15 Most Unusual True Tales

This compilation was put together by a co-editor of Fortean Times, a Journal of Strange Phenomena, a well-known British monthly publication.

15. Bees That Honor Their Keeper

Margaret Bell, a beekeeper from Leintwardine, located approximately 7 miles from her residence in Ludlow, Shropshire (England), passed away in June 1994. Shortly after her funeral, attendees were astonished to witness hundreds of bees gathering on the corner of the street across from her home, where she had lived for 26 years. The bees remained for an hour before flying away over the rooftops. A local newspaper even published a photo of the bees clustered on the wall.

14. Ghostly Automobile Accident

On December 11, 2002, two drivers contacted the police after witnessing a car swerving off the A3 trunk road with its headlights shining brightly in Burpham, Surrey. A detailed search revealed a car hidden in thick undergrowth and the long-deceased driver nearby. Investigations showed that the accident had occurred five months prior when the driver, Christopher Chandler, was reported missing by his brother.

13. Mysterious Ground Depression

In October 1984, an oddly shaped hole measuring approximately 10ft by 7ft with 2ft vertical sides was discovered on a secluded farm near Grand Coulee, Washington State. The hole had not been present a month earlier. Trails of earth and stones led to a three-ton grass-covered slab located 75 feet away. It appeared as though the slab had been extracted with a massive cookie cutter, with roots still hanging intact from both the hole and the slab. No evidence such as vehicle tracks was found, and the possibility of an earthquake was deemed highly unlikely.

12. Balloon Companions

Laura Buxton released a helium balloon during her grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary celebration in Blurton, Staffordshire, in June 2001. The balloon carried her name, address, and a note requesting the finder to respond. Ten days later, she received a reply. The balloon had been discovered by another Laura Buxton in the garden hedge of her home in Pewsey, Wiltshire, 140 miles away. Both Lauras were 10 years old, owned three-year-old black Labradors, and had a guinea pig and a rabbit.

11. Hum Along with Misty

According to the Veterinary Record (April 1995), a Welsh pony named Misty had been emitting a noise resembling amplifier feedback from its right ear for three years. The sound varied in intensity but maintained a constant pitch of 7 kHz. While hearing a buzzing in one’s ears is known as Subjective Tinnitus, it is far rarer for others to hear the noise as well, a condition called Objective Tinnitus. The cause of this phenomenon remains largely debated.

10. Children Swept by Whirlwinds

In July 1992, a nine-year-old Chinese girl playing in Songjiang near Shanghai was lifted by a whirlwind and gently placed unharmed in a treetop nearly two miles away. Similarly, a wire report from May 1986 described a freak wind lifting 13 children in the oasis of Hami in Western China and depositing them safely in sand dunes and scrubland 12 miles away.

9. Enigma by the Riverside

In February 1994, Gloria Ramirez, 31, passed away from kidney failure at Riverside General Hospital, California, after being admitted with severe chest pains. Emergency room staff were overwhelmed by mysterious “fumes” when a blood sample was drawn. Reports noted an unusual oily sheen on her skin and unidentified white crystals in her blood. One doctor suffered liver and lung damage, along with bone necrosis, while at least 23 others were affected. One theory suggested that Ramirez, who had cervical cancer, had ingested a mix of medications that formed an insecticide (organophosphate), but tests provided no conclusive evidence.

8. Stones in the Treetops

In April 1997, a turkey hunter in Yellowwood State Forest, Indiana, discovered a massive sandstone boulder lodged between three branches of an oak tree, approximately 35 feet above the ground. The arrow-shaped rock weighed an estimated 500lb. Later, four more large boulders were found similarly wedged high in trees across the forest. All were located in remote areas, with no damage to the trees, no signs of heavy machinery or tornado activity, and no records of nearby dynamite-related incidents.

7. Guiding Voices

During a holiday, a woman, identified as AB by the British Medical Journal (1997), heard two voices in her head urging her to return home immediately. Upon arriving in London, the voices provided her with an address that led to a hospital’s brain scan department. They instructed her to request a scan, claiming she had a brain tumour and inflammation in her brain stem. Despite having no symptoms, a scan was conducted, revealing the tumour. After surgery, the voices returned, saying, “We are pleased to have helped you. Good-bye.” AB recovered fully.

6. La Mancha Negra

A unique danger on Venezuelan highways is a slippery substance known as La Mancha Negra (the black stain), which resembles a sludge with the consistency of chewing gum. Despite millions spent on research, its origin, composition, and removal remain a mystery. First appearing in 1987 on the road from Caracas to the airport, it initially covered 50 yards but has since spread relentlessly. By 1992, it became a significant hazard around the capital, causing 1,800 fatalities due to drivers losing control. The issue persists to this day.

5. Farewell via Postcard

After Jim Wilson’s father passed away in Natal, South Africa, in April 1967, both Jim, residing in England, and his sister Muriel, living in Holland, were notified. Muriel reached out to her husband, who was on a business trip in Portugal, and he immediately flew to South Africa. During a layover at Las Palmas airport in the Canary Islands, he purchased a postcard depicting holidaymakers on Margate Beach, Natal, and mailed it to Muriel. She later noticed that the photo captured her father walking along the beach.

4. Wallet from Above

In October 1975, Mrs. Lynn Connolly was hanging laundry in her garden in Quadrant, Hull, when she felt a sharp tap on her head. It was caused by a small silver notecase, measuring 63mm by 36.5mm, with a hinge and containing a used notepad with 13 remaining sheets. The case bore the initials SE, C8, TB (or ‘JB’), and “Klaipeda,” a Lithuanian seaport. No one claimed it at the police station, so it was returned to Mrs. Connolly. It likely fell from a short distance, but its origin remains a mystery. If it had fallen from a plane, the impact would have been far more severe.

3. More Than a Doppelgänger

Bobby Shafran, 19, arrived at college for his first day, puzzled by classmates who kept mistaking him for someone named Eddy. Bobby soon discovered that Eddy Galland, another freshman, looked exactly like him—so much so that they appeared to be twins. The mystery deepened when David Kellman reached out after seeing their photo in a local newspaper, as he also shared their striking resemblance. The trio learned they were triplets separated at birth and adopted by families of different economic backgrounds as part of a psychological study. The experiment aimed to explore the nature vs. nurture debate by placing them in varying socio-economic environments.

Source: The Fortean Times

2. The Cattle Conundrum

On June 28, 2002, during a series of unexplained cattle mutilations in Argentina, a grim discovery was made in a field near Suco, west of Rio Cuarto in San Luis province. Nineteen cows were found crammed into a sheet metal water tank sealed with a conical cap. Nine had drowned, while the rest survived, having endured freezing temperatures and the trauma of the ordeal.

1. Mysterious Blazes

The village of Canneto di Caronia on Sicily’s north coast has been tormented by unexplained fires. The incidents began on January 20, 2004, when a television set caught fire. Soon, household items in neighboring homes—such as washing machines, mobile phones, mattresses, chairs, and even water pipe insulation—started igniting. Authorities cut off electricity and railway power, but the fires persisted. Experts conducted numerous tests but found no explanation. After the village was evacuated in February, the fires resumed when residents returned in March. Police dismissed the possibility of a pyromaniac after witnessing wires spontaneously bursting into flames.