Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:02,336 --> 00:00:03,836
[dramatic music]
2
00:00:03,921 --> 00:00:06,721
Fishburne: Tonight
a mysterious medieval book
3
00:00:06,798 --> 00:00:10,008
written in
a secret language so complex
4
00:00:10,093 --> 00:00:13,013
that even the world’s best
code breakers can’t crack it.
5
00:00:13,096 --> 00:00:14,466
♪ ♪
6
00:00:14,556 --> 00:00:15,846
- No one has been able
7
00:00:15,933 --> 00:00:19,733
to translate
or read a single word,
8
00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:21,193
a single letter.
9
00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:23,861
Fishburne: Known as
the "Voynich Manuscript,"
10
00:00:23,941 --> 00:00:26,191
it’s obsessed everyone
from scholars
11
00:00:26,276 --> 00:00:27,816
to conspiracy theorists.
12
00:00:27,903 --> 00:00:30,533
- They sincerely believe
that this book
13
00:00:30,614 --> 00:00:33,584
has something
monumental to share.
14
00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:35,870
Fishburne: Now we’ll uncover
the top theories
15
00:00:35,953 --> 00:00:39,663
surrounding the origins
of this cryptic text.
16
00:00:39,748 --> 00:00:42,708
- Voynich thinks this is
some sort of secret manual
17
00:00:42,793 --> 00:00:44,503
for the practice of alchemy.
18
00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:48,206
- The "Voynich Manuscript"
is written in glossolalia,
19
00:00:48,298 --> 00:00:51,588
which is
the language of tongues.
20
00:00:51,677 --> 00:00:55,887
- Has he pulled off one of
the greatest hoaxes in history?
21
00:00:55,973 --> 00:00:58,103
Fishburne: Can modern
technology finally unlock
22
00:00:58,183 --> 00:01:00,773
its impenetrable code?
23
00:01:00,852 --> 00:01:03,772
- It’s the first definitive
answer we have about this book
24
00:01:03,897 --> 00:01:05,647
in 400 years.
25
00:01:05,774 --> 00:01:08,744
Fishburne: What is
the "Voynich Manuscript"?
26
00:01:08,819 --> 00:01:15,779
♪ ♪
27
00:01:25,836 --> 00:01:31,796
♪ ♪
28
00:01:31,883 --> 00:01:34,683
Just outside Rome,
famed Polish-American
29
00:01:34,803 --> 00:01:38,013
rare bookseller
Wilfrid Voynich
30
00:01:38,140 --> 00:01:42,230
enters a centuries-old
Jesuit college.
31
00:01:42,311 --> 00:01:44,271
- Voynich operates what
32
00:01:44,354 --> 00:01:46,734
is probably the world’s largest
33
00:01:46,815 --> 00:01:49,775
rare books business
at the time.
34
00:01:49,860 --> 00:01:52,450
He’s got this incredible knack
35
00:01:52,529 --> 00:01:55,069
for digging up
the most valuable
36
00:01:55,157 --> 00:01:58,697
and the most sought-after
manuscripts on the planet.
37
00:01:58,827 --> 00:02:02,497
His collection
is worth millions.
38
00:02:02,581 --> 00:02:05,461
Fishburne: Voynich hopes
his next great find is here.
39
00:02:05,542 --> 00:02:08,342
- The Jesuits need funds
to support their college.
40
00:02:08,462 --> 00:02:11,012
So what they decide to do is,
they decide to sell
41
00:02:11,089 --> 00:02:15,639
some of their most
ancient texts very discreetly.
42
00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:18,469
Voynich negotiates
a shrewd deal as always,
43
00:02:18,555 --> 00:02:21,465
and he adds 30 more books
to his collection,
44
00:02:21,558 --> 00:02:24,638
which he will try to sell
for a significant profit
45
00:02:24,728 --> 00:02:25,808
back at his shop in London.
46
00:02:25,896 --> 00:02:27,396
♪ ♪
47
00:02:27,522 --> 00:02:30,822
Fishburne: One book
in particular stands out.
48
00:02:30,901 --> 00:02:33,531
- As with all
of his purchases,
49
00:02:33,654 --> 00:02:37,624
Voynich looks
for elaborate bindings,
50
00:02:37,699 --> 00:02:38,869
beautiful books,
51
00:02:38,992 --> 00:02:41,662
heavily illustrated,
illuminated manuscripts,
52
00:02:41,745 --> 00:02:46,715
early printed books, really
things--luxurious objects.
53
00:02:46,833 --> 00:02:51,253
But among them his eye’s
caught by what he later called
54
00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:53,090
an ugly duckling.
55
00:02:53,215 --> 00:02:55,095
- This particular
manuscript is small.
56
00:02:55,217 --> 00:02:58,007
It’s only about
9 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches,
57
00:02:58,095 --> 00:02:59,555
and it’s bound in goatskin.
58
00:02:59,638 --> 00:03:02,848
It’s about 230 pages long,
but there is some evidence
59
00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:04,353
that some of the pages
are missing.
60
00:03:04,434 --> 00:03:07,734
Also, some pages are foldable
sheets of varying size,
61
00:03:07,813 --> 00:03:10,613
and this book is filled
with lines upon lines
62
00:03:10,732 --> 00:03:13,232
of neatly handwritten text
and elaborate drawings.
63
00:03:13,318 --> 00:03:16,398
But here’s the thing.
64
00:03:16,488 --> 00:03:19,198
None of it makes any sense.
65
00:03:19,282 --> 00:03:22,082
♪ ♪
66
00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:24,160
There are a couple hundred
67
00:03:24,246 --> 00:03:27,206
detailed drawings
of plant species,
68
00:03:27,290 --> 00:03:29,460
none of which
can be identified.
69
00:03:29,584 --> 00:03:32,674
There are astrological
drawings of constellations
70
00:03:32,754 --> 00:03:34,714
that don’t even exist.
71
00:03:34,798 --> 00:03:39,088
There’s a section
where nude, pregnant women
72
00:03:39,219 --> 00:03:42,599
are engaging
in these baths and rituals
73
00:03:42,723 --> 00:03:46,433
with these seemingly
interconnected tubes,
74
00:03:46,518 --> 00:03:48,768
and then there are
these strange hybrids,
75
00:03:48,854 --> 00:03:52,694
these plants
with human organs,
76
00:03:52,774 --> 00:03:55,364
and some of these plants
even sprout disembodied heads.
77
00:03:55,444 --> 00:03:58,284
It’s--needless to say,
it’s wild.
78
00:03:58,363 --> 00:03:59,783
But it’s also indecipherable.
