Walking with the devil is supposedly a risky endeavor — and if the stories are to be believed, Old Scratch himself took a stroll across the English countryside on February 8, 1855.
The whole affair unfolded in Devon, England, where residents woke up to find peculiar hoof-shaped imprints stamped into freshly fallen snow. Local religious authorities were quick to declare that Satan had left his mark, though plenty of people remained unconvinced. Much of what we know about the incident traces back to Reverend H. T. Ellacombe, who preserved several letters from acquaintances claiming to have personally witnessed the mysterious prints.
Stretching across roughly 100 miles, the tracks kept appearing over the next 1-2 days, turning up in more than 30 locations throughout the surrounding area. Each individual print measured approximately 4″ by 3″ in diameter, laid out in a single-file line that followed an erratic, winding course.
Once word spread about these bizarre markings, speculation ran wild. Kangaroos and badgers were among the animal suspects people put forward. Still others floated explanations involving balloons and hopping mice. The mystery captivated much of the country, but skeptics weren't far behind. Critics pointed out that no single person or creature could realistically cover 100 miles in a single day. Making matters murkier, eye-witness descriptions of the prints differed considerably from one observer to the next.
Even now, the strange episode remains shrouded in mystery with no definitive answers. In March of 2009, similar footprints were reportedly spotted once more in Devon, though little evidence exists to suggest it was anything beyond an elaborate historical prank.
Could it really have been Lucifer himself leaving his calling card back in 1855?
The truth, it seems, may forever remain just out of reach.