PARTONE

TheGhostShipMaryCeleste

AMysteriousDisappearanceOn4December1872theBritishshipDeiGratiawascrossingtheAtlantic

OceantoEurope.AstheshipcameclosetotheAzores,thecaptainoftheship,CaptainMorehouse,suddenlysawamysteriousdarkspotonthehorizon.'Whatcoulditbe?'hethought,andheorderedsomeofhiscrewtogoandinvestigate.WhenthecrewoftheDeiGratiacameclosetothespot,theysawthatitwasaship - theMaryCeleste.But somethingwasvery, verywrong.Therewere nosignsoflifeontheMaryCeleste.Apparentlyithadsailedonitscoursefor370nautical miles as a ghost ship. It had navigated without a navigator. Tounderstandthismysterywemustgotobacktotheyear1861.

In1861ashipcalledtheAmazonwasbuilt.ButtheAmazonhadbadluckfromthestart.Itwasbadlydamagedduringitsfirstvoyagein1862andshortlyaftertherewasafireonboard.Duringtheyearsthatfollowedthereweremanyotheraccidentsontheship.

The Amazon was finally sold and its name was changed to the MaryCeleste.Butthenewownersdidnotknowthesuperstitionthatitisbadlucktochangeaship'sname.

Manysailorsdidnotwanttosailontheshipbecausetheythoughtitwasunlucky,andsoitwasverydifficulttofindacrew.Finallyenoughsailorswerefoundtomakeacrewofsevenmen.ThenewcaptainoftheMaryCelestewas37-year-oldBenjaminBriggs,asailorwithgreatexperience.

On the morning of 5 November 1872 the Mary Celeste left New Yorkharbourwithacargoof1700barrelsofunrefinedalcohol.

The weather that day was perfect for sailing. On board the ship wereCaptainBriggs,hiswifeSarah,theirtwo-year-olddaughterSophiaandacrewofsevenmen.

The ship's destinationwasGenoa, Italy. CaptainBriggs log book showsthat the first fifteen days of the voyagewere calm, and thewind andweatherweregood.

ButoncetheshipcameneartotheAzores,theweathersuddenlychanged.

CaptainBriggswroteinhislogbookthattherewasastormwithalotofwind.Atfirstthisdidnotworryhim,becausehewasanexpertnavigator.

Asthehourspassed,thewindbecamestrongerandtheweathergotmuchworse.Thenightof24Novemberwasverystormy.At5a.m.on25NovemberCaptainBriggswroteinhislogbookthathecouldseetheislandofSantaMaria,buthedidnotstopthere.

HesailednorthoftheislandofSantaMaria.ThiswasverystrangebecausethemostdirectroutetotheStraitofGibraltar,entrancetotheMediterraneanSea,issouthoftheisland.Whydidhegonorthinsteadofsouth?

Perhapshewantedtoleavethestormyrouteandlookforbetterweather.Inanycase,intheearlymorningof25NovembertheMaryCelestesailedalongthenorthern coast of the island. Then something terrible happened on the MaryCeleste-somethingsounexpectedandshockingthatwemustsupposeCaptainBriggsabandonedtheshipandgotintothelifeboatwithhiswife,daughterandcrew.Nooneeverheardfromthemorsawthemagain.

***OnBoardtheMaryCelesteWhenCaptainMorehouse'smengotontheMaryCelesteon4December,

theyfoundnosignsofviolence.Theship'slifeboathadgone,butallpartsoftheshipwereinorder.

Therewasplentyoffoodandfreshwaterontheship.It isevensaidthatthe captain's breakfastwas still on the table in his cabin!However, the ship'scompasswasbrokenandtheothernavigationinstrumentswerenotthere.

ThesailorshurriedbacktotheDeiGratiaandtoldtheircaptainaboutthefrighteningdiscovery.

'The people on theMary Celeste probably abandoned the ship during aviolentstorm,'saidCaptainMorehouse.

'Buttherewasnoevidenceofaviolentstormontheship.Everythingisinperfectcondition,'saidoneofthecrewmembers.

'Perhapstherewasamutinyatsea,'saidthecaptain,tryingtoexplainthemystery.

'If that's true, what happened to the people on the ship?' asked anothersailor.

'Idon'tknow,'saidCaptainMorehouse. 'Ican'tfindalogicalexplanation,butnowwemustdosomethingwiththedesertedship.

Heorderedoneofhisofficers,OliverDeveau,andtwoothermentosailtheMaryCeleste to the port ofGibraltar. TheDeiGratiawent ahead and theMaryCelestefollowed.

***TheInvestigationWhen the Mary Celeste arrived in Gibraltar, the British authorities

examineditcarefullyandwantedanswerstothesequestions:1.Why were nine of the barrels of unrefined alcohol empty? This is a

dangerousliquid.Didthecrewdrinkitandgomad?2.Didpiratestakeovertheship?Ifso,wheredidtheygo?3.Howdid theship remainon itscourse for tendayswithoutanyone to

sailit?Perhapssomeoneremainedonboardafter25November.Butwho?Andwherewasthatperson?

BoththeBritishandtheAmericanauthoritiesinvestigatedthemystery,butaftertwoyearsofinvestigations,noonewasabletofindalogicalexplanation.

Newspapersallovertheworldbeganwritingabouttheghostship.Peopleeverywhere were fascinated by theMary Celeste and more than thirty bookswerepublishedonthesubject.EventhefamousBritishwriterSirArthurConanDoylebecameinterestedintheshipandwroteastoryaboutit.

During the next elevenyears the shipwas sold seventeen times.Then itwasdestroyedonsomerocksintheCaribbeanSea,andthatwastheendofitsunluckylife.

