Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries of the Century (So Far)
#10: The Disappearance of Meng Hongwei
Top 30 Creepiest Mysteries of the Century (So Far)
In September of 2018, Meng Hongwei, president of Interpol and vice-minister of public security in China, sent two mysterious text messages to his wife. The first said, “Wait for my call.” The second was an emoji of a knife. No one ever saw or heard anything from him again. The official story is that he resigned from Interpol voluntarily and was imprisoned in China for abuse of power. However, his wife Meng Grace has a different account. Grace, now a political refugee in France, believes that her family was targeted by the Chinese government for political reasons. His exact whereabouts, and whether or not he’s even alive, remains uncertain.
#9: Acute Flaccid Myelitis
In 2012, doctors in California began to notice children coming in with cold-like symptoms, which developed into partial or full partial paralysis. Muscle weakness could occur in the patient’s limbs, face, and even lungs, requiring patients to be put on a ventilator. Often, one or more body parts would remain paralyzed for years. Because the condition was similar to polio, and believed to be caused by an enterovirus, experts called it Acute Flaccid Myelitis, or AFM. However, the mysterious virus has been remarkably difficult to find and identify. And while AFM outbreaks have been mostly in late summer, like other enteroviruses, it isn’t clear why they’ve been substantially larger every other year, with the worst so far coming in 2018.
#8: Alex Murdaugh & His Family
Top 10 Shocking Facts About Alex Murdaugh
Alex Murdaugh, a prominent lawyer from South Carolina, found himself entangled in a bewildering array of crimes, ranging from insurance fraud to theft. First, the family housekeeper died under suspicious circumstances in 2018. Murdaugh was charged with stealing settlement funds. Next, Murdaugh’s wife and son were found shot to death in June of 2021. But police did not name any suspects. Finally, Murdaugh himself was checked into a hospital in September with a gunshot wound to his head. He later admitted to pre-arranging the matter with a hitman to look like a murder, so that his remaining son could inherit his estate. Are all these incidents related in some way? No one seems to know.
#7: Fast Radio Bursts From Outer Space
Top 30 Craziest Fast Food Menu Items of the Century (So Far)
Fast radio bursts, or “FRBs,” have been detected by astronomers since 2007. They are short but tremendous bursts of radio waves that can release more energy in a millisecond than our sun does in 80 years! Because they are so powerful, scientists originally assumed FRBs must be caused by some cataclysmic event, like a stellar flare or stars colliding. In 2016, astronomers began seeing something new — fast radio bursts that occurred repeatedly, some in irregular and others in regular ways. Scientists still aren’t sure what’s causing these, although they have theorized that magnetars — neutron stars with powerful magnetic fields - are responsible. However, the regularity has also led to speculation that they’re signals from extraterrestrials in another galaxy.
#6: Birds Falling From the Sky
Top 10 Most Dangerous Birds
In September of 2020, thousands of dead birds fell from the skies over southwestern states in the U.S. All were migratory species like warblers and swallows, many in a state of near starvation. Naturalists speculated that the birds’ flight paths might have been disrupted by the severe wildfires in western states that year, forcing the birds to cross deserts where their usual food supplies vanished. Severe weather has caused birds to die off in groups before, though never in such large numbers. A similar event occurred in Spain in 2021, with hundreds of dead starlings falling onto vehicles and pedestrians in Ferrol. In this case, the birds may have succumbed to toxic chemicals from a petrochemical plant, but no one knows for sure.
#5: The Murders in Jani Khel
Top 20 Creepiest Mysteries of the Century So Far
In March 2021, in Jani Khel, a rural town in northwest Pakistan, a shepherd walking with his dog discovered a shallow grave. Within it were the bodies of four teenage boys — youths from Jani Khel who had gone hunting several weeks earlier, and never returned. Believing that their sons had been killed by militants, the families protested, and the government agreed to investigate. However, the subsequent assassination of a tribal leader led to new protests, with angry locals carrying his body towards the capital, Islamabad. After a month, protesters reached a new agreement with the government, but the culprits behind the murders remain unknown.
#4: Siberian Sinkholes
In Siberia, huge sinkholes began to suddenly appear in 2013. Scientists were startled and baffled by the unprecedented event. Investigators have tried to discover what could be causing the phenomenon, measuring gases and flying drones into the craters to build 3D models. Eventually, scientists realized that the sinkholes were being formed by thawing ice and permafrost, which releases methane gas and softens the Earth’s surface. The real mystery is, why is this happening now, and what does it mean for the future? If climate change is causing arctic areas to thaw, these pits may be harbingers of planet-wide danger.
#3: The Death of the Jamison Family
Top 10 Strangest Unsolved Mysteries Ever
In October 2009, Bobby and Sherilynn Jamison, and their young daughter Madyson, drove into the mountains of Oklahoma to look at some land they wanted to buy. About a week later, hunters found their pickup truck. It was still in good driving condition and contained a wallet, purse, cellphones, and a large amount of cash. Although an extensive search was conducted, there was no sign of the family. Investigators were at a loss. Almost four years later, the family’s decomposed remains were found in a remote area not far from where the truck had been. The causes of death could not be determined, and police still do not know what happened to them.
#2: The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries Across America
As this is one of the most famous missing person cases of the new millennium, it’s especially remarkable that it remains unsolved. In 2007, three-year-old Madeleine McCann was on vacation with her family in Portugal. While her parents had dinner at a nearby restaurant, she and her brothers slept in the family villa, with their mother frequently stopping by to check on them. At 10pm, she discovered that the boys were still there, but Madeleine was gone. The initial investigation was botched, and police and the media turned on the parents as suspects, after which the case went cold for years. In 2020, prosecutors began investigating a new suspect who may have been involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.
#1: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
It’s undoubtedly one of the most mystifying events of the 21st century — the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. In the early hours of March 8, 2014, the airplane departed Kuala Lumpur and maintained a normal flight path for about forty minutes. Then, someover the South China Sea, it disappeared from air traffic control radar. From data gathered afterwards, the plane seems to have turned sharply south, circled northwest, and finally crashed into the ocean. Despite extensive search efforts, the aircraft has never been located. Explanations have ranged from decompression to hijacking. Malaysian police named pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah as a prime suspect. But the world may never know what really happened.
0
0
report