Wold Newton Resource Wiki
Wold Newton Resource Wiki
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The Wold Newton Family are sixteen people who were present at the Wold Newton Meteorite strike in 1795, and their descendents. In his book Tarzan Alive Philip José Farmer theorised that the witnesses to the meteorite strike received doses of ionizing radiation released as the rock hit the earth, and that the remarkable abilities and faculties of many of their descendents can be traced to a genetic mutation resulting from that instance of irradiation.

Members of the Wold Newton Family generally possess greatly enhanced intelligence and strength, as well as an exceptional capacity and drive to perform good deeds (or, in a few cases such as Professor Moriarty and Fu Manchu, evil).

The Wold Newton Family, 1795-1901

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A family tree published in Tarzan Alive identifies the core members of the Wold Newton Family, together with other related ancestors who were not themselves descended from witnesses to the meteorite strike - and who are, therefore, somewhat paradoxically, not themselves members of the Wold Newton Family.

The Fabulous Family Tree of Doc Savage

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A family tree by Farmer, published in his follow-up to Tarzan Alive, Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, drawing on his earlier research into the Wold Newton Family. Once again, the genealogy includes people who are not technically members of the Wold Newton Family itself.

Jongor in the Wold Newton Family

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An article published in Farmerphile #12 based on material excised from Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, relating to branches of the Wold Newton Family.

The extended Wold Newton Family

See ongoing list of family members

Copious research by many hands have identified further descendents of the original sixteen witnesses to the Wold Newton meteorite strike.

Parallel cases - the Star Inn Family and others

Wold Newton researcher Dennis Power has identified other meteorite strikes that may have produced families with beneficial genetic mutations, notably a meteorite that, in hitting the Star Inn in London, may have precipitated the Great Fire of London, and the Jahangir Meteorite of India. Some figures can be shown to be members of, for example, both the Wold Newton Family and the Star Inn Family.

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