1 00:00:01,460 --> 00:00:02,960 Coming up on "expedition files," 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,860 a notorious serial killer goes on a murder spree in the 1960s, 3 00:00:09,460 --> 00:00:13,336 and taunts the police with cryptic ciphers. 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,736 Over five decades later, we may have finally deciphered 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:19,700 this madman's identity. 6 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:25,000 An adventurer creates a modern-day treasure hunt. 7 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:31,336 Now, new clues might lead us to where he buried 8 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:32,700 his precious riches. 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,030 And we open the world's most mysterious book, 10 00:00:38,860 --> 00:00:41,776 potentially cracking impenetrable secrets 11 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:42,930 encoded within. 12 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,730 In the corridors of time 13 00:00:53,860 --> 00:00:56,800 are mysteries that defy explanation. 14 00:00:57,900 --> 00:01:02,000 Now, I'm traveling through history itself 15 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:06,500 on a search for the truth. 16 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:09,830 New evidence, 17 00:01:11,660 --> 00:01:12,900 shocking answers. 18 00:01:14,700 --> 00:01:15,930 I'm Josh gates, 19 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,130 and these... 20 00:01:20,260 --> 00:01:22,300 Are my "expedition files." 21 00:01:26,260 --> 00:01:29,536 Whether we realize it or not, we are all expert 22 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:30,736 code breakers. 23 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,976 We spend our lives decoding the world, solving the riddle 24 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,236 of what those around us are saying, thinking, feeling. 25 00:01:37,260 --> 00:01:39,636 But some codes can't be cracked. 26 00:01:39,660 --> 00:01:43,536 Some mysterious riddles remain incomprehensible years, 27 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,176 even centuries, after they were conceived. 28 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,776 Tonight, we'll examine three files of the strangest and most 29 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,476 disturbing unsolved codes in history. 30 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:56,876 One, a cryptic cipher that reveals a brutal serial killer. 31 00:01:56,900 --> 00:02:01,276 Two, a puzzling poem that guarantees incredible riches. 32 00:02:01,300 --> 00:02:05,536 Three, an ancient manuscript that just might hold the answer 33 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,176 to the origin of life. 34 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,576 Three files, one question 35 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:11,836 how do we break the code? 36 00:02:11,860 --> 00:02:14,676 Our first story starts at a good place to get 37 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:17,076 lost and a terrible place to be found. 38 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:20,636 To the local teens in vallejo, California, this peaceful 39 00:02:20,660 --> 00:02:23,376 overlook is known as lover's Lane. 40 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,076 And love is in the air, because tonight, 41 00:02:26,100 --> 00:02:28,236 December 20th, 1968, 42 00:02:28,260 --> 00:02:32,436 17-year-old David Faraday and his 16-year-old girlfriend, 43 00:02:32,460 --> 00:02:35,076 Betty Lou Jensen, are on their very first date. 44 00:02:35,100 --> 00:02:38,276 Unfortunately, Betty and David's night out is about 45 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:41,976 to turn into a nightmare because this stranger heading 46 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,036 down the road has other plans for the couple. 47 00:02:45,060 --> 00:02:46,976 His destination? Murder. 48 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,576 In moments, the infamous reign of the zodiac killer 49 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:51,860 will begin. 50 00:03:37,300 --> 00:03:40,576 Please, please stop, please stop! 51 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,430 Please stop! 52 00:03:51,700 --> 00:03:53,136 When police arrive at the scene, 53 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,436 the killer has long fled. 54 00:03:55,460 --> 00:03:58,636 Betty and David become known as the notorious killer's 55 00:03:58,660 --> 00:04:00,200 first victims. 56 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:05,236 The tight-knit community of vallejo and the surrounding 57 00:04:05,260 --> 00:04:07,836 bay area is stunned by the murders. 58 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:11,076 Fear quickly spreads that there's a gun-crazed maniac 59 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:13,076 at large. They are not wrong. 60 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:15,400 The killer will soon strike again. 61 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,500 In the summer of 1969, 62 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:30,736 22-year-old Darlene ferrin and 19-year-old Michael mageau 63 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,136 are parked at blue rock spring park, an infamous spot for 64 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,236 rebellious teenagers less than four miles from 65 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:39,460 the first attack. 66 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,436 But this twisted murderer is not content to let his bloody 67 00:04:58,460 --> 00:05:00,336 handiwork speak for itself. 68 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,576 He wants credit where credit is due. 69 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,136 Later that night, a police dispatcher picks up 70 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,436 a call from a pay phone in vallejo. 71 00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:11,636 The caller's words are impossible for the dispatcher 72 00:05:11,660 --> 00:05:13,060 to ever forget. 73 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:19,836 I want to report a double murder. 74 00:05:19,860 --> 00:05:23,336 If you will go one mile east on Columbus parkway to the public 75 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,230 park, you will find the kids in a brown car. 76 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,700 I shot them with a 9mm luger. 77 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,730 I also killed those kids last year. 78 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:36,830 Goodbye. 79 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,076 But the killer is wrong about one thing. 80 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:47,136 It is not a double murder. 81 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,336 Although Darlene ferrin tragically dies, Michael mageau 82 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,136 miraculously survives. 83 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,076 But his description of the killer is vague at best, 84 00:05:58,100 --> 00:06:00,800 saying only that he had a large face. 85 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,676 It seems the killer's call to the police fails to give him 86 00:06:10,700 --> 00:06:14,436 the notoriety he craves, so he decides to take his cat 87 00:06:14,460 --> 00:06:16,436 and mouse game to the next level. 88 00:06:16,460 --> 00:06:20,930 On August 1st, 1969, he contacts the press. 89 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,776 Dear editor, 90 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,776 this is the murderer of the two teenagers last Christmas at 91 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,400 lake Herman and the girl on the 4th of July. 92 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,176 Wanting credit for his horrific acts, 93 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,076 the shooter provides facts that 94 00:06:35,100 --> 00:06:38,536 only he would know, including the exact brand name 95 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,836 of the ammo used in the shooting, super x. 96 00:06:41,860 --> 00:06:44,976 And here's where things get truly diabolical. 