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History is full of unexplained mysteries, and for some reason, we as humans tend to concentrate on the mysterious things more than the undeniable facts. So if you love historical mysteries, you are in for a treat since this list compiled by Bored Panda looks at some unexplained events that scientists have failed to explain. From a 2,000-year-old body that still had hair and eyelashes on it, to a text that nobody in the world can understand, this list shows you the weird history side. Feel free to share your theories in the comments!

#1

The Gorilla Who Said Animals Go To A "Comfortable Hole" When They Die

The Gorilla Who Said Animals Go To A "Comfortable Hole" When They Die

The beloved gorilla Koko was taught sign language and was able to communicate with people through it. In an interview, Francine Patterson, who was Koko’s trainer and the closest human to her, was asked how deep their conversations with Koko would go. She answered “It started early on with a conversation Koko had with one of her caregivers about death. The caregiver showed Koko a skeleton and asked, “Is this alive or dead?” Koko signed, “Dead, draped.” “Draped” means “covered up.” Then the caregiver asked, “Where do animals go when they die?” Koko said, “A comfortable hole.” Then she gave a kiss goodbye.” This interesting story surprised many and left a lot of room for philosophical debates. Oh, if only Koko could elaborate on her thought.

The Atlantic Report

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Graham King
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if Koko understood this the way people are taking it. Did she mean in terms of an afterlife, or did she mean in practical terms 'where do animals choose to go when they are dying and about to die'? Because many ill or dying animals do hide away then, likely in 'a comfortable hole'.

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#2

The 2,000-Year-Old Body That Still Has Hair, Eyelashes, And Blood In Her Veins

The 2,000-Year-Old Body That Still Has Hair, Eyelashes, And Blood In Her Veins

Xin Zhui who is also known as Lady Day was the Marquise of Dai during the Western Han dynasty in ancient China. Her tomb was found 2,000 years after her death inside a hill named Mawangdui in China with hundreds of valuable artifacts and documents alongside her body. What surprised everyone, however, was how incredibly well preserved her body was thousands of years after her death. Lady Day was found with all of her organs and blood vessels intact, there was also a small amount of Type A blood found in her veins, and she still had hair and eyelashes. Scientists found seeds of melon in her stomach which led them to believe she died during the melon season in summer; this also meant she died within a couple of hours of eating a melon. What surprised everyone the most was the mysterious liquid that her body was soaked in? It was mildly acidic and had some magnesium in it, and it was probably what helped to preserve her body. To this day scientists still don’t know what kind of liquid it was.

Flazaza Report

#3

Man Becomes A Musical Genius After Experiencing A Head Trauma

Man Becomes A Musical Genius After Experiencing A Head Trauma

Imagine waking up one day and finding out you are basically a musical genius even though you haven’t practiced a day in your life. That would be pretty amazing, right? Well, a similar thing happened to Derek Amato, only there was a significant price to pay. In October of 2006, Derek suffered from a severe concussion after hitting his head at the end of the pool while diving. After this Derek suffered from 35% hair loss and some memory loss, but he also acquired a skill that many practice their entire life for - he became a composer. "As I shut my eyes, I found these black and white structures moving from left to right, which in fact would represent in my mind, a fluid and continuous stream of musical notation," Amato explained his condition. It is believed that Derek might be the only person in the world to gain genius-level talent after experiencing trauma, and even though the acquired musical savant syndrome is already known to doctors, usually cases are not as strong as Derek’s.

Medical Daily Report

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Blake Morgan
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So does that mean if I bang my head against my pool, I will be the worlds best musician? KEWL, ME WANT!!

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#4

The Thundercloud That Appears In Australia's Island Every Afternoon

The Thundercloud That Appears In Australia's Island Every Afternoon

From September to March, every year, a thundercloud named Hector forms nearly every afternoon on the Tiwi Islands in Australia. Hector, also known as Hector the Convector is known as one of the most consistent thunderstorms. It was named by a pilot during WWII and it still remains the center of many meteorological studies. Though many meteorologists have studied the interesting history of Hector, they have not come up with a valid explanation on why the thunderstorm keeps appearing.

Djambalawa Report

#5

One Of A Kind 100 Year Old Traub Motorcycle Found Bricked-Up In A Wall For 40 Years And It Still Somehow Works

One Of A Kind 100 Year Old Traub Motorcycle Found Bricked-Up In A Wall For 40 Years And It Still Somehow Works

To this day nobody can explain how a 100-year-old motorcycle got bricked-up in a wall and it still works properly. What amazes many about this motorcycle is not only it's a weird story about spending 40 years in a wall, but also its unique design that no other Traub motorcycle has. It leaves many collectors puzzled as to why anyone would "hide" such a unique motorcycle inside a wall as such, finding this collector's piece definitely raised more questions than it answered.

