14 biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be solved

[LennG]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/14-biggest-historical-mysteries-that-will-probably-never-be-solved/ss-AA10iZa0?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b67acd984e684b738b831869c167a7a6

I'm sure there are tons more, but really, no disputing any of these.

How about DB Cooper
Amelia Earhart
The Zodiac Killer
Alcatraz escapees
Bigfoot
The death of JonBenét Ramsey

And from TV or the movies
 Is Deckard A Replicant? (From Blade Runner)
What was in the attache case in Pulp Fiction
In the spaghetti western, what was Clint Eastwood's character's name

[DaveBrown74]

Good list, and a good addendum from you, Lenn.

The one you mentioned that I don't personally agree with (as far as it being a big mystery) is Bigfoot. I have never really bought into the idea of Bigfoot, for the simple reason that, if this creature really existed, we would have found plenty of Bigfoot carcasses or at least skeletons over the years. We are talking about a massive, hulking creature. It is hard enough to believe that he would have eluded capture or hunters this whole time, but even if that were the case, surely his remains would have been discovered at some point. And yet they haven't. So that is one that I just don't buy.

You can make the same argument about the Loch Ness Monster, although those lochs are very deep, so in theory I suppose it's not impossible that there is an undocumented species there that has never been captured or discovered. Bigfoot I don't buy though.

The JonBenet Ramsey story really creeped me out on many levels. Not just the killing itself, which was obviously awful, but the way this girl was dressed up by these weird parents just struck me as off. The fact that they lawyered up immediately does not necessarily mean they were guilty, but they never rubbed me the right way.

The Zodiac and Ripper mysteries will never be solved, I don't think.

The JFK assassination is an interesting subject. For years, I wanted to believe there was more to it than the lone gunmen, and for a while I had myself convinced there was. However, after studying it more closely and reading about it more, I came around more to the view that it was indeed just Oswald and nobody else.

I think I would probably have to give a separate category to alien life in general. What happened in Roswell, Area 51, some of the recent news stories we have seen, alien abduction stories, etc etc. I guess the two interesting questions that are unanswered are:

(1) Is there extraterrestrial intelligent life out there, and, if so, (2) has it ever visited earth?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

For me, definitely wonder where the Ark of the Covenant is located. I suspect it is hidden in Rome in a secret place in the Vatican. Why you ask? Glad you asked..LOL

In 70 AD, Roman soldiers utterly destroyed Jerusalem and leveled the temple while plundering everything and wiping out most of the Jewish people sending survivors to every corner of the earth. In celebration of this horrific slaughter and Roman victory led by General Titus (later emperor), the Arch of Titus was built in the city of Rome. The arch is nearly 2000 years old and has interesting graphics of the plunder taken from the destruction of the temple. It shows what appears to be the Ark of the Covenant along with other priceless artifacts from the temple. The carved graphics are inside the arch and is a storyline of their victory





I also would love to know the whole story of JFK's assassination. There was so much secrecy by the FBI and so many theories that are plausible that we know we were given a sanitized vanilla version of the truth. The fact that Jack Ruby executed Oswald before he could talk speaks volumes of a coverup. Even the question of how did Ruby get into the guarded police station with a weapon is astounding. Lots of things behind the assassination that we'll probably never know 

Should the Book of Enoch be included in the canon? Although it is no longer included in the Christian Bible or the Torah, Jesus quoted from it as well as fragments of the Book of Enoch are included in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest surviving extant writings available

Is Atlantis real? I personally doubt it, but it would be an enormous find. With today's technologies for mapping and scouring the ocean and sea floors, it doesn't seem possible that it ever existed

Why on earth did Caesar burn Alexander's Library and did any of the tens of thousands of scrolls and books survive? If so, where are they???

