A (very) brief guide to the unexplained

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Recent Governments prepared to open it's so-called X Files - documents relating to unexplained events of the past century - and presented our own guide to bizarre real-life stories.


Angels of Mons

Following the Battle of Mons in 1914, the rumor spread that angels and apparations in the form of ghostly knights had appeared on the battleground in support of the retreating British and French forces - and had even attacked the approaching German army.


Belmez Faces

in 1971, marks resembling human faces appeared on the cement floor of the house of Maria Gomez Pereira in Belmez Spain. While some believed they were manifestations of people who lived there, some experts believed them to be created by the mind of Maria through psychokinesis.


Croglin Grange Vampire

Reports of the Croglin Grange Vampire were well known in the late 19th century, with stories of a shrivelled, blood-sucking creature terrorizing occupants of a house in Cumberland, England, being widely believed.


Drummer of Tedworth

One of the earliest accounts of a poltergeist, the 17th century case of the Demon Drummer began when magistrate John Mompesson tried a conjuruer, William Dury, and confiscated his drum. Before long Mompesson's house was disturbed by tapping and drumming sounds, along with animal noises.


Enfield Poltergeist

The weird goings-on at a semi-detached council house in Enfield North London in 1977, became a media sensation. For 14 months Mrs Harper and her two daughters and two sons were subjected to moving furniture, flying objects and loud knockings.


Flannan Isles Mystery

On December 26 1900, lighthouse tender Hesperus arrived at Eileen Moor, an island off the west coast of Scotland. The Captain found the lighthouse deserted and the three keepers missing. Railings were twisted, leading to suggestions of an 'unearthly' force. Rumors of sea serpents and alien abduction have continued to circulate.


Gef the Talking Mongoose

Between 1932 and 1936 at a farm on the Isle of Man, Mr and Mrs Irving claimed to be haunted by the poltergeist of a mongoose called Gef. He was apparently able to conduct lengthy conversations with the family, but was never seen.


Hanging Rock

An unusual geological formation in Victoria, Australia, Hanging Rock was the alleged site of a bizarre disappearance in 1900. As fictionalized in the book and film, Picnic at Hanging Rock, a group of girls and their teacher vanished while visiting, with one later found in a disturbed state and with no memory of what had happened.


Isnachi

Reports of a large, aggressive and unidentified species of monkey in the Peruvian jungle have been around for years. Called isnachi (strong man) by local people, they are said to be muscular with black face, dark short fur, a baboon-like snout, barrel chest, long teeth and a thick 6in tail.

Jersey Devil

During January 1909, around 100 people across New Jersey and Pennsylvania claimed to have seen a bizarre winged creature with horns. Some claimed to have seen the 'Jersey Devil' on rooftops.


Grover Krantz

Krantz was an anthropologist who persued America's Bigfoot. Two meters tall and apparently responsible for leaving giant footprints, Bigfoot was thought to be a hoax but Krantz was convinced the creature was a survivor of a species that crossed over from Asia 100,000 years ago.

Lemuria

In 1864, British orinthologist Philip Sclater published his theory that a stretch of land at one time connected Madagascar with South-East Asia. He believed this was the reason lemurs existed in both Madagascar and India , but not Africa. In honor of the animal he named the lost land Lemuria.

Mary Celeste

Sailing from New York in 1872, the Mary Celeste was bound for Genoa with seven crew, the captain and his family. Shortly after, the ship was found drifting between The Azores and Portugal with no one on board. Legend has it that the boat was intact and a half-eaten meal was on the table.

North Berwick Witches

Accused of plotting to kill King James VI, four witches were tortured and confessed to making pacts with the Devil. The King was skeptical until one of them told him the exact words that had passed between him and his bride on their wedding night. They were found guilty and executed.

Part 2 another time

[marko69]

Love this stuff, Saint Jude. Had only heard of the Flannan Isle Lighthouse mystery and the famous Mary Celeste. Potentially hours of reading by googling all of these. Great thread.

[number 9]

This is good stuff! If you like this sort of thing, you may also like this site:

http://www.voynich.nu/

[Ohiotractorboy]

Yeah, I am a big fan of this stuff also.

