Paranormal cases, UFO and UAP encounters, cryptids, disappearances, anomalies, legends and unresolved mysteries. Each dossier separates documented history, claims, evidence, skeptical explanations and sources.
The Hodgson family reported knocking, furniture movement, thrown objects, apparent levitation and a rough voice associated especially with 11-year-old Janet Hodgson. Psychical researchers Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair spent long periods at the house and argued that at least some incidents were difficult to explain normally.
Enfield, London · 1977–1979George and Kathy Lutz moved into 112 Ocean Avenue roughly thirteen months after Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six members of his family there. The Lutz family left after 28 days and later described odors, cold spots, strange noises, flies, levitation and other frightening experiences.
Amityville, New York · 1975–1976The Bell Witch legend centers on farmer John Bell and his family in Robertson County, Tennessee. Later accounts describe knocking, scratching, bedcovers being pulled away, physical attacks and an invisible voice that became known as 'Kate.' The legend eventually claimed that the entity contributed to John Bell's death.
Adams, Tennessee · 1817–1821Borley Rectory, built in the nineteenth century, became famous after reports of footsteps, bells, apparitions, writing on walls and thrown objects. Psychical researcher Harry Price publicized the house as 'the most haunted house in England' and later rented it for a year of investigation.
Borley, Essex · 1929–1939The 'Brown Lady' is a ghost tradition associated with Raynham Hall. The case became famous in 1936 when photographers Captain Hubert Provand and Indre Shira said they saw a vaporous form on a staircase while photographing the hall for Country Life magazine.
Norfolk, England · 1936A law office in Rosenheim became the center of unusual reports involving malfunctioning lights, unexplained telephone activity, moving fixtures and pictures allegedly rotating on walls. Parapsychologist Hans Bender and technicians investigated after utility and telephone problems drew attention.
Rosenheim, Bavaria · 1967The Pritchard family at 30 East Drive reported pools of water, thrown objects, unexplained noises and apparitions, including a dark hooded figure later nicknamed the 'Black Monk.' The disturbances became one of Britain's most famous domestic haunting stories.
Pontefract, West Yorkshire · 1960sTeenager Shirley Hitchings and her family reported years of knocking, objects moving, written messages and other disturbances in their Battersea home. The alleged entity was nicknamed 'Donald.' Researcher Harold Chibbett documented the family for an extended period.
Battersea, London · 1956–1968The RMS Queen Mary served as an ocean liner and wartime troopship before becoming a permanently moored attraction in Long Beach. Over the years visitors and staff have reported footsteps, voices, apparitions and activity around areas such as the engine room and former pool.
Long Beach, California · Post-1967 reportsSarah Winchester expanded her San Jose home for decades after inheriting a large fortune. The mansion became famous for its maze-like layout and for stories that she built continuously to appease spirits connected with Winchester firearms.
San Jose, California · 1886–1922 / later legendsThe Myrtles Plantation is associated with stories of apparitions, mysterious deaths and a frequently repeated tale about an enslaved woman named Chloe. Guests have also reported footsteps, mirrors showing figures and unexplained sounds.
St. Francisville, Louisiana · 19th–20th century legendsEastern State Penitentiary operated from 1829 to 1971 and became known for its radial design and system of isolation. Modern visitors and paranormal investigators have reported voices, footsteps, shadowy figures and sensations in empty cellblocks.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · 20th–21st century reportsThe Stanley Hotel opened in 1909 and later became closely associated with ghost stories and with Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining. Guests and staff have reported piano music, apparitions and unexplained activity in several rooms.
Estes Park, Colorado · 20th–21st century reportsEight people were murdered in a Villisca home in June 1912, and the crime remains officially unsolved. Decades later, the house developed a reputation for voices, children's sounds, moving objects and other alleged paranormal activity.
Villisca, Iowa · 1912 / later reportsA modest house in Atchison became famous after a family living there reported scratches, fires, moving objects and other frightening events. The activity was later associated in popular accounts with a supposed child spirit called Sallie.
Atchison, Kansas · 1990s–present reportsThe Ancient Ram Inn is a historic building whose owner and visitors reported apparitions, strange sounds and frightening nighttime experiences. Stories link the property to centuries of local history and later occult legends.
Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire · 20th–21st century reportsLeap Castle has a violent and complex history and is associated with stories of apparitions, a 'Bloody Chapel' and a frightening entity often called an elemental. Modern owners and visitors have continued to report unusual experiences.
County Offaly · Historic legends / modern reportsThe South Bridge vaults beneath Edinburgh housed workshops, storage areas and later poorer residents. After sections were rediscovered, the underground rooms became associated with reports of voices, touches and shadowy figures.
