The Archive
500+ of the most interesting Wikipedia articles.
Presented here with as little comment as possible, and with no intended bias, are what I consider to be some of the most fascinating, morbid and unusual articles on Wikipedia. Some may be well known to you, but I hope you will find many that are not. Be sure to investigate the related articles (see also) included on many of the entries, as these are as interesting at the entries on the main list. Articles with an asterisk * are personal favourites of mine. I hope to expand this over time as there are so many things I have missed.
Be warned; there are many articles which deal with upsetting subjects like murder, war crimes, abuse, racism, suicide, kidnapping, disasters and mass loss-of-life which you may find disturbing or upsetting. I had originally intended to put a trigger warning on any article that might upset or offend, but it ended up applying to such a vast majority of the list that one would be wise to assume that any link might lead to disturbing content. Why is it so often that many find the macabre so compelling?
Last Updated: 10th March, 2023
1. 1936 Summer Olympics: The 1936 Olympics was held in Nazi Germany.
2. 1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust accident: A plane crash known for the mysterious last message from the plane.
3. 1955 Le Mans disaster: The most catastrophic accident in motorsport history.
4. 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders: An unsolved quadruple homicide.
5. 2003 Angola 727 disappearance: Two men steal a 727 and disappear off the face of the earth. See also: Craig D. Button
6. 2009–11 Toyota vehicle recalls: Several Toyota models were purported to suffer 'sudden unintended acceleration'
7. 33 Thomas Street: A sinister looking windowless skyscraper in Manhattan.
8. Action Park*: An infamously dangerous theme park.
9. Adolfo Constanzo: Cult leader and murderer.
10. ADX Florence: A US supermax prison hosting a who's-who of criminals, terrorists, spies. See also: Robert Hanssen
11. Aeroflot Flight 593: A pilot's son accidently disengages autopilot.
12. Airborne radioactivity increase in Europe in autumn 2017: A mysterious spike in radioactivity which nobody will take credit for.
13. Alan Smithee: A prolific, non-existent director.
14. Albert Fish: A notorious serial killer, cannibal and self-mutilator.
15. Albert Pierrepointnew : A notorious executioner in Great Britain.
16. Albert Stevens: Man subjected to a radiation experiment without knowing.
17. Aleph (Japanese cult): Formerly Aum Shinrikyo, the cult responsible for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. See also: Shoko Asahara
18. Alex (Parrot)new : "You be good, I love you. See you tomorrow."
19. Amber Room: A room decorated with amber panels at Catherine Palace, looted by Nazis and never recovered. See also: Nazi plunder
20. Amelia Earhart: The first female aviator to fly solo around the world. She disappeared over the Pacific.
21. Anatoli Bugorski: A man who miraculously survived a particle accelerator accident.
22. Anatoly Moskvin: A grave robber who stole bodies to turn into dolls.
23. András Tomanew : A Hungarian soldier captured by the Soviets in 1945, who remained in a captive until 2000.
24. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition: An ill fated balloon trip to the north pole.
25. Andreev Bay nuclear accident: A poorly maintained nuclear waste storage tank cracks leaking radioactive liquid into the ground, the sea and pretty much everything else.
26. Andrei Chikatilo*: A prolific Russian serial killer. See also: Anatoly Onoprienko
27. Angels of Mons: Did angels help the British in a WWI battle?
28. Aokigahara: The infamous Japanese suicide forest.
29. Ararat anomaly: Are the remains of Noah's Ark sitting at the top of a Turkish mountain? See also: Durupınar site
30. Armin Faber: A German fighter pilot who, erroneously believing he had returned to France, actually landed in an RAF Airbase in Wales.
31. Armin Meiwes: A German cannibal who killed and ate a voluntary victim. See also: Sharon Lopatka
32. As Slow as Possible: Intended to be the longest-lasting piece of music ever composed. See also: Clock of the Long Now
33. Assassination of Kim Jong-nam: The assassination Kim Jong-un's half-brother. See also: Georgi Markov
34. Atari video game burial: Atari dumped unsold ET cartridges in a Mexican landfill.
35. Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics*: This might be the funniest thing I've ever read. See also: 1904 Tour de France
36. AVE Mizar: What happens when you weld Cessna wings onto a Ford Pinto?
37. Baba Anujkanew : Amateur chemist and elderly serial killer.
38. Bal des Ardents: A French masquerade goes very wrong.
39. Banjawarn Station: Did a cult test a nuclear weapon in the Australian outback? See also: Vela incident
40. Barbara Mackle kidnapping: Kidnapped and buried alive by her captors in a box with air and food. See also: Kidnapping of Ursula Herrmann
41. Barnet Burnsnew : A tattooed English sailor who allegedly became a Māori chief.
42. Bart Huges: A Dutch proponent of self-trepanation. See also: Trepanning
43. Batavia: One of the most insane stories of shipwreck and mutiny you'll ever read!
44. Battle for Castle Itter: US and German soldiers and French prisoners team up against Nazis at the end of WWII.
45. Battle of Fishguard: The French try to invade Wales. It does not go well. See also: Jemima Nicholas
46. Battle of Los Angeles: Did the Japanese attack LA, or was it aliens?
47. Beale Ciphers: Three ciphers which allegedly lead to buried treasure.
48. Begotten (film): Creepy and enigmatic black-and-white horror film.
49. Bela Kiss: A notorious Hungarian serial killer who disappeared in 1916 leaving seven pickled corpses in drums behind.
