The Hum Heard Round the World

People who claim to have experienced the hum describe it as a low, droning sound with
an underlying pulse.

T

here’s a strange unexplained phenomenon that’s been reported at various times and locations around the globe that has been at the center of conspiracy theories for quite some time. It’s a low-frequency hum that many people claim to have heard and some people have recorded, but no one has been able to satisfactorily explain.

This mysterious sound is known as the Taos Hum in New Mexico, the Bristol Hum in England, the Auckland Hum in New Zealand, and the Kokomo Hum in Indiana, which should give you some idea of the global reach of this hum.

A visual representation of the mysterious hum, which may or may not contain hidden messages from beyond our world. 

People who claim to have experienced the hum describe it as a low, droning sound with an underlying pulse. Some have compared it to the sound of a diesel engine. Some hum hearers have reported suffering a variety of unpleasant side effects as a result of hearing the hum, including dizziness, insomnia, headaches, nosebleeds, and loss of sex drive.

The latest appearance of “the hum” was in Seattle, where some researchers tried to blame the sound on the mating call of the midshipman fish, a species that does indeed produce a sound similar to the hum to attract mates. A researcher at the University of Washington has already discounted that theory, so the source of the hum remains a mystery.

 Not surprisingly, several different theories have been put forth to explain the hum, some of which seem plausible and the rest of which are typical tinfoil-hat paranoia. Some have suggested that the hum is the radio frequency signal generated by the core of the Earth, some have claimed the sound is caused by wind turbines, and others have blamed the hum on UFOs, living rock, or demonic spirits.

Even less surprising is that many people believe the hum to be part of a secret military operation, one that possibly involving mind control or the digging of secret tunnels.

Since there is, as of yet, no explanation for the sound, each of these theories is equally valid—which is to say, not valid at all. Any theory based on a lack of evidence is not a theory—it’s a ghost story. And yes, some people believe the hum is caused by lost spirits trying to get through to the other side.

Watch this Unsolved Mysteries clip on the hum, which, while it explains nothing, will give you plenty to think about.