10 Modern Mysteries That Will NEVER Be Revealed

10 Modern Mysteries That Will NEVER Be Revealed

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at 10 mysteries that have baffled humans since the year 1900 that will likely never be solved.

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The World's Greatest Card Trick

David Berglas was a mentalist and magician who gained notoriety in the 1950s, particularly for his iconic trick known as the "The Berglas Effect." For this deceptively simple feat, Berglas would produce a seemingly ordinary deck and ask a spectator to name any playing card. Another person would then pick a random number from one to 52. By the time the cards were dealt, one by one, the specified card would be found at the specified position. It’s a trick that stumped and astounded other magicians for years. However, Berglas maintained that it was unteachable, and he took the secret to his grave in 2023. This covert technique is now widely considered as the ‘Holy Grail’ of card magic.

Tesla's Missing Papers

History buffs may know about the rivalry between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison in the nascent days of electrical power. But did you know that after his death in 1943, some of Tesla’s research mysteriously disappeared? Tesla was allegedly working on particle beam weapons that, if successful, could’ve altered the outcome of World War II. The day after his death, his nephew, the Yugoslavian ambassador to the U.S., discovered that his notebook and many crucial documents were missing. As the FBI didn’t trust Tesla’s nephew with his sensitive research, they later confiscated all of the scientist’s items. Although some of Tesla’s work was returned to his family years later, a significant portion of it has never been found.

Havana Syndrome

Since 2016, U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers from postings around the world - starting with Cuba - have reported mysterious symptoms. This combination of dizziness, headaches, and cognitive issues has since been dubbed "Havana Syndrome." The true cause remains elusive. Some experts suggest mass psychogenic illness, where stress and fear manifest as physical symptoms. Others propose environmental factors, like exposure to pesticides or malfunctioning surveillance equipment. A 2022 report by the Director of National Intelligence offered mixed findings. It found that pulsed electromagnetic energy and ultrasound were plausible causes for some cases, while psychogenic factors could explain others. Despite extensive investigations, no definitive cause has been identified.

Letters of Last Resort

This is the stuff that spy movies are made of. Belonging to the United Kingdom, the letters of last resort are exclusively written by the newly appointed prime minister. Four different letters are penned, which are then given to four submarines equipped with destructive Trident missiles. Within the letters are instructions telling the commanding officers what to do in the event of a nuclear strike on Britain. No one but the prime minister knows the exact contents of the letters, as they are kept sealed until nuclear war breaks out. In the event that nuclear war doesn’t break out (which, thankfully, it hasn’t), the letters are destroyed upon the inauguration of a new PM.

The Origins of HIV/AIDS

While HIV is largely linked to the 1980s, it remains a global public health issue. In 2020 alone, it was estimated that nearly 40 million people were living with the disease. But regardless of its prevalence and very public history, there is still a lot about the retrovirus we don’t know. For example, humanity is still mostly unsure of where it came from. The leading theory is that African hunters in the early 20th century killed and ate chimpanzees infected with SIV - the S standing for “simian” - which then mutated into HIV in the human body. However, this information is typically populated with words like “probably” and “likely,” indicating that the origins of HIV are not definitively known, even to this day.

Metro-2

You may have heard about the British ‘shadow cabinet,’ but have you heard of a Russian shadow subway? Rumors have swirled for almost a century about ‘Metro-2,’ a secret subway running parallel to the Moscow metro. Codenamed D-6 by the KGB, this clandestine network was allegedly built during the rule of Joseph Stalin. It lacks public entrances, but could be used as a shelter in the event of an aerial assault on Moscow. In times of crisis, while panicked civilians crowd onto the public metro, government officials could easily escape the city using the trains in Metro-2, which are supposedly battery-powered. Despite widespread speculation, the Russian government has never acknowledged the system’s existence, nor officially released any details of its function.

Man of the Hole

Deep in Brazil's Amazon rainforest lived the "Man of the Hole," the last member of an uncontacted Indigenous tribe. His nickname came from the deep holes he dug. They were often filled with spikes, suggesting that they were for hunting or self-defense. It's believed that settlers and ranchers hired gunmen to kill the rest of his people starting in the 1970s. Our hole digger was the sole survivor, choosing to live in complete isolation for decades. He resisted all attempts at contact, becoming a symbol of Indigenous resilience. To this day, many elements of his existence are shrouded in mystery. What was his name? What language did he speak? What was the true purpose of the holes? In August 2022, he was found dead in his hut, and as such the answers to these queries died with him.

What Happened to Jimmy Hoffa?

Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance is the mafia mystery that just won’t die. On July 30, 1975, the former Teamsters boss vanished from a Detroit parking lot. Was he meeting with mobsters? Probably. Did he live happily ever after? Definitely not. Hoffa was officially declared dead in 1982, but no body was ever found. Over the years, rumors of his fate have circulated. Some claimed he was buried in one of a series of strange locations. Others say he was dissolved in acid or encased in cement. The FBI has conducted countless searches, including one as recently as 2022. Hoffa remains missing. With his mob ties and countless enemies, it’s likely we’ll never know the full truth.

USA’s Missile Submarines

There’s something about submarines and secrecy. The United States owns various missile submarines that are guided by nuclear power, including the USS Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia. These are known as SSGNs. The missiles on board these subs have the potential to cause great destruction, but their whereabouts and activities are generally unknown. However, they literally surface from time to time. For example, Michigan appeared in South Korea in 2017, and Florida took part in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya. On June 28, 2010, a rare event occurred which saw three of four surfacing at once in response to Chinese missile tests. These four subs have been SSGNs since the 2000s, but most of their actions and locations have remained a secret.

Area 51

When it comes to highly classified areas, it doesn’t get more famous than Area 51. Found in the Nevada desert, Area 51 is a top-secret military facility with ties to cutting edge technology. The place is so secretive that it wasn’t officially unveiled by the CIA until 2013, even though it was very obvious that something was in the desert. Area 51 is officially known as a military training facility and supposedly a testing ground for both experimental aircraft and high tech weaponry. Owing to its secretive nature, both trespassing and flying over the site are grossly prohibited and dangerously enforced. Naturally, this has given rise to a swath of conspiracy theories. Are aliens inside Area 51? Perhaps we’ll never know.

Do you think you have the answers to any of these burning questions? Let us know in the comments!

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