Great Mysteries of Our World-Clemen D B Gina
Great Mysteries of Our World-Clemen D B Gina
Great Mysteries of Our World-Clemen D B Gina
net
PART ONE
The Ghost Ship Mary Celeste
A Mysterious Disappearance
On 4 December 1872 the British ship Dei Gratia was
crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. As the ship came close
to the Azores, the captain of the ship, Captain Morehouse,
suddenly saw a mysterious dark spot on the horizon. 'What
could it be?' he thought, and he ordered some of his crew to go
and investigate. When the crew of the Dei Gratia came close to
the spot, they saw that it was a ship - the Mary Celeste. But
something was very, very wrong. There were no signs of life on
the Mary Celeste. Apparently it had sailed on its course for 370
nautical miles as a ghost ship. It had navigated without a
navigator. To understand this mystery we must go to back to
the year 1861.
In 1861 a ship called the Amazon was built. But the
Amazon had bad luck from the start. It was badly damaged
during its first voyage in 1862 and shortly after there was a fire
on board. During the years that followed there were many other
accidents on the ship.
The Amazon was finally sold and its name was changed
to the Mary Celeste. But the new owners did not know the
superstition that it is bad luck to change a ship's name.
Many sailors did not want to sail on the ship because they
thought it was unlucky, and so it was very difficult to find a
crew. Finally enough sailors were found to make a crew of
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seven men. The new captain of the Mary Celeste was 37-year-
old Benjamin Briggs, a sailor with great experience.
On the morning of 5 November 1872 the Mary Celeste
left New York harbour with a cargo of 1700 barrels of
unrefined alcohol.
The weather that day was perfect for sailing. On board the
ship were Captain Briggs, his wife Sarah, their two-year-old
daughter Sophia and a crew of seven men.
The ship's destination was Genoa, Italy. Captain Briggs
log book shows that the first fifteen days of the voyage were
calm, and the wind and weather were good.
But once the ship came near to the Azores, the weather
suddenly changed. Captain Briggs wrote in his log book that
there was a storm with a lot of wind. At first this did not worry
him, because he was an expert navigator.
As the hours passed, the wind became stronger and the
weather got much worse. The night of 24 November was very
stormy. At 5 a.m. on 25 November Captain Briggs wrote in his
log book that he could see the island of Santa Maria, but he did
not stop there.
He sailed north of the island of Santa Maria. This was
very strange because the most direct route to the Strait of
Gibraltar, entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, is south of the
island. Why did he go north instead of south?
Perhaps he wanted to leave the stormy route and look for
better weather. In any case, in the early morning of 25
November the Mary Celeste sailed along the northern coast of
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During the next eleven years the ship was sold seventeen
times. Then it was destroyed on some rocks in the Caribbean
Sea, and that was the end of its unlucky life.
***
A Mystery Explained?
At the end of the nineteenth century, Eberhart Rudolph,
Professor of Geophysics at the University of Strasburg in
Germany, published a long study on seaquakes (underwater
earthquakes). He wrote about more than 550 seaquakes and
their devastating effect on ships. Is this what happened to the
Mary Celeste? Was the unlucky ship a victim of a violent
seaquake? Did the seaquake make a frightening noise, shake
the ship and throw it into the air? Were the ten people on the
ship so terrified by this natural catastrophe that they abandoned
it?
Today scientists know that seaquakes create extremely
high waves, accompanied by very loud noises, and are very
destructive.
According to the Acoustics Division of the US Naval
Research Laboratory, there have been major seaquakes near
Santa Maria Island in the Azores every year for hundreds of
years. There have also been strong earthquakes in the Azores
Islands during the centuries. But in 1872 there were no
instruments to record a seaquake. So no one will ever know for
certain what happened to the Mary Celeste, and the mystery
remains.
What do you think? Was the Mary Celeste a victim of a
seaquake or I was it a victim of its own bad luck?
