100 Unsolved Mysteries

100 Unsolved Mysteries

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining 100 unsolved mysteries.

For this list, we’ll be looking at unanswered questions throughout the fields of science, history, true crime and pop culture that continue to captivate and fascinate us. Even if theories about the answers and proposed solutions exist, these mysteries continue to be hot topics of debate and iconic cultural references.

Do you think you have the answers? Well let us know in the comments below!

The Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
“What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?” is a question synonymous with unsolved crime mysteries. Hoffa was a powerful and influential union leader, running the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from the late ‘50s to the early ‘70s. He was also closely linked with organized crime, and it’s here that his disappearance is closely scrutinized. Hoffa vanished in the afternoon of July 30, 1975. He was scheduled to meet mobsters Anthony Provenzano and Anthony Giacalone but failed to return home for dinner. Hoffa’s car was found the next morning, but Hoffa himself was nowhere to be seen. He was legally declared dead in 1982, and while his disappearance is usually attributed to mob activity, no one can truly say for sure.

The Amber Room
This room is the very definition of elegance. Once found in Russia’s Catherine Palace, it was a stylish (and expensive) room with gold leaf and amber panels, hence the name. During its time, the Amber Room was considered the Eighth Wonder of the World owing to its extreme beauty and sophistication. Unfortunately, the room met its end during World War II. The palace was plundered by Nazi soldiers, and the Amber Room was disassembled and taken to Germany. It was displayed at Königsberg Castle but disappeared from public record after Allied forces bombed the city. A full reconstruction was installed in Catherine Palace, but the whereabouts of the original room remain unknown.

Raining Birds
In September of 2020, the southwestern United States was inundated with dead birds falling from the sky. Thousands of migrating birds simply dropped dead in what experts eerily called a “mass die-off.” When the bodies were recovered, they were found to have very little fat reserves, indicating that they likely starved to death midflight. This bizarre occurrence does not have an explanation, but there are certainly theories. Some attribute it to wildfires, as the birds may have inhaled toxic smoke or been forced to re-route from their usual migration pattern. Others claim it was a lack of food stemming from climate change. Either way, the Biblical image is not soon to be forgotten.

The Babushka Lady
There are lots of conspiracy theories surrounding the famous JFK assassination. One involves the so-called Babushka Lady, so named because of the headscarf she wore. The lady can be seen in some of the most famous recordings of the event, including the Zapruder film. She’s standing in front of the Dallas County Building holding a camera, and calmly continues to film while everyone around her panics and runs for cover. A woman named Beverly Oliver claimed to be the Babushka Lady, and said that she handed over her film to FBI agents. But many experts doubt her story. The Babushka Lady has never been officially identified, and the footage she captured remains unseen - at least by the public.

The Salish Sea Feet
It was August 20, 2007, and a tourist was walking the beach of Jedediah Island in British Columbia, Canada, when she stumbled on an abandoned shoe. Curiously grabbing the size 12 Adidas, she made a horrifying discovery - inside the shoe was an intact foot. This event kickstarted the Salish Sea human foot discoveries. Since then, at least 20 feet have washed up on the beaches of British Columbia and Washington. Some believe that the surreal sight is a result of foul play, but officials have ruled this out. The leading theory is that the feet come from deceased individuals who fell into the Pacific Ocean. As their bodies decomposed, the feet detached and floated to shore thanks to the buoyancy of the shoes.

Tank Man
It’s one of the most iconic photos in history. A man wearing a white shirt and black pants and holding two shopping bags stands defiantly before a line of tanks. It’s like he’s goading them into running him over in the ultimate game of chicken. The incident occurred on June 5, 1989. Chinese tanks were leaving Tiananmen Square after violently ending protests, and this man made both a literal and metaphorical stand. To this day, the identity of the hero remains unknown. His legacy lives on, despite furious attempts at censorship from the Chinese government.

The Easter Island Moai
The Polynesian island of Rapa Nui, more commonly known as Easter Island, is home to some of the most impressive monoliths in the world. Towering human-like statues with stylized heads stand tall around the perimeter of the island and in a quarry called Rano Raraku. Not much is known about these famous figures. Archaeologists believe they were constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries, and represent deified ancestors. But many questions remain - like, how were they transported? We think they were ‘walked’ into position by being tilted side to side, but we’re not sure. Nor do we know who or what toppled the statues by 1868. Was it a series of earthquakes? Conflict between tribes? Or the slavers who came to raid their shores?

The Miracle of Calanda
In the small Spanish town of Calanda stands the Templo del Pilar. On one of the church’s arches is a sculpture of a human leg to honor an alleged miracle that occurred in the town. Back in the 17th century, a farmer named Miguel Pellicer lost his leg in a work accident. But on the night of March 29, 1640, a sleeping Pellicer was found by his mother with both legs intact. Even more amazing, this was thought to be Pellicer’s old leg, as it bore the exact same scars. This event was attributed to divine intervention and officially recognized through contemporary documents. Some believe that Pellicer was a fraud, while others attribute the event to the Virgin Mary.

