Compact Mysteries

Discovered in 1952 near the Dead Sea, one ancient text stands apart from all the others.

Unlike the fragile parchment manuscripts found at Qumran, the Copper Scroll was engraved onto metal sheets and listed something extraordinary: a detailed inventory of hidden treasure, complete with locations, quantities, and cryptic instructions.

On 4 July 1928, one of the richest men in the world vanished mid-flight.

Alfred Loewenstein, a Belgian financier with vast international interests, boarded a private aircraft travelling from Croydon to Brussels. Somewhere over the English Channel, he left his seat, entered a small wash...

The Indus Valley Civilisation was one of the world's earliest and most advanced urban societies, flourishing over 4,000 years ago across what is now Pakistan and northwest India. Its cities were meticulously planned, its engineering astonishingly sophisticated, and its people remarkably organised.

And then, without a clear explanation, it declined.

She gazes out from one of the most famous paintings in the world—enigmatic, poised, and silent. But who was The Girl with a Pearl Earring? Art historians have debated her identity for centuries. Was she a servant? A daughter? A muse? Or simply a figment of Vermeer's imagination? In this episode, we dive into the brushstrokes of mystery behind the woman in the tu...

A monument appeared overnight in rural Georgia, engraved in eight languages and promoting messages about population control, harmony with nature, and a mysterious new age. Who built the Georgia Guidestones, and why? Was it a blueprint for rebuilding civilisation after an apocalypse or just a strange modern art project cloaked in secrecy? In this episode, we decode the meaning, the messages, and th...

Massive shapes etched into the desert floor, visible only from the sky. Who made them, and why? In this episode, we explore The Mystery of the Nazca Lines, Peru's most puzzling archaeological enigma. Were they ancient runways, ritual artworks, or messages to the gods? From hummingbirds and monkeys to straight lines stretching for miles, we take a closer look at ...

Dive into one of the strangest modern mysteries — The Mystery of the Salish Sea Feet. From 2007 onward, feet have washed ashore around the Salish Sea in Canada and the U.S., puzzling investigators and stirring eerie speculation. What really causes this unsettling pattern? Listen now and explore the science, the search, and the stories behind the shoes.

#salishsea, #truecrimepodcast, #unsolvedmy...

A missing man, a baffling confession, three executions—and then a return from the dead. In this episode, we investigate the haunting 17th-century case of The Campden Wonder. When steward William Harrison vanished in 1660, his servant accused his own family of murder. But when Harrison reappeared two years later, alive and claiming abduction, the truth became stranger than fiction. Was it a tragi...

Was it a mutated bird, a government experiment, or something supernatural? In this episode, we investigate the chilling reports of a red-eyed, winged creature stalking the skies above Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the 1960s. Known as the Mothman, this mysterious figure became an omen of disaster, linked to the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge. Join us as we unravel one of America's most enduring urban legends and explore wh...

n 1947, something strange crashed in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. First reported as a "flying disc" captured by the Army, the story quickly changed to a weather balloon — and from that moment, the legend was born. Was it part of a classified military experiment, or something not of this Earth? This episode dives deep into The Roswell Incident, the event that launched a thousand conspiraci...

Ambrose Bierce was a war veteran, journalist, satirist, and literary ghost hunter whose words cut like steel. In 1913, at the age of 71, he left the United States for Mexico and simply vanished into history. Was he executed? Did he die in battle? Or did the ultimate cynic stage the perfect final act? In this episode, we examine the strange, symbolic, and still unsolved disappearance of one of America's most compelling literary figu...

In this episode, we uncover the story of The Lost Crown Jewels of Ireland, a royal mystery dripping in intrigue and unanswered questions. Stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907, these priceless emerald- and diamond-studded honours of the Order of St. Patrick vanished without a trace — no broken locks, no forced doors, just silence. Was it an inside job, a political statement, or a cover-up swept under...

Solomon Northup was a free Black man living in New York until, in 1841, his life was stolen. Kidnapped and sold into slavery, he spent twelve harrowing years in the Deep South before reclaiming his freedom. But what happened after that? Did he ever find justice? Did he disappear once again? In this episode, we explore the tragic, inspiring, and still-mysterious fate of Solomon Northup.

In 1855, a quiet snowfall in Devon, England gave rise to one of history's strangest unsolved mysteries. Strange hoof-shaped prints, cloven and single-file, appeared across fields, rivers, rooftops, and walls. Locals believed the Devil had walked among them. Was it a hoax, a bizarre natural phenomenon, or something even stranger? In this episode, we explore the chilling mystery of the Devil's Footp...

In 1974, a nanny was murdered in a wealthy London townhouse, a countess escaped covered in blood, and an aristocrat vanished into thin air. The Disappearance of Lord Lucan is one of the most enduring mysteries in British criminal history. Was it murder, a tragic mistake, or something more sinister? Follow the clues, sift through the suspects, and decide for yourself what happened to the elusive 7...

On the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, one woman stood unusually calm among the chaos, camera in hand. Wearing a headscarf and capturing the scene from close range, she was never identified and never came forward. Who was the Babushka Lady? And why has her footage — potentially crucial to understanding the shooting — never surfaced?

#babushkalady,...

In 1513, Ottoman admiral Piri Reis drew a map that should not exist. It shows parts of the world that had not yet been explored, and perhaps even a glimpse of Antarctica before it was covered in ice. Was this map a masterpiece of early navigation, or a relic based on lost ancient knowledge? Dive into one of history's most enduring cartographic enigmas.

#pirireism...