Following the great popularity of our earlier lists on unsolved mysteries, we are presenting you with a third. These are all mysteries that have continued to evade a conclusive explanation. If you think you know the answer, be sure to tell us in the comments! If you wish to see the previous two lists (which you should do before you complain about a mystery not being included on this list), they are:
Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries
Another 10 Unsolved Mysteries
10. The Vile Vortices
The Vile Vortices twelve are areas distributed more or less evenly around the globe that are alleged to have the same qualities as claimed for the Bermuda Triangle. Five are located on a latitude near the Tropic of Capricorn; Five on a latitude near the Tropic of Cancer; and one each at either of the Poles. They form the vertices of an icosahedron. As well as the Bermuda triangle, the Devil’s Triangle (or Devil’s Sea) is one of the twelve areas. The Devil’s Triangle is claimed to be the cause of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, noted American aviation pioneer, author and women’s rights advocate who disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937. In the image above the vortices are marked out in a different color.
9. Frederick Valentich’s Disappearance
The Frederick Valentich Disappearance is an event that occurred on October 21, 1978, in which 20-year-old Frederick Valentich disappeared in unexplained circumstances while piloting a Cessna 182L light aircraft over the Bass Strait to King Island, Australia. Prior to his disappearance, Valentich reported via radio that he had encountered an unidentified craft which was moving at the same speed of his plane, and which hovered over him. No trace of Valentich or his aircraft was ever found. Shortly before Valentich’s last reported contact, plumber Roy Manifold set up a time lapse camera and tripod on the shoreline in order to photograph the sun setting over the water. When his pictures were developed they appeared to show a fast moving object exiting the water. Manifold gave the time that the pictures were taken as being approximately 6:47 pm (18:47 hrs), or 20 minutes before Valentich reported having difficulties. Moments before a strange noise terminated Valentich’s communications, he said: “My intentions are – ah – to go to King Island – ah – Melbourne. That strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again (open microphone for two seconds). It is hovering and it’s not an aircraft.”
8. Oak Island Money Pit
The Oak Island Money Pit is the site of the world’s longest running hunt for lost treasure. For hundreds of years, treasure hunters have ventured to Nova Scotia and tried to recover the treasure which is protected by a series of ingenious traps. Strange man made artifacts have been recovered from the pit over the years, but to this day, the treasure still remains buried. Pirates, the Knights Templar or Francis Bacon – no one is sure exactly who created this mysterious Money Pit or why. There has been wide-ranging speculation as to who originally dug the pit and what it might contain. Oak platforms were discovered every 10 feet. There were pick scrapes on the walls on the money pit and the dirt was noticeably loose and not as hard packed. The flood tunnel at 90 feet has been identified and known to be lined with flat stones. Some have speculated that the Oak Island pit was dug to hold treasure much more exotic than gold or silver. In his 1953 book, The Oak Island Enigma: A History and Inquiry Into the Origin of the Money Pit, Penn Leary claimed that English philosopher Francis Bacon used the pit to hide documents proving him to be the author of William Shakespeare’s plays. In the image above we see the money pit as it appears today. A much more indepth article on the Oak Island money pit is available here.
7. Noah’s Ark – found?
The Ararat anomaly is an object appearing on photographs of the snowfields near the summit of Mount Ararat, Turkey, and advanced by some believers in Biblical literalism as the remains of Noah’s Ark. The anomaly is located on the northwest corner of the Western Plateau of Mount Ararat at about 15,500 ft. It was first filmed during a U.S. Air Force aerial reconnaissance mission in 1949 — the Ararat massif sits on the former Turkish/Soviet border, and was thus an area of military interest — and was accordingly given a classification of “secret” as were subsequent photographs taken in 1956, 1973, 1976, 1990 and 1992, by aircraft and satellites. Six frames from the 1949 footage were released under the Freedom of Information Act. A joint research project was later established between Insight Magazine and Space Imaging (now GeoEye), using the IKONOS satellite. IKONOS, on its maiden voyage, captured the anomaly on August 5 and September 13, 2000. The Mount Ararat area also has been imaged by France’s SPOT satellite in September 1989, Landsat in the 1970s and NASA’s Space shuttle in 1994.
