Weird case files
731 OCT 1974
POISONED HALLOWEEN CANDY
POISONED HALLOWEEN CANDY - THE STRANGER WHO NEVER CAME
Pasadena, Texas, 31 October 1974. Eight-year-old Timothy O'Bryan dies after eating a cyanide-laced Pixy Stix given to him by his own father. The case fixed a fear of poisoned trick-or-treat sweets that decades of research have never matched with a stranger.
Pasadena, Texas, 31 October 1974. Eight-year-old Timothy O'Bryan dies after eating a cyanide-laced Pixy Stix given to him by his own father. The case fixed a fear of poisoned trick-or-treat sweets that decades of research have never matched with a stranger.
830 OCT 1938
WAR OF THE WORLDS
WAR OF THE WORLDS - THE NIGHT RADIO INVADED NEW JERSEY
CBS radio, 30 October 1938. Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre tells a Martian invasion as breaking news from Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Next morning the papers report a nation in panic. Historians who went back to the ratings and the letters think almost nobody was fooled.
CBS radio, 30 October 1938. Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre tells a Martian invasion as breaking news from Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Next morning the papers report a nation in panic. Historians who went back to the ratings and the letters think almost nobody was fooled.
612 APR 1981
KEDDIE MURDERS
KEDDIE MURDERS - CABIN 28
Keddie, California, April 1981. Sue Sharp, her son John and his friend Dana Wingate are killed in cabin 28, and twelve-year-old Tina Sharp is taken. Three boys sleep through it in the next room. Tina's remains are found three years later. No one has ever been charged.
Keddie, California, April 1981. Sue Sharp, her son John and his friend Dana Wingate are killed in cabin 28, and twelve-year-old Tina Sharp is taken. Three boys sleep through it in the next room. Tina's remains are found three years later. No one has ever been charged.
42014
THE WATCHER
THE WATCHER - THE LETTERS TO 657 BOULEVARD
Westfield, New Jersey, 2014. Days after buying their dream house, the Broaddus family get a letter from someone signing as 'the Watcher', who says their family has watched the house for decades. More letters follow. The family never move in, and no one is ever charged.
Westfield, New Jersey, 2014. Days after buying their dream house, the Broaddus family get a letter from someone signing as 'the Watcher', who says their family has watched the house for decades. More letters follow. The family never move in, and no one is ever charged.
519 OCT 1970
BUNNY MAN
BUNNY MAN - THE AXE AND THE RABBIT SUIT OF FAIRFAX COUNTY
Fairfax County, Virginia, October 1970. A man in a rabbit costume throws a hatchet through a parked car's window, then is seen chopping at a porch with an axe on Halloween night. He is never caught. The legend of the Bunny Man Bridge grew from those two police reports.
Fairfax County, Virginia, October 1970. A man in a rabbit costume throws a hatchet through a parked car's window, then is seen chopping at a porch with an axe on Halloween night. He is never caught. The legend of the Bunny Man Bridge grew from those two police reports.
41937
LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE
LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE - THE GREAT LAKES' BERMUDA TRIANGLE
Lake Michigan. Ships vanish, a captain disappears from a locked cabin in 1937, and an airliner with 58 aboard is lost in 1950. Since the 1970s the losses have been called a triangle. Shipwreck hunters have found several of the missing ships, sunk by storms.
Lake Michigan. Ships vanish, a captain disappears from a locked cabin in 1937, and an airliner with 58 aboard is lost in 1950. Since the 1970s the losses have been called a triangle. Shipwreck hunters have found several of the missing ships, sunk by storms.
11950
DOGON AND SIRIUS
DOGON AND SIRIUS - THE STAR THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN
Mali, 1950. Two French anthropologists report that Dogon elders know Sirius has an invisible companion orbiting every 50 years. A 1976 bestseller says visitors from Sirius told them. A 1991 restudy finds the Dogon say they learned about the star from the anthropologist.
Mali, 1950. Two French anthropologists report that Dogon elders know Sirius has an invisible companion orbiting every 50 years. A 1976 bestseller says visitors from Sirius told them. A 1991 restudy finds the Dogon say they learned about the star from the anthropologist.
52500 BC
STONEHENGE
STONEHENGE - MERLIN, THE DRUIDS AND THE STONES
Salisbury Plain, from about 3000 BC. Merlin flew it from Ireland, the Druids built it, aliens used it: the myths keep coming. The archaeology shows people built it over 1,500 years, with bluestones dragged from Wales and an altar stone hauled from the north of Scotland.
Salisbury Plain, from about 3000 BC. Merlin flew it from Ireland, the Druids built it, aliens used it: the myths keep coming. The archaeology shows people built it over 1,500 years, with bluestones dragged from Wales and an altar stone hauled from the north of Scotland.
41180
NAN MADOL
NAN MADOL - THE STONE CITY ON THE REEF
Pohnpei, Micronesia. A city of 92 artificial islets, walled with stacked basalt columns, built from the 8th century and seat of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628. Legend says two sorcerers flew the stones into place. Archaeology says people quarried them on the far side of the island.
Pohnpei, Micronesia. A city of 92 artificial islets, walled with stacked basalt columns, built from the 8th century and seat of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628. Legend says two sorcerers flew the stones into place. Archaeology says people quarried them on the far side of the island.
31918
MIN MIN LIGHTS
MIN MIN LIGHTS - THE OUTBACK GHOST LIGHTS
Outback Australia. Travellers report glowing lights that hover above the horizon, follow cars and vanish when approached. Aboriginal stories about them are older than European settlement. In 2003 a neuroscientist explained them as a mirage of distant lights. No one has caught one on camera.
Outback Australia. Travellers report glowing lights that hover above the horizon, follow cars and vanish when approached. Aboriginal stories about them are older than European settlement. In 2003 a neuroscientist explained them as a mirage of distant lights. No one has caught one on camera.
61991
CROP CIRCLES
CROP CIRCLES - THE PLANK, THE ROPE AND THE CONFESSION
Southern England, 1978 to 1991. Two men from Southampton, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, flatten circles in fields at night with a plank and rope. By the time they confess in 1991, the circles are a national mystery. People have gone on making them ever since.
Southern England, 1978 to 1991. Two men from Southampton, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, flatten circles in fields at night with a plank and rope. By the time they confess in 1991, the circles are a national mystery. People have gone on making them ever since.
719 FEB 1994
GLORIA RAMIREZ
GLORIA RAMIREZ - THE NIGHT THE ER COLLAPSED
Riverside, California, 19 February 1994. As emergency staff fight to save Gloria Ramirez, a 31-year-old mother dying of cancer, they notice an oily sheen and strange smells, then begin to collapse. Twenty-three fall ill. She dies that night. Neither mass hysteria nor a chemical theory explains it all.
Riverside, California, 19 February 1994. As emergency staff fight to save Gloria Ramirez, a 31-year-old mother dying of cancer, they notice an oily sheen and strange smells, then begin to collapse. Twenty-three fall ill. She dies that night. Neither mass hysteria nor a chemical theory explains it all.
77 DEC 1726
MARY TOFT
MARY TOFT - THE WOMAN WHO GAVE BIRTH TO RABBITS
Godalming, Surrey, 1726. Mary Toft appears to give birth to rabbits, and the king's own surgeon believes her. Brought to London and watched, she is caught when a porter confesses to smuggling a rabbit in. She confesses on 7 December 1726.
Godalming, Surrey, 1726. Mary Toft appears to give birth to rabbits, and the king's own surgeon believes her. Brought to London and watched, she is caught when a porter confesses to smuggling a rabbit in. She confesses on 7 December 1726.
79500 BC
GOBEKLI TEPE
GOBEKLI TEPE - THE PILLARS ON POTBELLY HILL
Şanlıurfa, Turkey, around 9500 BC. People without pottery or writing raise circles of carved T-shaped stone pillars on a hilltop, thousands of years before Stonehenge. Hailed as the world's first temple, it became a favourite of lost-civilisation writers. The archaeology tells a different story.
Şanlıurfa, Turkey, around 9500 BC. People without pottery or writing raise circles of carved T-shaped stone pillars on a hilltop, thousands of years before Stonehenge. Hailed as the world's first temple, it became a favourite of lost-civilisation writers. The archaeology tells a different story.
613 FEB 1961
COSO ARTIFACT
COSO ARTIFACT - THE SPARK PLUG IN THE STONE
Olancha, California, 13 February 1961. Rock hunters crack open a 'geode' and find a porcelain and metal object inside, claimed to be 500,000 years old. Spark plug collectors identified it from X-rays as a 1920s Champion spark plug. It is now in a science museum.