50. Berners Street Hoax: A bet gets out of hand in 1800's London.
51. Bhopal disaster: A chemical leak kills over 3000 in India.
52. Bir Tawil: Land between Egypt and Sudan, claimed by neither. The Halayeb Triangle is claimed by both.
53. Black Dahlia: The infamous murder of Elizabeth Short.
54. Blanche Monnier: A woman kept prisoner in a small room without sunlight.
55. Blowing from a gun: The practice of tying a prisoner to a cannon and firing it.
56. Blue Whale Challenge: The infamous social media phenomenon.
57. Bluebelle (ship)new : A tale of murder and survival on the high seas.
58. Body in the cylinder: A body is uncovered in the ruins of WWII London.
59. Borley Rectory: Perhaps the most haunted place in Britain.
60. Brabant killers: A gang of particularly violent criminals and murderer.
61. British Airways Flight 5390: An explosive decompression left the pilot hanging out of the aircraft. There were no casualties!
62. Bubbly Creek: What happens when meatpackers dump entrails into a Chicago river?
63. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo: The world's least exciting sentence. See also: Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den
64. Bummer and Lazarus: Two stray dogs who were the best of friends.
65. Bunny Man: Does a bunny-costume wearing Axe murderer stalk Virginia?
66. Byford Dolphin: Includes an horrific explosive decompression incident.
67. Cadaver Synod*: A pope is exhumed and forced to stand trial. See also: Posthumous execution
68. Caganer: An unusual addition to the traditional Christmas Nativity in Catalan.
69. Camp Bonifas: The world's most dangerous golf course!
70. Candace Newmaker: Died during a controversial rebirthing therapy.
71. Capitol Hill's mystery soda machine new : A soda machine offering 'mystery' drinks operated for nearly 20 years, but no one knew who kept it stocked.
72. Carl McCunn: A photographer who became stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. See also: Christopher Thomas Knight
73. Carl Tanzler: Doctor who preserved and kept the corpse of a former patient.
74. Carroll A. Deering: A schooner found adrift with no crew aboard. See also: Jenny (schooner)
75. Cash-Landrum Incidentnew : A UFO encounter leaves locals with health problems.
76. Caspian Sea Monster: Not an actual monster, but a secret Soviet project of the Cold War. See also: Ground-effect vehicle
77. Casu marzu: A Sardinian cheese eaten with live maggots. See also: Eating live seafood
78. Centralia mine fire: An underground fire which has burned since 1962.
79. Centro Financiero Confinanzas: An unfinished skyscraper which nonetheless was home to around 700 families. See also: Ryugyong Hotel
80. Century egg: Do you like your eggs fresh? See also: Surströmming
81. Cerne Abbas Giant: The man with the biggest phallus in England. See also: Hill figure
82. Chandre Oram: An man from India with a tail.
83. Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident: A German pilot has the opportunity to destroy a damaged US plane, but chooses not to. The pilots of both planes meet 50 years later.
84. Chase Vault: A crypt where the coffins change positions.
85. Chicago Tylenol murders: Tampered Tylenol leads to several deaths. See also: 2018 Australian strawberry contamination
86. Chichijima incident : Imperial Japanese soldiers kill and eat five US airmen in WWII. George H. W. Bush evades capture.
87. Chijon Familynew : Taking the concept of 'Eat the Rich' to its logical conclusion.
88. Children's Crusade: A crusade involving nearly 30,000 children.
89. Chinese ghost marriagenew : A wedding where one or both parties are deceased.
90. Ching Shih: An infamous Chinese pirate.
91. Chiune Sugihara: A Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Jews escape Europe.
92. Choi Eun-hee: A South Korean actress kidnapped to North Korea. See also: Pulgasari
93. Chris McCandless: A hiker who gave it all up to live in the Alaskan wilderness. See also: Timothy Treadwell
94. Christine Chubbuck: A Newscaster who committed suicide on live television. See also: R. Budd Dwyer
95. Christine Collinsnew : To save face, the police returned a random child to Collins, insisting it was her missing son.
96. Christmas truce: A ceasefire during the first Christmas of WWI allows opposing soldiers to play football with one another.
97. Cicada 3301: Supposedly a mysterious organization that hosts puzzles to recruit code breakers from the public.
98. Clement Vallandighamnew : A lawyer who accidentally shot himself demonstrating how someone could accidentally shoot thierself.
99. Closed citynew : Soviet cities with restricted access.
100. Codex Seraphinianus: A strange modern manuscript of dream-like imagery and unknown writing. See also: A book from the Sky
101. Colditz Cock: British prisoners of war build a glider to escape capture. See also: Attempts to escape Oflag IV-C
102. Collapse of Smile: The infamous Beach Boys album which was never finished See also: Metal Machine Music
103. Collyer brothers: New York's famous hoarding brothers.
104. Colonia Dignidadnew : A German colony in Chile with a dark past.
105. Contest to kill 100 people using a sword: Two Imperial Japanese army officers compete to be first to kill 100 opponents with a sword.
106. Corpus callosotomy: A medical procedure to separate two halves of the brain.
107. Corrupted Blood incident: A virtual pandemic in World of Warcraft subsequently studied by epidemiologists. See also: Bloodbath of B-R5RB
108. Craig D. Button: USAF pilot inexplicably flies hundreds of miles off course and crashed under mysterious circumstances.
109. Crash at Crush: A publicity stunt where two trains were crashed.
110. Cuban underwater formation: Is there a sunken city off of the coast of Cuba?
111. D. B. Cooper*: He hijacked a plane, stole $200,000, and parachuted away, never to be seen again.
112. Dancing plague of 1518: An outbreak of compulsive dancing in the 1500s. See also: Tanganyika laughter epidemic
113. Darvaza gas crater: Also known as the 'Gates of Hell'.
114. David McMillan (smuggler): The only westerner to escape the infamous Klong Prem prison
115. David Parker Ray: Kidnapper, torturer, rapist and all round evil human being.
116. Deadman's Island: In 2016, coastal erosion revealed more than 200 corpses buried here. See also: Prison ship
117. Dean Corll: Main perpetrator of the Houston Mass Murders aided by two teenage accomplices.
118. Death by coconut: Apparently surprisingly common.
119. Death of Douglas Crofutnew : In January 1981, Douglas Crofut was admitted to hospital with radiation poisoning. To this day, no one knows how he was irradiated.
