We all have secrets and mysteries. But there's a difference between a small secret and a huge secret that you plan to keep until your last day of life. And many famous people did just that. Here are the top 10 greatest mysteries whose authors took the solution to the grave with them.
10. Beethoven's Immortal Beloved
The famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven died a lonely bachelor in 1827, leaving behind not only many famous musical works, but also a romantic mystery.
Beethoven is believed by biographers to have fallen in love several times during his life. But one unknown woman, whom he called his “Immortal Beloved,” seems to have eclipsed all others. A passionate love letter to this mysterious woman was discovered among the composer’s papers shortly after his death. It was never sent.
The couple's relationship was apparently complicated, as Beethoven asks his beloved: "Can't you change the situation in which you are not entirely mine and I am not entirely yours?"
There are many theories about who the letter is dedicated to, but no one has yet found a definitive answer. According to the most popular theory, the most likely candidate is Antonie Brentano, a married woman whose family was close to Beethoven. She was a close friend of the composer. He dedicated one of his works, Variations on a Theme of Diabelli, to her.
9. The Secret of Stradivarius
The instruments created by Antonio Stradivari, which included not only violins but also guitars and violas, cellos and even one harp, are still considered unrivaled in sound. Their sound is similar to a gentle and high female voice.
Some attributed this to the unique glue and varnish, the secret of which Stradivari kept a closely guarded secret, as well as to the special wood, allegedly taken from the wreckage of Noah's Ark.
Researchers are confident that Stradivari used the highest quality wood: spruce for the soundboard, maple for the bottom of the violin, and the logs were cut into sectors to create “orange slices.” In addition, each soundboard had a unique pattern of holes and a special outline of the outer lines.
But the Cremonese genius took the recipe for the varnish and the subtleties of creating his melodious creations with him to the grave.
8. The Float Man
Angelo Faticoni, born in 1859, did not drown in water. He discovered his "superpower" in early childhood, and became a participant in numerous experiments.
Scientists tied heavy objects to Angelo's body, but he stubbornly refused to drown. He once crossed the Hudson River while tied to a chair, holding a heavy weight.
Angelo Faticoni promised to reveal his secret one day, but died unexpectedly in 1931, taking with him the secret of his amazing buoyancy.
7. All the secrets of Harry Houdini
The legendary illusionist placed an envelope containing the secrets of his greatest tricks in a safe and instructed that it be opened 100 years after his death.
At his behest, the safe was opened in public and at the right time… and found to be empty. Houdini never explained the secrets of his amazing performances.
6. The Mystery of the Coral Castle
This stone structure was built by Edward Leedskalnin, an eccentric sculptor and engineer who emigrated to the United States from Latvia in the early 20th century.
"So what's the secret?" the reader might ask. The fact is that Leedskalnin built the entire castle single-handedly! Somehow, he was able to move and lift limestone megaliths weighing up to 30 tons. In addition, he did not use mortar - only the correct placement of each part holds the entire structure together.
During his lifetime, Edward claimed to know the secret of how the Egyptian pyramids were built, but he never shared the answer. Many years after his death, one of the castle's elements was broken, and engineers had to use a crane to move it.
5. The Man Who Cracked the "Unbreakable" German Code
In 1940, the Swedes tapped into German communications lines running through the country on their way to Norway and were able to crack the code of one of the most sophisticated cryptological devices of the time. It was called the T52, or "Geheimschreiber." This device was larger and more complex than the famous Enigma, and transmitted only important and secret messages.
At first, the Swedes were baffled by the data coming from T52, calling it “extremely unreadable.” That’s when Arne Berling, a professor of mathematics, stepped in. Just two weeks later, he was able to crack the T52 cipher. How he did it remains unclear. When Berling was asked about it, he replied, “A magician does not reveal his secrets.” He died 46 years later, leaving his riddle unsolved.
Thanks to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Arne Berling, the Swedes were able to learn in advance of Hitler's plans to invade Russia.
4. Maurice Ward and his recipe for indestructible plastic
An English inventor named Maurice Ward created a heat-resistant plastic that could withstand temperatures in excess of 10,000 degrees Celsius and was resistant to impact forces greater than those of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
When asked how he managed to create such a miracle, Maurice replied that this plastic is made of “21 organic polymers, a copolymer and a small amount of ceramics.” However, these words were clearly not enough for scientists to repeat the formula of the plastic.
Calling his brainchild Starlite, Ward decided to sell it to those who might be interested in it. However, he then became afraid that the company that bought Starlite might start profiting from his invention without paying Ward any compensation.
In 2011, Maurice Ward passed away, taking the secret of Starlite with him.
3. Nikola Tesla and Wireless Electricity
Nikola Tesla was the man who discovered that alternating current was much more practical and safer than Edison's direct current. He is also credited with inventing the Tesla coil, the radio transmitter, and fluorescent lights, and by the early 1900s, he was considered America's greatest electrical engineer.
But despite all his merits, Tesla was unable to complete what would have been his greatest achievement – providing free wireless electricity to the entire world. The implementation of such an ambitious project, which lasted from 1901 to 1917, was hampered by the financial issue. The main investor J.P. Morgan decided to refuse further sponsorship of Tesla. And the inventor’s own patents expired in 1905 and no longer brought him enough money to build the tower.
When Tesla died in 1943, the secret of wireless electricity, a useful invention that was never put into practice, disappeared with him.
2. Library of Ivan the Terrible
Firefighters are looking, the police are looking... Who hasn't looked for the famous library of Ivan the Terrible, which contained a huge number of Latin, Egyptian and Greek books and manuscripts. It once belonged to the Byzantine emperors, and came to Russia as a dowry for Princess Sophia Paleologue, who married Ivan III.
Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV) was the last tsar to own a library. He was very proud of the famous collection and took steps to keep its location secret. After his death, information about the library's location was lost.
Some researchers believe that it never existed at all, or that it was lost during the Time of Troubles. And there are as many as 60 versions of the location of Ivan the Terrible's library, if it did survive.
1. The Ultimate Question of Life and the Universe
Our selection is headed by a mystery that was answered, but perhaps only to further excite fans.
In his famous "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," Douglas Adams gives an incredibly simple and funny answer to a question that could solve all the problems of the Universe. According to the author, the answer is 42.
No one knows why Adams chose this number, but true fans of the trilogy have spent years trying to delve into the mystery. Was it just a joke? Was Adams using a random number? Or is there some hidden meaning to it?
“The answer to that is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number – a normal, small number – and I chose that. Binary, 13, Tibetan monks – it’s all complete nonsense. I was sitting at my desk, staring out at the garden, and I thought, ‘42 will do.’ And I typed it. That’s the whole story.”", Adams once declared on his USENET newsgroup. But how can we now know if he was lying?
Оставить Комментарий