***AMysteryExplained?At the end of the nineteenth century, Eberhart Rudolph, Professor of

GeophysicsattheUniversityofStrasburginGermany,publishedalongstudyonseaquakes (underwaterearthquakes).Hewroteaboutmore than550seaquakesandtheirdevastatingeffectonships.IsthiswhathappenedtotheMaryCeleste?Wastheunluckyshipavictimofaviolentseaquake?Didtheseaquakemakeafrighteningnoise,shaketheshipandthrowit intotheair?Werethetenpeopleontheshipsoterrifiedbythisnaturalcatastrophethattheyabandonedit?

Today scientists know that seaquakes create extremely high waves,accompaniedbyveryloudnoises,andareverydestructive.

AccordingtotheAcousticsDivisionoftheUSNavalResearchLaboratory,there havebeenmajor seaquakesnearSantaMaria Island in theAzores everyyear for hundreds of years. There have also been strong earthquakes in theAzores Islandsduring the centuries.But in 1872 therewereno instruments torecordaseaquake.Sonoonewilleverknowforcertainwhathappened to theMaryCeleste,andthemysteryremains.

Whatdoyouthink?WastheMaryCelesteavictimofaseaquakeorIwasitavictimofitsownbadluck?

PARTTWO

Nostradamus

PredictingtheFutureHaveyoueverpredictedthefuture?Manypeoplesaytheycanpredictthe

futurebyreadingthestarsorbyinterpretingtarotcards,butdotheyreallyhavethispower?

No one in the history of prophecy has attracted as much attention asNostradamus. He was an exceptional astrologer and astronomer, and he usedboth astrologyandastronomy topredict the future.Nostradamus is sometimescalledthe'prophetofcatastrophe'becausehispredictionsofteninvolvewaranddeath. Yet people continue referring to him and his prophecies almost fivehundredyearsafterhedied.

***WhowasNostradamus?'Nostradamus' realnamewasMicheldeNostradameandhewasbornon

14December1503inStRemydeProvence,southernFrance.Asachildhewasveryintelligent,withaspecialtalentformathematicsandastrology.Hestudiedmedicine at the University of Montpellier, and began to help victims of theplagueusinghisnewmedicalideas.Unfortunately,hisfirstwifeandtwosmallchildrenlaterdiedoftheplague.

NostradamustravelledaroundFranceandItaly,andhecontinuedtolearnandpractisemedicine.He started toquestioncommonbeliefs, and this causedproblemsforhimonmanyoccasions.Legendsbegantogrowabouthisstrangeability to predict the future. One of them said that, while he was in Italy,Nostradamusmetamonk.Heimmediatelywentdownonhisknees,andcalledthemonk'YourHoliness'.About45yearslaterthemonkbecamePopeSixtusV.

Nostradamus realised that he had extraordinary powers of prophecy, andhe started writing down his predictions in the form of four-line poems. Hequickly became famous throughout France and Europe, and even QueenCatherinedeMediciofFrancewantedtomeethim.Nostradamuspredictedthedeathofherhusband,KingHenryII,duringatournament.In1559hispredictioncametrue!

Nostradamus died in Salon de Provence, southern France, in 1566. It issaid that he even predicted his own death. After a long illness, on 1 JulyNostradamuscalledthelocalpriesttohishouse.

Hesaid,'DearChavigny,youwon'tseemealiveagain!'Thenextmorninghewasdead.

***The'Centuries'Acollectionof his strangepredictionswas first published in1555under

the name Centuries. The word 'centuries' refers to the fact that there are ahundred four-line poems, or 'quatrains', in each book. The quatrains predicteventsfromthemid-1500suntil theendoftheworld.Peoplehavestudiedandinterpretedhispredictionssincethesixteenthcentury.

NostradamusmadehispoemsdifficulttounderstandbyusingwordsfromLatin,French,Provencal,GreekandItalian.ThiswasbecausehedidnotwanttheChurchtoaccusehimofbeingamagicianoraheretic.Healsodeliberatelyconfusedthetimesequenceofhispropheciessothattheyweremorecryptic.

***ThePropheciesBut justhowdidNostradamuspredict thefuture?Heworkedwithbooks

of the occult, and studied the stars using his knowledge of astrology.He alsoused an ancient method of predicting the future called scrying, where peoplelookintoabowlofwateruntiltheyhaveaninspirationorseeanimage.

PeoplewhobelievehimsaythathepredictedtheGreatFireofLondon,thedestinyofNapoleonandtherisetopowerofAdolfHitler.TheyalsosaythathepredictedtheassassinationofsomepresidentsoftheUnitedStatesandsomeofthedisastersofmoderntimes.

Let'stakealookatsomeofhisfamousprophecies.

Century2,Quatrain51ThebloodofthejustwillbedemandedofLondonBurntbyfireinthreetimestwentyplussix.

People think this prediction is about the Great Fire of London, adevastatingeventwhichdestroyedmuchofthecity.'Threetimestwentyplussix'correspondsto66,thelasttwonumbersoftheyear1666,whentheGreatFireofLondontookplace.

Century1,Quatrain60AnemperorwillbebornnearItaly,'WhowillcosttheEmpireahighprice.

This is interpreted as a prophecy about the rise to power of the FrenchEmperor,Napoleon.HisparentswereItalian,andhewasbornontheislandofCorsica,whichisnearItaly.HecertainlybuiltupahugeFrenchEmpire,butattheendofhisruleFrancelostmostoftheterritorythathehadconquered.

Let'stakealookatsomeofthepredictionsforthetwentiethcentury.

Century2,Quatrain24Beastsferociouswithhungerwillcrosstherivers.ThegreaterpartofthebattlefieldwillbeagainstHister.Intoacageofironthegreatonewillbepulled,WhenthechildofGermanyobservesnolaw.

ThisquatrainissaidtopredictWorldWarIIandtherisetopowerofAdolfHitler. The first line could refer to the battles ofWorldWar II. 'Hister' is theLatinnamefortheRiverDanubewhichrunsthroughLinz,whereAdolfHitlerlivedasachild.ThefourthlinecouldrefertotheterriblelessonsthatHitlergavetotheyoungpeopleofGermany.

Century1,Quatrain81Ninewillbesetapartfromthehumanflocks,Separatedfromjudgementandcounsel:Theirfatetobedeterminedondeparture.

Kappa,Theta,Lambda,dead,banishedandscattered.

In1986theUnitedStatesSpaceShuttle 'Challenger'explodedjustoveraminuteafteritlefttheearth,killingtheentirecrew.Thethirdlineofthequatrain('theirfatetobedeterminedondeparture')seemstopredictthisevent,althoughtherewereseven,andnotnine,astronautsonboardtheShuttle.ThelastlinehastheGreekletterskappa,lambdaandtheta,whichinEnglishare'k','I'and'th'.Ifyouchange theorderof these letters andadd somevowel sounds ('io' and 'o')youget thesecondnameof themanwhodesigned 'Challenger'.HisnamewasMoretonThiokol.

***AMysteryExplained?Some of the events Nostradamus predicted never happened, but a great

many of his predictions could seem true. Sceptics, however, think that hispredictionscanbeinterpretedtofitalmostanyevent.

Whatdoyouthink?Doesthefuturealreadyexist?Andifso,whocanreadit?

PARTTHREE

KingTutankhamun'sTomb

TheValleyoftheKingsPerhapsthemostfamousofallthepharaohsofEgyptisTutankhamun.The

mysterysurroundingthediscoveryofhistombisoneofthemostfascinatingandbizarreofourtimes.WasKingTutankhamun'stombprotectedbyaterriblecursethathascontinuedthroughthecenturies?

Around four thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians buried theirpharaohs in pyramids along the Nile in northern Egypt. The pharaohs tombswere filledwithprecious jewelsand rich treasures for their journey toanotherworldaftertheirdeath.

Buttombrobbersenteredmostofthepyramidsandstolethesetreasures.Itwasalmostimpossibletostopthem.

Inaround1,500BCtheancientEgyptiansbegantobuildsecret tombsintheValleyoftheKings,inthehillsnearthetownofThebes.However,overthecenturies, robbers still found the tombs and stolemost - but not all - of theirprecious treasures. A few tombs, including King Tutankhamun's, remainedalmostuntouched.

***TheSearchforKingTut'sTombEuropean archaeologists became interested in ancient Egypt in the

nineteenth century.They knew that therewere treasures of immense scientificandartisticvalue inside thepharaohs tombs.But theyalsoknew thatmanyofthemhadbeenrobbedcenturiesbefore.

In1891ayoungEnglishmancalledHowardCarter arrived inEgypt andstartedworkingwiththeEuropeanarchaeologists.Aftermanyyearsofwork,hebegantolookforanundiscoveredtomb:thetombofthealmostunknownKingTutankhamun,orKingTut,intheValleyoftheKings.

KingTutbecamePharaohat theageofnineand ruleduntilhisdeath in1323BC,whenhewasonlyeighteen.Hisdeathissurroundedbymysteryandnoonereallyknowshowhedied.AnX-rayofhismummyshowsaninjuryatthebackofhishead.DidsomeonekillKingTut?Andifso,why?Didhedieof

naturalcauses?Thisremainsanunsolvedmystery.HowardCarterneededsomeonetosponsorhissearchforKingTut'stomb.

Fortunately, he was able to convince Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy Britisharistocrat,tohelphim.Forfiveyears,CarterandhisworkerssearchedforKingTut'stombintheValleyoftheKings,buttheyfoundnothing.CarterreturnedtoEngland to convince LordCarnarvon to give himmoremoney. In 1922 LordCarnarvonagreedtosponsorhimforonelasttry.

CarterbroughtapetcanarybackwithhimtoEgypt.WhenReisAhmed,oneofCarter'sworkers,sawtheyellowcanaryforthefirsttime,heexclaimed,'Agoldenbird!Itwillleadustoatombfullofgold!'

Perhaps the bird was a good omen, because after a short time Carter'sworkersdiscoveredastepinarockthathadbeenhiddenforcenturies.Theydugfurtherandfoundfifteenmoresteps:theyledtoanancientdoorthathadneverbeenopened.

'CouldthisbethetombofTutankhamun,atlast?'Cartersaid.Hecouldnotbelievehiseyes.'ImustcontactLordCarnarvonimmediately.Wecan'topenthetombuntilhe'shere!'

CarterwassurethathehadfinallydiscoveredKingTut's tomb.Whenhewenthomethatnighthisservantmethimatthedoorwithafewyellowfeathersinhishand.Hewasterriblyfrightenedandsaid,'Yourpetcanarywaskilledbyacobra! The cobra is the ancient symbol of the pharaoh. It ate your canarybecause it led you to the hidden tomb.Youmust not disturb the tomb of thepharaoh!'

Carterwasnotsuperstitiousanddidnotbelievewhathisservanttoldhim.ButitisinterestingtonotethatcobrasarerareinEgyptandarerarelyseeninthelateautumn,whenthetombwasdiscovered.

***TheCurseofTutankhamunCartersentatelegramtoLordCarnarvon,whoimmediatelyleftforEgypt.

On26November1922LordCarnarvonwatchedCarterandhisworkersmakeahole in thedoorofKingTut's tomb.Carterenteredthe tombholdingacandle.Behind him Lord Carnarvon asked, 'Can you see anything?' Carter answered,'Yes,wonderfulthings!'Thetombhadnotbeenopenedforover3,200years.

Carter discovered one of the most magnificent treasures in history. The

tombcontainedanamazingcollectionoftreasures-overthreethousandpreciousobjects, gold, jewels, awonderful funeralmask and a stone sarcophaguswiththreegoldcoffins,oneinsidetheother.Thethirdgoldcoffinwasmadeofmorethan 1,000 kilograms of gold. Inside it was the mummy of the boy-kingTutankhamun.

