Being the incredible history nerd that I am, I am huge fan of the show Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates on the Travel Channel. For anyone who has yet to see this show, Gates is an archeologist that travels the world and looks into the mysteries throughout history. He does not always find the answer, but, he does uncover evidence that could possibly help lead to a possible conclusion of what happened exactly. From the first episode, I was hooked. There is so much left of history to discover and it has caused me to look into different unsolved cases throughout history. Here are the top four mysteries that I came across in my research and from watching the show:
1. The Case of the Disappearing Colony
On August 15th, 1590, John White, the governor of Roanoke Island came back to Roanoke Island (located in what is now present day North Carolina) only to find that the entire colony of 100+ people has disappeared entirely without a trace. There are many theories that surround the disappearance of the colonists. Some think that they were absorbed into a local native american tribe while others believe they were killed by drought. Unfortunately, there is still no definite answer as to how 100's of people just completely vanished. It is a true mystery.
2. A Real-Life Atlantis?
In Japan, there is an underwater monument known as the Yonaguni Monument off of the coast of Yonagauni. The formation was discovered in 1987. So, relatively speaking, this is a recent discovery. The major question underlying this formation? How did it get there? There are two main theories as to how this structure was created. Theory number one: this was a man-made city that fell into the ocean during a natural disaster. Theory number two: this is a nature-made formation that was created by the ocean and its waves. There is evidence for both theories and it is hard to decide just how this "real-life Atlantis" came to be.
3. The Missing Mass-Murderer
He killed over 10 people in London. They were brutal attacks. However, who exactly was this man? Jack the Ripper is the name bestowed upon an unidentified serial killer in the late 1880's. He killed his victims and morbidly destroyed their bodies. But, this man was never identified, nor was he ever caught. To this day we still do not know who was responsible for these murders. We can not even be sure that all of the murders committed were solely done by the so called "Jack the Ripper". To this day, the murders and the murderer are still shrouded in mystery.
4. A Story that Will Make You Believe in Fate
On June 28th, 1914, the Archbishop Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip. The Archbishop was on a parade through Sarajevo when another an assassin other then Princip threw a bomb into the street. He missed the Archbishop but other people were hurt in the bombing. Later that day, Princip, upset by the failed assassination attempt, went to his favorite sandwich shop to get lunch to try and cheer him up. At the same time, the Archbishop and his wife were visiting those hurt in the bombing from earlier in the day. Unlike the route for the parade, the route to the hospital was unpublished and no one other then the Archbishop and his team knew the road that he was taking to get there. The driver of his car took a wrong a turn and was forced to back up. At this time, cars were still relatively new and the car stalled while trying to turn around. It was at this time that Princip walked out of the sandwich shop to see the Archbishop and his wife stalled in an open-roofed car. He walked across the street and shot the royal couple. What are the odds? What are the odds that this happened? This story makes you stop and think, how could this happen? Also, the killing of the Archbishop sparked the start of WW I. And WW I sparked WW II. It is in this moment that fate truly emerges. Our lives would be completely different if there were no World Wars. It makes you think, does fate truly exist?
There are so many mysteries in history that we do not have the answer to and, maybe, we never will have the answer to them. But, it is really interesting to hear about them. It is crazy to think that there is so much out there that we do not know. stay tuned for next week's article in which I will discuss four more mysteries of history.
