# Unsolved mysteries that aren't nightmare fuel **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538 "2015-05-21T19:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/81 "2015-05-26T18:29:53Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Spontaneous Human Combustion is pretty unlikely. Someone falling asleep with a cigarette or candle, managing to set a portion of their clothes/furniture on fire, and having a very localized burn (as **hotflungwok** points out) is quite possible. Problem is, spontaneous combustion seems to be fairly well documented. Maybe it doesn’t occur so often anymore, but this is probably a combination of two factors: (1) Most people don’t drink nearly as much as people a century ago did, so passing out drunk with a cigarrette in your hand isn’t nearly as likely. (2) Synthetic fabrics probably don’t have the same burning characteristics as cotton or other natural clothing does. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/82 "2015-05-26T20:11:53Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Problem is, spontaneous combustion seems to be fairly well documented. Only in the sense that there are a dozen or so cases where someone burned to ash inside a building and the fire did not spread. The strange conditions that create such rare events are understood. There’s no need to believe in any “unknown” force or effect at work. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/83 "2015-05-26T20:44:50Z")
Who stole the [Irish Crown Jewels](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Crown_Jewels)? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/84 "2015-05-26T21:06:54Z")
My friend just posted this on FB: [The floating turd mystery that still haunts NASA](http://www.vox.com/2015/5/26/8646675/apollo-10-turd-poop). ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/85 "2015-05-27T03:04:02Z")
The Toynbee Tiles > **[Toynbee Tiles - Bing](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Toynbee%20Tiles%20&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=toynbee%20tiles%20&sc=8-14&sp=-1&sk=)** > > Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you. BTW, there are also tiles in Atlantic City’s Downbeach Suburbs Ventnor and Margate. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/86 "2015-05-27T14:13:18Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > The Toynbee Tiles > [Toynbee Tiles - Search Images](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Toynbee%20Tiles%20&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=toynbee%20tiles%20&sc=8-14&sp=-1&sk=) > > BTW, there are also tiles in Atlantic City’s Downbeach Suburbs Ventnor and Margate. There is an excellent documentary (which I highly recommend) that pretty much solves the mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/87 "2015-05-29T16:45:27Z")
What is the name of the man who defied the tanks in Tiananmen Square and what happened to him? ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/88 "2015-05-29T18:41:31Z")
Came here to mention the Tunguska event, but I see that the establishment has settled on the “asteroid or meteor” theory. [Wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) Some of the theories floating around before the agreement were pretty fun. Was it a Nikolai Tesla death ray (1908 style), was it an anti-matter particle? How about a naturally occurring source of fission? There are interesting new developments about Lake Cheko, which is near the epicentre of the blast. Once written off as a naturally occurring lake, it’s now believed to be caused by the event. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/89 "2015-05-29T20:43:18Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > The [Voynich Manuscript](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript) Yep, and the Wandlebury Enigma. > **[Wandlebury Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandlebury_Enigma)** > > Wandlebury Hill (grid reference TL493534) is a peak in the Gog Magog Hills, a ridge of low chalk hills extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge, England. The underlying rock is present in a number of places on the hill. At 74 metres (243 ft) it is the same height as the nearby Little Trees Hill, although the latter is a more notable landmark. > The top stands in Wandlebury Country Park, a nature reserve owned by Cambridge Past, Present & Future (registered charity number 204122)... also the Kensington Runestone (and no- it has not been \*proven \*to be a hoax) > **[Kensington Runestone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Runestone)** > > 8 : göter : ok : 22 : norrmen : po : > ...o : opþagelsefärd : fro : > vinland : of : vest : vi : > hade : läger : ved : 2 : skLär : en : > dags : rise : norr : fro : þeno : sten : > vi : var : ok : fiske : en : dagh : äptir : > vi : kom : hem : fan : 10 : man : röde : > af : blod : og : ded : AVM : > frälse : äf : illü. > här : (10) : mans : ve : havet : at : se : > äptir : vore : skip : 14 : dagh : rise : > The Kensington Runestone is a slab of greywacke stone covered in runes that was discovered in Western Minne... _The possibility of the runestone being an authentic 14th-century artefact was again raised in 1982 by Robert Hall, an emeritus Professor of Italian Language and Literature at Cornell University, who published a book (and a follow up in 1994) questioning the methodology of its critics. Hall asserted that the odd philological problems in the Runestone could be the result of normal dialectal variances in Old Swedish of the period. He further contended that critics had failed to consider the physical evidence, which he found leaning heavily in favour of authenticity._ (altho I still think it’s doubtful…) Spirit Pond runestones? Where was Vinland? (likely not _L’Anse Aux Meadows,_ but we dont know) ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/90 "2015-05-29T20:54:24Z")
> [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > What is the name of the man who defied the tanks in Tiananmen Square and what happened to him? A new photo of that event surfaced a couple of years ago: [![](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/photo/Lens-Single-Assets/20090604-Lens-Behind.jpg) ](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/photo/Lens-Single-Assets/20090604-Lens-Behind.jpg) It shows that it wasn’t quite a spontaneous act, he had plenty of time to hide or take cover, but he saw the tanks coming from some distance away and yet stood his ground. That was an act of breath-taking courage on several different levels, there’s something almost mythical about it. Its one of those things I think about when it feels like we’re surrounded by nothing but cynicism and self-interest. We’ll probably never know who he really was, I’m not sure if that’s ‘better’ or not. The tank commander and driver showed some humanity that day as well, and we shouldn’t forget about them either. > [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > Came here to mention the Tunguska event, but I see that the establishment has settled on the “asteroid or meteor” theory. > > [Wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) > > Some of the theories floating around before the agreement were pretty fun. Was it a Nikolai Tesla death ray (1908 style), was it an anti-matter particle? How about a naturally occurring source of fission? > > There are interesting new developments about Lake Cheko, which is near the epicentre of the blast. Once written off as a naturally occurring lake, it’s now believed to be caused by the event. I remember reading a fictionalised short story of that incident, were an heroic alien crew did what they could to steer their doomed ship to a relatively uninhabited part of Earth before their ships nuclear reactor went critical. The truth as always is a little more prosaic, there was a documentary on TV a few years ago that showed a series of simulated detonations over a ‘forest’ made of matchsticks, at a certain speed, explosive power, height and angle the resulting blast-pattern followed almost exactly the horseshoe shape found at Tunguska, even to the extent of matchsticks/trees directly below the epicentre remaining upright. Science huh, takes all the fun out of everything! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/91 "2015-05-29T21:56:41Z")
