I Lost Myself
Every day, we leave our wallets on coffee shop counters, forget our phones in Lyfts, and dump out the contents of our bags before realizing, aye, the car keys were in our pockets the whole time. But some things that have been lost over the years aren't and then mundane—or replaceable. From stolen artworks and disappeared writings to destroyed places, we're counting down 30 of history's nearly devastating losses.
The Amber Room
Made from several tons of the titular gemstone, the Bister Room has been dubbed the "8th Wonder of the World." Vi tons of amber, precious stones and aureate leaf made this 180-foursquare-pes room worth an estimated $142 million. Originally built in 1701, the Prussian-congenital Amber Room was somewhen installed at Catherine Palace in Pushkin past Czarina Elizabeth.
But faux wallpaper wasn't plenty to hide the room from the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Matrimony in 1941. Nazis packed information technology into 27 crates and shipped it to a castle museum in Königsberg, Germany. Ii years later, the Amber Room was packed away once more, just before a series of bombings. And that'southward where the trail goes cold.
No one has seen it since. For now, the curious tin can visit an $11 million replica just exterior St. petersburg.
Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), First Feature-length Film
Born in 1855, Ned Kelly became Australia's most famous bushranger. Known to many as an Aussie Robin Hood, he became a bonafide legend just earlier his death and, in doing so, the perfect discipline for the world'southward first feature-length motion-picture show.
Infamously, Kelly and his gang ended up in a collision with the police in 1880. Kelly fashioned himself a arrange of armor and snuck up on the police surrounding the town he'd taken hostage.
In 1906, director Charles Tait shot the silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang in Melbourne. The end upshot? A reel that measured 4,000 feet and a film that clocked in at a little over an hour. This made it the longest narrative—and commencement feature-length—moving-picture show in the world. Over the years, bits of the lost flick have been cobbled together into a 17-minute fragment.
Library of Alexandria
Alexandria's library was the greatest annal of knowledge in the world—until it vanished. Historians estimate the library housed over half a 1000000 documents from Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Republic of india, and Persia. Though many aspect the Library's destruction to a burn down, the truth is shrouded in mystery.
Some pin the offense on Julius Caesar, while others blame violence that bankrupt out betwixt the Christians, Pagans, and Jewish people inhabiting the city. Some don't think there was a catastrophic burn at all—just slow dissolution over fourth dimension.
Stranger nevertheless, no architectural remains that can be definitively attributed to the Library have e'er been institute.
FIFA's Jules Rimet Earth Loving cup Trophy
Y'all'd exist hard pressed to detect an honor with a better Hollywood backstory than the original Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy. Showtime handed out in 1930, the Jules Rimet Trophy was fabricated of aureate-plated sterling silver and lapis lazuli. And more than than simply footballers were eager to claim information technology.
During World War Two, Ottorino Barassi, the president of the Italian Football Federation, smuggled the trophy from a banking company and into his apartment. Nazi soldiers tracked the trophy to Barassi's home, simply failed to open up the maximum security shoebox stashed under his bed.
Years later, the bays was stolen while on display in England, but an intrepid dog named Pickles discovered it in some bushes within days of the theft.
Afterwards Brazil won the trophy for a third time in 1970, it was displayed in Rio de Janeiro behind bullet-proof glass. Despite these precautions, it was stolen on December 19, 1983. Most people believe it was melted down into aureate bars.
Honjō Masamune
The near respected Japanese swordsmith was Goro Nyudo Masamune. He saw the rise of the samurai grade's ability during what's known as the Kamakura Period (the late 13th and early 14th centuries). Even today, his blades are highly sought after for their quality and rich history. But perhaps none is more renowned than the lost Honjō Masamune.
The Honjō Masamune received its proper noun from i of its first owners, Honjō Shigenaga, a general who fought some other ranking officer during a battle in 1561. Shigenaga's helmet was cleft in 2 by his opponent, but the full general withstood the accident and killed his foe.
