Will We Ever Know What Really Happened?
Where’s Cleopatra’s tomb? Who was DB Cooper? Where did Roanoke’s missing colonists go? And what really happened to the five Sodder children? Many of history’s most compelling questions don’t have an answer—and that just makes the stories behind them all the more fascinating.
The Mary Celeste
In 1867, a beautiful ship named the Mary Celeste left the coast of New York. The captain was a man named Benjamin Briggs, and he brought his family and crew to transport 1,700 barrels of alcohol to Italy. They never made it to their destination.
Honore Pellegrin, Wikimedia Commons
The Mary Celeste’s Missing Crew
The boat was found floating safely in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Azores Islands, on December 5, 1872. This did not look like a pirate attack, because nothing was stolen, and all of the paper documents were still on board. The only thing missing was the people.
Abspires40, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Max Headroom
In the 1980s, the popular computer-animated character Max Headroom was all the rage. But in 1987, things took a sinister turn when his face suddenly interrupted the programming on a cable station and began screaming and saying strange things.
The Max Headroom Hacker
It was a moment like the notorious War of the Worlds broadcast. It seemed as though Max Headroom had sprung to life from AI and taken over the airwaves. In reality, it was a hacker in a Max Headroom mask. To this day, no one knows who the hacker was, or why they did it.
Alexander The Great
Many of us already know the story of Alexander the Great and how he ruled one of the biggest empires in the ancient world. Considering how iconic he was and what a giant role he played in history, you’d think we’d know what happened to him after he died—but we don’t.
Alexander The Great’s Burial Place
Here’s what we do know: after he died in Babylon, which is now Iraq, his body was transported back to ancient Egypt two years later. They started to construct a massive tomb for him in Alexandria. At the time, his body was held in Memphis. There’s just one problem.
Where Is Alexander The Great?
No one knows where the tomb that was made for Alexander the Great actually is. It’s possible that it sank underwater when the Palaces District of Alexandria was submerged a long, long time ago. Though many have looked, no one has been able to find it.
The Colony At Roanoke
The greatest mystery in American history has to do with the colony at Roanoke, which was established in 1857 by John White. He and 120 people arrived on Roanoke Island in what is now North Carolina to establish a new colony. But it didn’t quite turn out as planned.
Roanoke’s Vanished Colonists
White went back to England to get supplies for the new colony, but it was no simple journey in those days. Aside from the actual time it took to go back and forth, the outbreak of the Anglo-Spanish War delayed White and he didn’t make it back to Roanoke for three years. And when he finally got there, everyone was gone.
William James Linton, Wikimedia Commons
Croatoan
Though the people were gone, one thing remained—the word “CROATOAN” carved onto a wooden fence. At first, the answer seemed obvious. There was a place nearby called Croatoan Island—and that must have been where the colonists went. Or so he thought…
John Parker Davis, Wikimedia Commons
Croatoan Island
Things weren’t so simple for White. In fact, he kind of had some downright bad luck when it came to travel. A storm prevented him from getting to Croatoan Island, and he couldn’t raise enough money for further efforts to reach the colony he’d inadvertently abandoned. Sooo…did anyone else find them?
Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Missing Colonists
Short answer: no. Though many have searched for answers, it’s still unclear what happened to the missing colonists. Some have suggested that some or all of them were killed by local tribes, or that they were attacked by the Spanish, or that they simply all passed on naturally. Either way, it remains, according to a historian, “the biggest unsolved mystery in American history.”
Jimmy Hoffa
He went from teamster union leader to missing person to subject of one of the wildest mysteries of the last century. We know his name, but not all of might know his story: Jimmy Hoffa.
Hoffa’s Disappearance
Though Hoffa was a teamster union leader by day, behind closed doors he also had ties to organized crime. When he went missing in 1975, suspicion immediately fell on the less-than-savory people he regularly did business with—but the authorities never got any definitive clues to his whereabouts.
Roger Higgins, Wikimedia Commons
Hoffa’s Wherabouts
After seven years missing, the authorities had no choice but to declare Hoffa legally dead in 1982—but both law enforcement officials and amateur sleuths alike have never stopped looking for him. Searches in Detroit and Oakland County, Michigan were fruitless. And then, a strange confession.
The Dump Search
In 2021, agents from the FBI searched a dump in New Jersey after their received a deathbed confessions from a man who’d worked at a now-closed landfill and claimed he’d helped bury Hoffa’s body. It seemed like the mystery might finally be solved—but they turned up nothing.
