If you could solve any non-JTR mystery which would it be?

[Errata]

My mother swears we are Plantagenets, and I would love to believe that, but the genealogy goes to hell in the 16th century.

on a cold case level, I often wonder how long the first Homo sapiens had to reproduce across species lines before there were enough Homo sapiens to create an exclusive breeding pool. And I asked my eighth grade science teacher, and she sent me home for the day.

[Sam Flynn]

I have always doubted the Shakespearean finger of guilt that points at Richard III.

Is that just a hunch?

[Sam Flynn]

I was listening to a radio news article about the Loch Ness Monster just now, where the host and the roving reporter at the scene both pronounced it "Lock". A minor mystery I'd like to solve is precisely when and why the "ch" sound, as in Loch or Bach, disappeared from English. The sound was quite commonplace in mediaeval English, and even had its own letter ("yogh"), but for some reason it passed out of use, to the extent where some people struggle to pronounce it properly even if they try.

[Sherlock Houses]

Is that just a hunch?

Methinks Esmeralda's friend might be the best one to answer that, Sam.

[Sherlock Houses]

I was listening to a radio news article about the Loch Ness Monster just now, where the host and the roving reporter at the scene both pronounced it "Lock". A minor mystery I'd like to solve is precisely when and why the "ch" sound, as in Loch or Bach, disappeared from English. The sound was quite commonplace in mediaeval English, and even had its own letter ("yogh"), but for some reason it passed out of use, to the extent where some people struggle to pronounce it properly even if they try.

The peculiarities and inconsistencies of the English language remain baffling. So many examples of words with the same three, four or five letter letter endings which have completely different pronunciations. Foreigners thinking of learning the English Language and in particular the written word ought to obtain a good supply of paracetamol.

The first two numbers in English for example require some explaining.
Why is there no 'w' in one ??
Why is there a 'w' in two ??

[Abby Normal]

Was it Chessie!?!

One of the greatest mysteries has a personal touch for me. Its what was in the Chesapeake bay where I grew up in the early 80's?!? Around 1982-83 time frame there were a lot of sightings of a sea creature. serpent like thing.

My mom saw it. she was at our neighborhood dock with a friend late afternoon. people were coming back from sail boating a lot of people around. suddenly they saw a creature swimming toward the dock. It was described by both my mom and my friend as follows: snake/serpent/eel like about thirty feet long, dark brown, small humps on back, head the size of a horses, but more oval-- swimming on the surface, like a water snake, undulating side to side. as it approached the dock people started pointing and shouting about it which apparently scared itand it dove under water. My mom said it got to about ten feet away from the dock-very close-so much so that she said she got scared it was so close-so she got a good look at it. a few moments later it appeared again swimming away but this time it was going up and down in the water, undulating vertically!!. then it went under again and that was it. My mom, her friend and other people on the dock were all talking about it excited and shocked at what they just saw-"did you see that?" "what was that?" that sort of thing.

there was a slew of other sightings around the time and in the news a lot and was named Chessie (after Nessie of course). The most famous sighting was videotaped by a family and that video became famous it was shown all over the news. Eventually it was analyzed by experts from the Smithsonian and there conclusion was: approx. 30-40 feet long, swimming on its own (against current) biological in origin but unknown.

My Mom was even interviewed for a big story in Chesapeake Bay Magazine on "Chessie"-I still have the issue.

I believe her she saw something (half my family dosnt). If it wasn't for all these other sightings and in the news I might be less inclined to believe her. But her friend confirmed, as did one of my neighbors who was on the dock and saw it too.

so what the heck was it?

I know a bit about biology/nature/animals and best I can come up with is that somehow an Anaconda got up here from the amazon somehow and was in the bay for a while. Eventhough they are large water loving snakes they are green and have spots-very distinctive looking. and they definitely don't have bumps on there back or swim vertically in the water! my mom was adamant it wasn't an anaconda-or any kind of snake for that matter. to this day she thinks she saw some kind of unknown sea serpent.

so other than a large snake the only other thing I can think of is that maybe it was some kind of rare sea snake/eel creature that was possibly the last members of its kind (maybe now extinct?) that only came up, for migrating, breeding rarely and is now died out. I don't know-it drives me nuts to this day.

what say you?

[Lipsky]

True, but it’s also an odd death. She was probably stabbed standing, and moved around quite a bit by looking at the blood evidence. Eventually she ended up under the sink, But because the stab was only an inch wide, it took her two to three hours to die. Why not take the six steps to the phone to call for help? Or the six steps out the door? She was high, but ambulatory. And I’ve never known an upright junkie who wasn’t also capable of self preservation as long as we keep it in terms of very simple movements. Like some of the ripper victims, she died in a way that doesn’t altogether make sense. Even for a junkie.

I agree 100%. So, in your opinion, is it true what The Exploited sang--- "Sid Vicious was innocent"?

[richardh]

What happened to Natalie Wood?

[Abby Normal]

What happened to Natalie Wood?

she drowned after a drunken fight with her husband trying to get into a dingy from the boat they were staying on to go to shore. she fell into the water near the boat and her husband neglected to help her. everyone on the boat-the captain, Christopher walken, her and her husband were all wasted. Jealousy, anger were also involved which is probably why her husband ignored her cries for help.

[Errata]

I agree 100%. So, in your opinion, is it true what The Exploited sang--- "Sid Vicious was innocent"?

Not necessarily, but he certainly didn't stab her and then immediately pass out. He could have terrorized her for hours pinning her in the bathroom. Or there could be an undiscovered head wound to account for her lack of movement. Lots of things could have happened. And perhaps the answer is simply that that once they confirmed murder they stopped trying to explain it. But unless that knife hit the spine, which I think someone would have noticed, it's an odd death.

[c.d.]

I would say the Kennedy assassination and Amelia Earhart although I think they are getting closer to finding what happened to Amelia. Probably crashed on that island and survived for a little bit before dying.

c.d.

[FISHY1118]

Who killed the Borden’s?

It was the servant girl /maid,,, the Bordens treated her like sxhit . So she killed them , Lizzie was totally innocent
.

[FISHY1118]

Bob Crane, Jill Dando ?

[Abby Normal]

I would say the Kennedy assassination and Amelia Earhart although I think they are getting closer to finding what happened to Amelia. Probably crashed on that island and survived for a little bit before dying.

c.d.

hi CD
agree-Earhardt got lost, couldnt find the targeted island she was supposed to land on ran out of fuel and crashed in the ocean.
JFK I think there is a chance there might have been another shooter from the front, although dosnt have to be some kind of huge gov conspiracy.

for a real missing flight head scratcher-the disappearance of Flight 19 and then the rescue plane that went to search for them. totally weird.

[Abby Normal]

Bob Crane, Jill Dando ?

Bob Crane was murdered by his "friend" John Carpenter. don't know much about dando but the guy who was convicted later acquitted may be a good bet, although I don't know the extent of the evidence against him. she was a TV personality so a deranged fan seems likely-whether it was that dude or not.