Top 10 Mysterious Events That Changed the World

#10: Who Was Jack the Ripper?

Jack the Ripper just might be historys most famous killer. Traditionally, the story says he murdered five women in Whitechapel between 1888 and 1891. Theyve since fascinated the globe with their mystery. It was arguably the first true crime legend, leading to over a century of investigation. Some historians, such as Hallie Rubenhold, have recently started to focus on his victims, rather than the killer. Surprisingly, his victims have barely been studied. Instead, everyone focuses on the killer, which some argue is dehumanising, turning the murders into a form of entertainment. After decades of search, its unlikely well ever find his identity, but people will always be interested in trying regardless.

#9: Real King Arthur

The definitive mythological, legendary king is easily Arthur, King of the Britons. According to legend, in the 5th and 6th centuries, he led the post-Roman Britons in a war against the invading Anglo-Saxons. As time went on, his name became increasingly legendary, to the point where no one knows if he existed. All the sources we have of him come from centuries later, with most of the myths originating in the High Middle Ages. This has majorly obscured fact from fiction, to the point where theres no consensus whether he existed or not. Theres a handful of figures who could have been him, but well never truly know.

#8: Who Killed JFK?

In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, Texas. Shortly after, Lee Harvey Oswald shot a policeman, J. D. Tippit, which got him arrested and made him a primary suspect for the assassination. Two days later, Oswald suffered the same fate as Kennedy, getting shot on live television by Jack Ruby. This spurred tons of conspiracy theories about whether Oswald was responsible. No investigations have found a likely culprit, with conspiracy theories pointing the finger at a whole bunch of people. These include the CIA, the Mafia, the KGB, and even Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

#7: Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

In 1937, Earhart embarked on a journey of epic proportions, trying to become the first woman to fly around the world. Unfortunately, she wasnt successful. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, went missing in the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Its commonly believed that they ran out of fuel, causing her to crash into the sea. Because her aircraft was never recovered, there have been huge conspiracy theories about where she went. Some are fairly reasonable, hypothesising that they accidentally drifted south. Others say Imperial Japan captured her, or instead, crabs ate her. The most controversial was that she succeeded, but changed her identity afterwards.

#6: The Kurukshetra War

One of the most important works of Indian literature is the Mahabharata. It was compiled in the 3rd to 4th centuries BC, telling the tale of the Kurukshetra War. It was an epic war of succession, in a poem thats 1.8 million words long, making it the longest poem in history. Thousands of years later, and were still uncertain if its based on a real war or not. The text treats it like it were a real conflict, confusing historians immensely. Some think it was an exaggerated war, inspired by a singular battle. Others think its a complete myth, making it one of the earliest historical epics.

#5: Mayan Collapse

Civilizations often mysteriously collapse in history. The Indus Valley collapse in India occurred around 1300 BC. One of the most interesting is the classic Maya collapse. The ancient Mesoamerican civilization blossomed for centuries, first rising in 2000 BC and finally ending due to Spanish conquests in 1697. In the 9th century AD, there was a huge collapse, resulting in abandoned cities and huge civil wars. Like all historical events, it was probably due to a complex string of events with no singular cause. Unfortunately, we barely understand those surrounding events. Within 50 to 100 years, entire cities became abandoned, a phenomenon historians are still scratching their heads about.

#4: The Wow! Signal

The search for aliens is one of the most inspiring fields of physics. For centuries, humans have looked up at the stars and wondered if were alone. One indication that we might not be was the Wow! Signal. In 1977, Ohio State University detected an anomalous signal coming from Sagittarius. It lasted 72 seconds, impressing astronomer Jerry R. Ehman, who wrote Wow! on the printout. Science still hasnt found a natural explanation, leaving people to wonder if the signal was sent by aliens. The Roswell incident is the more legendary alien incident in pop culture, yet its taken far less seriously by science than the Wow! signal.

#3: Alexander the Greats Death

One of historys first ever conqueror generals was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon from 336 to 323 BC. At the peak of his career, his empire stretched from Macedonia to India. Along the way, he founded a plethora of cities, most named Alexandria. When he was 32 years old, Alexander died under mysterious circumstances. It was largely unexpected, causing his empire to shatter and collapse. The leading theory is that he was poisoned by enemies, which was fairly common among Macedonian nobility. Additionally, we dont have any clue where his tomb is. We know he was buried in Memphis, then moved to Alexandria, but no one can find the exact site.

#2: The Bronze Age Collapse

In the 12th century BC, society at the time experienced an almost apocalyptic collapse. Most nations at the time, such as Mycenaean Greece & the Hittite Empire, collapsed. Why this happened is a complicated question, with no agreed-upon answer. Climate change was likely a huge factor, alongside huge migratory invasions from factions like the Sea Peoples. The latters influence is still up for debate, with some historians arguing their role is exaggerated. Evidence comes from the fact that all sources on the Sea Peoples are Egyptian, implying bias. Recent studies show a pandemic could have played a role, akin to the plague epidemics of the Middle Ages. Its uncertain if well ever truly know, given how long ago it was.

#1: The Life of Jesus

The Bible is one of the most influential books in history, with the New Testament including a variety of stories about the life of Jesus. A lot of people accept them as the truth, but from a historical perspective, their reliability is questionable. All documents were written decades after his death, by people scholars believe never knew Jesus. This has led the historical Jesus to be shrouded in mystery. For example, we dont even know when exactly he was born. Unfortunately, well probably never unveil the truth. Jesus only became a major figure after his death, meaning were unlikely to ever discover a contemporary source.

Which historical mystery would you like to see finally solved? Let us know in the comments below!