Unexplained Mysteries

What happens when a teenager goes missing in the world's smallest, and supposedly safest, country? Emanuela Orlandi's sudden disappearance remains the only missing person's case in Vatican City, yet more than 40 years later we still have no idea what really happened behind the papal state's walls. After the story, stick around for an exclusive interview with the director of The First Omen, Arkasha Stevenson! This episode is brought to you by Twentieth Century Studios' the First Omen. Experience the most terrifying movie of the year, and what critics are calling “deliciously disturbing” only in theaters April 5th. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to sudden memory loss, the most common forms of amnesia are often short-term, and stem from trauma to the brain. But some cases are much more inexplicable. People with Dissociative Amnesia don't experience brain damage, but still lose large chunks of time… and can even forget their entire identity. This episode originally aired in February 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How would a time machine work? Physicists have been engaging the question for decades — and building theoretical frameworks to make it happen. From designs like the Tipler Cylinder, to the paradoxes that imply time travel's improbability, how close are we really to folding the fabric of space-time back on itself… and breaking free from the constraints of time as we know it? This episode originally aired in November 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it possible… and has it happened already? Today we're investigating the most famous — maybe even most credible — timeslip in history (involving two respected academics and Marie Antoinette!), and the alleged time traveler from 2036 who's connected to a mystery no one's been able to crack. This episode originally aired in November 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A disembodied arm, a man-eating shark, and multiple rumored mob hits. It's one of Australia's most famous and bizarre murder mysteries, but the pair of unsolved deaths might not be murders at all... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over 10,000 years ago, the city of Atlantis was believed to exist as a pinnacle of human achievement before it was suddenly, mysteriously wiped from the face of the earth. Over millennia of human evolution, our species has returned time and time again to the mystery of the Lost City. This episode originally aired in May 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Known as the first Empire, this great city ran afoul of the gods and was destroyed over 10,000 years ago. Despite expeditions made by everyone from Spanish Conquistadors to Nazis, there's no proof the Atlantis actually ever existed. This episode originally aired in May 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the past decade, thousands of people have realized their memories don't quite match history. Though these false recollections are usually insignificant, perhaps they point to someone making changes to space, time, or even the fabric of our reality… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2009, paranormal investigator Fiona Broome realized something odd: She had a memory of watching Nelson Mandela's funeral in the 1980s. The only problem? He was still alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a group of thieves hijacked a train and escaped with millions of pounds, they set a new record for the largest cash robbery in British history. But who tipped them off? For decades, sleuths have debated the identity of ‘The Ulsterman' — the shadowy insider who instigated the Great Train Robbery of 1963.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After five years, we're saying goodbye to Unexplained Mysteries.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The site of the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil is also allegedly home to countless restless spirits. Today, we'll cover the nightmarish clash between the Union and the Confederacy and retell some of the most famous — and terrifying — ghost stories from its grounds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1940s, an elite group of American female pilots known as the WASPs risked their lives during WWII, testing new airplane models, transporting aircraft, and preparing fighter planes for combat. In October 1944, Gertrude Tompkins Silver took off from Los Angeles in a P-51 Mustang. It was supposed to be a routine flight, but four days after takeoff, Gertrude was declared missing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some of the wildest UFO encounters have happened in the Alaska Triangle. Are aliens behind the many unsolved disappearances there? Or should we believe the stories that say cryptids—like the Hairyman—are stalking the region? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Missing planes, government cover-ups, something called the Dark Pyramid… The mysteries run deep in this remote region of Alaska, which has been earning an unnerving—and some say, supernatural—reputation since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aliens did not build Machu Picchu (though this episode does include a story about supernatural warriors…). Ever since Hiram Bingham III came upon “the city in the sky” in 1911, questions have lingered: Who lived there? What was its purpose? And how did it survive all this time intact? Scientists and scholars continue to puzzle out the answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 20th century, a history professor from Yale introduced the world to Machu Picchu—an ancient Incan city built atop the Andes Mountains. The now-legendary site is a feat of engineering, hydrology, and physics. It's also a place of mystery, posing questions that have baffled scholars for years.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In rural Missouri, a reverend's granddaughter hunts for proof of a family secret….and stumbles into a government conspiracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Jurassic Park film franchise brought dinosaurs to life using CGI and special effects. But, with advancing gene engineering technology, could dinosaurs actually be resurrected? If so, should they be? Would they even survive in 21st-century conditions? We may find out sooner than you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been thirty years since the first Jurassic Park film dazzled global audiences. Since then, the movie franchise has reshaped our understanding of dinosaurs. But should it? Though the filmmakers got some things right, some inaccuracies remained for dramatic effect, leaving many questions unanswered. What do we really know about velociraptors? Were they as formidable as they are depicted in the films? And if it was possible, what would a real-life Jurassic Park look like today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, we're digging deeper into a film that preyed on the world's fascination with dinosaurs and changed cinema as we know it: Jurassic Park. Based on the book by Michael Crichton and directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park tore through the box office to become the highest-grossing film ever upon its release — weaving innovative technology with groundbreaking practical effects to bring an ancient species long extinct... back to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For centuries, humans have had a deep fascination with mermaids. Most just think it would be fun to be them. Others claim to be descendants of the half-fish, half-human creatures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With roughly 80% of our oceans unexplored, new species are constantly being discovered. But there is one species that has been sighted in different corners of the world since the beginning of time. Mermaids are half-fish, half-human, and all mystery. Do these creatures really exist, and if not, why are stories of them embedded in so many cultures? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some people are born with extraordinary abilities. Others may discover them when they least expect it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For centuries, the Oracle made prophecies while in a mind-altering trance. Thanks to their accurate predictions they played a pivotal role in the struggle for control of Greece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In ancient times, humans were desperate to make sense of the world. For centuries, people flocked to Delphi to speak with a mysterious fortune-teller and receive a prophecy. But because she was the most sought-after seer in the Mediterranean world, the wait could be an all-day event — if you got to see her at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The faster the world can transition away from fossil fuels, the higher the likelihood of slowing climate change. So, if clean energies like wind, solar, and hydropower have been proven to be more effective options, what else stands in the way? If you'd like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling platform killed 11 men and started a catastrophic leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Eighty-seven days and millions of gallons of oil later, the spill was finally stopped. Now, over a decade later, we're still dealing with its disastrous effects on our environment, food, and health.  If you'd like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In one year, over 800 million people will suffer from hunger. Yet, in that same year, 1.3 billion tons of food will be discarded. Food waste is a global problem that can be solved. So, why hasn't it been? And how long before its effects on our population and environment become irreversible? If you'd like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cities worldwide are headed for a "Day Zero'' when taps will run dry. Even though water covers over 70% of the Earth's surface, only about 1% is fresh enough to drink. Scientists are working on ways to desalinate water, but will it be enough, and if so, will it be in time? If you'd like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most famous stories in the bible is the tale of Noah's Ark. Many believe it's just a parable. But with numerous cultures having similar stories of a great flood, some wonder if it could have happened. Then, in 1993, a man climbing Turkey's Mount Ararat claimed to have found physical evidence of Noah's legendary ark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many familiar with the Tower of Babel from the Book of Genesis interpret it as a mythical explanation for the birth of multiple cultures and languages. But evidence suggests it may have been an actual structure in Babylon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does your life unfold as a result of free will or because your fate is written in the stars? There have been tons of scientific studies trying to demystify astrology. But there is far more to these studies than meets the eye.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since the ancient Babylonians, man has gazed up at the stars and tried to find meaning in them. Thanks to Isaac Newton, we now better understand how these celestial bodies follow a mathematical trajectory. But have we gotten any closer to understanding how the stars can predict day-to-day events in our lives? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the Sherman family sold their ranch, new owner Robert Bigelow and his team were excited to prove the existence of alien life. Over the next few years, his team witnessed strange phenomena but could never document them. While they chalked it up to things like electromagnetic interference, skeptics heard nothing but excuses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Strange things started happening at Terry and Gwen Sherman's new ranch in northeastern Utah not long after they bought the property. They claimed mysterious creatures roamed around. Spacecraft seemed to patrol the grounds. And the cattle were being mutilated. Were there logical explanations for these events, or was something otherworldly happening? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the past century, numerous hikers have claimed to have seen the Big Grey Man or its relatives like Sasquatch or the Abominable Snowman. But some believe they didn't actually see these creatures. Instead, they were experiencing something known as the Brocken Spectre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's rumored to stand on two legs, has the face of a fox, and wears a top hat. His name is Big Grey Man, and if you're in the Cairngorm Mountains in the Scottish Highlands, you will feel its presence before you see it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 1920s and early ‘30s, word spread about Therese Neumann's regular ecstatic visions, healing powers, and stigmata. Local bishops were skeptical and sent doctors to study her in person. While some of her feats could be explained, others seemed legitimately miraculous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an accident left her disabled, Therese Neumann started having visions of Jesus Christ. But they weren't just visions, she experienced them as if she was Jesus. Some people were skeptical, but Therese had the scars to prove it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our friends over at Solved Murders have a new true crime special! Over the next four weeks, discover the true story of a legendary figure of the Wild West… The man widely believed to have inspired the Lone Ranger… Who was born into slavery — and became one of America's most revered lawmen. His name was Bass Reeves. Catch episode one of the four-part miniseries Bass Reeves: No Master But Duty here, and follow Solved Murders free on Spotify to hear the rest! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

His life could have been saved if he had decided to reveal his stolen treasure's whereabouts. Instead, legendary privateer Olivier Levasseur tossed a paper with an encrypted map into the crowd. Would it lead to one of the greatest hauls in history? Or was it simply a folktale designed to enhance the myth of one of the most ruthless pirates to sail the Seven Seas? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices