Today in History: The Loch Ness Monster

On this day (August 22) in 564 Saint Columba reported seeing a monster in the region of Loch Ness. Columba's biographer recorded a century later that the saint had been staying in the lands of the Picts when he came across locals burying a man by the River Ness. They explained that he had been attacked by a "water beast" that had mauled him and dragged him under. Columba stunned the Picts by sending his friend to swim across the river. When the beast came, Columba made the sign of the cross and ordered the beast to, "Go no further. Do not touch this man. Go back at once," which it reportedly did. Nessie believers cite this at the first recorded observation of the Loch Ness Monster. Skeptics point out that confrontations with water creatures are common place in early saints' lives.