Black Dahlia
When a horrific bout of violence occurs, we like to believe that justice will be served. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was found mutilated and murdered on the morning of January 15, 1947. Local woman Betty Bersinger was taking a walk with her daughter when they stumbled on the grisly scene. The case became a media sensation and Short was nicknamed Black Dahlia to mirror the popular film noirs of the time. A massive investigation was undertaken by the LAPD, who scoured the city for any crumb or clue. But the trail went cold, and to this day, no one knows who took the life of a potential movie star.

The Ark of the Covenant
Many great stories have been written about the Ark of the Covenant, including one of the best adventure films of all time. But what of the legendary artifact itself? According to the Old Testament, the wooden Ark was built after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Inside the Ark were placed the two stone tablets etched with the Ten Commandments. Some accounts also claim that it carried the magical walking stick of Moses’ brother, Aaron. The Ark was supposedly placed in Solomon's Temple, but disappeared during the Siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Scholars have been unable to find its location, while some question whether it even existed in the first place.

Dark Energy
The universe is a beautiful thing. It’s also infinitely unknowable and more than a little scary. For everything we know about how our world works, there are countless other unanswered questions. And one of the biggest questions concerns the nature of dark energy. This invisible property makes up 68% of the universe, yet no one knows what it is. Dark energy is the primary force behind the universe’s constant acceleration and expansion, so we know that it counteracts gravity and repulses the very fabric of spacetime. But even this wasn’t known until the 1990s. What is it? Where does it come from? What is it made of? These are things we just don’t know.

Saddle Ridge Hoard
The largest trove of gold coins in American history was found in February 2013. Buried in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it consisted of over 1,400 gold coins worth the modern equivalent of $10 million. But no one knows who buried it!

Bobby Dunbar
Four-year-old Bobby Dunbar disappeared on August 23, 1912 while on a fishing trip in Louisiana. He was later ‘found’ and returned to the Dunbars. However, DNA profiling in the 2000s proved that he was not Bobby Dunbar at all. He was likely Bruce Anderson, whose mother Julia had been disbelieved by police. The fate of the real Dunbar remains unknown.

The Lost City of Helike
The ancient Greek city of Helike was destroyed in the year 373 BC, in a natural disaster that may have inspired Plato’s tale of Atlantis. The cause is still debated, but modern scholars believe it was submerged by a tsunami.

Glowing Circles in the Ocean
There have been numerous reports of glowing circles in the Indian Ocean, spanning back to the late 19th century. Sailors describe seeing large, luminous circles rotating in the water. It’s likely the result of bioluminescence, but no one knows for sure.

Behavioral Modernity
Modern humans emerged about 300,000 years ago in Africa. While these early homo sapiens were biologically identical to us, their cognitive and cultural characteristics were very different. How and when we achieved behavioral modernity, which includes abstract thought, planning, and symbolic representations, remains unclear. Some scholars think it occurred gradually, others hold to the Late Upper Paleolithic Mode, which argues that behavioral modernity occurred spontaneously through genetic changes about 50,000 years ago. What led to this sudden burst in cognitive ability is, ironically, anyone’s guess.

The Atlas Vampire
31-year-old Lilly Lindeström was found dead in Stockholm, Sweden on May 4, 1932. Her body had been drained of blood and a gravy ladle was found nearby, which seemed to indicate that the murderer had been drinking it. They became known as The Atlas Vampire, and they were never caught.

Joseph of Cupertino’s Levitation
Born in 1603, Joseph of Cupertino was an Italian friar who frequently experienced a type of experience known as “religious ecstasy.” After being ordained as a priest, Joseph began levitating in front of eyewitnesses, drawing accusations of witchcraft. Skeptics argue that Joseph was simply jumping, not levitating, and that his “visions” may have been caused by bread infected with ergot fungi.

Therese Neumann’s Miraculous Recoveries
Hailing from the small village of Konnersreuth in Germany, Therese Neumann suffered a number of serious ailments, including blindness, appendicitis, and paralysis. She claimed to have been miraculously healed of all these debilitations in the 1920s. Neumann also reportedly developed stigmata, bodily injuries corresponding with the wounds of Jesus Christ.

The Big Void in the Great Pyramid
Thanks to modern technology, scientists have discovered what can only be described as a “void” in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The empty corridor is almost 30 feet long, over 6 feet high, and 6 feet wide. Research on the purpose of this corridor is still ongoing.

The Dancing Plague of 1518
From July to September in 1518, the village Strasbourg in modern day France was reportedly afflicted by a case of “dancing mania.” Dozens, and maybe even hundreds, of people apparently danced around the village for weeks, and some reports even claim that people danced themselves to death. The reason behind this dancing mania has never been satisfactorily explained, with the most common theory being a case of mass hysteria caused by stress. Others believe it could have been ergot poisoning - the same explanation proposed for Joseph of Cupertino’s visions.

