You can’t find one unless you look

Ghosts are, without a doubt, one of the most mysterious and intriguing paranormal things in this world.  They are quite interesting and people even go as far to hunt them, and with that, we are given the national day.

National Ghost Hunting Day takes place on the last Saturday of September, and was established in July of 2016. This year, it will be celebrated on September 26. Its intention is to celebrate the most haunted places in the world, and to celebrate the paranormal investigators and commend the work they’ve dedicated to their locations. National Ghost Hunting Day was popularized by TV shows such as Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters.

Some notable investigators include J.B Rhine, credited as the father of parapsychology, Ed and Lorraine Warren, arguably the most famous husband and wife paranormal team of all time, and Harry Price, a parapsychologist who gained prominence for exposing fake mediums. The first American ghost hunter was an author named Hans Holzer, who wrote over 120 books focused on various supernatural subjects, along with several plays, musicals, films, and TV shows. Holzer was born January 26, 1920 in Austria, and died April 26, 2009 in America at the age of 89.

The earliest accounts of ghost hunting date back to the 18th century, by an organization called The Society for Paranormal Research. However, the intense interest in ghost hunts didn’t start until the early 2000s. With the rise of interest in ghost hunts, so came the rise in paranormal technology. Many new businesses opened that specialized in selling people different sorts of ghost hunting equipment.

While there’s no definitive answer for the most haunted place in the world, there are many contenders that come close. The Hoia Baciu Forest in Romania is considered to be the most haunted forest in the world, with visitors plagued with intense anxiety, the feeling of being watched, or ghostly apparitions.

Another haunted location is the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana. Counted as one of America’s most haunted sites, the plantation was built on a Native American burial ground, and is said to be home to up to twelve ghosts.

Ghost hunting can require tools.  While not always necessary, some tools ghost hunters use include EMF meters, audio recorders, video cameras, or even digital thermometers.  Ghost hunts popularity has risen in more recent years, with Savannah, Georgia having the most tours in the America, with more than 31 as of 2003.

In a survey in October of 2000, 31% of Americans said they believed in ghosts, with a higher number of those believers being women rather than men (Gallup Poll). A 2009 study found that 45% of Americans admitted to believing in ghosts (Pew Research).

Now, the real question is do you believe in ghosts and would you be willing to hunt them on National Ghost Hunting Day?