Fortunately for treasure seekers and adventurers, the world is full of mysterious stories and there are still many blank spots on the map. Some of the incidents on our list are unexplained disappearances, some are mysterious archaeological finds. Consider that we have compiled a list of ideas for the curious and partial to history.
15. Traces of the devil (or mouse) in Devon
"The Great Mystery of Devon of 1855" puzzled the inhabitants of South Devon: after a night of heavy snowfall, hoof-like tracks appeared on the snow, which without stopping stretched for a distance of 100-150 miles. The people thought and decided - for sure, the devil. Many theories have been put forward to explain the incident. Incredibly, the tracks were indeed found at a distance of more than a hundred miles, but no one in a day could have walked such a distance through deep snow and not stopped!
Researcher Mike Dash summarized all the primary and secondary sources he found in the article "Devil's Footprints: Materials for Studying the Great Mystery of Devon, 1855", first published in 1994. He, without denying the reality of the fact as such, came to the conclusion that there was not and could not be any one "source" of the origin of the tracks: some of them were almost certainly a hoax, some were left by quite ordinary four-legged animals - for example, donkeys or horses, and some - mice. The footprint left in the snow after a mouse jump is similar to a forked hoof due to the movement of the mouse during the jump. Dash claims that the "mouse factor" theory appeared in The Illustrated London News as early as March 1855. But a certain Jeffrey Househall suggested that the traces were left by a balloon, mistakenly released from Devonport,by means of links at the ends of its mooring lines.
14. The ship "Maria Celeste"
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The infamous "ghost ship" - "Maria Celeste" has puzzled scientists for over a century. The ship was discovered by another cargo ship in 1872. A cargo of 1701 barrels of alcohol was found intact, and a six-month food supply remained intact. All papers, with the exception of the ship's log, disappeared. The last entry in the logbook is dated November 24, with the coordinates of the "Maria Celeste": 36 ° 57 's. sh. and 27 ° 20'W. e. According to the inscription on the slate board in the wardroom, at 8 o'clock in the morning of the next day, the brigantine would have been 6 miles south-southwest of Santa Maria Island (one of the Azores). The entire crew disappeared. But on the ship, in addition to the captain and the crew of 7 people, was the captain's wife and his two-year-old daughter. But the ship was abandoned by the crew: not a single person, neither alive nor dead, was on board.
The windows of the aft superstructure, where the captain's cabin was located, are covered with tarpaulins and boarded up with boards. The sextant and chronometer were not found (which implies the evacuation of the team), the clock ran out of the factory. The compass was destroyed, presumably during an unsuccessful attempt to hastily remove it. In the captain's cabin, the jewelry box and wads of money remained intact. Toys were scattered on the floor of the cabin, the sewing machine of the captain's wife stood with unfinished sewing. The sailors did not take their pipes with them - they were stacked in their proper place in the cockpit.
The mysterious disappearance of the ship's crew 400 miles from Gibraltar has remained a mystery. The fate of all crew members and passengers is unknown. Different versions were put forward: an attack by pirates, the impact of the Bermuda Triangle, the intervention of aliens from outer space. The ship's cargo and valuables remained intact, which would seem to exclude the possibility of a pirate attack. Perhaps the crew left the ship due to a fire? But there were no signs of an explosion, nor any charred parts of the ship. By the way, there is an interesting theory: in the 1965 episode of Doctor Who, the ship's crew is kidnapped by the Daleks. What a good explanation, no worse than any other!
13. Where did Jimmy Hoffa go?
James Riddley "Jimmy" Hoffa is an American trade union leader who disappeared unexpectedly in 1975 under mysterious circumstances. His disappearance has given rise to many rumors. One of them, persistently exaggerated in the media, claims that he was buried under the infamous 10-yard mark at the Giants Stadium.
In 1964, Hoffa was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Over the next three years, Hoffa tried unsuccessfully to get the sentence reversed, but in 1967 he began serving his sentence. On December 23, 1971, Hoffa was released from prison after US President Richard Nixon pardoned him. The main condition was that Hoffa should not be involved in trade union activities for 10 years. Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975, and was last seen in a restaurant parking lot outside Detroit. In 1982, Hoffa was officially pronounced dead.
