Explaining The Unexplained Quiz | The Unexplained

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1. In 1975, the Viking 1 spacecraft captured a photograph of what appeared to be an object on Mars resembling a human face. When more advanced spacecraft visited Mars, what was the "Face on Mars" revealed to be?

Answer: It was an illusion of light and shadow on a rock formation

In 1975, the Viking 1 spacecraft sent back a haunting picture of what looked to be a giant humanoid face on the surface of Mars. Conspiracy theorists had wondered if an alien civilization had constructed the feature. After subsequent probes visited Mars it was confirmed that the "Face on Mars" was formed by shadows hitting the rock formation at just the right angle to give the illusion of a face on the surface of Mars.

2. "I'm speaking from the roof of the Broadcasting Building, New York City. The bells you hear are ringing to warn the people to evacuate the city... Avoid bridges to Long Island... All communication with Jersey shore closed ten minutes ago." On October 30, 1938 people in New York heard this over the radio. They initially thought it was an alien invasion, but what was it really?

Answer: It was a live broadcast of the novel "War of The Worlds"

On October 30, 1938, a live reading of the novel "War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells was conducted in New York. The broadcast was famously narrated by Orson Welles. Due to the realistic scripted news reports taken from the novel, the broadcast initially led some people into believing an actual invasion was taking place.

3. If you were to look out your hotel window at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada you may catch a glimpse of a special red and white aircraft. The destination of this aircraft is supposedly Area 51. What is the code name for this top secret airline?

Answer: JANET

JANET is the code name for a fleet of red and white Boeing 737s based at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. These planes are allegedly used to ferry personnel to and from Area 51. In one of the missions of Microsoft's "Flight Simulator X", you get to control a JANET plane and fly into Area 51 yourself.

4. Speaking of Area 51, reports of UFO sightings near the base were common during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of these sightings may have coincided with the development of advanced aircraft such as the U-2 and A-12. What is the name of the program responsible for these planes?

Answer: Skunk Works

Skunk Works is a division of Lockheed Martin tasked with developing highly advanced military aircraft. They are responsible for the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft (predecessor of the SR-71 Blackbird), and the F-117 stealth fighter.

These planes were tested at Area 51 and their unique designs led to them being labeled UFOs if they happened to be spotted by the public.

5. In 1991, two British men by the name of Doug Bower and Dave Chorley took credit for being responsible for what previously unexplained phenomenon?

Answer: Appearance of Crop Circles

Crop circles have fueled conspiracy theories regarding the existence of aliens. Random patterns carved into farms across the world seem otherworldly. These crop circles would appear frequently in the British countryside during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1991, two British men named Doug Bower and Dave Chorley admitted to creating many of the crop circles themselves.

The circles created by Bower and Chorley were done using wooden planks, metal wire, rope and a baseball cap.

6. On March 13, 1997, a large UFO consisting of several lights arranged in a "V" formation was spotted in which Southwestern state? It was the first of two unexplained phenomena that occurred that night, the second being a set of lights that seemed to hover over one of the state's major cities later that evening.

Answer: Arizona

On March 13, 1997, residents of Arizona from Prescott down to the Mexican border near Tucson reported seeing a large "V" shaped UFO moving in a southeasterly direction towards Mexico. The UFO was hypothesized to have been aircraft flying in a tight formation.

The lights spotted later in the evening in Phoenix, Arizona were claimed by the United States Air Force to be flares dropped by several A-10 Warthog aircraft during a training exercise.

7. One of the most well known conspiracy theories is the alleged crash of a UFO at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The story was given new life in 1995 with the release of a vintage, top secret film allegedly depicting what?

Answer: An autopsy being performed on a dead alien

In 1995, British entrepreneur Ray Santilli claimed he had come across a video footage of one of the victims of the Roswell UFO crash undergoing an autopsy. The film was apparently given to him by a retired U.S. soldier. Rights to show the film were purchased by Fox and the network released the video to the world on August 28, 1995.

It was so realistic that Fox had censored the "graphic" portions of the video. In 2006, the film was revealed to be a complete hoax.

8. In 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide. They believed their souls would be transported to an alien spacecraft that was allegedly trailing which comet?

Answer: Hale-Bopp

On March 26, 1997, 39 people were found dead in a large mansion near San Diego, California. They had committed suicide by placing plastic bags over their heads after ingesting a mix of phenobarbital, apple sauce and vodka. They were members of a cult called Heaven's Gate.

They were convinced that their souls would be transferred to a traveling UFO that was thought to have been following the comet known as Hale-Bopp. Rumors of a UFO began surfacing after an amateur astronomer revealed a photograph of the comet with a strange fuzzy object trailing it.

The UFO was later determined to have been a star that was out of focus behind the comet.

9. "Men in Black" is a popular movie that centers on a secret government organization designed to keep earthbound aliens hidden from the public. The inspiration for the "Men in Black" comes from an incident that occurred in 1947 on what American island?

Answer: Maury Island

Maury Island is an island located in Puget Sound in Washington state. In June 1947, a man by the name of Howard Dahl reported that debris from several donut shaped UFOs fell onto his boat. The debris allegedly injured his son and killed his dog. Howard Dahl also claimed a man dressed in all black interviewed him after the incident and warned them that if they spoke of the events that terrible things would come to his family. Dahl later confessed that the incident was a hoax.

10. In winter 2009, a UFO consisting of five red lights was reported several times near the city of Morristown, New Jersey. What were these lights eventually revealed to be?

Answer: Flares attached to balloons

In the winter of 2009, the city of Morristown, New Jersey had reported seeing mysterious red lights. The lights were viewed on five occasions between January 5 and February 17, 2009. Police from Morristown and nearby communities were unable to determine where the lights came from.

It was eventually revealed to be a hoax as the lights turned out to be flares attached to balloons. Two men named Joe Rudy and Chris Russo took responsibility for the hoax claiming it was an experiment to see how easy it would be to fool the public.

Source: Author RedHook13

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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