Gazelles, Baby Steps & 37 Other Things - Paperback Book

Scientists and experts work hard to solve mysteries but some questions just can't be answered. Strange events have happened all over the world, such as hackers hijacking broadcasts, fairy circles, unsolved deaths, and more. Get ready to see some creepy and weird photos. Here are 37 unexplained and mysterious photos from history.

Max Headroom Broadcast Hijacking

Have you ever witnessed a television signal hijacking before? On November 22, 1987, residents of Chicago, Illinois saw two individuals take over their television screens. One of the hackers was wearing a Max Headroom mask and jabbered some nonsense. The hacker also mooned the camera and was spanked with a flyswatter by the accomplice. The hackers remain unidentified.

Nine ski hikers mysteriously died in the Ural Mountains of Russia. In the middle of the night, something forced them to cut their way out of their tent and into the freezing cold. Six of them died from hypothermia and the others from physical trauma including a fractured skull and serious chest fractures. One of the hikers' eyes and tongue was missing. Experts don't know what caused their deaths.

The Mysterious "Babushka Lady"

An unknown woman, now called the Babushka Lady, may have taken photographs of JFK the exact moment he was shot because on films from other witnesses she can be seen holding a camera over her face as JFK rode near her. People in the film have been identified except for the Babushka Lady and a couple others (such as the Umbrella Man or Badge Man). The footage she took of the assassination was never found. Many conspiracy theories surround the unknown woman.

The Bizarre Death of Elisa Lam

On February 19, 2013, Lam's body was found in a water tank on top of Downtown LA's infamous Cecil Hotel when guests were complaining about the color and taste of the water. Earlier that month, she was reported missing and the hotel's elevator camera captured Lam behaving strangely. People suspect the video was tampered with. The cause of her death remains unsolved. The Cecil Hotel is home to 16 strange deaths.

Bloop

In 1997, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected an ultra-low-frequency, high amplitude underwater sound. Experts believe the sound is of animal origin, but the strange part is, no animal on Earth is able to make such a powerful call, so they just named the sound Bloop.

The Hessdalen Lights

Unexplained lights travel in Hessdalen Valley of Norway during both the day and night. The lights can be bright white, yellow, or red. Sometimes the lights move at different speeds.

Antikythera Mechanism

This artifact doesn't look like much, but scientists believe it was an important tool that calculated astronomical events in ancient Greece. More of its mysteries are still being solved today.

Trepanning

Around the world during ancient times, humans drilled holes into each others' skulls in a process called trepanning. Scientists can't agree on the reason. Experts suggest it was a form of brain surgery or a ritual to let out evil spirits.

The Battle of Los Angeles

The Great Los Angeles Air Raid, also called the Battle of Los Angeles, was when defense plants sounded air raid sirens and fired 1,400 times into the air at a reported aircraft using machine guns and anti-aircraft shells. The Air Force claims the event on February 24, 1942, was a mistake. The reported aircraft was a meteorological balloon. Newspapers suspected the military actually covered up the real story.

Tiananmen Square Tank Man

The Tank Man became internationally known by an iconic photo. He was snapped obstructing the path of Chinese military tanks on June 5, 1989, after the Tiananmen Square protests were suppressed. His identity and the story of what happened to him remain unknown.

Massive Whale Strandings in New Zealand

In New Zealand, over 656 whales were stranded in February 2017. The event is the second-largest stranding in New Zealand. The biggest stranding occurred in the 1800's. Scientists can't confirm why the strandings are so massive, but predators, illness, navigational errors, and tides falling could be reasons. Recently, 145 whales were stranded and died on November 26, 2018.

Black Knight Satellite

Some people believe the object in the NASA's captured photo is of extraterrestrial origin and has been orbiting the earth for 13,000 years. NASA claims the object is merely space debris like a lost thermal blanket from one of their missions.

Fairy Circles in Africa

Fairy circles look like polka dots have invaded the ground. Ecologists were only aware of the phenomenon in Southern Africa, mainly Namibia, but found similar ring patches in Western Australia in 2014. Experts have no idea what causes these rings.

The Falcon Lake Incident

Stefan Michalak claims he encountered a UFO and learned his lesson when the flying disk burned him at Falcon Lake in Canada on May 20, 1967. A pattern of marks was on his chest. His burned belongings were investigated, but no one could figure out what burned him because his story checked out.

Ghost Of Freddy Jackson

Freddy Jackson, an air mechanic, died in 1919 and his squadron held a funeral for him before the group photo was taken. Members of his squadron quickly spotted him in the photograph and have no explanation on how his face could have shown up, other than the figure being his ghost.

Sailing Stones

Rocks that strangely move along the ground with no help from gravity and no witnesses are known as sailing stones. These rocks leave behind a trail proving they have moved. In 2014, scientists suggested ice, water, and wind may be the culprits after using time-lapse photography and GPS to follow the movements.

