There are far too many unsolved mysteries in recorded human history.
If you grew up in the 1980s or ’90s, you already know that. Remember the terrifying voice of the narrator scaring the bejeezus out of you? The stories seemed like they were out of the movies, but they were real stories. As humans, we can’t help but want to know more. We like things solved and figured out.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
The world is full of weird, unexplained mysteries. Some are creepy and others are downright disturbing. Even the advances in science and technology have not been able to fully explain every phenomenon. It really makes you afraid to sleep at night without a night light. It also makes you question whether there are really answers to everything.
Popular media has many preparing for a zombie apocalypse. After reading some of these stories, you won’t mind taking on a zombie.
Between unexplained paranormal occurrences and historical mysteries, you’ll really want to know the answers to all these questions. Even the stories themselves are shrouded in half-truths or myths. We may never know who Jack the Ripper was. Neither will know for certain who killed Kennedy and why.
Here’s 15 of the Strangest Unsolved Mysteries.
1. Roanoke Island
Colonial Times were rough, especially for the first settlers. Queen Elizabeth I of England wanted to colonize North America, so she authorized a charter. Roanoke Island was colonized by Sir Walter Raleigh. Settlers were brought over in waves. By 1587, there was a little over a hundred settlers. John White, the Roanoke Governor, left the colony to return to England in 1587 to gather supplies.
By the time he returned in 1590, the entire colony was deserted. On the side of one structure was etched, “Croatoan”. It was the name of a close by Native American settlement. White figured they moved there, but a search turned up nothing.
Researchers now believe that a drought occurred at the time, forcing the settlers to abandon their settlement. None of the settlers were ever found.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
2. Centralia, PA
The City of Centralia now has less than ten residents. Why?
The city is on fire. Centralia has been burning for over fifty years. Centralia, PA sits on top of Pennsylvania coal veins. The fire began in 1962, but it is unknown how the fire started.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Some claim that the fire was started when a nearby landfill was set ablaze by order from the local government. Another expert says that the fire was started by a coal hauler who dumped hot coals onto the trash dump. A third theory is that a nearby coal fire from 1932 was never fully extinguished, and it finally reached Centralia, PA in 1962.
The cause has never been determined.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
3. Murder of Hae Min Lee
Popularized by the Serial podcast, the Hae Min Lee murder remains a mystery. Lee was found strangled in a park in Baltimore, Maryland on February 9, 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was tried and convicted of her killing.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
One witness claims to have helped Syed dispose of Lee’s body and car. Another witness, who failed to testify at trial, stated that she was with Syed at the exact time that Lee was supposedly killed. Syed has maintained his innocence.
A post-conviction relief hearing was heard in February 2016 where the alleged alibi witness was permitted to testify. If he is found innocent, who killed Hae Min Lee?
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
4. Stonehenge
One of the most baffling mysteries is that of Stonehenge located in England. The Stones are arranged in a peculiar fashion, most likely by the human hand. It is estimated that these structures of stone were built sometime between 3000 to 2000 B.C.E.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
It is widely believed by experts to be some sort of ancient burial ground. Some dispute these claims and believe it was the site of healing rituals.
The construction is a mystery too. It is unknown how ancient builders were able to lift these heavy stones into place. Stonehenge has been left untouched for centuries, and it remains shrouded in mystery.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
5. Dyatlov Pass Incident
On the night of February 2, 1959, a group of nine hikers camped for the night on the Ural Mountains. The hikers were in search of the mountain, Otorten (meaning “don’t go there”). After hearing no word from the hikers by February 20, the families demanded a search party be sent.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
On February 26, the bodies of a few hikers were found. Most were without shoes and wearing little clothes. Their tent had been ripped from the inside. Most of the bodies had wounds that indicated a struggle. One woman had her tongue cut out. Another man had his head bashed in. The remaining bodies were found some months later.
The Soviet authorities deemed their deaths to be the work of an “unknown compelling force”.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
6. Sodder Family Fire
On Christmas Eve 1945, the Sodder family awoke to their house ablaze. The Sodder family had ten children. Five of the children escaped the blaze with their parents. When their father tried to get the other children out of the upper floors, he found his ladder missing.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
None of his trucks were starting and the water on the premises was frozen. The fire department did not respond for several hours after the blaze started. When the fire was put out, there were no remains of the children.
