Are aliens out to get us? Are time travelers doing this? These are all questions the world has been asking these past few weeks. Monoliths have been discovered all over the world breaking the internet. Memes, TikTok videos, and tweets have all been pondering this mysterious statue. These statues are monoliths. A monolith is a great stone often in the form of a column, essentially it’s a metal triangular prism. Generally, it is assumed that monoliths are put there by people in ancient times. Some scientists also think that it might be extraterrestrial, or is it just a prank done by influencers?

What’s With All The Monoliths Popping Up?

The first unexplained monolith was discovered in a remote area in Utah’s Red Rock Country on November 18. But the discovery wasn’t announced to the public until November 23 by Utah’s Department of Public Safety. The strange structure was found by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources while on a mission to count the number of Bighorn Sheep in southeastern Utah. A range of theories arose on where the monolith came from including everything from aliens placing it to someone just randomly built it. The government spoke out telling people to not come visit the monolith because they didn’t know if it was safe. But that didn’t stop several influencers from going out there and seeing it for themselves. 

On November 27, the Utah monolith disappeared. Travel Photographer Ross Bernard came forward and told the media four men showed up and removed the monolith. The men that removed it, were actually environmentalists and they didn’t want this structure to ruin the land. Two of the men Andy Lewis and Sylan Christensen came forward in a YouTube video as part of the team who removed the monolith. 

A few days later on December 2 another monolith appeared on a hiking trail in Atascadero, California. The 10ft, 200 pound monolith disappeared a day later. Then on December 5 a second monolith appeared in California according to The Most Famous Artist Instagram page, that shared photos of monoliths. The same page has also been selling some of these structures, but it’s unclear whether they are behind this monolith. A couple days later, California would see two more monoliths popup and disappear. 

The Nation would then start to see them popup in other places such as North Carolina, Pittsburg, Texas, and even in Boulder. 

In Boulder, the structure appeared  in front of McDevitt Taco Supply. Owner Clayton McDevitt insisted he had no idea how it got there. In an interview from Denver7 he said, “I’m not sure where this one came from….But it attracts a lot of people. It’s a nice thing in this era of the pandemic.” A few other monoliths would appear in Colorado days following but the overall reaction from people seems welcoming.  

They also started to pop up around the world in places like Romania, the United Kingdom, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, and Australia. Romania took a different approach in handling the monolith. Their mayor Piatra Neamt welcomed the discovery, while the United States feared its welcome. The mayor also spoke out saying “I’m honored that they chose our city.” 

We know a little bit about who has been taking some of them away, but who’s behind all of this, or is it truly aliens? 

Who’s Behind All of This?

An anonymous group called The Most Famous Artist took credit for the ones in Utah and California. They were even selling them for 45,000 dollars each, if you too also want to prank the world. Several people on TikTok were also claiming that they were the person that made all of these. Another designer from West Sussex claimed responsibility for the Isle of Wight monolith, saying he created it “just for fun.” Some conspiracy theorists may continue to believe it’s the aliens controlling these monoliths, but as of now it seems like just a fun prank to pull on the world during these harsh times.