The Dyatlov Pass incident is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century, so inexplicable that it has provided fodder for conspiracy theorists over the past fifty years. The story goes like this: Nine Russian hikers, all students from the prestigious Ural State Technical University, went missing in the northern Ural Mountains between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, 1959. For unknown reasons, the group cut their way out of their tent in the middle of the night and fled into the wilderness, despite not being properly dressed for the subzero temperatures. Some of their bodies had bizarre injuries: four had severe skull or thorax injuries, two had eyes missing, and one was missing its tongue. When investigators arrived, they determined that most had died from either hypothermia or physical trauma. Yet no one could figure out the chain of events that caused them to flee their campsite or (in some cases) die such grisly deaths.
It sounds like the set up to a horror movie. (Indeed, acclaimed director Renny Harlin made a famous one in 2013, and conspiracy theorists have touted UFOs or even yetis as a possible explanation.) Because the hikers were experienced yet remained in various states of dangerous undress, and because of the odd nature of their injuries, numerous theories emerged, some more out-there than others.
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