Motorcycleclassics Report

#6

A Manuscript That Nobody In The World Understands

A Manuscript That Nobody In The World Understands

Around 500 years ago, there was a text written in an unknown language and unknown writing system by an unknown author. The name of the manuscript was given in honour of Wilfrid Voynich, a Lithuanian-Samogitian bibliophile who bought the manuscript in 1912 in Italy. It is believed that the text might have been written in Northern Italy but that is not sure and that’s basically all that is known about the text. Many cryptographers and codebreakers from WWI and WWII worked on the manuscript but nobody managed to find out what history facts the text holds. You might think it could have been a joke written by someone on purpose, but there is 272 pages of it, that would call for some hardcore commitment. Recently, there has been a theory that the manuscript is a medical book dedicated to women's health, but the theory was also debunked.

Unknown Report

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spirit wolf
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The most recent update on the Voynich Manuscript is that it iy a now being decoded by a father and don team from Canada. It is Infact in a written in a Turkic language. Some pages have already been translated, mostly about herbological information.

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#7

A Mysterious "Dancing Plague" That Made People Dance To Their Death

A Mysterious "Dancing Plague" That Made People Dance To Their Death

In 1518, a “dancing plague” struck Strasbourg, Alsace. Also known as the “dance epidemic”, this weird condition took over 400 people’s bodies and made them dance without rest. Some of these people even died of heart attacks, exhaustion or strokes. It all started in July of 1518 when one woman named Mrs. Troffea started dancing uncontrollably in the middle of Strasbourg. She was later joined by 34 people and soon after the plague spread to around 400 people. At one point it would kill around 15 people a day. Doctors and authorities realized this was not caused by supernatural causes and claimed this epidemic was due to “hot blood” but instead of treating the patients, doctors advised them to basically “dance it out” by building them a wooden stage. It is believed that the modern marathon runner would not be able to survive this type of intense workout. To this day scientists are not quite sure what caused this terrible epidemic, it might have been due to food poisoning caused by the toxic products of ergot fungi or it might have been a case of mass psychogenic illness.

Hendrik Hondius Report

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Jude
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If anyone reads up on this phenomenon, they'll find that the Dancing Plague didn't happen to scattered individuals but always to groups of people. Someone would start and others watching would feel affected and join in, swelling the group. This initially started in one place but as news of this new plague spread, more people would believe they were affected ...but always groups of people, never someone alone. People were very superstitious and easily swayed then. It's called "mass psychogenic illness"and can still happen today among superstitious people, just not the dancing form. Look up Koro, a psychogenic illness where men are convinced their genitals are shrinking and disappearing into their body. A Koro epidemic struck Singapore in 1967 and lasted for 10 days affected around 1000 men. It's still not that uncommon in Asia and Africa among highly superstitious and uneducated men. Also look up the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962.

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#8

The Longest Possible Alien Signal

The Longest Possible Alien Signal

Back in 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear Radio telescope used to support the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence received a signal that is now known as the “Wow!” signal. Astronomer Jerry R. Ehman discovered the anomaly while looking at the data and he was so amused by the signal he circled it and wrote “Wow!” next to it. The signal is 72-seconds long and, unfortunately, it has never been repeated again. To this day nobody can explain the signal even though many tried by claiming it might have come from a man-made source. This signal remains the strongest candidate for an alien contact ever detected.

NAAPO Report

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#9

Cleopatra's And Her Lover Antony's Tombs Have Never Been Found

Cleopatra's And Her Lover Antony's Tombs Have Never Been Found

Despite numerous false claims about being "close to finding" Cleopatra's tomb, to this day nobody has any idea where one of the most iconic women in the history of humankind has been buried. It is believed that she was buried alongside her lover Antony since Octavian gave orders that her "body should be buried with that of Antony in splendid and regal fashion". In fact, Cleopatra's tomb is not the only one that remains a mystery for archaeologists, such iconic historical figures like Mozart and Genghis Khan also rest in unknown locations.

Ancient Roman artist from Herculaneum Report

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GoodWolf
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Errr... Mozart is buried in Vienna. Sankt Marxer Friedhof. Edit: whoops, honest mistake! I really didn't know that that is just a memorial. Thanks everyone for pointing it out :)

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#10

Treasure Worth $10 Million Was Found, Yet Nobody Knows Who It Belonged To

Treasure Worth $10 Million Was Found, Yet Nobody Knows Who It Belonged To

Back in 2013, a couple found a treasure near their home that was filled with coins that are worth around $27 thousand dollars, but because of the historical value, the treasure is now worth $10 million dollars and is planned to be sold on Amazon as the first major coin sale on this particular website. The couple who discovered this treasure decided to not reveal the place they found the treasure in the fear that people would come to their home to look for more coins. There have been many guesses as to who might have been the owner of the treasure known as "The Saddle Ridge Hoard" as but all of them proved to be incorrect, and according to U.S. Mint representative, "[they] do not have any information linking the Saddle Ridge Hoard coins to any thefts at any United States Mint facility", and "[they've] done quite a bit of research, and we've got a crack team of lawyers, and trust me, if this was U.S. government property we'd be going after it."