97 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,636 Accompanying the letter is a 408-character cryptogram, 98 00:06:49,660 --> 00:06:53,136 which, if solved, promises to reveal more of 99 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:54,336 his sinister plans. 100 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:58,136 He urges the police to publish the cipher in the newspapers 101 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,736 for all to read, and then ends with a chilling vow to kill 102 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,276 again, and signs off with a symbol that eerily resembles 103 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:09,436 the crosshairs of a gun scope. 104 00:07:09,460 --> 00:07:13,776 And when the police don't respond, he sends a second, 105 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,136 more detailed letter with another cipher, and in this 106 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,236 one, the killer gives himself a name, the zodiac. 107 00:07:21,260 --> 00:07:24,936 The letter also contains more details of the crimes, 108 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,476 convincing the police that the author is their killer. 109 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:31,436 It seems all they need to do is crack the code to 110 00:07:31,460 --> 00:07:33,236 reveal his identity. 111 00:07:33,260 --> 00:07:35,776 Desperate for help, they appeal to the public 112 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,030 and publish the cipher in the San Francisco chronicle. 113 00:07:39,900 --> 00:07:41,836 Their plan works. 114 00:07:41,860 --> 00:07:44,636 Within a week, a high school teacher and his wife 115 00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:47,676 ingeniously decipher the complex code, 116 00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:51,636 disclosing a chilling message that explains the zodiac's 117 00:07:51,660 --> 00:07:53,236 demented purpose. 118 00:07:53,260 --> 00:07:57,436 When I die, I will be reborn in paradise, and all I have killed 119 00:07:57,460 --> 00:07:58,800 will become my slaves. 120 00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:05,836 But the code offers no more clues to identify the culprit, 121 00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:09,036 and they can only hope the killing stops. 122 00:08:09,060 --> 00:08:14,776 Unfortunately, on September 27th, 1969, college students, 123 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,236 Cecelia Shepard and Bryan hartnell, are picnicking along 124 00:08:18,260 --> 00:08:21,176 the shore of scenic lake berryessa when 125 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:22,260 a stranger approaches. 126 00:08:30,860 --> 00:08:32,100 I think someone's here. 127 00:08:32,860 --> 00:08:35,536 Excuse me, can we help you? 128 00:08:35,560 --> 00:08:39,636 The man tells the couple he's a prison escapee, and he needs 129 00:08:39,660 --> 00:08:42,136 money and their car to get to Mexico. 130 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,836 Thinking that this is just a robbery, 131 00:08:44,860 --> 00:08:47,100 Cecelia and Bryan comply, 132 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,536 and he ties them up. 133 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,936 Then things take a terrible turn. 134 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,700 No! 135 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,536 Cecelia succumbs to her injuries, 136 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:10,536 but Bryan survives, yet frustratingly, is unable to 137 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:12,600 give a description of the killer. 138 00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:18,376 But the zodiac has left a message on the couple's car 139 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,936 door, the dates and locations of his previous attacks. 140 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,636 And the very next month, he strikes again. 141 00:09:25,660 --> 00:09:30,136 Paul Stein is a 29-year-old San Francisco cab driver. 142 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,936 On October 11, 1969, he picks up this man, 143 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,476 who asks to be taken to presidio heights, but this is 144 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:39,176 no ordinary passenger. 145 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,236 Several blocks later, the zodiac will kill Stein, 146 00:09:42,260 --> 00:09:44,400 shooting him in the back of the head. 147 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:51,076 Within days, the San Francisco chronicle receives a new letter 148 00:09:51,100 --> 00:09:54,836 from the zodiac, taking credit for Paul Stein's murder. 149 00:09:54,860 --> 00:09:58,036 And to prove it, he includes a hideous souvenir 150 00:09:58,060 --> 00:09:59,236 from the attack, 151 00:09:59,260 --> 00:10:02,100 a piece of Stein's bloodied shirt. 152 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,136 But there is one positive development. 153 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,976 For the first time, there are multiple witnesses to one 154 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,176 of the killings. 155 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,236 They describe the zodiac as a white male, approximately 25 156 00:10:18,260 --> 00:10:22,800 to 30 years old, with a crew cut and heavy rimmed glasses. 157 00:10:26,460 --> 00:10:29,930 A nationwide apb goes out on the killer. 158 00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:37,676 As tips pour in, the police and FBI interview 159 00:10:37,700 --> 00:10:41,630 over 2,500 suspects in connection with the murders. 160 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:50,336 One of the most promising suspects is Arthur Leigh Allen, 161 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,436 a resident from vallejo, where those first murders 162 00:10:53,460 --> 00:10:54,936 took place. 163 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,436 Allen's neighbor had seen him pulling bloody knives from 164 00:10:58,460 --> 00:11:02,636 the trunk of his car on the day of the lake berryessa murder. 165 00:11:02,660 --> 00:11:07,036 And, most shocking of all, Allen even allegedly confesses 166 00:11:07,060 --> 00:11:10,336 to a colleague that he is the zodiac. 167 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,876 But when confronted by the police, Allen denies 168 00:11:13,900 --> 00:11:17,236 everything and claims he was joking about the confession. 169 00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:20,976 And, as for the bloody knives, he says that it was just 170 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:22,136 chicken's blood. 171 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,936 The investigators do note an eerie coincidence, though. 172 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:31,136 Brand of watch is a zodiac, its signature symbol exactly 173 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,976 matching the crosshairs used to sign the killer's letters. 174 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,236 But after an intensive investigation, with nothing 175 00:11:38,260 --> 00:11:41,136 directly linking Allen to any of the crimes, 176 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:43,130 the police move on. 177 00:11:44,700 --> 00:11:47,776 While the police desperately search for suspects, 178 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,536 the killer's evil letters continue, threatening bombs, 179 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:54,176 murders, even the slaughter of children. 180 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:58,136 And these letters also contain three more codes to crack, 181 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,776 including one that the zodiac outrageously claims 182 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,260 contains his name. 183 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:10,776 And the letters continue for six long years, but nobody is 184 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,076 able to crack the code of their meaning. 