[DaveBrown74]

When it comes to the JFK assassination, I have always had a lot of questions about things that I believe make the conspiracy theories less credible:

If Oswald really was the patsy of a conspiracy, why would the conspirators choose to kill JFK in such a public place and in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses? Why take that risk? Why would they decide to use three gunmen located in different spots, thus guaranteeing conflicting eyewitness and ear witness testimony? Wouldn't they be smart enough to realize that 3 gunmen firing from different locations would necessarily require extensive faking of autopsy reports on the President in order to conceal the multiple bullet tracks? Why expand the conspiracy to include countless doctors from Bethesda and Parkland hospital?  Wouldn't they also realize a 3 shooter plan would require additional team(s) of co-conspirators tasked with combing through Dealey Plaza immediately after the shooting to remove all the incriminating evidence left at the scene... that it would also require co-conspirators within the secret service tasked with removing all the bullet holes/nicks/scratches from the limousine that would prove multiple shooters...  and that all this destruction of evidence would have to be carried out in front of swarms of camera men broadcasting the events live to the world?

Also, why would the conspirators allow their patsy (Oswald) to escape Dealey Plaza? Why would they hire an unstable, mobbed up guy (Jack Ruby) to kill Oswald 3 days after he's been in police custody (where he could have easily been broken by the police and said anything) when they could've just hired a squeaky clean hero cop and stationed him on or near the 5th floor of the book depository ready to kill Oswald on his way out the building?

And here is the most simple but perhaps also most baffling question of all: If there was a conspiracy to frame Oswald as the lone shooter, why on earth would the conspirators position their real assassin on the opposite side of where their patsy was in Dealey Plaza? Any bullet hitting JFK that's not traveling from above and behind the President would automatically preclude Oswald from being the shooter! A shot fired from the grassy knoll hitting the President would prove (or at least strongly suggest) Oswald's innocence! Would the conspirators really be this dumb?                 

[LennG]

As far as JFK is concerned, IMVHO I really do not think Oswald had the mental capacity to plan this entire thing and then execute it all by himself. The theory about his 3 shots has been demonstrated so many times, if it were possible to get off three shots in the time frame and hit his target with each one> Was Oswald that crack a shot> There were demonstrations that it would be possible, but highly unlikely that he could have fired those shots in the time frame.

Oswald had to be the patsy. I believe he thought he was acting alone, but in reality, he wasn't. And please don't say that Ruby shot Oswald because he cared so much about JFK and wanted to kill Oswald for killing JFK.

Again, in my own theory, it had to be the mafia behind the entire thing, not Castro, not the FBI, not the Russians--heads of the Mafia wanted Kennedy out of the way.

[LennG]

My wife and I have different ideas about the Ark of the Covenant.

Rome could very well be the place it may be, but we (more myself, than my wife) feel it is buried in one of those mountain caves somewhere, like where they discovered the Dead Sea scrolls. There are thousands of caves like that one, and if something was ever buried deep in one, it will never be found. My wife's main theory is that it is buried deep under what was once the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They have made reports that there was a maze of tunnels that were under the Temple and when the Romans destroyed the Temple, the Ark was taken down and hidden so far below ground, and now, many of these tunnels have become flooded.

Again, just our thoughts, but did the Romans really know the value of the Ark, to take it and hide it? The ark itself was supposed to punish anyone who tried to tamper with it, so we really don't think the Romans would have stolen it. Maybe destroyed it, as a symbol of their power over the Hebrews.

Hey, if you are a believer in religion, there are hundreds of things from the Bible that one could discuss for hours--are they believable--Did the Red Sea part, was Jonah really swallowed by a whale, did Jesus really walk on water, and since we are talking the Ark of the Covenant, Did Moses really get the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai and are they really the contents of the Ark?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Lenn, you being the traveling man that you are, have you toured the tunnels under the Mount. The first few times I was in Israel and going to the Western Wall, they were working on the tunnels, but no visitors were allowed. I was there about 6 years ago and it was open and very interesting.

