Background:
Taos is a small town in the northern part of New Mexico. There’s desert, mountains, and less than 7,000 people in this artsy, laid-back community.
Taos is actually famous for an unusual hum. The sound that surrounds the town was first reported in the early 1900s. It’s a persistent, low-frequency humming or buzzing, and because of the low-frequency, it’s not easily heard by just anyone.
Tests were performed during those early years by an engineering professor, Joe Mullins. Two percent of the residents claimed they could hear the hum. Neither age nor gender mattered. So to further test what was happening, equipment was set up in some of those homes. Sounds and vibrations were sought after, but nothing out of the ordinary was found.
Theories of Explanation:
- Normal background noise – vehicles, boats, trains, airplanes, heavy machinery, industrial plants, weather.
- Auditory hallucinations. The hum only exists in the minds of those that report it.
- Animals. For example, Sausalito, California had its own hum that was the result of a toadfish’s mating call.
- Tinnitus.
- Jet stream.
- Underground UFO bases.
- Secret government mind control experiments.
Interesting Facts:
Some celebrities have once called Taos home, like Julia Roberts and Dennis Hopper.
The Tao Hum has been the subject of tv shows and podcasts. Even fictious shows, like Criminal Minds, have focused episodes on the Hum and its impact on people.
Other Hums:
- Auckland Hum
- Windsor Hum
- West Seattle Hum, traced to a ship’s vacuum pump
- Wellington Hum, caused by a diesel generator
Sources:
- Live Science
- Wikipedia
- Astonishing Legends
Lore & Curiosities 