79
00:03:59,865 --> 00:04:01,325
♪ ♪
80
00:04:01,450 --> 00:04:03,410
And as for that
lovely handwritten text,
81
00:04:03,493 --> 00:04:06,583
that entire thing
is written in a language
82
00:04:06,663 --> 00:04:08,793
that no one
has ever seen before.
83
00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:11,285
There are very clear
and obvious words and letters,
84
00:04:11,376 --> 00:04:13,456
but they’re
totally unrecognizable.
85
00:04:13,587 --> 00:04:16,967
So Voynich assumes
that this is some type of code.
86
00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:19,260
Fishburne: In addition
to experience with codes,
87
00:04:19,342 --> 00:04:23,262
Voynich speaks Polish,
Russian, and English fluently
88
00:04:23,346 --> 00:04:27,266
and has a working knowledge
of 15 other languages.
89
00:04:27,350 --> 00:04:30,310
- He was born to a noble family
in the Russian Empire.
90
00:04:30,395 --> 00:04:33,515
He was educated at three of
the top universities,
91
00:04:33,648 --> 00:04:37,488
and then he basically becomes
an anti-Czarist revolutionary.
92
00:04:37,611 --> 00:04:38,951
He’s arrested.
93
00:04:39,029 --> 00:04:41,029
He’s sent
to a Siberian prison.
94
00:04:41,156 --> 00:04:42,946
He escapes the prison,
95
00:04:43,033 --> 00:04:44,413
and then he heads to London
96
00:04:44,493 --> 00:04:46,793
where he continues
his revolutionary activities
97
00:04:46,870 --> 00:04:50,210
for a while before a friend
of his at the British Museum
98
00:04:50,332 --> 00:04:52,632
suggested he get into
the rare book trade.
99
00:04:52,709 --> 00:04:53,959
♪ ♪
100
00:04:54,044 --> 00:04:56,174
- Voynich knows
everything there is to know
101
00:04:56,254 --> 00:04:57,764
about rare books.
102
00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,169
He’s connected to all
the top literary scholars.
103
00:05:00,258 --> 00:05:02,928
He knows multiple languages.
104
00:05:03,011 --> 00:05:05,221
He knows all about
codes and code-breaking
105
00:05:05,347 --> 00:05:08,177
from his years
as a Russian revolutionary.
106
00:05:08,308 --> 00:05:11,638
Point is, if anyone
is gonna be able to make sense
107
00:05:11,728 --> 00:05:16,358
out of this manuscript,
it’s gonna be Wilfrid Voynich.
108
00:05:16,441 --> 00:05:18,991
- Voynich spent years
trying to decipher the code--
109
00:05:19,069 --> 00:05:20,699
really the rest of his life--
110
00:05:20,779 --> 00:05:23,279
and he reaches out to all of
the top code breakers
111
00:05:23,365 --> 00:05:26,535
at the time to help,
and none of them can crack it.
112
00:05:26,618 --> 00:05:28,698
He sticks with it,
because he has a hunch
113
00:05:28,787 --> 00:05:30,997
that this might be
the most valuable book
114
00:05:31,081 --> 00:05:32,671
he’s ever encountered,
115
00:05:32,749 --> 00:05:35,879
and if he can figure this out
it could be worth millions.
116
00:05:35,961 --> 00:05:38,001
♪ ♪
117
00:05:38,088 --> 00:05:40,208
- Based on the materials used
to create the book--
118
00:05:40,298 --> 00:05:43,378
the parchment,
the style of ink--
119
00:05:43,510 --> 00:05:47,140
Voynich thinks it’s going
to date to the 13th century.
120
00:05:47,222 --> 00:05:49,722
So while he can’t
decipher the words,
121
00:05:49,808 --> 00:05:51,348
the images of plants
122
00:05:51,434 --> 00:05:54,524
and other sorts of natural
phenomena lead him to conclude
123
00:05:54,604 --> 00:05:56,864
that it’s probably
some sort of guide to a field
124
00:05:56,940 --> 00:05:59,400
that used to be called
natural philosophy.
125
00:05:59,484 --> 00:06:01,194
♪ ♪
126
00:06:01,278 --> 00:06:02,988
And before there were
modern scientists,
127
00:06:03,071 --> 00:06:04,861
this is how people described
the study of nature
128
00:06:04,948 --> 00:06:06,528
in the physical universe.
129
00:06:06,616 --> 00:06:10,196
From Aristotle to Isaac Newton,
all of these "early scientists"
130
00:06:10,287 --> 00:06:12,037
were actually
natural philosophers.
131
00:06:12,122 --> 00:06:13,212
♪ ♪
132
00:06:13,290 --> 00:06:14,580
- So because of that date
133
00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:16,576
and the contents
of the actual manuscript,
134
00:06:16,668 --> 00:06:20,208
Voynich thinks this is
some sort of secret manual
135
00:06:20,297 --> 00:06:22,917
for the practice of alchemy.
136
00:06:23,008 --> 00:06:25,218
Alchemy is this philosophical,
137
00:06:25,302 --> 00:06:28,052
part-science,
part-magic practice
138
00:06:28,138 --> 00:06:31,888
that emerged in medieval
Europe in the 12th century,
139
00:06:31,975 --> 00:06:35,065
and its practitioners tried
to purify certain materials,
140
00:06:35,145 --> 00:06:39,695
so turn lead into gold
and to cure diseases.
141
00:06:39,774 --> 00:06:41,534
Now, none of this stuff
actually worked.
142
00:06:41,610 --> 00:06:43,900
But it was
strongly believed in,
143
00:06:43,987 --> 00:06:47,067
and it was written about
for centuries.
144
00:06:47,157 --> 00:06:50,237
- Alchemists’ real objective
is perfection of the soul,
145
00:06:50,327 --> 00:06:52,077
and they’ll do this
by creating something called
146
00:06:52,162 --> 00:06:54,542
the "magnum opus,"
or "great work,"
147
00:06:54,623 --> 00:06:57,293
which was
the philosopher’s stone,
148
00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:59,457
a mythical substance
that was said to be able
149
00:06:59,586 --> 00:07:02,586
to grant immortality
among other things.
150
00:07:02,672 --> 00:07:04,222
Fishburne:
According to Voynich,
151
00:07:04,299 --> 00:07:08,089
there is only one early
alchemist brilliant enough
152
00:07:08,178 --> 00:07:10,808
to have produced this book.
153
00:07:10,931 --> 00:07:12,271
- Almost no one in Europe
154
00:07:12,349 --> 00:07:14,479
was creating
alchemy textbooks at the time.
155
00:07:14,559 --> 00:07:16,599
They were
just translating older works.
