Since humans began to explore the world, our known universe has been shrouded in mystery. We could only attempt to explain the inexplicable through myths or legends. With the development of modern science, we have debunked some myths and explained some mysteries, but many enigmas still elude scientific explanation.
Most of the spine-chilling, incomprehensible mysteries revolve around life on Earth, the soul, and whether we are alone in the vast universe. There are many other questions yet to be answered. Is time travel possible? Do other dimensions exist? Were there highly advanced civilizations roaming our planet before us? Beyond these, there are numerous astonishing unsolved criminal cases and disappearances that make us wonder if some unnatural force is involved. Here are 15 of the world’s most mysterious unsolved mysteries. Let’s see which ones you’ve heard of.
NO. 1: The Lost City of Atlantis
Our first record of the lost city of Atlantis comes from Plato, who described an island located at the “Pillars of Hercules” in his dialogue “Timaeus.” The description has sparked much debate about whether this place truly existed or if Plato invented the story. Atlantis was said to be a world superpower in 12,000 BC, invading Athens and nearly defeating it when it was suddenly sunk by earthquakes and massive tsunamis. They were said to possess technology more advanced than ours today, with their king, Atlas, being the son of Poseidon, the sea god. Recent researchers have used evidence to suggest that the “Eye of the Sahara” might be the site of Atlantis. 
NO. 2: The Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines refer to a collection of large geoglyphs discovered in the late 1930s in the Nazca and Palpa regions of southern Peru. They cover an area of 500 square kilometers and average 180 meters in length, earning them the Guinness World Record for “largest geoglyph.” These awe-inspiring ground symbols are made by shallow lines dug into the earth, depicting various members of the natural world, from monkeys and birds to spiders, sharks, whales, and flowers. What’s even stranger is their precision, which seems impossible given that the Nazca people likely could not see these “artworks” from above when they were created.
NO. 3: Easter Island and the Rongorongo Script
The Moai statues scattered around Easter Island in the South Pacific have always piqued researchers’ curiosity. They are enormous and had to be moved from quarries at least 11 miles away to their current locations without the use of wheels, cranes, or large animals. These mysterious sculptures are the work of the ancient Rapa Nui tribe, but that’s not all they left behind. A set of strange glyphs carved on wood, known as Rongorongo, was discovered, appearing in a writing form yet to be deciphered. These glyphs are believed to hold clues about the origin and purpose of the island’s large head sculptures, as well as hints about the mysterious collapse of the Rapa Nui civilization.
NO. 4: The Bermuda Triangle
A large area in the North Atlantic has long been the site of numerous mysterious disappearances of planes and ships. Theories range from time warps to magnetic anomalies and even alien abductions. The most famous mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is the disappearance of the USS Cyclops on March 4, 1918, en route from Barbados to Baltimore. The ship and its 306 passengers and crew vanished without a trace. What’s more intriguing is the suggestion that it might be a huge underwater city with pyramids and sphinxes larger than those in Egypt.
NO. 5: The Phaistos Disc
In 1908, Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier discovered a mysterious disc at the Minoan palace site of Phaistos on Crete, Greece. Made of fired clay, the disc contains a series of unknown hieroglyphs and remains one of archaeology’s most famous puzzles. Scientists believe the Phaistos Disc can be traced back to some time in the second millennium BC and might contain clues to the sudden and unexplained prosperity of a civilization, as the Minoan civilization is considered the first organized civilization in history.
NO. 6: The SS Ourang Medan’s Distress Signal
At some point in June 1947, the American ships “Baltimore” and “Silver Star” were navigating the Straits of Malacca when they suddenly received a distress signal from the Dutch freighter SS Ourang Medan, stating, “All officers including captain are dead, lying in chartroom and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead.” This was followed by a brief and chaotic Morse code message, then a clear voice saying, “I am also dead.” After that, there was silence. When they boarded to investigate the distress signal, they found all crew members dead, lying on the deck with their eyes open, expressions of fear on their faces, and no signs of injury on their bodies. As the Silver Star prepared to tow the Ourang Medan to a nearby port, a fire broke out in the ship’s No. 4 hold, forcing the American crew to abandon the Dutch freighter. Soon after, the Ourang Medan exploded and sank.
NO. 7: The Shroud of Turin
No religious artifact has stirred as much controversy as the Shroud of Turin. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention Jesus being wrapped in fine linen and placed in a tomb, leading Christians to believe it might be the shroud used to wrap Jesus after his crucifixion, thus bearing signs of his resurrection.