Olancha, California, 13 February 1961. Rock hunters crack open a 'geode' and find a porcelain and metal object inside, claimed to be 500,000 years old. Spark plug collectors identified it from X-rays as a 1920s Champion spark plug. It is now in a science museum.
41988
SHROUD OF TURIN
SHROUD OF TURIN - THE CLOTH, THE CARBON TEST AND THE IMAGE
Turin, Italy. A linen cloth bearing the image of a man, with a documented history from the 1350s. Radiocarbon labs dated it to 1260-1390 in 1988. The Church has never declared it authentic, and how the image formed is not agreed.
Turin, Italy. A linen cloth bearing the image of a man, with a documented history from the 1350s. Radiocarbon labs dated it to 1260-1390 in 1988. The Church has never declared it authentic, and how the image formed is not agreed.
618 DEC 1912
PILTDOWN MAN
PILTDOWN MAN - THE FORGED MISSING LINK
Sussex, England, 1912. A skull and jaw announced as the missing link between apes and humans. It was a medieval skull and an orangutan jaw with filed teeth, exposed in 1953 after forty-one years. A 2016 study named Charles Dawson alone.
Sussex, England, 1912. A skull and jaw announced as the missing link between apes and humans. It was a medieval skull and an orangutan jaw with filed teeth, exposed in 1953 after forty-one years. A 2016 study named Charles Dawson alone.
920 DEC 2013
SAILING STONES
SAILING STONES - THE MOVING ROCKS OF RACETRACK PLAYA
Death Valley, California. Rocks leave tracks up to a hundred metres long across a flat dry lake, and for decades nobody saw one move. In December 2013 GPS and time-lapse showed more than sixty moving at once, pushed by thin ice and a light wind. It is one of the few old puzzles solved in the field.
Death Valley, California. Rocks leave tracks up to a hundred metres long across a flat dry lake, and for decades nobody saw one move. In December 2013 GPS and time-lapse showed more than sixty moving at once, pushed by thin ice and a light wind. It is one of the few old puzzles solved in the field.
527 JUL 1909
SS WARATAH
SS WARATAH - THE SHIP THAT VANISHED OFF SOUTH AFRICA
27 July 1909. A new Blue Anchor liner with 211 people aboard disappears between Durban and Cape Town after a storm. The inquiry blames the weather. Passengers had called her top-heavy, searchers found the wrong wreck in 1999, and nobody has found her.
27 July 1909. A new Blue Anchor liner with 211 people aboard disappears between Durban and Cape Town after a storm. The inquiry blames the weather. Passengers had called her top-heavy, searchers found the wrong wreck in 1999, and nobody has found her.
41513
PIRI REIS MAP
PIRI REIS MAP - THE 1513 CHART AND THE ANTARCTICA CLAIM
1513. An Ottoman admiral draws a map of the Atlantic that keeps a lost Columbus chart. Found in Istanbul in 1929, it is claimed to show Antarctica before the ice. Geology and the map's own sources say otherwise. About a third of the map survives.
1513. An Ottoman admiral draws a map of the Atlantic that keeps a lost Columbus chart. Found in Istanbul in 1929, it is claimed to show Antarctica before the ice. Geology and the map's own sources say otherwise. About a third of the map survives.
41898
KENSINGTON RUNESTONE
KENSINGTON RUNESTONE - THE VIKING INSCRIPTION FOUND IN MINNESOTA
1898. A Swedish immigrant farmer says he found a 202-pound slab carved with runes and dated 1362 near Kensington, Minnesota. Most scholars call it a nineteenth-century hoax because of its language. A century of defenders have not gone away, and the carver has never been named.
1898. A Swedish immigrant farmer says he found a 202-pound slab carved with runes and dated 1362 near Kensington, Minnesota. Most scholars call it a nineteenth-century hoax because of its language. A century of defenders have not gone away, and the carver has never been named.
61923
CORAL CASTLE
CORAL CASTLE - ONE MAN, 1,100 TONS OF STONE AND A SECRET
Homestead, Florida. A Latvian immigrant, Edward Leedskalnin, cut and raised about 1,100 short tons of limestone, then moved it ten miles. He said he knew the secret of the pyramid builders and never explained. Photographs show pulleys and tripods. Nobody has shown how he handled the biggest stones unseen.
Homestead, Florida. A Latvian immigrant, Edward Leedskalnin, cut and raised about 1,100 short tons of limestone, then moved it ten miles. He said he knew the secret of the pyramid builders and never explained. Photographs show pulleys and tripods. Nobody has shown how he handled the biggest stones unseen.
53 NOV 1957
WILHELM REICH
WILHELM REICH - ORGONE, THE CLOUDBUSTER AND THE BURNED BOOKS
1954 to 1957. A psychoanalyst who says he has found a life energy is banned by a US federal court from distributing his devices, jailed for contempt and has six tons of his books burned. He dies in prison. Orgone has never been replicated. The burning is documented.
1954 to 1957. A psychoanalyst who says he has found a life energy is banned by a US federal court from distributing his devices, jailed for contempt and has six tons of his books burned. He dies in prison. Orgone has never been replicated. The burning is documented.
32 JUL 1951
MARY REESER
MARY REESER - THE CINDER LADY OF ST. PETERSBURG
2 July 1951. A landlady finds a warm doorknob in St. Petersburg, Florida, and behind it the ashes of a 67-year-old woman in her armchair, with little else burned. The FBI blames a cigarette and the wick effect. Fire experts have reproduced a version of it, but some reported details are disputed.
2 July 1951. A landlady finds a warm doorknob in St. Petersburg, Florida, and behind it the ashes of a 67-year-old woman in her armchair, with little else burned. The FBI blames a cigarette and the wick effect. Fire experts have reproduced a version of it, but some reported details are disputed.
327 NOV 1930
LAKE ANJIKUNI
LAKE ANJIKUNI - THE VILLAGE THAT VANISHED IN THE TELLING
November 1930. A newspaper story says a trapper found an Inuit camp on a remote northern lake abandoned: food on the fire, needles in half-sewn clothes, dogs starved at their posts, 25 people gone. Within weeks a Mountie called it baseless. Decades of retelling turned it into a thousand people and lights in the sky.
November 1930. A newspaper story says a trapper found an Inuit camp on a remote northern lake abandoned: food on the fire, needles in half-sewn clothes, dogs starved at their posts, 25 people gone. Within weeks a Mountie called it baseless. Decades of retelling turned it into a thousand people and lights in the sky.
221 FEB 1997
MEL'S HOLE
MEL'S HOLE - THE BOTTOMLESS PIT ON LATE-NIGHT RADIO
February 1997. A caller named Mel Waters tells Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM about a hole on his Washington land with no bottom: 80,000 feet of fishing line and still falling, and a dead dog that came back. Then the government took it. Nobody has found the hole, or any record of Mel Waters.
February 1997. A caller named Mel Waters tells Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM about a hole on his Washington land with no bottom: 80,000 feet of fishing line and still falling, and a dead dog that came back. Then the government took it. Nobody has found the hole, or any record of Mel Waters.
62 AUG 1970
CALDWELL SKY THREAD
CALDWELL SKY THREAD - FROM JOHN KEEL'S FILES
August 1970. A silver line hangs out of the sky over a house in Caldwell, New Jersey, its top lost in the clouds. Police cannot trace it, crowds gather, and boys reel down buckets of it with fishing rods. DuPont calls it nylon with a hollow core. Nobody ever finds what was holding it up.
August 1970. A silver line hangs out of the sky over a house in Caldwell, New Jersey, its top lost in the clouds. Police cannot trace it, crowds gather, and boys reel down buckets of it with fishing rods. DuPont calls it nylon with a hollow core. Nobody ever finds what was holding it up.
717 MAY 1902
ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM - THE GEARS FROM THE SEA
1901. Sponge divers raise a lump of corroded bronze from a Roman-era wreck off a Greek island. It turns out to be a hand-cranked astronomical computer with at least thirty gears, made around the second century BC. Nothing like it is known for a thousand years, and the people who built it left no name.
1901. Sponge divers raise a lump of corroded bronze from a Roman-era wreck off a Greek island. It turns out to be a hand-cranked astronomical computer with at least thirty gears, made around the second century BC. Nothing like it is known for a thousand years, and the people who built it left no name.
57 AUG 1994
OAKVILLE BLOBS
OAKVILLE BLOBS - THE RAIN THAT CAME DOWN AS JELLY
August 1994. Clear jelly blobs fall with the rain on Oakville, Washington, again and again for three weeks, and people and animals fall ill. A hospital lab finds blood cells, the state's labs contradict it and each other, and a reporter's private test finds a man-made chemical. No sample survives.