The Iceman
Another theory about Hoffa’s disappearance has to do with the notorious hitman Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski. The Iceman is exactly the type of underworld figure who might come into contact with Hoffa, so it made sense when he claimed that he was the one behind the disappearance.
ff62abd22819b93d1cdaf8585c2eb0fa, Flickr
A False Confession
Despite his bona fides and history, Kuklinski’s story didn’t quite add up. When the authorities looked into it, they found no concrete evidence that the Iceman was behind Hoffa’s disappearance. Though theories and claims abound, it remains a compelling unsolved mystery.
Cleopatra
Alexander the Great isn’t the only ancient gistorical figure whose resting place remains a mystery. When Cleopatra passed on, she and her lover Mark Antony were buried together, supposedly near the temple of Isis.
Twentieth Century Fox, Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra’s Tomb
The historian Plutarch claimed that Cleo’s tomb was a massive and beautiful monument and that is was filled with resplendent treasures, including gold, silver, emeralds, and pearls. Sounds like a graverobbers’ dream! But yet—nothing has ever turned up from it, because no one knows where it is.
Twentieth Century Fox, Cleopatra (1963)
The Search For Cleopatra’s Tomb
Though we don’t know where it is, that hasn’t stopped people from looking for Cleopatra’s tomb. Even recently, Egypt’s former antiquities ministers conducted searches looking for it. It’s possible that it was found by grave robbers centuries ago, who took so many artifacts that it’s now unrecognizable—but if that’s what happened, why haven’t we ever found the artifacts?
Twentieth Century Fox, Cleopatra (1963)
Oak Island
By necessity, pirates couldn’t always keep the money and treasure that they plundered with them. After all, what happens if they got caught? This means that former pirate hideaways are seen as goldmines for modern treasure hunters. One of the most notable of these is Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Richard McCully, Wikimedia Commons
The Treasure Of Oak Island
Treasure hunters believe that Captain William Kidd, the infamous pirate from the 17th century, buried his riches on Oak Island…and that no one has found it yet. These stories have gone around since his passing, spurring on expeditions that have cost millions of dollars. But is there really a treasure?
The Curse Of Oak Island
The island itself and its notorious history might be the real treasure—the group of fortune-seekers who bought the island have made it the subject of their reality show, The Curse of Oak Island. Though they’re searched extensively, they’ve yet to find the treasure.
Richard McCully, Wikimedia Commons
The Unknown Hijacker
In 1971, a man traveling under the name Dan Cooper boarded a short flight from Portland to Seattle—just 30 minutes long. Yet what he did next created a mystery so compelling, it’s spurred on decades of speculation and theories.
Universal, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981)
The Note
Cooper was an elegantly dressed man in his 40s. He ordered a bourbon and soda and then, when the flight was in the air, handed the flight attendant a note. Perhaps assuming he was making a pass at her, she went to pocket the note—but he urged her to read it immediately.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wikimedia Commons
The Demands
Cooper told her, “Miss, you’d better look at that note. I have a bomb.” Though we don’t know what exactly what was in the note, since he took it back afterward, what we do know is that Cooper asked for $200,000 ($1 million today), four parachutes, and to have a fuel truck waiting in Seattle when the plane landed.
Clint Groves, Wikimedia Commons
The Reaction
The demands were relayed to the captain and then to the president of the airline, who agreed to cooperate with Cooper. The passengers were told that they hadn’t landed yet due to mechanical issues. Finally, they touched down in Seattle—prepared to meet Cooper’s demands.
The Landing
As promised, Cooper was given everything he’d asked for. He let the passengers and two flight attendants go and prepared to take off again, instructing the crew that he wanted to fly toward Mexico, with one stop in Reno, Nevada, to refill. But when they landed, the mystery deepened.
Universal, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981)
The Disappearance
When the crew of Cooper’s skyjacked plane landed in Reno, the mysterious man was already gone, along with the money and his parachute. Neither Cooper nor the parachute were ever found—though the money is a different story.
Universal, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981)
Cooper’s Riches
The serial numbers on the money given to Cooper were noted, and as far the authorities know, they never entered circulation again. However, in 1980, some of the money was found by a young boy in Oregon—launching another dramatic search.
The Search For DB Cooper
Though authorities searched the area where the money was discovered, they found no other traces of Cooper—but the story doesn’t end there. As recently as 2017, a parachute strap was discovered near what was speculated to be a possible landing site for Cooper. But still, no sign of the man himself.
Universal, The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper (1981)
Was King Arthur Real?
It’s one of the most enduring stories of all time: The legend of King Arthur. He was said to be a King of Britain in perhaps the 5th or 6th centuries. It’s no wonder people find it so compelling: the court at Camelot, the wizard Merlin, the sword in the stone, the knights of the round table…but did it really happen?
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
The Evidence
For as long as the legend has existed, people have looked for evidence of the legendary king—yet even as they’ve searched the lands he once supposedly ruled, they haven’t found any traces. With that amount of time working against them, it seems like physical evidence may never be found—but it’s possible historical accounts could lead us closer.
