The Greatest Unsolved Mysteries Ever
Humans are by nature a curious species. The best example of this is the enthusiasm with which each of us, irrespective of age, involve ourselves with mystery stories, puzzles & riddles! So, for all those lovers of the unknown, mysterious facets of the world, here is an exciting account of 11 of the most perplexing and unexplainable mysteries that continue to remain unsolvable even after so many years and are a constant food for thought for the conspiracy theorists.
- Nazca Lines
The first of these mysteries are the “Nazca Lines” on the arid plateau of Southern Peru. The “Nazca Lines” are geoglyphs – about 70 pieces of phenomenal art in simple lines that detail animals such as spiders, orcas, fishes, birds, monkeys and llamas, with the largest design covering around 200m.
Created by the Nazca civilization between 400 and 650A.D. by removing the red stones that covered the ground of the plateau to reveal the white earth beneath, what is confounding is how a primitive civilization like Nazca managed to accomplish such intricate designs with such precision, especially without having any means of an aerial view!
- The Zodiac Letters
Among the unsolved mysteries of the world, is the classic and infamous serial murder mystery of Zodiac Killer. A serial killer, who referred to himself as “Zodiac”, operated during the 1960s and 70s in California. He sent a series of mind-boggling letters to the police and local press containing a total of 4 cryptograms.
In all these years, only one of the 4 cryptograms have been decoded, containing a rather disturbing message. But despite considerable hours and efforts of investigation, both the murders and the other cryptograms remain unsolved even today.
- Jack the Ripper
Another murder mystery that has baffled the world, happened in 1888, when a serial killer went on a killing rampage in the Whitechapel area in east London. The 11 victims, mostly prostitutes, were gruesomely mutilated and all murders were followed by letters to the local press by the killer who identified himself as “Jack the Ripper”. Though several suspects were rounded up for investigation, the mystery of who “Jack the Ripper” was remains unsolved and the killer was never identified.
- Mackenzie Poltergeist in Greyfriars
The Mackenzie Poltergeist is yet another unsolved mystery, shrouding the Black Mausoleum of Sir George Mackenzie, an advocate appointed by King Charles II to persecute rebels in the 17th Century. This monument that is one of the landmark attractions of the City of Dead tour conducted within Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh, is said to be haunted by his ghost. All visitors to this place have experienced unexplained injuries including bruise, skin gouges and scratches as well as strange smells and auditory hallucinations.
- The Loch Ness Monster
The mysterious sighting of a strange, monstrous creature found swimming in the dark waters of Scotland’s Loch Ness intrigued many. The incident that was first brought to light on December 6, 1933 by the Daily Express through the release of a photo in support of their claim.
Since then, there have been countless sightings of this creature with a serpentine neck resembling plesiosaurs and often theorized to be the last surviving one of the species, however no verifiable evidence exists in support of the existence of “Nessie”, as the creature is popularly known among the locals.
- Kryptos
Jim Sanborn’s “Kryptos” that adorns the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia is another mystery unto itself. Dedicated by the sculptor on November 3, 1990, this captivating sculpture composed of four encrypted messages, has baffled cryptanalysts across, and while three of them have been deciphered in the last 26 years, the fourth one continues to remain a mystery till day.
- Taos Hum
The Taos “hum” is yet another unsolved mystery of all times. Residents of the small town of Taos in New Mexico, have often heard a distant hum or whirring sound akin to a diesel engine. This sound that can be heard by naked ears by over 2% of the population, has gone undetected by even some of the most sensitive sound detecting equipment, stumping researchers about its origin.
- Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript- a book from the early 1400s – is an elusive case. Not only is this book written in a language that remains undeciphered even today, but it is also the only book in this language. Even after centuries people have been unable to decode its language composed of an assortment of colourful drawings comprising strange creatures and celestial objects.
Theories have claimed everything from an elaborate hoax to a book on medieval science to even attributing alien origins to it!!
- Rongorongo
The Easter Island, off southeastern Pacific Ocean, is not just home to the native Rapa Nui people, but also to the next mystery– a series of glyphs carved in wooden tablets. Known as Rongorongo, these glyphs have engravings in an indecipherable language, that is considered one of the only independently formed languages, due to the complete isolation of this tribe from the outside world. These engravings remain un-decoded even today and what they signify remains a mystery.
- Shugborough Inscription
The next mystery dates to the 18th Century Shepherd’s Monument in Staffordshire, England. This monument houses a recreated sculpture of the famous ‘Arcadian Shepherds’ painting bearing some bizarre code that is said to hold the key to the location of the Holy Grail apparently left by the Knights Templar – “DOUOSVAVVM”. Even several attempts later to decode this, including some by the world’s greatest intellectuals like Charles Dickens and Darwin, this inscription remains undeciphered.
- Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, an expanse in the western North Atlantic Ocean, located between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda, is another intriguing albert unsolved mystery. Ships (and even aircrafts flying over this area!) including USSCyclops- a US Navy boat (1918) with a 309-crew, “Flight 19”- a group of 5 bombers on a routine training exercise (1945) and Connemara IV- a pleasure yacht (1955), have mysteriously disappeared with many pilots complaining of their instruments going kaput even within proximity of this area.
Despite numerous investigations, no one has been able to figure out this strange phenomenon to this day.