Edinburgh, Scotland · 18th century site / modern reportsThe Tower of London has accumulated ghost stories involving Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, the Princes in the Tower and other historical figures connected with imprisonment and execution at the fortress.
London, England · Centuries of legendsBhangarh is a ruined settlement and fort complex in Rajasthan surrounded by legends involving curses, doomed romance and supernatural danger after dark. It is frequently described in popular media as one of India's most haunted places.
Rajasthan · Historic site / later folkloreA small chinampa in the canals of Xochimilco became covered with dolls after caretaker Julián Santana Barrera reportedly began hanging them around the island. Popular accounts say he believed a drowned girl's spirit haunted the area and that the dolls helped appease it.
Xochimilco, Mexico City · 20th century legendMonte Cristo Homestead is a historic Australian house associated with stories of apparitions, unexplained lights, voices and tragic events. The property has been promoted for decades as one of Australia's most haunted homes.
Junee, New South Wales · 19th–20th century legendsGreyfriars Kirkyard is a centuries-old Edinburgh cemetery. In the late twentieth century, stories centered on the tomb of Sir George Mackenzie grew into reports of scratches, fainting, cold spots and a supposed 'Mackenzie Poltergeist' associated with a restricted vault area.
Edinburgh, Scotland · 1990s–present reportsHoia Baciu Forest is associated with stories of strange lights, unusual sensations, missing time and an often-photographed clearing where vegetation reportedly behaves differently. It has become one of Europe's most famous paranormal forests.
Cluj County, Transylvania · 20th–21st century reportsSkinwalker Ranch became famous after owners and investigators reported unusual lights, UAP, animal injuries, alleged creatures and other anomalies. The property was later studied by privately funded teams and became the subject of books and television programs.
Uintah County, Utah · 1990s–present claimsIn July 1947 debris was recovered from a ranch near Roswell. The U.S. Army initially announced that it had recovered a 'flying disc,' then quickly described the material as a weather balloon. Decades later, the incident became the center of claims that an extraterrestrial craft and bodies had been recovered.
near Roswell, New Mexico · 1947U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters reported unusual lights in Rendlesham Forest over several nights in December 1980. Deputy base commander Lt. Col. Charles Halt later recorded an audio account during one investigation and wrote a memorandum describing the event.
Suffolk, England · 1980On March 13, 1997 witnesses across Arizona reported unusual lights, including a formation that appeared to move southeast across the state and a later row of lights near Phoenix. Some observers described a huge V- or boomerang-shaped object blocking out stars.
Arizona · 1997Dozens of children at Ariel School in Ruwa reported seeing one or more unusual objects near the school and, in many accounts, small humanlike beings. Researchers and journalists interviewed the children soon afterward, and many witnesses have maintained their basic accounts as adults.
Ruwa · 1994Betty and Barney Hill reported seeing a strange light while driving home through New Hampshire in September 1961. Later, under hypnosis, both described an alleged abduction and medical examination by humanoid beings, helping establish the modern alien-abduction narrative.
New Hampshire · 1961Forestry worker Travis Walton disappeared for five days after coworkers said they saw a bright object in the woods and Walton approached it. Walton later said he regained consciousness aboard a strange craft and encountered nonhuman beings.
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona · 1975Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker told police that while fishing near the Pascagoula River they encountered a glowing craft and strange robotic-looking beings that carried them aboard. The men reported the experience shortly after it allegedly happened.
Pascagoula, Mississippi · 1973Police officer Lonnie Zamora reported seeing an oval or egg-shaped object on the ground near Socorro, along with two small figures nearby. He said the object took off with a loud roar and flame as he approached.
Socorro, New Mexico · 1964Pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier strike group reported radar contacts and a white, oblong object near disturbed ocean water. Commander David Fravor and other aviators described unusual apparent acceleration and movement. A later flight recorded infrared video now commonly called FLIR1.
Pacific Ocean off Southern California · 2004The 'Gimbal' video was recorded by a U.S. Navy aircraft sensor and shows an infrared target while aircrew discuss a group of objects. The target appears to rotate in the display, a feature that became central to debate about the footage.
Atlantic training area · 2015The 'GoFast' infrared clip shows a small target apparently moving rapidly over the ocean while Navy aviators react to the sensor track. It was one of three UAP videos formally released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Atlantic training area · 2015Thousands of reports were associated with a wave of sightings in Belgium, many describing large triangular objects with lights. On March 30–31, 1990, radar contacts led the Belgian Air Force to scramble F-16 fighters.