Ghostly Grandfather
There are literally countless ghost photos out there, some more convincing than others. A woman named Denise Russell took this photo of her grandmother, and a man can clearly be seen standing behind her. Denise claims that this is the spirit of her deceased grandfather.

The Franciscan Priest Murders
New Mexican priest Reynaldo Rivera was killed on August 5, 1982. Nearly two years later, on July 20, 1984, another priest named John Kerrigan disappeared and was presumably murdered. There is reason to believe that these killings were linked, but the perpetrator has never been found.

The Tromp Family Flight
This family of five suddenly fled their farm in Australia in 2019, driving 995 miles. Mark and Jacoba Tromp had become convinced someone was out to get them. The family was found scattered across the country, with Sergeant Mark Knight calling it “a massive meltdown.” Police found no evidence that they’d been in danger; nor did they have a history of mental illness or drug-taking.

The Hessdalen Lights
Found in southern Norway is a village known as Hessdalen, the home to the spooky Hessdalen Lights. Reports of these lights date back to the 1930s, and they’re typically described as bright white or yellow orbs that move around the valley.

The Antikythera Mechanism
You never know what kind of goodies a shipwreck will bestow. Back in 1901, a wreck of ancient Greek origin was found off the coast of Antikythera. Inside was a weathered mechanism dating to some time in the 2nd century BC. Its function wasn’t known until 2008, when researchers from Cardiff University suggested that it was an analogue computer used to study astronomy. However, many questions still remain, like who built it, how it worked, and what it looked like in its entirety. Some even question how the ancient Greeks were able to build something so advanced.

Artemus Ogletree’s Death
A man named Artemus Ogletree died on January 5, 1935 after staying at the Hotel President in Kansas City. He had given a fake name, was acting strangely, and was seemingly talking to an unknown man named “Don.” He was found brutally beaten in his hotel room and died at the hospital. An anonymous donor paid for the funeral, writing on a card “Love Forever – Louise”.

Harold Holt’s Disappearance
The 17th Prime Minister of Australia, Harold Holt held office from 1966 and ‘67. His tenure was cut short on December 17 of that year when he disappeared in the seaside town of Portsea. Holt was swimming at the time of his disappearance, and may have been washed out to sea. His body was never found.

The Blind River Killings
Blind River is a small town in Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Huron. On June 28, 1991, an unknown assailant committed a shooting at a local rest stop, killing Jackie McAllister and Brian Major. McAllister’s husband Gord was also shot and injured. The perpetrator was never caught, although a former Toronto cop and murderer was a suspect.

The Black Knight Satellite
UFO conspiracy theorists have a field day with the supposed “Black Knight satellite.” A photo taken in 1998 shows what appears to be a large black object orbiting Earth. Space journalist James Oberg argues that it’s a thermal blanket that floated away during a mission.

Extinction of the Neanderthals
Homo neanderthalensis were archaic humans who went extinct some 40,000 years ago - about the time that homo sapiens achieved behavioral modernity. Because it happened so long ago, and because there’s no written record to document their history, we don’t know why exactly they disappeared. Theories have ranged all across the map, with guesses like inbreeding, interbreeding, disease, climate change, and conflict with our own species being put forth. The answer might not be simple, with a variety of factors potentially contributing to their downfall.

The Circleville Letters
The Ohio city of Circleville was plagued by threatening letters in 1976. The letters included threats of violence and personal information used to blackmail recipients. They continued until 1994, and the author has never been identified.

The Murder of Dexter Stefonek
Grieving widower Dexter Stefonek was staying with his son David after losing his wife. He left his son’s house on November 18, 1985, and his burning vehicle was found the next day. Stefonek’s body was later found buried in a landfill with two shots to the head, and his killer has never been found.

Rommel’s Treasure
Erwin Rommel was a decorated tank commander working for the Nazis during World War II. Legend has it that Rommel, or SS commander Walter Rauff, hid stolen Jewish gold somewhere around Corsica, either underground or underwater. The treasure has never been found, and it remains unclear whether this is fact or fiction.

The Disappearance of Lars Mittank
This German man was vacationing in Bulgaria when he got into a fight and ruptured his eardrum. He was unable to fly home and began acting paranoid, even calling his mother to claim that people were after him. On July 8, 2014, Mittank ran from an airport, fled into a forest, and was never seen again.

The Fate of the Universe
We know, in general terms, how the universe began - in a Big Bang. But we don’t know how it will end. The three main theories are: the Big Crunch, the Big Rip, and the Big Freeze. The Big Crunch posits that the universe will ultimately reverse course and shrink back into a singularity. The Big Rip is the opposite, assuming that the universe will expand to the point of tearing itself apart. A related scenario, and the most likely, is the Big Freeze, where expansion results in universal heat death and a cold and dark universe. We don’t know which is scariest.