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PART TWO
Nostradamus
Predicting the Future
Have you ever predicted the future? Many people say
they can predict the future by reading the stars or by
interpreting tarot cards, but do they really have this power?
No one in the history of prophecy has attracted as much
attention as Nostradamus. He was an exceptional astrologer
and astronomer, and he used both astrology and astronomy to
predict the future. Nostradamus is sometimes called the
'prophet of catastrophe' because his predictions often involve
war and death. Yet people continue referring to him and his
prophecies almost five hundred years after he died.
***
Who was Nostradamus?
'Nostradamus' real name was Michel de Nostradame and
he was born on 14 December 1503 in St Remy de Provence,
southern France. As a child he was very intelligent, with a
special talent for mathematics and astrology. He studied
medicine at the University of Montpellier, and began to help
victims of the plague using his new medical ideas.
Unfortunately, his first wife and two small children later died
of the plague.
Nostradamus travelled around France and Italy, and he
continued to learn and practise medicine. He started to question
common beliefs, and this caused problems for him on many
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Century 2, Quatrain 51
The blood of the just will be demanded of London
Burnt by fire in three times twenty plus six.
numbers of the year 1666, when the Great Fire of London took
place.
Century 1, Quatrain 60
An emperor will be born near Italy,
'Who will cost the Empire a high price.
Century 2, Quatrain 24
Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers.
The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
Into a cage of iron the great one will be pulled,
When the child of Germany observes no law.
The fourth line could refer to the terrible lessons that Hitler
gave to the young people of Germany.
Century 1, Quatrain 81
Nine will be set apart from the human flocks,
Separated from judgement and counsel:
Their fate to be determined on departure.
Kappa, Theta, Lambda, dead, banished and scattered.
PART THREE
King Tutankhamun's Tomb
The Valley of the Kings
Perhaps the most famous of all the pharaohs of Egypt is
Tutankhamun. The mystery surrounding the discovery of his
tomb is one of the most fascinating and bizarre of our times.
Was King Tutankhamun's tomb protected by a terrible curse
that has continued through the centuries?
Around four thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians
buried their pharaohs in pyramids along the Nile in northern
Egypt. The pharaohs tombs were filled with precious jewels
and rich treasures for their journey to another world after their
death.
But tomb robbers entered most of the pyramids and stole
these treasures. It was almost impossible to stop them.
In around 1,500 BC the ancient Egyptians began to build
secret tombs in the Valley of the Kings, in the hills near the
town of Thebes. However, over the centuries, robbers still
found the tombs and stole most - but not all - of their precious
treasures. A few tombs, including King Tutankhamun's,
remained almost untouched.
***
The Search for King Tut's Tomb
European archaeologists became interested in ancient
Egypt in the nineteenth century. They knew that there were
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hidden for centuries. They dug further and found fifteen more
steps: they led to an ancient door that had never been opened.
'Could this be the tomb of Tutankhamun, at last?' Carter
said. He could not believe his eyes. 'I must contact Lord
Carnarvon immediately. We can't open the tomb until he's
here!'
Carter was sure that he had finally discovered King Tut's
tomb. When he went home that night his servant met him at the
door with a few yellow feathers in his hand. He was terribly
frightened and said, 'Your pet canary was killed by a cobra!
The cobra is the ancient symbol of the pharaoh. It ate your
canary because it led you to the hidden tomb. You must not
disturb the tomb of the pharaoh!'
Carter was not superstitious and did not believe what his
servant told him. But it is interesting to note that cobras are rare
in Egypt and are rarely seen in the late autumn, when the tomb
was discovered.
***
The Curse of Tutankhamun
Carter sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon, who
immediately left for Egypt. On 26 November 1922 Lord
Carnarvon watched Carter and his workers make a hole in the
door of King Tut's tomb. Carter entered the tomb holding a
candle. Behind him Lord Carnarvon asked, 'Can you see
anything?' Carter answered, 'Yes, wonderful things!' The tomb
had not been opened for over 3,200 years.