Belgium · 1989–1990Students and staff at Westall High School and a nearby primary school reported one or more silver objects moving over the area and apparently descending near a place called the Grange. Many witnesses were children or teenagers and continued discussing the event decades later.
Melbourne, Victoria · 1966After citizens reported a bright object over Tehran, the Imperial Iranian Air Force scrambled F-4 Phantom II fighters. A U.S. defense intelligence report later described communications and instrumentation problems during the encounter and additional lights or objects seen by aircrew.
Tehran · 1976Residents reported lights descending toward the water near Shag Harbour and initially believed an aircraft had crashed. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and rescue services responded, but no missing aircraft or conventional wreckage was identified.
Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia · 1967Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum and Landrum's grandson reported encountering a bright diamond-shaped object above a road that produced intense heat. They also described numerous helicopters in the area. The witnesses later reported significant health problems.
near Dayton, Texas · 1980United Airlines employees at Chicago O'Hare International Airport reported a dark or metallic disc-shaped object hovering above a gate area. Some said it shot upward and left a hole-like opening in the clouds.
Chicago, Illinois · 2006During two weekends in July 1952, radar operators around Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base reported unidentified targets while some pilots and observers also saw unusual lights. Fighter aircraft were launched to investigate.
Washington, D.C. · 1952Captain Kenju Terauchi and crew of Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 reported unusual lights and a very large object while flying over Alaska. The incident involved communications with air traffic control and later FAA review.
Alaska airspace · 1986Residents of Lubbock, including several college professors, reported formations of bright lights crossing the night sky. Student Carl Hart Jr. photographed a formation, producing some of the most famous UFO images of the early 1950s.
Lubbock, Texas · 1951A bright fireball was seen across parts of the United States and Canada on December 9, 1965. Residents near Kecksburg later reported that an acorn-shaped object came down in nearby woods and that military personnel secured the area.
Kecksburg, Pennsylvania · 1965Residents of Varginha reported unusual creatures and rumors spread that military or emergency personnel had captured something nonhuman. The case became known internationally as Brazil's 'Roswell.'
Varginha, Minas Gerais · 1996Residents around Colares and nearby communities reported luminous objects that they believed caused burns or other physical effects. The Brazilian Air Force conducted an investigation known as Operation Prato, photographing lights and interviewing witnesses.
Colares, Pará · 1977Pilots and television crew members reported unusual lights near Kaikōura, and a news crew recorded film from an aircraft. Radar contacts were also discussed, making the incident a major New Zealand UFO case.
South Island · 1978Thousands of people in the Hudson Valley region reported large V-shaped or boomerang-like patterns of lights. Some witnesses believed they were seeing enormous silent craft.
New York and Connecticut · 1980sIn the early hours of February 25, 1942, U.S. anti-aircraft batteries fired more than a thousand rounds over Los Angeles after radar and visual reports of a possible enemy aircraft. The event occurred only months after Pearl Harbor, when invasion fears were intense.
Los Angeles, California · 1942Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Captain Thomas Mantell died when his P-51 Mustang crashed while he was pursuing an unidentified object reported by observers on the ground. The incident became one of the earliest fatal stories linked to UFO investigation.
Kentucky · 1948Numerous people around Levelland reported a bright object or light during a stormy night, often claiming that vehicle engines or lights temporarily failed when the object was nearby and restarted after it moved away.
Levelland, Texas · 1957Teenager Norman Muscarello and later police officers reported a large object or group of flashing red lights near Exeter. The incident was investigated by Project Blue Book and became the subject of journalist John G. Full's book Incident at Exeter.
Exeter, New Hampshire · 1965An Army Reserve helicopter crew led by Captain Lawrence Coyne reported a close encounter with a bright object while flying at night. Crew members said the object approached rapidly and that the helicopter experienced an unusual climb despite controls being set for descent.
near Mansfield, Ohio · 1973Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin filmed a large, dark, humanlike figure walking across a sandbar in Northern California. The short 16mm sequence became the most famous piece of alleged Bigfoot evidence.
Bluff Creek, California · 1967Reports of a large unknown animal in Loch Ness became internationally famous in the 1930s, though older legends were later connected to the story. Sightings commonly describe humps, a long neck or large disturbances on the water.
Loch Ness, Scotland · 1930s–presentResidents around Point Pleasant reported a large winged figure with glowing red eyes, particularly around the abandoned TNT area. The sightings became linked in popular culture to the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, which killed 46 people.
Point Pleasant, West Virginia · 1966–1967During a Himalayan expedition, mountaineer Eric Shipton photographed a series of large footprints in snow that became iconic evidence in the search for the Yeti. The prints appeared much larger than a human foot beside an ice axe used for scale.
