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Great mysteries of the past
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This journey into the past probes nearly 100 mysteries, offering new approaches to some of the world's most puzzling questions.
| Title |
Great mysteries of the past : experts unravel fact and fallacy behind the headlines of history / Reader's Digest. |
|---|---|
| Contributors |
Reader's Digest Association |
| Publisher |
Pleasantville, N.Y : Reader's Digest Association |
| Creation Date |
[1991] |
| Notes |
Adapted from: Wie geschah es wirklich? Includes index. Translated from the German. |
| Content |
I. They vanished without a trace -- 1. Destination: Great South Sea -- In 1785 the French explorer La Perouse confidently set out to circle the globe -- 2. Missing Nazi war treasures -- Millions of dollars in gold and priceless masterpieces of art disappeared in 1945 -- 3. Secrets of the Tower -- The sons of England's King Edward IV may have been killed by order of their uncle -- 4. A political crash landing -- China's defense minister was poised to seize power from Mao Zedong instead he died in a plane crash -- 5. Australia's lost explorer -- In 1848 and inexperienced German explorer set out to be the first to cross the continent -- 6. The end of a romance -- The handsome young soldier was courting danger when he sought to elope with the married princess -- 7. Into the green hell -- A British colonel was convinced that lost cities lay hidden in the Brazilian jungle -- 8. Missing: Raoul Wallenberg-- Having outwitted the Nazis, the heroic Swedish diplomat was taken off to Russia by the Soviet army -- 9. The lost colony -- Returning to his Virginia settlement in 1590, the English governor found only a cryptic message carved on a tree -- 10. One-way flight to France -- Glenn Miller was en route to entertain troops when his plane vanished in 1944 -- 11. Death in the Arctic ice -- The Englishman hoped to find the Northwest Passage instead he became the object of a massive search -- 12. Escape into another world -- The brilliant physicist took an overnight boat to Sicily did he end up in Argentina? -- II. Deaths under dubious circumstances -- 1. The mad monarch -- Bavaria's Ludwig II lived in a fantasy life in fairy-tale castles how did he and his doctor drown in an Alpine lake? -- 2. Death at Ndola -- The U.N.'s Dag Hammarskjold was trying to end civil war in the Congo when his plane mysteriously crashed -- 3. Killed in a barroom brawl-- A playwright who might have been Shakespeare's equal died of a knife wound was he a man who knew too much? -- 4. The fate of a family -- Russia's last czar was an ineffectual ruler but a devoted father did the Bolsheviks murder his entire family? -- 5. Royal triangle -- England's Queen Elizabeth I doted on one courtier however, there was a problem with their marrying. He had a wife. -- 6. Buried in an unmarked grave -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became convinced that the Requiem he was composing was for his own funeral -- 7. Lone assassin -- or conspiracy? -- Three decades later, many Americans still believe the truth was never told about John F. Kennedy's death in Dallas -- 8. Son against father -- History has harshly judged King Philip II of Spain did he order his son's death? -- 9. Intrigue in the Kremlin -- Joseph Stalin was reported to have died from natural causes many were skeptical -- 10. A philosopher murdered?-- Rene Descartes died in Sweden of pneumonia, it was said 300 years later the possibility of poisoning was raised -- 11. Emperor in exile -- Napoleon died thinking he was the victim of foul play new evidence indicates he may have been right -- 12. The unwanted consort -- Mary, Queen of Scots, quickly fell out of love with her young husband did she have a hand in his death? -- 13. Tragedy at Mayerling -- Only the servants knew the archduke had a secret companion the romantic tryst ended in death for both -- 14. Impostor on Russia's throne? -- The czar's son was brutally killed in 1591 -- or was he? A man claiming to be the heir appeared 12 years later -- 15. Suicide or murder? -- Depressed, facing charges of misconduct, the former explorer Meriwether Lewis met an untimely end in a Tennessee cabin -- 16. A death foretold -- Poland's wartime leader went down in a 1943 plane crash his death had been reported six weeks earlier. III. Strange and enigmatic characters -- 1. Lawrence of Arabia -- The heroic champion of a desert people's independence may have had a highly personal motive for his acts -- 2. The unholy monk -- Rasputin cast a spell over Russia's imperial family did it follow the Romanovs to their deaths? -- 3. Idol of an era -- The poet Lord Byron shocked a nation by a scandalous life-style but inspired a generation of freedom lovers -- 4. Faith in the stars -- The 17th century's most famous general was ruled by a belief in astrology it may have been his ultimate undoing -- 5. Prophet or charlatan? -- Nostradamus, a 16th-century French physician, predicted events 20 centuries into the future how accurate has he been? -- 6. Father of the atomic bomb -- An architect of U.S. victory in World War II, J. Robert Oppenheimer was later suspected of treason -- 7. Seeker of Troy -- A self-made German millionaire realized a lifetime ambition when he found the site of Homer's ancient city--8. The repentant despot -- To history he is known as Ivan the Terrible Russia's first czar died asking that prayers be said for his victims -- 9. The hero turned traitor -- He was one of Washington's best generals today his name stands for treason -- 10. Drama on the ice -- Robert F. Scott lost the race to the South Pole his death made him a hero -- 11. The would-be peace pilot -- Rudolf Hess had a plan to end World War II instead he spent decades in prison -- 12. Lonely woman of the forest -- Dian Fossey devoted her life to saving East Africa's endangered mountain gorillas who wanted her dead? -- 13. A fortune for science -- An Englishman's bequest to a country he never visited endowed America's prestigious Smithsonian Institution -- IV. Guilty or not guilty -- 1. Unsolved riddles of Watergate -- A "third-rate burglary" led to President Nixon's resignation how much did he know about it? -- 2. Eye of the dawn -- Her name symbolizes espionage but was Mata Hari a spy and if so, for whom? -- 3. Conspiracy of the cardinals -- The papal court in Renaissance Rome was a hotbed of intrigue one cardinal made too bold a grab for power -- 4. Too costly for a queen -- Marie Antoinette turned down the $8 million necklace but was blamed for the scandal resulting from its sale -- 5. Miscarriage of justice -- The conviction for treason and exile of Alfred Dreyfus bitterly divided France -- 6. The imperious wife -- Catherine the Great gained Russia's throne after her unloved and estranged husband's convenient death -- 7. Traitor or patriot? -- To Irish nationalists, Roger Casement is a hero of their independence movement Britain executed him for treason -- 8. Stranger than fiction -- Edgar Allan Poe's crime story was based on a real-life case what did the writer know about the murder? -- 9. Downfall of a favorite -- A trusted courtier of England's Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh was sent to his death by her successor -- 10. Death for the atom spies-- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed for treason what were they guilty of? -- 11. Accused: The queen -- England's King George IV was determined to get rid of his royal consort could her adultery be proved? -- 12. Equal justice for all -- Were the anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti victims of antiradical hysteria? Or could one of them have been guilty? -- 13. Suicide by order of the Fuhrer -- He was Nazi Germany's most famous general why did Hitler order Erwin Rommel to take his own life? -- 14. A hero's agonizing ordeal -- Was Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the man executed for the kidnapping and death of the Lindbergh baby, the real culprit? V. Half truth, half legend -- 1. In search of King Arthur -- He reigned in a time of chivalry -- or so the story goes the reality is far different -- 2. The vampire patriot -- Dracula is the epitome of horror his real-life ancestor is a hero in Romania -- 3. On the trail of a bandit -- His name stands for the common man's fight for freedom scholars have yet to prove that Robin Hood existed -- 4. A pact with the devil -- The Faust of literature sold his soul to the devil was he really an early scientist? -- 5. A woman on the papal throne -- The medieval papacy was said to be ruled by women did one actually become pope? -- 6. Vengeance for Siegfried -- A medieval German epic tells of bold