10 10 Million Dollars of Coins
A couple in Northern California was walking their dog in their property when the dog seemed to notice something peculiar underneath a tree. With some investigation, the couple uncovered 1,427 gold coins dating from 1847 to 1894 which was easily worth 10 million USD. The face value of the coins would have only added up to $27,000, however the rarity of these coins is what’s really worthwhile. The fortunate couple decided to remain anonymous and would use the money from selling the coins to pay off their bills and donate to charity.
9 Whale Fossil
In 1978, Gary Johnson from California noticed that there was a large rock sticking out of the ground that seemed a little too unusual. When he called in an expert to evaluate the rock, he was informed that there was nothing noteworthy about it. That is until 2014 when Johnson heard that there was a piece of a 12 million year old Sperm Whale discovered nearby. That’s when he re evaluated the rock and discovered that for decades he had also been looking at the remains of a 14 million year old whale himself.
8 Explosive Haul
In May of 2013, a 39 year old from Czech Republic wanted to dig out some tree stumps from his backyard when he noticed some strange objects under the roots. With some investigation and help from local authorities, they realized that these objects were unexploded dynamite and TNT hand grenades dating from World War 2.
#7 Gold Nugget
A Californian man had nothing but a metal detector and a shovel when he unearthed something worth 460,000 dollars. The unnamed Californian man dug up a lump of gold that weighed 8.2 pounds. Although he auctioned off the nugget for the 460,000 dollars, he decided to keep his identity hidden in order to prevent treasure hunters from rushing into his property. Geologists said that there is a high chance of more gold being on his land, so he may well be spending the rest of his life digging for gold.
6 Stolen Ferrari
Two kids were playing around in their own backyard back in 1978 when they accidentally dug up something very strange. What they found was a Dino 246 GTS Ferrari. After authorities unburied the car, they realized that it was actually a car that had been stolen several years ago. The story goes, that the thieves stole the car with the intention to destroy it as part of an insurance scam, but loved it so much they just buried it and had the idea to retrieve it later.
5 Ships Beneath San Francisco
During the Gold Rush of the 1850’s, thousands of ships sailed in and out of San Francisco, harbouring adventurers in search of their fortune. Now, thousands of commuters walk over these ships every day without knowing. Since it would pretty much impossible to unearth these centuries-old ships from underneath San Francisco, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park has created a map of where the buried ships are. This just makes any walk through the city that much more interested.
4 Giant Earthworm
A Chinese worker named Li Zhiwei was hanging laundry to dry his backyard when he noticed what he thought was a snake. In fact, it was actually an earthworm that was a half meter or 20 inches long. An earthworm’s size is dependent on its environment, which is why this particular one had grown so big.
3 18th Century Cemetery
When Vincent Marcello from New Orleans decided to dig a plot in his backyard for a swimming pool, he discovered that someone else had already dug a hole for him - over 200 years ago. Marcello discovered an 18th century cemetery that contained 13 caskets with human remains. This had actually occurred relatively recently in the same area when an apartment complex was being built and 36 corpses were found in the foundation.
2 Mini-Pompeii
While making excavations to build a metro line in Rome, workers discovered the charred ruins of an early 3rd century building and the skeleton of a dog. These ruins were highly similar to the notorious ruins of Pompeii where everyone in the city was preserved by the eruption that wiped them out. It seems that these ruins are from a fire that got out of control in the basement furnace.
1 Glowworm Caves
This half-underground half-underwater cave system is home to a very strange creature. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves on New Zealand’s North Island was first discovered by the Maori people and then extensively explored and documented by an Englishman named Fred Mace in 1887. Even back then, the ceiling of the cave was covered in amazing glowing worms.