As was customary, he took his fallen opponent'southward weapon—a Masamune blade. The Honjō Masamune was sold and passed down for years, until the Tokugawa family claimed information technology equally a symbol for their shogunate.
But, in the wake of World War 2, Tokugawa Iemasa handed over his family'south prized swords in 1945 to the US Army, including the Honjō Masamune. Since then, the blade'due south whereabouts have been unknown.
Roanoke
Aside from its starring role in American Horror Story'due south 6th flavor, Roanoke is best known as the commencement endeavour to set up a permanent English colony in North America. Also called the "Lost Colony," the settlement was established on Roanoke Island in 1585. Only the state, which is in nowadays-day North Carolina, shows no traces of this former colony.
Later on establishing the settlement, well-nigh of those involved with the initial settlement returned to England for more supplies, but a small detachment stayed behind. When the settlers returned with supplies, they found that the contingent they had left behind was gone.
Leader John White left the 115 new settlers in Roanoke and headed dorsum to England for aid. Upon his return in 1590, the entire Roanoke Colony had vanished—no artifacts, no bodies. The just clue? The name of a nearby tribe, "CROATOAN," was carved into a tree.
Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was erected in the city of—surprise—Rhodes to celebrate the urban center's victory over Republic of cyprus. Historians believe that the statue was 108 feet tall, making information technology the tallest (known) statue in the ancient world. And, in today's terms, roughly the same top every bit the Statue of Liberty.
One of the Vii Wonders of the Aboriginal World, the Colossus was meant to be the Greek sun god Helios. It was synthetic effectually 280 BCE, just toppled around 226 BCE when a massive earthquake struck Rhodes. Different the remnants of other lost treasures from antiquity, parts of the statue were preserved.
As of 2015, there are plans to build a new Colossus at the archway to Rhodes Harbor.
Mahogany Ship
Though fishermen and traders from Republic of indonesia, Republic of india and China visited the aboriginals of what is now known as Commonwealth of australia for thousands of years, Europeans didn't set foot on the continent until a 17th century Dutch expedition. Or so it was thought. The discovery of a shipwreck in 1836, just off the south-western declension of Victoria, near Warrnambool, challenged this unremarkably-held belief.
The whalers who discovered the wreck, half buried in sand dunes, claimed information technology was made of dark woods. Hence the nickname the "Mahogany Transport." But, most significantly, the send seemed to exist of Portugese origin.
Because the shipwreck'south location was uncertain, there haven't been many large-scale expeditions for the Mahogany Transport. Nonetheless, the State Regime of Victoria offered wreck-hunters a $250,000 reward in 1992 for the ship'south recovery. Why? Well, if the transport is Portugese it could rewrite Australia's colonial history as nosotros know it.
Parliamentary Mace (Victoria)
Despite its intimidating name, parliamentary mace isn't a weapon. (Anymore.) Instead, it's a symbol of the Office of the Speaker and the constitutional rights of the people. That's why the theft of the parliamentary mace from Victoria's Parliament marks 1 of Australia's greatest unsolved mysteries.
Made of silvery, plated with gold, and busy with roses, shamrocks, and eucalyptus leaves, the mace was taken just afterward midnight on Fri, Oct ix, 1891. The suspects? Many remember the members of the house responsible for locking the mace upwardly that dark nabbed it. And then brought it to a nearby brothel for kicks.
To this twenty-four hour period, anyone who finds and returns the mace will earn a lofty $50,000 reward. That's a lot of vegemite.
The Complete Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales—the bane of many a high school English class—contains 24 stories. Meliorate notwithstanding, the 17,000 lines of text are all written in Eye English language. (Me thynketh, no thanks.) Believe it or not, Chaucer but wrote nearly a quarter of the tales he wanted to include before his death.
That's right: The Canterbury Tales were substantially the Game of Thrones (or, more accurately, A Song of Fire and Water ice series) of the late 1300s. The book alternates between the points of view of various pilgrims, contains a lot of walking from identify to place, and its author couldn't seem to write quickly plenty to close out the serial.
