Beyond the Syllabus: Unsolved mysteries of the world
Man has always sought explanations for anything and everything that occurs. However, there are still some mysteries in the world which even modern day research and science has not been able to find a plausible answer to.
So, in continuation to our series on unsolved mysteries in India, we now bring for you some of the happenings of the world which till date remain a mystery.
In a world where technology is so advanced that security agencies can see and track anyone and anything, for the below mentioned incidents we will have to be satisfied with mere speculation.
Aluminum Wedge of Aiud
A wedge shaped object was found 1.2 miles east of Aiud, Romania in 1974. Said to have been unearthed at a depth of 35 feet in a sand trench alongside two prehistoric elephant bones which were dated to be as old as 2.5 million years ago, the object looked like the head of a hammer and is made of an alloy of aluminum encased in a thin layer of oxide.
The strangest part of this mystery is that aluminum was not discovered until 1808 and was not produced in huge quantity until 1885. So, how was it found beside the elephant bones which were of an ancient era?
While some consider it evidence of extraterrestrials, others are calling it a hoax. Whatever it is, we may never know.
The Hum
This is a phenomenon or collection of phenomena involving recordings of persistent and invasive low frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise which is heard around the world. Some places to have recorded this hum sound are Taos, UK, NM, Bristol, British Columbia, Canada, Vancouver, and Seattle.
The Hum is known to be a persistent low frequency sound, often described to be similar to that of a distant diesel engine. However, experts have ruled out that this sound is produced from any household appliances, traffic noise, aircrafts etc.
Several studies have been conducted to find out from where the hum is produced. However, the cause of The Hum remains a total mystery.
Lost city of Atlantis
Known to be the city where mermaids and mermen live, Plato in his two dialogues Timaeus and Critias mentioned the existence of Atlantis which he said was situated in front of the ‘Pillars of Hercules’. To summarise the story of Atlantis, it existed in the 10th millennium and was a world power. Theorists believe that Atlantis attacked Athens, failed miserably and thereafter sank in a single day.
People speculate that the probable location of Atlantis was either the island of Santorini or Sicily whereas others believe that the city sunk deep into the ocean and if one so wishes they can find the remnants of this lost beautiful city under water.
Voynich Manuscript
A book which originated from Italy and dated to be of the 1400′s was found and it was filled with strange illustrations and a language which no one is able to read or recognise. Language analysis suggests that it is similar to European languages in syntax and formatting but to this day no one has been able to decipher it. The book has illustrations ranging from biology to astronomy to even recipes.
Whether it is some artificially created language or if it is indeed some exotic language written in Latin phonetics, it will be a long time before we know what secrets the book has. This is one mystery we would sure like solved at the earliest. What if it has the secret to stay young forever or insights into some alien race? Well these are things worth mulling over.
Kryptos
Just outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia there is a statue that has coded encryptions on its surface. This sculpture was created by Jim Sanborn to show that everything can be resolved and decoded with the use of patterns and clues. Of the four inscription sections that were included, only the first three have been cracked. What about the fourth? Well not even the brilliant minds in the CIA have been able to figure this one out.
Shugborough inscription
In Staffordshire, England, there is a sculpture that has an inscription reading DOUOSVAVVM below this inscription is a mirror image of Nicolas Poussin's painting, the Shepherds of Arcadia. Although the Shepherd’s Monument was constructed back in the 18th century, the letters found therein have not been solved, even 250 years after it was completed.
Considered to be one of the world's top uncracked ciphertexts, many people believe that the Shugborough inscription holds clue to where the ‘Holy Grail’ lies but whether this is the truth or mere speculation, we hope we find this one out soon.
Stonehenge
Thought to have been built between 3000 BC and 2000 BC, the Stonehenge is located at Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.
People have debated for long how people of that era who did not possess any modern tools and technology could have erected such a massive stone structure. However, the biggest mystery around Stonehenge is not how but why it was created in the first place.
Georgia Guidestones
Erected in 1979, Georgia Guidestones located in Elbert County are known to be the American version of Stonehenge. The monument is 19 feet 3 inches tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 107,840 kg in all. On the walls there are 10 ‘new commandments’ which are written in English, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, China, Russia, and Spanish. However no one is sure why or for whom they were meant.
Wow! Signal
Astronomer Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977, while working under the SETI Project of the Ohio Wesleyan University’s Perkins Observatory, picked up a radio frequency which was supposedly coming from deep in outer space. He recorded a 72 second signal from the constellation Sagittarius but he was never able to get it again.
Ehman was so amazed that on the margin of a computer printout he circled the signal's numeric marks and wrote "Wow!" next to it. Up to this day no one is sure about the origin of the signal. Is there an alien world out there? Well, this only time will tell.
Nazca Lines
A series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru, Nazca Lines are believed to be created by the Nazcas between 400 and 650 AD. These geoglyphs are known to represent hundreds of figures ranging from simple lines to complex drawings of flowers, hummingbirds, monkeys, spiders, fish, orcas, sharks and lizards.
Contrary to the popular belief that the lines and figures can only be seen with the aid of flight, they are visible from atop the surrounding foothills.
Archeologists, anthropologists and ethnologists have been trying to determine the purpose of the lines and figures. One hypothesis is that the Nazca people created them to be seen by their gods in the sky. But is this merely a speculation or the truth, we sure would like to find this out.
Are you aware of any unsolved mysteries of the world which we have not shared in this article? Share the same with us in our comments section.
Enhance your knowledge! Read our "Beyond the Syllabus" series.
- 30 Amazing facts about your brain
- Who got there first - the deepest, highest and farthest places on Earth
- 10 least explored areas on Earth
- 5 unsolved mysteries of India
- 30 facts you did not know about the Earth
- 15 facts you did not know about Google
- Six engineering marvels in India
- 5 famous people who disappeared mysteriously
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