One of the reasons I believe it to be in the Vatican was that the Romans wanted the center of religion to be in Rome and no longer Jerusalem. The entirety of building the Vatican was to replace Jerusalem with Rome. What better way to make that happen than to take the Ark back there with them and build a secret underground room inaccessible to anyone but the pontiff with his fish ring

[LennG]

Sorry to say I have never been to Israel. My wife has, but it is one place I have ever been and truly need to go before I leave this earth.

[DaveBrown74]

As far as JFK is concerned, IMVHO I really do not think Oswald had the mental capacity to plan this entire thing and then execute it all by himself. The theory about his 3 shots has been demonstrated so many times, if it were possible to get off three shots in the time frame and hit his target with each one> Was Oswald that crack a shot> There were demonstrations that it would be possible, but highly unlikely that he could have fired those shots in the time frame.

Oswald had to be the patsy. I believe he thought he was acting alone, but in reality, he wasn't. And please don't say that Ruby shot Oswald because he cared so much about JFK and wanted to kill Oswald for killing JFK.

Again, in my own theory, it had to be the mafia behind the entire thing, not Castro, not the FBI, not the Russians--heads of the Mafia wanted Kennedy out of the way.

No doubt Oswald was a certifiable fruit loop, but I'm not really sure what "whole thing" he had to plan. All he had to do was be aware that JFK's motorcade would be driving by his place of work, and he needed to bring his gun in to work that day and pick a spot in the building where he had what he thought was a clear view. That doesn't take a criminal mastermind to plan.

Again I just think there are too many conflicting points and illogical situations for me to believe this was some vast conspiracy by the mob, Cubans, US govt, or anyone else. Needless to say however, and in keeping with the thrust of this thread, this terrible event in US history will remain a subject of great controversy for a long time if not forever.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Sorry to say I have never been to Israel. My wife has, but it is one place I have ever been and truly need to go before I leave this earth.

That is somewhat shocking to me since you travel all over. One of the most interesting places on the planet.

[GIANTS1]

I saw a documentary about Ruby. He wired one of his dancers money before he went to the police station. He was in no hurry and was stuck behind someone else. He showed no impatience an waited his turn. He also had his dog with him. If oswalds transfer would have been on time he would not have even been there. To me that doesnt sound like somebody about to make the biggest hit of his life. I think he saw the crowd at the police station went in an made history all spur of the moment.

[LennG]

I saw a documentary about Ruby. He wired one of his dancers money before he went to the police station. He was in no hurry and was stuck behind someone else. He showed no impatience an waited his turn. He also had his dog with him. If oswalds transfer would have been on time he would not have even been there. To me that doesnt sound like somebody about to make the biggest hit of his life. I think he saw the crowd at the police station went in an made history all spur of the moment.

Could be, but he just happened to have his loaded pistol right there with him, going inside the police station.......

[GIANTS1]

you make a good point. I know this guy was no saint by any means. i just dont think it was planned. we can agree to disagree. have a good day Lenn

[weeze]

Jimmy Hoffa
Raphael's "Portrait of a young man" and the Amber Room
 When the Army decided to change the "official" handgun for the Army of course contracts were put up and different handguns were submitted and tested. The two that were considered were the 9mm.Luger and the .45 Colt model 1911. It came down to those two and there were actually those that wanted the Lugar. Of course the colt was awarded the contract due to home grown bias. What the Army wanted to see was a version of the Lugar in .45 to test.2 of them were offered up for testing and only one survives. People have been looking for that other one ever since it just disappeared. Value est at way north of a million
 While on the subject of weapons and one Id like to see is the real Bowie Knife. Guestimates are that it was picked up by a Mexican soldier and went somewhere never to be seen again.
 About 20 years ago the guy from the 101st Airborne Division that was shown in "Band Of Brothers" liberating Hitlers personal photo album died. Shortly afterward a  antique "dealer" talked his widow out of it for some stupid amount like 100 bucks. It hasn't been seen since and whereabouts are unknown. That should be at West Point museum I think.
 Ok thats enough for me.