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PART FOUR
The Bermuda Triangle
The Triangle
Bizarre and sinister things have happened in the Bermuda
Triangle for hundreds of years. Planes have mysteriously
disappeared without any reason. Ships have been found
without their crew, and no one has been able to explain why.
The term 'Bermuda Triangle' was used for the first time
by the American writer Vincent Gaddis in 1964. It describes the
area that forms an almost perfect triangle between Bermuda,
the south coast of Florida and Puerto Rico. Before 1964 the
area was called the Devil's Triangle, the Triangle of Death and
the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of all the mysterious
disappearances there.
Christopher Columbus was the first navigator to report
strange happenings in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. In
1492, during his voyage to the New World, Columbus wrote in
his journal that his compass stopped working in the area that
we now call the Bermuda Triangle. He also wrote that he and
his crew saw strange red lights in the sky, which they thought
were the lights of a meteor.
***
Disappearing Ships
In the centuries that followed Columbus's voyage, British
and Spanish sailing ships, pirate ships and other vessels have
disappeared in this area of the Atlantic Ocean. But why?
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planes. However, this does not explain why ships and yachts
have been found in perfect condition, but without their crews.
What happened to the sailors? Did they abandon their ships?
Were they taken away, and, if so, by whom?
Lawrence Kusche, a research librarian at Arizona State
University, spent many years examining the reported cases. He
concluded that there was a logical explanation for most of the
disappearances: bad weather conditions, poor equipment or
human error. But not everyone agrees with Kusche.
Why haven't bodies, or pieces of the planes and ships ever
been found? Why does the sky change colour? Why do
navigation instruments stop working? Who has the right
answer? No one knows.
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PART FIVE
Cursed Objects
The Hope Diamond
Can a beautiful, precious object like a diamond have a
terrible curse? The Hope Diamond has fascinated people for
centuries. Its exceptional size, perfect quality and rare colour
make it magnificent and unique: a diamond collector's dream.
And yet, this priceless jewel has brought its owners bad luck
and death. But why?
Legend says that a priest stole the diamond from a Hindu
statue in India many centuries ago. The priest was later tortured
to death. In 1642 the exquisite diamond was bought by a
French jeweller named Jean Baptiste Tavernier, and he took it
to Europe. The jewel Tavernier took to Europe was much
bigger than the present-day diamond, which has been cut
several times. It originally weighed almost 112.5 carats and
was one of the biggest diamonds in the world.
In 1668 Tavernier sold it to King Louis XIV of France,
who was very impressed with it. The French king decided to
cut the diamond to 67 carats. He officially named it 'The Blue
Diamond of the Crown, and wore it proudly on a ribbon around
his neck on very special occasions.
Tavernier, who had to return to India to look for another
fortune to pay his son's debts, was brutally killed by wild dogs
during the trip.
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objects that were considered bad luck always brought her good
luck.
Mrs McLean bought the extraordinary diamond in
January 1911 for $154,000. She proudly wore the jewel all the
time and her friends were very impressed.
Even though Mrs McLean considered the diamond lucky,
she did not escape the curse. Her nine-year-old son, Vinson,
was killed by a car, and her daughter killed herself at the age of
25. Her husband became mentally ill and lost control of his
huge newspaper business. He ended his days in a mental
hospital. The immense family fortune quickly disappeared.
***
A Mystery Explained?
Mrs McLean died in 1947. Although she wanted the jewel
to remain in the family, it was sold to Harry Winston, an
American jeweller. In 1958 Winston gave the $100 million
diamond to the famous Smithsonian Institution in Washington
D.C., and it is now part of the Smithsonian National Gem and
Mineral Collection. But does the jewel still have its evil
power?
Over the years, many people thought that the Hope
Diamond was responsible every time something bad happened
in the United States. But the Director of the Smithsonian
Institution believes that the Diamond has been lucky. 'The gift
of the Hope Diamond has brought us good luck. In fact, since
the Diamond was given to the Smithsonian, our gem collection
has grown and grown!'
