Despite many years of research, no one can fully explain how or why these strange historical events happened.
The Dancing Plague
In July of 1518, a woman named Frau Troffea stepped into the streets of Strasbourg (then the Holy Roman Empire) and began to dance uncontrollably. In a matter of weeks, hundreds of citizens began to follow Frau Troffea’s lead and danced for days without stopping or rest.
Many dancers collapsed from fatigue, stroke, or heart attacks. While some historians believe that it may have been Ergot poisoning (a psychedelic mold found on rye bread), others speculate that it was mass psychogenic illness brought on by stress. To this day, no definitive conclusion has been drawn.
The Tunguska Event
On June 30th, 1908, a huge explosion was felt in a remote area of Siberia near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. As many as 80 million trees were knocked down over an area of 830 square miles (2,100 square kilometers).
The explosion was equivalent to about 1,000 times the Hiroshima nuclear bomb blast. However, there is no evidence of an impact crater or any other identifying fragments.
The Disappearance of the Roanoke Colony
115 English settlers landed on Roanoke Island near what is now North Carolina in 1587 and began a colony. Three years later, Governor John White returned from a supply trip after being delayed by the Spanish Armada.
Not one single person was left in the colony. They left no sign of struggle or battle. The only clues were the word “CROATOAN” carved into a wooden post and “CRO” carved into a tree nearby.
The Sea Peoples’ Invasion
During the Late Bronze Age Collapse, advanced Mediterranean civilizations such as the Hittites, Myceneans, and New Kingdom Egyptians were attacked, burned and completely dissolved in a matter of decades.
Egyptian texts from the era point to a maritime alliance simply known as the “Sea Peoples”. Where they came from, who they were, and what happened to them remains a mystery.
The Devil’s Footprints
Overnight on February 8 – 9, 1855, following a heavy snowfall, residents of East and South Devon, England, woke to discover a solid line of hoof-like footprints stretching from one side of the region to another. They stretched for distances of 40 to 100 miles (64 to 161 km), traversing open meadows, toppling high walls, crossing frozen rivers, and even walking over churches.
The prints were evenly spaced two to four inches wide and eight inches apart. There appeared to be no single creature large enough and skillful enough to create such a path across such great distances in such a short period of time.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Nine experienced Soviet hikers died under mysterious circumstances in the northern Ural Mountains. Their tent was found torn open from the inside, and they had fled into the sub-zero night, some barefoot and half-naked. Some later died of hypothermia, but several suffered physical injuries that could not be explained.
Some injuries were similar to being hit by a vehicle going hundreds of miles per hour; two were missing eyes; another was missing her tongue. A slab avalanche is considered the likeliest explanation today, but there are still many unexplained things.
The Miracle of the Sun
On October 13, 1917, about 70,000 people gathered at Fátima, Portugal, based on reported predicted apparitions by 3 shepherd children. Thousands of witnesses (including skeptics and reporters) stated that the skies opened up after a rainstorm and the sun, which looked like a spinning disc, changed colors, then quickly zig-zagged toward the Earth. It then returned to its normal trajectory.
Explanations range from mass hallucination to optical phenomena. However, no solar anomalies were recorded on that day by any astronomical equipment around the world.
The Disappearance of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers
On December 19, 1900, a relief vessel sailed to the isolated Flannan Isles lighthouse on Scotland’s north coast. When they landed on the island, it appeared to be deserted. The three keepers, James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald MacArthur, had simply disappeared.
The lighthouse was locked, lamps trimmed and ready for light. There was a chair thrown upside down in the kitchen, and the last entries in the logbook stopped abruptly several days before their disappearance. Despite investigations concluding they were washed away by an unusually large wave, their fate is still unknown.
The Taos Hum
Residents of Taos, New Mexico started complaining of a low-frequency buzz/hum or sound reminiscent of a distant diesel engine in late 1991.
Sound professionals and university researchers placed highly sensitive microphones throughout Taos and were unable to detect any abnormal signals. However, approximately 2% of Taos locals say they hear the noise.
The Mary Celeste
In 1872, Mary Celeste, a merchant vessel, was found adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. Her cargo was mostly intact and there was months worth of food and water on board.
The crew was nowhere to be found and her lifeboat was missing. Pirates, mutiny, stormy weather, and exploding alcohol vapors have all been rumored as possible explanations. None have been proven.
The Caroline/Kentucky Meat Shower
On March 3, 1876, there was a reported incident of meat raining from the sky in Olympia, Kentucky. Flakes of fresh meat fell from the sky for several minutes over an area of more than 100 yards. Two witnesses sampled the meat, reporting it tasted like venison or mutton.
The Kentucky State Medical Association tested the tissue and reported it to be lung and muscle tissue. The theory of a flock of buzzards vomiting up their lunch while flying above remains the most likely explanation; however, this was never proven.
The Mysterious Case of Kaspar Hauser
On May 26th, 1828, a youth came wandering the streets of Nuremberg, Germany. He carried a letter with him addressed to a captain of cavalry. The boy could hardly walk, only knew a few words of the language, and stated that he had lived his whole life in a small, dark cell provided only with bread and water.
Five years later, Hauser mysteriously died after receiving a knife wound to his chest. He claimed he was stabbed by a stranger while walking through a park. His identity and origin are still unknown.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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