People Break Down The Most Unexplainable Thing That's Ever Happened To Them

Let's not underestimate how massive the world is. While most of the modern landscape can be mapped out on our phones, there's still dark corners hiding darker secrets undiscovered to most humans. It's when those secrets, those unexplained happenings, leak out of their corners that we get unimaginable things, much like the stories below.
Reddit user, u/HoneysuckleDame, wanted to hear about:
Who Was That?
I was driving at night after a football game as a high school student. My younger sister was in the passenger seat and my friend was in the middle back seat, leaning forward to chat with us easier. We were dropping my friend off before heading home, and driving down a pretty dark road to get there (we lived in a rural area, so no street lights).
Suddenly, my sister and friend both gasp and I step on the brakes, thinking they must have seen a deer or something. They're both in shock, asking me if I just saw "that old man who flashed up in the middle of the road and then disappeared." I hadn't seen anything but I was terrified. They were both so shocked and had the exact same reaction. My friend didn't even want to get out at his house once we got there he was so scared.
Don't Open Your Eyes
I was 20 staying with my husband's friends in West Palm Beach, FL. In the middle of the night, my husband screamed. I opened my eyes and there was a dark figure of a man standing at the foot of the bed. He stood at my husband's feet. I screamed and leapt out of the bed hitting the wall light switch. The figure was gone and our friends were banging on the door. It was very strange that we both saw the exact same thing.
Crossing The Road
I live in a beach town and one of my friends had just got back to her parents house for the summer, so I went over to hang out for a little while. Since it wasn't late when I went to go home I figured I'd take the long way home to drive along the bay for the view of the stars and the lights of the ships waiting to go up the river. When I got to the road that runs a long the bay, I realized I wasn't going to see anything because heavy fog had rolled in which is super common in the spring. This road is a 25mph road with the beach and trails over the dunes on the left, and houses on the right.
I was driving along the road with pretty bad visibility with how foggy and dark it was. All of a sudden from my left I see a figure coming up the dune and towards the road. I slammed on my brakes hard enough to skid a little because I thought it was someone coming off the beach to go to a house across the road. It had the shape of a woman in a long dress but I couldn't see any facial features. When it got to the middle of the road the figure it just floated up at an angle and disappeared.
There wasn't a beach access trail where I saw it and I can't figure and logical explanation for the way it hovered and took off. I was stopped and watched it until it disappeared trying to figure it out. It freaked me out pretty bad honestly, and even 5-6 years later I still can picture the way it moved like it was yesterday.
Meh, I Kind Of Figured It Was Haunted
Stayed over at a friends house. In the middle of the night I woke up to what sounded like someone walking in the attic above us. Thought nothing more of it and went back to sleep. Wake up and on his ceiling were footprints in a perfect circle around his lightbulb as if someone was walking upside down around the light.
Showed it to him and he just shrugged and said he thought his house was haunted, but it didn't bother him. That was 30 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Let. Me. In.
1988, we were renting a refurbished house that was part log cabin from the 1700s. Was on the John in the bathroom when I heard 3 very loud knocks on the wall beneath the bathroom window. Looked out the window - nada. 30 seconds later it happened again, and again nothing outside. Later, wife and I decide to plant some stuff beneath the bathroom window outside, and 4 inches down we hit a concrete slab. Turns out the bathroom used to be entranceway to the log house. Spooky as hell.
Wait For It...
About 1973 -- I went to work. Got out of the car. Walked to the entrance and on the way saluted Warrant Officer Fardy because he was in uniform. He had always worn civilian clothes. He waved me on and said he'd be in in a minute.
I got to my office and expected to be the first one there because I always got there first as the lowest ranking guy in the office and had to make the coffee. I was surprised that the chief, a captain, and his senior sergeant were already in the office.
The captain asked me to sit down at my desk. I thought I was in trouble. He said he had some bad news. Warrant Officer Fardy was killed in a head-on collision at 3 am that morning. I protested that I had just seen him outside in the parking lot. The captain said he and the sergeant had identified the body just an hour earlier.
