I like mysteries. Here are some of my favourite.
There is no greater phantom attacker in the history of the unexplained in America than the legendary “Mad Gasser of Mattoon”, a bizarre figure who wreaked havoc in a small Illinois town in 1944. This creature turned out to be so elusive that law enforcement officials eventually declared him nonexistent, despite dozens and dozens of eyewitness reports and actual physical evidence that was left behind at the scene of some attacks. details here
I'm a big fan of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. It has everything a real mystery needs: mysterious attacker, physical evidence, and a weak explanation offered by the authorites. Esentially we have the prototypical small-town horror movie going on in real life.
Also it's worth noting that the gas had effects very similar to LSD.
The Tunguska event was an explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Evenk Autonomous Okrug, at 7:17 AM on June 30, 1908. The event is sometimes referred to as the great Siberian explosion.
The explosion was probably caused by the airburst of a meteorite or comet 6 to 10 kilometers (4–6 mi) above the Earth's surface. The energy of the blast was later estimated to be between 10 and 15 megatons of TNT, which would be equivalent to Castle Bravo, the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated by the US. It felled an estimated 60 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers (830 sq mi).
In recent history, the Tunguska event stands out as one of the rare large-scale demonstrations that a full doomsday event is a real possibility for the human race.
Although this mystery is most likely the results of a meteorite/comet I like it for two reasons. Firstly big explosions are pretty cool. Secondly the Tunguska event has attracted its own set of crackpots and nutjobs. It's nice to see them operating in other areas, too!
Fun fact about Tunguska: It's on nearly the same latitude as St. Petersburg, so if the comet (or tesla death ray) had arrived a few hours later, it would have wiped out the Russian government, which was headquartered there at the time.
The Voynich Manuscript is considered to be 'The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World'. To this day this medieval artifact resists all efforts at translation.
It is either an ingenious hoax or an unbreakable cipher.
From a piece of paper which was once attached to the Voynich manuscript, and which is now stored in one of the boxes belonging with the Voynich manuscript holdings of the Beinecke library, it is known that the manuscript once formed part of the private library of Petrus Beckx S.J., 22nd general of the Society of Jesus. (This guys gets to be leader of the Society of Jesus. How cool is that?)
My vote is that it's a medieval recipe book.
Bonus mystery:
The Cumbrian Man -- world's best cloud formation
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon
There is no greater phantom attacker in the history of the unexplained in America than the legendary “Mad Gasser of Mattoon”, a bizarre figure who wreaked havoc in a small Illinois town in 1944. This creature turned out to be so elusive that law enforcement officials eventually declared him nonexistent, despite dozens and dozens of eyewitness reports and actual physical evidence that was left behind at the scene of some attacks. details here
I'm a big fan of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. It has everything a real mystery needs: mysterious attacker, physical evidence, and a weak explanation offered by the authorites. Esentially we have the prototypical small-town horror movie going on in real life.
Also it's worth noting that the gas had effects very similar to LSD.
The Tunguska Event
The Tunguska event was an explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Evenk Autonomous Okrug, at 7:17 AM on June 30, 1908. The event is sometimes referred to as the great Siberian explosion.
The explosion was probably caused by the airburst of a meteorite or comet 6 to 10 kilometers (4–6 mi) above the Earth's surface. The energy of the blast was later estimated to be between 10 and 15 megatons of TNT, which would be equivalent to Castle Bravo, the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated by the US. It felled an estimated 60 million trees over 2,150 square kilometers (830 sq mi).
In recent history, the Tunguska event stands out as one of the rare large-scale demonstrations that a full doomsday event is a real possibility for the human race.
Although this mystery is most likely the results of a meteorite/comet I like it for two reasons. Firstly big explosions are pretty cool. Secondly the Tunguska event has attracted its own set of crackpots and nutjobs. It's nice to see them operating in other areas, too!
Fun fact about Tunguska: It's on nearly the same latitude as St. Petersburg, so if the comet (or tesla death ray) had arrived a few hours later, it would have wiped out the Russian government, which was headquartered there at the time.
The Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript is considered to be 'The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World'. To this day this medieval artifact resists all efforts at translation.
It is either an ingenious hoax or an unbreakable cipher.
From a piece of paper which was once attached to the Voynich manuscript, and which is now stored in one of the boxes belonging with the Voynich manuscript holdings of the Beinecke library, it is known that the manuscript once formed part of the private library of Petrus Beckx S.J., 22nd general of the Society of Jesus. (This guys gets to be leader of the Society of Jesus. How cool is that?)
My vote is that it's a medieval recipe book.
Bonus mystery:
The Cumbrian Man -- world's best cloud formation
