If you've visited Google today, you've found something that people have spent centuries searching for: the Loch Ness Monster.
Google has gone all out to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the iconic "Surgeon's Photograph," the blurry black-and-white photo said to depict the Loch Ness Monster, which was first published by The Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 and has remained the enduring image of the legendary beast. In addition to a Google Doodle paying homage to the Loch Ness Monster, you can also search for the animal in special, new sections of Google Maps and Google Street View, which is probably the closest we'll ever get to actually seeing this mythic creature.
But Google hasn't gone to all of this trouble for nothing. Though the legend as we know it, a giant monster living in a huge lake in Scotland, began 81 years ago, people are still as fascinated by it today as ever, even if most people know that the "Surgeon's Photograph" and many other pieces of photographic evidence that have come after it were complete hoaxes.
Still, just like believing in Bigfoot, unicorns and Santa Claus, there's something fun and magical about buying into these myths, just for a little while, even if you know they're all just tall tales. That's what movies, TV shows and books are for too, right?
So in honor of the anniversary of one of the most important catalysts of the Loch Ness Monster legend, here are 12 true facts about the story behind the creature.
1. Stories about a Loch Ness Monster date back about 1,500 years
The Loch Ness Monster legend didn't start with the "Surgeon's Photograph." A large, elephant-like beast living in the water was a part of the mythology of a tribe living in the Scottish Highlands known as the Picts, or painted people, since at least the first century A.D., which is the earliest known evidence for the idea of something like a Loch Ness Monster. St. Columba, who is credited with introducing Christianity to Scotland, was the first to write about the creature in 565 A.D., saying that he saw a large beast attempt to attack a man swimming in Loch Ness, but he commanded the creature to turn back around.
2. Loch Ness is a beast in and of itself
"Loch" is the Scottish term for "lake." With a depth of nearly 800 feet and a length of about 23 miles, Loch Ness has the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain.
7. There have been actual scientific expeditions to find Nessie
You may think that you have to be a little crazy to go out searching for the Loch Ness Monster, but beginning in 1958, some of the world's most-respected institutions used sonar to try and find it, including the BBC, Oxford University, Cambridge University and the University of Birmingham, according to NOVA. Although the search didn't turn up much, the sonar operators apparently detected inexplicable, large, moving underwater objects.
8. The search for the Loch Ness Monster continues today
Just because no one has been able to find Nessie yet doesn't mean the beast doesn't exist, right? People are still searching for the creature today. Just Google "Loch Ness Monster," and you'll find tons of websites dedicated to finding the creature, complete with a list of sightings, some of which have occurred in the 21st century. One photo claiming to show the Loch Ness Monster came out as recently as November 2014.
9. The legend brings in an estimated £25 million to Loch Ness and the surrounding area
That's more than $37.3 million.
10. People thought Apple finally found the Loch Ness Monster in 2014
Long before Google encouraged us to find the Loch Ness Monster in Maps and Street View, users found a large, fish-like figure in the waters of the Scottish Highlands in Apple Maps. Many thought the satellite image had finally caught proof of the elusive creature, but it turned out that the silhouette was probably just the result of the wake of a boat with the boat taken out of it.
11. The Loch Ness Monster is a roller coaster ride at Busch Gardens
This roller coaster has been a fixture at the Williamsburg, Va. amusement park for more than 30 years. It's 13 stories tall with a 114-foot drop and can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
12. There's a Loch Ness livecam
Now you don't even have to travel to Scotland to be on the lookout for Nessie 24/7, although you'll mostly just be staring at sheep.
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