Kenneth Arnold: nine objects and the word 'saucer'
A private pilot's June 1947 report became a landmark in press history, although what he saw was never securely identified.
Insufficient evidenceCascade Range, Washington
Atlas of mysteries
Items: 143All material
Coelacanth: a fish from the 1938 catch
A fish with fleshy fins proved to be a living representative of a lineage known from fossils.
An explanation existsEastern coast, Chalumna region
Thylacine: the final films and recovered 21 seconds
An archival release in 2020 moved the latest known film of a living thylacine from 1933 to 1935.
An explanation existsBeaumaris Zoo, Hobart, Tasmania
Borley: a nun, wall messages and Harry Price’s investigation
Stories of a nun and moving objects made the rectory famous; scrutiny later questioned witnesses and investigator alike.
Under reviewBorley village, Essex
The meteor procession of 1913
Groups of lights moved more slowly than familiar meteors and maintained a strikingly coordinated appearance.
Under reviewA long corridor of observations
Blood Falls: brine inside a cold glacier
Red stains mark the discharge of iron-rich salty water; radar helped trace its hidden route.
An explanation existsMcMurdo Dry Valleys, Taylor Glacier
Jersey Devil: the week of 1909
In January 1909 footprints, noises and newspaper stories turned a local legend into a regional sensation.
UnverifiedPine Barrens and southern New Jersey
Tunguska: an explosion above the Siberian taiga
A historical event studied through physical effects, witness accounts and modelling.
An explanation existsPodkamennaya Tunguska region
Okapi: from striped hide to a giraffe relative
An account of an animal unfamiliar to Europeans changed when complete skin and skulls became available.
An explanation existsIturi forests
Mercy Brown: a family tragedy turned into a vampire story
In March 1892 Exeter residents opened family graves in an attempt to stop consumption. What the ritual tells us, and why it does not establish the existence of vampires.
An explanation existsExeter, Rhode Island; approximate area