185 00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:17,676 Then comes 1974, the letters stop. 186 00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:20,636 And just like that, the case turns ice cold, 187 00:12:20,660 --> 00:12:23,476 but not closed. Far from it. 188 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:25,736 In the decades since, professional and amateur 189 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,536 investigators alike have spent untold hours puzzling over 190 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:32,436 the zodiac's three unsolved ciphers. 191 00:12:32,460 --> 00:12:35,436 If they could just be unraveled, this cruel madman 192 00:12:35,460 --> 00:12:39,636 could at last be identified. And now, it's finally happened. 193 00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:42,200 One of the codes has been cracked. 194 00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:53,336 For almost 60 years, the identity of the zodiac 195 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,636 serial killer has remained a mystery. 196 00:12:55,660 --> 00:12:58,336 But now, cutting-edge technology has 197 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,236 unraveled part of his blood-soaked riddle. 198 00:13:01,260 --> 00:13:03,436 Software designer and cryptographer, 199 00:13:03,460 --> 00:13:07,276 David oranchak used the latest code-breaking techniques to try 200 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:08,800 to solve the ciphers. 201 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,136 The zodiac case was interesting to me, not only because it was 202 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,176 one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in the world, 203 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,276 but what really got me interested in it was 204 00:13:20,300 --> 00:13:21,636 the cryptography aspect of it. 205 00:13:21,660 --> 00:13:24,736 He was sending these mysterious codes to the newspapers 206 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,576 and taunting people with these hidden messages. 207 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,576 And the fact that his first cipher was solved led me to 208 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,076 think that it was possible to solve the second message that 209 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:34,276 he had sent. 210 00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:38,436 We leaned heavily on very advanced computer programs that 211 00:13:38,460 --> 00:13:40,136 would help us do a lot of the grunt work. 212 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,736 Thanks to advances in technology, David and his team 213 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,076 tackle the zodiac killer's most infamous unsolved puzzle, 214 00:13:48,100 --> 00:13:50,776 the 340-character cipher. 215 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,836 The 340 he sent on one piece of paper and one big block. 216 00:13:54,860 --> 00:13:59,136 It's a mix of unusual symbols, just like the 408 was, 217 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:00,976 but he threw in some new symbols. 218 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,436 There are a lot of times when you're trying to break the code 219 00:14:03,460 --> 00:14:05,476 where you start to see his message coming through, 220 00:14:05,500 --> 00:14:07,976 and you think, "this has got to be from the killer." 221 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:08,807 It says, "killing." 222 00:14:08,831 --> 00:14:10,336 It says, "murder." It says, "death." 223 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,900 It's from a serial killer. 224 00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:15,136 But then you hit a brick wall, because you can't get 225 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:16,676 the whole message out. 226 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:22,930 So I got used to failing until the breakthrough happened. 227 00:14:23,860 --> 00:14:28,136 After 14 years of relentless effort, David and his team 228 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,236 finally crack one of the world's most elusive codes 229 00:14:32,260 --> 00:14:36,536 and immediately send their breakthrough to the FBI. 230 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:41,336 The FBI responded to me within minutes when I sent the report 231 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,536 and they were excited because they believed that it was 232 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:44,836 the correct answer. 233 00:14:44,860 --> 00:14:47,936 I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me. 234 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,136 I am not afraid of the gas chamber, because it will send 235 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,836 me to paradise all the sooner, because I now have enough 236 00:14:54,860 --> 00:14:57,236 slaves to work for me, where everyone else 237 00:14:57,260 --> 00:14:58,436 has nothing. 238 00:14:58,460 --> 00:15:02,036 I am not afraid because I know that my life will be an easy 239 00:15:02,060 --> 00:15:03,900 one in paradise death. 240 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,836 It really did feel like a new message from zodiac, 241 00:15:09,860 --> 00:15:12,800 even though he had written it way back in November of 1969. 242 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:18,676 One down, two unsolved zodiac ciphers to go. 243 00:15:18,700 --> 00:15:22,736 And tantalizingly, zodiac cruelly boasts that one of 244 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,236 these two uncracked codes literally contains his name. 245 00:15:26,260 --> 00:15:29,536 So, building from oranchak's brilliant efforts, 246 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,436 we decided to roll up our sleeves and join 247 00:15:32,460 --> 00:15:35,536 the community in trying to solve the remaining ciphers. 248 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,136 And after countless hours of work by my team and I, 249 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,630 we discovered something astounding. 250 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:45,676 If you reverse-engineer the cipher for names of 251 00:15:45,700 --> 00:15:49,276 the most infamous possible suspects, substituting letters 252 00:15:49,300 --> 00:15:52,836 for symbols, like, for example, these eight symbols could 253 00:15:52,860 --> 00:15:57,536 represent the letter I, unscramble the letters, 254 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:01,336 and you discover that one suspect's name fits just right. 255 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:06,136 A. Leigh Allen... Arthur Leigh Allen. 256 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,536 The very same suspect who the police spent the most time 257 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,836 investigating, the same suspect who confessed to a coworker, 258 00:16:13,860 --> 00:16:17,800 carried bloody knives, and even wore a zodiac watch. 259 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:20,976 And remarkably, there's more. 260 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,076 People who knew Arthur Leigh Allen confirmed that he had 261 00:16:24,100 --> 00:16:26,436 a fascination with ciphers from his days in 262 00:16:26,460 --> 00:16:27,936 the U.S. Navy. 263 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,136 Plus, investigators found he had a typewriter, 264 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,276 like the one used to write some of the zodiac messages, 265 00:16:33,300 --> 00:16:37,236 and he owned a pair of boots with soles matching those worn 266 00:16:37,260 --> 00:16:38,276 by the killer. 