After a decade of writing, Chaucer penned 24 of his 100 planned stories. And, when he died, some of those tales were still fragmentary. At present, several versions of detail stories exist. And we'll never know the outcome of the pilgrims' trek.
Several of Disney'southward Oswald Shorts
Earlier Walt Disney'south Mickey Mouse debuted in Steamboat Willie (1928), the man backside the mouse worked on some other animated series starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In total, 27 one-reel "Oswalds" were produced at the Walt Disney Studio earlier Disney lost the rights to the character to Universal Pictures. And while things improved for Disney afterward the dispute, Oswald'due south state of affairs worsened.
For years, it was thought that simply 19 of the Disney-produced Oswald shorts survived. In 2015, the British Moving picture Constitute discovered a missing Oswald short in its athenaeum. A second "lost" Oswald cartoon surfaced in Japan in 2018. Yasushi Watanabe, at present 84, had purchased the five-minute film Neck 'northward' Cervix (1928) decades ago for a mere 500 yen.
While these discoveries are exciting, picture buffs still mourn the fact that the other missing "Oswalds" may remain lost.
Leonardo Da Vinci's Manuscripts
Leonardo Da Vinci is the Renaissance Man—artist, inventor, writer, and general overachiever. While his Mona Lisa draws hordes of visitors to the Louvre in Paris every mean solar day, he's also known for several "alee-of-his-time" inventions, including a paradigm for a helicopter-like flying machine. And although a great deal is known about Da Vinci, a great deal of his immense body of work has also been lost.
After his death, Da Vinci's manuscripts were inherited by his educatee, Francesco Melzi. But when Melzi passed, the manuscripts were scattered—some were stolen, while others were given away or lost by Melzi's son Orazio. Now, the existing manuscripts comprise simply one fifth or then of Da Vinci'due south total body of work.
While fragments have resurfaced, the works are ofttimes difficult to decipher: Da Vinci famously wrote in code and practiced "mirror writing."
Lost Dutchman'south Aureate Mine
Treasure-hunters and thrillseekers nonetheless set up out to detect a treasure near Apache Junction, Arizona that was allegedly buried somewhere dorsum in 1891. Some of these treasure-hunters don't go far back at all. What's worth risking life and limb in the Superstition Mountains? The "Dutchman's" gold.
German immigrant Jacob Flit, "the Dutchman" in question, took the hole-and-corner of where he hid his gold with him when he died. And why has no ane come up close to earthworks up the mine? The Superstitions are treacherously steep and the magnetic rock messes with compasses. Worse still, summers are fatally hot; winters are fatally cold. And jail cell phones often fail.
And so, why endeavour? George Johnston, who worked at a local museum on the field of study, said, "If a mine produces two and a one-half ounces of gold per ton of rock, it is a bonanza. Well, the Dutchman's gold ore that made that matchbook example assayed out to 50 ounces per ton."
For some, this potential prize outweighs the risk.
Isabella Stewart Gardner's Art
If you head to the Boston-based museum's website, you'll come across that the investigation into the 1990 theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is active and ongoing. In fact, if you lot have any tips that lead to the rubber return of all thirteen stolen works they'll reward you lot with a cool $ten million.
About xxx years agone, two thieves disguised as constabulary officers bankrupt into the museum and grabbed the xiii paintings from the walls. That's correct: $500 million—gone just like that. Amid the stolen works were pieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Edgar Degas.
The heist is notwithstanding known as the largest private holding theft in American history. And, in a nod to its history, the Gardner Museum displays empty frames where the stolen works in one case hung.
Sappho'due south Poems
The poet Sappho was dubbed "the 10th Muse" past Plato and known in the ancient world for her accomplished poetry. During the third century BCE, her poems were nerveless into a whopping nine volumes, which were subsequently lost or damaged.
Afterward a parody characterized Sappho every bit a promiscuous lesbian, Pope Gregory burned much of her work in 1073. For awhile, it was thought that only i xx-eight-line poem had survived. Merely in 1898 that changed.
