THE HUM (THE BUZZ): ORIGIN, APPEARANCES, EXPLANATIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Hum or The Zumbido is a supposedly paranormal phenomenon that causes the appearance of a low frequency sound, similar to that produced by a diesel engine, which can only be heard by a small percentage of the population. Since it was first discussed in the 1940s, its existence has been described numerous times and throughout the world.

According to reports created during some of the different occurrences of this phenomenon, only about 2% of people can hear the buzzing. Because it has happened on many different occasions, experts usually refer to each of its appearances by the name of the city in which it arose. Thus, for example, one speaks of the "Buzz of Taos" or the "Buzz of Bristol."

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There is a lot of skepticism among people who cannot hear sound. However, those who do perceive it affirm that nothing they do allows them to stop listening to it.

Apparently not even wearing earplugs prevents the buzzing from being perceived. This phenomenon can be very disturbing to some individuals, and has been known to cause at least three suicides.

Even so, studies in this regard have never managed to capture a noise that cannot be explained by simple environmental factors or physical characteristics of the individual himself. Official sources recommend that people affected by this phenomenon go to therapy to learn to ignore it; But many people around the world believe that the Buzz has a supernatural origin.

Origin (first appearance)

The origin of the urban legend about Buzzing dates back to the 1940s, when more than 2,000 people claimed to have heard a very low frequency sound at the same time.

This noise, according to witnesses, was extremely unpleasant and made everyone who heard it nervous. Most of the incidents occurred in the British cities of London and Southampon.

On this first occasion, the scientists who investigated the subject affirmed that the origin of the noise was the normal operation of a series of heavy machinery devices.

Global phenomenon

However, the idea of ​​the existence of a mysterious supernatural sound that only a few could hear spread throughout the world, causing its appearance to be reported on many occasions over the next few decades.

Thus, for example, the first appearance after the United Kingdom of which there are official records occurred in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1977. In this case, researchers who tried to study the phenomenon said that the sound could be due to an atmospheric phenomenon, as it seemed to get stronger the less pressure there was in the air. In addition, they allegedly managed to make a recording of it.

But without a doubt, the first truly relevant appearance of the Hum was the one that occurred in Taos, New Mexico, in 1992. During this year, thousands of citizens complained of the presence of an annoying low-frequency noise that researchers could not relate to any known phenomenon.

The story of the Buzz of Taos appeared in many media internationally, and gave rise to a multitude of theories (both scientific and paranormal) that tried to explain what happened. Since then, there have been many occasions in which the appearance of noise has been reported in different places around the world.

Main appearances

After the story of the Buzz of Taos became known around the planet, many more cases arose that are believed to be related to this phenomenon. Here we will see some of the most important.

Kokomo, United States, 1999

In 1999, more than 100 people complained in a short space of time of hearing an annoying ringing noise that caused physical symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, upset stomach and nausea. One of those affected, in fact, mentioned to the authorities that these symptoms disappeared when he left the city and therefore moved away from the sound he heard.

The Kokomo city council spent more than $ 100,000 to investigate the possible origin of the alleged hum. After several acoustic tests, two sounds of less than 40 hertz were found that could be the origin of the phenomenon: a cooling tower, which vibrated at 36 hertz, and an air compressor that did so at 10.

The city hall workers managed to eliminate these two low-frequency noises. However, even after doing so, several neighbors continued to complain about the hum.

Windsor, Canada, 2009

The first time the tinnitus was mentioned in the state of Ontario was in 2009; but since then, practically every year there are complaints related to this phenomenon in different towns in the area. Due to this, entities such as the University of Windsor have carried out various investigations to try to find the origin of sound.

In 2012 alone, more than 13,000 people complained of an annoying buzzing noise that most people could not hear. According to studies, the noise may be due to industrial activities on Zug Island, located on the US bank of the Detroit River.

Seattle, United States, 2012

In 2012, what would later become known as "The Buzz of the West" officially appeared for the first time in Seattle. Thousands of people reported hearing a very annoying low-frequency noise, and the local government tried to investigate its possible origin, although nothing relevant was found at first.

During the following months, various hypotheses were launched. The most widely accepted at first was that the buzz could come from toadfish, a species that emits low-frequency sounds during their mating season. Ultimately, however, this possibility was ruled out.

Finally, after a long time of investigation, it was discovered that Seattle's "western drone" was coming from the machinery used in the port to unload cargo from the freighters docked there.

Valencia, Spain, 2013 and 2018

One of the most notable buzz-related events was in Valencia, in the small town of Aldaya. On February 14, 2013, many people claimed to have noticed some kind of vibration or sound coming from the ground. Most thought it could be some kind of noise made by airplanes or local factories.

However, many neighbors called the local newspaper when they saw that the noise did not stop; and the local press wrote on the subject. The buzzing was supposedly recorded for a few seconds, but the images were later found to be fake.

Years later, already in 2018, a similar incident occurred in the capital of the province, Valencia. Thousands of people throughout the city claimed to have heard a noise lasting about five minutes, with characteristics similar to those mentioned in other occurrences of the drone. However, research in this regard failed to establish the origin of the phenomenon.

Possible explanations

Due to the popularity that the phenomenon of Tinnitus has acquired in recent years, many explanations have arisen trying to encompass all cases and assign them a single cause.

Below we will mention some of the most mentioned, both those that are based on science and those that attribute a supernatural origin to sound.

-Explanations without scientific basis

The "sound of the Apocalypse"

In some occult circles and in the paranormal media, many people are convinced that the increasingly frequent appearance of low-frequency hums that only certain individuals can hear is an omen that the end of time is near.

According to these people, the vibration would be caused by changes in the structure of the Earth that would result in the appearance of an increasing number of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis.

Alien messages and secret weapons

On the other hand, in many paranormal circles it is believed that the appearance of this low frequency hum is related to the presence of visitors from other planets, who would be hidden but whose technology would produce this peculiar sound.

A similar theory is the one that states that the buzzing would actually be caused by secret weapons or gadgets that some organizations such as the CIA, the army or even the Illuminati would use, a supposed group of people who rule the world in secret. According to them, these technologies would cause a buzz that could only be heard by people with special abilities.

-The rational explanation

As has been seen throughout the article, most of the cases in which "The Hum" is claimed to be present actually have little to do with each other. Therefore, it is most likely that there is no single cause that explains all these events, but that each of them has a different origin.

The first thing to understand is that there are small anatomical differences between individuals. Thus, some people are able to hear sounds in a greater range than normal, so they can sometimes detect noises that no one else perceives.

In other cases, the presence of conditions such as tinnitus can cause a person to hear a constant ringing due to a hearing problem.

Even if a hum actually exists, most of the time it is produced by different types of machinery, and not by the presence of supernatural or hidden elements.

References

1. "HUM: The sound of the Apocalypse, where does the mystery come from?" in: Mystery Planet. Retrieved on: September 17, 2019 from Mystery Planet: mysteryplanet.com.ar.
2. "The hum (the buzz)" in: The Lie Is Out There. Retrieved on: September 17, 2019 from The Lie Is Out There: lamentiraestaahifuera.com.
3. "The Hum: Strange noises that have the world in suspense" in: Vix. Retrieved on: September 17, 2019 from Vix: vix.com.
4. "» The Hum », the mystery of the maddening sound that nobody can explain" in: Notimérica. Retrieved on: September 17, 2019 from Notimérica: notimerica.com.
5. "The Buzz" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: September 17, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org.