267 00:16:38,300 --> 00:16:41,036 Of course, all of this evidence is circumstantial, 268 00:16:41,060 --> 00:16:45,436 and Arthur himself died in 1992, denying he was the killer 269 00:16:45,460 --> 00:16:47,236 to the very end. 270 00:16:47,260 --> 00:16:51,676 But when combined with this possible code-crack and all of 271 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:54,036 the mounting evidence, it leaves us to wonder, 272 00:16:54,060 --> 00:16:58,576 could it be that america's most infamous serial killer is 273 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,330 finally unmasked? 274 00:17:07,100 --> 00:17:11,236 From the cryptic clues left behind by a vicious murderer to 275 00:17:11,260 --> 00:17:14,536 our next file, which reveals another enigmatic puzzle, 276 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,436 one that takes us on a dangerous hunt for 277 00:17:17,460 --> 00:17:18,736 buried treasure. 278 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,576 The year is 2010, and I'm somewhere in 279 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:22,636 the rocky mountains. 280 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:25,536 I can't tell you the exact location because, well, 281 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:26,676 it's a secret. 282 00:17:26,700 --> 00:17:29,736 And behind me is the keeper of that secret, 80-year-old 283 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:30,737 for rest fenn. 284 00:17:30,761 --> 00:17:34,276 He's about to Bury a treasure worth millions. 285 00:17:34,300 --> 00:17:37,976 That chest he's carrying is full of gold, diamonds, 286 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,076 rubies, and sapphires. 287 00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:42,636 This millionaire art dealer is going to set in motion 288 00:17:42,660 --> 00:17:44,800 a modern-day treasure hunt. 289 00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:56,236 What kind of man buries a chest filled with treasure in 290 00:17:56,260 --> 00:17:59,136 the middle of nowhere, and then hopes someday 291 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,600 someone else will dig it up? 292 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:06,376 To properly tell this puzzling tale, we need to start 293 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:07,700 at the beginning. 294 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,776 1930 in temple, Texas, when for rest fenn is born. 295 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,276 From the start, for rest seemed destined for adventure. 296 00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:19,036 On family trips to yellow stone national park, 297 00:18:19,060 --> 00:18:21,836 he became an avid fly Fisher and outdoors man. 298 00:18:21,860 --> 00:18:25,236 Later, he joined the air force, where he became a fighter 299 00:18:25,260 --> 00:18:29,236 pilot, flying 328 combat missions. 300 00:18:29,260 --> 00:18:33,136 After his military service, for rest moves to Santa fe 301 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,230 and opens an art gallery. 302 00:18:36,260 --> 00:18:38,336 This proves to be a very successful 303 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,176 and lucrative career. 304 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:45,836 He's on top of the world until a routine doctor visit turns 305 00:18:45,860 --> 00:18:47,800 that world upside down. 306 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:54,336 In 1988, at the age of 58, for rest fenn is diagnosed with 307 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:55,536 terminal cancer. 308 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,236 After the shock wears off, 309 00:18:57,260 --> 00:19:00,576 he decides to get his affairs in order. 310 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,076 But for rest isn't writing out his last will and testament. 311 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:06,436 Instead, he's writing out clues to a treasure hunt. 312 00:19:06,460 --> 00:19:08,876 You know, as you do. 313 00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:11,136 Before cancer gets the best of him, 314 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,636 he decides to have one last adventure. 315 00:19:13,660 --> 00:19:17,076 He plans to fill a treasure chest with gold, 316 00:19:17,100 --> 00:19:20,236 jewels, and other valuables, and then hide it in one of 317 00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:24,130 his favorite outdoor places before taking his own life. 318 00:19:25,260 --> 00:19:27,836 But before he goes, he'll publish a poem, 319 00:19:27,860 --> 00:19:31,176 giving clues that lead to his final resting place. 320 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,236 Whoever finds his grave will also find the treasure chest. 321 00:19:35,260 --> 00:19:39,336 It's a death just as colorful as his life. 322 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:43,236 Like the man himself, fenn's plan is creative, 323 00:19:43,260 --> 00:19:45,636 audacious, and just a little off-center. 324 00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:48,976 But then comes some fortune he didn't plan for. 325 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,636 His terminal cancer miraculously goes 326 00:19:51,660 --> 00:19:53,476 into remission. 327 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:57,136 Cancer-free and with a new lease on life, he goes back to 328 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,876 his routine in Santa fe, but his idea for the treasure 329 00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:02,676 hunt never quite leaves him. 330 00:20:02,700 --> 00:20:06,636 So 22 years later, at the age of 80, 331 00:20:06,660 --> 00:20:09,000 he sets the game in motion. 332 00:20:10,260 --> 00:20:14,376 In 2010, he heads back to his favorite spot in nature 333 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:15,836 and hides his chest. 334 00:20:15,860 --> 00:20:19,836 Then he publishes his memoir, "the thrill of the chase." 335 00:20:19,860 --> 00:20:24,976 In it, he writes a cryptic poem that serves as a map containing 336 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,736 clues that will lead a clever hunter directly to the prize. 337 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,176 Anyone that would go to these lengths to create a treasure 338 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,236 hunt is a true original. 339 00:20:35,260 --> 00:20:38,176 I found that out first-hand in 2015. 340 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,476 - You must be Josh. - I'm Josh, yeah. 341 00:20:39,500 --> 00:20:44,076 When I had the pleasure of meeting for rest face to face. 342 00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:47,436 Ok, so first question, for rest, should be an easy one. 343 00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:48,976 Where is the treasure hidden? 344 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,636 At least eight miles north of Santa fe and below 345 00:20:51,660 --> 00:20:53,500 - the Canadian border. - Ok. 346 00:20:54,460 --> 00:20:56,036 Still got a lot of ground there to cover. 347 00:20:56,060 --> 00:20:59,130 Can you tell me why you chose the place that you chose? 348 00:20:59,900 --> 00:21:03,076 It's a place that I've visited a few times. 349 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:04,536 I have fond memories of that place. 350 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:06,476 Do you know how much the treasure's worth? 351 00:21:06,500 --> 00:21:07,576 No, I don't. 352 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,276 There are 20.2 pounds of gold in the treasure chest. 353 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:13,436 There are 200 and some odd rubies. 354 00:21:13,460 --> 00:21:16,836 There are two ceylon sapphires. There are eight emeralds. 355 00:21:16,860 --> 00:21:19,336 - There are lots of diamonds. - What was your intention? 356 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:22,336 I had a number of reasons for doing it. 357 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,536 The primary was to get people out in the sunshine again, 358 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:28,800 to smell the pine needles in the mountains. 