The first of her poetry fragments, written on papyrus, were discovered. Several years subsequently, in 1914, archeologists working in Egypt found coffins made from paper scraps—and on them? More fragmented verses that appeared to exist authored past Sappho.
Tree of Ténéré
Northeastern Niger was one time home to a woods of trees. After desertification took hold, a lone acacia, known every bit the Tree of Ténéré, remained. Known as the almost isolated tree in the world, the closest trees lie most 250 miles away.
Dubbed a "living lighthouse" by Michel Lesourd in the 1930s, the Tree of Ténéré was considered sacred for decades by the nomadic Tuareg people. When Europeans drew military machine maps of the expanse, the acacia became a landmark. But in 1973 this changed when a reportedly drunk commuter struck the tree, uprooting information technology.
To honor the tree, a metal sculpture has been constructed where it once stood. And Niger'southward National Museum relocated the remnants of the Tree of Ténéré to Niamey for a display.
Crown Jewels of Republic of ireland
If you're annihilation similar us, the phrase "crown jewels" immediately conjures upwardly a pic of a fancy regal, all decked out in furs and gemstones. But the Irish Crown Jewels are a tad unlike. They don't have links to the monarchy, but to an aristocratic group called the Order of St. Patrick. And the society's "G Master" would clothing the jewels—well, until the infamous theft in 1907.
Sir Arthur Vicars, who was charged with protecting the Crown Jewels, held ii keys to the safe. He kept 1 of those keys at his home.
But Vicars wasn't the almost trustworthy. In one case a night of drinking led to his friends stealing his keys and pulling a prank on him. He'd besides misplaced his keys a few times. All of this to say, his negligence led to the theft of jewels worth $20 million.
Amelia Earhart's Plane
Amelia Earhart famously became the first adult female to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Sea—every bit well equally the outset person to fly solo to Hawaii from the mainland Usa. Her next challenge? Unfortunately, circumnavigating the earth in her twin-engine Lockheed 10E Electra didn't go too.
In July of 1937, Earhart but… vanished. Somewhere over the Pacific Sea, nigh a refueling terminate on Howland Island. Just 7,000 miles from Oakland, California—where she'd initially taken off. Stranger nonetheless, her airplane wreckage has never been recovered.
Many theories—and conspiracies—have cropped upwardly around this lost-at-sea pilot. Some believe Earhart survived for a time on Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island), where a slice of Plexiglas potentially from the Electra's window was found.
Holy Beaker
From Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) to The Da Vinci Code (2006), the Holy Chalice has been the subject of innumerable popular civilisation quests. The chalice is and then coveted considering information technology's the cup Jesus drank from, or served vino from, at the Concluding Supper. Others believe information technology was also the vessel used to collect Jesus's blood at his Crucifixion.
Despite its ties to Christianity, the beaker became so sought-after due to its association with a magical item from Arthurian literature—the Holy Grail.
The interwoven stories of the Holy Chalice and Grail inspired several claims that medieval relics, such as the Valencia Chalice and the Genoa Chalice, are The vessels in question. Even so, the location—and existence—of the Holy Chalice is still up for argue amidst scholars.
Peking Man
The "Peking human being" is a name given to an extinct hominin of a species you may know—Homo erectus. Dorsum in 1927, an anthropologist identified the Peking man as part of human lineage, thanks to findings from a single tooth institute almost Beijing. According to the mandibles, limb bones, and teeth uncovered past researchers, these characters walked the earth virtually 770,000 to 230,000 years agone. And then the fossils walked out, too.
Well, sort of. About 70 years ago, the Peking man fossils vanished. The fossils were kept at Peking Union Medical College, but in 1941 researchers feared that the Japanese invasion would put the fossils in danger.
They did what any responsible scientist would do: they tried to smuggle the fossils out of Red china and to the presumably safer United States. But the boxes of bones never made their connecting flight. One small footstep for man—and 1 giant setback for human being evolution research.