156
00:07:16,686 --> 00:07:18,766
So Voynich thinks
this is Roger Bacon.
157
00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:24,685
♪ ♪
158
00:07:24,819 --> 00:07:26,609
- Voynich believes
the book is written in code,
159
00:07:26,696 --> 00:07:28,566
because he believes that
whoever wrote it
160
00:07:28,657 --> 00:07:30,487
needed to keep something
secret.
161
00:07:30,617 --> 00:07:34,157
- Roger Bacon, today he is
incredibly well-respected.
162
00:07:34,245 --> 00:07:36,035
He’s known
as one of the early pioneers
163
00:07:36,164 --> 00:07:37,624
of the scientific method.
164
00:07:37,707 --> 00:07:39,207
He was
the first person in Europe
165
00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:41,634
to record
the formula for gunpowder.
166
00:07:41,711 --> 00:07:44,631
But here’s the problem,
he’s also a monk
167
00:07:44,714 --> 00:07:46,974
and a modest member
of the clergy.
168
00:07:47,050 --> 00:07:49,140
And the Church
doesn’t take too kindly
169
00:07:49,219 --> 00:07:52,509
to some of his more
out-there alchemy practices.
170
00:07:52,597 --> 00:07:55,307
Fishburne: In fact,
some of Bacon’s contemporaries
171
00:07:55,392 --> 00:07:59,402
accuse him of being a wizard.
172
00:07:59,521 --> 00:08:02,981
- He has an automated,
mechanical clockwork head
173
00:08:03,066 --> 00:08:06,356
that he talks to
and consults with,
174
00:08:06,444 --> 00:08:09,494
and like all alchemists,
he’s also obsessed with forging
175
00:08:09,572 --> 00:08:13,492
the philosopher’s stone
and granting immortality.
176
00:08:13,576 --> 00:08:16,996
But in the Church, only God
can grant eternal life.
177
00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,080
So these are some very
dangerous heretical ideas
178
00:08:20,208 --> 00:08:23,168
that Bacon is toying with
right under the watchful eye
179
00:08:23,253 --> 00:08:25,003
of his Franciscan superiors.
180
00:08:25,088 --> 00:08:27,168
But Bacon’s
not entirely a crackpot.
181
00:08:27,257 --> 00:08:28,667
♪ ♪
182
00:08:28,758 --> 00:08:30,088
- He thinks that there’s a way
183
00:08:30,218 --> 00:08:35,008
to bring the Church
and science together.
184
00:08:35,098 --> 00:08:37,138
Not everyone agrees with him.
185
00:08:37,225 --> 00:08:40,015
- He thinks these ideas
can complement each other.
186
00:08:40,103 --> 00:08:42,863
They don’t
have to be antagonists.
187
00:08:42,939 --> 00:08:46,439
- It’s very fortunate for Bacon
that he has the protection
188
00:08:46,568 --> 00:08:52,408
of a very high-placed patron
and intellectual correspondent,
189
00:08:52,490 --> 00:08:54,660
the pope, Clement IV.
190
00:08:54,743 --> 00:08:58,753
Fishburne: But when
Pope Clement dies in 1268,
191
00:08:58,872 --> 00:09:01,252
Roger Bacon’s protection
is gone,
192
00:09:01,332 --> 00:09:03,712
and within a decade
he’s arrested.
193
00:09:03,793 --> 00:09:06,423
- Bacon is eventually allowed
to return to his studies.
194
00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:08,706
But he never puts forth
any more of these so-called
195
00:09:08,798 --> 00:09:10,048
"heretical texts."
196
00:09:10,133 --> 00:09:11,883
He mostly sticks
to theological writing.
197
00:09:11,968 --> 00:09:13,888
♪ ♪
198
00:09:13,970 --> 00:09:15,600
Unless, of course,
he continued
199
00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:17,890
his alchemy research in secret
200
00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:21,104
and wrote it all
into a coded book.
201
00:09:21,186 --> 00:09:26,356
- So if Voynich is right
and this manuscript can be
202
00:09:26,441 --> 00:09:29,241
definitively affiliated
with Roger Bacon,
203
00:09:29,319 --> 00:09:31,569
suddenly the manuscript itself
204
00:09:31,654 --> 00:09:35,124
would be worth
untold amounts of money.
205
00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,620
Fishburne:
First, Voynich must prove
206
00:09:37,702 --> 00:09:40,252
Bacon truly authored
the manuscript.
207
00:09:40,330 --> 00:09:41,910
- Even though Voynich
can’t crack the code,
208
00:09:41,998 --> 00:09:45,458
he does find a letter dated
back to 1665 that’s written
209
00:09:45,585 --> 00:09:48,165
by a very important
Czech scientist and doctor
210
00:09:48,296 --> 00:09:50,586
named Jan Marek Marci.
211
00:09:50,673 --> 00:09:52,093
He says he has a coded book
212
00:09:52,175 --> 00:09:53,975
that fits precisely this
description,
213
00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:55,644
and he’s giving it
to his friend,
214
00:09:55,762 --> 00:09:59,772
a renowned code breaker,
Athanasius Kircher.
215
00:09:59,849 --> 00:10:02,479
Marci also gives a little bit
of history on the book.
216
00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:03,770
He says it was bought
217
00:10:03,853 --> 00:10:06,113
by the Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II of Germany
218
00:10:06,189 --> 00:10:09,479
about 100 years prior
sometime in the late 1500s
219
00:10:09,609 --> 00:10:11,149
for a large sum of gold.
220
00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:14,106
The letter mentions
Roger Bacon by name
221
00:10:14,197 --> 00:10:16,817
as the potential author
in the late 1200s.
222
00:10:16,908 --> 00:10:20,908
Fishburne: How did the book go
from Bacon to Emperor Rudolf?
223
00:10:20,995 --> 00:10:24,785
- Wilfrid Voynich thinks the
connection is Dr. John Dee.
224
00:10:24,874 --> 00:10:27,344
Dr. Dee was born in 1527.
225
00:10:27,418 --> 00:10:30,458
He’s a member of the court
of Queen Elizabeth I,
226
00:10:30,547 --> 00:10:32,297
and he’s an avid astrologer
227
00:10:32,382 --> 00:10:35,012
and an occult scientist
who studies cipher,
228
00:10:35,135 --> 00:10:38,475
and from a young age
he has access to a lot
229
00:10:38,555 --> 00:10:40,145
of Roger Bacon manuscripts.
230
00:10:40,223 --> 00:10:43,063
Fishburne: An accomplished
cryptologist himself,
231
00:10:43,184 --> 00:10:46,654
Dee tries to decode
the manuscript but fails.