After that, many sources more than once testified about his whereabouts. Hitman Kuklinsky - known as Eisman - claims to have killed Hoff and dumped his body in a landfill. More recent evidence, 2015, came from former mobster, Philip Moscato, who claims that Hoffa was shot and buried near the Pulaski Skyway building in New Jersey. But nobody knows for sure.
12. Tomb of Cleopatra
It is widely believed that the Egyptian queen was buried with her beloved Mark Antony after their death in 30 BC. The location of their tomb has been a mystery to archaeologists for over 2,000 years. Excavations were carried out in a temple near Alexandria, where there are a number of graves dating back to the reign of Cleopatra, but the grave of lovers was not among them.
There have been speculations that the tomb was not built as a lavish mausoleum due to circumstances surrounding Cleopatra's death (it is still debated whether Cleopatra was killed or committed suicide). In 2008, the discovery of an alabaster bust of Queen Cleopatra suggested that archaeologists had found the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh and her lover, the Roman Mark Antony. Zahi Hawass, head of the Department of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt, reported in the press that the legendary couple was probably buried under the temple of one of the necropolises, dating back to the 3rd century. BC, in the area of Taposiris Magna, in modern Abusir.
11. Copper scroll
The Copper Scroll is one of the Qumran manuscripts of 980 AD, which is made on a different material from the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls. While other scrolls are written on parchment or papyrus, this scroll is written on metal (an alloy of copper with about 1% tin). Unlike other scrolls, "The Copper Scroll" is not a literary work, but a list of places where treasures are supposedly hidden, various objects made of gold and silver. The manuscript was created by the Essenes in 50-100 AD and was found in Cave No. 3 of Qumran on March 20, 1953. The Copper Scroll is kept at the Jordanian Archaeological Museum in Amman. According to the list, the treasures hidden in the vicinity of Jerusalem and Western Palestine amounted to a colossal amount - about four thousand centners of gold and silver (gold - 1280 talents, gold and silver (without differentiation) - 3282 talents,65 gold ingots, 608 jugs of silver, 619 gold and silver vessels), and due to the corrosion of copper scrolls, information about some of the treasures was never deciphered.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, unearthed by archaeologists in the 1950s, are a veritable map of treasures that have yet to be found. And whether these treasures are real is still a mystery.
10. Atlantis is not a legend?
Many popular books and films give us a glimpse into the supposed world of Atlantis, but is there even one real fact among fictional fiction? In the dialogues of the ancient thinker Plato, there is a grain that speaks of the reality of the legendary island. The legend of Atlantis has been living for more than two thousand years. But only a few decades ago, people desperate to find traces of a once prosperous state, ranked Plato's works as utopias. Nowadays, some historians and archaeologists have recognized that Plato's dialogues do contain some real facts.
Atlantis is a mythical island-state. The location of Atlantis is uncertain. According to Plato, Atlantis is a huge island lying in the ocean behind the Pillars of Hercules, that is, behind Gibraltar. During a strong earthquake, accompanied by a flood, the island was swallowed up by the sea on the same day, along with its inhabitants - Atlanteans. Plato indicates the time of the catastrophe as "9000 years ago", that is, around 9500 BC. e.
47 years after the death of Plato, a resident of Athens, Krantor, went to Egypt to find out whether the sources of the information used by the philosopher were really there. And he found, according to him, in the temple of Neith hieroglyphs with the text about the events described. Scientists and archaeologists from different countries and different eras continue to search for the lost Atlantis.
9. Hanging Gardens of Babylon: history and legend
To earn the title of "wonder of the world", you need to be something extraordinary. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as described by ancient sources (c. 450 BC), state that the gardens formed a magnificent and amazing ensemble, more than 300 feet high and 56 miles long. Modern archaeological excavations of an ancient city in Iraq have found no evidence of a garden there that matches this description. Either it never actually existed, or this impressive structure was destroyed by earthquakes or wars.
One of the seven wonders of the ancient world - the Hanging Gardens - according to legend, were located in Babylon. Their creation in ancient times was associated with a certain queen Semiramis. At present, it is believed that the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar II was involved in the construction of this miracle of technical thought.