Menlung Glacier, Himalayas · 1951New Jersey folklore describes the Jersey Devil as a strange winged creature associated with the Pine Barrens. A major burst of reports in 1909 included alleged tracks, sightings and widespread public anxiety.
Pine Barrens, New Jersey · 18th century–presentThe modern chupacabra legend emerged in Puerto Rico in the 1990s after reports of livestock found dead with unusual wounds. Early descriptions featured a spiny, alien-like creature, while later mainland U.S. reports often described hairless doglike animals.
Puerto Rico and the Americas · 1995–presentA series of fatal animal attacks in the former province of Gévaudan killed and injured many people. Survivors described a large wolf-like animal, and organized hunts eventually killed several large wolves or wolf-like animals.
Gévaudan, France · 1764–1767Members of two families reported that small, strange beings approached a rural farmhouse after a bright object was seen in the sky. The occupants fired guns at figures they described as having large ears, glowing eyes and clawed hands.
Kelly-Hopkinsville, Kentucky · 1955After seeing a bright object cross the sky, a group including children and adults went to investigate a light on a hillside near Flatwoods. They reported a tall figure with a dark body, glowing eyes and a hood- or spade-shaped head.
Flatwoods, West Virginia · 1952Several teenagers reported seeing a small, thin creature with a large head and glowing or reflective eyes over two nights around Dover, Massachusetts. Witnesses produced drawings that helped make the case famous.
Dover, Massachusetts · 1977Stories from the Loveland area describe small upright frog- or lizard-like beings near roads and waterways. A 1972 police officer report became the best-known version, although one officer later said the animal he saw was an ordinary large iguana or similar pet.
Loveland, Ohio · 1955 / 1972Residents around Fouke reported a large, hairy, humanlike creature in swampy areas, including a widely publicized 1971 incident near a family's home. The story inspired the film The Legend of Boggy Creek.
Fouke, Arkansas · 1971–presentFlorida's Skunk Ape is described as a large, foul-smelling, hairy primate seen in swamps and wooded areas. Reports resemble Bigfoot traditions but are adapted to the subtropical environment.
Florida Everglades and surrounding areas · 20th century–presentResidents near Bray Road reported a large, hairy, wolf- or doglike creature that sometimes appeared to stand on two legs. Local journalist Linda Godfrey investigated reports and helped bring the story to national attention.
Walworth County, Wisconsin · 1980s–1990sOrang Pendek is described in Sumatran reports as a short, powerful, upright primate living in forested regions. Local traditions and occasional modern sightings have attracted zoologists and cryptozoologists.
Sumatra · 19th century–presentAmazonian stories describe the Mapinguari as a large, powerful forest creature with a terrible smell and unusual anatomy. Some modern cryptozoologists have speculated that reports could preserve memories of extinct ground sloths.
Amazon Basin · Indigenous traditions / modern reportsMokele-mbembe is described in popular cryptozoology as a large animal living in remote waterways of the Congo Basin, sometimes portrayed as sauropod-like. Expeditions have collected stories and searched for physical evidence.
Congo Basin · 20th century expedition claimsThe Mongolian Death Worm is described in stories as a thick red wormlike animal capable of killing at a distance with venom or electricity. Western attention grew through explorer Roy Chapman Andrews and later cryptozoological expeditions.
Gobi Desert · 20th century reportsThe Owlman story began after reports near Mawnan church of a large winged humanoid or owl-like figure. The case was heavily publicized by paranormal writer Tony 'Doc' Shiels.
Cornwall, England · 1976–presentNewspaper stories from Van Meter described a strange winged creature or creatures that reportedly flew over town and emitted a bright light. Armed residents were said to have confronted the beings near a mine.
Van Meter, Iowa · 1903Nine experienced hikers died after leaving their tent on Kholat Syakhl in severe winter conditions. The tent was cut from inside, some victims were lightly dressed, and several bodies were found with serious injuries, creating decades of speculation.
Northern Ural Mountains · 1959Residents of Norway's Hessdalen valley have reported recurring luminous phenomena ranging from bright stationary lights to moving balls or elongated forms. Scientific monitoring projects have recorded some events with cameras and instruments.
Hessdalen valley · 1980s–presentObservers near Marfa have long reported distant lights that seem to move, split or appear over desert terrain. The phenomenon became a major Texas roadside mystery.
near Marfa, Texas · 19th century reports–presentA small percentage of residents around Taos have reported hearing a persistent low-frequency hum that others cannot hear. Similar 'hum' reports occur in several places around the world.
Taos, New Mexico · 1990s–presentAstronomer Jerry Ehman noticed an unusually strong narrowband radio signal in data from Ohio State University's Big Ear telescope and wrote 'Wow!' beside the computer printout. The signal lasted for the 72-second observing window and was never detected again in the same way.
