offered him a ride. He was a nice man, a doctor,

Dr. Nugent. Right. Dr. Nugent was concerned and took him to the hospital. It wasn't Somerset General. It was a small local hospital. He was admitted to a section called Pritchard Ward. It was a nice place, but something felt off.

Sometimes Peter would see a shimmering in the air, like heat waves rising off the pavement. And through the waves, he'd see different furniture, different walls, even different people. A nurse would walk past, and for a split second, she'd be a completely different person. The clock on the wall showed 3.15, then 2.45, then 3.15 again. His voice sounded strange, too.

It was sluggish, where everyone else was speaking quickly and crisp. When Peter tried to keep up with their pace, his words just sounded garbled. Peter mentioned these symptoms to Dr. Nugent, who ordered concussion tests. They found nothing wrong. This is what the doctor ordered. This is what the doctor ordered.

What was that? Somebody out there gets it. The following day, Peter wanted to go for a walk, but the nurses told him his jeans were too damaged to salvage. So the man in the next bed offered his spare pair of brown corduroys. The lightning pair. Exactly. I thought they were green.

They were, but in Peter's memory, the pants were light brown, not light green. Anyway, the pants fit, and Peter remembered the label clearly, Herbert Fox, with the initials JB sewn into it. Peter spent the day exploring the hospital grounds. The place felt familiar, although he knew he'd never been there before. The next morning, feeling stronger but no less confused, Peter decided to retrace his steps. He walked back along the road

where Dr. Nugent had found him. Everything felt familiar, but he didn't know why. Then he saw it. The yard where he first woke up. As soon as he touched the gate, everything went dark. When he opened his eyes, he was lying in his own backyard. The gardener was shouting for help. The grass was soaking wet, but his clothes were dry. In his pocket, he had a pack of senior service cigarettes he'd never bought and a silk handkerchief with unfamiliar initials. When Peter was admitted to the hospital, his wife brought him clean clothes from home. He hadn't thought about those corduroys since then. But here he was, driving to the town of the tailor who made them, Herbert Fox.

Peter would finally get some answers. When Peter arrived, he asked some of the locals if they knew the tailor, Herbert Fox. Peter would finally get some answers. When Peter arrived, he asked some of the locals if they knew the tailor, Herbert Fox. They said they knew him well, but there's no way those pants were from his shop. Why not? Because it burned down over 20 years ago. Peter arrived back home bewildered.

He couldn't explain the corduroy trousers. It is frustrating when you can't explain your pants. Now, about this time, Colin Parsons, an investigator and writer, connected with Peter. This story comes from him. He interviewed Peter and Mary personally. He also spoke to the witnesses who saw Peter disappear. Colin took an interest because, to him, it sounded like Peter had slipped into an alternate reality. Peter had trouble believing this,

but the evidence started to mount. Researchers were able to track down the monogram JB. The initials belonged to John Blackwood, a regular customer at Herbert Fox's shop. In Peter's reality, John Blackwood died in a mining accident in 1953. But JB's pants were new. In the other reality, JB was still alive,

and Herbert Fox's shop didn't burn down. And there was more. Colin was able to track down the manufacturer of the pants, who agreed to take a look. They confirmed that Herbert Fox's shop did exist, but it burned down in the 50s and never reopened. They said the zipper was designed in 1968, 14 years after the tailor shop was gone.

They said the stitching was authentic. It used their production techniques, though they had no record of this design. They confirmed the material was new. They even asked to be notified if Peter ever found Herbert Fox. They'd never seen that color green before and wanted to use it in production. Oh, easy.

Just get hit with lightning and travel to another dimension. Peter didn't believe in the multiverse theory. He was sure there was a reasonable explanation for what happened. He just needed to find someone who knew him from the hospital. But Peter was at a dead end.

The weeks went on and his memories of the other hospital came back. He could remember every detail of the experience. The layout of the hospital, the sounds and smells of Pritchard Ward. He knew the price of tea in the cafe. He remembered Dr. Nugent taking care of him. He remembered all the tests. He knew all the nurses' names.

But at this point, he didn't know if he was losing his mind. After learning he had clothes from a tailor who didn't exist, he was afraid to tell anyone what he was going through. He tried to forget about it. Then, about a month later, he was talking to a friend who just had a minor surgery. The name of the doctor came up. Wait, was it? Yep. The Nuge! Peter's friend's doctor was Dr. Nugent. Peter was so excited and relieved he was almost moved to tears. He started peppering his friend with questions. Was Sister Charles there? Was the cafe there? Was there a Pritchard Ward? Peter caught himself and apologized. And then he grabbed his car keys. You searched for your informant, who disappeared without a trace.