6. The Fire of Jeannie Saffin
There are many famous cases of people who seem to have spontaneously caught fire (Spontaneous Human Combustion) but there is a lesser known case of a woman who suffered this fate in front of witnesses. At approximately 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 15, 1982, Jeannie Saffin aged 61, burst into flames while sitting on a wooden Windsor chair in the kitchen of her home in Edmonton, London, England. Her father, eighty-two-year-old Jack Saffin, was seated at a nearby table and said he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye and turned to Jeannie to ask if she had seen it. He was astonished to find that she was enveloped in flames, mainly around her face and hands. Mr. Saffin said Jeannie did not cry out or move, but merely sat there with her hands in her lap. Her father pulled her over to the sink, badly burning his own hands, and started trying to douse the flames with water. Jeannie went in to a coma and died 8 days later. The policeman who conducted the investigation into possible murder reported to the coroner’s court that no cause for Jeannie’s combustion could be found. There was no charring or signs of burning anywhere in the room except on Jeannie’s body. The image above is from another case of Spontaneous Human Combustion as none could be found of Jeannie Saffin. You an read a much more indepth article on spontaneous human combustion here.
5. Red Rain in Kerala
From 25 July to 23 September 2001, red rain sporadically fell on the southern Indian state of Kerala. Heavy downpours occurred in which the rain was colored red, staining clothes with an appearance similar to that of blood. Yellow, green, and black rain was also reported. According to locals, the first coloured rain was preceded by a loud thunderclap and flash of light, and followed by groves of trees shedding shrivelled grey “burnt” leaves. Shrivelled leaves and the disappearance and sudden formation of wells were also reported around the same time in the area. A study commissioned by the Government of India found that the rains had been colored by airborne spores from a locally prolific terrestrial alga. Then in early 2006, the colored rains of Kerala suddenly rose to worldwide attention after media reports of a conjecture that the colored particles were extraterrestrial cells. The origin of the rain is still unknown today, despite worldwide efforts to discover the cause and true nature of the rain.
4. The Mysterious Kaspar Hauser
On May 26, 1828 a teenage boy appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany. He carried a letter with him which was addressed to a captain of 6th cavalry regiment. The anonymous author said that the boy was given into his custody, as an infant, on the 7th October 1812, and that he had never let him “take a single step out of my house”. Now the boy would like to be a cavalryman, thus the captain should take him in or hang him. Hauser claimed that he had, for as long as he could think back, spent his life always totally alone in a darkened 2×1×1.5 metre cell (little more than the size of a one-person bed in area) with only a straw bed to sleep on and a horse carved out of wood for a toy. Hauser claimed that the first human being he ever had had contact with had been a mysterious man who had visited him not long before his release, always taking great care not to reveal his face to him. According to contemporary rumors – probably current as early as 1829 – Kaspar Hauser was the hereditary prince of Baden that was born on September 29, 1812 and had died within a month. It was claimed that this prince had been switched with a dying baby, and had indeed appeared 16 years later as “Kaspar Hauser” in Nuremberg. Hauser died after receiving a stab wound to the chest which was possible self-inflicted. He claimed he had been stabbed by the man who had kept him as an infant.
In 2002, the University of Münster analyzed hair and body cells from locks of hair and items of clothing that were alleged to belong to Kaspar Hauser. The DNA samples were compared to a DNA segment of Astrid von Medinger, a descendant in the female line of Stéphanie de Beauharnais, who would have been Kaspar Hauser’s mother if indeed he had been the hereditary prince of Baden. The sequences were not identical but the deviation observed is not large enough to exclude a relationship, as it could be caused by a mutation.
3. The Man in the Iron Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask (died November 1703) was a prisoner who was held in a number of jails, including the Bastille and the Chateau d’If, during the reign of Louis XIV of France. The identity of this man has been thoroughly discussed, mainly because no one ever saw his face which was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth. Later retellings of the story have claimed that it was an iron mask. The first surviving records of the masked prisoner are from 1669, when Louis XIV’s minister sent a prisoner to the care of the governor of the prison of Pignerol. According to Louvois’ letter, the man’s name was Eustache Dauger. Louvois instructed Saint-Mars to prepare a cell with multiple doors which were to prevent anyone from the outside listening in. Dauger was also to be told that if he spoke of anything other than his immediate needs he would be killed. Saint-Mars was to see Dauger only once a day in order to provide food and whatever else he needed. He spent his remaining years in jail, with his true identity being concealed. Upon his death, all of his belongings were destroyed. Theories about his identity made at the time included that he was a Marshal of France; or Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell; or Francois de Vendôme, Duc de Beaufort. Later, many people such as Voltaire put forward other theories about the man in the mask.