Big Ear radio telescope, Ohio · 1977A massive explosion flattened roughly two thousand square kilometers of Siberian forest. Eyewitnesses described a bright fireball and shock waves, while later expeditions found no conventional impact crater.
Podkamennaya Tunguska River, Siberia · 1908On October 13, 1917 a large crowd gathered near Fátima after three children said a miracle would occur. Many attendees reported that the Sun appeared to spin, change colors or move in the sky, while others reported seeing nothing unusual.
Fátima · 1917In 1518, historical records describe people in Strasbourg dancing for prolonged periods, with authorities initially responding in ways that may have encouraged the behavior. The episode has become one of history's strangest mass-behavior events.
Strasbourg · 1518After heavy snowfall in Devon, residents reported long trails of small hoof-like marks crossing fields, roofs, walls and other obstacles. Newspapers helped spread the story, and the tracks became known as the Devil's Footprints.
Devon, England · 1855Medieval chroniclers Ralph of Coggeshall and William of Newburgh wrote of two children found near Woolpit who reportedly had green skin, spoke an unknown language and initially ate only beans. The girl later adapted and described a strange homeland.
Woolpit, Suffolk · 12th centuryTwo electronics technicians, Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana, were found dead on Morro do Vintém wearing suits and homemade lead eye masks. A notebook contained cryptic instructions involving capsules and waiting for a signal.
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro · 1966Residents of a house in Bélmez reported face-like images appearing on a concrete floor. New faces were said to emerge even after sections were replaced, and the phenomenon attracted parapsychologists and media attention.
Bélmez de la Moraleda · 1971–present claimsResidents of Oakville reported gelatinous material falling from the sky on several occasions. Some people later associated illnesses with the substance, and samples were reportedly examined by local or state laboratories.
Oakville, Washington · 1994After two daughters of John and Florence Pollock died in a road accident, the couple later had twin girls. Their father and later writers claimed the twins showed behaviors, knowledge and birthmarks that resembled the deceased sisters.
Hexham, England · 1958 onwardA wine cabinet sold online became famous after owner Kevin Mannis described it as containing a malicious spirit from Jewish folklore. Later owners and media programs attributed nightmares, illness and bad luck to the object.
United States · 2000sTwo small stone heads found by children in Hexham became associated with reports of strange movement, animal disturbances and a half-human figure. The heads later passed through researchers and became part of British paranormal folklore.
Hexham, Northumberland · 1971Stories claim that the Dutch freighter Ourang Medan sent distress messages saying its crew was dying, after which rescuers found bodies with terrified expressions before the ship exploded and sank. The tale is often presented as a real maritime mystery.
Strait of Malacca region · 1940s allegedThe Bermuda Triangle is a loosely defined area between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico associated in popular culture with unexplained ship and aircraft disappearances. The legend grew dramatically through mid-twentieth-century books and magazine stories.
Western North Atlantic · 20th century popularizationThe Devil's Sea, sometimes called the Dragon's Triangle, is described in popular books as a Pacific counterpart to the Bermuda Triangle where ships and aircraft supposedly vanish under mysterious circumstances.
Pacific Ocean near Japan · 20th century popularizationThree lighthouse keepers—James Ducat, Thomas Marshall and Donald MacArthur—disappeared from the Flannan Isles lighthouse in December 1900. A relief crew found the station empty, and the men were never recovered.
Eilean Mòr, Outer Hebrides · 1900The merchant brigantine Mary Celeste was found adrift and seaworthy with its crew and captain's family missing. The ship's lifeboat was gone, while cargo and many personal possessions remained aboard.
Atlantic Ocean near the Azores · 1872An unidentified man was found dead on Somerton Beach with no obvious identification. Investigators later connected the case to a scrap of paper bearing the words 'Tamám Shud' and a copy of the Rubáiyát containing a coded-looking sequence.
Adelaide, South Australia · 1948A man using the name Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, received $200,000 and parachutes, then jumped from the Boeing 727 somewhere over the Pacific Northwest. He was never conclusively identified or found.
Pacific Northwest · 1971A Christmas Eve fire destroyed the Sodder family home. Five children were believed to have died, but their parents became convinced the children survived because no clearly identified remains were found and several suspicious circumstances were reported.
Fayetteville, West Virginia · 1945Five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger aircraft disappeared during a training mission from Fort Lauderdale. Radio transmissions indicate that the flight leader became uncertain about position and direction as weather and daylight worsened. A rescue aircraft also disappeared after launch.
Bermuda / western Atlantic · 1945