359 00:21:29,860 --> 00:21:33,676 If you want to be a serious searcher, my advice is look at 360 00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:34,800 clues in the poem. 361 00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:38,836 The treasure hunt is officially on. 362 00:21:38,860 --> 00:21:41,736 And, like for rest said, everything you need to find 363 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,976 his chest is contained in the poem. 364 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,476 It begins simply enough. 365 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:50,536 "As I have gone alone in there and with my treasures bold, 366 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,236 "I can keep my secret where, and hint of riches, 367 00:21:54,260 --> 00:21:56,436 new and old." 368 00:21:56,460 --> 00:22:00,376 But the clues in the poem get cryptic. 369 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,736 Begin it where warm waters halt, and take it to 370 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:07,536 the canyon down. Not far, but too far to walk. 371 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,076 Put him below the home of brown. 372 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:15,636 In all, the poem is 24 lines, and gives nine clues to find 373 00:22:15,660 --> 00:22:16,577 the buried treasure. 374 00:22:16,601 --> 00:22:19,736 But fenn gives one more clue that isn't in 375 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,636 the poem... the treasure is hidden somewhere in 376 00:22:22,660 --> 00:22:24,376 the rocky mountains. 377 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,736 That narrows it down to roughly 300,000 square miles. 378 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,976 Not exactly a small playing field to find 379 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,336 a 10-inch bronze box. 380 00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:38,236 In 2013, a series of news stories brings the hunt 381 00:22:38,260 --> 00:22:41,376 into the mainstream, and thousands, like these guys, 382 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,076 get bit by the for rest fenn treasure bug. 383 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:49,036 At the height of the mania, an estimated 350,000 people 384 00:22:49,060 --> 00:22:51,136 are searching. 385 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,976 For most, the search ends the same way, empty-handed. 386 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,630 But for a few, the adventure turns deadly. 387 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:07,036 Between July of 2016 and march of 2021, five hunters perish 388 00:23:07,060 --> 00:23:09,100 searching for fenn's gold. 389 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:14,136 The authorities ask for rest to call off the hunt, 390 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:16,076 but fenn is torn. 391 00:23:16,100 --> 00:23:18,536 He feels the good of the hunt outweighs the danger, 392 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,376 and wants to keep going. 393 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,976 He lets people know that the treasure is not a dangerous 394 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,436 location, and that anyone who is mobile and relatively 395 00:23:27,460 --> 00:23:29,076 fit can find it. 396 00:23:29,100 --> 00:23:32,736 In nearly a decade, though, since the game began, 397 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:35,476 no one has found the treasure. 398 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:39,876 Then, out of the blue, on June 6, 2020, fenn posts 399 00:23:39,900 --> 00:23:42,536 a message online. It's short and to the point. 400 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:44,736 "The treasure has been found." 401 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,176 It appears the mystery is over, but in many ways, 402 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,100 it's actually just beginning. 403 00:23:55,500 --> 00:23:59,436 In 2010, eccentric art dealer for rest fenn announces he has 404 00:23:59,460 --> 00:24:03,376 hidden a treasure trove of gold and jewels somewhere in 405 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:04,476 the rocky mountains. 406 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,036 Now, 10 years later, fenn announces the treasure has 407 00:24:08,060 --> 00:24:11,236 finally been found, but the supposed discovery only 408 00:24:11,260 --> 00:24:12,730 leads to more questions. 409 00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:18,936 Peter frick-Wright is a journalist who has 410 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,736 investigated this story extensively. 411 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,876 When for rest announces that the treasure has been found, 412 00:24:24,900 --> 00:24:28,376 every searcher wanted to know the same three things 413 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,376 who found it? Where was it? 414 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,336 What did all the clues mean? 415 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:36,736 And what you saw was essentially the five stages 416 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,076 of grief. People are angry. 417 00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:43,476 People are sad. People don't believe it. 418 00:24:43,500 --> 00:24:46,736 There is a lot of just resentment, animosity. 419 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,036 I mean, you could call it jealousy, towards this person 420 00:24:50,060 --> 00:24:54,436 who did the thing that tens of thousands or hundreds of 421 00:24:54,460 --> 00:24:57,576 thousands of people had been trying to do for now 10 years. 422 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:02,036 To put some doubters' minds at ease, fenn reveals photos of 423 00:25:02,060 --> 00:25:05,376 the chest and even announces the state the treasure is 424 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:06,430 discovered in... 425 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,236 Wyoming. 426 00:25:09,260 --> 00:25:13,136 Then, on September 7th, 2020, three months after 427 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:14,736 the search is declared over, 428 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,530 for rest fenn dies at the age of 90. 429 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,036 He lived to see his treasure hunt solved, 430 00:25:23,060 --> 00:25:26,376 but with his passing, the secret of who found it 431 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:28,600 seems to go with him to the grave. 432 00:25:31,100 --> 00:25:34,436 Shortly after fenn dies, an article appears online, 433 00:25:34,460 --> 00:25:36,836 written by someone claiming to be the one 434 00:25:36,860 --> 00:25:38,330 who found the treasure. 435 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,500 I am the person who found for rest fenn's treasure. 436 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:48,336 The moment it happened was not the triumphant Hollywood ending 437 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:49,830 some surely envisioned. 438 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:52,736 It just felt like I had just survived something, 439 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,030 something, and was fortunate to come out the other end. 440 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:01,636 Not long after the finder speaks out, 441 00:26:01,660 --> 00:26:03,930 the lawsuits start flying. 442 00:26:05,860 --> 00:26:08,736 Another treasure hunter accuses the finder of 443 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:09,900 stealing his leads. 444 00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:14,076 The finder knows his real name will come out in court, 445 00:26:14,100 --> 00:26:17,736 so he decides to reveal his identity. 446 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,236 In December of 2020, outside magazine publishes 447 00:26:21,260 --> 00:26:24,576 an article titled, "the man who found for rest" 448 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:28,976 "fenn's treasure," revealing that the mysterious finder is a man 449 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,230 from Michigan named Jack stuef. 