120. Death of Elisa Lam: She was found drowned in a water tank. A video from inside an elevator shows her unusual behaviour leading up to her death.
121. Death of Gareth Williams: A British GCHQ employee found dead in a bag, padlocked from the outside. Cause of death ruled an accident.
122. Death of Gloria Ramirez: The woman with toxic blood.
123. Death of JonBenét Ramsey: The infamous death of a child pageant queen.
124. Death Valley Germans: A family of four went missing in Death Valley National Park.
125. Deaths of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon*: Two Dutch girls become lost in the jungles of Panama.
126. Defenestrations of Prague: Bohemia's complex history of throwing people out of windows. See also: Category:Deaths by defenestration
127. Demon Core: A plutonium-89 sphere responsible for two criticality accidents. See also: Louis Slotin
128. Dennō Senshi Porygon: The notorious seizure inducing episode of Pokemon.
129. Die Glocke: A purported Nazi super weapon with nebulous powers.
130. Dirlewanger Brigade: A feared Nazi SS Division made up of convicted criminals. See also: Oskar Dirlewanger
131. Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley: A disappearance aboard a cruise ship. See also: Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam
132. Disappearance of Ben McDaniel: Somewhat inexperienced diver possibly disappeared cave-diving during the night.
133. Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar: A young boy goes missing and is subsequently found and reunited with family. But was it the same boy?
134. Disappearance of Brandon Swanson: a man goes missing while on the phone to his parents.
135. Disappearance of Brian Shaffernew : Entered a bar and seemingly never left.
136. Disappearance of Frederick Valentich: A pilot reports a UFO circling him and promptly disappeared. See also: William Schaffner
137. Disappearance of Johnny Gosch: Child abducted in 1982, reported to have visited his mother in 1997. See also: Disappearance of Tara Calico
138. Disappearance of Larry Griffin: An Irish postman who vanished without a trace.
139. Disappearance of Sneha Anne Philip new : Presumed to have died in 9/11, investigators think she may have met a different fate.
140. Disappearance of Steven Koecher: After his disappearance, it was found he had made many long-distance journeys including a 1000 mile trip in a single day. See also: Ray Gricar
141. Disappearance of Zebb Quinn: A man goes missing, but his car reappears later, leading to more questions than answers. See also: Disappearance of Maura Murray
142. Disappearances of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos: Two men disappear in quick succession. The link? They had both been arrested by the same police officer. See also: Saskatoon freezing deaths
143. Dole Air Racenew : An air race which cost the lives of 10 people across 6 aircraft.
144. Duga radar: A Russian radar system which interferes with radio.
145. Dyatlov Pass Incident: Nine Russian hikers die under mysterious circumstances. See also: Paradoxical undressing
146. East German balloon escape: Two families escape East Germany by hot air balloon. See also: LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 hijacking
147. Eben Byers: Consuming too much Radithor, which contained radium, led to his gruesome death.
148. Ed Gein : The infamous murderer and bodysnatcher.
149. Ed Wood: The legendary director of Plan 9 from Outer Space.
150. Eddie Slovik: The only US army soldier to be court-martialed and executed for desertion since the Civil War.
151. Eggnog Riot: Christmas drunkenness goes too far.
152. Elena Mukhina: Russian gymnast paralyzed while performing extremely difficult, now banned maneuver. See also: Thomas salto
153. Elizabeth Báthory: Infamous Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer.
154. Elmer McCurdy: Bank robber who's mummified body traveled the states.
155. Emily (cow): A cow who escaped the slaughterhouse. Local townspeople helped her evade capture.
156. Emperor Norton: Self-professed emperor of the United States.
157. Erfurt latrine disaster: A floor collapse dumps nobles into a pit of excrement.
158. Euthanasia Coaster: A theoretical, very deadly roller-coaster.
159. F. D. C. Willard new : Siamese cat and published scientific author.
160. False Dmitry: Several pretenders to the Russian throne, posing as Dmitry of Uglich who had died at age 8.
161. Fan death: The fear that, left running, a fan will suck all the air out of a room. See also: Refrigerator death
162. Fanny Adams: The brutal murder of an 8 year old girl in 1867.
163. Fatal Insomnia: Your sleep gets worse and worse until you die.
164. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: A condition where tissue turns into bone.
165. Fido (dog): I'm not crying, you're crying. See also: Faithful dogs
166. Flannan Isles Lighthouse: A Hebridean lighthouse from which three lighthouse-keepers disappeared.
167. Flight 19: Five US Navy fighters disappear over the Bermuda triangle. See also: USS Cyclops
168. Florence Foster Jenkins: A notoriously bad and eccentric soprano. See also: William McGonagall
169. Florida School for Boys: A boarding school with a bloody history.
170. FM-2030: Progressive futurist and transhumanist.
171. Foxconn suicides: Low paid workers commit suicide at Foxconn factories in Shenzhen.
172. Frank Hayes (jockey): Came first-place in a steeplechase, but had died en-route.
173. Franklin Delano Floyd: Raised a kidnapped girl as his daughter, then married her.
174. Franz Reichelt: A parachuting pioneer until the day he died. See also: List of inventors killed by their own inventions.