2. Sailing Stones
The sailing stones are a geological phenomenon found in the Racetrack Playa (a seasonally dry lake located in the northern part of the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S.A.). The stones slowly move across the surface of the playa, leaving a track as they go, without human or animal intervention. They have never been seen or filmed in motion and are not unique to The Racetrack. Similar rock travel patterns have been recorded in several other playas in the region but the number and length of travel grooves on The Racetrack are notable. Racetrack stones only move once every two or three years and most tracks last for just three or four years. Stones with rough bottoms leave straight striated tracks while those with smooth bottoms wander. Stones sometimes turn over, exposing another edge to the ground and leaving a different-sized track in the stone’s wake.
Various and sometimes idiosyncratic possible explanations have been put forward over the years that have ranged from the supernatural to the very complex. Most hypotheses favored by interested geologists posit that strong winds when the mud is wet are at least in part responsible. Some stones weigh as much as a human, which some researchers such as geologist George M. Stanley who published a paper on the topic in 1955 feel is too heavy for the area’s wind to move.
1. The WOW! Signal
The Wow! signal was a strong, narrowband radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977 while working on a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project at the Big Ear radio telescope of the Ohio State University. The signal bore expected hallmarks of potential non-terrestrial and non-solar system origin. It lasted for 72 seconds, the full duration Big Ear observed it, but has not been detected again. It has been the focus of attention in the mainstream media when talking about SETI results. The Big Ear telescope was fixed and used the rotation of the Earth to scan the sky. At the speed of the earth’s rotation, and given the width of the Big Ear’s observation “window”, the Big Ear could observe any given point for just 72 seconds. An extraterrestrial signal, therefore, would be expected to register for exactly 72 seconds, and the recorded intensity of that signal would show a gradual peaking for the first 36 seconds — until the signal reached the center of Big Ear’s observation “window” — at which time it would show a gradual decrease. Therefore, both the length of the Wow! signal, 72 seconds, and its shape would correspond to an extraterrestrial origin. The region of the sky in which the signal was heard, lies in the constellation Sagittarius, roughly 2.5 degrees south of the fifth-magnitude star Chi-1 Sagittarii.
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
I don’t understand the WOW one at all.
Someone care to explain?
Great list. The unsolved mystery lists are always a good read, and are my favourite lists on the site.
Sweet list! Tho reading it on my own at 2 in the morning made it creep me out a bit. The wow signal made me draw my curtains so that I couldnt see the sky at all (sad I know). But the money pit is really interesting. It would be cool if things were found there tho it would be funny if it was just made for absolutly no reason.
Please remove number 7. Noah’s ark never happened. Unless poeple are uneducated enough to belelive all animals on the planet paired up and got on a big boat. Puh-lease.
One stupid little photo of something that MIGHT be an Ark and the Atheists decide they simply MUST have a go at the believers. For crying out loud, give it a rest and let people believe what they want without insulting them!
I don’t know if the Ark (or any other Biblical stories for that matter)happened, I wasn’t there at the time. I figure it’s highly unlikely. But really, part of me hopes that it could be proven just so you lot shut up.
yeah thats not going to happen i’m afraid.
you’d feel like insulting an adult who believed in Santa Claus or fairies because of the sheer absurdity of it. well, to me its the EXACT same thing. Plus I didn’t insult anyone. I simply implied (correctly) that i think anyone who believes 2 of every animal (read: millions)on the planet got onto one boat a few thousands years ago would have to have little or no knowledge of history etc. ie uneducated. When people stop believing in fairytales and rubbish or prove us wrong, THEN athiests will shut up.
To Shorty (#123):
Even if you don’t see the aliens doesn’t mean they’re not there… You might pull open the curtains only to find an alien staring back at you through the glass. (Mwa-ha-ha-ha)
I love these unsolved mysteries lists, I’ve always been way into these kinds of things. Great list.
Davo: Being an atheist myself, I’ve gotta say; shut the frell up. It’s atheists like you who give the rest of us bad names, just like it’s Phelps gives christians bad names, or Bin Laden for Muslims.
