The Kokomo Hum
In a small American city, people said a low hum kept them awake and made them ill.
What was reported
From around 1999, residents of Kokomo, Indiana, began complaining of a low humming or droning that they could hear and feel, especially at night. Some reported headaches, nausea and sleeplessness, and dozens of people came forward.
The city paid acoustic engineers to study it in 2003.
Explanations offered
The engineers found two low-frequency sources: a cooling fan at one factory and an air compressor at another. Both were fixed. Some residents said they could still hear the hum afterwards, so the cause of every report was never settled, as with other hums around the world.
- When
- From 1999
- Where
- Kokomo, Indiana, USA
- Witnesses
- Residents of the city
- Status
- Partly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.