The Unexplained “Numbers Stations”
PixabayRadio listeners around the world have been puzzled by mysterious broadcasts emanating from so-called “numbers stations.”
At the height of the Cold War, when radio was still a top medium for disseminating news and information, many listeners accidentally stumbled into some rather unnerving programming. These creepy broadcasts would typically begin with a strange melody or several beeps and were followed by the voice of a woman or child reciting seemingly random numbers.
These transmissions played routinely and lasted for several minutes on frequencies that listeners dubbed “numbers stations.”
The discovery of these strange numbers stations quickly gained attention among those who were unfortunate to find themselves listening to these mysterious broadcasts. The phenomenon also spawned a fringe group of radio listeners dedicated to solving the mystery of who was sending these broadcasts — and why.
Each numbers station they discovered was given a name depending on the nature of its broadcast. Among the most well-known were the Nancy Adam Susan, The Gong Station, and The Lincolnshire Poacher. They were all uniquely bizarre in their own way, spurring a number of creepy stories about who could possibly be behind them.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that amateur sleuths tracking these numbers stations hypothesized that the mysterious broadcasts were actually coded messages used in espionage operations across the globe. The idea has been supported by figures like Rupert Allason, an author who specializes in espionage and writes under the pen name Nigel West.
“Nobody has found a more convenient and expedient way of communicating with an agent,” Allason said. “Their sole purpose is for intelligence agencies to communicate with their agents in denied areas — a territory where it is difficult to use a consensual form of communications.”
Remarkably, these shortwaves of alleged coded messages can still be found on the radio today, so long as one is diligent enough to search for them. Espionage tactics may seem like the most plausible explanation for these ghostly signals but the true intent of some of these numbers stations have never been cracked.
One station known as The Buzzer has been sending out mysterious broadcasts since the Cold War. It features two buzzes at the top of every hour followed by a monotonous drone between every 21st and 34th minute during daylight hours. A voice follows, reading a string of numbers, words, or names in Russian like “Anna, Nikolai, Ivan, Tatyana, Roman.”
It was initially believed that the broadcast was set up by Soviet authorities. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the strange radio broadcast only became more active. To this day, nobody knows who started it, what it’s about, or why it continues. The true scary story of the numbers stations goes on.
The Hotel Del Salto, Colombia’s Cliffside Suicide Palace
Wikimedia CommonsThough it was a popular vacation destination in the 1920s, the Hotel del Salto soon garnered a far darker reputation.
Thrill-seekers traveling to Colombia will likely be attracted to the true scary stories surrounding the Hotel Del Salto, a former hotel-turned-museum purported to be one of the most haunted places in the country.
Hotel del Salto, which translates literally to “hotel of the leap,” has allegedly been haunted since it was first constructed as a mansion in 1923. It was designed by architect Carlos Arturo Tapias, who was inspired by the French architectural aesthetic that was popular during the time.
Its location overlooking the famous Tequendama Falls gave the mansion breathtaking views. But, according to some creepy stories, the falls may also be the source of its alleged hauntings.
Wikimedia CommonsThe once-abandoned and allegedly haunted hotel has since become a popular museum, but locals still tell creepy stories about what goes on at the hotel after dark.
The mansion was the scene of many lavish parties and, by 1928, was turned into a popular hotel. But then, the horrific tragedies began. Hotel patrons inexplicably leaped to their deaths out of their windows. At least one homicide took place there, when a guest brutally murdered a young socialite in one of the rooms, splattering the walls with her blood.
Meanwhile, guests of the notorious Hotel Del Salto claimed to witness spooky apparitions that appeared around the hotel at night — including the ghost of the murdered socialite.
In local legends, Tequendama Falls is said to have been where many people of the Indigenous Muisca tribe escaped from Spanish colonizers by leaping off the nearby cliff centuries before.
Luis Alveart/FlickrThe Hotel del Salto sits on cliffs as tall as 500 feet.
Though the native legend says the Muisca were incarnated into flying eagles as they jumped off the cliff — thus surviving the brutal plunge — locals believe the land has since been cursed by the Muisca, some of whom may have not survived their attempts to escape the Spanish invaders.
Even after it was shuttered in the 1990s, scary stories about the haunted hotel continued to emerge. Some claim that loud screams can still be heard coming from the abandoned hotel. Additionally, they say that the constant mudslides on the road to reach the property and the stench from the heavily polluted river water further prove paranormal activity on the grounds.
Today, the once run-down hotel has been converted into a sleek and stylish cultural museum. Curious visitors can tour the former hotel but only during business hours — which end at 5 p.m., well before scary stories say the ghosts appear.
