Whether you are an ardent admirer of detective stories or not, there’s no doubt that humans are naturally curious. We all find mysteries fascinating, and we are always excited to solve puzzles and dive into unsolved mysteries.
From clues of long-gone but highly developed civilizations to mysterious murder cases, there are countless unsolved mysteries that have challenged people's thinking all over the world. Here are 41 of the greatest unsolved mysteries.
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- 1. Indus Valley Script
- 2. Satoshi Nakamoto
- 3. The Strasbourg Dancing Plague
- 4. The Vela Incident
- 5. Genghis Khan’s Burial
- 6. Michele Miscavige
- 7. The Chechen and Chaca Trees
- 8. Alcatraz Escape
- 9. Roanoke Colony
- 10. The Tank Man
- 11. Yuba County Five
- 12. Juan Peron's Hands
- 13. The Voynich Manuscript
- 14. The Anasazi People
- 15. The Twins in Kodinhi
- 16. Matthew Weaver
- 17. The Olmecs
- 18. How Humans Reached the Americas
- 19. Cotton-Eyed Joe
- 20. MH370 Flight
- 21. Black Hope Curse
- 22. A Georgia Salon Owner
- 23. The Roswell Crash
- 24. The Spy In A Bag
- 25. A Prime Minister Who Disappeared
- 26. Kelley Gaffield
- 27. Oslo Plaza Woman
- 28. The Mary Celeste
- 29. Margaret Martin
- 30. Notorious B.I.G.
- 31. Alonzo Brooks
- 32. The Tucson Incident
- 33. The Pollock Sisters
- 34. Ken McElroy
- 35. JonBenét Ramsey
- 36. Henryk Siwiak
- 37. Jeannette DePalma
- 38. Amber Hagerman
- 39. The Ice Valley
- 40. The Sodder Children
- 41. Chicago Tylenol Poisoning
1. Indus Valley Script
From Babylonian cuneiform to Latin American Mayan glyphs, linguists have deciphered many challenging scripts; however, some archaic and enigmatic scripts remain unsolved in the field, such as the script of the Indus Valley Civilization.
2. Satoshi Nakamoto
Bitcoin has caused a phenomenon capable of changing worldwide financial networks. However, in a time in which it is extremely hard to be unknown, the true identity of the cryptocurrency’s creator remains unresolved.
3. The Strasbourg Dancing Plague
Masses of people were wildly dancing during the dancing hysteria. Thousands of people were dancing at once. People of all ages were impacted by the frenzy, and they would dance until they passed out.
4. The Vela Incident
The Vela-5B satellite discovered an atmospheric explosion in 1979, not far from the Prince Edward Islands. The incident was also recorded by the satellite’s two radiometers. It's still unclear where the incident originated.
5. Genghis Khan’s Burial
Khan's death in 1227 is recorded in the records, but we don't know the specific circumstances that led to the death. According to legend, the people who buried him committed suicide to keep the location of the burial a secret.
6. Michele Miscavige
For over ten years, Michele Miscavige, the spouse of David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, has not been seen. There are many rumors that she was transferred to one of the organization's remote camps.
7. The Chechen and Chaca Trees
The Chechen trees have a poison that will numb your skin even just by slightly touching them. The cure for this poison can only be found in the Chaca. The funny thing is these two trees often grow next to each other in nature, and no one knows how this happens.
8. Alcatraz Escape
Three men ventured into the icy waters of San Francisco Bay fifty years ago. It became one of the most courageous prison escapes in history out of what was touted as the "escape-proof" detention facility. It’s still a mystery how they accomplished this feat.
9. Roanoke Colony
So, what had occurred to the Roanoke colonists, a group of English settlers who simply disappeared in the late 1500s? In the end, nobody can say for sure. The lack of bones at the location explains why historians have a lot of theories but little concrete proof.
10. The Tank Man
Journalists have been attempting to identify the courageous figure in the iconic photograph that comes out of the Chinese attack on demonstrators chanting for democracy in Tiananmen Square. And yet Tank Man's mystery remains unsolved.
11. Yuba County Five
Five young disabled men went missing in a California forest in 1978 after watching a college basketball game. Even though four of their bodies were discovered months later, investigators are still stumped by this case.
12. Juan Peron's Hands
An anonymous letter to the Peronist Justicialist Party in 1987 stated that Perón's hands were taken out of his tomb. Experts who studied the corpse concluded that the mutilation had happened just before the discovery.
13. The Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich manuscript, which is considered the world’s most mysterious book, is now contained at Yale University. Scholar Nicholas Gibbs recently published an article stating to have succeeded in decoding the code, but medievalists all over the internet laughed it off.
14. The Anasazi People
The Anasazi people came in large numbers from the north and built massive urban centers. Scientists are curious as to why a prosperous civilization would decide to leave its native land in light of this.
15. The Twins in Kodinhi
There is one set of twins in nearly every home in this town, over 400 pairs of twins. Furthermore, it appears that the incidence of twins will only go up. This mystery has long eluded medical experts and scientists.