Something More Grounded In Reality
My family has tons of weird paranormal stuff but the one I actively think about had nothing to do with ghosts or anything. My best friend vanished in like 4th or 5th grade. Her whole family just up and left without warning. Got a phonecall from her months later saying she missed me and she was safe but wasn't allowed to give any details. Someone came in the room and she had to hang up. To this day I have no freaking clue what happened. Every now and then I try to find her on social media. No luck, yet.
Do you know what her parents did? Perhaps they were relocated into witness protection or if there was some kind of abuse perhaps she left with one parent and they had to stay in "hiding" from the other? The fact you cant find her on social media is odd as well.
As I was a little kid at the time I have no idea, but witness protection had crossed my mind. It might also be worth mentioning her family was from a non-English country overseas. It could just be that someone back home had an emergency and they had to go help take care or something. I like to think there's a harmless reason for it and I just can't find her because she's not on English socials. Maybe she transitioned and I'm looking for someone who doesn't exist as I knew her. I want them to be safe and happy, whatever the reason. Just wish I knew.
There Hasn't Been A Phone There For Years
Worked as a night auditor at an old hotel. It was around 2am and I get a phone call from the pool room, which is suppose to be closed. I pick up the phone and answer and all I hear is very heavy breathing. I hang up the phone and check the cameras and all the lights are on in the pool room. So I go down the hallway to kick whoever it is out. But as I get close to the glass door it is so cold I can see my breath, the door is completely fogged over and all the lights are out. I open the door and the light above me comes on because they are motion sensor lights. I am looking around but I don't see anything. Then the light comes on across the pool from me but nothing is there.
Then every light in a path begins to light up around one side of the pool as if something is walking towards me. I ran out of there so fast and locked myself in my managers office and stayed until sunrise. But the worse was yet to come. I had played it off in my head as bugs causing the motion sensor lights to go off. I was telling my manager about my experience so he would get a good laugh.
When I told him about the phone call from the pool he didn't laugh at all. He asked me if I was 100% positive the caller I'D said the pool room, and I said yeah. Then he told me there hasn't been a phone in the pool room for thirty years. I told him there was no way because that would be physically impossible. He told me to go look for myself. I looked and there was no phone. Complete and total mindf-ck because I didn't believe in the supernatural at all before that. But to this day no matter how many ways I try to rationalize it, I just can't. It is completely unexplainable.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
When it comes to electing a leader, the choice is an easy one if a potential candidate shares the same values as yours.
And while a candidate is fit to lead remains to be seen, we rely on our instinct to choose someone with whom we can relate.
But sometimes, our options are limited and we inevitably go with someone who is the lesser of two evils.
Curious to hear from strangers online about a hypothetical, Redditor Cashmeresquid2309 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for an openly Atheist presidential candidate? Why or why not?"

Redditors were quick to point out the answer was a no-brainer.
We Already Know The Answer
"Asking Reddit if they'd vote for an atheist..."
"I feel like the answer would be obvious."
– sarahmagoo
Sci-Fi Analogy
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for a Star Wars fan who heckin loves doggos?"
– WitnessChemical
For The Atheists In The Crowd
"Atheists of atheistville, would you vote for an open atheist?"
– nixcamic
Others weighed in with a range of opinions.
About 45
"What's funny is how many of them would probably say no, even though they voted for Trump and would do so again. Say whatever else you want about him, but I seriously can't understand how anyone could genuinely believe Trump is a Christian. He's so obviously faking it and is undoubtedly the most atheistic president we've ever had or are likely to have for a long time."
"This is a guy who's never even so much as read the Bible or attended church, who told a conservative radio host his favorite Bible verse was 'an eye for an eye', who told evangelical interviewers that he's never asked God for forgiveness because he's never done anything wrong, and who routinely commits all 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) without remorse."
