9 unsolved historical mysteries ( Jack the Ripper,Mary Celeste Ship and did Richard III really murder the Princes in the Tower? )

Who was Jack the Ripper, what happened to the Mary Celeste, and did Richard III really murder the princes in the Tower? These are some of the biggest historical mysteries of all time. 

Here, after scouring 1,000 years of public records at the National Archives in search of answers, Dr David Clarke, the author of Britain’s X-traordinary Files, charts nine of the greatest unsolved puzzles of modern times

1) The Mary Celeste

What became of the crew and passengers of this British-American brigantine remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the sea. The name has since become synonymous worldwide with derelict ‘ghost ships’.

Mary Celeste as Amazon in 1861 photo: wikipedia.org

The Mary Celeste was found drifting 400 miles east of the Azores by the crew of another cargo-carrying vessel, the Dei Gratia, on 5 December 1872. The leader of the boarding party told a British board of inquiry at Gibraltar he found the ship was “a thoroughly wet mess”, with possessions left behind and the lifeboat missing.

A waterspout, photographed off Florida (1969). A waterspout strike has been offered as a possible solution to the Mary Celeste mystery. photo: wikipedia.org

No trace of Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs, his wife and their young daughter or the seven experienced crew members has ever been found. Many ingenious theories have been put forward by writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle to explain what happened to them. 

My favourite comes from a 1965 episode of the BBC series Dr Who, where the frightened crew jump overboard when the Daleks materialise on the ship while chasing the occupants of the TARDIS.


2) Jack the Ripper

The true identity of this Victorian serial killer continues to elude us 126 years after the gruesome killing spree in London’s East End in 1888. In the latest development, an ‘armchair detective’ claims DNA evidence from the shawl of one of the five known victims has identified Polish émigré Aaron Kosminski – one of a list of key suspects – as the man also known as ‘Leather Apron’, or ‘the Whitechapel Murderer’. 

Jack the Ripper photo: thedungeons.com

A small cottage industry, Ripperology has grown up around the murders with investigators such as Patricia Cornwell and Russell Edwards sifting through surviving evidence in search of a ‘prime suspect.’ Among the wild theories that have become legends is one that depicts Jack as a deranged surgeon who killed the women as part of a conspiracy to protect a member of the royal family.

Professor William Rubinstein describes this story as “palpable nonsense from beginning to end”. He believes it is the very elusiveness of the solution that continues to make the Ripper mystery so attractive to writers and historians.


3) Kenneth Arnold’s ‘flying saucers’

The birth of the modern UFO phenomenon can be traced to a sighting by private pilot Ken Arnold of nine peculiar-shaped flying objects over the Cascade Mountains of Washington on the afternoon of 24 June 1947. Arnold told newsmen the bat-wing shaped objects moved like a saucer would “if you skipped it across the water”. He calculated their speed as faster than the most advanced jet aircraft of that time.

Kenneth Arnold The Pandora Society June 24th 1947 Flying Saucers photo: Alchetron.com

A sub-editor came up with the phrase ‘flying saucers’, and the media coverage that followed triggered off an epidemic for seeing things in the sky that continues to this day. Two weeks after Arnold’s sighting, the US Army Air Force announced that wreckage from a ‘flying disc’ had been recovered from a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.

A modern myth was born, but ever since controversy has raged about what it was that Arnold actually saw. In my opinion, the most likely explanation is a flock of American white pelicans flying in echelon formation. But no one will ever know for sure.


4) The Devil’s Footprints

Early on the morning of 9 February 1855, people in towns across southern Devon awoke to find a single line of hoof-like marks in the deep snow as if they had been branded with a hot iron. The Times said the marks were found over a distance of 40 miles on both sides of the Exe, as if “some strange and mysterious animal endowed with the power of ubiquity” had created them during the night.

An example of the tracks as shown in The Illustrated London News, 1855 photo: wikipedia.org

Explanations ranged from an escaped kangaroo, badgers and mice, to a balloon trailing a horseshoe-shaped grappling rope. Superstitious people preferred to believe they were the work of the devil himself. 

The Devil's Footprints photo: Anomalien.com

In its summary of the popular theories at the time, a writer in The Illustrated London News said “no satisfactory solution” had been found, and “no known animal could have traversed this extent of country in one night… neither does any known animal walk in a line of single footsteps, not even a man”.