August 1994. Clear jelly blobs fall with the rain on Oakville, Washington, again and again for three weeks, and people and animals fall ill. A hospital lab finds blood cells, the state's labs contradict it and each other, and a reporter's private test finds a man-made chemical. No sample survives.
41 MAR 1945
THE SHAVER MYSTERY
THE SHAVER MYSTERY - FROM JOHN KEEL'S FILES
March 1945. Amazing Stories prints a welder's memories of caves under the earth, where degenerate beings called the dero torment the world above with rays and voices. Thousands of readers write in to agree. The caves were never found, and Richard Shaver's missing years turned out to be in state hospitals.
March 1945. Amazing Stories prints a welder's memories of caves under the earth, where degenerate beings called the dero torment the world above with rays and voices. Thousands of readers write in to agree. The caves were never found, and Richard Shaver's missing years turned out to be in state hospitals.
815 DEC 1967
SILVER BRIDGE
SILVER BRIDGE - THE COLLAPSE AT POINT PLEASANT
15 December 1967. In the evening rush before Christmas, the Silver Bridge over the Ohio at Point Pleasant falls into the river and 46 people die. A tenth-of-an-inch crack in one steel bar did it. It came thirteen months to the day after the first Mothman report, and John Keel made it the ending of his book.
15 December 1967. In the evening rush before Christmas, the Silver Bridge over the Ohio at Point Pleasant falls into the river and 46 people die. A tenth-of-an-inch crack in one steel bar did it. It came thirteen months to the day after the first Mothman report, and John Keel made it the ending of his book.
630 JAN 1962
TANGANYIKA LAUGHTER
TANGANYIKA LAUGHTER - THE EPIDEMIC THAT CLOSED THE SCHOOLS
In January 1962 three girls at a boarding school in Kashasha, Tanganyika, began laughing uncontrollably. The outbreak spread to about 1,000 people and closed 14 schools over 18 months. No physical cause was found, and it is now a textbook case of mass psychogenic illness.
In January 1962 three girls at a boarding school in Kashasha, Tanganyika, began laughing uncontrollably. The outbreak spread to about 1,000 people and closed 14 schools over 18 months. No physical cause was found, and it is now a textbook case of mass psychogenic illness.
616 NOV 1938
HALIFAX SLASHER
HALIFAX SLASHER - THE ATTACKER WHO WAS NEVER THERE
In November 1938 Halifax believed a man was attacking women with a mallet and a razor. Vigilantes beat innocent men and Scotland Yard was called in. Then the victims admitted cutting themselves, and Scotland Yard concluded there had been no attacker. Four people went to prison for false reports.
In November 1938 Halifax believed a man was attacking women with a mallet and a razor. Vigilantes beat innocent men and Scotland Yard was called in. Then the victims admitted cutting themselves, and Scotland Yard concluded there had been no attacker. Four people went to prison for false reports.
61974
BETZ SPHERE
BETZ SPHERE - THE BALL THAT ROLLED BACK
In 1974 the Betz family found a polished metal ball on their land near Jacksonville, Florida, and said it rolled about the house on its own and vibrated. The Navy found it was ordinary stainless steel. A paper mill, a parts dealer and a sculptor all pointed to matching balls, and the original ball is now lost.
In 1974 the Betz family found a polished metal ball on their land near Jacksonville, Florida, and said it rolled about the house on its own and vibrated. The Navy found it was ordinary stainless steel. A paper mill, a parts dealer and a sculptor all pointed to matching balls, and the original ball is now lost.
430 NOV 1967
THE LETTERS KEEL KEPT
THE LETTERS KEEL KEPT - FROM JOHN KEEL'S FILES
December 1969. John Keel prints three letters from his collection of threatening mail: a 1967 warning from "The International Bankers" that 1968 would be black, a cut-out paste-up telling a young investigator to forget flying saucers, and a message from "VOK". Keel said four of his letters were pranks. Nobody ever signed these three.
December 1969. John Keel prints three letters from his collection of threatening mail: a 1967 warning from "The International Bankers" that 1968 would be black, a cut-out paste-up telling a young investigator to forget flying saucers, and a message from "VOK". Keel said four of his letters were pranks. Nobody ever signed these three.
42011
MISSING 411
MISSING 411 - THE PEOPLE WHO VANISH IN THE WILD
Former police officer David Paulides says some people who vanish in America's parks and forests fit a strange pattern: gone in seconds, found miles away in places already searched, sometimes without shoes. His books and films have a huge following. Statisticians say the numbers are normal.
Former police officer David Paulides says some people who vanish in America's parks and forests fit a strange pattern: gone in seconds, found miles away in places already searched, sometimes without shoes. His books and films have a huge following. Statisticians say the numbers are normal.
524 SEP 1913
BROWN MOUNTAIN LIGHTS
BROWN MOUNTAIN LIGHTS - THE GHOST LIGHTS OF NORTH CAROLINA
For more than a century, people have watched glowing orbs rise over a ridge in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. The government blamed trains in 1913 and 1922, the Kingston Trio sang about them, and Mulder and Scully went looking. In 2016, university cameras finally caught something.
For more than a century, people have watched glowing orbs rise over a ridge in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. The government blamed trains in 1913 and 1922, the Kingston Trio sang about them, and Mulder and Scully went looking. In 2016, university cameras finally caught something.
41850
SENECA GUNS
SENECA GUNS - THE SKYQUAKES
For centuries, all over the world, the sky has gone boom for no clear reason. Lewis and Clark heard it in Montana, a Connecticut town is named after it, and the Carolina coast still hears it today. Some skyquakes are tiny earthquakes or sonic booms. Some are still unexplained.
For centuries, all over the world, the sky has gone boom for no clear reason. Lewis and Clark heard it in Montana, a Connecticut town is named after it, and the Carolina coast still hears it today. Some skyquakes are tiny earthquakes or sonic booms. Some are still unexplained.
41889
HAWARA LABYRINTH
HAWARA LABYRINTH - THE BUILDING GREATER THAN THE PYRAMIDS
Hawara, Egypt. Herodotus describes a labyrinth of 3,000 rooms that surpassed the pyramids, half of it underground and off limits. Petrie finds its vast foundation in 1889. A 2008 radar survey finds walls and chambers beneath, then the dig is stopped. Now satellite-radar claims describe a 40-metre metallic-looking object at its heart, nicknamed Dippy.
Hawara, Egypt. Herodotus describes a labyrinth of 3,000 rooms that surpassed the pyramids, half of it underground and off limits. Petrie finds its vast foundation in 1889. A 2008 radar survey finds walls and chambers beneath, then the dig is stopped. Now satellite-radar claims describe a 40-metre metallic-looking object at its heart, nicknamed Dippy.
51928
PARACAS SKULLS
PARACAS SKULLS - THE ELONGATED SKULLS OF PERU
Paracas, Peru. Julio Tello digs up hundreds of burials in the late 1920s, many with long, cone-shaped skulls. Archaeologists say the shape comes from binding babies' heads. Others say the biggest skulls hold more brain than any human and lack the suture along the top. A 2014 DNA claim went further, then later results pointed back to human ancestry.
Paracas, Peru. Julio Tello digs up hundreds of burials in the late 1920s, many with long, cone-shaped skulls. Archaeologists say the shape comes from binding babies' heads. Others say the biggest skulls hold more brain than any human and lack the suture along the top. A 2014 DNA claim went further, then later results pointed back to human ancestry.
41 OCT 1931
SS BAYCHIMO
SS BAYCHIMO - THE GHOST SHIP OF THE ARCTIC
Off Barrow, Alaska, 1931. The Hudson's Bay Company steamer Baychimo is trapped in the ice and abandoned. She doesn't sink. For 38 years hunters, traders and crews see her drifting in the Arctic with nobody aboard, and several people board her. The last sighting is in 1969, and a 2006 search hasn't found her.
Off Barrow, Alaska, 1931. The Hudson's Bay Company steamer Baychimo is trapped in the ice and abandoned. She doesn't sink. For 38 years hunters, traders and crews see her drifting in the Arctic with nobody aboard, and several people board her. The last sighting is in 1969, and a 2006 search hasn't found her.
414 JUL 1518
DANCING PLAGUE 1518
DANCING PLAGUE 1518 - THE SUMMER STRASBOURG COULD NOT STOP
Strasbourg, July 1518. Frau Troffea starts dancing in her street and doesn't stop. By August dozens or hundreds join her. The city council hires musicians and builds a stage, then bans music, and finally sends the dancers to the shrine of Saint Vitus. The records are solid. The famous death toll is not.