16. Matthew Weaver
In August 2018, Weaver was reported missing early in the morning. The LAPD has not been very cooperative in this case thus far, despite evidence that suggests that malicious activity may be involved.
17. The Olmecs
Very little is known about the Olmec people, the first Mesoamerican civilization. All that is known about it is that it was a community that many regard as Mesoamerica's Mother Civilization, laying the groundwork for the region's cultural traditions.
18. How Humans Reached the Americas
Until today, scientists are still debating about how early humans arrived in the Americas after they left Africa. Theories claim that they might have come there, whether by crossing Beringia, sailing the sea, or crossing Atlantic ice.
19. Cotton-Eyed Joe
This earworm of a song, which peaked at number 25 on the Billboard charts, was released by Rednex two decades ago. Still, there are unanswered questions about the lyrics: Where was Joe from? And, above all, where had he disappeared to?
20. MH370 Flight
MH370's demise from radar in March 2014 is one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history. Numerous theories about what happened after the disappearance have been proposed.
21. Black Hope Curse
The Haneys were building a new swimming pool on their lawn when they received a warning from a man that they would be discovering human remains. What follows is a series of unexplainable incidents.
22. A Georgia Salon Owner
Salon owner Patrice Endres disappeared from her business in 2004. Police claimed that there was a brief thirteen-minute time frame in which she could've been taken away. The most disturbing aspect of this case is how culpable her husband appears to be.
23. The Roswell Crash
Something mysterious crashed down on the Foster Ranch in 1947. There has been a near-mythical confusion about what the object was, what the authorities claimed it was, and what the public believed it could be.
24. The Spy In A Bag
The decomposing body of Gareth Williams was discovered in his London apartment inside a gym bag in the bathroom. The odd thing is that the key was inside the holdall even though it was padlocked.
25. A Prime Minister Who Disappeared
In December 1967, Harold Holt, the prime minister of Australia, spent an afternoon at Cheviot Beach with four other people. Unfortunately, he disappeared while he was swimming away from the beach. Three scuba divers were immediately deployed, but he was never found.
26. Kelley Gaffield
When Gaffield vanished in 1995, she was just 16 years old. Three months later, her body was discovered with broken ribs and only half-clothed. Her assassin has not been located as of yet.
27. Oslo Plaza Woman
There was a noise when security went to knock on a woman's hotel door. Her dead body was found later with a bullet wound to the forehead. Her lack of identification left everyone confused.
28. The Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste sailed from New York in 1872. There was more than enough supply on board to last six months. Nevertheless, even with its cargo intact, it was discovered abandoned in the Atlantic.
29. Margaret Martin
After meeting a man who offered her a job as a secretary, Margaret Martin vanished and was discovered dead a few days later. Despite the questioning of countless suspects, no one was ever found guilty.
30. Notorious B.I.G.
The rapper, who was born in New York City, was shot four times and killed. He was assassinated six months following Tupac Shakur's death. Wallace's killing is still unsolved, just like Tupac's murder.
31. Alonzo Brooks
A month after a farmhouse party, Brook's body was discovered in a creek bed not far from the event’s location. The Bureau continues to reward information leading to an arrest until this day.
32. The Tucson Incident
Former mafia employee Charles Morgan was an escrow agent in Tucson. His body was discovered on a dirt road, shot with his own gun, following his testimony in a covert state investigation.
33. The Pollock Sisters
Two young English sisters lost their lives in a car accident. After a year, their mother gave birth to twins who, oddly, were old enough to ask for toys belonging to their deceased sisters and play with them.
34. Ken McElroy
McElroy was shot in front of a crowd, and he was found guilty of child molestation and burglary. It has been difficult for police to focus their search because there are so many possible killers.
35. JonBenét Ramsey
A day after Christmas, the winner of the beauty pageant was discovered dead in her Boulder home's basement. It's still unclear what exactly was going on before her murder and sexual assault.
36. Henryk Siwiak
Shortly before midnight on 9/11, the 46-year-old Polish was gunned down. It's believed that his murderer was able to escape surveillance because a large number of officers were diverted to Ground Zero that day.
37. Jeannette DePalma
A dog found a rotting forearm in 1972. Following this incident, a police search resulted in finding the remains of Jeannette DePalma's body atop a cliff that is adorned with occult symbols and an altar.
38. Amber Hagerman
Amber Hagerman was kidnapped while playing in a supermarket's parking lot. Five days later, her body was found with evidence of sexual misconduct. The "Amber Alert" was created as a result of the case.
39. The Ice Valley
In 1970, a burned woman's body was discovered in the isolated Ice Valley. A few days later, two suitcases were discovered. She is only recognized as the Isdal woman to this day.
40. The Sodder Children
The night preceding Christmas in 1945, the Sodder residence caught fire and burned completely. There was not a single physical trace of the children in the fire's wreckage, which is practically unthinkable in science.
41. Chicago Tylenol Poisoning
Cyanide-spiked bottles of a well-known fever and pain reliever were put back on store shelves with the intention of harming random individuals. The U.S. implemented tamper-proof packaging standards as a result of the poisonings.
