Amelia Earhart: The Vanishing of a Flying Legend (1937)
Amelia Earhart’s last flight haunts the world’s imagination to this day. On July 2, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to fly around the globe. Their last radio transmission was cryptic, reporting uncertain fuel levels and an inability to spot their destination, Howland Island. Search efforts by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard stretched across thousands of square miles, but nothing conclusive was found. Over the decades, countless theories have emerged. Some suggest Earhart’s plane crashed into the sea, while others believe she landed on the remote Nikumaroro Island, where recent expeditions uncovered artifacts like a woman’s shoe and old airplane parts. Forensic analysis of bones found on the island in the 1940s even hinted at a female of European descent, though DNA has been inconclusive. Despite technology and relentless curiosity, the world has yet to find proof of what truly happened to Earhart.
Ambrose Bierce: The Writer Who Walked Into Oblivion (1913?)
Ambrose Bierce, known for his biting wit and chilling short stories, left the United States for Mexico in 1913 and promptly disappeared. His last known letter, dated December 26, 1913, was sent from Chihuahua, a region embroiled in the Mexican Revolution. Bierce wrote about witnessing battles and hinted he might join Pancho Villa’s army. After that, he was never heard from again. Some reports claimed to have seen him executed by firing squad, while others suggest he was killed in the chaos of war or simply vanished into the desert. No body or personal belongings were ever recovered, and Mexican government records provide no further clues. Despite efforts by journalists, historians, and even the U.S. State Department, Bierce’s fate remains as mysterious as his most haunting stories.
D.B. Cooper: The Skyjacker Who Vanished Into Thin Air (1971)
On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper, later dubbed D.B. Cooper, hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight from Portland to Seattle. He claimed to have a bomb, demanded $200,000 in cash, and four parachutes. After releasing the passengers, Cooper leaped from the rear stairs with the money into the stormy darkness over the dense forests of Washington state. Despite an 800-man search and decades of FBI investigation, Cooper was never found. In 1980, a boy discovered $5,800 in decaying $20 bills on the banks of the Columbia River, matching the ransom’s serial numbers. This discovery only deepened the enigma, as searches in the area turned up no further evidence. The FBI officially closed the case in 2016, leaving behind one of the most baffling crimes in American history.
Jimmy Hoffa: The Labor Titan’s Last Lunch (1975)
Jimmy Hoffa, the famously tough leader of the Teamsters Union, disappeared on July 30, 1975, after supposedly meeting two mob associates at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in suburban Detroit. He was last seen waiting in the parking lot, and his car was later found unlocked and empty. Despite years of FBI surveillance, wiretaps, and hundreds of interviews, no trace of Hoffa’s body has ever surfaced. Theories about his fate are as numerous as they are dramatic: some say he was buried under Giants Stadium, others that he was incinerated in a mob-controlled facility. In 2021, authorities searched a landfill in Jersey City, New Jersey, based on a deathbed tip, but nothing was found. Hoffa’s disappearance endures as one of America’s most infamous cold cases, still unsolved after nearly 50 years.
The Roanoke Colony: America’s Lost Settlement (1587–1590)
The fate of the Roanoke Colony has puzzled historians for over four centuries. In 1587, more than 100 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. When Governor John White returned with supplies in 1590, he found the settlement deserted. The only clue left behind was the word “Croatoan” carved into a post. Archaeologists and historians have long debated what this meant. Some believe the colonists sought refuge with the friendly Croatoan tribe on Hatteras Island, supported by reports of Native Americans with European features in the region. However, no physical evidence has ever confirmed this theory. Modern DNA studies have not found a clear genetic connection, and the true story of the “Lost Colony” remains hidden in the mists of history.
Louis Le Prince: The Forgotten Father of Film (1890)
Louis Le Prince, a French inventor hailed as a pioneer of motion pictures, disappeared from a train traveling between Dijon and Paris in September 1890. He was last seen boarding the express by his brother, but he never reached his destination, and no body or luggage was ever recovered. Some speculate he was murdered by inventors’ rivals to suppress his patent claims, especially as Thomas Edison was engaged in a bitter legal battle over film technology at the time. Others suggest suicide or a voluntary disappearance to escape personal troubles. French police found no evidence of foul play, and Le Prince’s family fought for his recognition in court, but the mystery of his fate overshadowed his contributions to cinema for decades.
Theodosia Burr Alston: The Vice President’s Missing Daughter (1813)
Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Aaron Burr, vanished in January 1813 while en route from South Carolina to New York. Traveling aboard the schooner Patriot, she was never seen again after the ship left port. Most historians believe the vessel was lost in a fierce winter storm that struck the Atlantic coast that month. However, rumors soon flourished, claiming pirates captured the ship or that Theodosia was abducted. Over the years, stories emerged of her ghost haunting coastal inns, and even a mysterious portrait found in North Carolina was said to depict her. Despite these tales, no wreckage or remains have ever been found, and the truth about her fate is still a matter of speculation.
Harold Holt: The Prime Minister Who Vanished at Sea (1967)
Harold Holt, the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Melbourne on December 17, 1967. Holt was an experienced swimmer, but rough waters and strong currents were reported that day. Massive search and rescue operations involving hundreds of police, navy divers, and volunteers combed the shoreline but found nothing. While the official explanation is accidental drowning, the lack of a body sparked wild speculation. Some claimed Holt was a secret agent and was picked up by a Chinese submarine, while others suggested he faked his own death to escape political pressures. Despite these outlandish theories, a 2005 coroner’s report reaffirmed the drowning conclusion, but the case still captures the Australian public’s imagination.
Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
