Editing 1501: Mysteries
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Some of these mysteries have already been explored in xkcd. See [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa; [[593: Voynich Manuscript]]; and [[1400: D.B. Cooper]]. | Some of these mysteries have already been explored in xkcd. See [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa; [[593: Voynich Manuscript]]; and [[1400: D.B. Cooper]]. | ||
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==Table== | ==Table== | ||
− | The X axis in the graph indicates weirdness. The table assumes that the item to the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the item to the far right is 100% (weird as hell). The Y axis indicates if Randall has an explanation. The table assumes that the item at the bottom is 100% (Randall has a clear explanation) and the item at the top is 0% (Randall has no explanation). | + | *The X axis in the graph indicates weirdness. |
+ | **The table assumes that the item to the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the item to the far right is 100% (weird as hell). | ||
+ | *The Y axis indicates if Randall has an explanation. | ||
+ | **The table assumes that the item at the bottom is 100% (Randall has a clear explanation) and the item at the top is 0% (Randall has no explanation). | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
!Entry | !Entry | ||
!Weirdness | !Weirdness | ||
− | ! | + | !Explainable |
!Further details | !Further details | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain'' |
− | | | + | |9% |
− | | | + | |4% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -05% --> |
− | | | + | |The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring. |
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Lindbergh baby | ||
+ | |17% | ||
+ | |25% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --> | ||
+ | |The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |UVB-76 |
− | | | + | |40% |
− | | | + | |23% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -17% --> |
− | | | + | |{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Toynbee tiles |
− | | | + | |25% |
− | | | + | |34% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --> |
− | | | + | |{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Jimmy Hoffa |
− | | | + | |10% |
− | | | + | |42% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +32% --> |
− | | | + | |{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]]) |
|- | |- | ||
|The WOW signal | |The WOW signal | ||
|55% | |55% | ||
|20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -35% --> | |20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -35% --> | ||
− | |The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 | + | |The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of radio signals transmitted by extraterrestrial intelligent beings. |
|- | |- | ||
|Mary Celeste | |Mary Celeste | ||
|70% | |70% | ||
|43% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -27% --> | |43% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -27% --> | ||
− | |The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift off the {{w|Azores Islands}}, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. | + | |The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift off the {{w|Azores Islands}}, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |DB Cooper |
− | | | + | |76% |
− | | | + | |20% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -56% --> |
− | |{{w| | + | |{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom in 1971. No trace of him was ever found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] which compares Cooper to film director {{w|Tommy Wiseau}}. Note that this "Mysteries" comic was published shortly after [http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2zdzik/tommy_wiseau_creator_of_the_room_and_the_new_tv/ Tommy Wiseau did a Reddit AMA]. |
+ | |- | ||
+ | |Salish Sea feet | ||
+ | |96% | ||
+ | |31% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -65% --> | ||
+ | |Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States). | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Lead masks case |
− | | | + | |99% |
− | | | + | |12% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -87% --> |
− | | | + | |In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |MH370 |
− | | | + | |100% |
− | | | + | |0% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = -100% --> |
− | | | + | |On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Voynich manuscript |
− | | | + | |35% |
− | | | + | |68% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +33% --> |
− | | | + | |The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. It came to public attention in the early 20th century and probably was written in Italy in the early 15th century. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]]. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer |
− | | | + | |0% |
− | | | + | |96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +96% --> |
− | | | + | |Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |JFK |
− | | | + | |38% |
− | | | + | |86% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +48% --> |
− | |The {{w| | + | |The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story. It seems Randall thinks this has been explained pretty well. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Oak Island money pit |
− | | | + | |32% |
− | | | + | |98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +66% --> |
− | | | + | |An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Zodiac letters |
− | | | + | |62% |
− | | | + | |62% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +00% --> |
− | |{{w| | + | |A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved. |
|- | |- | ||
|Amelia Earhart | |Amelia Earhart | ||
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|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace. See also [[950: Mystery Solved]]. | |{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace. See also [[950: Mystery Solved]]. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Lost colony |
− | | | + | |74% |
− | | | + | |83% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +09% --> |
− | |{{w| | + | |The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and no definitive evidence as to what happened. However, given the hardships faced by the colonists when they were left and that the buildings in the colony were dismantled, indicating departure was not hurried, it is likely they moved and/or integrated with the local tribes. Which probably accounts for Randall's high "explainable" rating. (See title text of [[950: Mystery Solved]]) |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Bigfoot |
− | | | + | |60% |
− | | | + | |98% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +38% --> |
− | | | + | |{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America. |
|- | |- | ||
|Loch Ness monster | |Loch Ness monster | ||
|64% | |64% | ||
|100% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +36% --> | |100% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +36% --> | ||
− | |The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland | + | |The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Kentucky meat shower |
− | | | + | |85% |
− | | | + | |93% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +08% --> |
− | | | + | |In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/]. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Dyatlov Pass incident |
− | | | + | |93% |
− | | | + | |96% <!-- explainable minus weirdness = +03% --> |
− | | | + | |On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct. |
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:[Top left quadrant:] | :[Top left quadrant:] | ||
− | :Who Carly Simon is singing about in | + | :Who Carly Simon is singing about in You're So Vain |
:UVB-76 | :UVB-76 | ||
:Lindbergh baby | :Lindbergh baby | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category:Charts]] | |
− | [[Category: | ||
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[[Category:Wikipedia]] | [[Category:Wikipedia]] | ||
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