5) The Shroud of Turin

This piece of linen cloth kept in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy, is one of the most closely investigated objects in human history, yet it retains its secrets. The sacred relic is believed by many Christians to be the shroud in which Jesus of Nazareth was buried.

Shroud of Turin photo: wikipedia.org

There is no doubt that it bears a negative imprint of the face and outline of the body of a man who has suffered injuries consistent with crucifixion, but scientists have been unable to reach a consensus about how it was created. Radiocarbon testing by three laboratories in 1988 dated the cloth to the Middle Ages, and this was proclaimed by some as proof it was a medieval fake. But this interpretation remains the subject of intense debate, leading a former editor of Nature, Philip Ball, to declare that the relic remains shrouded in mystery.


6) Richard III and the Princes in the Tower

In 2012 the skeleton of the last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, was unearthed from beneath a council car park on the site of Greyfriars in Leicester city centre. The dig that unearthed his remains was instigated by Philippa Langley of the Richard III Society as a direct result of a “strange feeling” she had when visiting the site.

The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais, 1878, part of the Royal Holloway picture collection photo: wikipedia.org

This apparent example of psychic archaeology is not the only mystery that surrounds Richard’s life and death. His precise role in the fate of his two nephews – popularly known as ‘The princes in the Tower’ – remains a subject of enduring mystery. 

King Edward V and the Duke of York in the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche. The theme of innocent children awaiting an uncertain fate was popular amongst 19th-century painters. photo: wikipedia.org

The 12-year-old Edward and his nine-year-old brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, the sons of King Edward IV, were lodged in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, at the time of their disappearance in 1483.

No one knows exactly what happened to them, but a box containing two small human skeletons was found near the White Tower in the 17th century and, at the time, was widely believed to be the remains of the princes.


7) The Solway Spaceman

On the afternoon of 23 May 1964, an employee of the Cumbrian fire service, Jim Templeton, took photographs of his wife and daughter during a day out at a local beauty spot on the Solway Firth. When he collected the photographs from a chemist, the assistant told him it was a shame one was “spoiled by the man in the background wearing a space suit”.

Part of Jim Templeton's photograph photo: wikipedia.org

Sure enough, one image of his youngest daughter Elizabeth clearly shows an enigmatic ‘figure’ floating behind her head. The ‘spaceman’ is dressed in a white suit that resembles those worn by NASA astronauts at the time.

The photograph was examined by Kodak and scrutinised by detectives from the Cumbrian police, who were unable to explain it. Jim Templeton died in 2011 without learning the true identity of the ‘Solway spaceman’. The image remains one of the most perplexing in the history of anomalous photography.


8) Mothman

One dark night in November 1966, four American teenagers claimed they saw a huge bird-like monster with glowing red eyes while cruising along a back road near Point Pleasant in rural West Virginia. They claimed it rose into the air, unfolded its bat-like wings, and pursued them as they sped away in terror. The next morning the sheriff’s office held a press conference, and the media dubbed the creature ‘Mothman’ after the Batman series that was showing on TV.

The Mothman Legend photo: wikipedia.org

Encounters with the demonic ‘bird’ inspired the 2002 movie The Mothman Prophecies, directed by Mark Pellington. The film was based upon journalist John Keel’s book that chronicled an outbreak of uncanny experiences in the Ohio Valley. 

The Mothman photo: Pinterest

He believed the creature was linked in some mysterious way with the collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant in December 1967 that killed 46 people, including some mothman witnesses.



9) Monsters of the Deep

Do the depths of our oceans hide undiscovered species of animal such as the great ‘sea serpent’ that was sighted by the captain and crew of HMS Daedalus near the island of St Helena in 1848?

Among the files at the National Archives and the Natural History Museum I found first-hand reports of similar creatures in records from the late 19th to the early 20th century, including one by Arthur Conan Doyle, author of The Lost World. Could it be that, as the museum’s former keeper of zoology, William Calman, told a puzzled witness in 1929: “…we are not so rash as to suppose that we yet know all of the inhabitants of the sea and it is within the bounds of possibility that you saw some animal that has never been captured or described”.