232
00:10:46,729 --> 00:10:48,149
♪ ♪
233
00:10:48,231 --> 00:10:50,651
- Eventually, John Dee brings
the manuscript to Prague
234
00:10:50,733 --> 00:10:54,073
where Emperor Rudolf would buy
it from him for 600 ducats
235
00:10:54,195 --> 00:10:56,655
or roughly $100,000 today.
236
00:10:56,739 --> 00:10:59,029
- So Voynich
has this fervent belief
237
00:10:59,117 --> 00:11:00,487
that Roger Bacon
wrote this book.
238
00:11:00,577 --> 00:11:02,997
But all the evidence is
circumstantial at this point.
239
00:11:03,079 --> 00:11:04,289
♪ ♪
240
00:11:04,372 --> 00:11:05,792
If Voynich wants the world
to believe
241
00:11:05,874 --> 00:11:09,044
that this is a Bacon
original and make a fortune,
242
00:11:09,127 --> 00:11:15,217
he’s gotta decode this thing
once and for all.
243
00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:17,510
Fishburne:
A mysterious manuscript
244
00:11:17,594 --> 00:11:20,854
dating back centuries,
one with a seemingly
245
00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:22,680
unbreakable cipher.
246
00:11:22,765 --> 00:11:25,845
When collector Wilfrid Voynich
finds this book,
247
00:11:25,935 --> 00:11:30,015
he spends years trying
to prove who wrote it and why.
248
00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:31,226
- Voynich showcases the book
249
00:11:31,316 --> 00:11:33,566
at exhibitions
and lecture tours
250
00:11:33,651 --> 00:11:36,361
with the hope that
somebody can figure it out.
251
00:11:36,446 --> 00:11:37,736
And of course,
he’s getting fame
252
00:11:37,822 --> 00:11:41,412
and publicity all the while
and hoping to make a sale.
253
00:11:41,492 --> 00:11:44,202
- He’s trying to sell it
for $100,000,
254
00:11:44,287 --> 00:11:46,907
which would be the most
anyone had ever gotten
255
00:11:46,998 --> 00:11:50,628
for an old manuscript
ever in history.
256
00:11:50,752 --> 00:11:52,382
[dramatic music]
257
00:11:52,462 --> 00:11:53,592
- Other top code breakers
258
00:11:53,671 --> 00:11:55,131
are trying to decipher
the book as well.
259
00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:56,416
For example, you’ve got
William Friedman,
260
00:11:56,507 --> 00:11:58,047
the man who’s responsible for
261
00:11:58,134 --> 00:12:00,894
breaking the Japanese code
Purple during World War II.
262
00:12:00,970 --> 00:12:02,760
He’s also one of
the founders of the NSA,
263
00:12:02,847 --> 00:12:04,267
one of its chief cryptologists.
264
00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:07,060
He spent 30 years trying
before declaring
265
00:12:07,143 --> 00:12:10,943
that cracking the manuscript’s
code was impossible.
266
00:12:11,064 --> 00:12:14,734
Fishburne: Unfortunately,
Voynich dies in 1930
267
00:12:14,817 --> 00:12:17,277
before he can solve
the mystery.
268
00:12:17,362 --> 00:12:19,782
- When Voynich dies, he leaves
the book to his wife, Ethel,
269
00:12:19,864 --> 00:12:21,574
who lives until 1960.
270
00:12:21,658 --> 00:12:23,448
Then after a couple
of short-term owners,
271
00:12:23,576 --> 00:12:26,616
the book ends up at
the Yale Library in 1969,
272
00:12:26,746 --> 00:12:28,956
where it remains today.
273
00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,130
It’s an artifact that
to this day
274
00:12:31,209 --> 00:12:32,749
captures
the public’s imagination,
275
00:12:32,835 --> 00:12:36,955
because it’s both
intriguing and infuriating.
276
00:12:37,048 --> 00:12:38,968
I mean, we can see it.
We can touch it.
277
00:12:39,050 --> 00:12:40,260
We know this thing exists.
278
00:12:40,343 --> 00:12:42,143
It’s not a figment
of anyone’s imagination,
279
00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:45,260
except no one knows
exactly what it is.
280
00:12:45,348 --> 00:12:46,678
It remains pure mystery,
281
00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:49,478
and once we have
the advent of the internet,
282
00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:51,810
that mystery explodes.
283
00:12:51,896 --> 00:12:55,016
♪ ♪
284
00:12:55,149 --> 00:12:57,609
Fishburne: When Yale’s
Beinecke Rare Book Library
285
00:12:57,694 --> 00:13:02,824
posts scanned pages of the
manuscript online in 2004
286
00:13:02,907 --> 00:13:05,827
the book gains
even more attention.
287
00:13:05,910 --> 00:13:07,660
- Suddenly,
the "Voynich Manuscript"
288
00:13:07,745 --> 00:13:09,455
is world-famous.
289
00:13:09,539 --> 00:13:11,039
It’s attracting millions
more people
290
00:13:11,165 --> 00:13:12,455
who want to figure it out.
291
00:13:12,542 --> 00:13:15,292
Every year brings
multiple major news stories
292
00:13:15,378 --> 00:13:16,918
about potential breakthroughs.
293
00:13:17,005 --> 00:13:21,015
Fishburne: One of the biggest
breakthroughs occurs in 2009
294
00:13:21,092 --> 00:13:23,802
at the University of Arizona.
295
00:13:23,886 --> 00:13:26,006
- Researchers realized that
while the language of the book
296
00:13:26,097 --> 00:13:28,307
might be
impossible to understand,
297
00:13:28,391 --> 00:13:31,191
the book’s
physical materials aren’t.
298
00:13:31,311 --> 00:13:33,651
They can be analyzed.
299
00:13:33,730 --> 00:13:35,520
- The 234 pages of the book
300
00:13:35,606 --> 00:13:37,646
are made up
of calfskin parchment,
301
00:13:37,734 --> 00:13:40,034
and because
they are organic in nature,
302
00:13:40,111 --> 00:13:42,321
they can be radiocarbon dated.
303
00:13:42,405 --> 00:13:43,955
This is obviously a big deal.
304
00:13:44,032 --> 00:13:46,032
This is a chance
to finally get some answers
305
00:13:46,117 --> 00:13:48,617
that have eluded scholars
for generations.
306
00:13:48,703 --> 00:13:51,083
They take samples from
several sections of the book
307
00:13:51,205 --> 00:13:52,495
just to be sure.
308
00:13:52,582 --> 00:13:53,872
Fishburne:
But the results aren’t
309
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,210
what anyone anticipated.
310
00:13:56,294 --> 00:13:57,504
- Remember,
Wilfrid Voynich thought
311
00:13:57,587 --> 00:14:01,627
this was a 13th-century text
by Roger Bacon.
