True Mysteries of the Internet

The Cicada 3301 puzzle series is an enigmatic phenomenon that captured the attention of cryptographers and conspiracy theorists alike when it appeared anonymously online.

A series of cryptic online puzzles that captured the attention of internet users

A cryptic message that appeared on the 4chan media platform challenged potential solvers with a cryptic image and a promise of a hidden message inside—an incentive that quickly caught the eye of internet users worldwide.

The puzzles were posted anonymously on 4chan and Twitter starting in January 2012, challenging participants to solve encoded messages and find clues

The Cicada 3301 puzzles, a set of three puzzles beginning on January 4th, 2012, were originally posted on platforms like 4chan and later on Twitter. Solvers had to dive into various encoded and hidden messages, which often featured an image of a cicada.

Solvers had to use skills like steganography, cryptography, and code-breaking to progress through the multi-layered puzzles

Participants had to employ a wide range of skills to navigate through the complex web of puzzles Cicada 3301 presented. Josh Clark mentions that steganography, cryptography, and code-breaking were all essential components of the mystery, with steganography, in particular, being the method used within many of the challenges. Tools on the internet facilitated the decoding of these steganographic messages. For instance, a 15-year-old known as Tech discovered a message through Notepad that indicated a Caesar cipher, which led to a website. Steganography and other sophisticated methods were repeatedly employed, utilizing everything from Welsh Arthurian legends to Mayan numerals that had to be decoded.

Puzzles led participants on a scavenger hunt in the real world

The complexity of these puzzles transcended the virtual realm and led participants on an international journey.

Clues eventually directed solvers to physical locations around the world, where they had to find flyers with QR codes

Decoded clues led to a website with a countdown clock, after which GPS coordinates provided centred on several real-world locations. Solvers were directed to these coordinates, spanning the globe from America to Spain, where they found flyers with QR codes on telephone poles.

The final puzzle website was taken down before some participants could reach the end

However, not everyone made it to the final leg of the series; Joel Erikson, a solver who closely followed the clues, found that the final website was taken down due to the creators' disappointment in the collaborative efforts of some participants.

The identity and purpose of the Cicada 3301 creators remains a mystery

Despite the intense scr ...

"The most mysterious song on the internet," an enigma that has puzzled online communities and music aficionados for years, remains an unsolved riddle. Its origins and creator stay elusive despite extensive detective work by enthusiasts and experts alike.

An unknown 1980s synthpop/post-punk song recorded off the radio by a German man named Darius

In the early 1980s, a German man named Darius S recorded the song off the radio along with 25 other tracks on a mixtape. With a distinctive rigid beat, dry vocals, and a pronounced guitar riff, the song was the only one Darius could not identify, marking it with a question mark on the tracklisting. His mixtape, known as cassette four, featured known bands such as XTC and The Cure, suggesting a possible timeframe of 1983-1984 for the mysterious track, based on the tape deck model and the era of the included songs.

Decades-long efforts to identify the song and its creators have been unsuccessful

Efforts to uncover the song's origins have been meticulous and constant. Spectrogram analysis has verified the song was recorded from Germany's NDR Eintz radio station. Enthusiasts have scrutinized playlists from various radio shows, including those of Paul Baskerville, who hosted a radio show in 1984, yet no matches have been found. The song does not appear on any archived playlist, despite the confirmation that it was played on that station.

Darius's sister, Lydia H, propelled the search onto the internet in 2007, and the song has been posted on multiple websites to crowdsource its identification. Yet, attempts to decipher the presumably English lyrics, spoken by a seemingly non-American, have only led to speculative titles such as "Like the Wind", "Blind the Wind," "Locked Away," "Check it in, check it out," "Take it in, take it out," and "Disco Woman."

The mys ...

The enigmatic tale of John Titor, who claimed to be a time traveler from the year 2036, has become one of the top three great mysteries of the internet. His story captivates many, as it involves elements like fax machines and radio, predating the mainstream internet.

John Titor was an anonymous internet poster who claimed to be a time traveler from the year 2036

Titor described a future America that had been torn apart by a civil war followed by World War III, leading to a collapsed economy. He provided detailed technical information on time travel that seemed plausible to some and made predictions about societal changes that resonated with philosophical undertones.

Titor described a future America torn apart by civil war and World War III, with a collapsed economy

John Titor claimed to be from an America in 2036 that was affected by a civil war which led into World War III. He stated that he was on an official mission to retrieve an IBM 5100 computer from 1975, which had a special feature that was able to emulate other computer programs—a fact that was not widely publicized by IBM but was later confirmed to be true. Titor described his time as one where despite what might be considered "hard living" by contemporary standards, there was a strong sense of community and family values. He claimed that the U.S. was divided into five zones and that time travel had been developed in 2034.

He provided detailed technical information about time travel that seemed plausible to some

Titor shared intricate details about his time machine, including its use of cesium clocks and twin micro-singularities. He mentioned his vehicle, a 1966 Corvette, which was outfitted with a "stationary mass temporal displacement unit powered by two top spin dual positive singularities producing a standard offset Tipler sinusoid." The scientific terms he used, such as "Tipler sinusoids," are rooted in actual physics, adding a layer of authenticity to his claims. Titor also referenced the "many worlds" theory, suggesting that every possible outcome occurs in a different universe, which covers any potential discrepancies in his story due to timeline alterations.

Titor's identity and the veracity of his claims have been extensively investigated

The search for validation and the identity behind John Titor has led many to become obsessive, with some stating that getting involved in the mystery could lead a person to "go crazy."

Efforts to trace Titor's online posts and identity have pointed to a group of brothers in Florida

Several individuals have attempted to solve the mystery of John Titor’s identity, with some tracking computer location metadata to a specific area in Florida. Investigations led to a company registration that included the word “Titor” and pointed to connections with the Haber brothers, Larry or John, who are believed to have some connection to the story.

However, key details about the individuals involved remain uncertain or disputed

Despite these leads, key details about the true identity of John Titor remain uncertain. The Haber brothers are known to run the John Titor Foundation, but the existe ...