Unsolved mysteries have always captivated public attention with the desire to understand the truth. As of late, there have been dozens of programs showcasing some of the most famous unsolved mysteries and diving into countless theories and explanations that lead down to several complex conclusions.

Here are some of the unsolved mysteries that I personally find the most compelling and thought provoking:

D.B. Cooper

By far one of my favorite unsolved mysteries is that of Dan Cooper, or as he is more commonly known, D.B. Cooper. The case of a man boarding a plane with a bomb hidden in a briefcase, demanding $20,000 along with 4 parachutes and jumping from the plane in the midst of a storm, never to be seen again.

The part that makes this such a thrilling case is that Cooper and the parachutes were never seen again, but a portion of the money would be discovered years later. The unsolved mystery has dozens of scenarios that could be reality. Maybe he survived the fall and got away with part of the money or maybe he was one of the 800 suspects. Several questions still haunt this case even after 50 years. Did Dan survive? Did he make it out with any of the money? Who was the man who puzzled the FBI for years? The only person who will ever know what happened on the fall back to the hard ground is Cooper himself. 

Amelia Earhart

Most people know who Amelia Earhart is, the woman who attempted to fly across the world, defying the odds, and many would say that she’s the pilot that disappeared in the sky and was never found. During a plane trip around the world, Amelia would disappear along with her navigator, Fred Noonan, leaving behind only a few voice transmissions to help understand what happened. 

The most accepted theory is her plane most likely ran out of fuel and it either crashed into the ocean or on a nearby island. This hasn’t stopped public speculation from making theories of their own. The theories are what makes this fascinating, as public theories can range from Amelia being captured by the Japanese to her being killed by giant coconut crabs on an island and even that she was lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Quite a range for a case that could have been avoided had someone listened to Earhart’s transmissions.

The Princes in the Tower

Out of all the cases in this list, the princes in the tower have by far the most historical significance, as the princes were Richard Duke of York and his older brother, Edward V, the next King of England. The young princes had been placed in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard for their protection before Edward’s coronation.

However, they would never make it to their coronation. Instead, their uncle, Richard, would be crowned. With this knowledge, he ended up being a pretty big suspect. But he’s not the only suspicious figure in this centuries old case. Henry VII, the next English king, was also suspected to have been involved so he could take the crown which he would right after he killed Richard on the battlefield. 

Two princes, a pilot and a man wearing a nice pair of dark sunglasses have one thing in common: They have captured public attention ever since they became a story with no ending. Personally, these cases fascinate me because they aren’t a horrific murder with a killer yet to be caught, they are simply a case of someone simply fading from the world whether that be from a plane or castle. There could be dozens of reasons they disappeared but the knowledge of a person never being found after decades of time is truly a frightening idea.