People Who Disappeared Mysteriously People
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People Who Disappeared Mysteriously

List of men and women throughout world history who have disappeared under mysterious or unknown circumstances. The list includes the disappearances of all manner of individuals who vanished at various periods throughout human history, including explorers, monarchs and leaders, colonists, philosophers and thinkers, scientists, outlaws and authors. Aviator Amelia Earhart is probably the most famous inclusion from US History, and England's King Edward V may be among its most significant cases in terms of world politics.

These people who disappeared mysteriously present some of the most intriguing historical puzzles around, especially when their unexplained disappearances stay open for years. Mysterious disappearances can vary from suspected political assassinations to cases where somebody goes out in a boat, never to be heard from again. Regardless of the circumstances, they're always fascinating and often tragic.

What people disappeared mysteriously and have never been found? In some cases, the disappearances were widely discussed and the missing individuals became pop culture icons. (For example, DB Cooper, the unidentified man who, in 1971, hijacked a plane and then parachuted away into obscurity.) In other cases, the people remained obscure and forgotten, such as Louis Le Prince, the influential cinema innovator who disappeared off of a train in 1890.
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    Amelia Earhart disappeared in 1937 during an attempt at a circumnavigational flight around the world. After becoming the first female to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, Earhart toured the US on a lecture circuit, seeking to empower other females to pursue aviation as she had.

    In 1937, the renowned aviator embarked twice on an attempt to complete a 29,000 mile flight around the world. The West to East route, which started in Oakland, CA, would see Earhart traverse 22,000 miles to Lae, New Guinea. On the flight's final stretch across the Pacific, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan lost communication and were never seen again.
    about... birthplace: Atchison, Kansas, United States of America
    profession: Pilot, Writer
    institution: Columbia University, Central High School, Hyde Park Academy High School
    height: 5'6"
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    Popular on the big band scene in the US, Glenn Miller joined the Army in 1942 to aid the war effort by creating a modernized Army band. Captain Miller was being flown via single engine plane from the UK to Paris, France when his plane disappeared in 1944 over the English Channel.
    about... age: Died at 40 (1904-1944)
    birthplace: Clarinda, Iowa, United States of America
    profession: Film Score Composer, Musician, Bandleader, Composer, Trombonist
    institution: University of Colorado Boulder
    cause of death: Aviation accident or incident
    place of death: English Channel
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    A noted journalist and author, Ambrose Bierce disappeared while travelling with rebel troops to gain first-hand knowledge of the Mexican Revolution in 1914.
    about... age: Died at 72 (1842-1914)
    birthplace: Ohio, United States of America
    profession: Journalist, Novelist, Satirist, Author, Writer
    place of death: Chihuahua, Chihuahua Municipality, Mexico
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    Madeleine McCann

    Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal during a family vacation from the UK in 2007. The girl had been in a hotel room with her younger siblings just 160 feet away from a restaurant where her parents were dining when her mother discovered she was missing. The family fell under intense scrutiny when Portuguese police falsely concluded the girl had been murdered in the room. Madeleine remains missing to this day.
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    The perpetrator of the only unsolved air piracy case in US history, D.B. Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 en route from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA in 1971. He indicated to a flight attendant on board that he had a bomb in his briefcase and demanded a $200,000 ransom be paid when the aircraft landed in Seattle. Cooper's demands were met and, after releasing the passengers and the bulk of the crew, the plane was reloaded and set off for Mexico (with a planned refueling stop in Reno, NV).

    Less than half an hour into the flight the crew, who had been ordered to congregate in the cockpit, noticed a door had been open in the aft cabin and the rear stairs deployed. It is assumed that Cooper parachuted from the plane while it was in motion and was never seen again.
    about... profession: Criminal
    height: 5'10"
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    Sean Flynn, the only child of actor Errol Flynn and Lili Damita, disappeared while on assignment for Time magazine in Cambodia in 1970. He and Dana Stone, reporting for CBS News, were captured by communist guerrillas and never seen again.
    about... age: Died at 30 (1941-1971)
    birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
    profession: Journalist, Actor, Photographer
    institution: Duke University
    place of death: Cambodia
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