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There are many things in this world that we don’t understand, some we may never understand. Some out of hate, some for reasons still unknown, these are occurrences we will never have answers to.

Dancing Plague of 1518

In Strasbourg, Alsace, in the Holy Roman empire, a strange incident took place in 1518. Around 400 people took to randomized dancing in the streets, with no reason found. Over about a month, some collapsed or dies of a heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion. There have been many reasons as to why this happened, the most compelling being mass hysteria (Mass Psychogenic Illness). This is when a group of people experience the same bizarre behaviors. There was also one saying ergot fungi could have been a cause, which is a fungus that forms on wheat. I role this out because research shows that this fungus doesn’t grow in the climate they were in. I guess it will always remain a mystery.

Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials is a very unfortunate event that took place in Salem, Massachusetts between February 1692 to May 1693. 200 were accused of using witchcraft and 19 were found guilty and hanged. Like the previous, hysteria and fungus (which frown mainly on rye and wheat, and can cause hallucinations in humans and mammals that eat it) are two theories that have been used to explain the incidents that unfolded in this small town. There is also ways to explain some of the reasons why people were accused, such as sleep paralysis. This is an occurrence that will always live on in our minds.

Dyatlov Pass

Name after the lead of an expedition, Dyatlov Pass is a strange and eerie situation. In 1959, a group of skiers in the Soviet Union formed an expedition. They kept their movement in a log on a notebook. Dyatlov said they would send a telegram to a sports club around February 12th. When that day came and telegram came, suspicions grew. It was found that the group had left their tents in the middle of the night in a panic. There were cuts in their tent and most of their cloths were left behind. Keep in mind this was winter in Russia, so it was cold. The hikers were found dead, most from hypothermia, but two had chest fractures, and one of them had her tongue and eyes missing. The speculations as to what happened fall to military testing with bombs and the group got shell shocked and fled, then ended up being injured due to this, and the other was a menk, or a Russian Yeti. Whatever it was, this will remain a tragedy that will remain unsolved.