The Tulip Staircase Ghost
A former royal residence, Queen's House was built in the early 17th century in the London town of Greenwich. It has a reputation for being haunted, which in 1966 attracted the attention of one Reverend Hardy of Canada. Hardy took a photo of the building’s Tulip Staircase, capturing what looks like a ghost extending its arm up the bannister.

Long Island Serial Killer
In 2010 and 2011, police found the remains of murder victims along the beaches of Long Island, New York. These bodies are attributed to the Long Island Killer, or Craigslist Ripper, who is still unidentified. It’s believed that the killer has claimed between 10 and 18 lives.

Natalee Holloway’s Disappearance
18 year old Natalee Holloway was vacationing in Aruba to celebrate her recent graduation from high school. She disappeared on May 30, 2005 and was legally declared dead in 2012. Many people suspect that Dutchman Joran van der Sloot, who was later convicted for the murder of another woman, is responsible, but nothing has been definitively proven.

Kyron Horman’s Disappearance
The largest criminal investigation in the history of Oregon occurred after a young boy, Kyron Horman, went missing in June, 2010. He was dropped off at Skyline Elementary School by his stepmother, but never made it to class. An exhaustive search was conducted by police and the FBI, but to no avail.

The End of Teotihuacan
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Teotihuacan is an ancient city in the Valley of Mexico. It is widely regarded as the most advanced North American city of the time, with its residential compounds, large pyramids, and the famous Avenue of the Dead. Teotihuacan lasted until the mid 6th century, when it was burned down and abandoned. Intriguingly, we don’t know what exactly caused this cataclysmic event. Theories range from an uprising against the ruling class to a devastating drought caused by the volcanic winter of 536. It wasn’t the only such rapid abandonment in Mesoamerica, as these also occurred during the Classic Maya collapse between the 7th and 9th centuries.

The Devil's Sea
Known as the Pacific Bermuda Triangle, the Devil’s Sea is an area of the Pacific Ocean stretching down from the coast just south of Tokyo. Like the Bermuda Triangle, the area is rumored to be paranormal and is home to many mysterious sea-based events.

“Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?”
Four boys from the English village of Hagley were playing in the woods when they stumbled across a human skeleton stuffed inside a wych elm. We don’t know whose skeleton it was, why it was inside a tree, or who put it there. The event inspired graffiti written on the Hagley Obelisk that reads, “Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?”

Amber Hagerman
On January 15, 1996 when Amber Hagerman was abducted in Arlington, Texas. While the abduction was witnessed and reported, Hagerman was later found dead and her killer was never caught. The case resulted in the implementation of the Amber Alert system.

Indus Valley Civilization
Stretching throughout much of South Asia, this civilization was the most widespread of the Bronze Age, more so than even ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. But despite its enormous power and proliferation, no one knows what happened to it. Theories range from drought to a violent invasion.

The Sodder Children
The Sodder family of West Virginia suffered an enormous tragedy on Christmas Eve, 1945. A fire broke out in the family’s home, destroying the structure. Only four of the nine children escaped. While some believe the remaining five perished in the fire, the Sodder parents didn’t, and firefighters never found human remains. This theory was bolstered in 1967, when matriarch Jennie Sodder received a picture in the mail of a man she believed to be her now-adult son, Louis. The Sodders believed the Mafia had lit the fire and kidnapped the children, in retaliation for George Sodder’s vocal criticism of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

The Ghost of Freddy Jackson
In 1975, World War I veteran Victor Goddard published an old photo of his RAF squadron. In the back row stands a man whom both Goddard and Goddard’s squadmates have identified as one Freddy Jackson. The only problem is that Jackson had died three days before the photo was taken.

Bob Crane
This actor found great success on television, playing Colonel Robert Hogan on “Hogan’s Heroes.” However, he was beaten to death on June 29, 1978 at the age of 49. His friend John Henry Carpenter was charged with his murder but acquitted, and the killing remains unsolved.

The Watcher
After Derek and Maria Broaddus bought a house in New Jersey in 2014, they started receiving threatening letters from someone calling themselves The Watcher. They claimed that they had been tasked with “watching over” the house, hence the name. The Broaddus family ultimately sold the property and The Watcher has never been found.

Peng Shuai
In November 2021, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai alleged on Weibo that she’d been sexually assaulted by former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. She subsequently disappeared and her story was heavily censored in China. Peng later reappeared, saying in interviews that she had never made the allegations. Many suspected she was under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.

The Oakville Blobs
It’s a scene straight out of a science fiction movie. In the summer of 1994, the small Washington city of Oakville received a downpour of thick gelatinous goo. There were even reports that these mysterious blobs were causing people to become sick and killing small animals. One local doctor claimed the blobs contained human blood cells, although this was refuted. They did contain two species of bacteria. Was it human waste from a plane? Evaporated jellyfish? The true nature of the gelatinous blobs remains a mystery to this day.

