Ever since I was a young biological being, I’ve been obsessed with unsolved mysteries. Among the cryptids and true crime, there are many mysterious objects whose origins are unknown. Diamonds said to be cursed. Metallic artefacts thought to be examples of alien technology, we today look at mysterious objects no one can explain.
Mysterious Objects
The Betz Mystery Sphere
In 1974, a strange metal sphere seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was a sudden fire of unknown origin that set the stage. Suddenly, they heard the sound of it raging in the bushes of their Florida property. All 3 members of the Betz family rushed out to investigate. When the fire died down and the smoke cleared, they spotted a mysterious object. Shiny and remarkably clean, this 8 inch metal ball had no scorch marks or imperfections. It was unlike anything surrounding it. As if the orb literally fell from space and crash landed. This was the initial theory. That it was some kind of space debris. Perhaps part of a satellite that broke up in orbit. There was, however, no impact mark on the ground. So the Betz family assumed it was just a piece of old machinery, with no link to the bush fire.
Thinking little of it, they left it in their window like some kind of weird modern art piece. Then, several weeks later, something happened. According to Terry Betz, the student who discovered the sphere with his parents, it suddenly seemed to awaken one day. While he was playing guitar, the orb began to move. With every note he plucked, the sphere responded with a noise of its own. A quiet, yet noticeable rumble. Over time, he found it would often move on it’s own without the presence of music. Sometimes it was even follow people around the house. On occasion it would change direction mid roll. And it seemed to be affected in some way by the weather.
An Alien Sphere?
Word of this strange thing soon spread. Before long, America’s press descended on the Betz family. At the time, the public was hungry for any information relating to aliens and UFO activity. The Betz mystery sphere was immediately viewed by many as a strong piece of evidence for non human intelligence. But as the family was from Florida, few believed them. In fact, most people thought they were a trio of big dummy dumb-dumbs. Still, though, it was a mystery.
Respected civilian and military scientists came to investigate. According to their reports, the sphere was man-made. It was most likely from a ball check valve. An arrangement where a physical sphere is used to slow the flow of water. Yet many continued to believe it was of alien origin. That it could one day help us communicate with far away worlds. But like so many mysterious objects, the current location of the Betz mystery sphere is unknown.
The Real Life Pinocchio
Hidden inside a castle in Denmark is a creepy wooden doll. And if you’re wondering why, you’re not alone. No one knows how the doll got here. Or why. Or even when. The size of a child, it is kept atop a large pillow in the castle rafters. But no one dares move it. We’re talking about Egeskov Castle, one of the finest water castles in all of Europe. But if legend is to be believed, the castle could be lost if the doll is moved. Since the late 1700s, the same family has lived in the castle. Because some homes are harder to sell than others.
According to that family, the doll is cursed. Any attempt to move it will result in the entire castle collapsing into the water below. While this may sound ridiculous, remember that Denmark is the home of fairytales. Those people will believe anything. And who knows – maybe that’s a real life Pinocchio in there.
Mojave Megaphone
In the middle of the Mojave desert can be found a bizarre metal structure. Known as the Mojave Megaphone, it is 8 feet long and made of welded iron. It was clearly build for a reason. Atop a 100 foot high hill and in an isolated region. But nobody seems to know what that reason is. Some believe it is all that remains of a secret weapons testing facility. That it was once a siren that sounded when new experimental weapons were set off. Others believe it’s part of a doomed communications network, or a strange art project. As for me, I think it’s a big… metal… thing.
And there are many more mysterious objects in the Mojave desert. Not too far away are two large stone lions. Great white marble guardians that no one can explain the origin of. Then there are the strange noises people hear at night in the desert. Or rumours of the Yucca Man. A handsome hairy fellow said to kill anyone who sees him.
The Black Orlov
Among the world’s most mysterious objects is an infamous diamond. It is called the Black Orlov, and many genuinely believe it carries a curse. Much of it’s history is shrouded in mystery. But according to the traditional story, this large diamond is from India. For hundreds of years it remained hidden away in an ancient temple. Specifically, it was an eye in a statue of the Hindu god Brahma. You would think this would be warning enough to people not to try and steal it. Especially with people of the past being more superstitious than we are now. But on the other hand, it’s not every day you stumble upon a giant black diamond. So when a travelling monk happened upon it, he did the mature thing and stole it. Many believe that in doing so, he unleashed a terrible curse.
Each owner since that act of theft is said to have suffered some form of tragedy. Among them was J. W. Paris, who brought the diamond to America in 1932. A once wealthy individual, his life had been on the slide since gaining The Black Orlov. Then on selling the diamond to a new victim, he jumped from the top of a skyscraper. Another was the Russian princess Nadia Orlov. The notorious circumstances of her own suicide giving the diamond it’s name.
Fate of A Diamond
One owner would go so far as having the diamond broken into three separate pieces. Perhaps in the hope it would end the curse. I feel like it’s a bad idea to break something said to carry a deadly curse. But the only thing I know about diamonds is that the human stomach can hold a surprising number of them. Today we don’t know for certain where The Black Orlov is. Only that it was bought by some lunatic in 2004. It has ever since been in their private collection.
Utah Monolith
In November of 2020, this large metal pillar was discovered in the Utah desert. Inside a remote canyon, it was a 9 and a half foot tall triangular prism. There was no sign of how it got to the canyon. Amazingly, satellite imagery showed it had been there since mid 2016. This means the monolith had gone undiscovered for 4 whole years. During that time it had sunk into the dirt ground, showing how heavy the monolith was. This only added to the mystery of how it got there. If just a harmless prank, it would be hard to justify the effort spent transporting it to the canyon. Perhaps it was an art project. It is the kind of useless waste of time nonsense those guys tend to do. But there was no sign of the artist who might have created the pillar.
Many believe it fell to earth from space, or that it was brought here by aliens. It did look quite alien, being somewhat similar to the monolith in 2001 a space odyssey. And this would explain how it got to be in such a hard to reach place. The exact location of the monolith was not released to the public. Perhaps in the hope this would help deter crazy people like me from showing up to see it. But it made no difference. UFO researchers flooded into the Utah desert.
The Vanishing
Then, one day, it disappeared. Turns out a group of locals removed it. Apparently they feared the attention it brought would lead to nearby archaeological sites being damaged. And at the same time, similar monoliths began popping up in other locations. From Europe to Asia to Central America, dozens, eventually hundreds were installed. Most of these were obvious hoaxes. Especially the one made of gingerbread. But every now and then you’d see one just as mysterious as the original.