312
00:14:01,716 --> 00:14:05,426
But the pages date back
to the early 15th century,
313
00:14:05,553 --> 00:14:09,433
so about a 140 years after
Roger Bacon’s death.
314
00:14:09,557 --> 00:14:11,727
And just like that
the primary theory
315
00:14:11,851 --> 00:14:15,021
behind this strange book
is shot down.
316
00:14:15,104 --> 00:14:17,234
But this is still
fantastic news.
317
00:14:17,357 --> 00:14:19,397
It’s probably the first
definitive answer
318
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:22,695
we have about this book
in over 400 years.
319
00:14:22,779 --> 00:14:25,199
So now that the parchment’s
been dated,
320
00:14:25,281 --> 00:14:27,741
scholars want to keep
the momentum going.
321
00:14:27,825 --> 00:14:32,575
- So Voynich’s hypothesis that
this was a 13th-century book
322
00:14:32,705 --> 00:14:34,915
led him to research
what possible authors
323
00:14:34,999 --> 00:14:36,919
there could’ve been
in the 13th century
324
00:14:37,001 --> 00:14:38,751
to write an alchemical text,
325
00:14:38,878 --> 00:14:40,088
and that led him
to Roger Bacon.
326
00:14:40,171 --> 00:14:41,881
♪ ♪
327
00:14:41,964 --> 00:14:44,224
With this new dating
of the manuscript,
328
00:14:44,300 --> 00:14:45,970
scholars do
the same thing again.
329
00:14:46,094 --> 00:14:49,564
They wonder, "In the 1400s,
who’s known to be an author
330
00:14:49,639 --> 00:14:52,729
"and illustrator?
Who’s writing in code?
331
00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:55,559
Who has an interest
in science and alchemy?"
332
00:14:55,645 --> 00:14:59,235
And they think, "Who could’ve
written the book?"
333
00:14:59,315 --> 00:15:02,395
Fishburne: In 2017
one researcher announces
334
00:15:02,485 --> 00:15:05,405
she might know the answer.
335
00:15:05,488 --> 00:15:07,948
- Could this book
actually have been written
336
00:15:08,032 --> 00:15:10,912
by none other
than Leonardo da Vinci?
337
00:15:10,993 --> 00:15:14,623
♪ ♪
338
00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:18,415
Dr. Edith Sherwood is a
retired biomedical scientist,
339
00:15:18,501 --> 00:15:20,421
and these days
she’s fascinated
340
00:15:20,503 --> 00:15:22,213
by the "Voynich Manuscript,"
341
00:15:22,296 --> 00:15:24,466
and she spent countless hours
studying it,
342
00:15:24,549 --> 00:15:25,759
and according to her,
343
00:15:25,842 --> 00:15:29,142
there’s only one European
author in the 1400s
344
00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:30,930
that fits the bill.
345
00:15:31,013 --> 00:15:33,603
- In 2002 she publishes
an article
346
00:15:33,683 --> 00:15:35,983
comparing the manuscript to
the notebooks and other works
347
00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:38,100
of Leonardo da Vinci.
348
00:15:38,187 --> 00:15:40,977
So then, all of a sudden,
she has this new evidence
349
00:15:41,065 --> 00:15:42,355
of the carbon dating.
350
00:15:42,483 --> 00:15:44,653
So now she really is convinced
she’s onto something.
351
00:15:44,735 --> 00:15:48,605
And she spends more time
researching the manuscript.
352
00:15:48,698 --> 00:15:51,328
15 years later,
she publishes a new article
353
00:15:51,409 --> 00:15:53,289
in much greater detail,
354
00:15:53,369 --> 00:15:57,289
and the evidence she finds
is actually pretty compelling.
355
00:15:57,373 --> 00:15:58,833
Fishburne:
Sherwood starts with a
356
00:15:58,916 --> 00:16:01,586
detailed handwriting analysis.
357
00:16:01,669 --> 00:16:04,169
- Both the anonymous author
of the "Voynich Manuscript"
358
00:16:04,255 --> 00:16:06,595
and Leonardo da Vinci
use a type of writing
359
00:16:06,674 --> 00:16:09,304
that’s called
"humanist miniscule script."
360
00:16:09,385 --> 00:16:10,965
It’s a style that was
developed in Italy
361
00:16:11,053 --> 00:16:12,973
in the early 1400s.
362
00:16:13,055 --> 00:16:14,305
It’s different than a lot
363
00:16:14,390 --> 00:16:15,930
of what was being written
at the time.
364
00:16:16,017 --> 00:16:17,307
Most scholarly texts
were written
365
00:16:17,393 --> 00:16:21,023
in something called
gothic script, or black letter.
366
00:16:21,105 --> 00:16:22,555
And it’s a pretty
obvious difference
367
00:16:22,690 --> 00:16:24,820
when you look at them
side by side.
368
00:16:24,901 --> 00:16:27,321
And not a lot of people
were writing like this.
369
00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:29,863
But Leonardo da Vinci was.
370
00:16:29,947 --> 00:16:31,987
- Not only that,
but Leonardo da Vinci
371
00:16:32,074 --> 00:16:34,164
and the author
of the "Voynich Manuscript"
372
00:16:34,243 --> 00:16:36,543
have a lot of features
that are very similar.
373
00:16:36,621 --> 00:16:38,661
Neither writes
with capital letters.
374
00:16:38,748 --> 00:16:39,998
Neither punctuates.
375
00:16:40,082 --> 00:16:42,842
There are no line breaks
or paragraph breaks.
376
00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:46,049
And also, they never
connect their letters.
377
00:16:46,130 --> 00:16:48,380
Fishburne: Dr. Sherwood
then turns her attention
378
00:16:48,466 --> 00:16:50,836
to the manuscript’s drawings.
379
00:16:50,927 --> 00:16:53,677
- So we all know that
Leonardo da Vinci was--
380
00:16:53,763 --> 00:16:55,973
he’s an okay artist,
to put it mildly.
381
00:16:56,057 --> 00:16:57,267
No, obviously, he’s great.
382
00:16:57,391 --> 00:16:59,061
All you have to do
is look at his works,
383
00:16:59,185 --> 00:17:00,235
like the "Mona Lisa,"
which show off
384
00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:01,563
his otherworldly talent.
385
00:17:01,646 --> 00:17:05,396
But in his notebooks,
they’re just full
386
00:17:05,483 --> 00:17:08,403
of these crude drawings
and studies.
