The Smoking Gun Research Agency (SGRA) was established in September of 1997 by current Director Jon Nowinski with the aim of fostering more open discussions and public awareness of paranormal, metaphysical, and unexplained subjects. A long-time experiencer and believer in such events, Jon been on his own when it came to his interest, but during high school he decided to write a research paper on what he believed could be the benefit of applying scientific methods and principals to research into these fields. Impressed by both his personal connection, and the paper he wrote, his teacher shared it with a friend – who happened to be the editor of the town newspaper – who promptly contacted Jon with interest in writing an article. The response to that article was so overwhelming and encouraging that Jon decided to form a group and invite the public to participate, and so the SGRA was born.
The organization rapidly grew, as did the attention that Jon was receiving for his bold research at such a young age – he was only 16 when he founded SGRA. Jon began being invited to give presentations, and as a guest at events, through the Connecticut area, and in 1999 he decided to make the SGRA a nonprofit and member-based group. With the addition of a small group of fellow investigators and researchers, SGRA began collecting and distributing information, conducting case files, expanding public outreach events, and most importantly, getting into the world of the newly-introduced public Internet by creating a website. That website has existed in the same place throughout the years, growing as rapidly as the organization itself, and now is visited by over 150,000 people each month from around the world. Emails and communications through the website come in at a steady stream, as do reports and stories of unexplained events from every corner of the globe.
After 15 years of hard work and dedication to investigation and research the SGRA opened the doors to it’s Library & Research Center, located at 284 Racebrook Road in Orange, Connecticut. The SGRA Center is the first of its kind, featuring a library, offices, research space, a fundraising store, a media room, lounge area, and more. What makes the Center unique is the fact that it is entirely open to the public – you do not have to be a member to attend events there or access the materials. SGRA Members do get special benefits, including the ability to check-out materials from the SGRA Library just like a local public library is, but the goal was to make the location available to anyone interested. From the Center the SGRA maintains its grasp on the latest strange news and happenings from around the world.
If you would like more information about SGRA, or have any specific questions, we invite you to contact us anytime at sgra@sgra.org.
