1. Taos, New Mexico’s Unexplained Hum
There is no rational explanation for the humming sound that can be heard in Taos, New Mexico. It is described as being a noise similar to a running diesel engine. It defies explanation because the human ear can hear it, but sound detection equipment does not. The noise lends a mystique to Taos and has only been reported since the 1990s. The sound is described as whirring, humming, and buzzing making scientists wonder if there are multiple sounds being heard; paranormal activity, UFOs, mind control experiments, and stoned hippies have been suggested as causes for the sounds.
2. The Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is reported to be a part of the ocean where strange activities and disappearances occur. This area of the Atlantic Ocean lies between the triangle’s vertices located at Bermuda, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Pilots frequently report malfunctions of their instruments here. Aircraft often disappear here and are never found again. Experts disagree about the mysterious happenings in this stretch of the ocean, and the mysteries remain unsolved.
3. The Unidentified Man: Tamam Shud
Tamam Shud was written on a slip of paper that was found in the pocket of an unidentified dead man found on Somerton Beach in Adelaide, Australia. The words could mean “finished” or “ended” and were translated as such. There are no additional clues to his identity. The man was found in December 1948, and he is still unidentified. This remains one of the world’s unsolved mysteries despite worldwide attempts to identify him throughout the decades.
4. The Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer was on a serial killing rampage during the 1960s and 1970s. He terrorized the San Francisco Bay area. He continually sent letters to the police and press, but only one was able to be decoded. The disturbing message did not lead to his identity. The Zodiac Killer remains at large as an unsolved mystery.
5. Georgia’s Guidestones
One of the strangest unsolved mysteries in the world is the Georgia Guidestones. They appeared in 1979 in Elbert County. No one seems to know who commissioned the monuments. The pseudonym R. C. Christian hired the Elberton Granite Finishing Company to erect the structure. The 10 ‘New Commandments’ are written in English, Swahili, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and Hindi. This modern day Stonehenge is an American mystery.
6. The Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is one of the world’s most fascinating unsolved mysteries. People have claimed to have sighted the sea serpent for decades. Videos and photographs continue to appear of the monster. Controversy exists as to the monster’s identity. Some believe that the monster is a descendant of ancient dinosaurs, but this is still unconfirmed.
Bentley Archive / Popperfoto / Getty Images
7. Bigfoot
Bigfoot has been spotted over the years in both the United States and Canada. There are numerous sightings of this tall, manlike beast. The creature is also known as Sasquatch. There have been no confirmations of who or what he really is. Bigfoot is a legendary unsolved mystery.
8. Fouke Monster
The Fouke Monster is allegedly located in Fouke, Arkansas in Boggy Creek. It has been reported by numerous citizens that the monster exists. A movie was made about this particular creature, and its identity remains a mystery. This creature possibly could be a relative of Bigfoot.
9. The Lost City of Atlantis
The City of Atlantis is a mystery that archaeologists are still trying to find. The imaginary city could really be submerged or it could be a figment of the imaginations of a long ago people. The Lost City of Atlantis remains shrouded in mystery. Some believe Atlantis was a real place because Plato speaks of it in his writings; however, its current location is unknown.
10. The Roswell Mystery
Roswell remains one of America’s most controversial mysteries. The event that is still at the center of the Roswell mystery was whether a UFO actually crashed in Roswell and whether alien life was actually encountered in 1947. A rancher found unidentifiable debris on his property outside Roswell. At the heart of the mystery is whether it was actually a UFO or an unidentified government project craft that crashed. There are no satisfactory answers for this mysterious event.
11. The Case of the Feet
There is a beach in British Columbia that is notorious for having amputated feet wash ashore on a regular basis. There is no explanation for this mysterious occurrence. This is a modern day mystery because the first one was discovered in 2007. Most of the feet that have been found are right feet. Some have been identified. Eleven feet were found in British Columbia and four feet were found in the state of Washington.
12. The Mystery of D.B. Cooper
D. B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 with $200,000. He parachuted out of the plane and has never been found. His real identity has never been confirmed. The hijacking occurred in airspace somewhere between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. This event occurred on November 24, 1971. Everyone aboard the plane survived, but he jumped out and has never been found.
13. Death Onboard the SS Ourang Medan
The SS Ourang Medan is one of the strangest mysteries of all time. An SOS message was broadcast in 1947. The message stated that the captain and his crew were dead. The telegrapher died as the message was being sent. The Silver Star responded to the distress call. They confirmed that everyone aboard was dead. The cause of the multiple deaths remain a mystery.
14. MH370
The Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished without a trace in 2014. The plane did not emit a distress signal and the plane just disappeared off the radar. A lengthy search was conducted in the Indian Ocean but after 9 months, there was no debris. All 239 people aboard are missing and presumed deceased. Speculation remains, but the mystery is unsolved.
15. Siberian Sinkholes
In 2014, a 115-foot hole was found on the Yamal peninsula of Siberia. There was an unexplained explosion in July. There were two additional sinkholes following the explosion. During November 2014, scientists climbed into the sinkhole to explore its origin, but it remains a mystery. The Perm region is still baffled by the sudden appearance of the sinkholes.
16. Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript is an old mystery that remains unsolved. The manuscript was acquired in 1912 by Wilfrid Voynich. The manuscript is 240 pages long and is indecipherable. The language and script do not match any other. The drawings and diagrams are colorful and intriguing.
17. Kryptos
Kryptos is a sculpture with a code located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. The sculpture was dedicated in 1990, and it is one of the most difficult encrypted messages in the world. Three of the four messages have been solved, but the last one is still a mystery. Professionals and amateurs have tried to decipher the code. Even with clues given by the sculptor, Jim Sanborn, the code remains a mystery.
Photo: Adrian Gaut
18. The Beale Ciphers
The Beale Ciphers are codes that are supposed to reveal the location of a hidden treasure. The first and third ciphers remain a mystery. The treasure was buried in Bedford County, Virginia, and this fact was revealed when the second cipher was decoded. Thomas Jefferson Beale found the loot in 1818 in Colorado. This is one of the unsolved mysteries that keeps treasure hunters busy.
19. Shugborough Inscription
The Shepherd’s Monument in Staffordshire, England is a fabulous sculpture with an unsolved mystery. There is a sequence of letters inscribed on the sculpture: DOUOSVAVVM. This code has been unsolved for more than 250 years. No one knows who carved the letters there or what the letters actually mean. Speculation has it that it is a clue about the location of the Holy Grail. The mystery continues to baffle scholars.
20. Rongorongo
The Rongorongo tablets are a mystery from Easter Island. The artifacts are a type of writing that is unreadable. The glyphs were discovered during the 19th century. The artifacts are now held in private collections or on display as museum pieces. The wooden tablets and the mysterious inscriptions continue to foster speculation as to their meaning and origin.
