It’s a legend that’s mystified people for years and brought countless amounts of would-be Nessie hunters to the shores of Loch Ness in hope of spotting the beast.
From its first reported sighting in 1871, describing it as a “log like, then up-turned boat,’ type creature to the famous ‘Surgeon's photo’ seen above, there are few things that quite capture the public's attention like a prehistoric monster in a large body of water.
And, according to a new book, the entire legend was created in a London pub near Trafalgar Square by a man called DG Gerahty.
Gerahty was reportedly hired by a number of Scottish hotel owners in an effort to drive more tourism to the area that was struggling due to the Great Depression.
According to the book which is published next month, Gerahty was paid a cool £150 for coming up with the beast that was based around a fictional lake monster called Ogopogo in Canada.
The idea apparently deriving from a boozy brainstorm that culminated in the organisation of a fake sighting of the creature, which spurred an influx of other sightings throughout the 1930s onwards.
The book, A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries Of Loch Ness can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
[Via: Mail Online]