175. Frog Boys: Five South Korean boys go missing at the same time.
176. Fukuryunew : Japan's suicide frogmen of WWII.
177. Genie (feral child): A child kept in isolation for the first thirteen years of her life. See also: Victor of Aveyron
178. George Dillmannew : A martial artist who claims he can knock an opponent out without touching them.
179. Gerald Foos: A world-class voyeur.
180. German submarine U-530: U-530 failed to surrender at the end of WW2, disappearing for several months. See also: German submarine U-997
181. GG Allin: A punk-rocker known for his transgressive and extreme stage shows.
182. Ghost rockets: Mysterious rockets seen over Sweden and adjoining countries. See also: 2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly
183. Ghostwatch: A British hoax reality TV show which caused fear, outrage and a suicide. See also: Space Cadets (TV series)
184. Gilles de Rais: Companion of Joan of Arc and serial killer.
185. Gimli Glider: A plane runs out of fuel at 41,000ft. Nobody is killed.
186. Glasgow Ice Cream Wars: Criminal gangs clash over ice cream.
187. Globster: Unidentifiable organic blobs which sometime wash up on beaches.
188. Goiânia accident: A nuclear source is stolen from an abandoned hospital. The thieves show it to all their friends.
189. Gombe Chimpanzee War: A four year conflict between two chimpanzee communities.
190. Great Michigan Pizza Funeralnew : A funeral for 29,188 fallen souls.
191. Great Molasses Flood: Molasses flows through the streets of Boston, killing 21. See also: London Beer Flood
192. Great Stink: Hot weather in 1858 caused a minor problem in London.
193. Green Boots: A morbid way-marker on the ascent of Everest.
194. Green children of Woolpit: In the 12th century, two green children turn up speaking an unknown tongue.
195. Grigori Rasputin: He took some killing before he would stay dead. See also: Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia
196. Gruinard Island : A Scottish island where anthrax was tested. See also: Porton Down
197. Hashima Island: An island of abandoned concrete towers off the coast of Japan.
198. Havana syndrome: A members of US and Canadian embassies in Cuba being harassed with a sonic weapon?
199. Heaven's Gate: A notorious UFO cult.
200. Hemicorporectomy: The amputation of everything below the waist. See also: Waist chop
201. Henrietta Lacks: Cells taken from a tumor were found to be the first 'immortalized human cell line' See also: James Harrison (blood donor)
202. Hessdalen lights: Unexplained lights in the skies of Norway.
203. Hillsborough disaster: A devastating human crush at Hillsborough Stadium resulted in the death of nearly 100 and many more injuries.
204. Hinterkaifeck murders: In 1922, a Bavarian family is brutally murdered at their farm. The murderer is never identified.
205. Hiroo Onoda: A Japanese holdout who did not believe WW2 was over until 1974. See also: Teruo Nakamura
206. Historia Regum Britanniae: A Pseudo-historical account of Britain's legendary history (including King Arthur) supposedly derived from an even older text.
207. Hoeryong concentration camp: One of the most infamous North Korean concentration camps. See also: Human experimentation in North Korea
208. Hollinwell incident: 300 children suffer nausea and fainting at a local show. See also: Kosovo student poisoning
209. Hong Kong 97 (video game): Notoriously bad video game which includes a photo of a real dead body as the game-over screen. See also: Action 52
210. Human mail: Includes a list of people who have been transported by mail.
211. Human rights violations in Pinochet's Chile: The human rights abuses in Pinochet's Chile.
212. Hunter S. Thompson: The famed gonzo journalist.
213. Hyatt Regency walkway collapse: One of the deadliest structural failures in American history.
214. Intelsat 708new : Did a rocket crash into a village killing hundreds, or was the official death-toll of just six true?
215. IP over Avian Carriersnew : A somewhat high-latency IP protocol.
216. Iroquois Theatre fire: The deadliest building fire in US history. See also: Cocoanut Grove fire
217. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft: The world's biggest art theft remains unsolved.
218. Isdal Woman: An unidentified woman found dead in Norway. A Cold War mystery.
219. Ivan VI of Russia: Crowned Emperor of Russia at 2 months old and overthrown less than a year later.
220. Jack Churchill: He fought in WW2 with a longbow, broadsword and bagpipes. See also: Digby Tatham-Warter
221. James Joseph Dresnok: An American deserter to North Korea. See also: Charles Robert Jenkins
222. Jasmuheen: Her diet, which forgoes food and water, has led to several followers deaths. See also: Prahlad Jani
223. Jeanne Calment: The oldest person to have ever lived... or was she?
224. Jenny Haniver: Fictional sea creatures
225. Jerri Nielsen: Self-treated her own breast cancer while stationed in Antarctica. See also: Leonid Rogozov
226. Jetpack Mannew : A mysterious high-altitude jetpack user.
227. Jian Seng: A tanker found adrift with no crow and no identifying markings.
228. Jill Dando: British journalist and reporter shot dead on her doorstep in broad daylight. See also: Susan Walsh (missing person)
229. John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan: British peer who disappeared after his wife's death.
230. John Fare: Performance artist who used robots to perform on-stage surgery on himself.
231. John Frum: Mystical US soldier worshipped by a cargo cult.
232. John McAfee: Former anti-virus mogul who has led quite the life...
233. John R. Brinkley: Posed as a doctor and implanet goat testicles in people. See also: Linda Hazzard
234. John Titor: BBS user with warnings from the future.
235. Jonestown: Infamous site of the Jonestown massacre. See also: People Temple
236. José Salvador Alvarenganew : A man lost at sea for 438 days.
237. Josef Mengele: Notorious Nazi human-experimenter who manage to evade capture in South America after the war. See also: Kurt Blome
238. Joseph Vacher: The French Ripper.
239. Joyce Vincent: Her death went unnoticed for two years.
240. Juliane Koepcke: Sole survivor of a plane crashed in the jungle. See also: Bahia Bakari
241. June and Jennifer Gibbons: Identical twins who would only communicate with each other.
242. Jupiter (factory)new : A factory in Pripyat which 'officially' made cassette recorders.
243. Karen Silkwood : Died under mysterious circumstances while trying to blow the whistle on concerns about nuclear safety.