Rumours say thatCarter also found a tablet of stonewith thismessage:'Deathcomesonwingstoanyonewhoentersthetombofthepharaoh.'Thiswasthepharaoh'scurse,buthedidnot tellhisworkersbecausehedidnotwant tofrightenthem.

Aboutfivemonthsafterthetombwasopened,LordCarnarvonwasbittenonhisleftcheekbyamosquito.Thiscausedaseriousinfectionandafever.Hewastakentohospital inCairo,wherehebecameveryillanddied.WhenLordCarnarvondied,thelightswentoutforseveralhoursinCairo.Attheexacttimeofhisdeath,Susie,hisfavouritedogbackhomeinEngland,howledanddied.

Something very strange happened when the mummy of King Tut wasexaminedin1925.Itwasdiscoveredthattheyoungpharaohhadacutonhisleftcheek in the same place as themosquito bite onLordCarnarvon's left cheek.Wasthisacoincidence,orwasittheresultofthecurse?

Many mysterious and unexplained deaths followed the opening of thetomb. The French Egyptologist George Benedite, the American EgyptologistArthur Mace and others died soon after visiting it. Were they all under theinfluenceofthecurse?

Strangethingshavehappenedmorerecently,too.MohammedIbrahimwastheDirectorofEgyptianAntiquitiesat theMuseumofCairo.After signinganagreementtosendpartofKingTut'streasurestoanexhibitioninParis,hewaskilledbyacar.Thesame thinghappened to thenewDirector,GamalMeherz,afterhesignedanotheragreementin1972.

***AMysteryExplained?Today some experts say that the cause of these strange deaths was a

mysteriousvirusorbacteriathatwaspresentinthetomb.Othersdisagree.Could the deaths be a simple set of coincidences?When the tomb was

openedin1922,newspapers inventedmanymysteriousstoriesabout thecurse,and people began to believe them.HowardCarter,who never believed in the

curse,diedofnaturalcausesattheageofsixty-five.Whatdoyouthink?WouldyouenterKingTut'stomb?

PARTFOUR

TheBermudaTriangle

TheTriangleBizarre and sinister things have happened in the Bermuda Triangle for

hundreds of years. Planes have mysteriously disappeared without any reason.Shipshavebeenfoundwithouttheircrew,andnoonehasbeenabletoexplainwhy.

Theterm'BermudaTriangle'wasusedforthefirst timebytheAmericanwriterVincentGaddisin1964.ItdescribestheareathatformsanalmostperfecttrianglebetweenBermuda, the south coast ofFlorida andPuertoRico.Before1964 the area was called the Devil's Triangle, the Triangle of Death and theGraveyardoftheAtlanticbecauseofallthemysteriousdisappearancesthere.

ChristopherColumbuswasthefirstnavigatortoreportstrangehappeningsin the area of the Bermuda Triangle. In 1492, during his voyage to the NewWorld,ColumbuswroteinhisjournalthathiscompassstoppedworkingintheareathatwenowcalltheBermudaTriangle.Healsowrotethatheandhiscrewsawstrangeredlightsinthesky,whichtheythoughtwerethelightsofameteor.

***DisappearingShipsIn the centuries that followed Columbus's voyage, British and Spanish

sailingships,pirateshipsandothervesselshavedisappearedinthisareaoftheAtlanticOcean.Butwhy?

InMarch 1918, the Cyclop, a US Navy ship, disappeared while sailingfromBarbadostoNorfolk,Virginia,with309peopleonboard.Neithertheshipnorthecrewwereeverfound.

The sailing ship Deering was found in perfect condition but without itscrewnearCapeHatteras,NorthCarolina,on30January1921.TheDeeringhadpassedthroughtheBermudaTriangleanditscrewprobablydisappearedthere.

In 1940 the yacht Gloria Colite was found abandoned in the BermudaTriangle.Theyachtwasinperfectcondition,butthecrewhaddisappeared.TheRubicon, a Cuban ship carrying a large cargo, became another ghost ship in1944.Asmalldogwastheonlylivingthingontheshipwhenitwasfoundon

Florida's east coast! In 1963 theMarine SulphurQueen, a large ship carryingsulphurfromBeaumont,Texas,toNorfolk,Virginia,simplyvanished.

Many other bizarre and unexplained disappearances like these haveoccurredovertheyears.

***LostPlanesOn 5 December 1945 something happened that caused great interest all

overtheworld.AgroupoffiveUSNavyplanes,calledFlight19,tookofffromFortLauderdale,Florida.Theweatherwasperfect, and for the first twohourseverything went well. Then the Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale beganreceivingstrangeradiomessagesfromthepilots.

'Everything iswrong... and strange.Bothof the compasseshave stoppedworking!Wecan'tbesureofourdirection!'saidLieutenantCharlesC.Taylor,theleaderoftheflight.

Theinstrumentsontheplaneswerenotworkingandtheplaneswerelost.Thepilotswerenotabletocommunicate.At4p.m.LieutenantTaylorgavehislastcommandtoanotherpilot,andthenallcommunicationwithFlight19ended.What hadhappened to the five planes and their pilots?TheNavalAirStationsentoutsearchplanestolookforthem.

The search planes flew over the area for dayswithout finding anything.Thenoneofthesearchplanesdisappearedtoo.Noonehaseverfoundthefiveplanes or the search plane, and there has never been an explanation for thistragedy.

Therewere rumours that aliens kidnapped the pilots. Some experts saidthat the irregular magnetic field in the Bermuda Triangle stopped the planesinstruments fromworking.Others said that badweather conditions caused theplanestocrashintotheocean.TheAtlanticisverydeepinthisarea,andperhapsthisiswhytheplaneswereneverfound.Butnoteveryoneagrees.