– empfindsamkeit
From A Different Perspective
"Not an american but interestingly according to this survey on 1006 people from 2007, being atheist was the worst thing you could be as a candidate (of the things asked) with only 45 % of people saying they'd vote for one."
– ilovecatfish
An atheist candidate isn't necessarily a big strike.
Double Negative
"I wouldn’t not vote for someone just because they were atheist."
– HabitualEnthusiast
Credibility First
"This is it. If they’re running on platforms I support with a history to back up those campaign promises, I don’t care if they belong to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. They could literally be a member of the satanic temple and I, an actual practicing Christian, would give less shi*s than a constipated sloth."
"Edit: yes, I realize the Satanic Temple does not actually worship satan. I used it for that purpose. The Church of Satan has some…problematic views and I probably would not vote for someone who literally holds a platform of eugenics."
– Phoenix_of_Asclepius
Some view the role of religion in politics as important.
It Depends
"Religion can be relevant: I would have strong reservations about voting for a Scientologist, even if I agreed with the policies they proposed. I would have strong reservations voting for a member of an apocalyptic cult or, possibly worse, a follower of the (highly heretical) 'prosperity gospel,' which unfortunately includes more and more so-called 'evangelicals' — I didn't vote for George W. Bush, but it's not because he was an evangelical."
"It depends on the role: I'd probably be more flexible with a legislator than an executive (mayor, governor, president), as their character is IMO more important than for a legislator and their policy stances somewhat less important relative to a legislator."
"Satanic temple — well, that's just an organized group of atheists and humanists with an intentionally inflammatory choice of name. They're generally fine people."
– alyssasaccount
A Bad Rap
"The Satanic Temple is an excellent organization that every decent person should be able to respect. A Church of Satan member, not so much."
"There's a huge difference between them!"
– StarsEatArtBooks
And Redditor boganvegan said it best.
"Better an open atheist than a fake Christian."
It all boils down to trustworthiness. Without full transparency, how could anyone put their faith in a candidate who spews nothing but lies?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Being home alone isn't always the most tranquil thing.
No one is there to help or protect you.
And things that go "bump" in the night... sometimes they do more than bump.
Redditor ag9910 wanted to hear about the times home felt like an unsafe place to be. They asked:
"What is the scariest, strangest, most unexplainable thing that has happened to you while home alone?"
I'm always freaked out when I'm home alone. Lights on. Yeah, my electric bill is high.
Dorothy?
"I dreamed the front door blew open at the exact time the house alarm went off... I hopped up and sure enough, the front door was open. No intruder."
fatowl
I See You
"Not home alone but only one in right side of the house. Went to my mom's bathroom to wash my hands and saw a pair of feet behind the half open door. Laughed and said 'very funny Ma, I see you.' then finished up and left. Bumped into my mother in the kitchen unpacking, nobody else was in the house. I'm glad whatever was behind the door didn't peek out."
SatanWithFur
“It’s Doug!”
"One night I had forgotten to lock my apartment door and woke up in the middle of the night. My bedroom door was about 2 feet from my front door, as you walked into the apartment. First a big dog ran by, then a person. Holy crap I was so scared and I screeched 'Who is it?!?!!'"
"A man said 'It’s Doug!' As I was thinking to myself, who the f**k is Doug, he said 'oh, crap.' He turned around to go back out the front door saying 'Sorry.' I asked 'Didn’t you have a dog with you?' He said 'Oh, yeah. Hey, c’mon!.' He left, his dog ran out after him and I locked my front door."
"Edit: glad you all thought this was funny, because I did too, once my heart quit trying to beat right out of my chest! The next day the girls at work thought I was crazy for not being upset, but eh, done is done. Peace!"
scarletohairy
Confused...
"My sister and I were home alone and we heard someone big running up the stairs. The stairs make lots of noise with slight pressure so when there’s someone big on them you can tell. I went out of my room to check but saw no one anywhere and my sister also came out of her room and she asked if that was me I said no and we both looked around to see if there was anyone but found no one in the whole house. We were confused and called our parents and just waited until they got back and that was that."