The modern history of the gardens of Babylon is associated with the name of the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. Engaging in excavations of ancient Babylon since 1899, one day he found a strange, not typical structure for the area. So, for example, the vaults had a different shape, lined with stone, instead of the usual brick, there were underground structures, and most importantly, an interesting water supply system from three mines was found. So all the skepticism can be forgotten - the gardens existed!
8. Mysterious moth
Sounds almost like a prequel to a fantasy story: on a dark November night in 1966, four American teenagers from West Virginia saw a scary bird - a flying, eerie-looking creature, a winged beast that they said had glowing red eyes and large wings.
The local sheriff held a press conference the next day and the monster was nicknamed "moth". In the book by John Keele, which describes strange happenings in the Ohio Valley, there is a theory that the appearance of a moth could be a sign of the collapse of a bridge in 1967, which killed 46 people (including the guys who testified about the moth!) And no scientific explanation.
7. Caves in China
The Panxian Dadong Caves in southern China are an incredible sight in and of themselves, but what was found inside them puzzled scientists. In the late 1990s, the remains of prehistoric rhinoceroses and giant stegedons were found in the caves, but this is completely impossible as the caves are over 5,000 feet above sea level.
The idea that creatures of their height and size (and which tend to graze alone) could live and survive in these caves is confusing. Paleontological experts have suggested that carnivores could be killed and their bodies dragged into the cave. Other evidence points to human intervention, as some bones are found to have burn marks and damage, presumably from primitive tools made of stone.
6. The mystery of the screaming mummy
In 1886, Gaston Maspero, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, uncovered the shrouds of mummies found in a hidden cache near the Valley of the Kings. Hidden from the world for centuries, there were the remains of the Egyptian pharaohs. However, this body, buried with them, was very different - the mummy lay in a simple, unadorned sarcophagus, on which the name of the deceased was not written, and his face was forever distorted by a cry. The mummy was in excellent condition, but at the time of death this man was clearly in terrible pain. It was puzzling that, being buried side by side with persons of a noble family, this mummy was in a simple sarcophagus, had no name and was wrapped in sheep's clothing. Sheep in Egypt were considered unclean animals, and the absence of a name doomed the dead man to eternal damnation.
The time has come for modern forensic analysis tools: using computed tomography, X-rays, and techniques for reconstructing the details of a person's face, researchers have come to a clue.
During the reign of Ramses III, the courtiers made a series of covert attempts on the life of the pharaoh. They attacked him openly, but were captured by the guards. The rebels were brought to justice. Some of the conspirators were stripped of their noses, and the leaders of the conspiracy were executed. Pharaoh's wife, and her eldest son, the main participants in the conspiracy, were allowed to commit suicide, so as not to betray the shame of noble persons. They took poison. "Screaming Mummy" belongs to the eldest son of Pharaoh Ramses III. The ropes that tied his arms and legs so squeezed the flesh at the moment of a monstrously painful death that traces of them remained even on the bones. But mysteries remain - sheepskin and the absence of a name. But, as scientists hope, they will eventually be unraveled over time.
5. The eternal flame of antiquity - inextinguishable oil lamps
In the writings of ancient authors, you can find references to lamps that burned for centuries. In the records of Lucian, Plutarch and St. Augustine, they claim to have seen them with their own eyes. Such a fire was known on the territory of Indochina, where it burned in temple buildings and at the burial site. In 1652 the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher debunked many of the wonders of ancient times. Kircher reports about an inextinguishable lamp that pagans made wicks from asbestos, and oil was fed to lamps through pipes.
In our time, many experts believe that the inextinguishable lamps were electric lamps. On the territory of Ancient Babylon, the simplest galvanic elements were discovered, and in Egypt, on the walls of the temple of the goddess Hathor, bas-reliefs of huge flasks resembling ordinary incandescent lamps.
Continuous light bulbs have also been found in European countries. The chronicles of medieval Britain indicate that near Bristol, in an open tomb, there was a burning lamp. Locals said that it burned there since time immemorial, and spoke as if it were commonplace. In the XVIII century, similar lamps were found in Germany. For example, in the crypt of an adherent of the Rosicrucian order, there was a cunning device - a mechanical knight holding a heavy spear in his hand, which, when the tomb was opened, fell on this lamp, it broke, and its contents instantly evaporated.
