When I was a little kid, my grandfather bought me a book on unsolved mysteries. It was impossibly heavy, was well-above what people assumed I could read, and the subject matter wasn't exactly my mother's idea of appropriate.
I've had that book for 30 years now and I still pour over it obsessively. So obviously when I saw this thread I was all in:
Reddit user LordVader1995 asked:
What is your favorite unsolved mystery?
There are some mysteries mentioned here that were even in my book - but a far larger amount are newer. Considering the incredible technological leaps we have made, it seems crazy that things can just stay unsolved - but they do. Every single day more and more mysteries (large and small) just get added to the list of things that may never be figured out.
Here are some examples.
Malaysia Flight 370
GiphyThis case seriously haunts me, I am dying to know whether it was an accident or intentional on the part of the pilot.
My personal theory is that they were hijacked by a lunatic intent on flying the plane into a building or something horrific. The pilot may have realized this and intentionally flew off-course into the ocean. When flying at night, there's nothing to see out the window, it's just blackness, so arguably the hijacker wouldn't have a clue until it's too late.
There was a case where a hijacker demanded the plane be flown to some ridiculous distance when it was only fueled for a short trip. The pilots did their best to explain that they didn't have the range, but the hijackers simply wouldn't listen. Plane ran out of fuel and crashed in the ocean. So sometimes hijackers can be total idiots too.
On the other hand, if the plane was hijacked, then the hijackers were savvy enough to pull the transponders to make the plane harder to trace (it's a fact that this happened, and could only have been a deliberate act). If they were savvy enough to do this it's unlikely they'd be dumb enough to not notice the pilots' plan to fly over the ocean rather than into a populated city, though...
MH370 is the ultimate Rorschach inkblot test. There are so few actual facts to work with, that everyone's imagination just takes over to fill in the blanks and we have millions of crazy theories. I wonder if we'll ever know.
The Noise Upstairs
Last summer I was babysitting for my neighbor - a young couple that lived in a small townhouse with their newborn. They were in the process of moving back to Kentucky, where their families are from, to raise their baby with family. They leave for dinner around 5pm, and say they'll be home before 12am. Now, this little home is empty save for their beds, a couch, and a TV. Around 7pm, the baby is getting fussy so I rock her to sleep and lay her down for bed/until she wakes up to be fed. I go downstairs and call my girlfriend to ask about her day, when I hear heavy footsteps coming from upstairs. I go up the stairs to the baby's room, thinking maybe there's a cat, and there's nothing that could have been making that noise. I check the parent's room, nothing. Bathroom, nothing. Everything is empty. I picked up the baby and went downstairs to the living room, keeping her with me the whole night. The footsteps keep happening, and I decide to call the police because there's clearly an intruder. It's about 9:15pm at this point, and I first heard noises around 7:30pm.
I call the parents first, though, to tell them that I was thinking to take the baby to my place while waiting for the police checked the house. It turns out that the parents were on the street already, and I decide to wait for them. A minute later, the footsteps turn into thuds and grunts, like two men are fighting directly above me and the baby. I can't wait anymore, and I run outside to find the parents. The parents are there, getting out of the car, and clearly upset. The police are with them. They take a statement from me as they check the house, and ask if I was drinking that night (no). The police check the house top to bottom, and found nothing. The parents moved out a week later. I still wonder what happened.
Yuba 5
The 1978 Yuba County disappearances of 5 young men- around 50 miles away from where they were supposed to be, on a road they never had been down.
They abandoned a perfectly fine car and walked 10+ miles through the forest in deep snow to ultimately die. Four of the five men were found dead in a ranger trailer and in the surrounding area. The trailer had been full of food and a heater- and it was all untouched.
The only witness? A man in the car behind them, who pulled over and saw them briefly before having a heart attack.
The last man, Gary Mathias, has still never been found. There are so many thought and theories about this case, and I hope someday it will be solved. Until then, it will be the most intriguing mystery I have ever come across.
Asha
Asha Degree.
A little girl who walked out of her house in the middle of the night, during a storm, the night before her parents anniversary, only to be seen walking down the road by motorists and then never being seen again. I personally think she was groomed by someone close.
This particular case is so heartbreaking to me, I heard the case being explained on the Crime Junkie Podcast. There were hardly any leads but I agree with you on the fact that she was most likely groomed by someone but it's insane how this little girl that's afraid of the dark just slipped out of her house at 3am, in the middle of a storm, to meet someone on the side of a highway. The power that person must have over her is terrifying.
- Halstump
I looked it up. They found her book bag 26 miles away in 2001. This is such a sad case. They also found candy wrappers near her bag. Something about that alone, makes me sad.
I heard an interesting theory about carbon monoxide poisoning - it would explain the way Asha just seemed to methodically pack her bag and walk out. The way she did this was apparently the same way she usually would for school, which can be linked to the disorientating effects of CO poisoning. The way she ran off into the forest when a car approached her can also be linked, as it may have brought her out of her daze, which would've frightened her.
This still doesn't explain the fact that her school bag was found wrapped in a plastic bag - that bit gives me the creeps.
- notbueno
Fenn's Gold
Forrest Fenn's Treasure has got to be my favorite. Fenn is a 87 year old art collector who resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2010, after being diagnosed with cancer and told he was most likely going to die, he asked himself what he could do to be remembered. He decided to go out into nature and hide a chest containing an estimated 2 million dollars of treasure. Despite the odds, he actually beat cancer and is still alive to this day. The treasure is somewhere in the rocky mountains within one of the following states: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming or Montana. Fenn wrote a poem as a guide to finding the treasure. Here it is...