You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed. You swept the city, driving closer to the truth. While curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. You searched for your informant, who disappeared without a trace. You knew there were witnesses, but lips were sealed.

You swept the city, driving closer to the truth. While curled up on the couch with your cat. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover heart-pounding thrillers on Audible. You sailed beyond the horizon in search of an island scrubbed from every map. You battled krakens and navigated through storms.

Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest. While you cooked a lasagna. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible. The small hospital was less than a mile from Peter's house, though he'd never heard of it. As he pulled up, everything felt familiar. It was like deja vu, but much stronger.

He knew he was here. At the front desk, Peter asked for Dr. Nugent. He half expected the receptionist to say there was no such person, but instead she said, wait here. A few minutes later, Dr. Nugent appeared looking exactly like Peter remembered. Peter jumped up to greet him, but the doctor didn't recognize him. Peter explained his disappearance and his memories of the hospital. Dr. Nugent was patient and listened, but he said he hadn't had an amnesia case in five years. He said Peter's subconscious might be creating memories to fill the gaps caused by his amnesia. Peter probably learned about the hospital from overhearing conversations. After all, Dr. Nugent was his friend's doctor. Peter insisted he knew

too many details. The building layout, Pritchard Ward, everything. Nugent was his friend's doctor. Peter insisted he knew too many details. The building layout, Pritchard Ward, everything. The doctor saw how frustrated and upset Peter was. He showed Peter the intake forms from the night he was admitted. His name wasn't on it. His name wasn't anywhere. Peter left the hospital and got back in touch with Colin Parsons. He wanted to know more about this alternate reality theory.

Colin was convinced it was no theory. Peter was at that hospital, just in another reality, transported there by lightning. There is no doubt that Peter did disappear in full view of his guests and that he walked into another dimension, an alternative universe, whatever name you choose. I stayed with the family over a weekend and we went through the whole experience together with some of the witnesses to the original vanishing. To Colin, the strongest evidence was the cigarettes. Anyone could sew an old label onto new pants. But it's much harder, especially in 1974,

to create a fake pack of cigarettes from a well-known brand like Senior Service. The evidence was the Senior Service logo. It was a little bit off. What Peter and Colin are describing is a Mandela effect. These are shared memories that aren't raw. I like how everyone remembers the moon landing. We're not doing this now.

Fake moon landing linked down in your loot chute. The name comes from Nelson Mandela. Millions remember him dying in prison and watching his funeral, but that never happened. Link to all kinds of episodes about that down in your sock drawer underneath the nudie bags. There are theories of quantum physics that say parallel universes are real and they can interact. And we know lightning is powerful enough to disrupt quantum systems. So next time you hear thunder, pay attention. Make sure everything looks right and that your memories are the truth. Remember, there are infinite versions of you out there who just ask the same question. Infinite versions of you looking into the same storm

and imagining that lightning is the doorway to another dimension. And of those infinite versions of you that exist in the multiverse, there's at least one of them out there who wants to steal your pants. The story of Peter Williamson is perfect for paranormal forums and YouTube channels. A man vanishes during a lightning strike. He returns three days later with impossible evidence. The story is often attributed to Jenny Randles, who mentions it in her 2002 book, Time Storms.

No primary sources are cited. But I found the primary sources. Before Time Storms, the Peter Williamson story appeared in the book Supernatural Vanishings by Rodney Davies. That was 1996. He got the story from Colin Parsons' book, Encounters with the Unknown, true accounts of modern paranormal experiences. Parsons said he interviewed Peter and Mary Williamson and the witnesses. He said he tracked down the clothing company.

Parsons does a great job of mixing hard science and quantum theory with the Peter Williamson disappearance. It's the perfect mystery. But is it true? Well, despite the claim that there was national news coverage, no newspapers from Somerset in 1974 mention his disappearance. No police records, no property records or census show a Peter Williamson living in the area. Some YouTube videos and podcasts have added to the story, like JB standing for John Blackwood, who allegedly died in 1954.

That's not mentioned in the original story. I searched everywhere for more information about Colin Parsons. All I could find is that he wrote 18 crossword puzzle books. No other investigative journalism, if that's what you want to call it. His book, like the others I mentioned, rehashed the same urban legends over and over. They just put their own spin on it. Ah, wait, isn't that what we do? Uh-huh. Shut up. But here's where it gets interesting. The physics behind the story is real.

