Seven Historical Mysteries

The Mystery of Stonehenge
Stonehenge is located in Southern England and consists of 30 Saracens (upright stone) and 30 lintels (horizontal top stones). Each stone weights 6 tons and was carved from bluestone, which is located several miles away. Stonehenge was built by the Neolithic inhabitants, only used stone tools and never used any animals to create the sculpture.

Theories: Nobody is sure why Stonehenge was built, especially since the people who built Stonehenge left no written history. The theories about Stonehenge range from glaciers moving the enormous bluestones to aliens creating the stone monument. Additionally, people have speculate that the purpose was a temple, a secular calender, and that the bluestones themselves have healing powers. Recently, the discover of a vast number of burial sites has led people to believe that it was a place to celebrate the lives of the dead.

The Tomb of Vlad Dracula
Vlad Dracula was a prince of Wallachia (now Romania) and has been portrayed as both a patriotic hero and a ruthless villain. Vlad Dracula was a merciless ruler who impaled and tortured between 40,000 to 100,000 of his enemies. After three separate reigns, he was killed in battle against the Turks near Bucharest in 1476. The Turks cut off his head and sent it to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II. The final resting place of the rest of his body is unknown.

Theories: There are several theories about the whereabouts of Vlad Dracula's body. First, many believed that he was buried at the island monastery of Snagov, but after several archaeological excavations of the island his body was never recovered. While other's believed his body was originally buried at the Comana Monastery, however the monastery was rebuilt in the seventeenth century and no body has ever been found there. Finally, because of tales of vampires running rampant in Wallachia at the time, Vlad Dracula could have been moved anywhere to protect the monks from being killed in their sleep.

The Amber Room
The Amber Room was originally built in 1701 for the first King of Prussia, and was soon moved to Russia as a gift to Peter the Great. It was moved again to Winter Palace by Tsarina Elizabeth, where it remained until World War II. The room covered more than 55 square meters and took 10 years to construct out of six tons of Baltic amber. During World War II, as the Nazi's were encroaching on the Soviet Union, curators attempted to move the room once more, however the amber had become brittle. Instead of moving it, the curators hid it behind plain wallpaper. The Nazis discovered the room, disassembling it and sending it to Konigsberg Castle. Konigsberg was heavily bombed by the Royal Air force and further destroyed by the Soviet Army. Despite rumors the Amber Room had survived the war, it had never been seen again.

Theories: Many people believe that the Amber Room was destroyed in the bombing, however many others believe that it is still hidden in an underground bunker at Konigsberg, buried in a mine in the Ore Mountains, or that it was aboard a submarine in the Baltic Sea which was sunk by the Soviet navy. In 1997, a small piece of the mosaic was discovered in Western Germany, which was in the possession of a family of a soldier who had helped disassemble the Amber Room. The remainder of the room has never been found.

The Riddle of the Sphinx
The Riddle of the Sphinx originates in Greek legend. According to the ancient Greeks, if a man crossed its path the Sphinx would ask: "What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" If they couldn't answer the riddle, the Sphinx would devour them, however if they answered the riddle correctly, then the Sphinx would destroy itself. The only person said to survive an encounter with the Sphinx was the Greek hero Oedipus who answered "man."

Theories: Despite the riddle being solved, the Great Sphinx still poses many questions. How old is it? Who built it? What was the purpose of the passageways? Scientists believe the Sphinx was carved around 2500 BC by the Pharaoh Kafre, however author John Anthony West and geologist Robert M. Schoch determined it was much older. West and Schoch believed Kafre had it remodeled into his likeness.

Jack the Ripper
Between August and November 1888, five prostitutes were murdered in Whitechapel, London. The area was a very impoverished area of the city and had the highest crime rate in the city. Everything about the murders seemed to be shrouded in mystery, from the identity of the killer, to the letters sent to the police, to even the number of victims. It is generally accepted that there were five victims of Jack the Ripper: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. The story of Jack the Ripper had a real effect on the entire British Empire, with the legend playing on the fears that poverty, crime, disease, and social unrest were at their doorstep.

Theories: For the last 120 years, people have speculated who Jack the Ripper was. The most accepted suspects are Montague John Druitt, Michael Ostrong, Aaron Kosminski, George Chapman, Thomas Cutbrush, and Dr. Francis J. Tumblety. Many other theories have surfaced over the years, pointing the finger to various other people, including author and mathematician Lewis Carroll.

King Arthur
Did one of the most famous kings ever really exist or was his legend just a way to inspire English troops. King Arthur has been mentioned several times in historical texts, having been first mentioned by a Welsh cleric named Nennius in his Historia Brittonum in the 9th century. The most comprehensive account of King Arthur is from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, which dates back to the 12th century. Monmouth's supposed history is completely false, but that hasn't stopped the world from falling in love with and continuing the King Arthur legacy.

Theories: While Arthur is a truly mythical king, his legend could have been based on several real people from history. One of the strongest theories was that Arthur was really a Roman commander named Lucius Artorius Castus who led 5,500 Sarmatians in Britain at the end of the second century. Despite the lack of historical evidence, many believe that King Arthur once ruled Britain and that his tomb is still out there to be found.

The Lost Island of Atlantis
According to Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis was a large island somewhere west of the Pillars of Hercules (the Rock of Gibraltar) and the home of an incredibly advanced civilization known as the Atlanteans. Plato described Atlantis as a place of immense beauty with a palace compound in the center of three ringed canals. he said that every king that inherited the palace would add to it, trying to surpass his predecessor and by doing so they made it a palace that surpassed any other in both beauty and wealth. The Atlanteans themselves were blessed with wealth but at the same they were incredibly ambitious, constantly seeking power. Atlantis is said to have met its end when it was hit by a giant earthquake and swallowed by the sea.

Theories: The story of Atlantis has not only been mentioned in Greek history, but also in various other civilizations (the Basques have Atlaintica, the Vikings have Atli, the Northern Africans have Attala, the Aztecs have Azlan, and the Canary Islands have Atalaya). The proposed locations of Atlantis are Santorini in Greece, the Bermuda Triangle, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Tunisia, the Azores archipelago (Portugal), Greece's Crete and even Sweden.