387
00:17:08,486 --> 00:17:09,816
- Of course,
no one would suggest
388
00:17:09,904 --> 00:17:12,364
that the illustrations
from the "Voynich Manuscript"
389
00:17:12,448 --> 00:17:17,828
rise to the level of da Vinci’s
greatest works or mature works.
390
00:17:17,912 --> 00:17:20,412
Nevertheless,
there are some similarities.
391
00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:22,420
- The one thing
that was very hard to do
392
00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,250
in the 15th century,
when drawing and writing,
393
00:17:24,335 --> 00:17:26,885
was to create perfect circles.
394
00:17:26,963 --> 00:17:28,593
Without
modern drafting equipment,
395
00:17:28,673 --> 00:17:31,553
only really, really
talented artists
396
00:17:31,634 --> 00:17:35,264
could create a perfect circle
only using pen and ink.
397
00:17:35,346 --> 00:17:37,056
But da Vinci could
398
00:17:37,139 --> 00:17:39,559
and so could the author
of the "Voynich Manuscript."
399
00:17:39,642 --> 00:17:41,232
Fishburne:
Dr. Sherwood believes
400
00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:45,900
one page of circular drawings
provides the best clue of all.
401
00:17:45,982 --> 00:17:49,782
- There’s an astrological chart
representing the sign of Aries
402
00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:54,240
with 15 nude women
sitting in birthing tubs.
403
00:17:54,323 --> 00:17:55,993
The women appear
to be pregnant,
404
00:17:56,117 --> 00:17:58,987
and in one of the tubs
there’s a baby,
405
00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:01,910
and that mother no longer
appears to be pregnant.
406
00:18:01,998 --> 00:18:06,128
The woman is holding a striped
string with a star on the end.
407
00:18:06,252 --> 00:18:09,422
And all the other women
are holding plain strings.
408
00:18:09,505 --> 00:18:14,255
According to Dr. Sherwood,
this page is a birth record.
409
00:18:14,343 --> 00:18:16,263
- Aries the ram
represents the month of April,
410
00:18:16,345 --> 00:18:17,755
and because of the 15 women,
411
00:18:17,847 --> 00:18:21,977
she believes that this birth
took place on April 15th.
412
00:18:22,059 --> 00:18:23,939
And the woman holding the baby
is positioned
413
00:18:24,020 --> 00:18:26,650
roughly at 10:00,
and guess what.
414
00:18:26,731 --> 00:18:30,321
Leonardo da Vinci was born
just around 10:00 p.m.
415
00:18:30,401 --> 00:18:33,531
on April 15, 1452.
416
00:18:33,654 --> 00:18:34,994
- And of course,
the final clue
417
00:18:35,072 --> 00:18:37,162
is that the manuscript
is written in code,
418
00:18:37,241 --> 00:18:40,041
and Leonardo da Vinci famously
wrote his notebooks in code
419
00:18:40,161 --> 00:18:41,451
throughout his adult life,
420
00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:43,867
and he typically used
a mirror-image code
421
00:18:43,998 --> 00:18:48,628
that also sometimes combined
or separated certain words.
422
00:18:48,711 --> 00:18:50,501
Fishburne:
Could the "Voynich Manuscript"
423
00:18:50,630 --> 00:18:53,470
be da Vinci’s
first coded notebook?
424
00:18:53,549 --> 00:18:55,629
- The mystery might be
even bigger than that.
425
00:18:55,718 --> 00:18:58,798
I mean, was Leonardo da Vinci
writing in code to hide
426
00:18:58,888 --> 00:19:00,808
some great secrets of alchemy
427
00:19:00,890 --> 00:19:03,980
that he had discovered
or medical cures?
428
00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:07,480
Is the legacy
of history’s greatest genius
429
00:19:07,563 --> 00:19:10,323
even greater than we thought?
430
00:19:10,399 --> 00:19:12,689
Until it’s deciphered,
we just won’t know.
431
00:19:18,157 --> 00:19:19,867
Fishburne: For over 100 years,
432
00:19:19,992 --> 00:19:23,542
people have speculated on what
the "Voynich Manuscript" is
433
00:19:23,663 --> 00:19:25,083
and who created it.
434
00:19:25,206 --> 00:19:28,376
After successfully carbon
dating the book’s parchment
435
00:19:28,501 --> 00:19:30,041
to the 15th century,
436
00:19:30,169 --> 00:19:35,379
researcher seek other
technology to help understand.
437
00:19:35,508 --> 00:19:37,928
- Dating the book
is a huge breakthrough,
438
00:19:38,052 --> 00:19:39,972
but, of course,
that still can’t help us
439
00:19:40,054 --> 00:19:41,394
determine what it is.
440
00:19:41,514 --> 00:19:44,564
We know the approximate date
of its creation,
441
00:19:44,684 --> 00:19:46,734
but that’s really about it.
442
00:19:46,811 --> 00:19:48,401
[dramatic music]
443
00:19:48,521 --> 00:19:50,061
And there’s really only one
way to fully understand
444
00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:53,479
this book, and that’s
to decode the writing,
445
00:19:53,567 --> 00:19:55,277
to figure out
what language this is,
446
00:19:55,403 --> 00:19:58,953
what cipher they used,
and start to translate it.
447
00:19:59,073 --> 00:20:02,083
Fishburne: Unfortunately,
it’s a code no human
448
00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,291
has ever been able to crack.
449
00:20:04,412 --> 00:20:06,912
But could there be
another way?
450
00:20:07,039 --> 00:20:09,999
♪ ♪
451
00:20:10,084 --> 00:20:12,634
- In 2016
some computing scientists
452
00:20:12,753 --> 00:20:15,093
at the University of Alberta
in Canada
453
00:20:15,172 --> 00:20:16,922
start doing something
incredible
454
00:20:17,049 --> 00:20:17,969
with the "Voynich Manuscript."
455
00:20:18,092 --> 00:20:19,262
♪ ♪
456
00:20:19,343 --> 00:20:21,433
They work with
artificial intelligence,
457
00:20:21,554 --> 00:20:24,934
and they realize,
"Hey, maybe our AI computer
458
00:20:25,057 --> 00:20:29,517
can finally decipher this text
where others have failed.
459
00:20:29,603 --> 00:20:33,443
Fishburne: The project is led
by Professor Greg Kondrak.
460
00:20:33,566 --> 00:20:34,936
- Their exact field of study
461
00:20:35,067 --> 00:20:37,437
is called
natural language processing.
462
00:20:37,570 --> 00:20:40,280
So it combines computer
science and linguistics
463
00:20:40,406 --> 00:20:42,276
and artificial intelligence,
464
00:20:42,366 --> 00:20:44,866
and the goal
is to improve interactions
465
00:20:44,952 --> 00:20:47,622
between computers
and human language.