JtSudbury04
I See You
"I very clearly saw a guy walk into my room. But when I went after him there was nobody there. I checked in the closet, under my bed, everywhere one could hide in my room."
HighlyOffensive10
This is why home video surveillance is key.
"NO"
"My parents were on a road trip, just left, and I sat down at my desk. I thought 'Weekend alone by myself' and a voice yelled into my right ear 'NO' so loud it hurt."
Th4ab
Wild
"I managed to lock myself out of my house on my birthday during a tornado while trying to bring my cats to the basement for safety. I later found out that the tornado was approximately a couple miles or less from me at that exact time. The sky was green and it got weirdly calm and then I could hear what sounded like a train coming before I found an unlocked window to climb through. Wild times."
SilverGnarwhal
Saturday morning in the 80s...
"I wasn't home alone but I was awake by myself one Saturday morning in the 80s when I was around 7 or so. I believe my mom was the only one home because my dad went to the lake to go fishing that weekend, and I'm not sure where my older brothers were, maybe they went with him, idk."
"Anyways, my mom's sleeping in, and I'm in the living room by myself, watching Saturday morning cartoons and making a fort out of sheets and cushions. Something made me turn around and I saw my dad in his pajamas standing in the hallway entrance with his hands on his hips, looking the mess I was making and shaking his head."
"He then turned around and walked into my room, which was just off the hallway entrance. Dude. I didn't even look, I just booked it to my parents room and woke my mom up. I don't remember what happened after that, this was around 35 years ago. And yes, my dad was fine, nothing had happened to him."
smriversong
Get the Bat...
"I was at home by myself on a call with some friends when all of a sudden my dog begins to bark like crazy, which was odd since it was the middle of the night and he's usually sleep. I go downstairs to check on him and find him barking at our hall closet, terrified I grabbed my bat that I keep in my room just in case and open the door. There was nothing out of usual at first at then I look down and notice a familiar looking object at the bottom of the closet."
"It was my mom's necklace she had lost when I was 9, (i'm 15 now just to put in perspective how long it's been). I showed it to my mom at breakfast and she was just as shocked as I was. I still have no clue how it got there or how my dog knew it was in there, definitely one of the oddest occurrences of my life."
SomeRandomIdiot14
Meow
"Many years ago, I was 14 or so, my first night alone in the house when my parents were out. Lying on the living room floor reading, my cat sleeping next to me."
"Suddenly, cat wakes up, stares intently into the dark corner of the room behind me, hair on end, growls and then bolts out of the room and upstairs. I look behind me and see nothing, but follow cat upstairs and hide under the covers. Freaked me out."
LairdofWingHaven
Thank God for alarms. I hate being home alone.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
The human body is still such a mystery.
How much do we really know?
Not a lot apparently. We're learning more all the time.
And most of it is gross.
Redditor BathNo7713 wanted to discuss the ick factor of anatomy. So they asked:
"What is the most disturbing fact about the human body?"
The body freaks me out. But it's all I've got. So teach me some things.
Minutes...
"The fastest killing virus takes around 4 days to kill you. That would be Ebola. Your immune system can kill you in 15 minutes."
will477
'locked-in'
"If your brainstem (the part of the brain that mediates most motor control for all of the body) is damaged, you can get 'locked-in' syndrome. That means you're fully conscious and aware of your surroundings but unable to move or speak. The only muscles that remain unaffected in most people are the muscles that move they eyes and the eyelids."
"You're essentially trapped within your own body with your only way of communication being blinking or moving your eyes It can be caused by toxins, blockage of the basilar artery which is the main artery of the brainstem, or other brainstem damage."
4oodler
Explosions
"Some people suffer from Exploding Head Syndrome, which causes them to hear a loud bang when they wake up."
