Top 30 Mysteries You've Never Heard Of

Top-30-Mysteries-Youve-Never-Heard-Of

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most bizarre unsolved mysteries that haven’t received as much attention as their more famous counterparts.

#30: Circleville Letters

Living in a small town seems ideal – until you’re suddenly thrown into a real-life horror movie. Circleville, Ohio is a seemingly normal place, with a true crime mystery that’s spanned decades. It began in the 1970s, when a suspicious death led to citizens receiving unsettling letters. The content ranged from accusations of infidelity and police cover-ups to thinly-veiled threats of violence. The correspondence escalated, and eventually the writer attempted to take someone’s life. Even after an arrest and conviction, the mail kept coming– making people realize they might’ve had the wrong person. They continued to be terrorized for years, until their primary suspect had been released. To this day, no one truly knows who was behind the frightening messages– or if they’ll ever return.

#29: Sacsayhuamán

Some earlier civilizations were able to erect impressive structures that have lasted into modern times. Some are so well built that you’d think they could’ve only been accomplished with newer equipment. One such example is Sacsayhuamán, a fortified wall that was constructed by the Incas centuries ago. It’s so precisely assembled that the details of its construction is the subject of a long-lasting debate. Some argue that the stones were pre-cut and lowered onto one another, while others think that they were towed into place. Both theories have been tested, with inconclusive results. The actual answer remains a secret, one that we may never get to find out.

#28: Rongorongo

The foundations of communication, verbal or not, have long been studied. Some of the earliest attempts at language have been observed, but not all are easy to parse, such as Rongorongo. Unearthed on Easter Island in the 19th century, it is a series of tablets inscribed with different glyphs – and is supposedly one of the oldest preserved forms of writing. It’s an extraordinary archaeological find that no one can figure out. Several efforts to translate the slabs have been made, with no solid verdict. In 1995, one linguist claimed that they were primarily creation chants. However, his conclusions are still being questioned today, making this one of the toughest historical nuts to crack.

#27: Thonis-Heracleion

Although we already know ancient cities existed, finding the remains of one can still feel unreal - especially when they are underwater! Throughout most of contemporary history, Thonis and Heracleion were assumed to have been two separate areas that existed at the same time. However, the discovery of artifacts in Abu Qir Bay led to the shocking realization that they had been one combined state the entire time. While that answered one question, that didn’t stop others from popping up. No one is sure how the municipality met its fate, although examiners have suggested that severe flooding could’ve been the cause. Beyond that, less than 10% of the city has been found – meaning there are plenty of other old conundrums that could potentially be solved soon.

#26: The Patomskiy Crater

This seemingly simple rock formation has been throwing scientists for a loop since 1949. Located in Siberia, the Patomskiy crater consists entirely of broken limestone, and covers a wide expanse of ground throughout the Patom Highlands. Since it was found, there’s been non-stop supposition about its origins. The most popular thesis is that it was caused by a meteor crashing to Earth; however, some believe that a volcanic eruption was responsible. The dispute became so heated that a conference was held in 2010 to discuss each proposition. Physical markings on the crater have revealed flaws in every hypothesis, but that hasn’t stopped researchers from searching for the answer.

#25: The Yonaguni Monument

While humans can take credit for most existing structures, there are some that are questionable, especially when they exist underwater. Beneath the depths of the Philippine Sea lies the Yonaguni Monument, an alleged pyramid complete with stairs. Its appearance has led people to believe it was a man made creation that succumbed to nature and sank below the surface. However, not everyone is so sure. Some geologists have posited that it was formed naturally, citing erosion as the most probable cause. The man who initially discovered Yonaguni disagreed, even suggesting it was proof of the fabled lost continent Mu. While research seems to support the logical reasoning, there hasn’t been irrefutable evidence disproving him yet.

#24: The Paracas Candelabra

An engraving found by the Paracas Bay in Peru is one of the more peculiar mysteries. It measures 600 feet tall and is visible from a dozen miles away. Everything about it baffles historians, from its purpose to how it was made. Its age is also contested, although objects found nearby suggest it’s been there since 200 BCE. It isn’t even known if the society living there at the time had any hand in building it. Its mysterious beginnings have remained elusive to this day. Considering how much we’ve been able to learn about our past, the fact that we know next to nothing about something so massive is truly mind-blowing.