Strasbourg, July 1518. Frau Troffea starts dancing in her street and doesn't stop. By August dozens or hundreds join her. The city council hires musicians and builds a stage, then bans music, and finally sends the dancers to the shrine of Saint Vitus. The records are solid. The famous death toll is not.
63 MAR 1876
KENTUCKY MEAT SHOWER
KENTUCKY MEAT SHOWER - FLESH FROM A CLEAR SKY
Bath County, Kentucky, 3 March 1876. Flakes of raw meat fall from a sunny sky across a field near Olympia Springs. Neighbours taste it, the New York Times reports it, and microscopists identify lung, muscle and cartilage. The best explanation is vultures disgorging overhead, and one sample still survives in a jar in Lexington.
Bath County, Kentucky, 3 March 1876. Flakes of raw meat fall from a sunny sky across a field near Olympia Springs. Neighbours taste it, the New York Times reports it, and microscopists identify lung, muscle and cartilage. The best explanation is vultures disgorging overhead, and one sample still survives in a jar in Lexington.
54 APR 1943
LADY BE GOOD
LADY BE GOOD - THE BOMBER FOUND 440 MILES INLAND
Libyan Desert, 4 April 1943. The B-24 Lady Be Good overshoots her base in the dark, and her nine crew bail out over the desert believing they are over the sea. In 1958 oil surveyors find the aircraft almost intact. In 1960 searchers find eight of the men, and the co-pilot's diary of their walk. Vernon Moore has never been found.
Libyan Desert, 4 April 1943. The B-24 Lady Be Good overshoots her base in the dark, and her nine crew bail out over the desert believing they are over the sea. In 1958 oil surveyors find the aircraft almost intact. In 1960 searchers find eight of the men, and the co-pilot's diary of their walk. Vernon Moore has never been found.
45 DEC 1945
BERMUDA TRIANGLE
BERMUDA TRIANGLE - FLIGHT 19 AND THE LEGEND
The western Atlantic between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Flight 19 vanishes in December 1945; USS Cyclops in 1918. Named in 1964, made famous in 1974, and taken apart in 1975 by a librarian who checked the records. The loss rate is ordinary.
The western Atlantic between Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Flight 19 vanishes in December 1945; USS Cyclops in 1918. Named in 1964, made famous in 1974, and taken apart in 1975 by a librarian who checked the records. The loss rate is ordinary.
612 NOV 1945
BENNINGTON TRIANGLE
BENNINGTON TRIANGLE - FIVE VERMONT DISAPPEARANCES
1945 to 1950. Glastenbury Mountain, Vermont. Five people vanish: a hunting guide, a college student, a bus passenger, a child, and a hiker with a seizure disorder. Only one body was ever found, in an area already searched. One disappearance directly led to the founding of the Vermont State Police in 1947. Named 'the Bennington Triangle' by a folklorist decades later.
1945 to 1950. Glastenbury Mountain, Vermont. Five people vanish: a hunting guide, a college student, a bus passenger, a child, and a hiker with a seizure disorder. Only one body was ever found, in an area already searched. One disappearance directly led to the founding of the Vermont State Police in 1947. Named 'the Bennington Triangle' by a folklorist decades later.
51950
OVERTOUN BRIDGE
OVERTOUN BRIDGE - SCOTLAND'S DOG SUICIDE BRIDGE
Near Dumbarton, Scotland, 1950s to today. Dogs, mostly long-nosed breeds, keep leaping from the same side of an 1895 bridge over a 15-metre drop, usually on clear days. The leading explanation is scent, most likely mink, and a parapet that hides the drop. A local hunter says there are no mink there.
Near Dumbarton, Scotland, 1950s to today. Dogs, mostly long-nosed breeds, keep leaping from the same side of an 1895 bridge over a 15-metre drop, usually on clear days. The leading explanation is scent, most likely mink, and a parapet that hides the drop. A local hunter says there are no mink there.
815 JAN 1947
BLACK DAHLIA
BLACK DAHLIA - THE UNSOLVED 1947 ELIZABETH SHORT MURDER
January 1947. Los Angeles. Elizabeth Short is found mutilated in a vacant lot. Over 150 suspects investigated, none charged. A 1950 wiretap captures leading suspect George Hodel's own words, surfaced decades later by his son, a retired LAPD detective. The case remains officially open.
January 1947. Los Angeles. Elizabeth Short is found mutilated in a vacant lot. Over 150 suspects investigated, none charged. A 1950 wiretap captures leading suspect George Hodel's own words, surfaced decades later by his son, a retired LAPD detective. The case remains officially open.
54 MAY 1932
ATLAS VAMPIRE
ATLAS VAMPIRE - STOCKHOLM'S UNSOLVED 1932 BLOODLETTING MURDER
May 1932. Stockholm's Atlas district. Lilly Lindestrom found bludgeoned to death, her body reportedly drained of blood, a bloodstained gravy ladle beside her. Nine clients questioned, none charged. The weapon was never found, and the case's signature forensic detail was never tested against ordinary postmortem lividity.
May 1932. Stockholm's Atlas district. Lilly Lindestrom found bludgeoned to death, her body reportedly drained of blood, a bloodstained gravy ladle beside her. Nine clients questioned, none charged. The weapon was never found, and the case's signature forensic detail was never tested against ordinary postmortem lividity.
51933
GLOOMY SUNDAY
GLOOMY SUNDAY - THE HUNGARIAN 'SUICIDE SONG' LEGEND
1933. Budapest. Rezso Seress and Laszlo Javor's bleak ballad acquires a reputation as a suicide trigger, linked in legend to over a hundred deaths and banned by broadcasters. Statistical review finds no measurable suicide-rate effect. Almost none of the individual death anecdotes trace to a named source.
1933. Budapest. Rezso Seress and Laszlo Javor's bleak ballad acquires a reputation as a suicide trigger, linked in legend to over a hundred deaths and banned by broadcasters. Statistical review finds no measurable suicide-rate effect. Almost none of the individual death anecdotes trace to a named source.
53 JUL 1908
PHAISTOS DISC
PHAISTOS DISC - THE UNDECIPHERED CRETAN CLAY TABLET
July 1908. Phaistos, Crete. A fired clay disc bearing 241 stamped symbols in a script matched nowhere else on Earth. No confirmed decipherment in over a century of attempts. A separate, still-unsettled dispute questions whether the disc is even genuine.
July 1908. Phaistos, Crete. A fired clay disc bearing 241 stamped symbols in a script matched nowhere else on Earth. No confirmed decipherment in over a century of attempts. A separate, still-unsettled dispute questions whether the disc is even genuine.
619 FEB 2013
ELISA LAM
ELISA LAM - THE CECIL HOTEL WATER TANK DEATH
January to February 2013. Downtown Los Angeles. Elisa Lam vanishes from the Cecil Hotel; viral elevator footage shows erratic final movements. Her body is found in a rooftop water tank nineteen days later. Ruled accidental drowning, bipolar disorder a contributing factor. How she got past the locked roof and sealed the tank alone remains unexplained.
January to February 2013. Downtown Los Angeles. Elisa Lam vanishes from the Cecil Hotel; viral elevator footage shows erratic final movements. Her body is found in a rooftop water tank nineteen days later. Ruled accidental drowning, bipolar disorder a contributing factor. How she got past the locked roof and sealed the tank alone remains unexplained.
720 DEC 1968
ZODIAC KILLER
ZODIAC KILLER - FIVE MURDERS AND FOUR CIPHERS
Northern California, 1968-69. A gunman kills five people, names himself the Zodiac, and taunts the press with four ciphers. One was solved in days, one took 51 years, and two are still unsolved. Suspects have been named again and again, most recently in 2025. The case is still open.
Northern California, 1968-69. A gunman kills five people, names himself the Zodiac, and taunts the press with four ciphers. One was solved in days, one took 51 years, and two are still unsolved. Suspects have been named again and again, most recently in 2025. The case is still open.
69 SEP 1967
SNIPPY
SNIPPY - THE HORSE THAT STARTED THE MUTILATIONS
San Luis Valley, Colorado, 9 September 1967. A ranch horse named Lady, reported as Snippy, is found with the flesh stripped from her head and neck, the bones white, and no blood on the ground. Her owner says the hide burned her hand, and a ranger reports radioactivity. It became the case that started the modern animal mutilation story.
San Luis Valley, Colorado, 9 September 1967. A ranch horse named Lady, reported as Snippy, is found with the flesh stripped from her head and neck, the bones white, and no blood on the ground. Her owner says the hide burned her hand, and a ranger reports radioactivity. It became the case that started the modern animal mutilation story.