Siberian Sinkholes
A number of strange sinkholes have appeared in Siberia. The first reported hole appeared in August of 2020 and was 100 feet deep and 65 feet wide. Experts have since argued that the craters are caused by climate change degrading the permafrost underneath Siberia.

Maura Murray
This 21 year old woman was attending university in Amherst, Massachusetts when she suddenly packed her car and drove away. She’d told a supervisor there’d been a death in the family, which wasn’t true. After crashing the vehicle into a snowbank in Woodsville, New Hampshire, she disappeared. The incident sparked widespread attention from police and social media, but she was never located.

The Isdal Woman
The burnt body of a woman was found in the woods of Bergen, Norway on November 29, 1970. A massive investigation was launched, leading to wild theories involving spycraft and the Cold War. Many things about the Isdal Woman remain unanswered, and it is now one of the most tantalizing cold cases in Norwegian history.

Fast Radio Bursts
Astronomers sometimes detect radio pulses known as “fast radio bursts.” These bursts pack an incredible amount of energy and may last just a fraction of a millisecond. They were first discovered in 2007. Theories include rotating neutron stars, and extraterrestrial intelligence.

Tupac & Biggie
Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were two of the biggest names in ‘90s hip hop. And both were killed by unknown assailants. Tupac was the first to die, getting shot in a drive-by on September 7, 1996. He died in hospital six days later. Various people were blamed for the shooting, including gangster Orlando Anderson and even The Notorious B.I.G., who had a public feud with Tupac. Biggie’s death followed in the early morning of March 9, 1997. Like Tupac, Biggie was also the victim of a drive-by shooting. And like Tupac, the perpetrator remains a mystery.

The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
This luxurious country house is found in Norfolk, England and allegedly houses one of the most famous ghosts in English history. Known as the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, she was famously captured in a photo taken by Hubert Provand for Country Life magazine. Skeptics have since attempted to explain the photo in more realistic terms.

The Cleveland Torso Murderer
Cleveland, Ohio was beset by an unknown serial killer throughout the 1930s who claimed at least twelve lives. The killer dismembered the dead and left their remains in public places. They were never found or identified.

Foo Fighters
No, not the band. “Foo fighters” refer to unidentified aircraft spotted by Allied soldiers during World War II. They were studied by the Robertson Panel, which was created to analyze UFO sightings; the results were inconclusive.

The Chicago Tylenol Murders
In the fall of 1982, seven people around the Chicago area died after consuming poisoned Tylenol. It was found that the bottles had been tampered with and laced with potassium cyanide. The perpetrator was never caught, and the case resulted in modern safety measures like tamper-resistant packaging.

The Multiverse
What exactly is the universe? We don’t really know, and it has led to countless questions. One of the biggest is - is this the only one? Well, not according to the multiverse theory. This posits that our universe is not alone, and that there may be multiple, or maybe even infinite, universes. The theory has become a popular subject for fiction, with many shows, movies, and books taking advantage of the possibilities. Even this one grand question results in multiple sub-questions. Are there different versions of us out there? Does every decision that we make result in a “universe B” where the opposite decision was made? Your guess is as good as ours.

USS Cyclops
A lot of weird and creepy stuff happens during war, including the disappearance of the USS Cyclops. This cargo ship was serving during World War I when it completely vanished in early March 1918. All 306 people on board were presumed dead, and no trace of the presumably sunken ship has ever been found.

The Axeman of New Orleans
This city in Louisiana was beset by a killer between May 1918 and October 1919. Targeting mostly Italian Americans, the killer murdered six people and injured a further six. The attacks were likely motivated by race, but the killer was never caught and subsequent investigations have come up empty.

The Max Headroom Hijackings
On the night of November 22, 1987, two Chicago TV stations were hijacked by someone dressed like Max Headroom. The mysterious person taunted viewers with crude and immature behavior. Despite an extensive investigation conducted by the Federal Communications Commission, the person or persons responsible were never caught.

The Toxic Woman
A woman named Gloria Ramirez was admitted to Riverside General Hospital suffering from the effects of cervical cancer in February, 1994. In a bizarre turn of events, the nurses and doctors who treated her became seriously ill, with five requiring hospitalization themselves. It’s been theorized that Ramirez was self-administering a compound called dimethyl sulfoxide and that this essentially turned into poison while she was being treated.

JonBenét Ramsey
The name of JonBenét Ramsey is synonymous with unsolved murders. Ramsey was a child beauty queen who was found dead by her father inside their home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996. It was evident that Ramsey had been killed, and a very long ransom note was found inside the family home. However, the authenticity of this note was immediately brought into question, and suspicion fell on the Ramsey family themselves. In fact, the local police force suspected that Ramsey was killed by someone inside the family, that her body was staged, and that the ransom note was written by JonBenét’s mother, Patsy. Others have fiercely contested this, arguing that the beauty queen was killed by an intruder.