Robin Drayton, Wikimedia Commons
The Legend Vs The Reality
The first written accounts of the life of King Arthur date back to the 9th century, and ever since then, people have been writing fanciful accounts of his time on Earth. In reality, if he did exist, it’s likely that the lore that surrounds him was the fiction, and that he was a defender of Britain against the Saxons. Still, for many, it remains a fascinating mystery.
George Wooliscroft Rhead and Louis Rhead, Wikimedia Commons
Area 51
In recent years, more and more declassified government documents have come out pointing to the existence of extraterrestrials. Whether you believe in it or not, there are important questions that haven’t been answered by these documents—what is Area 51 and what is going on there?
Tim1337, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Origin Story
Area 51 is a military base in southern Nevada that, for decades, the US government didn’t even acknowledge until 2013, when the CIA finally admitted it exists thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. The site, originally known as Paradise Ranch, was built in 1955 and has been in use ever since.
Area 51 History
Before the US Department of Defense acquired the land, it was used for silver and lead mining in the mid-19th century by a company called Groome Lead Mines Ltd. Mining continued there until it became the site for CIA tests of the Lockheed U-2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft in 1955. And then…
David James Henry, Wikimedia Commons
Area 51’s Secret Life
Though there are records of the many aircraft tests that took place at the Area 51 site, it has been a magnet for conspiracy theories thanks to the highly secretive nature of the classified aircraft research that goes on there.
Made by X51, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Area 51 Theories
People believe that the government uses Area 51 to store and research downed alien aircrafts, meet with alien lifeforms, and develop weather control technology, energy weapons, and time travel/teleportation technology—among others.
Area 51’s Aircraft
Part of the mystery and conspiracy surrounding Area 51 is due to spottings of “unidentified aircraft” in the area—which is likely weirdly-shaped, experimental aircraft like the OXCART. The OXCART was tested around Area 51, and it had a wide, disc-like fuselage and flew at speeds over 2,000 mph.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
How To Get There
In short—don’t. An attempted 2019 raid on Area 51 ended in a failure. Earlier that same year, a man was shot by security when he attempted to enter. If you happen to have the clearance to go, you’ll be flown there from Las Vegas on an airline called “Janet,” which covers its windows as it flies over Area 51.
Government Denies Knowledge
If what’s happening is simple aircraft tests—then why did the government spend so many years denying the existence of Area 51? Though declassified documents have effectively put an end to that, we still don’t really know what they’re doing over there at Area 51. And though perhaps more FOIA requests will shine a light, it’s unlikely that the government will give up that knowledge easily.
Jack The Ripper
Perhaps the most infamous criminal of all time, the identity of Jack the Ripper remained a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped people from looking for clues or speculating about who he really was, and why he did what he did.
Jack The Ripper History
In the year 1888, the man we know as Jack the Ripper was responsible for the deaths of at least five women—and for a series of notes that taunted the authorities about their failure to capture him. So much mystery surrounds him that no one is even sure he was actually the one responsible for the notes.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Jack The Ripper Speculation
Though we know that he was responsible for the dark ends of five women, there are also theories that he was responsible for other deaths in Whitechapel in 1889 and 1891, among other alleged victims.
William Mecham, Wikimedia Commons
Jack The Ripper Identity
There are scores of suspects that people believe could have been the real Jack the Ripper—perhaps more than for any other mystery. Not only do theories name other recorded felons from the era, they’ve also suspected more famous figures, including artist Walter Sickert, author Lewis Carroll, and even Prince Albert Victor, son of King Edward VII.
Caesarion
It’s not just Cleopatra who is the subject of a mystery—it’s her son as well. Caesarion was born in 47 BCE to the famous ruler, who claimed that his father was Julius Caesar…but there was just one problem.
Sdwelch1031, Wikimedia Commons
Who’s Your Daddy
Cleopatra and Caesarion ruled as co-regents from 44 BCE—yet Caesar never claimed the child as his own. One of his close friends even denied that Caesar was the child’s father. The boy passed on not long after his mother in 30 BCE, and no other evidence of his parentage has been uncovered.
The Bay Of Jars
Robert Marx was an avowed treasure hunter—but what he found in Brazil’s Guanabara Bay in 1982 was unlike anything he’d ever seen before…and it sparked an enduring mystery that brings into question the entire known history of the world.
Omri Linder, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marx’s Treasure
Some 15 miles away from shore, in an area that spanned three tennis courts, was the remains of about 200 ceramic jars. The bizarre part? The jars, some of which were found intact, dated from ancient Rome. They were two-handled amphorae, commonly used for transportation in the 3rd century.