51969
MAGONIA
MAGONIA - THE BOOK THAT TIED UFOS TO FOLKLORE
Lyon, 815 AD. Archbishop Agobard writes against a local belief that ships from a land in the clouds called Magonia steal crops in storms, and says he stopped a crowd from stoning four strangers said to have fallen from one. In 1969 Jacques Vallée revived the name for Passport to Magonia, the book that tied UFOs to folklore.
Lyon, 815 AD. Archbishop Agobard writes against a local belief that ships from a land in the clouds called Magonia steal crops in storms, and says he stopped a crowd from stoning four strangers said to have fallen from one. In 1969 Jacques Vallée revived the name for Passport to Magonia, the book that tied UFOs to folklore.
42005
SERPO
SERPO - THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM TO ZETA RETICULI
November 2005. Victor Martinez begins posting anonymous messages to his UFO email list, said to come from a retired intelligence official. They describe Project Serpo: twelve US servicemen who spent thirteen years on a planet in Zeta Reticuli after Roswell. More than seventy posts follow. No document or witness has ever backed it, and researchers trace it to an earlier disinformation source.
November 2005. Victor Martinez begins posting anonymous messages to his UFO email list, said to come from a retired intelligence official. They describe Project Serpo: twelve US servicemen who spent thirteen years on a planet in Zeta Reticuli after Roswell. More than seventy posts follow. No document or witness has ever backed it, and researchers trace it to an earlier disinformation source.
528 JUL 1999
AVEBURY
AVEBURY - THE STONE CIRCLE AND THE CROP CIRCLE
Avebury, Wiltshire. The world's largest stone circle, built around 2850 to 2200 BC, holds two mysteries. One is real archaeology: a medieval man crushed under a falling stone, his skeleton thought lost in the Blitz and found again decades later. The other is a 1999 crop circle made openly by artists for a newspaper, to show how easily experts would call it genuine.
Avebury, Wiltshire. The world's largest stone circle, built around 2850 to 2200 BC, holds two mysteries. One is real archaeology: a medieval man crushed under a falling stone, his skeleton thought lost in the Blitz and found again decades later. The other is a 1999 crop circle made openly by artists for a newspaper, to show how easily experts would call it genuine.
31776
SILBURY HILL
SILBURY HILL - EUROPE'S BIGGEST MOUND, NO ONE INSIDE
Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, about 2400 BC. The largest prehistoric mound in Europe, dug into in 1776, 1849, and 1968-70, and stabilized in 2007-08. No burial, no chamber, no stated purpose. Ley lines and crop circles filled the gap the archaeology left.
Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, about 2400 BC. The largest prehistoric mound in Europe, dug into in 1776, 1849, and 1968-70, and stabilized in 2007-08. No burial, no chamber, no stated purpose. Ley lines and crop circles filled the gap the archaeology left.
56 FEB 1966
UMMO
UMMO - THE LETTERS FROM ANOTHER PLANET
Spain, from 1966. Thousands of pages of typed letters arrive, claiming to come from Ummo, a planet 14.6 light-years away, full of alien science, philosophy and political opinion. They reach researchers across Europe and beyond for almost thirty years. In 1993 psychologist José Luis Jordán Peña says he was behind them.
Spain, from 1966. Thousands of pages of typed letters arrive, claiming to come from Ummo, a planet 14.6 light-years away, full of alien science, philosophy and political opinion. They reach researchers across Europe and beyond for almost thirty years. In 1993 psychologist José Luis Jordán Peña says he was behind them.
512 APR 1991
SASOVO
SASOVO - THE 1991 CRATER IN RYAZAN
12 April 1991, about 1:30 a.m. A blast near Sasovo, Russia, smashes windows across town and leaves a 28-metre crater. Fertiliser stored on the spot is doubted. A second crater appears in 1992. Cause unknown.
12 April 1991, about 1:30 a.m. A blast near Sasovo, Russia, smashes windows across town and leaves a 28-metre crater. Fertiliser stored on the spot is doubted. A second crater appears in 1992. Cause unknown.
410 NOV 1958
HOPE DIAMOND
HOPE DIAMOND - THE BLUE STONE AND THE SALES PITCH CURSE
Washington, 10 November 1958. A mail carrier delivers the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian, posted by Harry Winston for $2.44 plus insurance. The 45.52-carat blue stone comes with a famous curse. Its history is well documented. The curse first shows up around 1900, when dealers needed a buyer.
Washington, 10 November 1958. A mail carrier delivers the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian, posted by Harry Winston for $2.44 plus insurance. The 45.52-carat blue stone comes with a famous curse. Its history is well documented. The curse first shows up around 1900, when dealers needed a buyer.
312 JUL 1990
ALTON BARNES
ALTON BARNES - EAST FIELD WHEAT PICTOGRAM LAID FLAT
12 July 1990. East Field, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire. Wheat pictogram large enough from Milk Hill and from a light aircraft: the wheat was flat in a designed pattern. Same summer Bower and Chorley already say they made simpler marks with plank and rope.
12 July 1990. East Field, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire. Wheat pictogram large enough from Milk Hill and from a light aircraft: the wheat was flat in a designed pattern. Same summer Bower and Chorley already say they made simpler marks with plank and rope.
31680
DIGHTON ROCK
DIGHTON ROCK - WHO CARVED THE RIVER STONE
A 40-ton boulder from the Taunton River, Massachusetts, covered in carvings. Since 1680 credited to Phoenician, Norse, Portuguese and Chinese visitors. Specialists see Indigenous work. In a museum since 1963.
A 40-ton boulder from the Taunton River, Massachusetts, covered in carvings. Since 1680 credited to Phoenician, Norse, Portuguese and Chinese visitors. Specialists see Indigenous work. In a museum since 1963.
62 APR 1978
BELL ISLAND BOOM
BELL ISLAND BOOM - THE 1978 BLAST IN NEWFOUNDLAND
On a Sunday morning in 1978 a blast blew the outlets out of a house on Bell Island, Newfoundland, killed the hens and left holes in the snow. Lightning, a meteor and a Soviet ray were all suggested, and Los Alamos scientists reportedly flew in.
On a Sunday morning in 1978 a blast blew the outlets out of a house on Bell Island, Newfoundland, killed the hens and left holes in the snow. Lightning, a meteor and a Soviet ray were all suggested, and Los Alamos scientists reportedly flew in.
41960
AOKIGAHARA
AOKIGAHARA - FUJI SEA OF TREES WITH OFFICIAL WARNING SIGNS
Aokigahara, the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji. Books, films and internet lists have tied it to suicide, and that reputation has drawn people there. Signs at the forest's edge now ask anyone in crisis to turn back and get help. This report will not map the forest. It points to the signs, and to where help is.
Aokigahara, the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji. Books, films and internet lists have tied it to suicide, and that reputation has drawn people there. Signs at the forest's edge now ask anyone in crisis to turn back and get help. This report will not map the forest. It points to the signs, and to where help is.
418 AUG 1968
HOIA BACIU
HOIA BACIU - THE CLUJ FOREST AND THE 1968 DISC
Hoia-Baciu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. On 18 August 1968 Emil Barnea photographs a disc over the trees. The famous clearing grows grass, and searches find no record of the famous disappearances.
Hoia-Baciu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. On 18 August 1968 Emil Barnea photographs a disc over the trees. The famous clearing grows grass, and searches find no record of the famous disappearances.
52 DEC 1919
AMBROSE SMALL
AMBROSE SMALL - THE MILLIONAIRE WHO VANISHED IN TORONTO
2 December 1919. Theatre owner Ambrose Small banks $1 million from the sale of his theatres, meets his lawyer at the Grand Opera House, and is never seen after about 5:30 p.m. His secretary flees with stolen bonds; his wife inherits. No body, no charge.
2 December 1919. Theatre owner Ambrose Small banks $1 million from the sale of his theatres, meets his lawyer at the Grand Opera House, and is never seen after about 5:30 p.m. His secretary flees with stolen bonds; his wife inherits. No body, no charge.
67 JUN 1992
SPRINGFIELD THREE
SPRINGFIELD THREE - THREE WOMEN GONE, HOUSE LEFT MID-SENTENCE
Springfield, Missouri, 7 June 1992. Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie Streeter and Suzie's friend Stacy McCall vanish from the Levitt home the morning after graduation. Purses, keys, cars and the dog are all still there. The only sign of trouble is a broken porch light. More than thirty years later, none of the three has been found.
Springfield, Missouri, 7 June 1992. Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie Streeter and Suzie's friend Stacy McCall vanish from the Levitt home the morning after graduation. Purses, keys, cars and the dog are all still there. The only sign of trouble is a broken porch light. More than thirty years later, none of the three has been found.