events and heroic figures historians offer clues to real-life models -- 6. The desperado as unlikely hero -- Leader of a notorious band of outlaws, Jesse James somehow gained a reputation as an American Robin Hood -- 7. Lady of the Camellias-- A famed courtesan, Marie Duplessis gained immortality in a French novel and play -- 8. The quest for Eldorado -- Indians told the conquistadors of a chieftain who sheathed himself in gold his fabled land was never found -- 9. Father of Swiss freedom? -- He shot an apple from his son's head and killed the tyrant who ordered it done did William Tell really exist? -- 10. A ride into history -- To protect her people from burdensome taxes, Lady Godiva rode naked through Coventry, is the tale true? -- 11. Fiction's famous castaway -- Robinson Crusoe, the hero of the first English novel, had several real-life counterparts in the 18th century -- 12. For cross and crown -- Roland supposedly gave his life resisting a Muslim attack on Charlemagne's rear guard the true story is quite different -- 13. Young lovers of Verona -- Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet are the world's most famous lovers what is the basis for their immortal tale? -- VI. Unanswered questions-- 1. Cheated of his birthright? -- A youth with no information about his past was murdered in Germany was he the heir to a throne? -- 2. Surprised at dawn -- Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor brought war did the United States have advance warning? -- 3. The unknown genius -- Shakespeare's plays have endured 400 years and are performed the world over yet surprisingly little is known about him -- 4. The stolen election -- Rutherford B. Hayes was inaugurated as president in March 1877 historians believe his opponent actually won -- 5. Murders along the Thames -- The brutal murders in the fall of 1888 terrified London Jack the Ripper was never identified or caught -- 6. Flames over Berlin -- Hitler accused German communists of setting fire to the Reichstag was there a conspiracy to overthrow the Nazi regime? -- 7. The man in the mask -- What did Louis XIV of France have to fear from the unidentified prisoner? -- 8. The black hand-- The assassination at Sarajevo sparked World War I who was responsible? -- 9. Blasted from the sky -- In 1983 the Soviet Union shot down a Korean passenger plane was there any justification for the attack? -- 10. A butcher's son as king -- Victor Emmanuel II of Italy seemed too coarse for royalty had another child taken the real heir's place after a palace fire? -- 11. Target hit -- sunk! -- Germany was blamed for sinking the Lusitania in May 1915 was it a British plot? -- 12. The missing Dauphin -- The heir to the French throne died in captivity in June 1785 -- or did he survive? VII. Fateful blunders -- 1. The invincible armada -- Philip II of Spain unaccountably failed to coordinate his attack on England -- 2. The Blitzkrieg that failed -- Hitler had defeated France and isolated Britain why did he turn east to rouse the sleeping Russian bear? -- 3. Custer's last stand -- The dashing cavalry commander ignored orders and divided his outnumbered troops to attack at Little Bighorn -- 4. Power play in Rome -- Mussolini knew that his opponents were bent on deposing him in July 1943 why did Il Duce fail to take action? -- 5. The unsinkable ship -- Was negligence responsible for the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912? -- 6. Seward's icebox -- Russia was convinced that it drove a hard bargain by getting $7.2 million from the United States for Alaska -- 7. The emperor's last battle -- Napoleon planned his attack at Waterloo carefully why didn't his well-tested strategy work one more time? -- 8. Hitler's secret diaries -- It was said to be a publishing coup how could the German magazine's editors so easily be taken in by a forger? -- 9. Debacle in the desert -- Diplomatic efforts failed to gain release of the U.S. hostages in Iran what went wrong with the rescue effort? -- 10. A victory thrown away? -- Sweden's King Charles XII had Peter the Great of Russia reeling in defeat but failed to pursue his foe to Moscow. |
| Extent |
448 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps 27 cm |
| Language |
English |
| Copyright Date |
©1991 |
| National Library system number |
997010357760705171 |
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