Read about the mysteries in your groups and make suggestions about what might have happened.
Mystery 1 – The Mary Celeste
In 1872, a ship was found at sea without anyone aboard. It was still seaworthy, and its cargo remained on board.
- Why might everyone have left?
- What must they have believed about the ship?
- Could bad weather have frightened them?
Mystery 2 – The Voynich manuscript
This illustrated manuscript contains an unidentified script. Its pictures include plants, stars and bathing scenes, but its meaning remains uncertain.
- Who might have written it?
- What could people have used it for?
- Why might the writers have used an unusual script?
Mystery 3 – Stonehenge
People built this enormous monument thousands of years ago. Its alignment with the sun offers clues, but its exact purpose remains debated.
- Why might people have built it?
- What skills must the builders have had?
- Could people have used it for ceremonies?
Mystery 4 – The Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers
In December 1900, three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a remote Scottish island. Investigators concluded that a large wave probably swept them into the sea, although nobody witnessed what happened.
- Why might all three men have left the lighthouse?
- What could they have been trying to protect or repair?
- What evidence would support the idea that a wave had swept them away?
Mystery 5 – The Loch Ness Monster
Reports of a mysterious creature made Loch Ness internationally famous. The well-known 1934 “surgeon’s photograph” was later exposed as a fake, but there are hundreds of other accounts of something large living in the depths of Loch Ness.
- What might witnesses have mistaken for a monster?
- How could someone have created a convincing photograph?
- Why might people have believed it?
- What evidence would have helped them identify the fake?