Mysteries are difficult or impossible to explain or understand. They are thrilling, puzzling, questionable, problematic and secretive. There are certain circumstances, crimes or incidents that have no clear explanations and is illogical in a sense. With the help of advanced science and technology, a lot of mysteries were solved. Yet there are mysteries that are still unsolved and grabs our attention. Many have come up with lot of logical explanations for the unsolved mysteries but they are just guesses, estimations, hypotheses, theories and speculations. Up to-date none of these mysteries have been solved. Here are top 25 unsolved mysteries of all time which you should know about.
1. D B Cooper
In 1971, D B Cooper bought a one side plane ticket from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington under the name Dan Cooper. Dan Cooper was a fake name and D B Cooper was the name given to him by the media and he was widely known as D B Cooper. He hijacked the ‘Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305’ by threatening Florence Schaffner that he had a bomb and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in $20 bill as ransom. There were 36 passengers on the plane and they were released when the plane landed in Seattle as he received his ransom, but Cooper forced two pilots, a flight attendant, and two pilots to remain on the plane. He later jumped off the plane and was never heard of ever again. The investigation bore no fruit as they found no clues that could be linked to him. He was described as a man in his mid-forties, about 6 feet tall and was speculated to be wearing a business suit, trench coat and loafers along with a tie. In 1980, a boy found a decaying package containing $5800 buried along the Columbia River. The serial numbers matched those of the $20 bill given to D B Cooper as ransom. Extensive searches were conducted, nothing was discovered and in 2016 the investigation was officially closed. The unsolved mystery became the inspiration to many authors and gave birth to several literary works.
2. Taos Hum
Taos is a small town in the north-central of New Mexico. Since the early 1990s, some of the locals and visitors of Taos have reported hearing a constant low-frequency buzzing, or rumbling noise and some say it can be compared to the sound of a distant diesel engine. It is a miserable voice to those who hear it, and it can be heard prominently indoors or at night. The locals voiced their concern and a public study was conducted, which showed that only 2% of the population heard it even though it can be heard by naked ears. The study also showed that it was the distant sound of the factories in the area but they could hear the Hum even after the factories were shut down. There were other regions around the globe where people have heard the similar mysterious rumbling noise; which include Bristol, England, neighbourhood of Bondi, Sydney, Australia and in Kokomo, Indiana.
3. Extra-terrestrials
Extra-terrestrials are the life that may exist/ may have existed in the universe outside of Earth. The Drake Equation speculates about the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and this equation is an approximation on which several stargazers and scientists have built up their theories and hypothesis. Scientists have picked up several signals from distant stars in the recent years which we believe are from extra-terrestrials. On October 19, 2017 astronomers at the University of Hawaii spotted a strange object travelling through our solar-system. The scientists named it ‘Oumuamua’, the Hawaiian word for scout or messenger. There exist several theories about the extra-terrestrials which are all hypothetical. There exists no evidence of any planet that can support life in our galaxy. Extra-terrestrials or aliens has been a topic widely discussed through books and movies and has been accepted by the public.
4. Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is also known as Leather Apron and Whitechapel Murderer. A serial killer who murdered at least five women, who were all prostitutes, in or near the Whitechapel district between August and November in 1888. Jack the Ripper is a pseudo name he gave himself. The pattern of the murder in all 5 cases were similar. The victims throat was cut, and the body was unusually mutilated in a manner which indicated that the murderer knew something about human anatomy. George Lurk of the Whitechapel Committee received a “From Hell” letter with half of a human kidney, believed to be extracted from a victim. The five murders that happened between 31 August and 9 November in 1888 are speculated to be linked. These five murder victims are known as the “canonical five”. They were Mary Ann Nicholas, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary jane Kelly. Jack the Ripper proved to be the muse for numerous authors and scriptwriters as there are several literary and dramatical works that themed him. The term “Ripperology” was coined to describe the study or analysis of the Ripper case.
5. The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing the bloodstained image of a man and some believe it to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. It is preserved in the Cathedral of San Giovanni Barista in Turin, Italy. The linen portrays two faint images those of the front and back of a gaunt, sunk eyed, 5foot-7inch man who was laid lengthwise and completely covered face to feet. Secondo Pia, an Italian photographer took photographs of the shroud and to his surprise the image of the shroud was a negative image. When the photo was printed the image contained markings that allegedly correspond to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, including the thorn marks on the head and various stains found on the linen are believed to be blood. Even though scientists subjected the shroud to scientific and photographic scrutiny, they were unable to prove anything. It is still a questionable matter as to if the shroud is real or forged.
6. Kryptos
For 17 years a cryptographic puzzle has adorned the grounds of CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, taunting the cryptographers both amateur and professional. It is a sculpture by an American artist Jim Sanborn and is a sculpture that is S-Shaped sculpture that resembles a scroll that is being printed out from a computer. Of the four messages, three messages have been deciphered but the fourth one is still hidden. The meaning of the Ancient Greek word “Kryptos” is hidden. The fourth one is the shortest of all the coded messages with only 97 letters and still people were unable to decipher it. Sanborn later gave his first clue that the last six of the 97 letters means “Berlin” and when that didn’t help, he gave them another clue four years later that next word read “clock”. Hence the last word of the sculpture would mean “Berlin Clock”. Former CIA Director, William Webster is the only person who Sanborn has revealed the meaning to, but not the whole story.
7. Collapse of World Trade Centre
On September 11,2001 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four planes and carried out suicide missions. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre and similarly Building 7 of World Trade Centres was also targeted. 9/11 killed almost 3000 people in the attack. The common conspiracy theory is that of controlled demolition and that it was an inside job. There are several theories that are being put forth by the people but the actual reason still continues to be a mystery. The main reason for the upcoming of conspiracy theories is the fall of World Trade Centre only due to a fire, which seems impossible.
8. Pollock Twins
The Pollock Twins are often referred to as a proof of reincarnation. John and Florence Pollock had two daughters, Joanna aged 11 and Jacqueline aged 6. On May 5, 1957, the two children died in a car accident. Later Florence gave birth to identical twin girls on October 4, 1958 named Gillian and Jennifer. Despite being identical twins, they had different birthmarks, Jennifer had a birthmark that matched the birthmark that Jacqueline had and also had a birthmark which resembled a scar that Jacqueline had. When the babies were two years old, the girls started asking for their elder sister’s toys despite never having seeing them before. When they moved back into their hometown, they started pointing out the landmarks their sisters had known and the interesting fact is the girls have never been to their Hexham. They would panic hearing moving cars shrieking and when they turned five, they retuned to their normal life. Reincarnation is a mystery yet to be opened.
9. Cleopatra’s Tomb
Cleopatra was an Egyptian Queen, who was famous in history and in dramas as the lover of Julius Caesar and wife of Mark Antony. She became a queen after her father’s death and she ruled Rome during a crucial period. She was one of the most influential character in Roman politics and represented the prototype of the romantic femme fatal. After the Roman armies of Octavian defeated the combined force of Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. The means of her death is uncertain, but though classical writers came to believe that she killed herself by an asp, symbol of divine royalty. They are claimed to be buried together in a tomb as per both of their wish. Archaeologists are still trying to find the tomb in which they were buried.
