We’ve all made some unexpected discoveries before. Maybe you found $20 in a coat pocket you didn’t use, or you stumbled upon a surprise family heirloom in your basement while cleaning. Just like your findings, the discoveries on this list all came by surprise. They range from weird to invaluable, encompassing everything in-between.
Many of these discoveries are the stuff of Netflix documentaries and movies. While some of these findings were the result of pure luck, others came from hard work and determination. Hopefully, this list inspires you to keep your eyes open and indulge your curiosity. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something awe-inspiring, too.
1. Underground Pyramid Found in Bolivia
Location: Tiahuanaco, Bolivia
Year Discovered: 2015
Est. Value: Unknown
Tiahuanaco in Bolivia and its historical ruins have led to quite a few discoveries, and excavations have continued for years by both private companies and the government. In 2015, one of the most shocking findings at Tiahuanaco was an underground pyramid. Archaeologists discovered it with the use of ground-penetrating radar.
They also found monoliths within the pyramid. Excavations into this belowground pyramid are still ongoing. Tiahuanaco was once home to ancient South America’s most important city. The city spanned 231,000 square miles, and finds from this massive historical site have included stone monuments, palace ruins, sculptures, and more. Since 2000, Tiahuanaco has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. ‘Witch Bottle’ Discovered in English Chimney
Location: Watford, England
Year Discovered: 2019
Est. Value: $40*
Contractors who were demolishing a former pub in Watford, England stumbled upon an unusual discovery in the chimney section of the building. This creepy, folklore surprise was a witch bottle, stuff with an unidentified liquid, teeth, and shards of glass. The bottle was thought to date back to the 1800s.
It was likely placed in the pub to ward off witches. Considering that this Watford property was the birthplace of the Witch of Saratoga, that makes sense. Angeline Tubbs was the Witch’s real name, and she relocated to Saratoga, New York in 1761, where she made a living reading fortunes and making witch bottles to scare off the competition.
3. Giant Lego Men Wash up on Beaches Around the World
Location: Yuigahama Beach, Japan
Year Discovered: 2014
Est. Value: Unknown
Humans worry about dead wildlife washing onto the shores, as that could be a sign of a problem with the water quality. Who knows what a gigantic, eight-foot, ominous Lego man means? This potential portent of doom was discovered by a Japanese surfer. Forebodingly, the Lego man was wearing a t-shirt that said, “No Real Than You Are” on the front.
Rather than blame aliens, it appears that the man behind this gigantic Lego is a mysterious Dutch artist named Ego Leonard. This artist, according to his website, comes from a “virtual world.” Believe it or not, this is far from the first time such a gigantic Lego has washed ashore. These behemoths were also found on beaches in Siesta Key, Florida, and Topanga Beach, California.
4. World’s Largest Flower Found in Jungle
Location: West Sumatra, Indonesia
Year Discovered: 2020
Est. Value: Unknown
While venturing through a remote jungle in the West Sumatra region of Indonesia, conservationists discovered the largest flower bloom in the world. The species of flower is Rafflesia tuan-mudae, which is known for its massive, elusive blossoms that bloom for just one week at the end of the plant’s life span.
This mammoth flower had a diameter of 3.6 feet, making it the largest Rafflesia ever documented. The flower is easy to spot, as it has flesh-coloured petals covered in white spots. This unflattering description matches the flower itself, as it is part of the “corpse flower” type of flora, which means it smells like a dead body.
5. Shark Found In Middle of Golf Course
Location: San Juan Capistrano, California
Year Discovered: 2012
Est. Value: $850*
We all mocked Sharknado when it came out in 2013, but it seems as though Thunder Levin got the last laugh in the end, as maybe his movies weren’t so fictional after all. A shark did fall from the sky (a year before those movies came out, no less), landing near the twelfth tee of a golf course in California.
