Brow Beat

After yesterday’s (fake) “Golden Eagle Snatches Child” video gulled the whole Internet, I wrote about the rich history of baby-snatching-eagle stories. Though raptor experts doubt that the birds would ever fly away with a child, reports of kidnappings by eagle were common in newspapers of the early 20^th century. New York Times headlines alone included “Eagle Carries Off Child,” “Eagle Seizes Little Girl,” “Father Shoots a Bird With Infant in Its Talons,” and more.

But these tales weren’t only found in newspapers. As commenter “Lassie” points out, eagle-snatches-child videos were around at the dawn of cinema. In fact, pioneering director D.W. Griffith got his first starring role in an eagle-snatches-child film, “Rescued From an Eagle’s Nest.” Griffith plays the father and titular rescuer, and I think you’ll agree that special effects have never been any more charming. The baby is played by early Edison Studios star Jinnie Frazer.

Previously
Do Eagles Really Snatch Babies?