417 AUG 1965
OAK ISLAND
OAK ISLAND - THE MONEY PIT
Oak Island, Nova Scotia, 1795. Daniel McGinnis finds a hollow and starts digging. More than two centuries of shafts and six deaths later, no treasure has been found. Studies blame natural flooding of the pit.
Oak Island, Nova Scotia, 1795. Daniel McGinnis finds a hollow and starts digging. More than two centuries of shafts and six deaths later, no treasure has been found. Studies blame natural flooding of the pit.
58 OCT 2009
JAMISON FAMILY
JAMISON FAMILY - CASH, DOG, AND A TRUCK IN THE SANS BOIS
8 October 2009. Bobby, Sherilyn, and six-year-old Madyson Jamison leave Eufaula, Oklahoma. Their truck is found eight days later with $32,000, their phones, and their dog inside. Hunters find their remains on 16 November 2013. Cause of death undetermined. No one charged.
8 October 2009. Bobby, Sherilyn, and six-year-old Madyson Jamison leave Eufaula, Oklahoma. Their truck is found eight days later with $32,000, their phones, and their dog inside. Hunters find their remains on 16 November 2013. Cause of death undetermined. No one charged.
510 JUN 1912
VILLISCA
VILLISCA - THE AXE MURDERS OF 1912
10 June 1912. Villisca, Iowa. Eight dead in the Josiah Moore house: the Moores, four children, and Lena and Ina Stillinger after Children’s Day: why the house was full. An axe on the property. Arrests later. No lasting conviction.
10 June 1912. Villisca, Iowa. Eight dead in the Josiah Moore house: the Moores, four children, and Lena and Ina Stillinger after Children’s Day: why the house was full. An axe on the property. Arrests later. No lasting conviction.
57 NOV 1974
LORD LUCAN
LORD LUCAN - THE MURDER OF SANDRA RIVETT AND THE PEER WHO VANISHED
Belgravia, 7 November 1974. Nanny Sandra Rivett is beaten to death and Lady Lucan is attacked. Lord Lucan drives to friends in Sussex, leaves before dawn and vanishes. His borrowed car turns up at Newhaven with a lead pipe inside. An inquest names him. He has never been found.
Belgravia, 7 November 1974. Nanny Sandra Rivett is beaten to death and Lady Lucan is attacked. Lord Lucan drives to friends in Sussex, leaves before dawn and vanishes. His borrowed car turns up at Newhaven with a lead pipe inside. An inquest names him. He has never been found.
46 AUG 1930
JUDGE CRATER
JUDGE CRATER - LAST SEEN ON WEST FORTY-FIFTH STREET, NO BODY
6 August 1930. Judge Joseph Force Crater, 41, dines on West 45th Street and is not reliably seen again. Police are told four weeks later. Declared dead 1939. A 2005 letter names killers. No body.
6 August 1930. Judge Joseph Force Crater, 41, dines on West 45th Street and is not reliably seen again. Police are told four weeks later. Declared dead 1939. A 2005 letter names killers. No body.
31983
TOYNBEE TILES
TOYNBEE TILES - STREET PLATES RESURRECT DEAD ON JUPITER
From 1983. Hundreds of linoleum plates pressed into streets in American and South American cities carry the same message: TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER. A 2011 documentary names a Philadelphia recluse. He has never explained them.
From 1983. Hundreds of linoleum plates pressed into streets in American and South American cities carry the same message: TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER. A 2011 documentary names a Philadelphia recluse. He has never explained them.
44 JAN 2012
CICADA 3301
CICADA 3301 - THE INTERNET PUZZLE NOBODY CLAIMED
4chan, 5 January 2012. An image appears: 'We are looking for highly intelligent individuals.' It starts a chain of codes and hidden messages that sends solvers to posters in cities around the world, every round signed with the same encryption key. Cicada 3301 ran again in 2013 and 2014. Nobody has said who was behind it, or what the winners were recruited into.
4chan, 5 January 2012. An image appears: 'We are looking for highly intelligent individuals.' It starts a chain of codes and hidden messages that sends solvers to posters in cities around the world, every round signed with the same encryption key. Cicada 3301 ran again in 2013 and 2014. Nobody has said who was behind it, or what the winners were recruited into.
41912
VOYNICH
VOYNICH - UNREAD MEDIEVAL SCRIPT AT YALE BEINECKE
About 240 vellum folios, carbon-dated early 1400s. Plants that will not sit in a known flora. Script unread. Wilfrid Voynich buys the manuscript in 1912 from Mondragone; Yale’s Beinecke holds it. No accompanying key.
About 240 vellum folios, carbon-dated early 1400s. Plants that will not sit in a known flora. Script unread. Wilfrid Voynich buys the manuscript in 1912 from Mondragone; Yale’s Beinecke holds it. No accompanying key.
43 NOV 1990
KRYPTOS
KRYPTOS - THE CIA'S CODED SCULPTURE AND THE LAST 97 LETTERS
CIA headquarters, 3 November 1990. Jim Sanborn's copper sculpture Kryptos hides four coded messages. Three fell in the 1990s. The fourth, K4, held for 35 years, until two writers found its answer in a Smithsonian archive in 2025. It sold for $962,500 and is still unpublished.
CIA headquarters, 3 November 1990. Jim Sanborn's copper sculpture Kryptos hides four coded messages. Three fell in the 1990s. The fourth, K4, held for 35 years, until two writers found its answer in a Smithsonian archive in 2025. It sold for $962,500 and is still unpublished.
31590
ROANOKE
ROANOKE - THE LOST COLONY AND CROATOAN
Roanoke Island, 18 August 1590. John White returns three years late to find the colony gone, the houses taken down, and CROATOAN carved on a post with no cross of distress. Storms stop him reaching the island the word names.
Roanoke Island, 18 August 1590. John White returns three years late to find the colony gone, the houses taken down, and CROATOAN carved on a post with no cross of distress. Storms stop him reaching the island the word names.
41944
MAD GASSER
MAD GASSER - THE PHANTOM ATTACKER OF MATTOON
Mattoon, Illinois, September 1944. Dozens report a sweet gas at their windows, then nausea and numb legs. A prowler is glimpsed. Police find no gasser and blame hysteria. No one is ever charged.
Mattoon, Illinois, September 1944. Dozens report a sweet gas at their windows, then nausea and numb legs. A prowler is glimpsed. Police find no gasser and blame hysteria. No one is ever charged.
424 FEB 1978
YUBA COUNTY FIVE
YUBA COUNTY FIVE - FIVE MEN, ONE MOUNTAIN ROAD, MATHIAS STILL MISSING
24 February 1978. Five friends leave a basketball game in Chico and their car turns up undamaged on a snowbound road in the Plumas National Forest. In June, four are found dead, one in a trailer stocked with food he barely touched. Gary Mathias has never been found.
24 February 1978. Five friends leave a basketball game in Chico and their car turns up undamaged on a snowbound road in the Plumas National Forest. In June, four are found dead, one in a trailer stocked with food he barely touched. Gary Mathias has never been found.
517 DEC 1967
HAROLD HOLT
HAROLD HOLT - THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WENT FOR A SWIM
Cheviot Beach, Victoria, 17 December 1967. Prime Minister Harold Holt swims out into rough surf and vanishes in front of his friends. More than 340 searchers find nothing. A coroner ruled he drowned. His wife's answer to the Chinese submarine theory: he didn't even like Chinese food.
Cheviot Beach, Victoria, 17 December 1967. Prime Minister Harold Holt swims out into rough surf and vanishes in front of his friends. More than 340 searchers find nothing. A coroner ruled he drowned. His wife's answer to the Chinese submarine theory: he didn't even like Chinese food.
32 AUG 1947
STAR DUST
STAR DUST - THE LAST MESSAGE: STENDEC
2 August 1947. BSAA Lancastrian Star Dust, 11 aboard, sends its last Morse word, STENDEC, four minutes before its Santiago ETA. The wreck emerges from a glacier on Tupungato from 1998. The word is still unread.
2 August 1947. BSAA Lancastrian Star Dust, 11 aboard, sends its last Morse word, STENDEC, four minutes before its Santiago ETA. The wreck emerges from a glacier on Tupungato from 1998. The word is still unread.
55 DEC 1945
FLIGHT 19
FLIGHT 19 - FIVE AVENGERS AND THE BIRTH OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
5 December 1945. Five Navy Avenger bombers leave Fort Lauderdale on a training flight. Their leader radios that his compasses have failed and he thinks he's over the Keys. He isn't. The flight is lost over the Atlantic, and a flying boat sent to find them explodes with 13 aboard. The birth of the Bermuda Triangle.