244. Kaspar Hauser: A German boy who claimed to have been raised in a dark cell in isolation. That's just the beginning.
245. Ken McElroy: Town bully is murdered in broad daylight in front of witnesses.
246. Kidnapping of Colleen Stan: Kidnapped and kept in a box under her captors bed.
247. Kilroy was here: A world-wide graffiti phenomenon.
248. Kim Peek: An american savant with incredible memory.
249. Kowloon Walled City: The most densely populated urban hell in the world. See also: Dharavi
250. Kramatorsk radiological accident: Radioactive caesium-137 finds its way into the walls of an apartment building in Russia.
251. Kryptos: A monument with four encrypted messages. Only three have been solved.
252. Kyshtym disaster: 1956 Russian nuclear disaster.
253. L. W. Wrightnew : A con-artist who lied his way into a NASCAR race, then vanished without a trace.
254. L'Inconnue de la Seine: Body of a woman pulled from the Seine. Her death mask went on to become the face of a CPR doll.
255. Lady Jane Grey: Shortest reigning English monarch at just 9 days.
256. Lake Nyos disasternew : A deadly 'limnic eruption'
257. Larry Hillblomnew : After his disappearance, the co-founder of DHL was discovered to have a huge number of illegitimate children
258. Lawnchair Larry flight: Man takes flight on a lawn chair tied to balloons. See also: Balloon boy hoax
259. Lawrence Singleton: A murderer whose victim miraculously survived dismemberment by him.
260. Le Loyonnew : A mysterious masked prowler.
261. Leatherman (vagabond)new : A mysterious and beloved vagrant.
262. Legends of Catherine the Great: The many rumors surrounding the Empress of Russia.
263. Letter Beacon: The more mysterious cousin of the Numbers Station.
264. Letters of last resort: Orders to British submarine crews as to what to do in the event of a nuclear attack.
265. Lighthouse and naval vessel: Alleged encounter between a ship and a lighthouse which won't move out the way.
266. Lillian Alling: An Eastern European immigrant to the United States who tried to walk home.
267. Lina Medina: Youngest confirmed mother in history.
268. Lionel Crab: MI6 frogman vanished while investigating a Soviet ship. See also: HMS Astute (S119)
269. Lippisch P.13anew : Nazi Germany's very own coal-powered plane.
270. List of incidents at Disneyland Resort: Incidents and deaths at Disneyland parks. See also: Los Angeles Airways Flight 417
271. List of satellite map images with missing or unclear data: Parts of the world you're not supposed to see.
272. List of wheel-well stowaway flights: List of individuals who stowed away in the landing gears of planes.
273. London Necropolis Railway: Victorian London's railway of the dead!
274. Long-time nuclear warning messages: Messages to warn people of nuclear contamination long after we're gone.
275. Long-time nuclear waste warning messagesnew : How do we warn people of radioactive waste long after we've gone?
276. Lord Uxbridge's: Here lies the Leg of the illustrious and valiant Earl Uxbridge.
277. Lost Cosmonauts*: Did the Soviets try to send people to space before Yuri Gagarin?
278. Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine: Legendary gold mine.
279. Lost Ship of the Desert: Vessels supposedly stranded in the desert. See also: Mahogany Ship
280. Love Canal: A neighborhood built on contaminated land.
281. Loveland Frog: The legendary 4ft tall frog-man from Ohio.
282. Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Supposed perpetrator of a number of gas attacks in Illinois.
283. Magdalena Solís: Self professed High Priestess of Blood.
284. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Infamous plane disappearance. See also: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
285. Man in the Iron Mask: Mysterious prisoner with an unknown identity.
286. Mansa Musa: Possibly the richest person to have ever lived.
287. Marcus Wesson: Incestuously cultivated a cult of his own children.
288. Margaret Howe Lovatt: Scientist shared her house with a dolphin.
289. Mariko Aoki phenomenonnew : Do you ever feel the need to defecate when entering a bookstore?
290. Markovian Parallax Denigrate: Unexplained Usenet posts.
291. Marvin Heemeyer: A man goes on a rampage in his 'Killdozer'
292. Mary (elephant): An elephant hanged for murder.
293. Mary Bell: Murdered two children at just 10 years old. See also: Murder of James Bulger
294. Mary Toft: 18th century English Woman who claimed to have given birth to rabbits.
295. Mary Ward (scientist): The first person to be killed by a car.
296. Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapovanew : Conjoined twins in the Soviet Union.
297. Max Headroom signal hijacking: Max Headroom interrupts Doctor Who. See also: Captain Midnight broadcast signal intrusion
298. Mayerling incident: The murder-suicide of the Crown Prince of Austria and his lover.
299. Mayhem (band): Early Black Metal band with an fascinating history. See also: Early Norwegian black metal scene
300. McKamey Manor: America's scariest 'haunted house'.
301. Megumi Yokota: Japanese school girl abducted to North Korea. See also: North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens
302. Mehran Karimi Nasseri: Left stateless, he lived in an airport from 1988 to 2006.
303. Mellified man: A confection made from a mummy and honey, said to cure various ailments. See also: Mummy brown
304. Metcalf sniper attack: A mysterious attack on an electrical substation.
305. Michael Larson: Game Show contestant who memorized his way to $100,000. See also: Charles Ingram
306. Michael Malloy: Survived a surprising number of attempts on his life. See also: Frane Selak
307. Michael Rockefeller: When his boat capsized, he swam for help but never returned. Was he killed by the indigenous Asmat?
