Hotel, ran into a bar to tell patrons she had just witnessed a “water beast” in Loch Ness, no one could have imagined that 90 years later we would still be looking for the elusive creature.
While the first written account appears in a 7th-century biography of Saint Columba (who claimed to have driven it back into the water after it attacked someone), it wasn’t until Mackay’s alleged sighting that the legend truly took off.
To commemorate the event, Nessie hunters recently gathered in the Scottish Highlands in hopes of spotting what can be described as an underwater dinosaur with a tiny head and long neck. They used all kinds of modern equipment including underwater sonar and drones to search, but to no avail.
The Loch Ness Monster has been the subject of hundreds of photos, most of them grainy and debunked as hoaxes. In fact, there have been more than 1,150 recorded sightings. But as with most legends, people still like to think the creature exists.
Myth or real, for Scotland the monster is a big win. Accountant and Loch Ness Monster Fan Club founder Gary Campbell estimates Nessie brings in nearly $54 million a year to its economy.