Uh Phelps is not a Christian…read his doctrinal statement.his ‘church’ consists of him and his family….Bin Ladin adheres to Islamic theology and yes, he is a muslim in good standing! Poor comparison!
As for Noah’s Ark, it is indeed a strong possibility regardless of what fundy athiests want to believe!
The story of a cataclysmic flood is recorded in throughout ancient civilizations…some of them predating the Torah!
As for the original Hebrew in Genesis, it refers not necessarily to a one mountain but to the Mountain Range..
Also, it is possible in the Hebrew to understand the flood as a more local albeit horrific flood as opposed to a Universal flood!
One thing that will be funny is watching the athiests jaws drop when the Ark, or what is left of it, is found one day!
Of course..being athiests, I’m sure they will never admit they are wrong…lol….
*sigh* Can we forgo the atheist/theist convo this time around? Neither group will ever admit that they are wrong….mostly because neither group can prove that they are right. So let’s save the atheist/theist discussion either a) for the forums, or b) a religious themed list. Preferably the former.
i think i remember hearing something about a spot in california where the gravity is all haywire.
maybe i remember wrong.
oh, by the way, no one here can prove that the great flood did or did not happen, hence why it’s an unsolved mystery.
so please kindly grow up and give it a rest.
Loseitbonkers: I don’t know if there a place like that here in California but there is a place in Oregan that has what they call a Vortix (sp?) where weird things happen.
Jfrater: Spring-heeled jack had a large number of localized sightings, do a bit of a read about how many, and even if it’s just a case of hysteria, it’s still significant as it was as widespread as some other creatures are now.
Randall: The pit has never been lost (not after the modern finding of it anyway) and that is a real picture of it. The only reason for the non-excavation of it is the huge depth and the complexity of the flooding mechanism which makes moving the earth very difficult under the water. The expenses for such a venture could also possibly total more than the treasure, as it’s unknown how much is down there. And it was also speculated that British Royal Engineers are the ones responsible.
Hmm, you’re making a negative implication about something people believe, but that’s not insulting? Righty then. . .
I’m not the type of person to insult or judge people for what they believe. It would be completely hypocritical of me, given my wacky beliefs. I don’t feel foolish about it at all. I have things going on, a job, a boyfriend, I live in the real world. I just believe in more than myself and the things around me.
What’s wrong with believing in Santa Claus or fairies? I am an adult who believes in both, as well as dragons, unicorns, angels and a ton of other things that aren’t considered ‘normal’. What’s wrong with wanting a little bit of magic and wonder in an otherwise mundane life?
Some people want to believe in things, and some people don’t. Big deal. There’s no need for comments like that. You don’t like the choice(s) on the list? You could submit your own list that’s more in tune with your tastes, rather than being so negative.
I have to say that the noah’s ark one is almost, no, definitely bullshiz,
noah’s ark did happen yes, but i doubt they found it.
Jono:
My info on the pit may be out of date. Last I knew, in the 80s the original site of the pit was considered lost.
If it’s since been re-discovered, that’s news to me.
Davo is just obviously not very intelligent, but its OK, i forgive him.
First of all, the book of Genesis was written a long time ago by someone who -wasn’t- around at the time. the stories were passed down by oral tradition, etc, so the writings in them might not be entirely scientifically accurate.
“2 of every animal were put on the boat.” You say thats dumb, but you have to remember how advanced biology was back then, and how many creatures were actually discovered in that area at that time.
Lets imagine, if you lived in Western Texas your whole life. With no outside knowledge of the world around you, apart from what you’ve seen where you live, I imagine it’d be entirely plausible for you to fit 2 of every animal you’d seen on a boat the size of a football field.
Just remember that Genesis is largely a book of moral teachings (God created Man, Man became fallen, etc etc etc). Atheist’s largest mistake is using the book of Genesis against Christians because they believe it to be scientifically inaccurate, thus making the Bible “a book of fairy tales”. The Bible IS accurate – i believe it traces the lineage of David back over 20 lineages. You’d have a hard time doing that today, even with access to the internet.
Just call me “Noah it all or nothing.” I am in agreement with CSimmons’ Feb 13, and Randall’s Feb 14, comments that Noah and the flood has not happened! Maybe, not yet. As with many Biblical metaphorical stories ( i.e. Genesis 10 has correlative similarities with Ezekial 38, where most of the names of Noah’s grandchildren are mentioned as NATIONS in the Ezekial text. “…which pertains to the latter days or end of times.”)By the way, the ark contained both “tame” and “untamed” animals paired, which doubles the number of animals.
