The Mystery of Sandy Island

For over a century, every major world map included a landmass called Sandy Island floating off the

coast of Australia. It was first charted by whaling ships in the 1800s and later appeared on

official weather charts and even Google Earth as a dark, solid entity.

In 2012, a team of Australian scientists decided to sail to the location to finally study

the island's geology. When they arrived at the exact coordinates, they were shocked to find nothing

but deep, open blue ocean with no land in sight. They checked their

instruments and sonar, which confirmed the ocean floor was nearly a mile

deep below them, proving the island was physically impossible. The landmass that had existed on paper