Kagin's Inc. Report

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#11

Nobody Can Understand What This Phaistos Disc Reads

Nobody Can Understand What This Phaistos Disc Reads

Similar to the Voynich manuscript, Phaistos Disc is a disc made of clay that was probably created during the Bronze Age. According to many scientists, there is no legitimate theory what this disc actually reads. There have been many tries to read it in many different languages but all of them failed. Now, one of the theories states that it might have been a board game. The most recent research guesses the disc might symbolize a prayer to the goddess of the fertility.

C messier Report

#12

In 1930, An Entire Population Of An Inuit Village In Canada Vanished

In 1930, An Entire Population Of An Inuit Village In Canada Vanished

A small Inuit village in Canada was known by fur trappers who would pass through it occasionally. But in 1930, something weird happened; a fur trapper named Joe Labelle entered the island's premises and didn't find a single person there. In fact, 7 sled dogs were found dead from starvation in a grave that looked like it was man-made. A search was conducted to find the missing people, but not a single body was found.

Unknown Report

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Jude
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Found to be an urban legend and one of the photos from 1930 was dated from 1909.

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#13

In 1955, A Boat's Entire Crew Of 25 Completely Disappeared Even Though The Boat Itself Didn't Actually Sink

In 1955, A Boat's Entire Crew Of 25 Completely Disappeared Even Though The Boat Itself Didn't Actually Sink

Joyita was a merchant vessel that mysteriously disappeared in the South Pacific back in 1955. Though we can all understand that ships sink, and tragedies happen, this was not the case with this mystery. What caught everyone's attention was the fact that the vessel was built in such a way that there was practically no possibility of it actually sinking. In fact, once the vessel was found, there was still a great part of it that was out of the water, but there was not a single person on it. The vessel originally carried 25 people but during the search, no one was found. This story left many puzzled as to why the crew did not simply stay on the ship and how none of their bodies were found?

Unknown Report

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Alexandru Bucur
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What this blurb doesn't mention is that the MV Joyita had been in very poor condition at the time of her last voyage and had been listing even before she left port and only one of her engines was working. Between the time she disappeared and her discovery, five weeks have passed and she was found drifting 600 miles off course. When they found her, the radio was tuned in on the international distress frequency, but, because the wire to the aerial was broken, the signal couldn't have reached more than 2 miles. There was an open first aid kit on deck along with bloody bandages and her engines were disassembled. Oh and her logbook, navigational equipment single lifeboat and life-rafts were missing along with the crew. So it's reasonable to assume there was a mechanical incident which disabled the ship, the crew tried to fix the ship and radio for help, when those options failed they waited for rescue for a couple of weeks then abandoned ship but never reached shore.

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Jude
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's little mentioned of the missing equipmeng, including medical, the missing 4 tons of cargo and the blood-soaked bandages found on the ship. Too many unanswered questions and this really does qualify as a mystery.

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Magpie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder how long between the partial sinking and the find. Hanging on to a boat with your body mostly submerged is not a long term strategy.

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Gaia
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Another unsolved mystery was the Mary Celeste Ship, her crew went missing on 1872. Monsters in the sea? who knows...?

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Kerolos Saleib
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To say built for it to be virtually unsinkable.... Is like talking about the titanic. These boats in storms rocked back and forth so badly that people were thrown off like a flick of the fiingers and were meant not to sink. These stories with such boats are common and it isn't a mystery as much as it is a story of survival gone wrong.

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TC
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are the boats that turn around and recover their initial position. Perhaps this happened in a storm with everybody falling off and drowning while the boat estabilised again ?

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Panda Baller
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They probably jumped out. Sharks may have eaten them. Or other meat eating marine life.

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JV
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What was it carrying? This might be a clue to why the crew disappeared.

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Jerry Cain
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We did a sar case up in Alaska in the 80s where the entire crew abandoned ship and the ship was found intact and upright.

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Asher3204
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Could have been a mass suicide? Or even superstition, the crew had mass hysteria and might have thought they heard a siren's song.

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Sunzilla
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe they were all "rescued" by a serial killer with a boat?

