462 Items Tagged

Mystery

Liverpool, England

Liverpool Central Library Entrance Riddle

The red letters in the literary pavement leading to the library form a mysterious code.

The grave in December 2014.

Grave of Carrie Frances Kiene

A mysterious local has been dressing the child's grave for decades.

The tomb was built in the 1850s.

Chicago, Illinois

Couch Tomb

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

Diplomats in Guangzhou have been experiencing strange symptoms.

The Mysterious Illness Affecting U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Has Spread to China

Scientists still haven’t figured out why or how the symptoms started.

Sarah Laskow June 7, 2018

The famous Towie stone still evokes much speculation and debate.

Does Anyone Know What These Knobbly Orbs Are For?

No one can figure out these Neolithic artifacts. We want your best guesses.

Christina Ayele Djossa May 18, 2018

Remains of the mysterious wall.

Chatsworth, Georgia

Fort Mountain Rock Fort

The mysterious 855-foot zigzagging stone wall has been baffling people for centuries.

Posada's <em>Gran Calavera Eléctrica</em> anticipates electric trolleys being introduced to Mexico City. In it, a standing skeleton hypnotizes a seated one.

The Endlessly Adaptable Skeletons of José Guadalupe Posada

Calaveras created by the Mexican artist have been repurposed for generations, with wildly varying intent.

Cara Giaimo May 8, 2018

Standing stone with hole.

Sisian, Armenia

Zorats Karer

Called the "Armenian Stonehenge," this ring of menhirs pierced with holes may be a prehistoric astronomical observatory.

Jaffe was puzzled by the patterns of use on a vessel found in an ancient Chinese cemetery.

How to Reconstruct an Ancient Meal From Dirty Dishes Alone

Archaeologists and chefs used chemical analysis—and their taste buds—to solve a culinary puzzle from China.

Jessica Leigh Hester May 4, 2018

Steamboat Geyser erupts mildly in June 2008.

The World's Tallest Active Geyser Keeps Erupting

Steamboat, normally quiet for months at a stretch, has already blown its top three times this spring.

Cara Giaimo April 30, 2018

Frederick William Frohawk's restoration, from Walter Rothschild's 1907 book <em>Extinct Birds</em>.

Investigating the Cold-Blooded Murder of a Long-Dead Dodo

Who killed the flightless bird at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History?

Natasha Frost April 26, 2018

<em>Denali and Wonder Lake</em>, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1948, photograph by Ansel Adams.

Solved: A Decades-Old Ansel Adams Mystery

The answer was hidden in the shadows.

Cara Giaimo April 20, 2018

These mystery specimens don't have identification numbers to compare against the museum's register.

natural history museums

A Researcher's Quest to Decode the Specimens on a Museum's Mystery Shelf

Sifting through the old, unlabeled, puzzling jars that fill a collection's junk drawer.

Jessica Leigh Hester April 20, 2018

Belts on belts in this cookie tin.

Sewing Kits, Umbilical Cords, and Mold: Here’s What You Keep in Royal Dansk Tins

Storing buttons and baubles in these cookie containers is a phenomenon.

Paula Mejia April 12, 2018

The mysterious, infamous Missouri highway pickle jar.

A Highway Pickle Mystery Is Preserved in Missouri

The jar of cukes has survived time, construction, and foul weather. But can it survive fame?

Cara Giaimo April 6, 2018

Charleston Community Library is located in a northwest area of Dundee, Scotland.

The Secret Codes Hidden in the Books of a Scottish Library

The mysterious symbols are a way for elderly readers to keep track of what they've already read.

Natasha Frost April 5, 2018

"An Unknown Woman."

Rahway, New Jersey

Grave of the Unknown Woman

The final resting place of a famous 19th-century murder victim whose identity is still a mystery.

The Zenobia wreck dive.

Larnaca, Cyprus

The Zenobia Shipwreck

The water here is so clear you can see the mysteriously sunken ship from the surface.