Florentine Diamond
Weighing in at 137 carats, this next contender gives the (fictional) Middle of the Ocean a run for its money. This nine-sided 126-facet double rose cutting diamond is stake xanthous in color and hails from India. But despite researchers' knowledge of its origins, its path through history is just equally nebulous every bit its electric current whereabouts.
The first reported sighting of the Florentine Diamond dates back to the tardily 1400s when the Duke of Burgundy fell in boxing while wearing it. Later that, the diamond made its way to Italia: its declared owners included Pope Julius Two and the Medici family.
In 1736, Maria Theresa of Austria caused it when she married the Duke of Tuscany, making the Florentine Diamond part of the Austrian crown jewels.
During World War I, the ownership records become messy: some say the Germans stole it. Others say the royal family fled with information technology, only to have it stolen and sent to Southward America where it was presumably sold and recut.
Buddhas of Bamyan
Hewn from sandstone cliffs, the Buddhas of Bayman were two statues—one 115 feet and the other 174 feet tall—of Gautam Buddha. Located in the Hazarajat region of Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, these monuments dated back to the 6th century. These impressive Silk Route statues survived the entrada of Genghis Khan to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But, in 2001, the statues met a harrowing fate.
On orders from Mullah Mohammed Omar, members of the Taliban destroyed the statues in a dynamite boom. Since they were Buddha statues, the Taliban considered them "idols" and shot at them with anti-shipping arms. The resilient statues withstood explosives and rocket launchers, before eventually falling victim to the Taliban'southward iconoclasm.
Pyramid at Nohmul, Belize
Located on the Yucatán Peninsula, Nohmul (or Noh Mul) is a Maya archeological site in what is now mod-day Belize. The country is known for its lush rainforests and beautiful coral reefs, just what really put it on the map was that it is home to 1 of the 15 aboriginal Maya sites in the world. Unfortunately, the site changed dramatically in 2013.
The main pyramid (similar to the one pictured higher up) once towered over the site, coming in at roughly 60 feet tall. But a structure visitor responsible for building nearby roads bulldozed the pyramid and other mounds in order to apply the gravel. Now, the main pyramid is gone.
SInce Maya sites are protected by law, officials in Belize program to those responsible for the destruction to court. However, the losses are irreparable.
Plato's Hermocrates
Like every business-savvy writer, Plato was in information technology for a three-book deal. Or, that is, his hypothetical dialogue Hermocrates was meant to round out the trilogy he started with Timaeus and the unfinished Critias. So, what exactly are these dialogues?
They're sort of like monologues delivered by the titular characters. For example, Timaeus is a potentially invented figure who speculates about the nature of the concrete world. Critias is a scrap more exciting: It recounts how the kingdom of Atlantis tried to conquer Athens.
Historians can only speculate about Hermocrates. The speaker might have been the Syracusan politician and general of the same name. Information technology might've shed lite on naval powers and strategy.
Though we prefer the estimation found in Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game, wherein Hermocrates details the location and civilisation of Atlantis.
The Complete Bayeux Tapestry
This impressive tapestry dates back to the 11th century and measures in at 230 feet long and 165 feet tall. And it uses all that surface area to draw the Norman conquest of England. For seven centuries the tapestry remained safely in the Bayeux Cathedral. In 1792, it was almost cut into pieces and used as coverings for soldier's carts. Luckily, it escaped that dire fate—for a fourth dimension.
Since information technology'south removal from the cathedral, the terminal panel(s) appears to be missing. Though information technology transferred hands several times during World War Two—from underground shelters to German language enquiry facilities and, finally, to the Louvre in Paris—it remained relatively unscathed. Even so, the question of how the tapestry's narrative concluded has puzzled historians.
A squad of embroiders worked tirelessly to fill in the gaps. In 2014, they completed panels that depicted what happened afterwards William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings. And though the replica panels match the style of the tapestry, we'll never know what the originals illustrated.