The many worlds interpretation and the many interacting worlds concept are legitimate scientific theories. They have math to support them. There's no direct evidence to prove the multiverse exists, but it would explain things like Bell's theorem, which shows entangled particles influence each other instantly, no matter how far apart they are. Science can't explain that. We know particles appear and disappear and reappear.

They have to go somewhere. Google really did post about Project Willow saying that, and this is a quote, it lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse. That statement got them a lot of attention. It also drew a lot of criticism. Now, I don't know if they're right, but I don't know if anybody does. Richard Feynman famously said,

I think I could safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. He said that in 1964. We're no closer to understanding how quantum mechanics works. We just know that it does. You sailed beyond the horizon, in search of an island, scrubbed from every map. You battled krakens and navigated through storms. Your spade struck the lid of a long-lost treasure chest. While you cooked a lasagna.

There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover best-selling adventure stories on Audible. I think quantum mechanics could answer every question about the universe and our reality. But it's possible, even likely, that we're not meant to understand it. Werner Heisenberg said, The universe is not only stranger than we think, it's stranger than we can think. In other words, it's beyond our ability to comprehend. Now that might be frustrating to some people.

They want answers. They want to know how it works. I'm not one of those people. I actually find it comforting that the fabric of our reality is governed by a sophisticated framework that's intellectually out of reach. It makes me think that there's something bigger out there driving this thing, that we're part of a plan, that our lives have meaning. And because of this, I'm comfortable with my place in the universe, no matter which one it is.

Thank you so much for hanging out today. My name is AJ. There's Hecklefish. Crab catch scratch fever. This has been the Y-Files. If you had fun or learned anything, do him a favor. Subscribe, like, comment, share. It's a small thing to hit the button, but it really helps us out. Like most topics we cover here, today's was recommended by you. So if there's a story you want to see or learn more about, go to the Y-Files dot com slash tips. And remember, the Y-Files is also a podcast. Twice a week, I post deep dives into the stories we cover here on the channel.

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Plus you get two private live streams every week just for you. And they're a lot of fun. The whole team is on. My webcam is on. You get to meet everybody. You can turn your camera on, jump up on stage,

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Or one of these fistable coffee mugs that you can stick your fist in while you enjoy a beverage with or without pants. We don't mind. We're not here to judge you. Or grab a hoodie with my face on it. Or one of these creepy U2 voodoo dolls. It's totally creepy. It won't scare anybody. Or get one of these creepy YouTube voodoo dolls. It's totally creepy. It won't scare anybody. I'll get one of these squeezy animal talking hecklefish toy dolls.

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It's there if you want to help us out. Those are all the plugs, right? Uh-huh. Okay. Until next time, be safe, be kind, and know that you are appreciated. a scenario 51 a secret code inside the bible said I would I love my UFOs and paranormal fun as well as music so I'm singing like I should but then another conspiracy theory

becomes the truth my friends and it never ends And it never ends No, it never ends I fear the crab cat and I got stuck inside Mel's home With MKUltra being only too aware Did Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landing alone With MKUltra being only two away Did Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landing alone

On a film set with the shadow people there? The Roswell aliens just fought the smiling man I'm told, and his name was cold And I can't believe I'm dancing with the fishes Heck, I'll fish on Thursday nights Wednesday, J2 And wrap myself in feet

All through the night All I ever wanted was To just hear the truth So the world falls on my feet All through the night The Mothman sightings and the solar storm still come To have got the secret city underground Mysterious number stations, planets are both two

Project Stargate and where the Dark Watchers found In a simulation, don't you worry though The Black Knight said a lot, he told me so I can't believe I'm dancing with the fish Heck, I'll fish out Thursday nights with AJ too And the white balls are my feet all through the night All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth So the wild birds love me beat all through the night

And the fish on Thursday nights when they chase you And the wild birds love me beat all through the night All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth So the world falls on repeat all through the night Gertie loves to dance Gertie loves to dance Gertie loves to dance Gertie loves to dance

Gertie loves to dance Gertie loves to dance Gertie loves to dance. Gertie loves to dance. Gertie loves to dance on the dance floor. Because she is a camel. And camels love to dance when the feeling is right or wasting time. Gertie loves to dance. Gertie loves to dance. I'm getting lucky.