ToraMix19
"When I was younger I believe I experienced this a few times. Sounds I heard were: about a million people talking and laughing all at once, a train that irl would've been about a foot away from me based on the volume of the sound, and a door slamming loudly."
aliaisacreature
Pain
"Not sure if this is by design, but I totaled my car once, almost completely uninjured somehow. Then I looked down to my right hand which I remember jabbing into my dashboard at 55mph. Luckily (unluckily?) only my pinky took the blow. But instead of a floppy-udder full of bone-sand, my pinky was 0.5 inches long."
"Broke no bones, but instead perfectly stacked my phalanges, or finger bones, INTO my hand. This is fixed by a muscular Russian murse grabbing your pinky with both hands and pulling very hard. God I wish they gave me more lidocaine."
TelevisionOlympics
Functions
"If you have a surgery where they need to move your organs around they might not function for a day as the body assumes that they are dead."
tonythebutcher13
Move things around? You mean that's not fake when it happens on "Grey's Anatomy?"
"The only reason you are not aware of it is because the ambient noise kind of drowns it out because your ears focus on it. If you go to one of those super-silent rooms that absorb all sorts of sounds, it is a really weird way to reacquaint yourself with your body."
Black_Handkerchief
The Mouth
"Idk about the most disturbing but how bad human teeth are. We’d think it’s our sugary and processed diets these days that cause it, but even Otzi the iceman discovered in Italy was found to have terrible teeth, mouth diseases and cavities. It’s odd that even with the most basic of diets our teeth are so bad."
Dorianisconfused
In the bowels...
"I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves."
squatter_
"Apparently the doctor just throws your intestines back in there higgeldy-piggeldy because there isn't a correct way to pack them neatly."
LostDesigner9
A Quick Burst
"There are a vast number of ways that your body can malfunction and kill you with little or no warning. An aneurysm can go undetected until it bursts and kills you. Getting hit in the chest just the right way can stop your heart. You can encounter an allergen that never previously provoked an immune response that freaks out your body so badly that you die. You literally just never know if your body will just... die."
Unsolicited_Spiders
The body is such a conundrum. Sexy and gross all at once.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Being overweight comes with numerous challenges.
And not only challenge's to one's health.
Unfortunately, overweight people are far too often a target for judgment and ridicule, often owing to misconceptions.
Even worse, sometimes simply being bigger than other people leads others to assume that they must also be less than or inadequate in general.
Redditor Rude_Guarantee_1479 was curious to hear what people felt is the worst part, or most common misconception about being overweight, leading them to ask:
"What is the worst part about being a fat person?"
Since I'm fat, I must also be stupid.
"For some reason people always assumed I was simple minded/stupid when I was obese."
"Now that I've lost weight people just talk to me like I'm a regular person."- batyablueberry.
No comfort to be had.
"Feeling uncomfortable all the time."- Keithninety.
Not being seen and always being noticed.
"I have a fear that nobody is ever going to fall in love with me because I don't feel visible and I am fat
Also, going to the pool or beach and you have to put on a swimsuit. I feel like a seal stranded on the beach.- mango_0111.
Inadequate clothes.
"My belt trying to stab me in my belly when I sit down."- jimjohn2017.
"Nothing seems to fit nicely or still look nice in your size."- OutlandishnessNo1950.
"The amount of pants you go through."- Cmonredditalready.
"Putting on a shirt, walking into the backroom, seeing how it makes me look, and then never pulling out my favorite shirt ever again."- YeaItsaThrowaway112.
Never feeling good about yourself.
"Feeling guilty while eating your favorite foods, not looking good in photos/clothes."- pissed_at_everything.
Mobility challenges.
"My thighs rubbing and chaffing."
"I'm so raw right now."- HeavyBreathin.
Unwanted nicknames.
"Not the worst part, but the most constantly sh*tty part is constantly being called 'big guy' by every kind of person other than other 'big guys'."- Professor-ish.
As the old saying goes, true beauty comes from within.
And the way someone looks should never be one's first impression.
Nor does anyone need to go through the day facing unwanted judgment when simply walking down the street.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.