The May Day Mystery: A Decades-Long Puzzle That Refuses to Die

Mayday Mysteries

The May Day Mystery is a decades-old enigma involving cryptic messages published in the University of Arizona's student newspaper every May 1st. The website, maintained by Bryan Hance, archives these texts and related lore, and a Facebook group with thousands of members continues to dissect the clues. Dubbed Arizona's Da Vinci Code, the mystery remains unsolved, with a dedicated PO box for tips.

Many things end, but the Mystery persists.
  1. rm445

    So... someone has been posting cryptic adverts annually from 1981 through 2026, which together constitute logic puzzles and obscure references.

    The main thing I think is quite cool, besides the sheer persistence, is that anyone noticed and there's a community following this. Everyone has stuff going on in their lives, this seems so obscure that you'd almost expect people to shrug and ignore.

  2. sans_souse

    I just want to be the first to make this connection to "Digger" 2026 starring Tom Cruise and no I'm not joking I'm just really deep in this rabbit hole

  3. sans_souse

    Some more info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Daily_Wildcat

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2026-09-19