Other articles on the same theme:

• Secrets Behind the Shroud of Jesus from Turin
• Top 10 undiscovered treasures
• Top 10 Mysterious Artifacts

Story source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by HistoryExtra . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Secrets Behind the Shroud of Jesus from Turin

To say that the Vatican has historically tried to hide malicious authenticity of the Shroud of Turin may seem, at first glance, a paradox inexpensive and lacking substance. Why would the clergy to deny a truth that, pragmatic thinking, would not only bring benefits? Yet, there are some who argue that a confirmation of the authenticity of the sacred relics could radically change our understanding of Western civilization. In the face of such evidence would inevitably have rewritten history.

To say that the Vatican has historically tried to hide malicious authenticity of the Shroud of Turin may seem, at first glance, a paradox inexpensive and lacking substance. Why would the clergy to deny a truth that, pragmatic thinking, would not only bring benefits? Yet, there are some who argue that a confirmation of the authenticity of the sacred relics could radically change our understanding of Western civilization. In the face of such evidence would inevitably have rewritten history.

About the authenticity of the Shroud were written thousands of articles, books and treatises. Dozens of experts have tried to prove the truth or that it would only be a medieval forgery. By its nature, the relic born today paradoxes: to be proven as false and destroy such a myth for millions of faithful Christians, or to recognition in the fundamentals of hitting authenticity same Christian religions. The mere chance or good plan in place, the Shroud of Turin remains as controversial as seven centuries ago, and nature, human or divine, and today continues to be a fierce discussion topic.

Short history of the Shroud of Turin

Officially, the shroud in which it is assumed that Jesus was wrapped after the crucifixion appears immediately on the scene in 1357, year in which Jeanne de Vergy, the widow Knight Geoffroi de Charny (killed at the Battle of Poitiers in September 13, 1356), finds among goods deceased husband and expose him in the abbey of Lirey, France. Soon, Bishop of Troyes, Henri de Poitiers, prohibit public exposure to under why it would be just a painting and the veneration by the faithful they would be heresy. In 1389, another bishop, Pierre D'Arcis announced that the Shroud was a fake and that the author or was caught and admitted the offense. He does not mention the name but never farsorului and the argument that we bring for his hypothesis is not only that the existence artifact is mentioned nowhere in the Scriptures. 

A accusations without solid coverage, obsolete over time. Noble Humbert of Villersexel is the first to take the artifact and hides it in his own castle for fear of thieves. Louisa of Savoy (who paid a hefty sum of money annually abbey of Lirey to give up claims of ownership of the relic), is the next owner of the Shroud and expose it to the public in many European cities. Since 1532 relic take possession of the House of Savoy and remains so until 1983, the year is donated to the Vatican.

Shroud and promote its image in the world. But a shock provokes negative photographer. The picture shows how it clear "image of a man in distress" man with all the wounds that Jesus would have had when it was lowered from the Cross.

Holy See accept radiocarbon dating of the Shroud, an event that takes place in 1988, and that brings a disturbing result ... According to tests, the artifact was a medieval fake, created somewhere between 1260 and 1390. Later, scientists who conducted research has admitted that it is likely that the Shroud of Turin to be genuine, as long as the analyzes were strongly influenced by traces of fire 1532 fire that caused burns on much of the surface of the object and which would be distorted dating results carbon. For better protection of the material, it was locked in a silver box, exposed today in Turin Cathedral. As for the authenticity of the Shroud, opinions are still divided.

Proof of authenticity

Perhaps the simplest and to urge the originality observation is that the Shroud was created, if we are to believe radiocarbon tests in full Middle Ages, a golden age for counterfeiters relics. Dozens of "head of John the Baptist", a lot of chips and Graaluri Cross which was crucified Saviour, goose feather feathers sold as a cherub or any "artifact" that had contact with anyone who was associated with Jesus circulated fake markets of the time. And yet, there is only one shroud. Why not replicated author or a work masterfully perfected that certainly would have made a lot of money? Why not created and shrouds with images of saints or apostles?

Going on seniority artifact idea is interesting opinion reputed journalist Ian Wilson, one of the most vocal supporters of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. He says the linen printed with the image of the Saviour was adored in the first centuries of the first millennium in Edessa (Urfa in Turkey present location), important early Christian center in what was then Syria. Subsequently, the Shroud is transported to Constantinople, in Hagea Sofia, where captures a note left by Archdeacon Gregory Refendarius in 944 - "Non Figure sed tantum facial Totius corporis Figure screening poteris" (You can see not only the face, but also the entire body image ), a testament that makes a direct reference to the sacred relic.