450 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,336 Stuef is a 32-year-old medical student. 451 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:41,136 He had heard about for rest fenn's treasure hunt in 2018, 452 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,436 and went down a rabbit hole, listening to, looking at, 453 00:26:44,460 --> 00:26:47,336 reading everything that for rest fenn had ever said that 454 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:48,630 he could find. 455 00:26:50,100 --> 00:26:53,076 He figured out where the treasure was pretty 456 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:54,236 much immediately. 457 00:26:54,260 --> 00:26:59,076 But it took him 25 days of boots-on-the-ground searching 458 00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:03,230 over the course of two years to actually find it. 459 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,736 Thousands of frustrated hunters now know who found the treasure 460 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:10,876 and how he solved the puzzle. 461 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:13,936 But there is one last question that Jack stubbornly refuses to 462 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:17,130 "answer... exactly where did he find it?" 463 00:27:18,100 --> 00:27:21,936 Fenn put this in the place that he wanted to die. 464 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:23,836 So it was a special place to him. 465 00:27:23,860 --> 00:27:26,836 And Jack wanted to protect that place. 466 00:27:26,860 --> 00:27:31,576 So he said, "I am not going to share where this was, kind of 467 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:32,600 no matter what." 468 00:27:33,700 --> 00:27:35,136 To the searchers who've dedicated 469 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,076 years of their lives to the hunt, the fact that Jack 470 00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:41,436 won't reveal where he found the treasure is frustrating to 471 00:27:41,460 --> 00:27:42,636 say the least. 472 00:27:42,660 --> 00:27:45,376 People are desperate to know how close they may have been, 473 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:46,836 and everybody just wants closure. 474 00:27:46,860 --> 00:27:49,936 And then they get it, ironically, in the form of 475 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,106 another lawsuit. 476 00:27:51,130 --> 00:27:54,676 This lawsuit was from a man who accused for rest fenn of 477 00:27:54,700 --> 00:27:59,776 repeatedly moving the treasure, making it impossible to find. 478 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,976 It looked like Jack stuef was going to be called to the stand 479 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,076 and forced to reveal the exact location of where 480 00:28:06,100 --> 00:28:07,536 he found the treasure. 481 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,736 But before this could happen, an injunction to stop 482 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:15,076 his testimony came in from a surprising source, 483 00:28:15,100 --> 00:28:17,736 yellow stone national park. 484 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,736 And so what that told me and what told the rest of 485 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,776 the hunting community was for rest fenn hid the treasure 486 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:25,106 in yellow stone national park. 487 00:28:25,130 --> 00:28:29,576 So it turns out the treasure was in yellow stone after all. 488 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,136 They just wanted to keep thousands of tourists from 489 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,536 damaging this pristine spot. 490 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:38,136 Two years after finding the treasure, Jack, who is in 491 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,236 debt with medical school loans, sells the bronze chest and all 492 00:28:42,260 --> 00:28:46,076 the gold and jewels inside to a private buyer for 493 00:28:46,100 --> 00:28:48,236 an undisclosed sum. 494 00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:51,176 That buyer then puts it up for public auction, 495 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,230 netting 1.3 million dollars. 496 00:28:56,060 --> 00:28:59,136 And so fenn's thrilling chase has come to an end. 497 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,436 The mystery of the treasure's location was in the end 498 00:29:02,460 --> 00:29:04,976 revealed not through fenn's poem but through 499 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:06,336 a series of lawsuits. 500 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,076 That's not the way for rest fenn would have wanted it. 501 00:29:09,100 --> 00:29:11,836 But inspiring thousands of folks to enjoy 502 00:29:11,860 --> 00:29:13,176 the great outdoors? 503 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:15,836 Well, that's exactly what for rest intended. 504 00:29:15,860 --> 00:29:19,836 And hiding a chest full of gold nuggets or yellow stones, 505 00:29:19,860 --> 00:29:22,836 if you will, in yellow stone national park? 506 00:29:22,860 --> 00:29:25,530 Well played, for rest fenn. Well played. 507 00:29:30,060 --> 00:29:33,836 Our next file introduces us to arguably the world's most 508 00:29:33,860 --> 00:29:37,636 mysterious book, a Tome that's been identified as everything 509 00:29:37,660 --> 00:29:41,736 from a spy's secret code to an occultist spell book, 510 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:46,136 even a message left behind for us by extraterrestrials. 511 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,236 It's 1912, and I'm in Italy, on the outskirts of Rome, 512 00:29:50,260 --> 00:29:53,736 where a jesuit college is selling off old manuscripts to 513 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:54,936 the highest bidder. 514 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,836 A Polish rare books dealer named wilfred voynich is hoping 515 00:29:58,860 --> 00:30:02,476 to score some ancient texts that he can sell for a profit 516 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:05,700 in London, and today is his lucky day. 517 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,136 While rummaging, voynich finds a strange book. 518 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,636 When he opens it, it's like traveling into 519 00:30:20,660 --> 00:30:22,036 another universe. 520 00:30:22,060 --> 00:30:26,136 It contains cryptic diagrams and strange illustrations. 521 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,976 The book is written in an unknown language that is so 522 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,476 mysterious that, for over a century, it has defied all 523 00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:38,200 attempts to translate it, and its author remains unknown. 524 00:30:39,460 --> 00:30:43,836 Now, researchers have uncovered new clues that will help reveal 525 00:30:43,860 --> 00:30:49,276 whose hands wrote the world's most enigmatic book and what 526 00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:51,130 secrets it contains. 527 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:58,436 Voynich is no amateur when it comes to books. 528 00:30:58,460 --> 00:31:01,836 He's dedicated his life to buying and selling rare 529 00:31:01,860 --> 00:31:05,076 and unusual texts, but even with all this 530 00:31:05,100 --> 00:31:09,900 expertise, he still can't make sense of this mysterious Tome. 531 00:31:11,660 --> 00:31:15,276 The voynich manuscript is relatively small, measuring 532 00:31:15,300 --> 00:31:16,277 nine by six inches 533 00:31:16,301 --> 00:31:20,736 and two inches thick, with exactly 240 pages. 534 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:24,876 Each page is made of calfskin parchment and is densely 535 00:31:24,900 --> 00:31:27,736 covered in cryptic looping script alongside 536 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:29,636 bizarre illustrations. 