After thetragedyofFlight19, theworldstartedaskingquestions.Peoplewere suddenly interested in finding out more about this mysterious area.Newspapers and magazine articles started appearing. Vincent Gaddis wrote abook, InvisibleHorizons: TrueMysteries of the Sea, inwhich he dedicated alongchaptertothemysterioustriangle.Manymorebookshavebeenwrittenonthesubject,butthereisnologicalexplanationtothemystery.

On11 June1986,MartinCaidin, an experiencedpilot,was flyingabovethe Bermuda Triangle in good weather. Suddenly, the sky around his planebecameverycloudy.Thenthecolouroftheskychangedtosuchabrightyellowthathecouldnot see.Theequipmentonhisplanestoppedworkingandabovehimtherewasahole,throughwhichhecouldseebluesky.Belowhisplanehecouldseeanotherholeandthentheocean.Caidinflewhisplaneforfourhoursin these strange conditions. Finally, the sky turned blue again and Caidin'sequipmentstartedworking.Heturnedaroundandlooked-butallhecouldseewasclearbluesky.

In the twentieth centurymore than140 ships andplaneswithmore than1,000peopleonboardvanished.Noonehaseverseenorheardfromthemagain.

***AMysteryExplained?Themysteryof theBermudaTriangleremains.Somesaythat it iswhere

aliens enter the earth's atmosphere and kidnap humans.Other believe that thelegendary lost city of Atlantis pulls ships and planes down into the AtlanticOcean.Stillotherssaythattheweatherinthetriangleisveryunusual.Anothertheorysaysthat theareais influencedbyastrongmagneticfieldwhichaffectsnavigationinstruments.

Scientists have tried to explain some of the mysteries of the BermudaTriangle.They say that big gas bubbles can come out of the ocean and causeseriousproblemsforshipsandplanes.However,thisdoesnotexplainwhyshipsandyachtshavebeenfoundinperfectcondition,butwithouttheircrews.Whathappened to the sailors?Did theyabandon their ships?Were they takenaway,and,ifso,bywhom?

LawrenceKusche, a research librarian atArizonaStateUniversity, spentmanyyearsexaminingthereportedcases.Heconcludedthattherewasalogicalexplanation for most of the disappearances: bad weather conditions, poorequipmentorhumanerror.ButnoteveryoneagreeswithKusche.

Why haven't bodies, or pieces of the planes and ships ever been found?Whydoestheskychangecolour?Whydonavigationinstrumentsstopworking?Whohastherightanswer?Nooneknows.

PARTFIVE

CursedObjects

TheHopeDiamondCanabeautiful,preciousobjectlikeadiamondhaveaterriblecurse?The

HopeDiamondhasfascinatedpeopleforcenturies.Itsexceptionalsize,perfectquality and rare colourmake itmagnificent and unique: a diamond collector'sdream.Andyet,thispricelessjewelhasbroughtitsownersbadluckanddeath.Butwhy?

Legendsays thatapriest stole thediamondfromaHindustatue in Indiamanycenturiesago.Thepriestwaslatertorturedtodeath.In1642theexquisitediamondwasboughtbyaFrenchjewellernamedJeanBaptisteTavernier,andhetookittoEurope.ThejewelTaverniertooktoEuropewasmuchbiggerthanthepresent-day diamond,which has been cut several times. It originallyweighedalmost112.5caratsandwasoneofthebiggestdiamondsintheworld.

In 1668 Tavernier sold it to King Louis XIV of France, who was veryimpressedwithit.TheFrenchkingdecidedtocutthediamondto67carats.Heofficiallynamedit 'TheBlueDiamondoftheCrown,andworeitproudlyonaribbonaroundhisneckonveryspecialoccasions.

Tavernier,whohadtoreturntoIndiatolookforanotherfortunetopayhisson'sdebts,wasbrutallykilledbywilddogsduringthetrip.

Formore than a century theBlueDiamondwasworn by France's kingsandqueens.ButwhenKingLouisXIVdiedin1715hewasaveryunhappymanandhisempirewasinabadstate.

His successors hadworse luck.ThePrincess deLamballewas beaten todeath by an angry street crowd. King Louis XVI and his wife Queen MarieAntoinette, who enjoyed wearing the Blue Diamond, were executed on theguillotine.TheBlueDiamondandotherroyaljewelsdisappearedinSeptember1792duringtheFrenchRevolution.

Rumours say that theBritishKingGeorge IVbought theBlueDiamondfromajewellernamedDanielEliasonintheearly1800.WhenKingGeorgediedin1830,heleftalotofdebtsandthediamondwassoldtopaysomeofthem.

By 1839 the precious stone was owned by a wealthy London banker,

Henry Philip Hope, who gave the diamond its name. The unlucky jewelremainedintheHopefamilyandeventuallybecamethepropertyofLordFrancisHope.The curseof thediamondcontinuedandLordHopewentbankrupt.Hehadtosellthediamondin1902,shortlyafterlosinghisleginanaccident.

TheAmerican jewellerSimonFrankel brought theHopediamond to theUnitedStates in theearly1900s.Thecurseddiamondchangedowners severaltimesandwasfinallyboughtbyPierreCartier,thefamousFrenchjeweller.

CartiershowedthesplendidjeweltooneofhiswealthyAmericanclients,MrsEvalynWalshMcLean,whowasvisitingParis.MrsMcLeanhadpreviouslytoldCartierthatobjectsthatwereconsideredbadluckalwaysbroughthergoodluck.

Mrs McLean bought the extraordinary diamond in January 1911 for$154,000. She proudlywore the jewel all the time and her friendswere veryimpressed.

Even though Mrs McLean considered the diamond lucky, she did notescape the curse. Her nine-year-old son, Vinson,was killed by a car, and herdaughter killed herself at the ageof 25.Her husbandbecamementally ill andlost control of his huge newspaper business. He ended his days in a mentalhospital.Theimmensefamilyfortunequicklydisappeared.