The police did not investigate and the coroner declared the children dead. There are claims that this was the work of the mafia. Others claim that the children were abducted in a child slavery ring that the local police helped to cover up.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
7. Black Dahlia
One of the most infamous unsolved murders is the murder of Elizabeth Short, labeled “The Black Dahlia”. On January 15, 1947, her body was discovered, nude and sliced in half. Her body was drained entirely of blood and rinsed clean.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Her face was cut from ear to ear. Her body appeared to be posed. In the mud near her body was a single heel print and tire tracks. After several days, her apparent killer mailed some of Short’s belongings to a reporter from the Los Angeles Examiner.
Her murder was never solved. Dozens of people have confessed to the murder, but none proved to be viable.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
8. Overtoun Bridge
The Overtoun Bridge in Scotland has been the sight of a remarkable phenomenon. Since the 1950s, around fifty dogs have leaped to their deaths in the water below. It appears that all the dogs have long snouts and jump from the same side of the bridge.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Studies have been conducted as to why the dogs would do this. One study suggested that the dogs were smelling the scent of male mink urine which they followed.
The study was not conclusive. It remains a mystery to this day.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
9. Malaysia Flight 370
Even with all the modern advances in technology, experts are stymied by the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370. The flight took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on March 8, 2014. The flight veered off course and disappeared from radar as it approached Vietnam.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Despite exhaustive search efforts led by several countries, the crash site has yet to be found. A piece of debris was found some months later, but the full crash site was never discovered.
Many are blaming the pilot who allegedly planned to crash the flight. Others say that pilot became unconscious and the plane flew on autopilot until it crashed in the Indian Ocean.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
10. Tamun Shud
On December 1, 1948, a man’s body was found on Somerton Beach in Australia. His body contained no identification and was never identified. The curious thing was that his pants pocket contained a piece of paper with the words “tamun shud” written on it.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
The words mean, “it is finished/ended” in Persian. The paper had been torn out of a rare book of poems which was turned in six months after the body was discovered. The coroner reported that he died of some unknown poison.
This led to the belief that he was an American spy who was killed as a result of the war. His body was never claimed.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
11. The Nazca Lines
These Peruvian Geoglyphs date back past the 1500s when they were first mentioned by explorers. The lines can only be seen fully from the sky. Due to the climate of the plateaus, they have been preserved for centuries. It is unknown how ancient cultures were able to create them.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
The lines have never been explained. Some experts claim that the lines were for astrological purposes, mapping out sights the ancient peoples saw in the sky. Others claim that ancient cultures drew them so that their gods could see them from above.
There are over 300 of the Geoglyphs, some in the shapes of animals.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
12. The Green Children
Sometime during the 12th Century, it was reported that two young children wandered into the village of Suffolk, England. They appeared to be normal children except that their skin was green. They did not speak a known language and only ate beans.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Eventually the girl, the boy having died, learned English and lost her green hue. She informed the townsfolk that she and her brother were from a place called “Saint Martin’s Land” where everyone was green.
Many believe that the tale was pure myth or over exaggerated. Meanwhile, others still search for the truth behind the Green Children.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
13. The Hum
The Hum has no particular place of origin. Populations in towns across the United States and the United Kingdom have reported hearing a low rumbling, like the dull roar of an engine. The sounds have not been explained. People hear the sounds for a period of time before the Hum drops off.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Not everyone in the area reports hearing the Hum, so many question its very existence. It is reported that it could be a widespread case of tinnitus, caused by some unknown force. Other explanations include, fish, spontaneous noise emissions, or unreported uses of heavy machinery.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
14. The Patomskiy Crater
This odd rock formation has baffled scientists for decades. In 1949, scientists discovered a large crater in southeastern Russia. The rock is made up of large chunks of limestone. Scientists believe that the crater was formed no more than 350 years ago.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
Geologists have posited that the crater was a result of either a volcanic eruption, meteorite, and some sort of subterranean gaseous explosion. Naturally, some suspect extra-terrestrial beings.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]
15. The Blobs
On August 7, 1994, the town of Oakville, Washington reported an unusual occurrence – it was raining blobs. Failing from the sky were pink, translucent blobs. They appeared to be gelatin-like substances. Those in the town who touched the blobs reported nausea and fatigue. The blobs were tested and found to contain human white blood cells. A subsequent test, however, found that the cells of the blobs had no nuclei.
[adinserter block=”3″]
[adinserter block=”8″]
One popular theory posited that the blobs were the result of bombing in the Pacific Ocean which caused jellyfish to be jettisoned into the air. Another theory suggested that the blob were the result of an airplane dumping fecal matter into the sky. Neither theory has been proven.
[adinserter block=”7″]
[adinserter block=”2″]