537 00:31:29,660 --> 00:31:33,876 Depictions of strange plants that don't match any known 538 00:31:33,900 --> 00:31:38,736 species, peculiar scenes of nude women bathing in pools, 539 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,636 even a six-panel foldout that looks like the coolest board 540 00:31:42,660 --> 00:31:44,976 game you've ever seen. 541 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,576 Though the artwork is vivid and strange, it's the cryptic, 542 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,636 indecipherable script that captures the most attention, 543 00:31:51,660 --> 00:31:55,136 eventually becoming known as voynichese. 544 00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:58,876 I would love to have a secret language named after me, 545 00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:01,436 but gatesese doesn't really roll off the tongue. 546 00:32:01,460 --> 00:32:05,276 As for voynichese, I will say that I have spent a fair amount 547 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:07,436 of time with this, and well, I'm stumped. 548 00:32:07,460 --> 00:32:11,700 It really is as puzzling a text as anything I've come across. 549 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:16,436 Luckily, voynich finds a clue. 550 00:32:16,460 --> 00:32:20,476 Within the pages of the book, he finds a letter, written in 551 00:32:20,500 --> 00:32:25,076 Latin, that mentions the author was possibly the 13th century 552 00:32:25,100 --> 00:32:28,236 philosopher and alchemist Roger bacon. 553 00:32:28,260 --> 00:32:31,436 Bacon is an interesting guy, to put it lightly. 554 00:32:31,460 --> 00:32:35,336 He's a franciscan friar by day, and dabbler in forbidden 555 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:37,136 knowledge by night. 556 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,776 And he's really into magic, and using ciphers to 557 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:42,676 encode texts. 558 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:46,636 Voynich decides that if bacon is the author, then he has 559 00:32:46,660 --> 00:32:51,276 his hands on a secret manual of alchemy and magic, filled with 560 00:32:51,300 --> 00:32:54,536 powerful and perhaps forbidden formulas. 561 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,136 Voynich is also excited, because that's something 562 00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:00,976 he should be able to sell for a significant sum. 563 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:05,436 With Europe being consumed by world war I, voynich realizes 564 00:33:05,460 --> 00:33:08,336 that if he wants to make a sale, he needs to travel 565 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:09,476 somewhere safer. 566 00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:13,236 With book in hand, he heads to the land of opportunity, 567 00:33:13,260 --> 00:33:15,276 the United States. 568 00:33:15,300 --> 00:33:18,176 Once in america, he opens a bookstore in. 569 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,776 New York City and tries to attract wealthy collectors. 570 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,436 But he gets little interest in this rare book, 571 00:33:24,460 --> 00:33:27,636 because of course the text is unreadable. 572 00:33:27,660 --> 00:33:32,236 So, in 1915, voynich departs on a tour across america, 573 00:33:32,260 --> 00:33:36,876 trying to woo top libraries and museums, offering them 574 00:33:36,900 --> 00:33:40,636 the book for a special, but still expensive price. 575 00:33:40,660 --> 00:33:44,536 While this nonstop promotion makes the manuscript one of 576 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:47,936 the most famous books in the world, voynich realizes 577 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:51,136 that without cracking the code, he will be unable to 578 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,676 sell the book. 579 00:33:53,700 --> 00:33:57,576 He knows whatever this book is, he's got something special 580 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:58,537 on his hands. 581 00:33:58,561 --> 00:34:01,436 But all of his efforts to publicize the book 582 00:34:01,460 --> 00:34:04,436 unintentionally attract a different audience. 583 00:34:04,460 --> 00:34:09,076 After all, world war I is still raging, and the authorities are 584 00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:11,700 alerted to this suspicious foreigner. 585 00:34:12,660 --> 00:34:16,476 In 1917, voynich gets a knock on the door. 586 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:18,976 In walk the feds. 587 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,436 The bureau of investigation, which would eventually become 588 00:34:22,460 --> 00:34:26,876 the FBI, interrogate him, concerned about why he has 589 00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:30,236 an unreadable text and whether he could have stolen American 590 00:34:30,260 --> 00:34:34,176 codes or be distributing German ones. 591 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:35,676 Hand over the manuscript! 592 00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:43,536 After turning his bookstore inside out and going over 593 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,436 voynich's story with a fine-tooth comb, 594 00:34:46,460 --> 00:34:50,036 the U.S. government concludes voynich isn't a current threat 595 00:34:50,060 --> 00:34:53,236 and doesn't possess any enemy intelligence. 596 00:34:53,260 --> 00:34:55,636 Although cleared by the government, 597 00:34:55,660 --> 00:35:00,236 voynich unfortunately dies in 1930, having failed to unravel 598 00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:03,336 the text of the manuscript or sell it. 599 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:07,536 But his constant promotion has given the voynich manuscript 600 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:09,130 fame and allure. 601 00:35:12,660 --> 00:35:16,436 Over the next several decades, the greatest code breakers in 602 00:35:16,460 --> 00:35:19,936 the world use increasingly cutting edge technology to 603 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:24,436 decipher the manuscript. But it remains a mystery. 604 00:35:24,460 --> 00:35:28,736 Many believe the voynich manuscript can't be cracked. 605 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,700 That is, until now. 606 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:38,636 Forrest fenn's treasure hunt had modern day adventurers 607 00:35:38,660 --> 00:35:42,136 channeling their inner Indiana Jones, but fenn's chest, 608 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:45,576 as impressive as it was, pales in comparison to one of 609 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,876 the biggest hidden treasures ever found, 610 00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:50,476 the nuestra senora de atocha. 611 00:35:50,500 --> 00:35:55,276 In 1985, after a 16-year search, treasure hunter Mel Fisher 612 00:35:55,300 --> 00:35:59,176 struck gold, literally, off the coast of Florida. 613 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:02,976 The atocha, a Spanish galleon lost in 1622, 614 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:07,476 carried a real-life pirates of the Caribbean haul packed with 615 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:11,836 over $400 million in gold, silver, and emeralds. 616 00:36:11,860 --> 00:36:14,836 Fenn's hunt may have sparked modern-day gold fever, 617 00:36:14,860 --> 00:36:18,436 but the atocha is the holy grail of treasure finds, 618 00:36:18,460 --> 00:36:22,376 one that transformed Fisher, an Indiana-born chicken farmer, 619 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:25,376 into one of the world's greatest and wealthiest 620 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,000 treasure hunters. 621 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,336 The mystery of the voynich manuscript has stumped scholars 622 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:35,936 for over a century. 623 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:39,336 Then, in 2009, a new revelation. 624 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:43,036 Researchers at the university of Arizona carbon-tested 625 00:36:43,060 --> 00:36:48,876 the calfskin pages, dating them to 1404 to 1438 ad. 626 00:36:48,900 --> 00:36:52,736 This means voynich's theory of Roger bacon and a manual of 627 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:54,236 magic is off the table. 