10 Mind-Blowing Historical Secrets You Should Know About

There are a lot of things in this world that common people have no knowledge about. Even so, they remain to be an integral aspect of humanity’s history. Some were purposely made secret, while others were kept buried by time.

Listverse dived into the unknown and unraveled the mysteries mostly forgotten by people. They can be anything from concealed rooms, secret passages, and monuments. But despite the secrecy involved, they are all worth investigating.

#10. Coughton Court’s Secret Room

Believe it or not, the titular Coughton Court once belonged to a family with Catholic belief. This was during the time when King James I announced his decision to outlaw all priests. The prosecution (around 16th and 17th Centuries) forced the supporters of faith to build hiding places called priest holes.

Sometime in 1850’s, the Tudor mansion owners discovered a secret room. It was located in one of the watchtowers. It is worth noting that priest holes were structured in a way that they can be harder to access. The Coughton Court, in particular, proved to be a living existence of these priest holes. Interestingly, the room was built to provide another room beneath it. This was to fool the soldiers if they happen to discover the place.

#9. The Poulos Room

The popular house of Alexandra Poulos is deeply connected to the history of US. It is located in Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, a place known for the infamous Underground Railroad. Poulos at first did not believe that her house had a hiding place. In fact, one of her neighbors – for some reason – asked her to investigate her basement. It was revealed that the house’s basement actually has another basement.

The hidden basement introduced a secret room, which was actually part of the underground movement from years ago. The room was meant to keep slaves, a stepping stone in reaching their freedom. Locals believe that the secret room in Poulos basement is just one of the many secret rooms in the town.

#8. Sennacherib’s Palace

The Islamic State first discovered the shrine of Nineveh’s prophet named Jonah in 2014. The discovery came with an edifice that was believed to mark the very grave of the prophet. It is worth noting that Jonah was mentioned in the Bible, Koran, and even in Judaism. The armed forces, with the help of archaeologists, followed various tunnel dug by ISIS militants. Surprisingly, the tunnels all point to an unknown place.

It was none other than the Palace of Sennacherib. The 2600-year-old building was still standing firm. Based on history, Nineveh was a well-known ancient Assyrian city (now called Iraq). The retrieved palace was built specifically for, well, King Sinnacherib. There were also marble inscription from 672 BC. It was revealed to be the King’s son in cuneiform, which is an early form of writing.

#7. Brogdar Butterflies

In Orkney, Scotland, Ness of Brogdar is known to be a well-researched site of archaeologists. It is also popular for its Neolithic standing stones and buildings. Interestingly, one of these had a special block. Due to its almost invisible design, archaeologists had a hard time unearthing it. Heck, when pictured, they never show up on the images.

The discovery led to the unraveling of carvings that somehow resembled butterflies (some call them bow ties). Scholars cannot entirely explain the vanishing effect, but they believe that the carvings were special. Basically, they might just appear in certain conditions.

#6. Cat’s Brain Barrow

The discovery of an unknown monument located in Wiltshire came to light, thanks to an aerial photography. The place is already known for the Stonehenge, Marden Henge, and Avebury, the biggest stone circle of Britain. Apparently, there is a place called Cat’s Brain. It was located just between Stonehenge and Avebury.

Archaeologists also discovered a monument that is around 5,000 years old. This quickly predates the Marden Henge by over a millennium. Using the monument, researchers are positive that it can be used to find the remains of the people living during that time. They were said to be the ones responsible in erecting the Avebury and Stonehenge.

#5. The Ritual Landscape

Researcher were able to unearth a burial mound of 5,000 years old. It is called Byrn Celli Ddu. Whenever the summer solstice aligns, the sunlight illuminates the inner room of the mound through its corridor. In the past few years, researchers proposed that Byrn Celli Ddu was not the only wonder in the location. Later on, they did discover a massive ritual landscape that is believed to have existed in ancient times.

There were ten rock carvings, all filled with pottery and archaic tools. These are proof that the ancient people used the location for their rituals and/or ceremonies. The researchers confirmed that the entire cemetery lining the area belonged to Byrn Celli Ddu.

#4. The Funeral Shelf of Jesus

The 19th-Century shrine called Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is deemed as the most sacred place in all of Christianity. After all, it is the tomb of Jesus Christ. Researchers conducted various radar tests in order to determine the origins of the tomb. They eventually removed the marble slab, which is said to cover the shelf in which the body of Jesus once rested. Just underneath the panel, a rubble was found. There was also a marble slab, but this time around, there was a carved cross.

The very moment the marble slab was lifted, the original burial bed was exposed. The entire team was even surprised, as they did not expect to find another shelf. They proposed that this was the very grave of Jesus. The only catch, however, is that the Bible speaks differently. The savior is said to have been kept in a rock-hewn tomb just outside of Jerusalem.

#3. The Avebury Square

Avebury is considered to be the largest stone ring in all of Europe. Until now, researchers are still wondering why a Neolithic civilization decided to arrange 100 huge stones into three circles. They were developed sometime in 2850-2200 BC. Apparently, researchers discovered a new set of hidden stones. Not only were they unexpected, they also somehow change the theory of Avebury’s beginnings.

The new find now suggests that Avebury was built from the inside out, not the other way around. In fact, it is believed to be a wooden house at first. The rings, which made the place famous, were later on added by the ancient civilization.

#2. The Home of Sally Hemmings

For those who do not know Sally Hemmings, she was one of the 600 slaves owned and controlled by the infamous Thomas Jefferson. The latter was none other than the third president of US. Hemmings was the one who gave birth to several child while living under Jefferson’s mansion called Montecillo in Virginia. The 5,000-acre plantation became Hemmings sanctuary, but as to where exactly, it remains to be seen. A grandson of Jefferson claimed that she lived somewhere in the South Wing of the mansion.

When researchers finally discovered her room, there were tons of artifacts acquired. It is worth noting that Hemming’s life before the discovery was only described by four physical descriptions. She was believed to be special to Jefferson, as she received different treatment from him.

#1. Michaelangelo’s Chamber

The chamber was unraveled in a very odd way. In 1975, the Medici Chapels wanted to have another tourist exit. This prompted the museum’s director to locate a place for the said exit. But surprisingly, the search resulted to a Renaissance treasure. They found a trapdoor that leads to a small chamber. The director then ordered the removal of a wall plaster, as his instincts was telling him to do so. His decision was later on coined as “one of the major artistic finds of the 20th century.”

The findings included some of Michelangelo’s lost work. There were several drawings that have details similar to the other works of the legendary painter. Researchers believe that the paintings were purposely hidden by Michelangelo to protect them from the very powerful Medici family in 1530. The artist basically turned against the family, as he chose to side the Florentines. As soon as the Medici returned from their exile, Michelangelo’s life was at risk.

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