The Boy in the Box
The body of Philadelphia boy Joseph Zarelli was found in a cardboard box on February 25, 1957. His identity remained a mystery for well over 65 years, until DNA tests identified him as Zarelli in 2022. However, the person responsible for his death and crude disposal remains a mystery.

The McMinnville UFO Photographs
Oregon farmer Evelyn Trent had just finished feeding her rabbits when she spotted a strange aircraft in the sky. She called for her husband Paul, who managed to snap some pictures of the mysterious object. These are now known as the McMinnville UFO Photographs, and they are some of the most famous in ufology.

Flight 19
It was December 5, 1945, and a group of five military bombers were conducting a training flight off the coast of Florida. All five planes and everyone aboard them disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle. A flying boat was sent to find them, but it too disappeared.

The Jamison Family Deaths
Bobby Jamison, his wife Sherilynn, and their child Madyson disappeared on October 8, 2009. Their pickup truck was found abandoned on the side of the road, and the family’s decomposed remains were located four years later. CCTV footage showed the Jamisons packing the car in a “trancelike” manner, but the reasons behind the family’s behavior and deaths remain tantalizing mysteries.

Dark Matter
We’ve covered the mystery behind dark energy, so now it’s time for dark matter. And like the aforementioned phenomenon, we don’t know what it actually is. Experts believe that about 85% of the universe’s matter is composed of this unknown substance. Unlike other forms of matter, it does not interact with the electromagnetic field and is therefore virtually impossible to study. However, we know that whatever dark matter is, it was extremely important in the creation of the universe and is responsible for the structure of galaxies. It’s yet another aspect of the universe that has researchers shrugging their shoulders.

Oscar Zeta Acosta
A prominent Mexican-American author, Oscar Zeta Acosta was known for his novels and friendship with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Acosta was in Sinaloa, Mexico when he phoned his son and mentioned that he was getting on a boat full of drugs. It was the last that anyone heard from him, and many people presume that he was killed and disposed of by drug dealers.

Glenn Miller
Popular musician Glenn Miller left behind his lucrative music career to serve in the Air Forces during World War II. He was flying over the English Channel on December 15, 1944 when he went missing. He was labeled missing in action, and neither his plane nor his body have ever been found.

The Alphabet Murders
An unknown killer targeted three victims between 1971 and ‘73. Both the first and last names of these victims began with the same letters, and their bodies were discarded in New York towns that also started with the same letter. They became known as The Alphabet Murders, and they are still unsolved.

The Borden Killings
The Borden murders are some of the most infamous in the history of Massachusetts. Andrew and Abby Borden were found brutally axed to death on the morning of August 4, 1892. Andrew’s daughter Lizzie was tried for the crime but ultimately acquitted, leaving the famous murders officially unsolved.

Havana Syndrome
This is arguably one of the most famous mysteries of the 21st century. American officials and military personnel stationed at the embassy in Havana, Cuba, began experiencing unusual symptoms in 2016. These ranged in severity from a general ill feeling to full-on cognitive impairment. Despite the name “Havana Syndrome,” these symptoms have since been reported by other American officials stationed around the globe. No one knows who or what is responsible for the sickness, but reports have ruled out foreign interference. Without a clear cause, some experts have deemed it a case of “mass psychogenic illness” - the same thing blamed for the dancing plague of 1518.

The West Mesa Bones
Back in 2009, the bones of eleven women were found buried under the West Mesa outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The people responsible for the deaths and burials have never been identified, and no one knows if they are the result of a serial killer or a sex trafficking ring.

The Swedish Submarine Hunts
These are some of the defining events of the Cold War in Sweden. The submarine hunts began in October of 1981, when submarine sightings seemed to indicate Soviet incursions. The Swedish Navy fired depth charges at the subs, without success. However, some question the veracity of these sightings, and whether the submarines were foreign or even real.

Who Gave Away Anne Frank?
Anne Frank’s treasured diary records the experiences of a young Jewish girl in hiding in Nazi Germany. On August 4, 1944, her family were found and arrested, and sent to concentration camps. To this day, no one knows who they were discovered or who may have been responsible for giving them away.

The Big Bang
We have a very general idea about what went on in the early universe: 13.78 billion years ago, a singularity, or point of infinite density, rapidly expanded, eventually leading to the formation of subatomic particles, atoms, and primordial elements. This was the creation of our universe and everything in it - including space and time. But many questions remain. What caused the Big Bang? There are theories, relating to quantum fluctuations or branes, but no one knows for sure. Why do we have these laws of physics, not others? Perhaps we’ll understand more when we achieve a Theory of Everything - a framework that reconciles general relativity and quantum mechanics. But even that may not answer the most fundamental question of all: why is there something rather than nothing?