Yeuxpapilon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Journey Of The Jars
The mystery of the jars is in how exactly they got all the way to Brazil. The common historical narrative is that Europeans didn’t reach Brazil until the 16th century, but the jars challenge that assumption. Perhaps they got there on a waylaid ship, or mutineers took them. But there’s more to the mystery than that.
Yeuxpapilon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brazilian History
In 1983, Brazil closed access to the Bay of Jars to researchers. They claimed that they did it to prevent looting—but Richard Marx believes that there were more sinister motives behind it. The idea that other Europeans reached Brazil before the Portuguese did upends the country’s entire history—and he suspects that the Bay of Jars was closed for political reasons.
The Pollock Sisters
In 1957, the Pollock family of England lost their two daughters, 11-year-old Joanna and 6-year-old Jacqueline in a tragic car accident. One year later, their mother gave birth to a pair of twins, Gillian and Jennifer. And as they grew up, they gave not only their parents, but also scientists and researchers, reason to believe in reincarnation.
Take Two
When Gillian and Jennifer began to talk, they would identify and ask for toys that had been favorites of their late sisters. They also seemed to recognize landmarks, like the school the girls had gone too. Most eerily, they exhibited a fear of cars—the cause of the accident that took their sisters from them.
Ternavskaia Olga Alibec, Shutterstock
The Research
Though these potential glimpses of past lives seemed to fade after the girls turned the age of 5, the story was compelling enough to get the attention of people who researched potential cases of reincarnation. Dr Ian Stevenson studied thousands of these cases and named the story of the Pollock sisters one of only 14 that he actually believed.
The Copper Scroll
In 1952, archaeologists uncovered a scroll in a cave along with other Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran in the West Bank. The scroll, almost two millenia old, is from a time when the Roman Empire controlled the area—and it made an amazing claim.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
The Copper Scroll Treasure
The scroll contains a record of a vast treasure of hidden gold and silver. Its claims are so fantastic that historians don’t believe that such a massive treasure is even possible. Others believe that the treasure was hidden from the ruling Roman forces.
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Where Is The Copper Scroll Treasure?
Though the scroll records exactly just how massive the treasure is, it contains no information about where it is. Though countless archaeologists and treasure hunters have searched for it, no other evidence of the treasure has even been found.
The Sodder Fire
In 1945, the Sodder family lived an American nightmare. One night, their West Virginia home burned to the ground. When all was said and done, five of their ten children survived—leaving five missing. But as investigators examined the ashes of the Sodder home, they made a bizarre discovery.
The Sodder Children
As hot as the fire raged, there’s no way it could be responsible for what investigators found—or in this case, didn’t. There was no physical evidence that the five missing Sodder children had perished in the fire. So…exactly where were they?
The Evidence
Their disappearance wasn’t the only strange part of the story. When Mr Sodder attempted to save his kids using his coal truck, it didn’t work. The house’s phone lines had been cut. Had someone attempted to wipe out the Sodder family? If so—then what about what witnesses had to say?
The Sodder Children Appearances
Multiple eyewitness accounts pointed to the possibility that the Sodder children might still be alive. One claimed to have seen them in the backseat of a car that passed by during the fire. Another said she’d recognized them from a newspaper photo and tried to talk to them—but they’d been with a group of four Italian women and men.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
The Sodder Children Theories
Since the Sodders themselves were Italian, they initially believed it might have been a kidnapping as part of an extortion attempt, perhaps from a local organized syndicate. Or, for a political reason—Mr Sodder had been critical of the Italian government.
The Sodder Children Now
From their disappearance until the late 1980s, the Sodders kept up a billboard with photos of their five missing children on State Route 16—but the kids were never found. All the five other Sodder children have since passed on. Sylvia lived until 2021, and always believed that her siblings had survived the fire.
Nurs3 jhoy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Ark Of The Covenant
Whether you’re familiar with it from history books, documentaries, or the Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, one thing is true: the story of the Ark of the Covenant is definitely one of history’s most compelling mysteries.
James Tissot, Wikimedia Commons
What’s In The Ark?
Why is the Ark so important? Well, it’s supposed to contain the tablets that recorded the Ten Commandments. It’s said that the Art was in the First Temple in Jerusalem when it was sacked by a Babylonian troop under the orders of King Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BCE—and it hasn’t been seen since.
Where’s The Ark?
Was the Ark hidden by the Jewish peoples who used the temple for worship? Was is taken back to the king by the Babylonians? No one knows for sure, though many theories have been thrown around.
Gerard Hoet (1648–1733) and others,Wikimedia Commons
Theories Of The Ark
It’s possible that the Ark of the Covenant could have also been destroyed during the sacking of the First Temple. Another theory places it in Ethiopia, while one claims that God has hidden it—and that it will be revealed when the messiah comes.
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