Every solved case
Once a mystery. Strong evidence now explains it. 28 cases across the files carry this verdict.
- The Roswell CrashFile 005: Conspiracy Theories Rated
Records show the debris came from a secret Project Mogul balloon train; the weather-balloon story was a cover for that, not for aliens.
- Dyed Ducklings for SaleFile 009: Weird Laws, Fact-Checked
KRS 436.600 is real and in force, but it bans dyed ducklings outright; the six-animal minimum is a separate rule for undyed young animals.
- No Cursing in Front of Women and ChildrenFile 009: Weird Laws, Fact-Checked
The 1897 law was real and produced a 1999 conviction, but a 2002 appeals ruling gutted it and Michigan repealed it in 2015.
- Killing BigfootFile 009: Weird Laws, Fact-Checked
The Bigfoot ordinance is real and in force, but the famous felony and $10,000 fine were replaced in 1984 with lighter penalties.
- HelikeFile 011: Lost Cities Found
Drilling and excavation located Helike's remains under the coastal plain, not the sea, as the city's own geology suggested.
- Thonis-HeracleionFile 011: Lost Cities Found
Underwater excavation located the port, and an inscribed stele proved Thonis and Heracleion were one city.
- EnduranceFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Endurance22 located and filmed the wreck in 2022, about 3,000 meters down near Worsley's recorded position.
- SS Central AmericaFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
The wreck was located in 1988 and identified by recovered artifacts, including its 1853 bell.
- VasaFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Franzén located the hull in 1956, and the ship was raised largely intact in 1961.
- SS CotopaxiFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Archival research matched the Bear Wreck to the Cotopaxi in 2020, ending a Bermuda Triangle legend.
- RMS TitanicFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Ballard and Michel's team located and photographed the wreck in 1985.
- USS IndianapolisFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Paul Allen's Petrel team found the wreck in 2017, guided by a newly found ship's log.
- QuestFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Sonar located Quest in 2024, and its features matched the ship's plans, according to the expedition team.
- HMS Erebus and HMS TerrorFile 012: Shipwrecks Found Later
Both Franklin ships were located in 2014 and 2016, guided in part by Inuit oral history.
- The Surgeon's Photo of NessieFile 013: Hoaxes That Fooled America
A 1994 investigation, backed by the model maker's confession, showed the photo was a toy submarine fitted with a sculpted head and neck.
- Death Valley's Sailing StonesFile 017: Phenomena That Sound Fake
GPS-tracked rocks and time-lapse footage published in 2014 showed wind-driven sheets of thin ice push the stones.
- Blood FallsFile 017: Phenomena That Sound Fake
The red color is oxidized iron from ancient subglacial brine, not algae; research since the 1960s has confirmed the chemistry.
- The BloopFile 018: Unexplained Sounds
NOAA matched the Bloop's acoustic signature to icequakes from cracking Antarctic icebergs.
- The Bio-DuckFile 018: Unexplained Sounds
Acoustic tags placed on Antarctic minke whales in 2013 recorded the bio-duck, identifying the species behind it.
- The Havana Embassy RecordingFile 018: Unexplained Sounds
Acoustic analysis matched the released recording to a Caribbean cricket's song; the cause of the reported symptoms is a separate question.
- The Windsor HumFile 018: Unexplained Sounds
The hum was traced toward Zug Island's steel mill and stopped when its blast furnaces shut down in 2020.
- Julia and Slow DownFile 018: Unexplained Sounds
NOAA attributes both sounds to large icebergs grounding on the seafloor off Antarctica, a pattern recorded many times since.
- The Crying Boy PaintingsFile 021: Cursed Objects
Fire officials traced the survivals to fire-resistant hardboard and the fires to ordinary causes; the print was simply everywhere.
- The Sports Illustrated Cover JinxFile 022: Sports Curses
Cover subjects are chosen at a peak, so later declines are expected; regression to the mean explains the jinx without magic.
- The Antikythera MechanismFile 023: Out-of-Place Artifacts
Real and astonishing, but its Greek inscriptions, Greek calendar and Greek astronomy show exactly who built it; nothing about it is impossible for its time.
- The Coso ArtifactFile 023: Out-of-Place Artifacts
Spark plug collectors identified it as a 1920s Champion plug wrapped in a rust nodule, not a half-million-year-old geode.
- The Dendera 'Light Bulbs'File 023: Out-of-Place Artifacts
The temple's own inscriptions identify the shapes as a snake god rising from a lotus, part of a creation scene, not electrical equipment.
- The Crystal SkullsFile 023: Out-of-Place Artifacts
Microscope studies by the Smithsonian and British Museum found modern rotary-wheel tool marks; the famous skulls are 19th- and 20th-century workshop products.