308. Mike the Headless Chicken: He survived 18 months after his head was cut off.
309. Milgram experimentnew : A social psychology experiment.
310. Moberly–Jourdain incident: Two women take a wrong-turn and end up travelling through time.
311. Mont Blanc tunnel fire: A fire in Mont Blanc tunnel traps and kills many people. See also: Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy cable car disaster
312. Montparnasse derailment: Train derailment with famous photograph.
313. Mozart and scatology: Did Mozart have a preoccupation with poo?
314. Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard: Infamous 'Munchausen syndrome by proxy' case.
315. Murder of Junko Furuta: Japanese girl kept captive and subjected to extreme torture.
316. Murder of Kelly Anne Bates: A heinous four-week torture and murder of a young woman. See also: Murder of Suzanne Capper
317. Murder of Marion Parker: Shocking abduction and ransom of a young girl.
318. Murder of Otávio Jordão da Silvanew : A football match ends in extreme violence.
319. Murder of Wu Shuoyan new : A cult commits a murder in a fast-food restaurant.
320. Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German: They managed to capture footage of their murderer, including his voice.
321. Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward: Newscasters killed live on air.
322. MV Joyita: A merchant vessel found listing and missing its 25 passengers and crew. See also: Mary Celeste
323. Nazi gold train: An alleged train with a cargo of gold buried by the Nazis at the end of the war. See also: Crystal Palace (High Level) railway station
324. Nazi UFOs: Nazi attempts to create advanced aircraft. See also: Foo fighter
325. Nazino Affair: Soviet Russia was a pretty bleak place. This is it at it's bleakest.
326. Nellie Bly: Pioneer of investigative journalism.
327. New London School explosion: Gas leak causes an explosion which destroys a school.
328. Nicaraguan Sign Language: A type of sign language spontaneously developed by deaf children
329. Night Witches: WWII Russian all-female bomber squad in outdated planes, attacking at night!
330. Norse colonization of North America: Vikings make their way to Greenland, Canada and even possibly America. See also: Theory of the Portuguese discovery of Australia
331. North Korean ghost ships: Each year dozens of boats from North Korea wash into Japanese waters unmanned.
332. Numbers Station: Mysterious and slightly eerie shortwave radio broadcasts.
333. Nut rage incident: Korean Air vice president is so outraged at receiving nut in a packet that the plane was ordered to return to the gate. See also: JetBlue flight attendant incident
334. Oak Island mystery: Does Oak Island have a hidden treasure?
335. Old Man of the Lake: The world's most interesting tree-stump.
336. Omayra Sánchez: A Colombian girl who, when faced with a certain, slow death showed exceeding courage and dignity.
337. Operation Auca: Missionaries attempt to convert a remote tribe. It does not go well.
338. Operation Cowboynew : In the closing days of WW2, German soldiers battled German soldiers.
339. Operation Paperclip: American operation extracting German scientists to work for them at the end of WW2.
340. Order of the Solar Temple: A cult involved in murders and suicides.
341. Original Spanish Kitchen: A restaurant which closed one day never to re-open.
342. Otokichi: Japanese castaway who floated all the way to America. The journey took 14 months.
343. Ourang Medan: A ghost ship supposedly found adrift with entire crew deceased, but did the ship exist at all?
344. Out-of-place artifact: Archaeological artifacts which challenge our understanding of history.
345. Over the Edge: Wrestling match which lead to the death of Owen Hart.
346. Overtoun Bridge: Does this Scottish bridge cause dogs to commit suicide.
347. Panjandrum: The British army's killer pinwheel!
348. Paul is dead: The long-running theory that Paul McCartney died and was replaced with a look-alike.
349. Pentagon UFO videos: Thee videos of UFOs collected by the US Navy.
350. Pérák, the Spring Man of Prague: During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, a man would jump from alleys and startle passers by.
351. Perseus (spy): Legendary Russian spy who stole secrets from the Manhattan Project.
352. Persian Princess: A mummy purported to be an ancient Persian Princess may instead be a recent murder victim.
353. Peter Bergmann case: Man travels to Sligo, Ireland to commit suicide. His real identity is a mystery.
354. Peter Kürten: Serial killer who drank his victims blood.
355. Phantom social workers: Alleged kidnappers posing as social workers in the UK and US.
356. Phantom time hypothesis: The theory that 297 years were added to the Early Middle Ages. See also: New Chronology
357. Philadelphia Experiment: A US Navy project attempting to render a ship invisible. See also: Montauk Project
358. Phineas Gage: Miraculously survived a three-foot long iron spike through the head.
359. Pica (disorder): Having an appetite for the inedible. See also: Michel Lotito
360. Pied Piper of Hamelin: You might know the legend, but do you know the history?
361. Pig War 1859: A confrontation between the United States and Great Britain over the shooting of a pig. See also: Incident at Petrich
362. Pit of despair: An experiment keeping monkeys in total isolation.
363. Plymouth, Montserrat: The only ghost town that serves as the capital of a political territory.
364. Poe Toaster: Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious visitor. See also: Death of Edgar Allan Poe
365. Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal : Russian nationals poisoned with nerve gas in Britain.