As for Vorteces, curiously intriging, but, who knows? Feb 15, Frazzzid, Would like to hear more on Oregon Vortex, where “weird things happen.” Have you heard anything about Indian tribe of Mt Shasta mysteriously disappearing? Also, a sophisticated submarine was lost in an underworld cavern, off the northern California coast, extending several hundred miles inland from the continental shelf?
The WOW signal…Big Deal. Total waste of time and money. Sounds fabricated. What a coincidence—a 72 second signal, just as predicted.
Wake up, people. It’s been reported that they [aliens] are living right under our feet. Has anyone checked out underground alien cities on YouTube, some estimated to pre-exist ancient Egyptian times. They say our government is fully aware, and co-exists with these alien entities in underground cities. Many subterranian cities exist throughout the world, interconnected by subterranian tunnels.
These lists are great! Except for: I’m no atheist but explanation for the Noah’s Ark be anymore more boring? (sorry JFrater). I’d rather see Evan Almighty again than trying to read that.
Mid Summer 2005 Canadian First Nations Keith Ranville set out from his Vancouver home to investigate a at the time a Oak Island’s diminishing place of interest. But a new Oak Island begining emerged through Keith’s traveling research studies a simple unencrypted solution was generated to resolve this elaborate now 213 year-old treasure mystery. The close examination of Oak Island clues proclaimed a interesting triangle theory’ in-which was instrumental in locating the core to understanding and reviving the Oak Island treasure mystery. cont.. http://oakislandmoneypitblogspotcom.blogspot.com/
Another great unsolved list, damn i love mysteries, never heard of the money pit before-very interesting.
How about including some of these for the next one:
The Dogon Tribe and their knowledge of the stars
The Oera Linda Book-history of a lost continent?
Was Piri Re’is Map based on other maps going back to 6000 BC?
M’Quhae’s encounter with Sea Monsters in 1848
The Tunguska explosion
Why is Richard Meadley such a tw*t?
Any theories?
I think another good mystery could be about the rods.
Anybody know something about that?
M West: Here is the web site for the Oregon Vortex House of Mystery. They also have a short video you can watch.
http://www.oregonvortex.com/
M West: As for the Mt. Shasta tribe and also the lost sub., No I haven’t heard about that but sounds like it would be worth looking into.
Sailing stones solved
the sailing rock is probibly only erosion and wildlife.
“I think another good mystery could be about the rods. Anybody know something about that?”
The show Monster Quest on the History Channel recently offered a reasonable explanation of “rods.”
The Frederick Valentich’s case always fascinated me is last conversation is just chilling..
The myth of great flood and arc is found in almost mythologies of every continent. In Indian mythology the task of building the arc and transporting the man and animalkind is accomplished by Manu. It is argued that whether the myth travelled across the globe or was original creation is still disputed. Howeever it could be the distant memory of the mankind of the remote past that survived through the myth of the arc. It is beleived that once upon the time all continents were united and started to drift away about a billion year ago. In this drifting some continents collided as well and new geography was formed…Himalaya mountain is outcome of such collision…the sea bed rose above to touch the sky. There have been too many ice ages in the history of the earth. Could it be a Great Flood when all continents were united and mankind existed…? Scientists are not sure how old is origin of Human being on this earth. If this is the case great flood…arc by some unknown person and safekeeping on human and other races is not impossible.
The present photograph of Noah’s ark can be a trickery of the nature. Needs to be closely examined. We find human like., God like faces appearing in the rocks, wood and even in vegetables such as mango and papaya. It happens perchance giving way to the wild imagination of imaginitive mankind. Nature is innocent.
jfrater – Spring Heeled Jack most certainly wasnt invented he was a very real mystery
http://blackcatpress.co.uk/Spring_Heeled_Jack_Page.htm
I read about the sailing Stones when I was 6. It scared the hell out of me.
I love these lists!