The San Juan Capistrano Golf Course workers were stunned when the two-pound leopard shark dropped onto the turf. As it turns out, the leopard shark, found alive, was carried from the ocean by a bird that accidentally dropped it. Cart attendants put the confused fish into a bucket of salt water and drove it to Baby Beach, where they released it back into its rightful habitat.
6. An Underwater River Found in the Ocean
Location: Cenote Angelita, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Year Discovered: 2016
Est. Value: N/A
Finding a river in the ocean might seem like a bit of an oxymoron. After all, isn’t the ocean all water? Well, be prepared to be surprised, as divers discovered an underwater river hidden underneath a cloud of toxic gas off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
The river’s source is the Cenote Angelita, a massive sinkhole. Apparently, ninety feet beneath the surface, this river flows out to the ocean. Surrounding it is a blanket of hydrogen sulfide that would instantly kill anyone who attempted to breathe it in. To make the scenery even creepier, petrified trees and even a small skeleton are located in the noxious cloud. Ancient Mayans believed the Cenote Angelita was a gateway to Hell, and perhaps they had a point.
7. Long-lost Ship Found in Namibian Desert — with Gold Aboard
Location: Oranjemund, Namibia
Year Discovered: 2008
Est. Value: $13 million*
When you think of places where you’d find a ship, the Namibian Desert is probably last on your list. But, believe it or not, that is where the remains of the Bom Jesus were found. This Portuguese ship disappeared five-hundred-years ago when it sank off the coast of Namibia. As the coastline waters receded, the Bom Jesus remerged.
When it sank in a fierce storm, it was on its way to India laden with treasures like gold and copper ingots. Diamond miners discovered the ship and alerted the Namibian government, who sent out a team to dig up the wreckage. Two-thousand pure gold coins and tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots were discovered on the Bom Jesus, almost all intact.
8. Soviet-Built T34/76A Found In Lake Kurtna Matasjarv
Location: Estonia
Year Discovered: 2000
Est. Value: $6 million*
In the depths of Lake Kurtna Matasjärv, a remarkable piece of history lay hidden for decades until Kasper, a young man from Estonia, unraveled its secrets in 2000. After discovering a strange marking and a nearby rope, Kasper fetched his parents. An extensive excavation ensued, and soon the whole town was involved.
Emerging from the depths, at the other end of the rope was a Soviet-built T34/76A tank stood as a haunting reminder of the past. Kasper’s discovery was one of happenstance. The reason behind the tank’s location, or how it got there, however, is still anyone’s’ guess.
9. Secret Underground Theatre Found in Paris Catacombs
Location: Paris, France
Year Discovered: 2004
Est. Value: $5,000-$10,000* (Cost To Build)
The Paris Catacombs are a labyrinth located in the heart of France. The Catacombs were built when the city needed a better location to store the dead. So, Paris chose tunnels, five stories underground, into which they emptied bodies beginning in the late 1700s.
That background makes this discovery extra eerie. In August of 2004, Parisian police doing a training exercise discovered a fully-equipped movie theatre in one of the Catacombs’ formerly-uncharted caverns. Terraces were cut into the rock to form an amphitheatre, in which projection equipment, a full-sized cinema screen, and a variety of thrillers and noir films were found. The films were neither offensive nor banned; it seems as though someone just wanted to set up their own creepy, private theatre.
10. Family Discover Ancient Chapel Hidden Under Their House
Location: Shropshire, England
Year Discovered: 2010
Est. Value: $10,000-$50,000* (Cost To Build, Adj. For Inflation)
This unusual discovery seems as though it would be the beginning of a horror movie. In Shropshire, England, Pat and Diane Farla were having a Good Friday party when one of them decided to finally look behind the six-foot-long rectangular plate on their wall. Believe it or not, they hadn’t looked behind there in the three years they’d owned the home.
After pulling the plate away, they discovered a hole that led them to a tiny, underground chapel. The cellar-like contraption had pews and a cross, confirming that it was of a religious nature. Authorities believe that this underground church could have been used centuries ago by congregations fleeing religious persecution during one of England’s many religious wars.