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JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IMAGE REMINDS ME OF THE MITCHUM MOVIE CAPE FEAR. OR THAT EQUALLY EXCELLENT NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.

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Aitchilm
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip, That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailing man, The skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day, For a three hour tour, a three-hour tour..."

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Ani Archeron
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

faking their own death? maybe they all swam away thinking they had rigged the boat to sink?

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BusLady
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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Aunt Messy
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’d go with piracy. They were boarded, their bodies tossed overboard, and the cargo either stolen or abandoned. Let’s face it, in the South Pacific, humans are nothing more than protein.

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#14

Bermeja Island That Existed In Maps Until 1846 Disappears And Nobody Can Find It

Bermeja Island That Existed In Maps Until 1846 Disappears And Nobody Can Find It

Bermeja is known as a phantom island that was seen on maps off the north coast of the Yucatán all the way until the 20th century. What's interesting about this island is that a search for it found nothing that could have been called an island. The research started when somebody pointed out that the island has no real boundaries and rights of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Once authorities started looking for this piece of land, they found nothing but water. To this day nobody can explain whether or not the island ever existed.

Tanner, Henry S. Report

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Graham King
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This needs traced back to the first person who put it on a map, and subsequent sightings (if any). Possible simple mistake, misidentifying location and so marking another island in wrong place?

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#15

That One Time It Rained Meat In Kentucky

That One Time It Rained Meat In Kentucky

Back in 1876, the most random thing happened in Kentucky and it is now known as the “Kentucky meat shower”. While lovely Mrs. Crouch was making soap on her porch, she noticed that something weird falling from the sky and she was sure it was meat. What was first believed to be a sign from God quickly became of interest to many scientists. Those, who dared to taste the meat, claimed it was probably lamb or deer but scientists initially believed it was probably a lung tissue of a horse or a human infant, because, apparently, those are almost identical. After further investigation, it was believed that the meat was probably vomited up by buzzards, "who, as is their custom, seeing one of their companions disgorge himself, immediately follow suit". This theory was believed to be the best explanation.

Wikimedia commons Report

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Kai
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Those, who dared to taste the meat" and "the meat was probably vomited up by buzzards" OMG

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#16

The Australian Prime Minister Who Disappeared

 The Australian Prime Minister Who Disappeared

Harold Edward Holt served as the 17th Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. You might notice the “presumed death” aspect in the previous sentence as the mystery of Holt’s disappearance still remains unexplained. Back in the day the Prime Minister really loved the ocean and spearfishing so one weekend, while he was spending his free time at Portsea, Holt convinced his four companions to stop at the remote Cheviot Beach for a swim before lunch, stating that he knew that beach like the back of his hand. Unfortunately, while swimming, Holt’s body was quickly taken by the sea. One of the witnesses described it as “like a leaf being taken out.. so quick and final.” You might think it was a terrible accident and that’s all, but the most interesting part is that Holt’s death sparked one of the biggest search operations in Australian history but nobody managed to find his body. Naturally, this story sparked many conspiracy theories, people believed he might have been killed by the CIA or faked his own death, others believed he might have committed suicide but those close to him completely rejected this idea as it was uncharacteristic of him.

Wikipedia Report

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Kaisu
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, it's the sea, I don't think it's that surprising that his body was never found

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#17

Mysterious Island That Has Artefacts And Treasures Hidden But Nobody Can Find It

Mysterious Island That Has Artefacts And Treasures Hidden But Nobody Can Find It

Known as the Oak Island mystery is a theory that an island in Nova Scotia is hiding unbelievable treasures but nobody is able to find them. The mystery started after stories about treasures being found on the island spread despite there being no real proof. Even though some hundred year old artifacts were, indeed, found on the island, there was nothing you could consider a major treasure among them. It could be just a myth, but legend has it that there is a "curse" that originates more than a century ago and it claims that 7 people have to die before the treasure can be found. Currently, there are 6 people who have passed away in the search of the treasure.

Richard McCully Report

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Jeff
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the new season comes out soon where they say that they have found something.......

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#18

Two Men Who Claim To Have Been Abducted By Aliens

Two Men Who Claim To Have Been Abducted By Aliens

Back in 1973, a weird thing happened for two men from Pascagoula, Mississippi. Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed that they were abducted by aliens while fishing. These men claim that they first heard whizzing sounds and then saw two flashing blue lights, and then they noticed an oval-shaped object around 40 feet across and 10 feet high. Parker and Hickson claim to have been conscious but paralyzed once the creatures abducted them and performed examinations on them before releasing them. Of course, there were many people who didn’t believe this story, asking them to take lie detector tests and saying that one of the men (Charles Hickson) was probably experiencing a “walking dream state”.

Wikipedia Report