Maybe at Holloween we'll do a true stories type thread

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Was going to add a few more, but have mislaid the continuation sheet so can't very well proceed without it. In any event, here's a couple more for the time being.


The Phantom Face

Poltergeists it seems, sometimes haunt commercial premises as well as invading the home. In 1973, Manfred Cassirer, member of the council of Britain's Society for Psychical Research, was called in to investigate an odd series of events that had occured at a garden center occupying two rough sheds in Bromley South London. Planks of wood often mysteriously vanished, only to reappear out of the blue. A clock was seen to jump off a desk, apparently of it's own accord. Then to crown it all, garden fertilizer started falling from the ceiling, although not stored at a height. On one occasion it even formed the shape of a face, modelled in two distinct types of fertilizer (gray and white) on a counter. Stranger still, the skull-like shape remained static when looked at, but would disintigrate somewhat whenever Cassirer looked away. Finally, after Cassirer had investigated on two occasions, it disappeared just as mysteriously as it had arrived.


Spontaneous Combusting Rat Catchers

In order to remove the rats, and Black Death, from their village (Beccles, UK), three men sold their souls to a group of witches. The men played musical instruments as they walked down the road, the rats followed them, and all disappeared into hell. They are allowed a brief respite once a year, date being 31 August.


Faceless Man

Two children playing in a wood spotted a man approaching them. The figure wore a black suit with a bowler hat, and carried a cane. He could have been mistaken for a regular man, other than his face was completely devoid of features. The children hid up a tree until the figure passed. (Bury St Edmunds UK 1970)

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Odor of Sanctity

A phenomenon taken by some as evidence of sainthood is the odor of sanctity : a flowey fragnance detected when a holy person dies.


Phantom Train

A phantom train is said to be heard running along the mineral line near Washford Somerset, UK, which closed in 1917. It is one of several British 'ghost trains'


Quarouble

Quarouble in France was the site of one of the first significant UFO cases in which it is said there was physical evidence left. Marius Dewilde claimed to have seen a UFO on the rail tracks behind his house and when he investigated he was held in an energy ray by two creatures. Police found indents caused by an object that must have weighed at least 30 tons.


Resurrection Mary

A phantom hitch-hiker associated with the Resurrection Cemetery in Chicago, Mary began hitching lifts in the 1930s. Jerry Palus met a woman, whose skin was pale and clammy at a local ballroom. After a night of dancing she asked for a lift home. Driving past the cemetery, she asked to be let out, ran to the gates, and vanished.


Screaming Skulls

Screaming Skulls are associated with at least 20 English buildings and in each case the skull has been preserved inside for hundreds of years with uncertain origins. If they are removed, disturbances including screams, poltergeist activity and bad luck are said to follow.


Ummo

Starting in 1966, 8,000 letters were sent to a diverse group of ufologists and scientists over two decades claiming to be from inhabitants of a planet called Ummo who had taken to visting Earth.

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Frederick Valentich

In 1978, Australian rookie pilot Frederick Valentich was flying solo across the Bass Straight. At 7 : 06 pm he radioed air traffic control to tell them something was flying close by. Nothing showed on the radar and at 7 : 12 he called again, saying the object was above him. His last words were - "It's not an aircraft, it's ... ". No trace of the pilot or his plane have ever been found.


Watseka Wonder

Lurancy Vennum lived in Watseka, Illinois, and in 1877, aged 13, began to manifest different personalities. She could speak with several voices, claimed she could communicate with spirits and on one occasion channelled the personality of a dead girl, even recognizing her friends and family.


Xenoglossy

The ability to speak or write spontaneously in a foreign tongue by a person who has never learned that language. Associated with clairvoyants and cited by some as proof of reincarnation.


Yeti

For more than a century, climbers in the Himalayas have reported seeing shaggy-haired, ape-like creatures walking on their hind legs. Referred to as yetis by the Nepalese, they are also known in the West as abominable snowmen.


Zacatecas

In 1883, Jose Bonilla, an astromoner in Zacatecas Mexico, used a large reflector to view the sun. He saw strange objects moving across the face of the star. He took pictures and was thus responsible for what many believe is the first photo of an unidentified flying object.

[number 9]

Good website and magazine:

http://www.forteantimes.com/