To lazy to read back, but anyone mention the Dyatlov Pass Incident? Definitely one of the creepiest ones out there.
dis is my first time on the web but it’s fab. keep updating it plzzzzzzz.lol
There are a few Unsolved lists on here, so i dunno if anyone mentioned it.. but i live in the upper penninsulla of michigan and about an hour from where i live is the “paulding light” ripleys beleive it or not studied it and cant figure it out and also there is a reward for anyone that can figure it out..i have been to it a few times, and despite the way it MIGHT look… there is no way it is car lights…. and no.. there is noone standing there with a flash light.. there are alot of theorys and stories… but..anyways…check it out.. there are some youtube videos about it..and a few websites as well…
Cool list. As for the Ararat Anomaly a local farmer reportedly went up the mountain with his son and actually looked inside what he said was a ship that had cages in it. Years later an expedition was mounted and wood was bought down but I think carbon dating placed the wood at a much later time period. But it hasn’t been a more thorough attempt using modern equipment etc.. thanks to the Turkish govt. which is too bad. It would be nice to know once and for all what that is. It has also been reported that what once was a single structure is now broken into at least two sections due to shifting snow and rock, avalanches… I hadn’t heard that The Triangle may have figured into Earharts’ disappearance though.
Re: why the Big Ear radio observatory wasn’t moved to track the “Wow” signal. It is built into the ground and is unmovable, hence why it moves with the rotation of the Earth.
http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2007/08/081507_observatory.jpg
Oh and also, from what I have read, the location of the Money Pit has been described and mapped so many times by so many expeditions it could never really be lost. However, those same expeditions have torn up that portion of the island (as well as other parts believed to hold relation to the Pit) so much that it is unrecognizable from one expedition to the next and the “traps” and “treasure” may be all but destroyed or hopelessly buried.
If I can find it easily I’ll post a link to a piece I read about how the Money Pit is really an incredible meeting of natural occurrences, hoaxes, wishful/fanciful thinking, and perhaps a small oddity or two.
Vile Vortices: The Bermuda Triangle and other purported danger spots are a myth, a misunderstanding of basic statistics, and in many books, a deliberate misuse and misrepresentation of statistics. After a full examination, the BT and other areas experience no more craft disappearances than are to be expected, given local weather conditions and numbers of ships and planes.
Valentich Disappearance: This is most likely an unwarranted assignment of ‘mystery’ to an otherwise common event – novice pilots losing control of their airplanes. This particular case was made notorious because of the coincidence of Valentich reporting seeing something he couldn’t identify prior to going into the sea. Without the plane, there is not enough data to declare anything, and when one has insufficient data, anything may become a ‘mystery’. This one has been greatly exaggerated and sensationalized by the UFO crowd.
Oak Island Money Pit: Perhaps a symbol of either human hopes or human greed, take your pick. Like many mysteries, this one is based less on what is known, but on what is not known, leaving a blind spot into which people plug their favorite theory. Sort of like a Rorshach test.
Noah’s Ark: ‘Argument From Ignorance’ suppositon. In a nutshell, an ‘anomaly’ is found, and since investigation is stymied by local government, no 100% explanation has been achieved. Another blind spot into which folks may plug whatever they wish. Judeo-Christians, no doubt, would like for it to be Noah’s Ark for obvious reasons. UFO folks see an alien ship. And so on. Basically, the Noah’s Ark identification is based solely on our not knowing what it actually is, probably a rock outcropping.
Spontaneous Combustion: No mystery here. On rare occasions a person with some body fat and wearing flammable clothes manages to set themselves on fire. Their body fat acts like a candle while their clothes act as a wick. The fire burns until the mass of body fat is consumed and then goes out, leaving the arms and legs, albeit in an eerie manner. This has been demonstrated in several TV documentaries (on animals, not humans, of course).
Red Rain: The answer is right there in the listing: “A study commissioned by the Government of India found that the rains had been colored by airborne spores from a locally prolific terrestrial alga.” Then it is ignored two sentences later without cause. Ignoring explanations doesn’t make a thing ‘mysterious’.
Kaspar Hauser: Dubious anecdotal accounts from many many years ago. Who knows or could know now? A DNA test was conducted that failed to conclusively link him, but didn’t quite exclude him either, but requires a genetic mutation to explain the failure to link him. Hmmm.
Man In The Iron Mask: ? Who knows now?
Sailing Stones: No mystery, cause known for a long time. Three key clues are this: flat bottomed stones, only occurs on level ground, and only occurs where there is little rain.