466
00:20:47,747 --> 00:20:49,117
♪ ♪
467
00:20:49,248 --> 00:20:51,458
- Basically,
their ultimate goal
468
00:20:51,542 --> 00:20:54,502
is to create a computer that
you could give any document
469
00:20:54,628 --> 00:20:57,298
in any language
in the history of mankind,
470
00:20:57,423 --> 00:20:58,513
and that computer would be able
471
00:20:58,632 --> 00:21:02,142
to recognize it
and understand and analyze it.
472
00:21:02,261 --> 00:21:03,471
Fishburne:
With the right inputs,
473
00:21:03,596 --> 00:21:05,846
the computer
might even be able to decipher
474
00:21:05,973 --> 00:21:09,483
a complicated code
in an unidentified language.
475
00:21:09,602 --> 00:21:10,642
- It is a challenge.
476
00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:13,150
But the computer is programmed
477
00:21:13,272 --> 00:21:15,022
to recognize
any and all patterns
478
00:21:15,149 --> 00:21:17,069
and compare them
with known languages,
479
00:21:17,151 --> 00:21:20,031
and it can do this thousands
and thousands of times
480
00:21:20,154 --> 00:21:24,204
faster than a human can.
So it’s worth a shot.
481
00:21:24,325 --> 00:21:26,665
Fishburne: Kondrak starts
by entering samples
482
00:21:26,786 --> 00:21:29,656
of 400 different languages.
483
00:21:29,789 --> 00:21:30,709
- The AI goes to work
484
00:21:30,831 --> 00:21:32,371
comparing the
"Voynich Manuscript"
485
00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:34,330
to other languages.
486
00:21:34,460 --> 00:21:37,340
It looks at individual
characters.
487
00:21:37,463 --> 00:21:39,463
It looks at groups of words.
488
00:21:39,548 --> 00:21:41,378
It looks at
how often they’re repeated
489
00:21:41,509 --> 00:21:43,009
and in what combinations,
490
00:21:43,135 --> 00:21:45,385
all the little nuances
that could determine
491
00:21:45,513 --> 00:21:48,143
what language
this was written in.
492
00:21:48,224 --> 00:21:50,184
- Honestly don’t know
if this is going to work,
493
00:21:50,309 --> 00:21:53,189
because this computer
is not designed to read
494
00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:55,482
the "Voynich Manuscript."
However, they work on it
495
00:21:55,564 --> 00:21:57,864
for weeks and weeks,
and after a while,
496
00:21:57,983 --> 00:22:01,703
lo and behold, the computer
gives them an answer.
497
00:22:01,779 --> 00:22:03,909
According to
the artificial intelligence
498
00:22:04,031 --> 00:22:06,201
at the University of Alberta
in Canada,
499
00:22:06,325 --> 00:22:09,195
the "Voynich Manuscript"
is in Hebrew.
500
00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:12,828
♪ ♪
501
00:22:12,915 --> 00:22:14,755
There had been speculation
for quite some time
502
00:22:14,875 --> 00:22:16,035
that the "Voynich Manuscript"
503
00:22:16,126 --> 00:22:18,376
wasn’t written
in a European language,
504
00:22:18,504 --> 00:22:22,264
because had it been written
in Italian or Greek or Latin,
505
00:22:22,383 --> 00:22:25,393
somebody more than likely
would’ve figured it out by now.
506
00:22:25,511 --> 00:22:26,971
♪ ♪
507
00:22:27,054 --> 00:22:29,394
And the researchers actually
went into this thinking
508
00:22:29,473 --> 00:22:31,933
maybe the manuscript
is written in Arabic,
509
00:22:32,059 --> 00:22:36,399
but Hebrew presents
an intriguing possibility.
510
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,150
Fishburne:
Even if they’ve discovered
511
00:22:38,232 --> 00:22:39,692
the language of origin,
512
00:22:39,775 --> 00:22:42,895
the book may take years
to translate.
513
00:22:43,028 --> 00:22:45,568
- The team thinks that not only
was it written in Hebrew,
514
00:22:45,698 --> 00:22:47,618
it was written as an alphagram.
515
00:22:47,741 --> 00:22:50,081
An alphagram is a way
of coding language in which
516
00:22:50,202 --> 00:22:53,752
you present the letters of
a word in alphabetical order.
517
00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:56,753
So for instance,
the alphagram of the word "cat"
518
00:22:56,834 --> 00:22:58,844
would be A-C-T.
519
00:22:58,919 --> 00:23:01,299
The problem, of course,
is that A-C-T
520
00:23:01,422 --> 00:23:04,932
also is the alphagram
for the word "act."
521
00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:07,260
So you can see
the challenges here.
522
00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:10,426
- Compounding those challenges
is the fact that Hebrew
523
00:23:10,556 --> 00:23:12,216
isn’t typically written
with vowels.
524
00:23:12,308 --> 00:23:14,938
So researchers are left
with the painstaking task
525
00:23:15,019 --> 00:23:16,599
of going word by word
526
00:23:16,729 --> 00:23:18,109
swapping in
the Hebrew letters
527
00:23:18,230 --> 00:23:19,940
and then
rearranging those letters
528
00:23:20,065 --> 00:23:21,435
for it to make
some sort of sense.
529
00:23:21,567 --> 00:23:24,107
Fishburne: Slowly
the team makes progress.
530
00:23:24,236 --> 00:23:26,316
- Once you think
you’ve figured out a word,
531
00:23:26,447 --> 00:23:28,157
you move onto the next word.
532
00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:30,952
But if those two words
don’t make sense together,
533
00:23:31,076 --> 00:23:32,946
then you have to go
back to the first word
534
00:23:33,037 --> 00:23:35,117
and try again.
So far, they think
535
00:23:35,247 --> 00:23:37,617
they’ve come up with
three grammatical phrases.
536
00:23:37,750 --> 00:23:44,670
♪ ♪
537
00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:50,304
- Unfortunately,
this AI was never designed
538
00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:53,519
to spend its existence
studying the mysteries
539
00:23:53,641 --> 00:23:55,311
of the "Voynich Manuscript."
540
00:23:55,434 --> 00:23:57,484
So the University
of Alberta team
541
00:23:57,603 --> 00:23:59,693
only brings
its research so far.
542
00:23:59,813 --> 00:24:03,323
All they know is, they think
the book was written in Hebrew.
543
00:24:03,442 --> 00:24:05,192
But we still don’t know
what it says.
544
00:24:05,319 --> 00:24:07,609
Fishburne: Then in 2017
545
00:24:07,696 --> 00:24:11,866
another researcher picks up
where the Canadians left off.
