The annals of Wikipedia are an irresistible rabbit hole – you enter looking for something as inane as a person’s birth date, and next thing you know, you’re 5 pages deep into the life and times of murderer Ted Bundy. There’s also records of all kinds of strange and disturbing events on there, which are as interesting as they are unsettling.
1. The unexplained disappearance of diver Ben McDaniel.
In 2010, scuba diver Ben McDaniel went missing, with his parents believing he drowned in one of the extensive underwater cave systems in Florida. However, no remains were ever found despite several arduous searches by experienced divers. There have been several theories, with some relating to the supposedly accidental death of another female diver a year later, or even that he was murdered and the body was removed before authorities were contacted.
2. The murder of the Dupont de Ligonnès family and the disappearance of the father.
In 2011, the bodies of the 4 children, mother, and dogs of the Dupont de Ligonnès family in France were found buried in the back garden of their home. The father disappeared around the same time, and has not been found since. There’s an international arrest warrant out for him. The truly creepy aspect of this case is that a journalist received a photo of the kids in 2015 that read, ‘I’m still alive’.
3. Over 20 human feet washed up on the shore of the Salish Sea.
On the shore of the Salish Sea in Canada and Washington, at least 20 detached human feet have washed up since 2007. There”s been no explanation for this bizarre, and frankly rather macabre phenomenon. Some of the proposed explanations have been that it came from people who died in a tsunami, or from people who killed themselves by jumping off a bridge.
4. Mellified Man, a medicine made from soaking a dead person in honey for 100 years.
This ancient Chinese ‘medicine’ was made through an elaborate process. People who were near death would subsist on a diet of only honey, until their faeces and sweat was also honey, and they would even bathe in it. When they died, their body would be placed in a stone coffin filled with honey. After the century, the resulting substance would be sold as medicine to heal broken limbs.
5. Woman’s skeleton found inside of a wych elm tree in England.
In 1943, the skeletonised remains of a woman was found by four children inside a wych elm in Worcestershire, England. The victim’s murder is approximated to have been in 1941, and she remains unidentified to this day.
6. The list of unusual deaths.
If you have a truly massive amount of time on your hands, you can peruse this exhaustive list of strange deaths over the centuries. Not only is it really long, it’s also highly interesting. I mean, it’s about death, but still, there’s even a dude who was killed with a poison toothpick!
7. Alien hand syndrome, where it feels like someone else is controlling your arms.
Alien hand syndrome is a condition in which a person’s limbs, such as their hands, makes purposeful movements without them being conscious of it. Sometimes, the hand might even do things the person doesn’t want to, like harm themselves. Many sufferers have said it feels like someone else is controlling their arm.
8. Transplanting a head on a living monkey.
In 1970, Robert J. White did 4 experiments in which he cut the head off of a monkey and connected the blood vessels of another monkey head to it The grafted heads were able to function for a while – the eyes tracked moving objects and it could chew and swallow. However, there were severe side effects and the animals died between 6 hours and 3 days after the heads were transplanted. The experiments were highly criticised by many.
9. June and Jennifer Gibbons, the silent twins who only spoke to each other in a secret language.
The 2 identical twins were inseparable since childhood, and as they grew up, would speak only to each other, that to in a language only they understood. They became catatonic when apart, and were sent to a psychiatric facility. They made a death pact, in which one would die so the other could finally live a normal life.
10. The Dyatlov Pass incident, where 9 Russian hikers died in strange circumstances.
Between 1 and 2 February 1959, 9 experienced Russian hikers who were camping high in the freezing Ural Mountains ran out of their tents without any proper protection or clothing. It is not known what made them leave the camp, and their bodies were found some ways away. However, while some died from the cold, others had injury marks. It is not known why they fled, or what exactly killed them.
Pretty disturbing stuff.