Low precipation creates fine dust which covers the ground. When it does rain it creates a very slick mud coating. If the ground is flat, stones up to a certain size that are flat on the bottom are slowly pushed across the ground surface. This has been filmed and observed.
Wow! Signal” Yes, the signal had the hallmarks of extraterrestrial origins. Unfortunately for folks who think “aliens” when they read the term “extraterrestrial”, stars sytems, galaxies, etc. both emit signals and are extraterrestrial. What was established was a correlation, not causation.
RE: Sailing Stones – I meant to add that the stones are slowly pushed by the wind. The very slick dust-mud lessens friction enough to allow it. Those of you in Texas, Oklahoma, and other southwestern US states are probably very familiar with how slick that red clay dust gets when moitened by rain.
That’s “moistened” dagnabbit.
A Scientist: Please, show a skeptic some proof. I’ve seen nothing more than that dreaded video. Wind is hardly a good answer, since at ground level it would have to be moving at Upwards of five hundred Plus miles per hour. Sure I’ll watch another video as long as you can give me some simple readings of wind speed, rain fall, and then explain the gouges behind the stones
You only need typical wind speeds of 10-20 mph or more. The stones don’t go shooting across the silt-mud ground, they move very slowly, just like in the videos. The ‘gouges’ are hardly that. They are the expected tracks caused by the stones’ passing.
Which video is ‘dreaded’? Why is it ‘dreaded’?
I can’t hand you the multiple videos that show this phenomenon. They exist and are available if you look. If one doesn’t know a thing but wishes to, the responbsibility for research is personal. That is to say, it isn’t my responsibility to prove a claim wrong, but the responsibility of those who claim the movement of these stones is in fact ‘mysterious’. The movement is not mysterious, but lives on, not because of what people like yourself know, but because of what you don’t know.
Big clue: The stones which move are only of a certain size range. This is because if they’re too little they present enough surface for the winds to push against, while if they’re too big, they weigh too much to be pushed by the wind. You don’t see boulders or pebbles moving, correct?
In that this ‘mystery’ was debunked over a decade ago, the proof isn’t all over the internet like it was then.
Doubters of this explanation may do one of two things: research the actual explanation or believe in the mystery based on personal ignorance of the explanation.
Bottom line: the burden of proof lies with those who promote the moving stones as a mystery.
“Please, show a skeptic some proof.”
Please do your own research. The burden of proof is on those who promote the movement of these stones as a ‘mystery’. This was thoroughly debunked over a decade ago and videos of the stones being moved by the wind were all over the internet at the time, but faded away as the mystery died. I’m sure they’re available somewhere.
Big Clue: Only stones of a certain size move. If they’re too little they don’t have enough surface against which the wind can blow to move it. If they’re too big they weigh too much. You never see pebbles or boulders being moved.
“I’ve seen nothing more than that dreaded video.”
Which video? Why is it ‘dreaded’?
“Wind is hardly a good answer, since at ground level it would have to be moving at Upwards of five hundred Plus miles per hour.”
Nonsense. There are videos of the stones moving at wind speeds of 15-20-25 mph. The movement is very slow. They don’t whiz across the ground.
“Sure I’ll watch another video as long as you can give me some simple readings of wind speed, rain fall, and then explain the gouges behind the stones.”
Watch or don’t watch, as you see fit. Means little to me if you wish to believe based on what you *don’t* know about it.
Winds speeds: 10-40 mph on videotape.
Rainfall: Takes very little, just enough to turn the silty-dusty topsoil into a slick raceway. Guess what typically accompanies storms and rainfall? Winds 10-40 mph or more.
Gouges: They are hardly gouges. Just the expected track marks.
Note: Most of these videos are time lapse, so slowly do these stones move.
Note: Track direction *always* matches wind direction as recorded by meteorologists and weather stations.
~*~
This particular ‘mystery’ is similar to the ‘faked moon landing’ and other purported phenomena – after they’ve been thoroughly debunked they lay dormant for a while, maybe 10-12 years, and then reappear to be picked up as genuine by a new crowd of people unfamiliar with the history, unaware the ‘mystery’ was debunked long ago.
have been scouring all over the net for many mysterious events that have happened over the years…this site seems to cover most of it…. awesome one.