Sodder Children Disappearance

On December 24, 1945, the Sodder home was destroyed by a fire. The parents believe it was arson due to a mysterious phone call right before the fire, their phone line being cut, and someone moving a ladder on their house, while the fire department claims it was caused by an electrical issue. Four of their children escaped, while the bodies of their other five children were nowhere to be found. The parents suspect they were kidnapped because the father had problems with the Sicilian Mafia.

South Carolina's Lizard Man

Residents of Bishopville are serious about a red-eyed, 7-foot creature, also known as Lizard Man, inhabiting their swamp. In the 1980s, a teenager reported that the entity wrecked his car and ever since then the story of the Lizard Man has been kept alive.

Phoenix Lights

Thousands of people saw bizarre unidentified flying objects that lit up the sky in Arizona and Nevada on March 13, 1997.

Hampton Court Ghost

Security cameras caught a ghostly figure opening the fire doors at the Hampton Court in October 2003. Staff are puzzled on who or what the figure could be and we're puzzled about why people still work there after seeing the video.

The Deaths of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon

Two Dutch hikers died during a trip to Panama. Parts of their bodies were discovered, but the cause of death was never solved. Their camera was found with normal photos of the two along with strange flash photos in the darkness.

Naga Fireballs in Thailand

Also known as the Mekong lights or ghost lights, the phenomenon occurs along the Mekong River each year. Experts don't agree on the cause of the glowing balls.

The Isolator

Hugo Gernsback invented a bizarre helmet in 1925 to focus on his work. It's perfect for people who get distracted easily or have noisy roommates.

Gigantic Diamond Hole That Can Suck Helicopters

In Russia, there's a giant man-made hole, Mirny Mine, where an unusual amount of diamonds have been found. The airspace above the hole is reported to be off limits because it can suck in anything flying overhead.

The Cleveland Torso Murderer

In the 1930s a serial killer, who dismembered his victims, was terrorizing Cleveland, Ohio. Most of his victims remain unidentified. Masks of the victims are on display at the Cleveland Police Museum. The serial killer was never caught.

Spontaneous Human Combustion Of Mary Reeser

In 1951, a few of Reeser's body parts were found among piles of ash possibly due to spontaneous human combustion. Her skull was shrunken to the size of a teacup. The area of the house where her body was found barely had any damage. This baffled investigators because it would take extremely high temperatures for the body to turn to ashes, but the house wasn't affected.

The Original "Milk Carton Boy"

There were no clues on 12-year-old Johnny Gosch's sudden disappearance in 1982. He was the first child to have his picture on milk cartons to help find missing children. His mother claims he came to visit her in 1997 with an unidentified man, informing her that he was a victim of a pedophile ring and was too old to stay in it. Her son didn't want to risk his family's safety so he changed his identity and couldn't come home. No one else can confirm this meeting and Johnny was never seen again.

The First South Pole Murder

In Antartica, Rodney David Marks mysteriously died from methanol poisoning at work. No one knows how he could have ingested the poison, but people suspect he was murdered.

Baby Window Cages

Doctors convinced people it was a good idea to attach strange wire cages to windows of high buildings in order for their babies to get air from the 1920s to 1930s.

The Hinterkaifeck Murders

In 1922, six people were brutally murdered with a mattock (similar to a pickaxe) on a small farm in modern-day Germany. Before the attack, weird occurrences happened on the farm. Six months before the event, the maid quit because she believed the farm was haunted. A few days before the murders, one of the house keys went missing, footprints were found leading to the house, but not away from the house, and the family heard footsteps in the attic. The murders remain unsolved.

Colony Collapse Disorder

Since 1869, there's been a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder. It's when worker bees leave their colony and queen. As of 2006, the number of disappearances has dramatically risen around the world. The cause of colony collapse disorder is unknown.

The Back Seat Ghost

Don't you hate it when ghosts show up in the back seat when you're driving? Mrs. Mabel Chinnery was visiting her mother's grave and taking pictures of her husband waiting in the car. Chinnery immediately noticed a figure resembling her mother in the backseat. Photo experts have investigated the photo and have not found any tampering.

Patomskiy Crater

A 350-year-old rock formation located in Siberia has scientists scratching their heads. Scientists aren't sure of the crater's origin, hypotheses include meteor, volcano and gas sources.

Missing Passengers and Crew of MV Joyita

25 people mysteriously disappeared from the merchant vessel, MV Joyita in 1955. When the boat was found, it was in bad condition and tilting to one side, but it's buoyancy made it unsinkable. The passengers and crew could have stayed and waited for help.

Tamam Shud Case

An unidentified dead man was found on a beach in South Australia in 1948. The Persian phrase tamám shud, meaning ended or finished, was found on a piece of paper in his pants. A book was also found with an undeciphered handwritten message. Investigators don't know the identity of the man or how he died.

Gas-resistant Pram

In 1938, Britain demonstrated gas-resistant masks and prams as a safety precaution for the war. The pram protected babies and gave them fresh air from a gas filter.

The Silent Twins

June and Jennifer Gibbons were known as "The Silent Twins" because they refused to speak to anyone except for themselves. They also committed crimes together. The twins believed the only way they could live a normal life was if one of them died or was "sacrificed." One twin mysteriously died in 1980.