The Man No One Knew: The Somerton Man

In December 1948, the body of an unidentified man was discovered on Somerton Beach near Adelaide, Australia. With no identification, labels removed from his clothing, and no clear explanation for his death, the stranger would become known as the Somerton Man and the center of one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries.

In this episode of The House of Strange, we explore the Somerton Man case, from the mysterious scrap of paper bearing the words “Tamám Shud” and its connection to the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám to the coded writing, unanswered questions, and theories that surrounded the unidentified man for decades. We also examine the DNA research that eventually pointed to a name: Carl Webb.

The Somerton Man may no longer be entirely unknown, but identifying him has not answered every question. Who was Carl Webb, why was he on Somerton Beach, and what really happened to him in 1948?