Have you ever had an experience you can't explain? People often share real ghost sightings in the hope of finding some type of logical explanation for what they saw. Sightings like these leave no doubt in your mind that these people encountered real ghosts.
Winston Churchill and Lincoln's Ghost
One of the most well-known ghost sightings was a famous ghost seen by a famous person. It happened in the White House during on his 1940s visit. Known for his penchant for being nude in the privacy of his quarters, Churchill had an embarrassing moment when a ghost paid him a visit.
Having finished his evening bath, the Prime Minister walked into his bedroom, still nude. He stopped mid-stride when he saw Abraham Lincoln leaning against the fireplace mantel. The spirit looked up at Churchill.
Churchill, forever the great orator, said, "Good evening, Mister President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." Lincoln turned to look at the Prime Minister and gave him an amused smile before vanishing in front of him.
Churchill wasn't the only one to see the spirit of President Lincoln. In 1942, the queen of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina, was a guest at the White House. One night, there was a knock on her door, and she opened it to find the spirit of President Lincoln staring at her. He was dressed in a frock coat and top hat. The queen promptly fainted. The sightings of Lincoln's ghost are very common with White House staff and workers having their own encounters with the former President.
Spooky Little Ghost Girl
Reddit user, stoicgoblin from Ireland, tells about his family's move to a farmhouse and how his parents renovated the entire home. Only five years old at the time, he remembers periodically playing with a little girl. It was during a recent conversation with his father that he realized his parents believed all those times he was playing with the little girl, he was just talking to himself. They had no idea he was conversing and playing with a ghost child. He suddenly recalled one time when the little girl touched his arm and then vanished in front of him. His father explained to him that his mother had various unexplained ghostly incidences. Once, when she was brushing her teeth, an invisible entity tugged on her bathrobe so hard, the force caused the toothbrush to fall from her hand. Soon after the incident, his family moved back to the city.
Howie Mandel Live-in Ghost
Travel Channel's Famously Afraid featured the ghost encounter of comedian/actor Howie Mandel and his family. It began when he, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter moved into a house. It was 1986, and Howie was starring in the hit TV series St. Elsewhere. Soon after moving in, their daughter started waking after midnight with a bloodcurdling scream. Each time, she insisted there was a man in her bedroom. This went on for several months.
The couple hired a nanny since they were both working long hours. After about a month, the nanny told Howie and his wife that every night the spirit of a bearded man in his late 40s came downstairs from the nursery and sat on the foot of her bed. She announced their house was haunted and quit. Needing a change, Howie, his wife, and his daughter flew to visit relatives in Toronto. While there, his daughter saw a painting of a man with a beard and freaked out. When they returned home, their daughter slept with them. Howie was awakened one night by someone calling his name. He got up to investigate, but was unable to find anyone in the house. The next morning, they put the house on the market and moved.
Ghost Sitting on the Wall
Another Reddit user, Numerous_Artists 4015, tells about her 40-year-old aunt's ghost sighting. Living in a family home in West Wales, her aunt was home alone and busy cleaning the house. She eventually moved into the living room to vacuum and was startled to see a man sitting there. The man just stared at her. The spirit was as clear as any person. Her aunt continued to vacuum for a few seconds, trying to understand what she was seeing. When she glanced up, the spirit's intense gaze unnerved her even more. He sat there quietly, watching her work.
Her aunt described his pose as being odd, as though he were leaning against an invisible wall. Within a few seconds of seeing him, she mustered up the courage to run out of the room and out the front door. It was a few years later, when they were renovating the house, that a hidden staircase was discovered. It had been covered up by the wall where she'd seen the ghost man sitting. Her aunt realized that his odd pose was because he was sitting on the hidden staircase.
Man in the Hall
Reddit user jazzyhadaegh recalls a childhood ghost encounter. Her brother and their mother were home while her father traveled for business. When her brother was around two years old, he started pointing to the hall whenever they were in the living room watching TV. The toddler would cry, "Man! Man!" Her mom didn't see anyone, but was certain he must be seeing a ghost. As her brother grew a little older, he was able to verbalize better and explained there was a man standing in the hall. Her mother was terrified. After one such occasion, her mother woke to a sunny morning, looked out the window and saw an elderly man standing there.
Upon investigating, she discovered how the previous owners were an elderly couple. The woman became very sick and died. Depressed and missing his wife, the old man committed suicide. She ends her story by saying they believed he was the man her brother kept seeing in the hallway and the one her mother saw standing at the window.
Poltergeist Invades Home
The 1938 story of Alma Fielding, who lived in Croydon, a large town in South London, England, is perplexing and daunting. At her wit's end, Alma turned to the Sunday Pictorial (today known as Sunday Mirror) about a malicious poltergeist that invaded her home. The poltergeist was throwing all kinds of things about the house, and she needed help.
The 34-year-old housewife first found a six-fingered handprint on a mirror. Soon after, she and her husband were awakened when glasses flew through their bedroom and shattered on the floor. Other incidences included a jar of facial cream thrown at their son and coins hurled at an overnight guest.
Nandor Fodor, a member of the International Institute for Psychical Research, answered her cry for help. The story grew more complex as time progressed, with accusations of Alma being the cause of the poltergeist activity. Nandor documented things like the manifesting of objects. Kate Summerscale's book, The Haunting of Alma Fielding, follows the story of Nandor's investigation of Alma's haunting.
Graveyard Ghost Follows Women Home
Another Reddit user realghoststories spins a real life ghost story of three college friends walking back to their hostel. The women decided to take a shortcut through a cemetery. Not paying attention to their environment, the trio giggled, chatted, and acted as though they were walking down a village sidewalk instead of a graveyard. Later, she reflects that they must have offended a ghost with their casual demeanor that someone or something viewed as disrespect.
The cemetery was divided into two sections, one for Christians and one for Muslims. The last grave they passed was that of a 15-year-old Muslim boy who had died a few days earlier. There were still fresh flowers on the grave and several burning candles. The three girls hushed as they hurried past the grave. They each returned to their individual rooms and retired for the night. The narrator describes how she turned out the lights and went to bed early. While lying in bed, she began scrolling through her phone.
Suddenly, she felt the presence of a spirit behind her, near the door. She was too afraid to look in that direction, feeling vulnerable. She longed to jump from the bed and rush to her friends' rooms, but fear paralyzed her. Instead of rushing from the room, she called a male friend. For a couple of hours, she talked with her friend as he tried to ease her fears. She gradually fell asleep, but the next morning she discovered her friends also had a disturbing night. Both of them said they felt someone was watching them all night. She goes on to tell how they had nothing but bad luck with all kinds of negative things happening. Eventually, the three of them started going to temple, and the bad luck stopped.
Spooky Real Ghost Sightings
When you read about real ghost sightings, it isn't easy to dismiss those who lived through the experience. It makes you wonder how many people have similar ghost sightings, but never tell anyone about them.