The Nazca Lines
Found in southern Peru, the Nazca Lines are an incredible sight to behold. Seen from the air or surrounding foothills, they’re massive geoglyphs carved into the floor of the Nazca Desert. Some are geometric designs, others resemble animals like hummingbirds, spiders, and dogs. We know they were created between 500 BC and 500 CE, by removing the outer layer of pebbles to expose the soil underneath. But we don’t know why they were made. Many people believe that they have religious significance, while others attribute them to a complex irrigation scheme or astronomical calendar. And, how could we forget, aliens.

D. B. Cooper
He identified himself as Dan Cooper, but a media mix-up resulted in the name D.B. Cooper. It is now one of the most notorious names in American history. On November 24, 1971, a mysterious man hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305. He quietly informed a stewardess that he had a bomb and received the modern equivalent of $1.5 million. The plane landed and emptied the hostages before taking off again as per Cooper’s demands. He then parachuted out and disappeared from history. A very small portion of the money was found in 1980, but neither Cooper nor his large stack of cash have ever been located.

Miracle of the Sun
In October of 1917, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto, along with their cousin Lúcia Santos, made a prophecy that the Virgin Mary would appear in Fátima, Portugal. Many people gathered to observe her miracles and witnessed odd solar activity. A crowd that included government officials claimed to have seen radiant colors in the sky while the sun zig-zagged around its usual spot. Even Pope Pius XII reported seeing this activity from the Vatican. Believers think this to be a case of divine intervention. Skeptics argue that they were hallucinations caused by prolonged staring at the sun, compounded with a strong desire to witness something supernatural.

The Bermuda Triangle
Nestled between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico is the legendary Bermuda Triangle. This area of the Atlantic Ocean is said to be a hotspot of paranormal activity, as many ships and planes hit upon disaster within its confines. Ships like the HMS Atalanta and USS Cyclops have experienced problems in its waters, and the aforementioned Flight 19 went missing in the general area. Those who don’t believe in the supernatural have put forth more grounded explanations, like extreme weather events, compass variations, and fields of methane hydrates. Others argue there’s nothing out of the ordinary about the disaster rate within the Bermuda Triangle, given how many ships pass through it.

What Is Consciousness?
We all have subjective experiences, and are self-aware. But what does that mean? It’s a question that the greatest minds in history have struggled with, going back thousands of years. It goes beyond the fact that we have thoughts, beliefs, and propositional attitudes towards whether something is true or false. We also have what philosophers call ‘qualia’ - subjective experiences about what certain sensations are like. Is the taste of an apple reducible to configurations of neural networks? Is the mind just the brain? How does it generate consciousness? When do we develop self-awareness as infants? How conscious are animals? Despite the best efforts of great minds, these questions endure.

The Lost Colony
In 1587, explorer and artist John White established a settlement on Roanoke Island, in modern day Dare County, North Carolina. A previous colony had failed and been abandoned amid supply shortages and conflict with Native American inhabitants. White sailed back to England for supplies in ​​1588, but when he returned in 1590, the settlement had been abandoned. The only clue was the word “Croatoan” carved into a tree - the name of a local island and also tribe. It’s possible that the Lost Colony relocated to the island and assimilated with the native population, but this theory has never been proven.

Mary Celeste
There’s something really creepy about ghost ships, and the Mary Celeste is arguably the scariest example. On December 4, 1872, the American merchant ship was found aimlessly drifting near the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. Men from the Canadian brigantine Dei Gratia boarded Mary Celeste and found a generally undisturbed ship. Neither the cargo nor the crew’s belongings had been tampered with, and the ship itself was found to be seaworthy. However, the lifeboat was missing from its station, indicating that the crew had abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean. To this day, no one knows what happened onboard, and no bodies were ever recovered.

The Voynich Manuscript
We love to communicate with each other, and get frustrated when we can’t. This has helped fuel the intense public interest behind the Voynich Manuscript. A book dating from the early 15th century, it consists of hundreds of pages of illustrations and text. Said text is completely indecipherable, and despite the best efforts of language, history, and cryptography experts, none of it has been successfully translated. We don’t know where the manuscript came from (although it could be Italy), and we have no idea what any of it means. Yale has published the entire book online, so if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, give it a shot!

Amelia Earhart’s Fate
A highly accomplished and record-setting pilot, Amelia Earhart was one of the biggest celebrities of her day. She attracted great attention and publicity in 1937 when she attempted to circumnavigate the globe with navigator Fred Noonan. Tragically, the two disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on the last leg of the trip. Nothing about the flight has ever been recovered - no bodies, no human remains, and no parts of the plane. Countless theories have been put forth regarding the fates of Earhart and Noonan, and while they likely crashed into the ocean, we cannot definitively say for sure.

What Comes After Death
The myriad mysteries of life aren’t even confined to life itself. One of the greatest mysteries surrounding our existence, and one that has plagued humanity since our inception, is what happens after we die. Entire religious doctrines are built around this question, and our collective pondering has resulted in many distinct possibilities, myths, and philosophies. Some of the more optimistic and spiritual amongst us believe that there is an afterlife of some kind. The more skeptical believe that there is nothing at all and that we simply cease to exist, much like the time before we were born. Which side of the fence do you fall on?