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it. One day it fell from its display and seriously injured one of
the visitors.
After this unlucky exhibition, the Little Bastard was put
on a lorry and transported to another part of California. During
the trip the driver, George Barkuis, was thrown from his lorry.
The cursed car fell on him and he was killed instantly.
***
A Mystery Explained?
Other bizarre and mysterious accidents happened until
1960, when the Little Bastard finally disappeared. It was
probably stolen by someone who did not believe in the curse.
No one has ever been able to find the cursed car again. And we
do not know if parts of the Little Bastard are still in circulation.
What do you think? Where all these strange accidents just
a series of coincidences, or was there really a curse on James
Dean's car?
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PART SIX
The Abominable Snowman
What is the Abominable Snowman?
The Abominable Snowman is the famous wild man of the
Himalayas. But is it simply a legend or is it real? Scientists
have done extensive research on the Abominable Snowman,
but they still cannot prove that it really exists. Could it be the
descendant of a prehistoric creature, or is it just a myth?
Similar creatures have been seen hundreds of times in the
United States, Canada and Australia as well as Asia. The
Abominable Snowman has different names around the world.
Here is a description of the Abominable Snowman:
1. It is about 2.5 metres tall.
2. It looks like a big, primitive man with a lot of reddish-
brown hair.
3. It walks on two feet.
4. It's facial features are half human and half ape.
5. It has a strong smell.
6. It usually lives in high mountains or in big forests.
***
The Yeti
Zoologists first heard about the Yeti, or Abominable
Snowman, in 1832, when the English explorer B. H. Hodgson
wrote about his experiences in Nepal. He said that one day in
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Bigfoot
In North America the legend of Bigfoot or Sasquatch
continues to interest many people. People say they have seen
these creatures on hundreds of different occasions.
Centuries ago, Native Americans painted images of the
Sasquatch on their totem poles and masks. It seems they knew
of the existence of this creature.
In 1893 the famous American President Theodore
Roosevelt wrote about Bigfoot in his book The Wilderness
Hunter. He reported that two hunters had seen the creature and
described it as having 'a great body with a strong wild beast
odour.'
In 1958 a builder was working on a new home near Bluff
Creek in northern California. Suddenly he saw a strange hairy
creature standing in front of him. The creature did not want to
hurt him. It was only very curious and followed him around.
After some time the builder gave the creature a big piece of
chocolate and it finally left.
At Bluff Creek in 1967 Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin,
two mountain rangers, were riding in the forest. Suddenly they
saw a large creature that looked like a Bigfoot. Roger Patterson
was able to film the hairy creature, and his film became famous
all over the world. He also took photographs of the creature's
huge footprints, which measured about 30 centimetres.
Scientists and other experts have studied Patterson's film
and some say it is a fake. But others disagree. Professor Grover
Krantz, an anthropologist from Washington State University,
believes the Bigfoot exists and thinks the film is authentic.
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PART SEVEN
Stonehenge
A Prehistoric Monument
One of prehistory's most amazing monuments is
Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. This
colossal monument is made of enormous blocks of stone, and
their size is impressive - the largest stones weigh about 50 tons
and measure more than 9 metres in length!
Thousands of years have passed since the first blocks of
stone were brought to Salisbury Plain, but the origins and the
meaning of Stonehenge remain a puzzling mystery. Through
the centuries no one has ever been able to reveal the mysteries
hidden in these gigantic blocks of stone. What are they and,
more importantly, why was Stonehenge built? What was its
true purpose?
***
The Construction
How old is Stonehenge? For centuries no one knew its
exact age, but with the invention of radiocarbon dating,
scientists were able to tell us that the oldest parts of
Stonehenge were built around 5,000 years ago. This makes
them older than the pyramids of Egypt.
Historians and archaeologists now think that Stonehenge
was built in three main phases, between approximately 3000
BC and 1100 BC. They refer to these phases as Stonehenge I, II
and III.
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