366. Polybius: Arcade game monitored by Men in Black.
367. Pope Joan: Was there a female pope in the 9th century?
368. Principality of Sealand: A micronation off the coast of England.
369. Prion: Misfolded proteins that affect the brain or neural tissue. See also: Kuru (disease)
370. Pripyat: Ghost city abandoned during the Chernobyl disaster.
371. Process Church of the Final Judgment: Former Satanic church. Now an animal welfare group.
372. Project A119: A top secret project to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon.
373. Project Azorian: US secret project to recover a sunken Russian submarine from the bottom of the ocean. See also: HMS Poseidon (P99)
374. Project Habakkuk: British plan to make an aircraft carrier out of ice and sawdust. See also: Pykrete
375. Project MKUltra: The CIAs forays into mind-control. See also: Operation Midnight Climax
376. PS General Slocum: Steamer catches ablaze leaving 800 dead. See also: Sultana (steamboat)
377. Public Universal Friendnew : An American preacher.
378. Rain of animals: A meteorological phenomenon. See also: Kentucky meat shower
379. Raymond Robinson: Severely disfigured as a child, he became an urban legend 'Charlie No-face'.
380. Red Star OS: The North Korean Operating System.
381. Reich Bride School: Schools to create the perfect Nazi bride.
382. Richard Kuklinski: American hitman The Iceman. See also: Werner Pinzer
383. Richard Lee McNair: Murderer and infamous prison escapee. See also: Jacques Mesrine
384. Ricky McCormick's encrypted notes: Two mysterious, coded notes found in the pockets of a murder victim. See also: YOGTZE
385. Ripper Crew: Satanic cult and organized crime group of serial killers.
386. Roanoke Colony*: Early British settlement in America whose inhabitants disappeared.
387. Roar (film): Of the 140 crew making this film, 70 were injured by animals during production.
388. Robert Liston: Scottish surgeon who amputated a leg in 2 1/2 minutes, along with his assistants fingers.
389. Robert Williams (robot fatality): The first human to be killed by a robot.
390. Roopkund: Glacial Lake also known as Skeletons Lake on account of the hundreds of skeletons in it.
391. Rosemary West: Along with her husband committed a number of murders, among other crimes. See also: Moors murders
392. Roundhay Garden Scene: The oldest film still in existence.
393. Roy Cleveland Sullivan: He was struck by lightning 7 times.
394. Russian submarine Kursk: Russian submarine lost at sea with all 114 hands.
395. Sada Abe: Asphyxiated her lover, cut off his genitals, then carried them around town. See also: John and Lorena Bobbitt
396. Safety coffin: Have you been buried too soon? Fear not! See also: Lazarus syndrome
397. Sailing stones: Phenomenon causing rocks to move across the desert.
398. Salmon Chaosnew : Would you change your name to get cheap sushi?
399. Sara Baartman: A South African woman exhibited and exploited as a freak show.
400. Scaphism: Execution by milk and honey.
401. Sedlec Ossuary: A chapel decorated with human bones.
402. Servant Girl Annihilator: Serial killer operating in Texas in in the 1880s, just a few years before Jack the Ripper.
403. Shades of Death Road: A mundane road with an interesting name.
404. Shaye Saint John: Fictional paraplegic.
405. Siege of Suiyangnew : The city that would rather consume its own populace than surrender.
406. Simo Häyhä: Legendary Finnish sniper.
407. Sknyliv air show disaster: The most deadly air show accident in history. See also: Lists of air show accidents and incidents
408. Skoptsy: Russian Christian sect practicing castration and mastectomy. See also: Carlos Hathcock
409. Sky burial: Getting left out for the birds.
410. SL-1: Early nuclear reactor goes critical and explodes, killing 3. See also: Chicago Pile 1
411. Sloot Digital Coding Systemnew : A data compression method claimed to be able to do the impossible. The inventor dies days before it is released.
412. Sokushinbutsu: Buddhist tradition of mummifying oneself alive. See also: Sogen Kato
413. Somatoparaphrenia: a delusion where on denies ownership of a limb.
414. Sonderkommando photographs: Four chilling photographs captured by an inmate at Auschwitz.
415. Southern Television broadcast interruption: Aliens interrupt Looney Toons.
416. Soyuz 11: A depressurization accident lead to the death of three cosmonauts: the first and only fatalities in space.
417. Spite House: A building constructed to irritate neighbors and potential land owners.
418. Spontaneous combustion: Sometimes people just catch on fire.
419. Spring-heeled Jack: Leaping terror who menaced London and the rest of Britain in the 19th century.
420. SS Baychimo: Ship abandoned in 1931, seen drifting dozens of times until as late as 1969. See also: HMS Resolute (1850)
421. SS Eastland: The slow capsize of a steam leads to over 800 deaths. See also: Sea Wing disaster
422. SS Richard Montgomery: Shipwreck in the Thames filled with 1400 tons of explosives.
423. St Scholastica Day riot: Tavern brawl turns into three-day riot that leaves 30 townsfolk and 60 students dead.
424. St. Francis Dam: Dam bursts just one hour after inspection. See also: Banqiao Dam failure
425. Stanford Prison Experimentnew : A social psychology experiment which got out of hand.
426. Stanislav Petrov: Disobeyed orders and saved the world from nuclear war. See also: Vasily Arkhipov (vice admiral)
427. Stargate Project: US Army investigation into psychic phenomena and remote viewing.
428. Straw Hat Riot: Apparently it's uncouth to wear a straw hat past September 15th.
429. Strip Search phone call scamnew : A string of 'prank' phone calls purporting to be from police instructing businesses to strip-search employees.
430. Sweating sickness: A mysterious contagious disease which could kill within hours.
431. Swedish submarine incidents: Russia denied operations in Swedish waters...until they accidentally grounded a vessel there.
432. Taman Shud case: An unidentified man is found on a beach. The contents of his pockets lead to more questions than answers.
433. Tarrare: French soldier with a vast appetite who would eat anything. See also: Charles Domery
434. Teignmouth Electron: Donald Crowhurst made an ill-fated attempt to sail around the world, lied about his progress, then disappeared without a trace. See also: Kaz II
435. TempleOS: A Christian operating system. See also: Terry A. Davis*
436. Tenerife airport disaster: The deadliest accident in aviation history.
437. Texas city disaster: A fire aboard a boat caused the explosion of 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate, killing nearly 600.
