The Science of Stephen King

In 2003, a panel of experts contradicted the FBI’s analysis of the evidence at the time, and caused the bureau to stop using the technique altogether.5 Why was this single bullet theory so important? If it was found that a second bullet had hit Governor Connally, it would have proven that there was more than one gunman. The Zapruder film shows the injuries caused on that day and the two men being wounded seconds apart wouldn’t be consistent with a bolt-action rifle reloading in that period of time. The conclusion, therefore, would have to be that a single bullet caused all of the wounds or there was more than one shooter.

The second thing that I was fascinated with in studying the JFK assassination was the aforementioned Zapruder film, a silent 8mm color motion picture sequence shot by Abraham Zapruder. It’s not the only footage from that day, but is the clearest example and was used endlessly in analysis. In a particular sequence, it appears that the president’s head goes backwards from the impact of a bullet. This motion caused people to believe that perhaps there was another shooter who was in front of the motorcade. A 2018 study, which replicated the conditions and trajectory of bullets into melons, concluded that “the observed motions of President Kennedy in the film are physically consistent with a high-speed projectile impact from the rear of the motorcade, these resulting from an instantaneous forward impulse force, followed by delayed rearward recoil and neuromuscular forces.”6

In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations stated that acoustic evidence from a Dallas police officer’s radio showed it was likely that two shooters had fired on Kennedy’s limousine, and it concluded that the assassination “probably” involved a conspiracy.7

Last, I was intrigued by Lee Harvey Oswald’s own claims that he was a “patsy.” Could this be possible? Maybe it’s the Fox Mulder conspiracy theorist in me, but I still believe it’s possible he didn’t act alone. There were several tests that were conducted after Oswald’s arrest, one of them was a neutron activation analysis. This test can prove whether or not the person has fired a weapon recently. The test found no evidence of residues on Oswald’s cheek, where the gun would have to be set in order to fire at the motorcade accurately. Seven marksmen carried out a test whereby they made the same shots as Oswald and after being tested, all of them had residues on their cheeks. The fact that Oswald didn’t suggests he didn’t fire a rifle that day. Another fact about Oswald is that he wasn’t that great of a shooter. Having served in the United States Marines, his skills were tested. In 1956, his score of 212 was just two points above the sharpshooter requirement and well below the 220 needed for expert classification. Oswald’s skills didn’t improve as he scored just 191 in May of 1959. In subsequent years, sharpshooters have tried to replicate the lone gunman theory and failed.

Jake Epping prevents the Kennedy assassination in 11/22/63 but the world is in chaos after his return to 2011. He ultimately chooses to reenter the portal to undo his changes so that his beloved Sadie can live and the world will be set on its former path. We may not know what the future holds or how our decisions may impact the world but Stephen King makes one thing clear in this book: love is universal and transcends time and space.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Doctor Sleep

It would be easy to lose count of Stephen King’s many revered novels and stories. So many have been developed into numerous iterations of TV series, movies, and even in the case of The Shining, an opera. He has developed book series like the Dark Tower and Mr. Mercedes trilogy. Most eagle-eyed constant readers can also find connections between many of his books, creating a complex web of mentions that correspond in different works. Yet, King is not known to write sequels for most of his most famous works. The Shining resonated with many readers, and thus was often brought up at readings, interviews, and fan events. One of the most common questions was whatever happened to Danny Torrance, the little boy who lost his father, and had the “shine,” a unique power that allowed him to read thoughts and sense danger?