#23: The Hessdalen Lights

Unidentified lights aren’t a new phenomenon. The Hessdalen lights have been seen in Norway since the 1930s, but no one is certain what causes them. They vary in color and speed, leading to constant speculation. There are different ideas, both realistic and fantastical. While there are the usual declarations of them being extraterrestrial in origin, some of the more prominent theories suggest they’re the outcome of aerial dust particles caused by mining. There are even suggestions that radioactivity could be behind the spectacle. While these proposals make sense, the lack of a concrete explanation has led to people staunchly concluding they’re signs of otherworldly life.

#22: The Shroud of Turin

The existence of religious figures is often debated, with proof often hard to come by. When potential proof of Jesus Christ’s burial shroud was found, it immediately attracted significant attention. Since its discovery in the mid-1300s, it’s been considered an icon of the Christian faith. However, just as long as it's been loved, it’s also been doubted. It was denounced as a fake as early as the 1380s, and since then, multiple arguments have cropped up supporting that claim. Some tests have been conducted, studying everything from the supposed blood stains to the image found on it. Nothing has been 100% corroborated, leading to an unending disagreement between scientific and religious circles that most likely won’t end anytime soon.

#21: The Shugborough Inscription

On an outwardly inconspicuous monument in England is a cipher that has mystified countless individuals. Many have tried to take a crack at the 18th-century message, essentially a series of letters, with little success. The estimations range wildly, with a few even delving into conspiracy theory status. Some have opted for a more natural reasoning, such as it being a basic tribute. However, there’s a large subset that’s convinced there’s a deeper meaning, even believing it’s a clue that eventually leads to buried treasure. The truth is still sought after today, and the memorial serves as proof that even something mundane can be the source of ceaseless discussion.


#20: The Toynbee Tiles

Boston, Kansas City, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires: what do all of these locations have in common? In all of these cities and many more, embedded in seemingly random streets, are linoleum tiles containing cryptic messages about death. The phrase “Resurrect dead on Planet Jupiter” is present on many of the tiles, as well as references to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” A couple of different theories have been put forth as to the identity of the Tiler, including a 2011 documentary, but no proof or admission from the Tiler has confirmed any of them. If it was one person, why go through the trouble of traveling around the world?


#19: The Hornet Spooklight

What's in a name? Well, judging by the spooky phenomena that occurs in the "Devil's Promenade" west of Hornet, Missouri ... sometimes a lot! Also known as the "Hollis Light," the Spooklight is a ball or group of lights that's been sighted numerous times around the border between Missouri and Oklahoma. People have proposed explanations that range from headlights on Route 66, to atmospheric gasses, to the spirits of two Quapaw lovers who ran away together. Oh yeah, and aliens, obviously. Over the years, a few investigators have laid out evidence for the headlights explanation. But there are still true believers who think there must be something more to the tale.


#18: Overtoun Bridge

Don’t bring your dogs near this next mystery. The Overtoun Bridge in Scotland is a seemingly normal bridge like any other, except for the staggering amount of dogs that have jumped to their deaths from the structure. Local tabloids have estimated that around 600 dogs have leaped off this bridge, seemingly for no reason. Residents tell of their dogs pausing on the bridge as if possessed before unexpectedly jumping. Some dogs have reportedly jumped twice! Paranormal theories abound, including spirits and ghosts, while the most scientific explanation is that the dogs are smelling wildlife below. But if that’s the case, why this bridge in particular?


#17: The Devil’s Footprints

One winter morning in 1855, residents of Devon, England woke to find an eerie phenomenon. Hoof prints, some four inches long, were found across 40 to 100 miles of snow, as well as on roofs, walls, and even in drain pipes! Residents might have been able to write the markings off as belonging to a donkey or other animal, except they appeared in a variety of unreachable places. Even stranger, they were all in a single line instead of alternating left and right. No animal walks in such a unique way. To this day, no satisfactory theory exists, but residents think it was Satan himself.


