In the top 10 weird true stories, there are often elements of mystery. Take the Bermuda Triangle for instance. Ships and planes have disappeared in that area under strange circumstances. Some say it could be due to magnetic anomalies, but no one really knows for sure. Also, there are elements of the supernatural. Like the stories of haunted houses where people claim to experience paranormal activities such as seeing ghosts or objects moving on their own. And then there are the elements of the unexpected, like the discovery of strange creatures that seem to be from a different era or place, such as the Loch Ness Monster.
Well, the Cottingley Fairies is one of those really strange true stories. In the early 1900s, two young girls in England claimed to have photographed fairies in their garden. The photos looked quite real at the time, and it took years for people to figure out they were faked, but it became a huge sensation. Another story could be about the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima. In 1917, three shepherd children in Portugal reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. And on one day, a large crowd gathered and they claimed to see the sun dance in the sky, which was a very strange and unexplained phenomenon.
There were quite a few. There was a story about a group of people who formed a club dedicated to collecting and wearing clothes made entirely from bubble wrap. It was really strange but they had their own reasons for it. Another story was about a place where it rained fish. It was so odd and scientists were baffled as to how it happened. Also, there was a strange trend where people were trying to communicate with aliens using only Morse code and shiny objects. It was really out there in 2017.
One of the top 10 weird stories could be the story of the dancing plague. In the 1518, in Strasbourg, a woman started dancing in the street and couldn't stop. Then, more and more people joined her. It was really strange as they seemed to be compelled to dance until they collapsed from exhaustion. Some say it might have been caused by mass hysteria or some kind of food poisoning.
One of the top 10 weird novels could be 'Finnegans Wake' by James Joyce. It has a complex and often impenetrable language that makes it very strange. Another might be 'House of Leaves' which plays with the layout of the text in an extremely unusual way. And 'The Crying of Lot 49' by Thomas Pynchon is also quite weird with its convoluted plot and strange symbols.
Well, in some of the top 10 weird ghost stories, there's the tale of the haunted mansion. This mansion has cold spots where people feel a sudden chill, and objects seem to levitate for no reason. There are also reports of strange footsteps in the attic when no one is there. Another story is about a ghost ship. Sailors claim to have seen a ship that should not be there, sailing with no crew but still moving through the waves. It gives an eerie feeling as if the souls of the lost sailors are still on board. The third could be the story of a spirit in an old cemetery. People have seen a figure that looks like a long - dead person wandering among the tombstones at night.
In 2017, one of the weirder stories was about a town that suddenly had an influx of purple - colored birds. No one knew where they came from. There was also a man who built a house entirely out of old car parts. It looked really strange but he was proud of it. And there was this strange event where a group of people dressed as zombies walked through the city for no particular reason, just to create a spooky atmosphere.
One weird and true story is about the Axolotl. It's a type of salamander that can regenerate its limbs, spinal cord, heart, and other organs. It looks really strange with its frilly gills and wide head. Another one is that there's a place in Norway called the Hessdalen Light. It's an unexplained light phenomenon that has been occurring in the valley for decades. Scientists still haven't fully figured out what causes it.
One of the most interesting weird true stories is the Philadelphia Experiment. Supposedly, in 1943, the US Navy was working on a project to make a ship invisible. According to some accounts, the USS Eldridge not only became invisible but also traveled through time and space. There were reports of sailors being fused into the ship's structure and some experiencing mental breakdowns. Although there is a lot of skepticism around this story, it has captured the public's imagination for decades. Also, there's the story of the Mary Celeste. This ship was found adrift in the ocean with no one on board. The crew had disappeared without a trace. There were signs that they had left in a hurry, but no one knows why or what happened to them.
One weird true story is about the Lake Nyos disaster in Cameroon. In 1986, a large amount of carbon dioxide suddenly erupted from the lake. It silently spread over nearby villages, suffocating about 1,700 people and thousands of livestock. Another one is the Dancing Plague of 1518. In Strasbourg, a woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the street. She couldn't stop, and within a month, around 400 people joined her in this involuntary and seemingly endless dancing. It was a very strange phenomenon that baffled people at that time.