***AMysteryExplained?MrsMcLeandiedin1947.Althoughshewantedthejeweltoremaininthe

family, itwas sold toHarryWinston, anAmerican jeweller. In 1958Winstongave the $100 million diamond to the famous Smithsonian Institution inWashington D.C., and it is now part of the Smithsonian National Gem andMineralCollection.Butdoesthejewelstillhaveitsevilpower?

Over the years, many people thought that the Hope Diamond wasresponsible every time something bad happened in theUnited States. But theDirector of the Smithsonian Institution believes that the Diamond has beenlucky.'ThegiftoftheHopeDiamondhasbroughtusgoodluck.Infact,sincetheDiamond was given to the Smithsonian, our gem collection has grown andgrown!'

Whatdoyouthink?Canadiamondreallycausesuchbadluck?***

JamesDean'sCarTheAmericanactor JamesDeanwasa legendary film idol.Althoughhe

diedattheageofjusttwenty-fourin1955,heremainsoneoftheworld'smostpopularactors.

JamesDean'slegendhasbecomeevengreaterbecausehediedsotragicallyatsuchayoungage.Butexactlyhowdidhedie?

JamesDeanlovedfastcarsandtakingpartincarraces.OntheeveningofFriday23September1955heinvitedhisfriendAlecGuinness,theBritishactor,toseehisnewracingcar.Itwasasilver-colouredPorsche550SpyderandJamesDean called it the Little Bastard. When the British actor saw the car, heimmediately felt strange and said, 'It is now ten o'clock, Friday 23September1955.Listen!Ifyoudrivethiscar,I'msureyou'regoingtodieinitbythistimenextweek.'JamesDeanjustlaughed,andAlecGuinnessapologisedforwhathehadsaid.

On the evening of 30 September 1955, James Dean was driving hisPorscheSpydertoacarraceinSalinas,California.Suddenly,anothercarpulledoutinfrontofhimandDeancrashedintoit.Hediedinstantly.Theentireworldwasshocked tohearof thedeathof the famousyoungactor... thecurseof theLittleBastardhadjustbegun.

TheHollywoodcardesignerGeorgeBarrisboughtthewreckoftheLittleBastardfor$2,500,andplannedtosellthegoodpartsofthecar.Butwhenthewreck arrived at Barris's garage, it accidentally hit one of themechanics andbrokehislegs.AfterthisBarrishadbadfeelingsaboutthecar,buthecontinuedsellingitsparts.

Ayoungdoctor,TroyMcHenry,boughttheLittleBastard'sengineandputitinhisracingcar.On22October1956hetookpartinacarraceatthePomonaFairGrounds inCalifornia.During theracehe lostcontrolofhiscarandhitatree:hewaskilledinstantly.

DrWilliam Eschrid was another doctor who liked fast cars. He boughtanother part of theLittleBastard andput it in his racing car.Onedayhe lostcontrolofhiscarandwasseriouslyinjured.

BarrisalsosoldtwooftheLittleBastard'styrestoayoungman.Whilehewasdrivingbothtyresburstatthesametimeandhewasalmostkilled.

AtthispointGeorgeBarrisdidnotwanttosellthecar'spartsanymore.He

realisedsomethingwasverywrong. 'Caneviltaketheformofacar?'heaskedhimself.

HegavethewreckedcartotheCaliforniaHighwayPatrolforanexhibitiononroadsafety.AfterafewdaysthegaragewherethePorschewasparkedcaughtfireandeverycarinthegaragewasdestroyed,exceptfortheLittleBastard.

Finally, the car was put on display at an exhibition in Sacramento,California, and groups of teenage students visited it. One day it fell from itsdisplayandseriouslyinjuredoneofthevisitors.

After this unlucky exhibition, the Little Bastard was put on a lorry andtransported to another part of California. During the trip the driver, GeorgeBarkuis,wasthrownfromhislorry.Thecursedcarfellonhimandhewaskilledinstantly.

***AMysteryExplained?Other bizarre and mysterious accidents happened until 1960, when the

LittleBastard finallydisappeared. Itwasprobablystolenbysomeonewhodidnotbelieveinthecurse.Noonehaseverbeenabletofindthecursedcaragain.AndwedonotknowifpartsoftheLittleBastardarestillincirculation.

What do you think? Where all these strange accidents just a series ofcoincidences,orwastherereallyacurseonJamesDean'scar?

PARTSIX

TheAbominableSnowman

WhatistheAbominableSnowman?TheAbominableSnowmanisthefamouswildmanoftheHimalayas.But

isitsimplyalegendorisitreal?ScientistshavedoneextensiveresearchontheAbominableSnowman,buttheystillcannotprovethatitreallyexists.Coulditbethedescendantofaprehistoriccreature,orisitjustamyth?

Similar creatureshavebeen seenhundredsof times in theUnitedStates,CanadaandAustraliaaswellasAsia.TheAbominableSnowmanhasdifferentnamesaroundtheworld.

HereisadescriptionoftheAbominableSnowman:1. Itisabout2.5metrestall.2. Itlookslikeabig,primitivemanwithalotofreddish-brownhair.3. Itwalksontwofeet.4. It'sfacialfeaturesarehalfhumanandhalfape.5. Ithasastrongsmell.6. Itusuallylivesinhighmountainsorinbigforests.

***TheYetiZoologists first heard about theYeti, orAbominableSnowman, in1832,

whentheEnglishexplorerB.H.HodgsonwroteabouthisexperiencesinNepal.Hesaid thatoneday in themountainshisSherpashadseena strangecreaturewithlong,darkhairalloveritsbody.Theythoughtitwasademonandranawayinterror.TheSherpasbelievethattheYetiexistsandthatitcarrieshumansaway.

