This is a public service announcement to the nearly 13 million Americans who believe they have supernatural powers: You are leaving a lot of money on the table. Various groups of skeptics worldwide have put a total of $1,408,424 (and one goat) on the table, and all that filthy lucre is just waiting to be collected by anyone who can manifest paranormal power.
The first monetary prize for proof of paranormal activity was offered by Scientific American in 1922. In the midst of the spiritualism movement, the publication offered $2,500 for anyone who could produce a "spirit photograph" (a photo that captures an image of a ghost) under controlled conditions, and $2,500 for anyone able to produce a "visible psychic manifestation."
The most famous bounty for psychic ability is the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation. Randi, a magician turned professional skeptic, first offered a prize of $1,000 back in 1964, but the cash grew to a million by 1996. Between 1964 and 2015 when the prize was discontinued, over 1,000 people applied, but none were successful at demonstrating their supernatural power under controlled conditions. No remote viewers were able to remote view. No dowsers were able to find hidden objects. No mind reader was able to read minds.
How paranormal prizes can backfire
While he never tried for James Randi's prize, the two had a famous run-in on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show that demonstrated the problems with disproving paranormal activity. Carson, who had been magician, was skeptical of Geller's claims, and brought him on his show and presented him with some tests that Randi helped develop.
If you want to see some uncomfortable TV, check it out:
You'd think a public failure this complete would have ended Geller's career, but it had the opposite effect. Geller blamed his failure on "not feeling strongly" and claimed he might have been "blocking himself" that night. Many apparently saw Geller's failure as proof that he was the real thing; after all, if he was a magician, the tricks would have worked. Geller then became a popular guest on other talk shows where he was able to perform his tricks successfully under less controlled conditions, and a star was born.
Why disproving anything is difficult
But maybe I'm wrong. If I am, there's over a million dollars and a goat out there waiting for the right person to come along and claim them.
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