Did a Chinese fleet really discover America in 1421? When in prehistory were extraterrestrials landing on Earth and teaching humans how to build pyramids? Is it true that the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel took up residence in England and the United States? These and a host of other controversial claims - some quite odd, many plain weird - are investigated in this incredible and often startling book. Fritze shows that in spite of strong, mainstream historical evidence to the contrary, many strange and bewildering ideas have proved to be durable and gained widespread acceptance, from the legend of Atlantis to that of the Welsh-speaking Native Americans.