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Ten unsolved mysteries of the world

Human beings have always been fascinated by mysteries, either in the form of simple riddles or full length movies and novels. In these technologically advanced times, it is hard to believe that there are still some mysteries unsolved by even the best of human minds. Let us look at ten such unsolved, intriguing and perplexing mysteries of the world that confound experts and investigators till date.

1. The Voynich Manuscript

Wilfred M. Voynich purchased this manuscript from a Jesuit College in Rome, in 1912. It has since been known as Voynich Manuscript. This manuscript was written in the Middle Ages in an unknown language using a unique alphabet. Many scholars have tried to interpret the manuscript without success. There are some illustrations of plants and astronomical formations in the book, but that is all that we know for certain about it. It is a case for futurity to decode.

2. Kryptos

In 1990, on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Virginia, USA, a new sculpture was unveiled. It was composed of four coded messages entitled “Kryptos” by the sculptor, Jim Sanborn. In the ensuing years, three of the messages have been decoded, but the fourth has remained a mystery. Now the ‘Kryptos’ is known as the most famous modern unsolved mystery, alluring both amateur as well as professional cryptanalysts.

3. Mary Celeste

The Mary Celeste, a British merchant ship, was found drifting On December 5th, 1872, in the Atlantic Ocean. Its passengers and crew were missing. There was no sign of a struggle. The ship had suffered no damage. There was plenty of food and water and ship contained an untouched cargo. The only missing object was a single lifeboat. A lengthy investigation did not reach any believable conclusion, though many theories including those of piracy, underwater earthquakes, water spouts and deadly fumes were proposed.

4. Nazca Lines

In southern Peru, there is an isolated, arid plateau where the wind almost never blows. Here, around the year 400 to 650 AD, the people of the Nazca culture created the now famous Nazca lines, by removing the red stones covering the ground so that the white earth beneath was visible. They created art by doing so, as these Nazca lines are actually portraits of animals such as monkeys, birds or fish. The largest design is over 200 m across. It is a mystery how such a primitive civilization could create such artwork with precision when they had no means of viewing their accomplishments from the air.

5. The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness monster is a creature which is supposedly lurking in the waters of the Loch Ness lake in Scotland. A picture of this ‘monster’ was published in the Daily Express in 1933, on the 6th of December. There have been countless sightings of this creature since then, which were followed by investigations and scientific studies. Nessie, as the Loch Ness monster is called affectionately by the locals, has a long neck, which has led to theories that it is the last surviving creature in a long line of plesiosaurs.

6. Big Foot

Big Foot is reported to be a half human and half ape creature that lurks in the forests of northwest North America. It is described as over two metres tall, and weighing over 200 kg. Big Foot is also known as the “Sasquatch”. This hairy creature is known as “Ts’emekwes” by the native Lummi population. Although scientists consider the creature as mythical, there are countless reported sightings of giant footprints, and fuzzy photographs that show giant beast like creatures.

7. Area 51

Area 51 is a remote location in Nevada, used by the United States Air Force. Due to its ‘top secret’ status and its proximity to what is known as the ‘extraterrestrial highway’ where many UFO sightings have occurred, Area 51 has achieved a legendary status.

8. Big Cats in Australia

The big cats in Australia have achieved a mysterious status, since they are the size of a panther though by DNA testing, they are confirmed to be feral cats. These exotic cats have been seen to be roaming the bush lands. A local hunter shot one of them, the “Gippsland Phantom Cat”. The DNA testing was done on this cat. Some theorists claim that, out in the bush, ordinary feral cats would have grown to much bigger proportions. But there is no conclusive theory to explain the existence of these cats so far.

9. The Shroud of Turin

The Shroud of Turin is claimed to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, which has the image of a crucified man imprinted on it. Despite many investigations, there is no conclusive explanation of how the image could have been imprinted on the cloth.

Pope Francis in front of the shroud of Turin

When the shroud was first photographed in 1898, this negative image emerged, deepening the mystery.

10. The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

In the annals of aviation history, 20-year old pilot, Frederick Valentich’s disappearance is a perplexing mystery. As he was flying his Cessna, in 1906, on the 21st of October, he reported seeing a flying object which was “ not an aircraft”. Shortly afterwards, he disappeared. No amount of search yielded any result. Interestingly, at least ten claims of UFO sightings were recorded during that weekend, and Valentich himself was a UFO enthusiast.

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