Journey into the Unknown - Part 1

The world is full of mystery. Many of them are still unsolved till today. Let's look at 10 of the world's unresolved mysteries in this post.

1. The Mighty Incan Empire of South America.

The mighty Incan Empire of South America flourished between 1200 and 1535 AD. They are the one who developed drainage systems and canals to expand their crops, and built stone cities atop steep mountains - such as Machu Picchu (above picture) - without ever inventing the wheel. Despite their vent achievements, the Incan Empire with its 40, 000 manned army was no match for 180 Spanish conquitadors armed with advanced weapons and smallpox.

2. Ancient Pyramids in Giza, Eygpt

Khufu, Khafre and Menkaura - these are the names of the 3 ancient Pyramids of Giza. Khufu being the biggest, consists more than 2 million stones weighing 9 tonnes (1 tonnes = 1000kg). The Pyramids were built as elaborate tombs for divine kings dated back to 2550 BC. However, modern Egyptologists believe that the pyramids are made from stones dragged from quarries and, despite ancient Greek testimony, were built predominantly by skilled craftsmen rather than slave labour.

3. The Mayan Temple

If you ever know that 2012 marks the end of the world, then you should know about the Mayans. According to the Mesoamerican Long Count Calender, made famous by the ancient Mayan people, December 2012 marks the ending of the current baktun cycle (Mayan Calender). This little bit of information has many archeologists spooked. Some believe the Mayans were warning of a coming apocalypse, while others insist it's simple a mathematical misconception.

4. The Legend of El Dorado

The Legend of El Dorado originates from the Muisca, who lived in the modern country of Colombia from 1000 to 1538 AD. In a ritual ceremony for their goddess, the tribal chief would cover himself in gold dust and jump into a lake as an offering. This spawned the legend of a Lost City of Gold, which led Spanish conquistadors on a wild goose chase to nowhere.

5. Easter Island

Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is remotely located 2,000 miles off the coast of Tahiti . The original settlers of the island were Polynesians who migrated to the far-off land between 400 and 600 BC. They built many shrines and statues, called moai, from stones quarried throughout the island including a volcano site. Researchers still question exactly how the large stones were moved.

6. The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle — located in the Atlantic between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico — is a thief, stealing planes and boats right out of existence. The area got its name after Sgt. Howell Thompson, along with 27 Navy airmen, vanished from the devilish spot during a routine flight in 1945. Rumors persist on a supernatural explanation, but many specialists blame hurricanes, a heavy Gulf Stream and human error.

7. The Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines cover more than 190 square miles in the southern deserts of Peru. The mysterious shapes etched into the land rival football fields and predate the Incan Empire. The ‘Las Manos’ figure (above) is 2,000 years old. Little is know about why the Nazca people constructed such vast pieces of sand art, some believe they are extraterrestrial in nature, while others claim they may have carried and pointed to sources of water.

8. Aliens

Area 51, located on Groom Lake in southern Nevada, was founded in 1955 by the U.S. Air Force to develop and test new aircrafts – such as the U-2 Spy Plane, A-12 Blackbird and F-117 Stealth Fighter. The secretive nature of the military base, combined with its classified aircraft research, helped conspiracy theorists imagine an installation filled with time-travel experimentation, UFO coverups and alien autopsies. Recently, my friend Tatt Wei also wrote about aliens, here's a link to his post.

9. The Loch Ness Monster

According to Scottish folklore, a mystical creature called a water horse lures small children to a watery grave by tricking them to ride on its sticky back. The Loch Ness Monster became an English wonder in 1933, after witness accounts made newspaper headlines. No hard evidence of the creature has ever been recorded with several pictures, including the one above, being proven as hoaxes. Of course it's a hoax, it's from a movie called Water Horse.

10. The Fountain of Youth

Don Juan Ponce de Leon completed Spain’s claim on America in 1509, and soon after was made governor of Puerto Rico. Six years later, following Indian rumors, he traveled north to the island of Bimini in search of the Fountain of Youth. Bimini turned out to be the peninsula of Florida, and the fountain remained hidden until July 2006, when famed magician David Copperfield claimed the waters on his $50 million Exumas Island (picture above) had healing properties.

This post was inspired by a lot of people - so before I start this post I'll like to express my appreciation for the inspiration again. First of all Ms. Shierley Choong who all all the while send me nice awesome forwarded emails. Second, to William who has asked me to open my email for official matters. Third, Tatt Wei for constantly posting on your blog giving me energy to keep on writing my blog despite so few viewers. Fourth, Ivy for giving a blog with different font sizes that makes me change my font for the first time (This was the old font). Last but not least, thanks to all my friends who asked me not to give up on writing an awesome blog. Thanks guys! Keep those comments coming!