Some say it’s merely a hoax, while others believe it once covered a body that was crucified, though it’s unclear whose. With a clear image of a man’s face and body, no one can explain how this image was imprinted on the cloth, and all attempts to recreate the marks have failed. However, scientists have conducted carbon dating on fibers taken from the shroud, along with chemical and mechanical tests, concluding that the shroud dates back to the first century AD, aligning with the time of Jesus.
NO. 8: The Voynich Manuscript
A mysterious handwritten illustrated manuscript from the early 15th century has captivated scientists because it remains untranslated. The Voynich Manuscript, originating in Italy, is filled with colorful but very strange illustrations and a vast amount of unknown text, ranging from biology to astronomy, even recipes, but no one can understand what’s happening inside. Some of the depicted plants and the language used are unknown to modern science.
NO. 9: The Count of Saint Germain
Over the past centuries, a historical figure known as the Count of Saint Germain seems to have appeared multiple times, always appearing to be around 45 years old. Some records trace his birth to the late 17th century, but others believe he was born around the same time as Jesus. The most recent sighting was in the 1970s. Many famous figures, including George Washington, Catherine the Great, King Louis XV, and Casanova, have encountered him at some point in their lives. Voltaire himself called the Count of Saint Germain “a man who never dies and knows everything.”
NO. 10: Jack the Ripper
The series of murders that terrorized London’s Whitechapel district in the autumn of 1888 has become the theme of many stories and films. It’s unclear whether these crimes were committed by one person or several. However, the brutal murders are attributed to a character known as Jack the Ripper. The known 11 victims were all impoverished prostitutes. In some cases, the bodies were discovered just minutes after the killer fled the scene, making it especially strange given the time Jack the Ripper spent dismembering his victims.
NO. 11: The Philadelphia Experiment
During World War II, radar invisibility was a much-sought-after technology. In 1943, the USS Eldridge became the guinea pig for what might have been one of the strangest experiments in history. The aim was to make the ship and all its crew invisible to radar. Shortly after the experiment began, the ship was engulfed in a thick, white-green fog, and within minutes, it vanished from sight and radar for five minutes. When it reappeared, most of the crew were either partially or fully carbonized, some showed signs of insanity, some were trapped in the ship’s metal structure, and others had disappeared. Witnesses claimed that during those five minutes, the USS Eldridge appeared in Norfolk, nearly 400 miles away from Philadelphia.
NO. 12: UFO Sightings
Allied pilots during World War II used the term “foo fighters” when referring to mysterious phenomena or possible UFOs in the airspace. Such sightings were reported from November 1944. Some pilots simply thought they were secret weapons of the enemy, but they remain unidentified. Oddly, both Allied and Axis forces reported seeing foo fighters. The famous Roswell and Area 51 are synonymous with UFOs and aliens. These locations have seen frequent UFO sightings, and some information has been released by the U.S. government. UFO incidents and alien abduction stories are widespread globally, making us wonder how many might be true.
NO. 13: The Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste was an American merchant brigantine and is a classic example of a ghost ship. On December 4, 1872, the Mary Celeste was found adrift in the Straits of Gibraltar, sailing at full speed. Upon inspection, a lifeboat was missing, and all ten crew members were gone. What’s particularly strange is that the Mary Celeste had six months’ worth of food and water on board. There was no storm, and the crew were experienced sailors. The cargo was found intact, with crew belongings and all valuables in place. The crew was never seen or heard from again, and the Mary Celeste remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in maritime history.
NO. 14: The Zodiac Killer
For a full ten months in the late 1960s, Northern California and the entire San Francisco Bay Area were terrorized by a serial killer known as the Zodiac Killer. To this day, no one knows the killer’s true identity. Local authorities and the media received a series of four puzzling letters, written in encrypted messages, which gave the killer the name “Zodiac.” Only one, Z408, has been deciphered, containing a disturbing message about the killer’s thirst for blood. The other three remain a mystery, with many believing they might contain clues about other victims, modus operandi, and possible locations.
NO. 15: The DB Cooper Hijacking
On November 24, 1971, DB Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 over the airspace between Portland and Seattle, demanding ransom and parachutes while claiming his briefcase contained a bomb. He extorted $200,000 in ransom and then parachuted from the plane, never to be seen again. Despite extensive searches and FBI investigations, DB Cooper was never found, as if he had vanished into thin air. The DB Cooper hijacking remains the only unsolved air piracy case in American history. Due to his gentlemanly conduct during the hijacking, with no casualties, Cooper became somewhat of a “hero” to some. His story inspired many TV shows and movies, like the character Westmoreland in “Prison Break.” In 2006, Ariel town even held a 35th-anniversary celebration of Cooper’s jump, attracting over 500 Cooper enthusiasts from across the U.S.
