Help me list the world's unexplained mysteries

September 14, 2007 8:17 PM

I need a list of "unexplained mysteries" for a group theme costume. What else is there besides UFOs, Bermuda Triangle, Nessie, etc.?

Here's what I've got so far:

* UFOs
* Bermuda Triangle
* Loch Ness Monster
* Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti
* Crop circles

I feel like there must be more! Thanks

posted by chippie to Grab Bag (28 answers total)

Best answer: Spontaneous combustion. But I'm not sure how you would dress up as the charred remains of a leg, still clad in a shoe.
posted by jayder at 8:19 PM on September 14, 2007

The Aztec Calendar.
posted by jayder at 8:20 PM on September 14, 2007

Best answer: Oh, this is a big one -- Mothman.
posted by jayder at 8:22 PM on September 14, 2007

UFOs could include the generic Greys.

Chupacabra is pretty weird.

Roanoke is a little obscure.

Oh, and I think the group from Gilligan's Island would be a hoot as a group theme costume for something "unexplained."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:24 PM on September 14, 2007

Best answer: WARNING: MAJOR WIKIPEDIA TIME SINK
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:25 PM on September 14, 2007

If it's a group of women with one guy (or men in drag) -- Jack the Ripper.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:25 PM on September 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

how they got the caramel into a Caramilk bar.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:26 PM on September 14, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks, Cool Tim. After seeing that, I think we'll ditch the original idea and just be Phantom Social Workers, whatever they are.
posted by chippie at 8:28 PM on September 14, 2007

Cryptmundo is a blog that covers mystery animals (eg Nessie, Bigfoot, etc).

The Fortean Times covers all kinds of "unexplained phenomena", from an "I want to believe" point of view.

Skeptical Inquirer covers the same beat, but from a debunking point of view.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:41 PM on September 14, 2007

This post about stalkers controlling a family's cell phones to spy on them (among other bizarre and apparently inexplicable things) was on the front page a while ago. I haven't followed up the article so I'm not sure if it was a hoax or not.
posted by frobozz at 8:44 PM on September 14, 2007

One not listed on the wikipedia page is the Philadelphia Experiment.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:46 PM on September 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

I don't know how obscure you want to get but cryptozoology is a good keyword for this type of thing as well.
posted by jessamyn at 9:08 PM on September 14, 2007

Best answer: No one knows with certainty what happened to the ark of the covenant. Two people could dress as golden cherubim and one as a melting Nazi.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:09 PM on September 14, 2007

Stonehenge: someone can go as a big rock and someone else can go as a Welsh stonecutter.

Or you could just make a big Stonehenge tiara.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:19 PM on September 14, 2007

Best answer: It might be fun to go as the statues on Easter Island.
posted by lukemeister at 9:21 PM on September 14, 2007

Best answer: The missing sock.
Two socks go in a dryer, only one comes out.
posted by idiotfactory at 9:21 PM on September 14, 2007

What about that hole on that island in Canada? The one that mysteriously fills with water, is full of traps, etc. etc.?
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:40 PM on September 14, 2007

(Oak Island, you mean, Kadin2048?)
posted by mumkin at 9:44 PM on September 14, 2007

cat falling with toast on it's back (butter side down of course)
The Mystery Spot (where cars go uphill)
The Immaculate Conception
Sopranos series finale
Nostradamus
The dark side of the moon
Roswell
Santa Claus and his amazing gift delivery system
The Big Bang
posted by iamkimiam at 10:28 PM on September 14, 2007

Oak Island is right, thanks mumkin!
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:18 PM on September 14, 2007

Spring Heeled Jack is a personal favorite. Seems like he might have been part of the inspiration for Batman.
posted by Citizen Premier at 5:01 AM on September 15, 2007

...if Batman were a rapist.
posted by Citizen Premier at 5:04 AM on September 15, 2007

feral children - eg wild boy of aveyron.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:33 AM on September 15, 2007

Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 and were never found.
posted by Quietgal at 9:41 AM on September 15, 2007

Best answer: Atlantis
black helicopters (no idea how you would do that)
men in black (easy with black suits and sunglasses, cell phone headsets)
Kennedy shooting?
How many licks in a tootsie roll pop (tootsie roll pop and owl)
posted by misha at 9:51 AM on September 15, 2007

weirdly, I have a bunch of these opened in another window... I've been reading up on them in wikipedia. Now that's an unexplained mystery.

the first here has some good ones:
conspiracy theories
men in black
foo fighters
grays

once you start going in Wikipedia, you just keep finding more and more.
posted by prophetsearcher at 11:23 AM on September 15, 2007

Response by poster: Good ones, misha! Though I thought that the number of licks in a tootsie pop had been determined to be three by said owl.
posted by chippie at 11:26 AM on September 15, 2007

You can find quite a comprehensive list of mysteries in The big book of the unexplained. Excerpt here (PDF).
posted by lioness at 1:41 PM on September 15, 2007