An Expedition into Astonishing Global Mysteries

Jack the Ripper Mystery: The plays never faded from public consciousness; however, legions of Ripperologists have developed their theories over the decades, and the lineup of suspects has included the father of Winston Churchill, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" author Lewis Carroll, and Prince Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria and second in line to the British throne. Some have even speculated that Jack the Ripper was Jill the Ripper, and female suspects include Mary Piercy, executed in 1890 after butchering her lover's wife and child with a carving knife, similarly to the notorious serial killer. Now, after over 3 years of scientific analysis, experts say Jack the Ripper's identity has been found interwoven in the ragged 126-year-old shawl, and they finger Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminsky as the serial killer. Using a level of analysis that was only possible in the last decade, they identified the dark splotches on the shawl as stains consistent with arterial blood spatter caused by slashing. They also discovered evidence of split body parts consistent with kidney removal and seminal fluid. They found that the mitochondrial DNA taken from the shawl matched that taken from Karen Miller, a direct descendant of Eddowes, and a female descendant of Kosminsky's sister Matilda who provided swabs of mitochondrial DNA from the inside of her mouth. Police who worked the case at the time of the murders would not have been surprised to see Kosminsky's name linked to the crime. At the time of the murders, Kosminsky was among the handful of primary suspects.

Elongated Skulls of Peru: An elongated cone-shaped skull with a suspected metal implant may be some of the earliest evidence from Peru of an ancient surgical implant, or it could be a modern-day forgery. The skull, which was presented to the Museum of Osteology in Peru by a person who chose to remain anonymous, measures approximately 10 inches in length and has a large cavity in the back where a bone chip was removed and replaced with a metallic prosthesis. The museum is planning further research to determine whether the skull is authentic or a hoax, but early reports suggest that the cranium may belong to a Peruvian child who was subjected to cranial deformation, a practice common among ancient cultures worldwide.

The Turin King List: The Turin King List is a hieratic papyrus fragment, which is a piece of ancient Egyptian text written in hieratic script during the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom. It was originally a list of Egyptian kings dating to the 19th dynasty, and it is one of only two surviving copies of the royal chronicles that have been discovered. The other version, known as the Royal Canon of Turin, is currently on display at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy. The papyrus is inscribed with the names of 17 dynasties of Egyptian kings, beginning with Menes, the legendary founder of Egypt, and ending with Ramses II, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC. The fragmentary nature of the Turin King List makes it difficult to reconstruct the original sequence of kings and the length of their reigns. However, it remains an important source of information about the history of ancient Egypt and the succession of its rulers.

The Nazca Mummies: The discovery of a cache of mummified human remains and artifacts in a desert tomb near the Nazca Lines in Peru has led to speculation about their origins. The bodies are believed to belong to an ancient civilization that lived in the area around 1,800 years ago. The mummies are in a remarkable state of preservation, with hair, skin, and internal organs intact. Some of the bodies are adorned with gold and silver jewelry, while others are wrapped in textiles and buried with ceramics, tools, and other artifacts. The discovery has raised questions about the identity of the people who created the Nazca Lines and the purpose of the geoglyphs, which are believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 500 BC and 500 AD.

The Sphinx of Egypt: The Sphinx of Egypt is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human or animal, that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River near Cairo. It is the largest and most famous sphinx in the world, measuring approximately 240 ft long and 66 ft high. The Sphinx is believed to have been built during the reign of the pharaoh Khafre in the 26th century BC, although the exact date of its construction is uncertain. It is thought to have been carved from a single block of limestone, with the body of the sphinx being shaped from the natural rock formation and the head being added separately. The Sphinx is one of the oldest and most iconic monuments in Egypt, and it has been the subject of much speculation and debate among archaeologists and historians.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke: The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was the first attempt by the English to establish a permanent settlement in North America. It was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 on Roanoke Island in what is now North Carolina. The colony was abandoned in 1587, and its fate remains a mystery to this day. When a supply ship arrived in 1590, the settlement was deserted, and the only clue to the colonists' fate was the word "CROATOAN" carved into a post. Theories about what happened to the colonists include being killed by Native Americans, assimilating into a local tribe, or being captured by the Spanish. Despite numerous archaeological investigations and excavations, the fate of the Lost Colony remains unknown.

And that concludes our journey through 20 World Mysteries no one can explain. Thank you for joining us.