The year 1205 brings a new proof of the existence of the Shroud before the date that is officially recognized. This is a note of Theodor Angelos, nephew of Byzantium, which describes the Codex Chartularium Culisanense a short inventory of assets taken by the Knights Templar in Constantinople: "Venetians turned their attention to gold, silver and ivory, while French did the same with sacred relics and most valuable of all, canvas in which our Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped after the crucifixion and resurrection before. Items were taken to Venice and France, while the Shroud was taken in Athens. "

Reconstitution of the image of the Savior after the Shroud of Turin

Some historians claim that the Shroud took possession knight Otto de la Roche, later Duke of Athens. Another source indicates it Tibault of Champagne, who plundered Constantinople Templar leader, as the author of theft. Coincidentally or not, the abbey of Lirey, the place where the Shroud is mentioned first time from a reliable source, it is right on the field. Interesting to note is the fact that Geoffroi de Charny, knight whose wife expose artifact in the abbey of Lirey, is none other than the grandson of Geoffrey of Charney, Templar leader burned Jaques de Molay with in 1314. Was it Shroud even that Grail which so much has been written throughout history and what is believed to have been discovered by the Knights Templar?

No further assumptions above are from Hungary and a manuscript dated in the period 1192-1195, the Saviour is represented image while it is wrapped in the shroud mortuary. The similarities between the images on the Shroud of Turin manuscript and are striking, emphasizing that it was known long before him to be officially recognized.

Aside from data provided by historians, we focus on results provided by chemists, data supporting the authenticity of linen again. The chemist Alan Adler, cited by Time magazine says that blood which is impregnated with the Shroud is real and, moreover, as revealed in the tests, blood clot particularities. If possible forger wanted to give authenticity to his creation a blood spewing, you would expect it to clot? At that time, be it ancient or Middle Ages, the possibility that any person to have knowledge of the chemical composition of blood and the fact that it borders on the absurd change in clotting time. A noteworthy detail is the crucifixion wounds resulting from. Contrary to widespread religious image at the time, do not have crucified character prints of the nails in his hands and feet but in the joints. Only recently it was shown that an execution by crucifixion take place in this way. Where, then, would have known prankster same technique extinct for centuries?

Vatican conspiracy theory

Those who support the idea of ​​a conspiracy by the Vatican to the Shroud of Turin, including journalists Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen, are convinced that recognition of its authenticity would amount to a veritable storm in the Christian world. Why?

The fabric and how was buried man whose face remained impregnated shroud are identical to those of a small sect Israel i.Hr proliferated between centuries II and I d. AD ... Essenes. It mentioned that the same Essenes are Gnostic manuscripts and authors of the Dead Sea manuscripts remained largely unpublished in the twentieth century after their discovery. 

It recognizes that the whole Christianity derives its origins in pre-Christian sect that would mean, first, a denial of one of the principles promoted by Catholicism, is that there was no Christianity before Christ. A true heresy. In addition, if Jesus would have been part of the Gnostics, it would mean that the Vatican has persecuted and killed dozens of followers of an authentic 

Christian religions. Remember only the culmination of the campaign anti-Gnostic Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars (1209 - 1229), the campaign resulted in the nearly 20,000 victims and legislating Inquisition.

He knew Henri de Poitiers and Pierre d'Arcis, first bishops who have called for a ban Shroud exposure, these details? He had tried them and those who followed them to impose a "monopoly" on the history and image of Jesus? These are questions to which we probably never find the answer. The fact is that despite dozens of tests and historical evidence, the true origin of the Shroud of c will remain unknown for long.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, in Rome, Barbara Frale, researcher of the Vatican Secret Archives, said the Knights Templar owned and secretly venerated the Shroud of Turin for over 100 years . The announcement not only shed light on the Shroud disappears century of public attention in medieval Europe, but it comes and attest to its age and contradicts radiocarbon tests showed you a fake as the XIV century. However, Barbara Frale not said if the relic is only one authentic or fake, leaving further held suspicions.

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• Star of Bethlehem proof Jesus' divine origins ?

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