Australian prime minister Harold Holt. He walked into the ocean in 1967 and disappeared; drowning or sharkification is probably the reason, but it’s still strange and none of his parts were ever found. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/92 "2015-05-29T23:01:03Z")
Has the [Somerton man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taman_Shud_Case) been mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/93 "2015-05-29T23:39:21Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Australian prime minister Harold Holt. He walked into the ocean in 1967 and disappeared; drowning or sharkification is probably the reason, but it’s still strange and none of his parts were ever found. He’s remembered forever [Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Holt_Memorial_Swimming_Centre) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/94 "2015-05-30T20:49:07Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Something I’m surprised hasn’t been mentioned yet: Who is running the various numbers stations around the world, and what are they saying? > > The most reasonable guesses are, in order, “Various drug cartels and national intelligence services” and “A mix of instructions to field agents and absolutely nothing broadcast to fill time so enemies can’t observe how your rate of transmissions is changing”. So it isn’t a huge mystery, probably: We likely know at least that much, and are now waiting on a mix of declassification and drug busts to uncover the rest. My question is: has there ever been a drug or spy bust that revealed any proof that these number stations were being operated by drug cartels or intelligence agencies? From what I gathered reading the Wikipedia page the source of the broadcasts has been speculated on, but remains unknown. One would think that in all the years these signals have been monitored there would be at least\* one\* numbers station whose source has been definitively identified. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/95 "2015-05-30T21:02:54Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > One would think that in all the years these signals have been monitored there would be at least\* one\* numbers station whose source has been definitively identified. 😕 Yeah, which is why I don’t believe “they” don’t know the sources. Radio broadcasts have been triangulated since the early 1920s or before. Especially in wartime. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/96 "2015-05-30T21:48:04Z")
[The hidden treasure of Forrest Fenn.](http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/trail-treasure-rocky-mountains) Thinking that the end was near after a cancer diagnosis, ex fighter pilot turned art and antiquities dealer Forrest Fenn hid a treasure of gold, jewels, ancient carvings and more in a 12th century Roman lockbox somewhere in the mountains north of Santa Fe. His hope was to get people off their butts and out in the wilderness that he enjoyed so much throughout his life, and to impart the lesson that the journey is its own reward. He published a book “The Thrill Of The Chase”, an autobiography with clues as to the treasure’s location including the poem below which is said to contain 9 clues that, if interpreted correctly, will lead the reader directly to the treasure. Based on emails he has received and postings on message boards dedicated to the search he estimates at least 30,000 people have gone in search of the treasure and at least a few have come within just meters of it, but as far as he knows so far nobody has found it. > [@](#): > > As I have gone alone in there > And with my treasures bold, > I can keep my secret where, > And hint of riches new and old. > > Begin it where warm waters halt > And take it in the canyon down, > Not far, but too far to walk. > Put in below the home of Brown. > > From there it’s no place for the meek, > The end is ever drawing nigh; > There’ll be no paddle up your creek, > Just heavy loads and water high. > > If you’ve been wise and found the blaze, > Look quickly down, your quest to cease, > But tarry scant with marvel gaze, > Just take the chest and go in peace. > > So why is it that I must go > And leave my trove for all to seek? > The answer I already know, > I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak. > > So hear me all and listen good, > Your effort will be worth the cold. > If you are brave and in the wood > I give you title to the gold. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/97 "2015-05-30T22:35:14Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > From what I gathered reading the Wikipedia page the source of the broadcasts has been speculated on, but remains unknown. One would think that in all the years these signals have been monitored there would be at least\* one\* numbers station whose source has been definitively identified. 😕 The station known as the “[Lincolnshire Poacher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincolnshire_Poacher_%28numbers_station%29)” seems to have been identified as coming from the RAF base at Akrotiri on Cyprus. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/98 "2015-05-30T22:56:29Z")
The [Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_Museum_theft) is an intriguing, non-scary unsolved mystery. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/99 "2015-05-31T01:34:45Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The station known as the “[Lincolnshire Poacher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincolnshire_Poacher_%28numbers_station%29)” seems to have been identified as coming from the RAF base at Akrotiri on Cyprus. Thanks. I did read that, but it doesn’t satisfy my curiosity. I would think the approximate locations of the transmitters could be triangulated by amateur radio operators and others without too much trouble. I’m not that interested in where the transmitters are located but rather, what are the transmitted messages, who is doing it, and why? Seems odd to me that there’s not information available about even one numbers station that answers my above questions. No busted drug-cartel member or nabbed spy ever spilled the beans on even _one_ of these things? And if this information ever was divulged to “authorities”, did it never leak out to the world at large? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/100 "2015-05-31T01:44:35Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > No busted drug-cartel member or nabbed spy ever spilled the beans on even _one_ of these things? And if this information ever was divulged to “authorities”, did it never leak out to the world at large? One or more very well may have, but if the bad guys know, they will change their codes. Should a one time pad also be captured, it is unlikely that the information would be disclosed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538.md?page=6)