The Hum – The Mysterious Sound That Takes Lives

In the 1990s, the citizens of the small town of Taos, New Mexico, began complaining of a sound which was driving them crazy. Not everyone complained – the reports were made by a small minority of citizens, but those who made them were completely unrelated and had never met before. The University of New Mexico investigated these claims, but found no substantial evidence that a noise even existed – nothing was picked up by the tools and instruments used in an attempt to record the source of the sound, and none of the people who investigated even heard it with their own ears. While originally just written off as an odd form of mass psychosis, soon it was discovered that British newspapers had been reporting a very similar phenomenon since the 70s, and once the story of Taos reached global attention, numerous people across the globe reported hearing the noise that would later be dubbed “The Hum”.

The Hum is a low-frequency noise, like a quiet, but still very audible buzzing which can also be sensed as a vibration. Listeners report that it sounds like a machine being used far away, but the sound is of the same volume no matter where the person hearing it is located. Since headphones do nothing to block the sound, and doctors have discovered nothing wrong with the ears of the people who reported hearing it, it is more likely than not that what is perceived to be a “sound” is actually not audible at all, though its exact cause is, obviously, unknown. Regardless, the Hum has very real, physical consequences on those that hear it, such as fatigue, headaches and pain, with listeners reporting the sound as “excruciating”. In the UK, it has been linked to at least one suicide.

Despite numerous researches and explorations into the source of the Hum, nothing but theories and speculation has been presented. According to some, the source of the sound is the shifting of tectonic waves or electric grids, but to sound the answer isn’t nearly as innocent. One thing that must be taken into account is that while the Hum is audible across the world, most of the cases where it can be heard are tied to specific regions, such as New Mexico or parts of the UK. Many believe that there is something on those lands, or maybe even under them, which is causing it. One theory involves the presence of secret military bases which use an unknown frequency to communicate, which can be felt as vibrations by a small percentage of the population. While this definitely sounds in character for New Mexico, as there are already numerous military bases in the state, it becomes harder to explain in other regions. One thing’s for sure, though – the Hum exists, and we’re about as close to figuring it out as we were in the 90s.