438. Thalidomide scandal: Morning sickness drug turns out to cause terrible birth defects.
439. Thames Torso Murders: A number of torsos found in the Thames. See also: Salish Sea human foot discoveries
440. The boy Jones: Buckingham Palace trespasser of the 1800s. See also: Michael Fagan
441. The Day the Clown Cried: A Jerry Lewis film never released, to be kept under lock-and-key until 2024. See also: Nothing Lasts Forever (film)
442. The Day the Music Died: Plane crash leading to the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper", as well as their pilot. See also: Glenn Miller
443. The Lead Masks Case: Two Brazilian electronic technicians are discovered deceased wearing lead masks. Cause of death unknown.
444. The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet: A mysterious 80's New Wave song.
445. The Richardson Gang: Infamous South-London gang..
446. The Shaggs: Three sisters form a band at their father's insistence, who was foretold of their rise to fame in a palm reading.
447. The Station nightclub fire: A horrific fire at a nightclub. See also: Versailles wedding hall disaster
448. The Thing (listening device): Spy device hidden in plain sight for seven years.
449. Therac-25new : A radiotherapy machine that was involved in 6 radiation incidents.
450. Thích Quảng Đức: Vietnamese Buddhist monk who calmly burned himself to death as a protest the persecution of Buddhists.
451. Three Mile Island accident: American nuclear disaster.
452. Thule Society: German/Nazi occult group founded to research the 'Aryan race'. See also: Ahnenerbe
453. Time Cube: Your guess is as good as mine.
454. Timeline of the far future: What science predicts about the future of our universe.
455. Timothy Dexter: Wrote a book with no punctuation.
456. Toast sandwich: An exciting culinary experience.
457. Toki Pona: Simple and minimal constructed language
458. Tollund Mannew : A well-preserved bog mummy
459. Toynbee tiles: Strange messages embedded in asphalt.
460. Tsar Bomba: The world's biggest nuclear weapon.
461. Tsavo Man-Eaters: Two prolific man-eating lions.
462. Tuanakinew : Did a string of islands, and it's inhabitants simply vanish?
463. Tube Bar prank calls: A series of infamous prank calls.
464. Tucker Telephone: Torture by telephone.
465. Tunguska event: Massive explosion in Siberia.
466. Tupolev ANT-20: The largest aircraft of the 1930s and its catastrophic demise.
467. Turbojet train: Would you ride a jet-propelled train? See also: Schienenzeppelin
468. Turnspit dog: A now extinct breed of dog used in the Kitchen.
469. Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The United States Public Health Service infect hundreds of African Americans with Syphilis. See also: Project 4.1
470. Uncontacted peoples: Isolated indigenous peoples living without contact with the outside world. See also: The Man of the Hole
471. Unit 731: Imperial Japan's covert biological and chemical weapon research group during WWII. Some very disturbing human experimentation. See also: Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department
472. Unsinkable Sam: Ships cat serving both the German and British Navies in WWII.
473. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571: Crashed crossing the Andes. The survivors had to resort to cannibalism to survive. See also: Donner Party
474. USS Constellation (CV-64): Racial tensions aboard the ship nearly lead to mutiny. See also: Houston riot of 1917
475. USS Scorpion: US Navy Submarine lost under mysterious circumstances. See also: USS Thresher
476. Utsuro-bunenew : A mysterious 'boat' washes ashore in Hitachi Province, Japan.
477. UVB-76: A near-constant shortwave broadcast occasionally interrupted for mysterious messages.
478. Varosha: A former tourist destination. Now a ghost town.
479. Vesna Vulović: A Serbian stewardess who survived a fall of over 10,000m. See also: Alan Magee
480. Victoria steamboat disaster: Passengers rushed to the side of the vessel to watch a race, causing the boat to take on water.
481. Violet Jessop: The world's most unlucky (or perhaps lucky) stewardess.
482. Vitaly Kaloyev: Killed an air traffic controller after a plane crash killed his family. See also: 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision
483. Vladimir Demikhov: Transplant pioneer who conducted head transplants on dogs. See also: Brain Transplant
484. Voynich manuscript: A comprehensive hand-written manuscript in an unknown, possibly nonsense language.
485. Vozrozhdeniya Island: A (former) island once home to the once secret Soviet biological weapon lab.
486. Wallace Fard Muhammad: Mysterious founder of Nation of Islam, who disappeared in 1934.
487. War Plan Red: An inter-war plan by the American Department of War for a war with Great Britain. See also: Defence Scheme No. 1
488. Water Intoxication: Too much of a good thing can be very very bad.
489. Well to Hell: The myth of a Soviet borehole so deep, it broke in to hell. See also: Kola Superdeep Borehole
490. Wesley Willis: Chicago-based outsider musician See also: Richard Benson (musician)
491. Whipping Tom: London's serial spanker.
492. Who put Bella in the Wych Elm: A murder and subsequent graffiti.
493. William Windsor (goat): A goat who is lance corporal in the 1st Battalion. See also: Nils Olav
494. Winchester Mystery House: Strange house built without any plans by its eccentric owner.
495. Windscale Fire: A British nuclear disaster.
496. Wow! signal: A strong radio signal thought to be of extraterrestrial origin. See also: 52-hertz whale
497. Yang Kyoungjong: A Korean soldier who fought for Japan, Russia and Germany during WWII.
498. YOGTZE Casenew : A man scrawls several letters on a piece of paper, heads out into the night, and died the next morning under mysterious circumstances.
499. Yuba Country Five*: Five young men go missing in mysterious circumstances.
500. Zhang Shuhong: Chinese businessman who committed suicide after finding his company was using dangerous paints on toys.
501. Zodiac Killer: The infamous cypher-loving serial killer.
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