422 Items Tagged

Mystery

The Brocken spectre phenomenon, when a human's shadow seems enormous and far away, is the likely explanation for numerous sightings of so-called dark watchers in California's Santa Lucia Mountains.

Have You Seen a Dark Watcher?

Cryptic characters lurk in California's mountains. Or maybe it's just the weather.

Roxanne Hoorn May 2, 2024

The Wilmington “Madonna” and Ancient Yew

Wilmington, England

The Wilmington 'Madonna'

This church is home to a 1,600-year-old tree, but also a mysterious carved figure who may have been a pagan idol.

The fearsome cryptid is said to grow up to six-feet-long and spit deadly poison.

Inside the Decades Long Hunt for the Mongolian Death Worm

Some say the true death worm has already been found—slithering beneath the sands of the Gobi.

Mark Hay April 30, 2024

A potential source of the mysterious Windsor Hum.

Podcast: Atlas Obscura Presents 'Windsor Hum' From Twenty Thousand Hertz

In 2011, residents on the U.S.-Canadian border started hearing a strange rumbling noise.

The Podcast Team April 29, 2024

Southampton, England

Southampton Wall Cannonballs

Many mysteries surround these objects questioning whether they are cannonballs at all.

'What Is It?'

This mysterious anthropomorphic statuette is on display at the National Museum of Oman.

Podcast: Introducing Sound Detectives from LeVar Burton

Would you recognize what can only be heard but not seen?

The Podcast Team March 13, 2024

Podcast: The Grave of XYZ

A bank robber’s burial site is still six feet deep with mystery.

The Podcast Team March 11, 2024

The man known as Monsieur de New York sort of kept his identity secret, as executioner was not exactly a position of renown.

The Mystery of Monsieur de New York, Celebrity Hangman

Considered an artist of the gallows, his true identity is shrouded in myth and hyperbole.

Nina Strochlic February 28, 2024

Taken in 1917 at Tsarskoye Selo, outside St. Petersburg, this is the only known color photo of the original Amber Room.

The Enduring Mystery of the Amber Room, Coveted by Tsars, Nazis, and Treasure Hunters

Crafted from amber and gold, it enthralled all who saw it. Then, near the end of World War II, it disappeared.

Stefan Bachmann and April Genevieve Tucholke February 14, 2024

Could Fish Sex Be Keeping Floridians Up at Night?

The mating calls of black drum fish might be the source of Tampa's mysterious thumping bass.

Roxanne Hoorn February 2, 2024

Valletta, Malta

Mysterium Fidei

After 400 years of being closed to the public, this monastery's underground tunnels and secret garden are now a museum.

The Singapore Stone

An undeciphered text is inscribed on a mysterious stone slab.

The ornate Guttmann Mouse Helmet, seen from the rear, includes depictions of what scholars believe are two mice and loaves of bread.

objects of intrigue

For Sale: A Mouse-Infested Roman Helmet That's Stumping Historians

Are the mysterious mice adorning this 1,800-year-old helmet part of an ancient joke?

Roxanne Hoorn January 31, 2024

The "Point Reyes", a vessel known locally as the Inverness Shipwreck in Tomales Bay north of San Francisco.

Wonder Is Everywhere: The Cosmic Dust Curator, a Secret Ancient Forest, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White January 19, 2024

Alet-les-Bains, France

L'église de Saint-Salvayre

This mysterious church sits discreetly above the Aude countryside, right in the heart of "Grail Country."

No one has ever solved the mystery of the Bell Witch.

2023 Was a Year Full of Mysteries

Our favorite tales of puzzles and perplexities.

Diana Hubbell December 29, 2023

Over time water has a way of turning wrecks into otherworldly archaeological sites.

The Year in Wrecks, Lost Ships, and Underwater Discoveries

From unexpected treasure in Ukraine to a unique relic of the American Revolution, Captain Santa’s lost ship to digital dugouts.

Gemma Tarlach December 27, 2023