Here are 5 of my favourite mysteries that are super spooky and remained unsolved to this day!
- Dyatlov Pass
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In February 1959, perhaps one of the most famous unsolved mysteries of all times occured when a group of 9 students on a camping expedition were found dead in the Ural Mountains in Russia. The students appeared to have been fleeing from an unknown danger as 5 of the students had died from hypothermia due to bare feet and a lack of clothes, while the remaining 4 died from trauma to the head and chest caused by a severe unknown force which investigators likened to a car crash. Theories as to why they left their tent range from an avalanche to a fire in their tent stove to the fear-inducing sound of wind. They were all experienced hikers and seemed to have left the tent rather calmly. Until recently, the most popular explanation was that the group had witnessed some secret military testing that caused them to flee from their tent. However, using animation from Disney’s Frozen, scientists were able to show that a low-level avalanche could cause similar injuries to the ones the 4 students sustained, yet there is no physical evidence an avalanche occurred.
- Georgia Guidestones
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In 1979, a man approached a contracting company and hired them to build a series of stones with a guide to “The Age of Reason” (the age after some event destroys humanity as we know it). The man’s true identity was never revealed, and all diagrams and blueprints were destroyed. The stones contain these rules for the “Age of Reason” in 8 languages: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and Traditional Chinese. It also contains phrases in Classic Greek, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Sanskrit, and Babylonian Cuneiform. Most notable among the commandments is “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” The guidestone also contains a complicated calendar, which tracks the Sun’s movement across the year, and reveals which day it is by the light. The Guidestones are thought to be instructions for humanity after an apocalyptic event takes place, providing survivors with a way to recreate society. Whether you are angered or agree with the message of the Guidestones, who created them and why is still a giant mystery to be solved.
- Dancing Plague
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In Strasbourg, France during the month of July 1518, around 400 people began “dancing” (it was more like they were bouncing around with abrupt movements) inexplicably in the streets and could not stop. The dancing was not voluntary, and many of the villagers collapsed from exhaustion, strokes, or heart attacks, their shoes full of blood. At the height of this panic, around 15 people died per day. There were many explanations for why this happened, including devil possession, a series of “hot flashes” (they lost control due to overheating), or as a cause of eating something called “ergot fungus” which has effects similar to those of LSD. Recently it was proposed that the group suffered from a type of mass hysteria called “mass psychogenic illness,” which would put the villagers in a trance-like state. It may have been brought on by the stress of a bad harvest and the onset of many contagious diseases. This is not the first time this has happened, as there are reports from Germany in 1022, 1247, and 1374, as well as in the Netherlands in 1278.
- The Rain Man (Don Decker)
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On February 24, 1983, Don Decker attended the funeral of his grandfather, who had abused him for years when he was a child. That night, after the funeral, Decker returned to his friend’s house where he was staying, since he was currently serving time but had been granted a furlough to attend the funeral, where he began to feel unwell. All of a sudden, he went into a trance-like state and water began coming through the walls, ceiling, and floor. At first the landlord thought it was pipes, but when it was revealed that there were no pipes in the room where the water was, the police were called. The “rain” continued to appear in any room where Decker was. It was also reported that when he touched a crucifix, it burned him. The rain even appeared when Decker returned to prison. After an exorcism was attempted, the rain stopped. Whether this was a legitimate supernatural event or all just one giant hoax has yet to be decided.
- Circleville Letters
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In 1976, a series of personal or threatening letters were sent to most of the 14,000 residents of Circleville, Ohio. Things escalated when Mary Gillespie received a letter saying that they knew she was having an affair with the school’s superintendent and that if she didn’t end the affair something bad would happen. Mary received another letter before her husband, Ron, received one informing him of the affair and threatening consequences if he didn’t end it. One day, Ron received a phone call, which upset him, causing him to run out of the house to confront the caller; he was then found dead in his truck in an apparent car accident. Residents then began receiving letters that the police were covering up the truth aboutRon’s death. Police accused a man named Paul Freshour, who was Ron’s brother-in-law, and he was arrested even though he denied the claim. The letters continued to be sent while Paul was in prison, and he argued his innocence until the day he died.