#16: The Disappearance of Benjamin Bathurst

Try rationalizing this one. Benjamin Bathurst was a British diplomat in the 19th century. He was traveling through Germany in November, 1809, with his aide Herr Krause when something strange happened. They were walking to the carriage together, but when Krause got in, he suddenly couldn’t find Bathurst. Investigations uncovered his valuable fur coat in an outhouse and pantaloons miles away in the woods. His wife spent a fortune trying to find him, but to no avail. It’s thought he was murdered, and a possible skeleton was found many years later. Bathhurst was known to carry pistols; how could no one have seen or heard him being taken?


#15: The Phantom Barber

There was more to worry about than World War 2 in the small town of Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1942. A mysterious person dressed in white began sneaking into homes and cutting off locks of people’s hair in the middle of the night. This phantom seemed to prefer blonde hair, and he was rarely seen in the act. Though his intrusions were usually nonviolent, police think he used chloroform to knock out a victim and on one occasion, he beat a couple unconscious with an iron bar. A suspect was later arrested, and then released. No definitive identity has ever been given for this ghastly figure.


#14: The Pollock Twins

Sisters Joanna and Jacqueline Pollock were 11 and 6 years old, respectively, when they were killed in a car accident. The devastated parents decided to have another child and gave birth to twins, Gillian and Jennifer. These twins shared so many similarities with the deceased sisters, including birthmarks, behaviors and preferences, and memories from before the accident, behaviors, that they seemed to be perfect reincarnations. Many simply dismiss the case as a hoax, but both parents were convinced that these twins were their original daughters. The case is often touted as evidence of true resurrection.


#13: Sleeping Sickness

This is a scary one. A sickness began sweeping through the world shortly after World War 1, and it would become so widespread it became an epidemic. It was called Lethargic Encephalitis, and it put people in a sort of coma where they were conscious but unable to speak or move - like living statues. Close to a million people died, and millions more were helplessly trapped in their bodies. No scientist to this day can explain what or how this sickness spread, and it is one of the biggest medical mysteries in history.


#12: The Aurora Incident

We’ve all heard of Roswell, but have you heard of the alien shipwreck in Aurora, Texas? In 1897 an airship that looked like a cigar allegedly collided with a windmill and exploded. People reported seeing a non-human pilot and papers with an unrecognizable language that resembled hieroglyphics. The pilot was supposedly buried, but the grave marker disappeared. The cemetery declined a request from the Mutual UFO Network to exhume the site. Conspiracy theorists believe that the wreckage was confiscated by the military, so all that’s left are accounts and memories. Was this a misconstrued event, or a real alien shipwreck?


#11: The Big Grey Man

The Big Grey Man, known as Am Fear Liath Mòr in Scottish Gaelic, is not actually a man. It’s said to be a creature or spirit living in the isolated Cairngorms mountains in Scotland. Various accounts of the creature tell of a tall spectre shrouded in mist that inflicts terrible fear and panic in the victims. Nearly all accounts report footsteps following them in the gravel before they encounter the entity. Another explanation that’s been proposed is that it’s a Brocken spectre - where the user’s shadow is enlarged on a cloud bank. We sure hope so!


#10: The Flannan Isles Lighthouse

In December of 1900, three lighthouse keepers mysteriously vanished without a trace on the uninhabited island of Eilean Mòr. When people went to check on them, they found a spare oilskin and unmade beds, suggesting something suddenly aroused them from their sleep. The mechanical clocks had not been wound for some time either. No evidence of foul play was found, and the bodies were never seen again. The leading theory is that waves pulled them into the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s forbidden to leave the lighthouse unmanned, so why did they all venture outside? And why did one leave his oilskin suit? It may forever be a mystery.


#9: The Dancing Plague of 1518

In 1518, in the Holy Roman Empire, the city of Strasbourg was reportedly struck with one of the strangest plagues in history: an inability to stop dancing. What started with one woman busting some moves somehow turned into mass hysteria that lasted for days. Residents found themselves unable to stop, and some sources report that many danced themselves to death! To this day, no one knows what really happened. Some believe the residents had ingested Ergot, a hallucinogenic fungi, while others point to stress-induced hysteria. Oddly enough, this plague also reportedly occurred in Switzerland, Holland, and Germany, though not to the same extent.


