History's Mysteries

[nacho]

Because I NEED to kill time at work or else I'll start doing hard drugs, post weird mystery shit in here.  Things that are unsolved only.  Disappearances, weird shit, etc.

And, yes, I have the keys to the Bermuda Triangle and I'll be back by 11pm.  Don't post that shit. We all know that.

An example of what we all don't know about, is the Sweating Sickness.  Origins unknown, almost always fatal within hours, and vanished just as mysteriously as it appeared.  Though Wikipedia has theories, of course:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweating_sickness

[Cassander]

What about the Sally Hemmings debate?  Did one of America's greatest figures repeatedly impregnate his wife's half-sister and own his own offspring as slaves?  or are you more in the x-files realm?

[Cassander]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_revenant

Revenants! 

So, obviously they belong to the folklore realm, but apparently several exhumations in English cemeteries have shown corpses buried in the manner mentioned in these medieval accounts: the head removed and placed between the legs.  of course, this trope continues today in zombie stories. 

so, if not true, then what was happening?  Apparently no one on wikipedia is learn-ed enough to offer explanations.

[Cassander]

oh, and did you ever look this up? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodsmen_of_the_World

very odd that their wiki entry has little history or explanation of the workings of the organization.  i'm not saying they're as occultic as the Masons, but obviously their little club is still going very strong. 

[nacho]

What about the Sally Hemmings debate?  Did one of America's greatest figures repeatedly impregnate his wife's half-sister and own his own offspring as slaves?  or are you more in the x-files realm?

The trouble here is that, while we don't have the answer either way, anyone who reads about Jefferson outside of the classroom history books readily accepts any hideous thing you accuse him of.

[nacho]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_revenant

Revenants! 

So, obviously they belong to the folklore realm, but apparently several exhumations in English cemeteries have shown corpses buried in the manner mentioned in these medieval accounts: the head removed and placed between the legs.  of course, this trope continues today in zombie stories. 

so, if not true, then what was happening?  Apparently no one on wikipedia is learn-ed enough to offer explanations.

Visited a grave in Buckfastleigh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfastleigh) where a local landlord was buried, rose to kill, then was reburied and had a little jail cell built around the tomb.  Wild stuff. The lesson for all those thousands of years before machines in the hospital confirmed death is to never breathe shallowly when you're near death.

[fajwat]

Found this while looking for historical cadaver staking:

Serbian dictator's grave staked to prevent him rising from the dead:

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2229686.html

Anyhow, about vampires: the version I've heard is that people had been accidentally buried alive and would come back in zombified (and unhappy) states, having dug themselves out.

To prevent this, stakes were mounted inside coffins, to make damned sure that everyone who was only nearly dead was truly dead before they were buried. 

[nacho]

Aaron Burr's kid!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosia_Burr_Alston#Disappearance

Burr's "last stand" of sorts was in Parkersburg, WV, where Jefferson shelled the fuck out of Blennerhasset Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blennerhassett_Island).  So Theodosia's all over the place in the museums.  (The Blennerhassett's themselves had a horrible life after the whole Burr thing -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harman_Blennerhassett).

[nacho]

The Mary Celeste of the Pacific...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Joyita#The_incident_at_sea

[nacho]

Funny rocks...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Winnipesaukee_mystery_stone

[nacho]

Yes, I'm bored.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers

[Cassander]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_program_conspiracy_accusations

Spooky!

[Disco Dust]

Are any of y'all familiar with the ''Tunguska Event"?

[Matt]

Of course... the why, not so much.

[nacho]

Of course... the why, not so much.

If we knew why, it wouldn't be a mystery!  UFO?  Meteor?  Singularity?  Hellboy?