The Forest Grove Shriek
A Portland suburb screamed its way into the
league of mysterious noises in February 2016 with
a loud mechanical squeal. The tone, which rang
like a squeaky door, disturbed residents’ sleep for
about a month before ceasing. That was plenty
of time to inspire loads of ama teur theories, from
alien invasions to burned-out lightbulbs. But at-
tempts to pinpoint the true source, including those
of a local physics professor who sought to trian-
gulate the noisemaker using a Google Map full of
complaint calls, all failed. Police closed their inves-
tigation when the trail went cold, speculating that
a loud attic fan or water pump on the fritz might
have been to blame for the disappearing screech.
The Hum
A clamor needn’t be high-pitched to cause alarm.
People in New Mexico, England, Canada, New
Zealand, and elsewhere have reported hearing
similar bouts of pervasive, low-frequency droning
for decades. This tone has the added intrigue of
not being audible to all. Some speculate that tin-
nitus, which causes ear ringing, could be a factor.
But not everyone who claims to be one with the
hum suffers from the condition. Could they be
imagining a rumble based on others’ reports? If
it actually exists, where does it come from? With
such vague humming and hawing, it’s difficult to
know where a serious inquiry would begin, so this
sonic conundrum remains uncracked.WINTER 2019 • POPSCI.COM 54
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