Similar lamps have been discovered by archaeologists in Indian and Chinese temples, as well as in North and South America. Strange, but none of these lamps have reached the scientists in the so-called "working condition". And small fragments can do nothing to help solve this mystery.
4. First encounter with flying saucers
Many sci-fi writers and screenwriters can thank Kenneth Arnold, as he was the first person to witness a mysterious object flying through the sky - and whose subsequent report sparked interest in the worldwide UFO craze. Arnold's case sparked the popularity of UFOs in the United States: over the next two months, nearly 850 people from all over the country claimed to have seen "flying saucers" in the sky.
In 1947, over the Cascade Mountains (Washington state), the American businessman Arnold, who was involved in the sale and installation of fire-fighting installations, saw flying objects. He did not provide confirmation or evidence, these stories exist as an urban legend, however, many believe. Arnold became famous, many newspapers paid attention to him. In one of the interviews, Arnold said that the disks "flew like a saucer launched in the water" - and then the newspaper "East Origonien" introduced the name "flying saucer" ("flying saucer"). Everything is detailed in the book by Kenneth Arnold and Ray Palmer "The coming of the saucers" (1952).
3. Ark of the Covenant
According to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant, or the Ark of Revelation, is the greatest shrine of the Jewish people: it is a portable box in which the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments were kept, as well as a vessel with manna and Aaron's staff. The Ark, according to the Torah, was a symbol of God's union with the people of Israel and served as a witness to the presence of God in their midst. According to the Bible, at the time of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, the Ark was located in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle of the Assembly (a marching temple), then in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. And this shrine disappeared without a trace.
According to one of the versions cited in the Talmud, King Josiah ordered to hide the Ark in a cache under the so-called cornerstone of the universe in the Holy of Holies or under the floor of the Wood-burning chamber of the Temple.
According to another version, the Ark was taken to Babylon, where its traces are lost. According to the Second Book of Maccabees, the prophet Jeremiah (Irmiyahu), at the command of God, hid the Ark in a cave on Mount Nebo.
Ancient scholars theorized that the ark was either taken to Babylon or hidden long before the city was sacked. Centuries of history have proclaimed the Ark's true whereabouts, claiming that it is kept in Ethiopia, while others say that the shrine was hidden by divine intervention and will not reveal itself until the messiah arrives. Yes, science will not help here.
2. Is Jack the Ripper a woman?
This guy made a stir in Whitechapel and surrounding London in the second half of 1888.
For more than a hundred years, after five brutal murders of women, experts have been desperate to determine who this elusive killer is. The Jack the Ripper case still inspires many authors of various works of cinema and literature, but no real evidence was obtained, and the mysterious serial killer remained incognito.
The nickname "Jack the Ripper" was first mentioned in a letter sent to the Central News Agency, the author of which claimed responsibility for the murders. Many experts consider the letter a fake, created by journalists to fuel public interest in the story.
During the investigation of the Ripper case, the police, newspapers, representatives of other organizations received thousands of letters, one way or another concerning the Ripper case. From the point of view of the investigation, much more interesting were the letters, which, as they claimed, were written by the killer himself. DNA tests carried out on surviving letters may yield results that shed light on the circumstances of the case. Australian professor of molecular biology Ian Findlay, examining the remnants of DNA, concluded that the letter was most likely written by a woman. It is noteworthy that at the end of the 19th century, a certain Mary Pearcey, who was hanged for the murder of her lover's wife in 1890, was mentioned among the candidates for the role of the Ripper.
1. Shroud of Turin
Debates about the appearance and exact age of the shroud have been going on for centuries. Some Christians believe that it was in this material that the body of Jesus was wrapped. Others think it is a painting, and some think it is a photograph. Since various forms of analysis - including radiocarbon and spectroscopy - have determined the moment when the Shroud appeared on everything somewhere between 300 BC. and 1390 AD, even experts cannot decide whether the shroud is a medieval fake or a genuine artifact. Where does the face of Christ come from on the so-called Turin shroud: it is believed that it was imprinted on the fabric after burial and captured the miracle of the resurrection from the dead. And "sensational discoveries" appear with enviable regularity: recently one scientist proved that Christ was taken off the crucifixion while still alive,at the same time, he does not question the authenticity of the shroud. There is still a huge field for research and search!
