Ancient Mysteries
Who Built Stonehenge, and Why? What the Evidence Shows
Generations of Neolithic Britons built Stonehenge in phases from about 3000 BC. Where its stones came from, how they moved, and why it was built.
Topic · Mysteries, oddities & forgotten stories
Weird History
Unsolved mysteries, eccentric historical figures and inventions the world forgot.
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Ancient Mysteries
Lost places, vanished people and puzzles historians still argue about.
- Who Built Stonehenge, and Why? What the Evidence Shows
- How Were the Easter Island Statues Moved? The Walking Theory
- Linear A: Why the Minoan Script Still Can’t Be Read
Forgotten Inventions
Brilliant, bizarre and abandoned inventions from the past.
View all (1) Forgotten InventionsMore in Weird History
Ancient Mysteries
How Were the Easter Island Statues Moved? The Walking Theory
Rapa Nui's moai weigh many tons and stand miles from their quarry. Experiments, 3D models and the island's roads show how the…
Ancient Mysteries
Linear A: Why the Minoan Script Still Can’t Be Read
The Minoans of Crete wrote in Linear A, and its daughter script Linear B was cracked in 1952. Why the parent still…
Ancient Mysteries
The Roanoke Colony: What Happened to America’s Lost Colony?
In 1590 John White returned to find his colony empty and one word carved into a post. What the clues say about…
Ancient Mysteries
The Oak Island Money Pit: What Has Been Found and What Hasn’t
More than two centuries of digging on a Nova Scotia island have produced wood, parchment and coconut fiber, but no authenticated treasure.…
Ancient Mysteries
The Nazca Lines: How They Were Made and Why
Giant drawings in Peru's desert, made between 500 BC and AD 500. How the Nazca Lines were made is settled; why is…
Ancient Mysteries
The Voynich Manuscript: Inside the Book No One Can Read
A book at Yale written in a script no one can read. What the Voynich manuscript contains, who owned it, and why…
Ancient Mysteries
Enigmas: What the Word Means, and 6 Famous Ones Explained
An enigma is someone or something so puzzling it seems like a riddle. Here is what the word means, and how six…
Forgotten Inventions
The Antikythera Mechanism: How an Ancient Greek Computer Worked
A corroded lump of bronze from a Greek shipwreck turned out to be the oldest known analog computer. What the Antikythera mechanism…
Weird History
Were Animals Really Put on Trial in Medieval Europe?
Animals in medieval and early-modern Europe could be held in custody, formally charged and publicly sentenced. Explore the records behind famous cases,…