Aboutfiftyyearslater,aBritishdoctorwhoworkedwiththeIndianArmyMedical Corps found giant footprints at an altitude of 5,000 metres in theHimalayas.'TheymustbethefootprintsofaYeti!'hisguidetoldhim.

In 1921 a British expedition led by Colonel C. K. Howard-Bury wasattempting to climbMtEverest.When themembersof the expedition reached5,200metres,theysawagroupofdarkcreaturesinthemountainsabovethem.

They continued climbing and discovered huge footprints. The Sherpasimmediatelysaid that theywere thefootprintsof theYetiorMetokangmi.TheTibetanwordMetokangmimeans'disgustingsnowman',butajournalistusedtheterm 'Abominable Snowman' in a newspaper article, and the term remained.Afterthisthelegendwasborn,andpeopleeverywherewantedtoknowmore.

Eric Shipton, a well-known mountain climber, photographed some YetifootprintswhileonanexpeditioninNepalin1951.Thephotographsshowedastrangefootprintthatwas33centimetreslong.

In1953SirEdmundHillary,thefirstmantoclimbMtEverest,foundgiantfootprints on his way to the top. 'We discovered many tracks on the RipimuGlacier at 18,000 and 19,000 feet and our Sherpaswere quite convinced thatthey belonged to theYeti,' he reported.Hillary returned to Everest on severaloccasionstolookfortheYeti,butwithoutsuccess.In1960hebroughtbacktwoskinsandascalpfromNepal,whichhesaidwasfromthetophalfoftheskullofaYeti.But scientists said that the skins and the scalp belonged to amountaingoatwhichlivesinthearea.

Scientistsandexplorersbegantoshowaseriousinterestinthemysteryofthe Abominable Snowman. In 1958 the Soviet Academy of Sciences sent agroupof scientists to different parts ofAsiawhereYetis hadbeen seen.AftersometimetheyconcludedthatsomekindofprimitivecreaturelivesinthehighmountainsofAsia.

***TheWildmanTheChinesecalltheAbominableSnowmantheWildman.In1977China's

CommitteeforResearchonStrangeandRareCreaturessentagroupofscientistsonayear-longexpeditiontodiscoverthemysteryoftheWildman.Thescientistsfound some reddishhairs that they saidbelonged to it.Thehairswere studiedunderanelectronicmicroscope.Accordingtoonereport,halfofthesamplesofhairwerefoundtobedifferentfromhumanhair,andtheydidnotcorrespondtoanyanimallivinginChina.

The Chinese scientists concluded that the Wildman exists, but not allscientistsagree.Somebelieve that theWildman isadescendantofagreatapeknownasGigantopithecus,whichlivedinsouthernChina500,000yearsago.

***

BigfootInNorthAmericathelegendofBigfootorSasquatchcontinuestointerest

manypeople.Peoplesaytheyhaveseenthesecreaturesonhundredsofdifferentoccasions.

Centuriesago,NativeAmericanspaintedimagesoftheSasquatchontheirtotempolesandmasks.Itseemstheyknewoftheexistenceofthiscreature.

In1893 thefamousAmericanPresidentTheodoreRooseveltwroteaboutBigfoot in his bookTheWildernessHunter.He reported that two hunters hadseen the creature and described it as having 'a great bodywith a strongwildbeastodour.'

In 1958 a builder was working on a new home near Bluff Creek innorthernCalifornia.Suddenlyhesawastrangehairycreaturestandinginfrontof him. The creature did not want to hurt him. It was only very curious andfollowedhimaround.Aftersometimethebuildergavethecreatureabigpieceofchocolateanditfinallyleft.

AtBluffCreek in 1967Roger Patterson andBobGimlin, twomountainrangers,wereridingintheforest.SuddenlytheysawalargecreaturethatlookedlikeaBigfoot.RogerPattersonwasabletofilmthehairycreature,andhisfilmbecame famous all over theworld.He also took photographs of the creature'shugefootprints,whichmeasuredabout30centimetres.

ScientistsandotherexpertshavestudiedPatterson'sfilmandsomesayitisa fake. But others disagree. Professor Grover Krantz, an anthropologist fromWashingtonStateUniversity,believes theBigfoot exists and thinks the film isauthentic.

In 1982ForestRangerPaulFreeman,whoworked inWashington state'sUmatillaNationalForest,sawa2.6metrecreatureandwasabletophotographitsfootprints.Scientistswhostudiedthefootprintssaidthattheydidnotbelongtoabearortoanotheranimal.Therefore,itispossiblethattheybelongedtoanunknowncreature-aBigfoot.

***TheYowieIn Australia the Bigfoot is called the Yowie. It is very similar to the

Bigfoot,with a height of around 2.5metres and thick black or brown hair allover its body. According to legends told by the early Aboriginal people, the

YowiecanbefoundinSouth-eastern,CentralandNorthernAustralia.ThefirstwrittenreportsoftheYowiegobacktothe1800s,whenastory

aboutthecreatureappearedinanAustraliannewspaper.Itdescribedhowseveralpeoplehadseenalarge,ape-likeanimaltallerthanaman.

In 1971 a Royal Australian Air Force helicopter landed on top of theremoteSentinelMountainwithateamofexplorers.Muchtotheirsurprise,theydiscovered fresh footprints in the earth. They were much larger than humanfootprints,inaplacewherenohumancouldpossiblybepresent.

InMay1981threeyoungpeoplesawtwoYowiesinthehillsofNewSouthWales.Theywereabout1.5metrestall,walkedontwofeet,andtheirbodywascoveredwithlongbrownhair.

Australian scientists confirmed that about 10,000 years ago primitivehumans lived in theKowSwampareanorthofMelbourne, andperhaps somesurvived.CouldtheYowiebeoneofthem?