You guys might like to try out the mystery regarding the car which was carrying Archduke Ferdinand when he was assasinated. That car passed on to 7 subsequent people and all were killed off in one manner or another…at last it was loaned to a museum which later caught fire and was razed to the ground. have not found much about it on the net. I believe the car was a Bugatti.
another story(may be apocryphal)When a ship called the GREAT EASTERN was being built, a riveter and his boy apprentice vanished; no one realized at the time that they had been sealed inside the hull. The ship, the largest ever built at that time, got stuck during its first launching. It took 3 months to free it. The ship’s builder, Isambard Brunel, collapsed on its deck and died a week later. During the next 15 years, several disasters happened on board. Five firemen died when a funnel exploded. While it was in port being repaired, a storm damaged it even more. The captain and a cabin boy drowned. A sailor got crushed by the wheel. Another man was lost overboard. The disasters continued until the ship was abandoned, just 15 years after it was built. When it was broken down for scrap, the skeletons of the riveter and his apprentice were found sealed in the hull.
you may also want to have a look at this site
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com
A Scientist: You’ll have to excuse me for my ignorance. I don’t have quite the resources of a scientist. Unlike you, I have only what I can find, Internet, Library, museums. I have no favors owed, I have no one of like stature to point me in the right direction. I think that you can agree that One video hardly constitutes Proof. I have indeed search/scoured the internet for other videos, YouTube as well as Accredited Universities and organizations archives. I would’ve thought that NOAA may have had some interest in the phenomena. I guess that’s just the common sense of a layman. Oh well, you just keep doing your thing an berating the “Unenlightened” and I’ll do my thing by telling you all to help out or get bent.
6 Is really , really ….ermm , lets say unsual.
ToKiLoKi, that’s the most insulting thing I have ever read. you call me unintelligent then go on to imply that Noah’s ark may have happened and that the bible is accurate. you obviously haven’t read any part of the bible yourself or studied any sort of actual history or biology. It’s people like you who make me fear for the future of our children. Go and actually read the bible and then come back to me. I’m sorry, but you can’t call someone unintelligent, then let loose with a whole lot of ignorance on the subject.
Anyone who tries to rationalize the ark story seriously needs a mental examination.
I can use ANY part of the bible, new or old testament against you.
Is there any proof of the lineage written down? you just believe anything written by anyone.
the mistake religious people make is that they don’t read stuff for themselves and base their knowledge on what their preiest reads out on Sundays, foregoing all the murdering they are supposed to doing in god’s name.
noahs ark..run a google on the durpinar site( i think i spelled it right)
I was thinking that the sailing stones are moved by vibrations, from underground or somewhere nearby, which if they were strong enough, would explain why the large rocks could move, but as far as I know there haven’t been any reports of vibrations in that area.
Cheers to that Davo. Here Here!
Why don’t you just call the site “Wikipedia Reprint Universe”? Or “We Just Copy Other People’s Articles Then Paste Our Label On the Photos Universe”?
By the way: 15,000 feet is over two miles–do you really think the world was under two miles of water? Mount Rainier would have been underwater. Does any sane, rational person actually believe that this is even remotely possible? Maybe you also think that “Noah’s Ark” could sit for 60 years and nobody with a chopper would bother to fly up and have a look at it?
Sailing stones mysteri SOLVED
http://onemansblog.com/2007/09/06/death-valleys-sailing-stones-mystery-solved/
I just want to clarify to anyone who read about Fredrick’s disappearance, If you like me, the information is misleading. When I read it i thought that he (Fred) had been hailed by the UFO and it asked what his intentions were (he talked to an alien), BUT the radioman asked him his intentions. It read eerily.
Hey gr8 list man.What really grabbed my attention was the Racetrack stones, and you know whats funny about it?? have anyone of you guys seen that Sponge bob episode where Squidword , Sponge bob and Patrick tried to see whos pet was faster?. While Sponge bob and Squidword enrolled their snails for the race, Patrick chose a !!!!!ROCK!!!! , and the Rock won!!!
Dont know whether the creators knew about this, but i was really surprised to discover such a phenomenon really exists. thanks j.- My first comment here:-)
how can you say it never happened, where you there or something?
the semantic and syntactic nature of the allegorical foundations of number 4 render the immediate … i mean please fellate me!
A good mystery is always fun.
Spongebob?! Dude. anyways the treasure inside the money pit is a map… think about it.