5 Inventors With Mysterious Inventions Who Strangely Disappeared

Mysterious disappearances often involve individuals whose work defies convention. The perplexing case of Dr. Ning Li, whose groundbreaking research on anti-gravity beguiled and confounded her peers, is one such story.

Dr. Ning Li emigrated from China to the United States in 1983, joining the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research at the University of Alabama. In the early '90s, her pioneering papers on anti-gravity were met with skepticism, dismissed by many as fanciful science fiction.

Still, Li's theoretical work proposed a specific, practical method for generating an anti-gravity field, a concept that promised transformative applications.

In 1999, Li left academia to found her own company, AC Gravity. To further her research, she secured a significant grant from the Department of Defense, nearly half a million dollars. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of a series of strange and troubling events in her life.

Despite the promising start, AC Gravity never published any of its research. By 2003, Li had vanished from the public eye.

Her last known communication was a private email to colleagues, specifically reporting an experiment that generated “11 kilowatts of output energy.” After this message, she disappeared entirely. Her colleagues continued to send emails, which were marked as read, but no replies ever came.

Rumors and speculation filled the void left by her disappearance. Some suggested she was working under strict confidentiality for NASA or the Department of Defense.

Jack Sarfatti, a fellow scientist, speculated that she had returned to China, now funded by the Chinese government, and was beyond the Pentagon’s reach—a potential national security threat.

In an interview years later, Li’s son recounted a cryptic exchange with his mother. “Mom, do you need to tell me something?” he asked. Her response was as enigmatic as her disappearance: “First off, you don’t know anything. Second off, if you even think you might know something, you forget about it.”

Li’s son recounted how her work had never actually ceased under the Department of Defense, instead becoming classified and shrouded in secrecy, a burden that weighed heavily on her.

Tragedy struck in 2014 when Li was hit by a vehicle, an accident witnessed by her husband of 46 years, who suffered a fatal heart attack on the spot. Li sustained severe brain damage as a result of the accident. An obituary published in 2021 announced her death at the age of 79 in Huntsville.

Ultimately, Dr. Ning Li's story is one of loyalty and sacrifice. It was discovered that she steadfastly refused the overtures of the Chinese Communist Party, remaining dedicated to her work in America.

This dedication cost her dearly; she was even barred from returning to China for her mother's funeral. However, her loyalty to her adopted country and dedication to her mysterious research remained unbroken until the end...