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it's no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There'll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
If you've been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answers I already know,
I've done it tired, and now I'm weak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
The treasure has yet to be found.
Green Children
Back in the day in England, I'm talking like somewhere between 1500's-1700's, this brother and sister wandered into a village. They were complete strangers to everyone there, and they were FREAKING GREEN. They were GREEN children. They didn't speak the language and wouldn't eat for days until they were offered raw Lima beans which they ate in excess and exclusively. The brother eventually died, but they sister lived long enough to lose her green pigment and learn english. She said they were from Saint Martin's Land, and had wandered from home and went over a river or something and found themselves in this village and had no idea how to get home. The world she described is something no one has been able to figure out, but it wasn't England.
This supposedly happened in the 12th century, not the 16th. Yes they ate raw beans, but not Lima beans. Pretty sure you can't even grow Lima beans in England. The boy got sick and died after being baptized. They claimed to come from an underground land where the sun never shone. They wandered into a cave from their land while herding cattle and suddenly found themselves in a different place after hearing a loud noise. Villagers then found them and brought them to the village where the girl survived and lived a relatively normal life.
More realistic theories have been put forward to explain this. Regarding their green colouring, one proposal is that the children were suffering from Hypochromic Anemia, originally known as Chlorosis (coming from the Greek word 'Chloris', meaning greenish-yellow). The condition is caused by a very poor diet that affects the color of the red blood cells and results in a noticeably green shade of the skin. In support of this theory is the fact that the girl is described as returning to a normal color after adopting a healthy diet.
With regards to the description of the strange land, Paul Harris suggested in Fortean Studies 4 (1998) that the children were Flemish orphans, possibly from a nearby place known as Fornham St. Martin, which was separated from Woolpit by the River Lark. A lot of Flemish immigrants had arrived during the 12th century but were persecuted under the reign of King Henry II. In 1173, many were killed near Bury St Edmunds. If they had fled into Thetford Forest, it may have seemed like permanent twilight to the frightened children. They may also have entered one of the many underground mine passages in the area, which finally led them to Woolpit.
Dressed in strange Flemish clothes and speaking another language, the children would have presented a very strange spectacle to the Woolpit villagers.
Where's Brandon?
The Brandon Lawson case, guy runs out of gas on a highway, calls his brother to help him get gas, then makes a 911 call telling them to send the police (recordings available on youtube), then disappears. When his brother and the police arrived his truck was still sitting there.
A weird detail I saw somewhere was that he actually had an active warrant for his arrest. (I don't remember what it was for, but I don't think it was a violent offense.) He was aware of the warrant, so everyone (especially the brother he had called previously) thought it was extremely odd that he would call the police. If I recall correctly, he specifically requested police, not emergency services which one might do if they needed help but didn't want to deal with police.
Somerton Man
The 70 yeah old case of the Somerton Man - no identity for the victim, no cause of death, mysterious codes, possible spy connections, lots of unanswered questions. I think we're currently waiting on DNA tests to come back to try and figure out who he is.
I live not far from Somerton, and have seen his grave at the West Terrace cemetery that states 'unknown man'. This case fascinates me, some of the minor facts of the case are just bizarre. I read a book called The Unknown Man by Gerry Feltus that i recommend for anyone interested. Professor Derek Abbot who is heading the DNA testing is very passionate about the case and optimistic about solving the mystery!
The Prime Minister
GiphyAs an Australian, it 100% has to be the Harold Holt mystery.
Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt, loved the beach, fishing and swimming etc. Apparently was an elite swimmer. Members of his cabinet and friends had all approached him about the dangers of swimming an fishing alone, to which he famously replied: "What are the odds of a prime minister being drowned or taken by a shark?"
On December 17, 1967, just after midday, Holt and a friend stopped for a swim at a beach they'd been to many times before. There was a large rip reported, and the friend stayed close to shore, but Holt swam as normal, and got pulled out to sea. he was never seen or heard from again.
We literally lost our Prime Minister.
Dylatlov Pass
The Dyatlov Pass incident.
In 1956, 9 very experienced Russian hikers were found dead on Mt. Otorten. 6 of them died of hypothermia, while the other 3 were found brutally killed. One hiker had his skull crushed, another had a crushed rib cage and his eyes were missing, and the last victim also had a crushed rib cage but had not only both eyes missing, but also her tongue was missing.
Their camp showed signs of a huge struggle and displayed a scene of chaos. The tent was cut open from the inside and belongings like jackets and shoes were left behind, suggesting they were in a hurry.
About 500 meters from the campsite are where the first two bodies were found next to a small campfire and only in their underwear (hypothermia). Three more hikers were found (also passing of hypothermia) in positions that suggested they were trying to return to the camp. These bodies also lacked clothes and shoes and were only found in their underwear.
The 4 other hikers weren't found until 2 months later in a snow ravine 75 meters from the small makeshift campsite. They were found better dressed than the rest of the hikers but their clothes were torn and some of them, even burned. Also note:
•that high levels of radiation was found on only one victims clothing item
•fatal injuries (crushed skull and ribs) couldn't have been cause by human because "the force of the blows had been too strong and no soft tissue had been damaged"
•Russian authorities are currently re-investigating this incident but are only allowing three possibilities: avalanche, a "snow slab" avalanche, or a hurricane. And the possibility of a crime is being completely discounted.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.