5 December 1945. Five Navy Avenger bombers leave Fort Lauderdale on a training flight. Their leader radios that his compasses have failed and he thinks he's over the Keys. He isn't. The flight is lost over the Atlantic, and a flying boat sent to find them explodes with 13 aboard. The birth of the Bermuda Triangle.
417 APR 1897
AURORA 1897
AURORA 1897 - NEWSPAPER AIRSHIP CRASH AND CHRISTIAN BURIAL IN TEXAS
17 April 1897. Dallas Morning News prints S. E. Haydon’s account: an airship strikes a windmill in Aurora, Texas, and a pilot not of this world is given Christian burial. No verified remains were ever released from the cemetery claim.
17 April 1897. Dallas Morning News prints S. E. Haydon’s account: an airship strikes a windmill in Aurora, Texas, and a pilot not of this world is given Christian burial. No verified remains were ever released from the cemetery claim.
44 MAR 1918
USS CYCLOPS
USS CYCLOPS - COLLIER AND THREE HUNDRED NINE SOULS LOST
USS Cyclops left Bahia on 4 March 1918 for Baltimore with three hundred and nine souls aboard and never arrived. No distress call is pinned to her. No accepted wreck has been identified.
USS Cyclops left Bahia on 4 March 1918 for Baltimore with three hundred and nine souls aboard and never arrived. No distress call is pinned to her. No accepted wreck has been identified.
523 MAY 1964
SOLWAY SPACEMAN
SOLWAY SPACEMAN - TEMPLETON FAMILY NEGATIVE WITH WHITE FIGURE
Burgh Marsh, Cumbria, 23 May 1964. Jim Templeton photographs his daughter Elizabeth. A white-suited figure appears behind her on the print. Kodak finds the negative untouched. Templeton saw nobody else there.
Burgh Marsh, Cumbria, 23 May 1964. Jim Templeton photographs his daughter Elizabeth. A white-suited figure appears behind her on the print. Kodak finds the negative untouched. Templeton saw nobody else there.
526 JAN 1966
BEAUMONT CHILDREN
BEAUMONT CHILDREN - THREE CHILDREN VANISH AT GLENELG BEACH, ADELAIDE
Adelaide, 26 January 1966. Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont, aged nine, seven and four, spend Australia Day afternoon at Glenelg Beach and never come home. Some witnesses later remembered a tall blond man. Sixty years of searches and named suspects have produced no answer.
Adelaide, 26 January 1966. Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont, aged nine, seven and four, spend Australia Day afternoon at Glenelg Beach and never come home. Some witnesses later remembered a tall blond man. Sixty years of searches and named suspects have produced no answer.
51947
OURANG MEDAN
OURANG MEDAN - THE DEATH SHIP NOBODY CAN FIND
Strait of Malacca, 1947 or 1948. The story goes that a ship called the Ourang Medan sent a distress call saying everyone aboard was dead, ending 'I die', and rescuers found the crew dead on deck with their faces turned up before the ship burned. No register or official record of any such ship has ever been found.
Strait of Malacca, 1947 or 1948. The story goes that a ship called the Ourang Medan sent a distress call saying everyone aboard was dead, ending 'I die', and rescuers found the crew dead on deck with their faces turned up before the ship burned. No register or official record of any such ship has ever been found.
610 NOV 1955
JOYITA
JOYITA - THE SHIP THAT COULDN'T SINK AND THE 25 WHO LEFT IT
South Pacific, 10 November 1955. The MV Joyita is found drifting and half-flooded, five weeks after leaving Samoa with 25 people aboard. Life rafts, logbook and navigation gear are gone. A doctor's bag with bloodstained bandages lies on deck. The cork-lined ship could not sink. Nobody was ever found.
South Pacific, 10 November 1955. The MV Joyita is found drifting and half-flooded, five weeks after leaving Samoa with 25 people aboard. Life rafts, logbook and navigation gear are gone. A doctor's bag with bloodstained bandages lies on deck. The cork-lined ship could not sink. Nobody was ever found.
41976
CIRCLEVILLE LETTERS
CIRCLEVILLE LETTERS - ANONYMOUS LETTER CAMPAIGN IN OHIO UNSOLVED
Circleville, Ohio, from 1976. Block-capital letters that knew the town. Ron Gillespie dead at a barn in 1977. A 1983 bus-route trap. Letters after the only conviction. Mary Gillespie’s name runs through the campaign.
Circleville, Ohio, from 1976. Block-capital letters that knew the town. Ron Gillespie dead at a barn in 1977. A 1983 bus-route trap. Letters after the only conviction. Mary Gillespie’s name runs through the campaign.
531 JAN 1921
CARROLL A. DEERING
CARROLL A. DEERING - CREW MISSING FROM SCHOONER AT DIAMOND SHOALS
31 January 1921. Five-masted schooner Carroll A. Deering aground on Diamond Shoals. Meal on the stove, two cats, papers gone, crew gone. Last hail not in the captain's voice.
31 January 1921. Five-masted schooner Carroll A. Deering aground on Diamond Shoals. Meal on the stove, two cats, papers gone, crew gone. Last hail not in the captain's voice.
625 DEC 1945
SODDER CHILDREN
SODDER CHILDREN - FIVE CHILDREN MISSING IN WEST VIRGINIA FIRE
Fayetteville, West Virginia, Christmas 1945. The Sodder house burns down and five of the children are never found. The coroner says they died in the fire, but no remains the family would accept turned up, and their parents believed the children were taken. George and Jennie Sodder kept a billboard by the road asking for answers for decades.
Fayetteville, West Virginia, Christmas 1945. The Sodder house burns down and five of the children are never found. The coroner says they died in the fire, but no remains the family would accept turned up, and their parents believed the children were taken. George and Jennie Sodder kept a billboard by the road asking for answers for decades.
626 MAY 1828
KASPAR HAUSER
KASPAR HAUSER - THE BOY WHO APPEARED IN NUREMBERG
Nuremberg, 26 May 1828. A teenage boy turns up in the street with two letters, able to write his name, Kaspar Hauser, and little else. He says he was kept for years in a dark place. The city teaches him, shows him off and argues whether he is a stolen prince or a fraud. In 1833 he is stabbed in Ansbach and dies. Where he came from is still unknown.
Nuremberg, 26 May 1828. A teenage boy turns up in the street with two letters, able to write his name, Kaspar Hauser, and little else. He says he was kept for years in a dark place. The city teaches him, shows him off and argues whether he is a stolen prince or a fraud. In 1833 he is stabbed in Ansbach and dies. Where he came from is still unknown.
624 NOV 1971
D.B. COOPER
D.B. COOPER - THE MAN WHO JUMPED
24 November 1971. A quiet man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacks a Northwest Orient 727 with a briefcase bomb, collects $200,000 and four parachutes in Seattle, and jumps from the rear stairs into the night over Washington. In 1980 a boy finds $5,800 of the money by the Columbia River. Cooper has never been identified.
24 November 1971. A quiet man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacks a Northwest Orient 727 with a briefcase bomb, collects $200,000 and four parachutes in Seattle, and jumps from the rear stairs into the night over Washington. In 1980 a boy finds $5,800 of the money by the Columbia River. Cooper has never been identified.
511 JUN 1980
ZIGMUND ADAMSKI
ZIGMUND ADAMSKI - THE BODY ON THE TODMORDEN COAL HEAP
Todmorden, 11 June 1980. Zigmund Adamski, missing for five days from his home thirty miles away, is found dead on top of a coal heap in a railway yard, with burns on his head and neck nobody can explain. The inquest says heart failure but can't say how he got there. Five months later PC Alan Godfrey has his famous sighting in the same town.
Todmorden, 11 June 1980. Zigmund Adamski, missing for five days from his home thirty miles away, is found dead on top of a coal heap in a railway yard, with burns on his head and neck nobody can explain. The inquest says heart failure but can't say how he got there. Five months later PC Alan Godfrey has his famous sighting in the same town.
31150
GREEN CHILDREN
GREEN CHILDREN - GREEN-SKINNED CHILDREN FOUND IN WOOLPIT
Woolpit, Suffolk, twelfth century. Harvesters find a boy and a girl with green skin who speak no English and will eat only beans. The boy dies. The girl loses her colour, learns the language and says she came from a sunless place called St Martin's Land. Two chroniclers of the time wrote it down.
Woolpit, Suffolk, twelfth century. Harvesters find a boy and a girl with green skin who speak no English and will eat only beans. The boy dies. The girl loses her colour, learns the language and says she came from a sunless place called St Martin's Land. Two chroniclers of the time wrote it down.