628 00:36:54,260 --> 00:36:57,936 Unless bacon invented time travel, too, there is no way 629 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:01,536 a 13th-century philosopher could write on something from 630 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:03,336 the 15th century. 631 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:08,436 Now, a recent book published by scholar Stephen Skinner could 632 00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:12,136 reshape our understanding of this enigmatic text. 633 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:15,136 For a long time, people believed that whoever 634 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:18,876 wrote the book must have been somebody of note. 635 00:37:18,900 --> 00:37:23,276 But historian sami jarroush has done an in-depth study of this 636 00:37:23,300 --> 00:37:24,736 new theory. 637 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:30,436 Stephen Skinner, in his book, posits a theory that the author 638 00:37:30,460 --> 00:37:34,976 of this book is a Jewish physician, a Jewish herbalist 639 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,836 living in northern Italy in the 1400s. 640 00:37:37,860 --> 00:37:39,076 Here's why. 641 00:37:39,100 --> 00:37:44,736 Skinner starts to take a closer look at the visual aspects of 642 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:48,036 the book, all these drawings of these bizarre plants, 643 00:37:48,060 --> 00:37:52,636 and what might these drawings have to do with the authorship 644 00:37:52,660 --> 00:37:53,976 of this book. 645 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:57,536 When considering the images in the book, some of the most 646 00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:01,500 perplexing are the pictures of the nude female bathers. 647 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:06,676 Skinner starts to put pieces together, and he comes to 648 00:38:06,700 --> 00:38:10,176 the conclusion that, wait, these aren't just random 649 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:11,476 nude bathers that exist. 650 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:14,376 These baths are what's called a "mikvah." 651 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:18,330 A mikvah is this ritualistic bathing 652 00:38:19,260 --> 00:38:22,736 that is done by orthodox Jewish women. 653 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:25,836 Skinner goes on to posit that the only person who would 654 00:38:25,860 --> 00:38:28,436 really know about this would be somebody from 655 00:38:28,460 --> 00:38:31,300 a Jewish background. But there's more. 656 00:38:32,100 --> 00:38:36,376 One of the other clues that he sees is that in the book, 657 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:40,836 you have these sort of ramparts that were very specific to 658 00:38:40,860 --> 00:38:42,076 these castles. 659 00:38:42,100 --> 00:38:44,976 These were only found in parts of Italy around 660 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,206 the 15th century. 661 00:38:46,230 --> 00:38:49,736 Now, in that region of Italy, you have these towns in these 662 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,076 cities like pisa, for example, which had a very large 663 00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:53,007 Jewish population. 664 00:38:53,031 --> 00:38:55,436 On top of that, he's also recognizing that 665 00:38:55,460 --> 00:38:58,776 the indecipherable language in the book, what's been labeled 666 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:01,736 as voynichese, and he's thinking to himself, 667 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:05,236 "it could be a book that is filled with a lot of medicinal 668 00:39:05,260 --> 00:39:06,676 and medical knowledge." 669 00:39:06,700 --> 00:39:09,836 This is a physician that understands 670 00:39:09,860 --> 00:39:12,236 medicine, that understands herbs, plants, so on 671 00:39:12,260 --> 00:39:13,500 and so forth. 672 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:15,876 This is fascinating. 673 00:39:15,900 --> 00:39:19,976 We have a Jewish doctor from the 1400s living in Italy, 674 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:21,576 writing a book about medicine. 675 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,500 But the last question is, "why the indecipherable code?" 676 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:31,836 So perhaps because the types of plants that they're talking 677 00:39:31,860 --> 00:39:33,936 about, or the types of herbs or medicines that they're 678 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,736 talking about, might be something that this particular 679 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,636 physician didn't want other people to know or be familiar 680 00:39:39,660 --> 00:39:44,576 with, perhaps this type of writing is a sort of shorthand. 681 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,936 So in a sense, it's a way to try to keep his secrets for 682 00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:52,336 himself, so that potentially this physician could stay ahead 683 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:55,076 of his competitors, because they have this 684 00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:57,636 potentially secret knowledge that they've written down in 685 00:39:57,660 --> 00:39:59,100 this book. 686 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:03,976 Interestingly enough, soon after his new theory is 687 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,336 published, a pair of Canadian computer scientists at 688 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:11,376 the artificial intelligence lab at the university of alberta 689 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:13,736 claim to have solved the language part of 690 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:14,776 the voynich code. 691 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:18,236 They fed the text into an AI trained to recognize 692 00:40:18,260 --> 00:40:20,300 380 languages. 693 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:24,836 The AI's analysis of letter frequencies suggested the text 694 00:40:24,860 --> 00:40:28,476 was coded in alpha grams, where letters are shuffled 695 00:40:28,500 --> 00:40:30,476 and vowels are omitted. 696 00:40:30,500 --> 00:40:33,076 Based on this, they concluded that the text 697 00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:37,176 was most likely written in Hebrew, further supporting 698 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:38,660 this new theory. 699 00:40:40,100 --> 00:40:43,576 When wilford voynich picked up a dusty manuscript over 100 700 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:46,676 years ago, he couldn't have predicted just how much this 701 00:40:46,700 --> 00:40:48,836 one book would captivate the world. 702 00:40:48,860 --> 00:40:51,876 The newest evidence suggests the author of this 703 00:40:51,900 --> 00:40:55,436 incomprehensible text was not a magician, not a spy, 704 00:40:55,460 --> 00:40:58,336 not an extraterrestrial, or even voynich himself, 705 00:40:58,360 --> 00:40:59,576 but rather a doctor. 706 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:05,076 This may simply be a medical text, albeit a very exotic one. 707 00:41:05,100 --> 00:41:06,636 But what does it actually say? 708 00:41:06,660 --> 00:41:09,476 Well, today, the voynich manuscript rests 709 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:11,236 safely in a library at Yale. 710 00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:14,536 The entire volume is also digitized and available to 711 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:15,537 the public online. 712 00:41:15,561 --> 00:41:18,736 Just waiting for the next curious mind to try 713 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:21,736 and decipher the most mysterious book in the world. 714 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:23,836 Good luck. I'm Josh gates. 715 00:41:23,860 --> 00:41:26,560 Until next time, travel adventurously.