#8: Taman Shud

This is the sort of puzzle that keeps you up at night. In 1948, an unidentified dead body washed ashore in South Australia. What ensued was a wild scavenger hunt with dead ends everywhere. In the man’s pocket was a torn piece of paper that read “Tamam Shud” which is Persian for “Finished.” The paper led them to the book it was torn from, the “Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám,” along with a phone number and cryptic message that has yet to be decoded. The number was of a local nurse, who denied knowing the dead man. Investigators discovered a discarded suitcase that they believe belonged to the body, but it had a fake name. One of Australia's biggest mysteries is still an open case.


#7: Bimini Road

This strange rock formation is located in the Bahamas. The underwater path stretches for exactly half a mile before ending abruptly. The limestone blocks seem to have been precisely cut and stacked, leading some to claim that it must have been manmade. What makes this even stranger is that some 30 years before divers discovered it, modern prophet Edgar Cayce said the road leading to the lost city of Atlantis was near Bimini. Geologists argue that this is a naturally occurring formation, but there are still believers who argue that it must have been built by an ancient civilization.


#6: The Disappearance of the USS Cyclops

It’s one thing when a small dinghy vanishes, but how does the largest ship in the Navy suddenly disappear? That’s what happened in 1918, when the USS Cyclops was making a trip to Baltimore. The last message sent from the ship is simple: “Weather Fair, All Well.” Normally when ships disappear, some remnant or flotsam of the vessel washes ashore, but nothing whatsoever has been found of the Cyclops. Even more eerily, it vanished within the infamous Bermuda Triangle. No enemy ships were ever reported in the region. The Navy has called it one of the most confusing mysteries in its history.


#5: The Ghost Blimp

Picture it. 1942, off the coast of California. Two US Navy pilots command the Navy's L-8 blimp in search for Japanese submarines in waters not so far from San Francisco. They radio flight control about an oil slick on the water... and are never heard from again. A few hours later that very same L-8 blimp crashes into a cliff... with no one on board. Everything in or about the craft was working normally, the throttles were idle, and – more eerily – the parachutes and lifeboat were still on board. To this day no one knows what happened, and the personnel involved were never found.


#4: The Bay of Jars

Brazil’s Guanabara Bay contains a lot of trash, but the trash that people can’t explain is the 200 or so Roman ceramic jars found submerged in an underwater field – an underwater field the size of three tennis courts. According to experts, these jars trace back to the third century. However, European explorers didn’t even reach Brazil until 1500, and the Romans themselves had little to no incentive to travel that far out. Thus, it’s a complete mystery why their artifacts would be found here. Meanwhile, Brazil closed off the area in 1983, so it’s unlikely an answer will ever be found.


#3: The Voynich Manuscript

If you haven’t heard of this one, strap in. The Voynich Manuscript is a mysterious 250-page book written in a completely unknown language and containing odd, other-wordly sketches. Its origin is unable to be fully traced, so no one knows who created it let alone why, but carbon dating puts it in the early 15th century. So far no one has been able to decode the script it's written in, despite being worked on by professional codebreakers from both World War I and II. What strange message lies inside this uncrackable book?


#2: The Max Headroom Hijack

In 1987, two television stations in Chicago were hijacked in perhaps the most surreal act of video piracy ever recorded. Both instances featured an unidentified man dressed as obscure TV personality Max Headroom dancing to distorted audio. The second video, significantly longer, saw the man rambling incoherently in a distorted voice and being swatted on the behind by an offscreen accomplice. The segments lasted no more than a couple of minutes, but have gone down as among the most notorious incidents in television history. No one has ever identified who pulled it off, or even why. We can only hope someone comes forward after all this time to put an end to this mystery.


#1: The Green Children of Woolpit

According to legend, in the 12th century, two children were found in the village of Woolpit, England. Their skin was green, they spoke gibberish, and they only ate broad beans. Eventually they learned to eat normal food and speak English, and they claimed they were from a different world where there was no sun. The boy soon died of a mysterious illness, but the girl lived on. A few accounts from around the same time reference the tale. One leading theory proposes that the children were lost and malnourished Flemish immigrants from another town in Suffolk. Others claim that they were extraterrestrials, or from inside the Earth itself!


Have you ever heard of any of these obscure mysteries? Let us know in the comments below!