71 DEC 1948
TAMAM SHUD
TAMAM SHUD - SOMERTON MAN UNIDENTIFIED ON ADELAIDE BEACH
1 December 1948. Unidentified man dead on Somerton Beach, Adelaide. Labels cut out. A fob-pocket slip reading Tamám Shud torn from a Rubaiyat. Inquest: unknown, probable poison, no poison found.
1 December 1948. Unidentified man dead on Somerton Beach, Adelaide. Labels cut out. A fob-pocket slip reading Tamám Shud torn from a Rubaiyat. Inquest: unknown, probable poison, no poison found.
326 DEC 1900
FLANNAN ISLES
FLANNAN ISLES - THE LIGHTHOUSE THAT WENT DARK
Flannan Isles, Outer Hebrides, 26 December 1900. The relief ship finds the lighthouse empty: three keepers gone, the clock stopped, one set of oilskins still on its peg. Storm damage 110 feet up the cliff points to a giant wave. The spooky log entries in the famous retellings were made up later.
Flannan Isles, Outer Hebrides, 26 December 1900. The relief ship finds the lighthouse empty: three keepers gone, the clock stopped, one set of oilskins still on its peg. Storm damage 110 feet up the cliff points to a giant wave. The spooky log entries in the famous retellings were made up later.
431 MAR 1922
HINTERKAIFECK
HINTERKAIFECK - SIX KILLED ON BAVARIAN FARM, KILLER UNNAMED
31 March 1922. Six people killed with a mattock on a Bavarian farm. Tracks in the snow to the house and none away. The killer feeds the cattle and stays on. No conviction.
31 March 1922. Six people killed with a mattock on a Bavarian farm. Tracks in the snow to the house and none away. The killer feeds the cattle and stays on. No conviction.
64 DEC 1872
MARY CELESTE
MARY CELESTE - THE SHIP THAT SAILED ON WITHOUT ITS CREW
4 December 1872. The Dei Gratia finds the Mary Celeste sailing empty between the Azores and Portugal. Captain Briggs, his wife, their two-year-old daughter and seven crew are gone, with the lifeboat. The ship is seaworthy, the cargo of alcohol nearly intact, and there is food for six months. None of them was ever found.
4 December 1872. The Dei Gratia finds the Mary Celeste sailing empty between the Azores and Portugal. Captain Briggs, his wife, their two-year-old daughter and seven crew are gone, with the lifeboat. The ship is seaworthy, the cargo of alcohol nearly intact, and there is food for six months. None of them was ever found.
624 MAR 1944
SERGEANT ALKEMADE
SERGEANT ALKEMADE - LANCASTER GUNNER SURVIVES EIGHTEEN-THOUSAND-FOOT FALL
24 March 1944. Lancaster tail gunner Nicholas Alkemade jumps from 18,000 feet without a parachute after his pack burns. Firs and snow take the fall. German and RAF paper agree he walked away with a sprain.
24 March 1944. Lancaster tail gunner Nicholas Alkemade jumps from 18,000 feet without a parachute after his pack burns. Firs and snow take the fall. German and RAF paper agree he walked away with a sprain.
315 AUG 1977
WOW SIGNAL
WOW SIGNAL - BIG EAR NARROWBAND BURST NEVER REPEATED
15 August 1977. Ohio State's Big Ear radio telescope records a 72-second burst near the hydrogen line, exactly the shape a signal from a fixed point in space should make. Jerry Ehman circles 6EQUJ5 on the printout and writes Wow! beside it. Telescopes have listened for it ever since. It has never come back.
15 August 1977. Ohio State's Big Ear radio telescope records a 72-second burst near the hydrogen line, exactly the shape a signal from a fixed point in space should make. Jerry Ehman circles 6EQUJ5 on the printout and writes Wow! beside it. Telescopes have listened for it ever since. It has never come back.
69 FEB 1855
DEVIL’S FOOTPRINTS
DEVIL’S FOOTPRINTS - SINGLE-FILE HOOF MARKS OVER DEVON ROOFS
Night of 8-9 February 1855. After snow and frost, a single-file track of donkey-shoe marks runs over roofs, walls and gardens along the Exe. Dawlish men walk it with guns. They find no animal.
Night of 8-9 February 1855. After snow and frost, a single-file track of donkey-shoe marks runs over roofs, walls and gardens along the Exe. Dawlish men walk it with guns. They find no animal.
530 JUN 1908
TUNGUSKA
TUNGUSKA - SIBERIAN AIRBURST WITH NO CRATER RECOVERED
30 June 1908. A fireball and airburst flatten eight hundred square miles of Siberian taiga. Heat that nearly burns a shirt off a porch forty miles away. No crater. Kulik photographs the trees in 1927.
30 June 1908. A fireball and airburst flatten eight hundred square miles of Siberian taiga. Heat that nearly burns a shirt off a porch forty miles away. No crater. Kulik photographs the trees in 1927.
61990
TAOS HUM
TAOS HUM - LOW FREQUENCY HUM WITH NO SOURCE FOUND
Early 1990s. A low persistent tone reported by a minority of residents in Taos, New Mexico. Congressional request produces a multi-lab survey: acoustic, seismic, electromagnetic. No source found.
Early 1990s. A low persistent tone reported by a minority of residents in Taos, New Mexico. Congressional request produces a multi-lab survey: acoustic, seismic, electromagnetic. No source found.
729 NOV 1970
ISDAL WOMAN
ISDAL WOMAN - EIGHT NAMES AND NONE OF THEM HERS
Bergen, Norway, 29 November 1970. Hikers find a woman's burned body in Isdalen, every label cut from her belongings. Her suitcases at the station hold wigs, cash in several currencies and a coded notebook. She used at least eight false names. Teeth isotopes say she was born near Nuremberg around 1930. Nobody knows who she was.
Bergen, Norway, 29 November 1970. Hikers find a woman's burned body in Isdalen, every label cut from her belongings. Her suitcases at the station hold wigs, cash in several currencies and a coded notebook. She used at least eight false names. Teeth isotopes say she was born near Nuremberg around 1930. Nobody knows who she was.
522 NOV 1987
MAX HEADROOM EVENT
MAX HEADROOM EVENT - CHICAGO TV SIGNAL HIJACK STILL UNSOLVED
22 November 1987. An unidentified individual wearing a Max Headroom mask hijacked the signals of two Chicago television stations two hours apart. The first interruption hit WGN-TV during the evening news; the second, longer intrusion hit WTTW during a Doctor Who broadcast. The case remains unsolved.
22 November 1987. An unidentified individual wearing a Max Headroom mask hijacked the signals of two Chicago television stations two hours apart. The first interruption hit WGN-TV during the evening news; the second, longer intrusion hit WTTW during a Doctor Who broadcast. The case remains unsolved.
62 FEB 1959
DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT
DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT - NINE HIKERS DEAD IN THE URAL MOUNTAINS
Night of 1-2 February 1959. Nine experienced Soviet hikers died under unexplained circumstances on the slope of Kholat Syakhl in the northern Ural Mountains. The tent was cut open from the inside. Bodies were found scattered over a wide area with a mix of hypothermia and severe internal trauma. Official conclusion: a compelling natural force.
Night of 1-2 February 1959. Nine experienced Soviet hikers died under unexplained circumstances on the slope of Kholat Syakhl in the northern Ural Mountains. The tent was cut open from the inside. Bodies were found scattered over a wide area with a mix of hypothermia and severe internal trauma. Official conclusion: a compelling natural force.
520 AUG 1966
LEAD MASKS CASE
LEAD MASKS CASE - TWO TECHNICIANS DEAD IN NITEROI WITH LEAD MASKS
August 1966. Two Brazilian electronics technicians found dead on a hill near Niterói wearing formal suits, raincoats, and homemade lead eye masks. A cryptic notebook entry scheduled the ingestion of capsules and the use of the masks. Cause of death remains undetermined.
August 1966. Two Brazilian electronics technicians found dead on a hill near Niterói wearing formal suits, raincoats, and homemade lead eye masks. A cryptic notebook entry scheduled the ingestion of capsules and the use of the masks. Cause of death remains undetermined.
51994
SKINWALKER RANCH
SKINWALKER RANCH - UINTAH COUNTY UFOs, MUTILATIONS, AND CRYPTIDS
512-acre property in Uintah County, Utah. Resident reports from 1994 to 1996 documented aerial objects, precise livestock mutilations, and large unidentified animals.
512-acre property in Uintah County, Utah. Resident reports from 1994 to 1996 documented aerial objects, precise livestock mutilations, and large unidentified animals.