That's No Moon
For as smart as we humans think we are, there sure are a lot of things that we cannot explain. Throughout history, a large number of events, claims, and scientific findings have fallen beyond the current level of human understanding. Some of these unsolved mysteries are completely mind-blowing, and 20 of them are contained in this gallery! Can you figure them out?
First on this list of unsolved mysteries is the origin of Earth's moon. Traditional science argues that the moon was created from a collision of Earth and another smaller planet. However, there are a number of strange phenomena regarding our mysterious moon.
Here are a few of these strange facts:
- The moon is the wrong size for its current orbit.
- The moon rings like a bell when hit by an object, which could signal that it's hollow.
- Metal shavings were found in samples taken by the Apollo crew.
- UFO sightings were common on NASA moon missions.
All these phenomena and more point toward the suggestion that the moon is actually an artificially created spaceship. It's a bit far fetched, but it's odd that astronomers have been discouraged from testing this theory.
Taos Hum
A humming noise usually isn't a big concern, unless you can hear one when it should be completely silent. The mysterious and annoying Taos Hum has plagued residents of certain locations in the United States, United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe over the past few decades. The name originates from the small town of Taos, New Mexico, where there is the largest concentration of complaints. Not everyone can hear the humming, but it's consistently described as a low rumble similar to an idling diesel engine. Scientists have been unable to detect the noise, even when using high-tech equipment capable of registering VLF (very low frequency) sound waves.
Giant Stone Balls
Costa Rican workers found a large number of stone spheres when clearing a jungle in the 1930s. These remarkable objects are almost perfectly spherical and range in size from those that fit in your hand to one that's an amazing 8 feet in diameter. Nobody knows who made these impressive round rocks, why they did it, and perhaps most importantly, how they were constructed so perfectly.
The Zodiac Killer
The Zodiac Killer is probably the most infamous serial killer of all time, especially considering that he was never caught. This maniac haunted Northern California in the 1960s after killing at least five victims and injuring two more. He taunted police through an anonymous phone call and a number of encrypted letters. The police suspected a man named Arthur Leigh Allen, but there was not enough evidence to convict him. The murders remain an unsolved case, and parts of Zodiac's letters were never decoded.
The Men in Black
Most people consider the 'Men in Black' movies as pure Hollywood fantasy, but real tales of such men date all the way back to the early 1950s. In the past few decades, a large number of reports have come in regarding strange men dressed in black suits. Just like in the movies, these men visit people that claim to have experienced a close encounter with alien life. They claim to have legitimate credentials, but upon further inspection they do not exist or are listed as dead. Another name for a man in black is a "grinning man" because of the lots' reportedly wide smiles. There are many wild theories regarding the true identities of these men, but there is no evidence to support any of the claims.
The Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript is a mysterious document from medieval times that's written in an unknown language. Numerous attempts to decode the manuscript have all failed. Based on the imagery that accompanies the text, the document likely contains information on early modern medicine. However, the strange images of unknown plant species and undecipherable language raise a number of questions regarding its true origin and purpose.
Marfa Lights
Mysterious "ghost" lights have been hovering above Marfa, Texas since the early 1950s and have been thoroughly documented in photographs and video. Each light is approximately the size of a basketball and floats around in the air at about human height. There are many theories regarding the Marfa lights, but none of them have been proven.
Angel Hair
Angel Hair is a strange substance that reportedly falls from the sky and resembles the consistency of a cobweb or fine hair. This strange material disintegrates quickly after it is touched or reaches the ground. It is often reported in conjunction with other paranormal events, like the Miracle at Fatima in 1917. There are a couple of different scientific explanations for this phenomenon, including migratory spiders and polarized dust particles. Another theory involves the ionization of air particles from UFOs, but none of these theories have been proven concretely.
The Mothman
A terrifying creature supposedly lurks around the area of Charleston and Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The Mothman was first sighted in 1926 and was heavily reported in 1967. This monster apparently is the size of a man but has no head, large wings, and large red eyes. No photographs of the Mothman exist, but there have been reports as recently as 2007 of its existence.
Spontaneous Human Combustion
A number of cases over the years document humans spontaneously bursting into flame. While some of these events are attributed to alcohol or smoking, a few are almost impossible to explain. Once such case is the death of John Irving Bentley, who was found completely burned to death. All that was left of Bentley's body was a pile of ashes, one of his feet, and his walker. Aside from a hole in the floor, very little other damage was caused to the room despite the obvious intensity of the flames.
D.B. Cooper
Dan "D.B." Cooper is a notorious criminal who hijacked an Boeing 727 in 1971 and parachuted out the back after receiving $200,000 in ransom money. Military experts say that he likely would not have survived the fall into the heavily wooded Pacific Northwest, but his body was never discovered. However, $5,800 in cash was later found in the Columbia river that matched the serial numbers of the ransom money. The fate of D.B. Cooper and his ill-gotten fortune remains the only unsolved airline hijacking ever.
The May Day Mystery
Someone has been running a series of ridiculous, puzzling ads in the Arizona Daily Wildcat on May 1 (and at other random intervals) since 1981. Each ad is apparently a clue to a larger, overarching message regarding some type of grand prize. There are two theories regarding the creator of this puzzle: first is that a secret organization called 'The Orphanage,' and the other is an insane and eccentric lawyer name Robert Truman Hungerford. This strange mystery even has its own fan site, where random people work together to decode the messages.
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is responsible for strangling and mutilating the bodies of five prostitutes. This notorious murderer stalked the streets of London in 1888 and taunted police through a series of disturbing letters. One letter was even accompanied by part of a kidney from one of the victims, although many people consider these letters to be hoaxes. Scotland Yard never convicted anyone and in fact never fingered a prime suspect. The legend of Jack the Ripper lives on as something of a boogeyman in the city of London.
The Oak Island Money Pit
Just off the coast of Nova Scotia is a small island that may contain some of the most significant buried treasures of all time. In 1795, a young child named Daniel McGinnis stumbled upon a small hole in the ground. He and his friends found this hole suspicious because there was a ship's tackle hanging from an overhanging tree branch. Over the years, millions of dollars has been spent to excavate the hole, but the only things discovered so far are a number of traps and even a secret coded message that supposedly reads "Forty feet below two million pounds are buried." Many speculate that the treasure could be something as significant as the Holy Grail, but this mysterious loot remains buried in the Oak Island Money Pit.
The Lost City of Atlantis
One of the greatest legends and mysteries of the world is the existence of the lost city of Atlantis. Many consider this mysterious city as nothing more than fantasy, but if Plato's writings are accurate then the city sank into the sea sometime around 9,000 BC. This mysterious city was reportedly a utopian society with incredibly advanced technology. The most popular theory is that Atlantis now lies at the bottom of the sea somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle. In fact, some people believe the city is the cause of the mysterious events that take place in that region.