The Dyatlov Pass Incident
It was the dead of winter in 1959 when nine trekkers from the Ural Polytechnical Institute were hiking through the Ural Mountains. All communication with the team ceased and a rescue party was sent to find them. They stumbled upon a grisly sight with a torn tent and mangled bodies scattered around the area. We still don’t know what caused the horrific ordeal. It’s generally believed that an avalanche hit their tent at night, causing the survivors to cut their way out and run away. They may have frozen to death, their bodies picked over by scavengers. However, there are plenty of other theories, from military testing to infrasound-induced panic attacks.

Madeleine McCann
Described by the Daily Telegraph as “the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history,” the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has continued to make headlines since 2007. Hailing from Leicester, England, McCann was vacationing with her family in Portugal when she was put to bed at 8:30pm. Her parents went to eat at a nearby restaurant, and when McCann’s mother checked in at 10:00, she found her daughter missing. The McCanns were scrutinized in the press and even blamed for the disappearance, but this theory was eventually dropped. While the case remains open, police suspect that a German man named Christian Brückner kidnapped the girl.

The Bronze Age Collapse
In a period of just fifty years, between 1200 and 1150 BC, many human civilizations simply disappeared. This phenomenon is now known as the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Many areas were affected, through the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East. This collapse ushered in a prolonged Dark Age, which wasn’t lifted until Archaic Greece was established around 750 BC. Most evidence points towards some type of cataclysmic violence, but whether it was caused by fellow man or natural disaster is unknown. As a result, theories range from a brutal invasion by the Sea Peoples to catastrophic events like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

The Zodiac Killer
We like to think that justice will be served, especially when the perpetrator is pompous enough to boast about their crimes. But this isn’t a perfect world. One of the most infamous serial killers in American history, the Zodiac terrorized California in the late ‘60s and killed at least five people. He also taunted the police and media through a series of letters and cryptograms, two of which remain uncracked to this day. The killer’s activity ceased in 1974 with a final, creepy brag that put his own score at 37, and the San Francisco Police Department at 0. If the killer is telling the truth, he claimed 37 lives and got away with it.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
With modern technology, it’s getting harder and harder to lose an airplane. But Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 remains an exception. The plane was flying from Malaysia to China on March 8, 2014 when it simply up and vanished. Malaysian military radar indicated that the plane deviated from its flight path, but it then flew out of range. It was the last that anyone has seen of the aircraft. The plane was undoubtedly destroyed, as pieces of debris washed ashore a couple of years later. The 239 crew and passengers are presumed dead. The reason behind the flight’s destruction remains unknown, despite an extensive and very costly investigation.

Jack the Ripper
This serial killer bears many similarities with the Zodiac: he had five confirmed kills; may have taunted the police and media; and was never caught. Jack the Ripper targeted female sex workers in the poor London district of Whitechapel, killing five in 1888. The police received jeering letters purportedly written by Jack the Ripper, including the famous “From Hell” letter that was mailed with half a human kidney. The last canonical killing was that of Mary Kelly, which occurred on November 9, 1888. Following her death, Jack the Ripper slunk back into the shadows, much like he did on the streets of Whitechapel.

Stonehenge
This monument on England’s Salisbury Plain is one of the most iconic structures in the world. And yet we know very little about it. Its exact purpose is still debated. Was it a burial ground? An astronomical observatory? A place of healing? We also aren’t sure how it was constructed. Of particular interest are the massive lintels lying across the standing stones. How did they get those up there? Heck, we don’t even know when Stonehenge was built, with estimates ranging between 3000 and 2000 BC. We also don’t know anything about the culture that built it, as they left no written records. Put simply, Stonehenge is arguably the most mysterious monument on Earth, with far more questions than there are answers.

Alien Life
Sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” We have to agree with him. We’re pretty sure that, probabilistically speaking at least, there has to be something out there. The Milky Way has an estimated 100–400 billion stars, and even more planets. And there are several hundred billion to two trillion galaxies in the observable universe! But so far, we have yet to find proof of extraterrestrial life. Or, are UFO sightings the proof we’ve been looking for? These days, even the Pentagon is releasing videos of unidentified aerial objects that they can’t explain. Does alien life exist? Has planet Earth already been visited by extraterrestrial beings? The truth is out there.

How Did Life Begin?
What is life? And how did it originate? ‘Life’ is difficult enough to define, inviting all sorts of literal and symbolic answers. It’s even more difficult to figure out how it began. Known as ‘abiogenesis’, this process seems to have occurred around four billion years ago on Earth through a complex biochemical process. But while there are numerous theories, a consensus has not been reached; nor have we been able to create life from scratch in the lab. All current lifeforms derived from some ‘last universal common ancestor’, but we don’t know what or when that was. Basically, the origin of life is too complex for even our greatest minds to unravel … at least for now.