***AMysteryExplained?Todayaspecialbranchofsciencestudiesanimals thathavenotyetbeen

discovered. It is calledcryptozoology (from theGreekword 'kryptos'meaning'hidden').

Cryptozoologistscollectreportsfrompeoplewhohaveseentheunknownanimal,createapictureofit,andthentrytofinditinnature.

In thepast,cryptozoologistshavediscoveredstrangeanimals thatnoonebelieved existed, such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the giant panda. Andwhat about the Komodo dragon, which is 3.6 metres long, or the Chacoanpeccary,apig-likecreaturethatscientiststhoughthaddied2millionyearsago?Theseanimalswerediscoveredinthetwentiethcentury.

Will theAbominableSnowmanbelongtothisgroupofanimalsoneday?Willweeverknowwhatishidinginthemountains?

PARTSEVEN

Stonehenge

APrehistoricMonumentOneofprehistory'smostamazingmonumentsisStonehenge,onSalisbury

Plain in Wiltshire, England. This colossal monument is made of enormousblocksofstone,andtheirsizeisimpressive-thelargeststonesweighabout50tonsandmeasuremorethan9metresinlength!

Thousands of years have passed since the first blocks of stone werebrought to Salisbury Plain, but the origins and the meaning of Stonehengeremainapuzzlingmystery.Throughthecenturiesnoonehaseverbeenabletorevealthemysterieshiddeninthesegiganticblocksofstone.Whataretheyand,moreimportantly,whywasStonehengebuilt?Whatwasitstruepurpose?

***TheConstructionHowoldisStonehenge?Forcenturiesnooneknewitsexactage,butwith

theinventionofradiocarbondating,scientistswereabletotellusthattheoldestpartsofStonehengewerebuiltaround5,000yearsago.ThismakesthemolderthanthepyramidsofEgypt.

HistoriansandarchaeologistsnowthinkthatStonehengewasbuiltinthreemainphases,betweenapproximately3000BCand1100BC.TheyrefertothesephasesasStonehengeI,IIandIII.

At the start of the first phase, in around 3000BC, ancient people dug alargeholeintheformofacircle.Inthemiddleofthecircletheymadeasmallhill with the earth from the hole. In the seventeenth century, a historiandiscovered a ring of 56 smaller holes around the hill. Experts believe thatwooden posts - long, straight pieces of wood - were once placed there. ThismeansthatStonehengewasoncemadeofwoodinsteadofstones.ButwhywasStonehengebuilt?Somehistoriansthinkthatitwasusedasacemeterybecausehumanboneshavebeenfoundthere.

The second phase of Stonehenge began in around 2100BC - before thewheelwas invented and over 2,000years before theRomans came toBritain.Stonehengewasrebuiltusingaround80blocksofstone,eachweighingabout4

tons.Archaeologistsknowthat thesestones(called 'bluestones')camefromthemountainsofSouthWales,about320kilometresaway.

One of the mysteries of Stonehenge is how people transported thebluestonestoSalisburyPlain.Historiansnowbelievethatthestoneswerepulleddown to the seaby a largegroupofpeople andmovedup theRiverAvononspecialrafts.Finallytheywerepulledoverlandtothesite.In2000agroupofpeopletriedtorecreatethejourneyuptheriver,buttheyfounditimpossible!

The third phase of Stonehenge began in around 2000 BC. For somemysterious reason, the early Bronze Age people decided to rearrange thebluestonestoformthecircleweseetoday.Theyaddednew,evenlargerstonestoformstructurescalledtrilithons(twotallstoneswithathirdacrossthetop).Thenew stones weighed an incredible 50 tons each, and they were pulled toStonehengefromanareaover30kilometresaway.Nooneknowsexactlyhowmany people were involved in this incredible journey, or how they built thetrilithons.

Todayabouthalfoftheoriginalmonumentsurvives.Overtheyearssomestoneshavefallenandothershavebeentakenawayandusedforbuilding.

***AMysteryExplained?Whydid these primitive people devote somuch time and energy to this

colossalmonument?There isnorealanswer.ButarchaeologistsandhistoriansagreethatStonehengewasaveryimportantplaceandthatitinfluencedthelivesofthepopulation.

What was its real purpose? What took place at Stonehenge? Was it aprimitiveastronomicalobservatoryorwas it connectedwith theancientCelticreligion,Druidism?Therehavebeenmanytheoriesoverthecenturies.

The12th-centurywriter,GeoffreyofMonmouth,believedthatStonehengewasbuiltbygiants.AnoldlocallegendsaysthatthehugestonesweremagicallybroughtfromIrelandbyMerlin,thewizardatKingArthur'scourt.

TodaymanyexpertsbelievethatStonehengewasbuiltasanobservatoryorcalendar. The British astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer first suggested this in1901, butmany scholars did not agreewith him. In 1963 another astronomer,GeraldHawkins,discoveredthattheimportantstonespointtodifferentpositionsofthesunormoon.HeconcludedthatStonehengewasanobservatoryandalsoa

kind of primitive computer.He said that it predicted eclipses and the summerandwintersolstices.

But therearestillmanyuncertainties.Howdid theprimitivepeoplewhobuiltStonehengeknowwhere toput the stones?Howcould they calculate themovementsofthesunandmoonwithouttheknowledgewehavetoday?

Otherpeoplestronglybelieve thatStonehengewasapagantemple.TheythinkitwasusedbytheDruids,theancientCelticpriests,forreligiousworship,rituals and sacrifices. Today modern Druids have permission to meet atStonehengetocelebratethesummerandwintersolstices.

SomepeopleevenbelievethataliensfromanotherworldwereinvolvedintheconstructionofStonehenge.

Willanyoneeverfindtherightanswertothemystery?

-THEEND-Hopeyouhaveenjoyedthereading!

Comebacktohttp://english-e-books.net/tofindmorefascinatingandexcitingstories!