September 5, 2009: Mysteries of Rock and Wood

In 1969, Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees received a lunar rock from the crew of the Apollo 11 flight, during their goodwill tour of the world. After Drees' death, the rock was given to the Rijksmuseum, the Dutch National Museum.

Recently, however, curators have verified the rock to be nothing but a chunk of petrified wood.

What secrets did the actual rock hold that forced its removal from the museum? What budget cutbacks necessitated a lump of wood to take its place? Was the former Prime Minister and noted Esperantist aware what he was passing to the museum when he died, just weeks short of his 102nd birthday?

These are the things you think when you work for the guy who designed Illuminati.

-- Paul Chapman