Michael S. Rosenwald

An annual convention in the California desert offered a safe space for believers to discuss extraterrestrial encounters, crop circles and other paranormal phenomena.

Paul Andrews, an entrepreneur of the unexplained who helped found a convention where UFO believers could discuss extraterrestrial encounters, attend

Paul Andrews, an entrepreneur of the unexplained who helped found a convention where UFO believers could discuss extraterrestrial encounters, attend lectures on interstellar science and don night-vision goggles to search

Back in the heyday of department stores, Olga Soffer stood at the center of the action.

A diving feat landed her on the cover of Sports Illustrated and led to a film and TV career. She also took part in one of the first LSD studies.

Zale Parry, a depth-defying scuba diver and underwater stuntwoman whose reverence for the oceanic world was deepened by tripping out on LSD in a

Victor Niederhoffer, a quirky polymath who pioneered using computers to predict short-term movements in stocks and commodities -- a volatile, high-stakes

Victor Niederhoffer, a quirky polymath who pioneered using computers to predict short-term movements in stocks and commodities — a volatile, high-stakes trading technique that made him and his clients a fortune, which he subsequently lost, regained, then lost again, died Aug. 4 at his home in Weston, Connecticut. He was 82.

A magician’s magician, he was a philosopher of the craft. He didn’t just want to fool people; he wanted to share in their awe of the inexplicable.

Juan Tamariz, a zany, shaggy-haired, snaggletoothed magician whose ingenious card tricks baffled audiences and stumped other sleight-of-hand