Numerous people in history have mysteriously disappeared and were never seen or heard from again. Some were famous at the time of their disappearance while others became famous simply because they vanished.
Let us take a look at 7 Mysterious Disappearances In History.
1) The Roanoke Colony
One of America’s oldest unsolved mystery is the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony. The story goes back all the way to August 1587, when a group of 115 English settlers reached Roanoke Island, located off the coast of what is now North Carolina. The settlers were led by John White who subsequently became the governor of the colony. Although the initial days of the colony were pleasant, they soon ran out of resources. This prompted White to return back to England to gather supplies.
Unfortunately, just as he reached England, a major naval war broke out between England and Spain. Consequently, his journey to Roanoke was delayed. He finally returned to the colony after 3 years in August 1590. However, upon his return, he found no sign of his family or any of the other colonists. He searched the entire area but the only clue he found was the word ‘Croatoan’—carved into a wooden post.
There have been several hypotheses in regards to the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony. Some historians state that the colonists must have been killed by the Native American tribes. While some say that the settlers had simply assimilated with other friendly tribes. Ultimately, none of the hypotheses gives a satisfactory answer and the fate of the settlers remains unknown.
2) The mysterious disappearance of Joseph Force Crater
Joseph Force Crater was a New York State Supreme Court Justice who mysteriously disappeared near Times Square on August 6, 1930. His disappearance launched a massive investigation that captured the interest of the entire nation. Subsequently, earning Crater the title of “the missingest man in New York”.
In the days leading up to his disappearance, the judge reportedly received a mysterious phone call and cashed two large personal checks. This suspicious behaviour spawned speculation that he had fled the country with a mistress or had been a victim of foul play.
Ultimately, despite investigations, Joseph Force Crater was never found. And in 1939 at the request of his wife, he was declared legally dead.
3) Percy Harrison Fawcett
Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British soldier and explorer who disappeared in 1925 while finding the mysterious Amazon city ‘Z’. Fawcett was quite convinced of its existence and subsequently left for its exploration with his son Jack, and Jack’s school friend Raleigh Rimell. The site was located deep in the modern-day state of Mato Grosso. When the explorers reached a spot called ‘Dead Horse Camp’, Fawcett told his guides to turn back and sent a letter to his wife stating “You need have no fear of any failure”. This was the last time the 3 men were ever seen.
Since then many expeditions have been launched to look for Fawcett, however, none were able to prove what happened to him. Researchers have theorised various reasons for his disappearance ranging from malaria to infection to starvation.
In 2005, journalist David Grann shed light on what might have happened to the explorers. When he retraced Fawcett’s path through the Amazon, he met with Kalapalo Indians. He then learned that the tribesmen had preserved the tale of an encounter with the explorer in their oral history. According to them Fawcett had disregarded their warning and trekked into the domain of a warlike tribe called the “fierce Indians”. When the explorers failed to return, the Kalapalos concluded that they had been ambushed and killed.
4) Al-Hakim
Al-Hakim was the 6th Fatimid caliph of the Fatimid dynasty who was known for his erratic and controversial leadership. He ruled for 25 years during which he implemented harsh and cruel policies. One of his policies included the sacking of the city al-Fusṭāṭ (near present-day Cairo). Plus he ordered the killing of all dogs whose barking annoyed him. During his reign, he also banned various kinds of vegetables and shellfish. Additionally, he persecuted Sunnite Muslims, Jews and Christians.
One night in February 1021, Al-Hakim went on one of his regular journeys out of Cairo and he was never seen or heard from again, nor was his body ever found.
5) The mysterious disappearance of Harold Edward Holt
One of Australia’s greatest mysteries is the 1967 disappearance of the then Australian prime minister Harold Edward Holt. On December 17, 1967, Holt and a few friends went for a swim on Cheviot Beach. Holt then entered the waters while everyone else stayed on the beach. According to a friend Holt swam out into a “dangerous turbulence”. He subsequently swam further into deep waters until he disappeared from sight. That was the last time he was seen. Subsequently, authorities were called and what ensued was one of the largest search and rescue operations the nation had ever see. However, Holt’s body was never found.
Cheviot Beach is known for its riptides and while Holt was an experienced swimmer he had recent health trouble, including a shoulder injury that gave him agonizing pain. And he had collapsed in Parliament earlier in the year due to heart trouble as well. Yet the lack of a body has stirred various conspiracy theories—some say Holt was depressed and might have committed suicide. While others theorise that his death was a cover-up by the Australian government because he supported the Vietnam War. Some even say he had faked his death so that he could run away with his mistress. Ultimately, Holt’s presumed cause of death was declared as drowning.
6) The mysterious disappearance of Jimmy Riddle Hoffa
Jimmy Riddle Hoffa was a union activist who went on to become the president of the Teamsters labour union. He was instrumental in the growth and success of the union and it eventually became the largest by membership in the United States. However, the union was known to be deeply corrupt and Hoffa became involved in organised crime from the early years of his Teamsters work. He was eventually convicted of various offences including jury-tampering and attempted bribery. He was imprisoned in 1967 and sentenced to 13 years, however, he seemed to control Teamsters’ activities even behind bars. In 1971 he was released from prison on the condition that he would resign from the position of president and steer clear of union activities.
On July 30, 1975, Hoffa went to a restaurant in suburban Detroit to meet up with two Mafia bosses Anthony (Tony Jack) Giacalone and Anthony (Tony Pro) Provenzano. This was reportedly the last that was seen of Hoffa. Even though the Mafia might have had a hand in his disappearance, there is no conclusive evidence.
Ultimately, the exact reason behind Hoffa’s disappearance remains a mystery and he was legally presumed dead in 1982.
7) D.B. Cooper
On November 24, 1971, a man wearing a black raincoat, a dark suit and sunglasses boarded the Northwest Orient Flight 305, flying from Portland to Seattle. Soon after takeoff, the man told the flight attendant that he was carrying a bomb in his briefcase. He then demanded $200,000, four parachutes and “no funny stuff”. The man identified himself as Dan Cooper, but thanks to an error in reporting he was forever immortalised as D.B. Cooper.
The skyjacker then ordered the pilots to land the plane at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Here he collected the ransom money and the parachutes before ordering the plane to take off again. Subsequently at an altitude of around 10,000 feet, somewhere over the Pacific Northwest, the man parachuted from the plane and was never seen again.
An extensive manhunt by the FBI ensued but it was all in vain and the man was never located nor identified. Many of the bureau’s investigators theorise that the man probably did not survive his jump from the plane. However, the identity of the mysterious man has been the subject of speculation for many years. And in 2016, producers of a documentary on the History Channel claimed to have identified him to be a 72-year-old former military veteran living in Florida.
