The
mighty Incan Empire of South America flourished between 1200 and 1535
AD. They developed drainage systems and canals to expand their crops,
and built stone cities atop steep mountains — such as Machu Picchu
(above) — without ever inventing the wheel. Despite their vast
achievements, the Incan Empire with its 40,000 manned army was no match
for 180 Spanish conquistadors armed with advanced weapons and smallpox.
Khafre
(l.) and Khufu (r.) are two of the three ancient Pyramids in Giza,
Egypt. Khufu is the biggest, consisting of more than 2 million stones
with some weighing 9 tons. The Pyramids, built as elaborate tombs for
divine kings, date back to 2,550 BC. 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 labor.
According
to the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, made famous by the ancient
Mayan people, December 2012 marks the ending of the current baktun
cycle. This little bit of information has many archeologists spooked.
Some believe the Mayans were warning of a coming apocalypse, while
others insist it's simply a mathematical misconception.
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
golden city, which led Spanish conquistadors on a wild goose chase to
nowhere.
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.
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 (l.), 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.
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.
Area
51, located on Groom Lake in southern Nevada (c.), 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.
Another
Egyptian wonder, the Sphinx of Giza has the body of a lion and the head
of a Pharaoh, believed by most to be that of king Khafre. It was carved
from soft limestone, and has been slowly falling apart over the years. A
popular theory of the missing nose claims Napoleon's soldiers shot it
off with a cannon in 1798, but early sketches discovered of the Sphinx
without a nose predate Napoleon's rampage.
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.
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
(c.) had healing properties.
Phylis
Canion holds the head of what she is calling a Chupacabra at her home
in Cuero, Tex. The strange-looking animal, first reported in Puerto Rico
in 1995, apparently has a taste for chicken and goat blood. Although
many pictures like the below might prove its existence, biologists assure none such creature exists.
The
Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a wooden casket, gold
plated, made for carrying the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The
casket was carried throughout the desert and remained in the Israelite
Temple until its destruction by the hand of the Babylonian Empire. Its
whereabouts are still unknown, but Hollywood made its own version for
'Raiders of the Lost Ark.'
The
Stonehenge landscape of Salisbury Plain, England, has become a tourist
hotspot. But before foreigners with windbreakers and cameras showed up,
the area may have been a burial ground and ceremonial den dating back
5,000 years.
The
Iron Pillar of Delhi is a 1,600-year-old, 22 feet high pillar located
in the Qutb complex in India. The pillar, made from 98% wrought iron,
has been astounding scientists by its ability to resist corrosion after
all these years.
Discovered
in the early 1940s in Costa Rica during excavations by the United Fruit
Company, these perfectly formed stone spheres date from 600 AD to the
16th century. Their makers and purpose still unconfirmed, many believe
them to be some religious effigy made to worship the sun.
A
humanoid with insect wings and crimson eyes, known as the Mothman,
terrorized Point Pleasant, W.Va., during the late 1960s. No solid
evidence exists of the creature, except for a handful of witness reports
documented in paranormal-journalist John A Keel's 'Mothman Prophecies'.
According
to legend, 250 years ago a Jersey woman by the name of Mrs. Leeds cried
out in despair during her 13th pregnancy, 'Let it be the Devil!' After
childbirth, the baby was revealed to be a kangaroo-like creature with
wings, and flew away to cause all sorts of Jersey Devil mischief. Today
the Jersey Devil can be seen getting fans riled up during local hockey
games.
The
Tunguska Explosion in Russia occurred around 7:14 a.m. on June 30,
1908. To this date, the exact cause of the explosion – which leveled 80
million trees over 830 square miles – remains a heated debate. Most
believe it to be caused by a meteoroid fragment, others insist either a
black hole or UFO origin.
The
Lost City of Atlantis was introduced to the West 2,400 years ago by
Plato, who claimed it to be the island home of an advanced society.
Legend says it was sunk by an earthquake, with later interpretations as
an underwater kingdom protected by mermaids. Its whereabouts still a
mystery, recent underwater evidence suggests it was once apart of a
larger landmass in Cyprus off the Mediterranean (c.), but the only true
Atlantis exists in the Bahamas as a grand casino and resort hotel.
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