There are some historical mysteries that will probably never be revealed. Partly because the relevant historical ground has been lost or some archaeological site has been destroyed. In other cases, because new evidence is unlikely to be found, and the surviving evidence is too vague for scientists to come to a consensus.
But the lack of answers makes these mysteries all the more intriguing. We want to tell you about some of these historical questions that will never be answered.
Who was Jack the Ripper?
In 1888, Jack the Ripper killed at least five women in London and maimed their bodies. A number of letters purportedly from the Ripper were sent to the police, although scientists are still debating whether any of them were actually written by the killer.
Needless to say, the Ripper was never found, and over the years, dozens of people have been named as possible candidates for this dubious role. A recent book has speculated that the Ripper was a woman named Lizzie Williams, although experts question this. Most likely, the true identity of the Ripper will never be certain.
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Where is Jimmy Hoffa located?
This American trade union leader is known for his involvement in organized crime. He disappeared in Oakland County, Michigan on July 30, 1975, and Hoffa is now believed to be dead. The identity of his alleged killer and the location of the body remain a mystery. Police and forensic anthropologists have searched several regions in Detroit and Oakland, but to no avail.
One popular theory is that Hoffa's body was buried beneath the Giants Stadium in New Jersey. However, this version was rejected. The identity of the killer is also unknown. Prior to his death in 2006, Richard Kuklinski (The Iceman) - the famous hitman - claimed that he killed Hoff and dumped his body in a landfill. Philip Carlo visited Kuklinski in prison before he died and wrote a book about his confessions. After the book was published, several police officers questioned this confession. Be that as it may, every year it seems less and less likely that Hoffa's remains will ever be found.
Where is Cleopatra's grave?
Ancient authors claim that Cleopatra VII and her beloved Mark Antony were buried together in a tomb after their death in 30 BC. e. The writer Plutarch (AD 45-120) claimed that the tomb was located next to the temple of Isis, the Egyptian goddess, and contained treasures of gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, ebony and ivory.
The location of the tomb is still a mystery. In 2010, Zahi Hawass, a former Egyptian minister of antiquities, excavated a site near Alexandria that contains a number of tombs dating back to the era when Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt. Although many interesting archaeological discoveries have been made, the tomb of Cleopatra VII was not among them. Archaeologists noted that even if her grave was able to survive to this day, it may have been looted, and therefore it is impossible to identify it.
Who killed Kennedy?
This is probably the biggest mystery in American history that will never be solved. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald (although some believe he was not the only gunman). On November 24, 1963, before Oswald was due to stand trial, he was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. Ruby himself died of lung cancer on January 3, 1967.
The most widely accepted explanation is that Oswald killed Kennedy at will and Ruby killed Oswald. There is speculation that Ruby wanted to spare Jacqueline Kennedy from meeting Oswald in court. However, there are a significant number of professional historians who disagree with this explanation. Since the death of John F. Kennedy, numerous alternative explanations have been put forward by scientists and amateurs. Given that new data is unlikely to ever emerge, consensus will likely never be reached.
Treasures on Oak Island
For more than two centuries, rumors have circulated that Oak Island, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, is home to a treasure allegedly hidden by the pirate Captain Kid (1645-1701). During this time, numerous expeditions worth millions of dollars were sent to the island in search of lost treasures, but to no avail.
Despite centuries of searching, nothing has been found on Oak Island. Nevertheless, this does not stop adventurers from trying to find the treasure.
Copper Scroll Hoard
This is another treasure tale. In 1952, the Copper Scroll was found in a cave on the territory of Qumran by archaeologists along with other Dead Sea scrolls. As the name suggests, the inscriptions were engraved on copper. The scroll describes a treasure - a huge amount of gold and silver, and so much that some scholars doubt its existence. The find is over 1900 years old.
This is the time when the Roman Empire controlled the Qumran region. During the writing of the scroll, there were several uprisings against Roman rule, and therefore scholars assumed that the treasure was hidden from the Roman army. Whether the treasure is real, where exactly it was hidden, whether it was ever found and whether it can still exist - these are mysteries that most likely will never be revealed.
The Fate of the Ark of the Covenant
In 587 BC. e. the Babylonian army under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem. She sacked the city and destroyed the First Temple, a building used by the Jewish people to worship God. The First Temple kept the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the records of the 10 commandments.
The fate of the Ark is unclear. Ancient sources indicate that he was either sent to Babylon or hidden before the townspeople were taken prisoner. It is also possible that the Ark was destroyed during the sack of the city. In any case, where the Ark is now is unknown. Over time, many stories and legends about his fate appeared. One story suggests that it eventually ended up in Ethiopia, where it is kept today. Another claims that the Ark was hidden by divine power, and it will appear only when the messiah comes.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Ancient writers describe fantastic gardens built in Babylon (modern day Iraq). It is not yet clear when these gardens were founded, but some ancient writers were so impressed with them that they called them a wonder of the world. Around 250 BC. e. Philo of Byzantine wrote that hanging gardens are "plants grown at a height above ground level, and the roots of trees are in the upper terrace, not on the ground."
Until now, archaeologists who excavated in Babylon have not been able to find the remains of a garden that would match this description. This has led scientists to wonder if the Hanging Gardens really existed? In 2013, Stephen Dalli, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, suggested that these gardens were actually located in the Assyrian city of Nineveh. Given that Babylon and Nineveh suffered severe damage from wars and plunder, it seems unlikely that this secret will ever be fully revealed.
Was Atlantis real?
In the fourth century BC, the Greek philosopher Plato told a story about a land called Atlantis that existed in the Atlantic Ocean and allegedly conquered most of Europe and Africa in prehistoric times. In this story, the ancient Athenians retaliate against Atlantis, and as a result of the conflict, she disappeared under water.
While no serious scholar now believes that this story should be taken literally, some have suggested that the legend may have been based on real events that took place in Greek history. One possible option is that the Minoan civilization (as it is now called), which flourished on the island of Crete until about 1400 BC. e., could have inspired Plato to create a story about Atlantis. Minoan settlements suffered significant damage during the eruption of the Greek volcano Thera. In addition, archaeologists have discovered that the Minoans were captured by a group of people called the Mycenaeans. They lived on the Greek mainland. It is unlikely that this debate will ever end.
Who was Jesus really?
The earliest surviving gospels date from the second century, meaning they were written almost 100 years after Jesus' life (although more recently it has been announced that an alleged first century fragment has been found).
The lack of surviving earlier texts about Jesus has raised a number of questions for scholars. When were the gospels written? How many stories were actually real? Who was Jesus in real life? Archaeological research in Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, tells us more about the environment where he grew up. More recently, scholars have discovered a first century home that, centuries after Jesus, was revered as the place where he grew up. But whether it was really his home is unknown.
Scientists believe that it is unlikely that they will ever be able to find out who Jesus really was.
Anna Pismenna