Gospel of Eve
Though in that location are idea to be around 20 "Lost Gospels," the Gospel of Eve is by far the most intriguing—and controversial. Though fragments of some Lost Gospels be, others were either completely lost to the ages or purposely destroyed by the Cosmic Church. So, why weren't these gospels added to the Bible?
According to the church building, they were excluded for either A) existence of unknown origin, or B) existence authored by heretics. Want to know all most Eve? Well, that's a bit tricky. It'southward unclear if a copy of Eve'due south gospel exists these days.
The quotes nosotros do have from the Gospel of Eve indicate that the text advocated for tenants of "free love"—from polyamory to birth control—and mentioned (gasp) the menstrual cycle.
Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom)
The Bayt al-Hikmah, or Firm of Wisdom, could certainly challenge the Library of Alexandria for the championship of "Greatest Repository of Knowledge" (Working Title). Established in Baghdad during the 8th century, this impressive library was besides a cultural middle for astronomers, philosophers, mathematicians, translators and inventors.
Byzantine researchers were sent to study at this renowned institution. Several languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, and Latin, were spoken at the facility. The House of Wisdom truly embodied the merging of intellect, traditions, and cultures from many nations.
But Bayt al-Hikmah met a tragic end when the Mongols invaded during the 13th century, killing the scholars and dumping the books in the Tigris River. It is said that the river flowed red and black for days from all the blood and ink.
Yongle Encyclopedia
The Yongle Encyclopedia, or Yongle Dadian, was Cathay's—and the world'southward—largest encyclopedia when it was finished in 1408. Arranged past subject into 22,877 juan (sections), the text was jump into a whopping 11,095 volumes. Merely this beautifully illustrated collection went the way of the residual of the objects on our list.
During the 1500s, information technology was moved to the Forbidden Urban center for protection. The emperor ordered it copied and, not long after, the original was lost, or scattered. Some historians believe the Yongle Encyclopedia was destroyed in a burn down that swept through the Forbidden City during a rebellion. Others posit it was cached with an emperor. A third theory suggest it burned in the Qianqing Palace burn down.
Now, only 400 volumes remain. And its "Earth'southward Largest Encyclopedia" title has been claimed by Wikipedia.
Ur-Hamlet
This higher up all: to thine own self be true—unless you can find a wealth of inspiration in someone else. In that case, soak in their work and mode your own in its footsteps. You heard that correct. William Shakespeare'southward Hamlet is not every bit original every bit your English language teacher may accept claimed. Outset of all, Hamlet is based on a Norse legend. Merely, more importantly, it's based on another play.
Most researchers agree that Shakespeare based his famous tragedy on a play by Thomas Kyd, known every bit Ur-Village. Of grade, every bit fate would have it, no re-create of Ur-Village exists. All nosotros actually know is that it was performed in London, significant Shakespeare was (more than likely) in the know about it.
This OG-Village was besides a tragedy that contained a line shouted by a ghost. That line? "Hamlet, revenge!" Very "brevity is the soul of summary," if yous inquire usa.
Jack the Ripper's "From Hell" Alphabetic character
Jack the Ripper is London's most infamous—and unidentified—serial killer. He had a disturbing penchant for murdering sex activity workers with anatomical percision, leading to his nickname. The "Jack the Ripper" title really originated in a letter from someone claiming to be the series killer, though it was later accounted a hoax. The "From Hell" letter, even so, is thought to exist authentic.
Why? When George Lusk, chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, received the letter on October 15, 1888 it didn't come with chocolates or flowers. Instead, it arrived with one-half a human being kidney. For this reason, of the thousands of messages allegedly sent from Jack the Ripper to the police, "From Hell" was believed to be the real bargain.
Decades later, fingerprints on the letter might've helped experts crack the case. But some poor record-keeping procedures ruined that notion. The letter—and kidney—are lost, so don't expect the cast of Criminal Minds to solve this i anytime soon.
Source: https://www.reference.com/history/lost-things-history?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740005%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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