546
00:24:11,992 --> 00:24:13,992
- There’s
a German Egyptologist
547
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:15,329
named Ranier Hannig,
548
00:24:15,454 --> 00:24:18,044
and he also thinks
the book is in Hebrew,
549
00:24:18,165 --> 00:24:20,825
and he spends
three years studying it,
550
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,170
and he makes some progress
in translating it,
551
00:24:23,295 --> 00:24:26,335
and he publishes his findings
in 2020.
552
00:24:26,465 --> 00:24:29,175
Hannig manages to translate
a number of paragraphs
553
00:24:29,301 --> 00:24:32,351
on multiple pages,
and according to his findings,
554
00:24:32,471 --> 00:24:34,681
it looks like
the "Voynich Manuscript"
555
00:24:34,807 --> 00:24:36,557
might be a book of prophecy.
556
00:24:36,684 --> 00:24:42,524
♪ ♪
557
00:24:42,648 --> 00:24:45,358
On one particular page,
according to Hannig,
558
00:24:45,484 --> 00:24:47,364
it says...
559
00:24:58,163 --> 00:25:01,583
Fishburne: Is the "Voynich
Manuscript" a Hebrew manual
560
00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:03,339
for predicting the future?
561
00:25:03,419 --> 00:25:04,749
- For quite a while now,
562
00:25:04,878 --> 00:25:07,088
there have been
two separate schools of thought
563
00:25:07,214 --> 00:25:09,224
about the "Voynich Manuscript."
564
00:25:09,341 --> 00:25:11,181
The first one,
which is also the most popular,
565
00:25:11,260 --> 00:25:17,060
is, what if it’s an encoded
version of a known language?
566
00:25:17,182 --> 00:25:19,602
There are a growing number
of people who think
567
00:25:19,727 --> 00:25:25,067
that could be entirely wrong.
568
00:25:25,190 --> 00:25:26,480
Fishburne: For many decades,
countless code breakers
569
00:25:26,567 --> 00:25:28,487
and scholars
have tried and failed
570
00:25:28,569 --> 00:25:32,909
to decipher the mysterious
"Voynich Manuscript."
571
00:25:33,032 --> 00:25:36,952
Then in 2009 researchers
posed a radical new question.
572
00:25:37,077 --> 00:25:39,577
What if the book
isn’t written in code at all?
573
00:25:39,663 --> 00:25:41,083
[dramatic music]
574
00:25:41,165 --> 00:25:43,835
- Since at least the 1500s
people have assumed
575
00:25:43,917 --> 00:25:47,547
the "Voynich Manuscript"
is encoded.
576
00:25:47,629 --> 00:25:50,669
But recently a new question
has been introduced.
577
00:25:50,758 --> 00:25:52,798
♪ ♪
578
00:25:52,926 --> 00:25:56,346
What if the reason no one’s
been able to crack the code
579
00:25:56,430 --> 00:25:58,310
is because it isn’t a code
at all?
580
00:25:58,432 --> 00:26:00,982
What if it’s
an actual language
581
00:26:01,101 --> 00:26:04,441
but a language
that’s not human?
582
00:26:04,521 --> 00:26:07,071
Think about what it takes
to create a code,
583
00:26:07,149 --> 00:26:08,779
especially one so complex
584
00:26:08,859 --> 00:26:11,899
that it defies translation
for centuries.
585
00:26:11,987 --> 00:26:13,987
So first you have to think
about what you want to write,
586
00:26:14,114 --> 00:26:16,664
and then you have to
convert it into code
587
00:26:16,784 --> 00:26:20,004
letter by letter,
word by word.
588
00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,040
If you look at the case
of another famous code,
589
00:26:23,123 --> 00:26:25,253
the Zodiac Killer,
590
00:26:25,334 --> 00:26:27,884
look at how the symbols
are arranged:
591
00:26:27,961 --> 00:26:30,131
spaced out
and separate from each other.
592
00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:32,375
Because Zodiac
had to stop and think
593
00:26:32,466 --> 00:26:34,176
every step of the way,
594
00:26:34,301 --> 00:26:36,551
each letter sits on its own.
595
00:26:36,637 --> 00:26:39,257
But in the "Voynich Manuscript"
it really looks
596
00:26:39,348 --> 00:26:41,848
like the author
was writing continuously.
597
00:26:41,975 --> 00:26:43,635
The writing is tightly formed.
598
00:26:43,727 --> 00:26:45,977
It flows evenly
from letter to letter.
599
00:26:46,105 --> 00:26:49,325
It’s a swift and continuous
movement of the pen.
600
00:26:49,441 --> 00:26:52,111
They didn’t have to stop
and think about anything.
601
00:26:52,194 --> 00:26:55,204
So some say
even the most ingenious human
602
00:26:55,322 --> 00:26:56,412
couldn’t have pulled this off
603
00:26:56,490 --> 00:27:00,080
while coming up
with an unsolvable code.
604
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,580
- If someone is writing
in this continuous style,
605
00:27:03,664 --> 00:27:06,714
it’s obviously a language
they understood,
606
00:27:06,834 --> 00:27:09,384
and that has
some theorists thinking,
607
00:27:09,503 --> 00:27:11,883
"What if that language
is extraterrestrial?"
608
00:27:12,005 --> 00:27:17,005
♪ ♪
609
00:27:17,136 --> 00:27:20,556
- Did an alien create
the "Voynich Manuscript"?
610
00:27:20,681 --> 00:27:22,721
There are some exciting
precedents for this.
611
00:27:22,850 --> 00:27:24,060
♪ ♪
612
00:27:24,184 --> 00:27:26,444
- Erich von Daniken,
well-known for his book,
613
00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,060
"Chariots of the Gods,"
puts this theory
614
00:27:29,189 --> 00:27:31,609
forward into his book in 1968,
615
00:27:31,692 --> 00:27:34,822
and in that book
von Daniken asserts
616
00:27:34,903 --> 00:27:36,823
that many
of our ancient technologies
617
00:27:36,905 --> 00:27:39,155
were created by aliens,
618
00:27:39,241 --> 00:27:42,661
such as Stonehenge, Pumapunku,
all of these other places--
619
00:27:42,744 --> 00:27:46,254
Easter Island--that we did not
have the technology to create.
620
00:27:46,373 --> 00:27:48,293
So it needed alien assistance.
621
00:27:48,375 --> 00:27:52,915
He also cites a bunch
of literary examples.
622
00:27:53,046 --> 00:27:56,336
- There’s an early world map
known as the Piri Reis map,
623
00:27:56,425 --> 00:27:59,225
and von Daniken describes it
as showing the Earth
624
00:27:59,344 --> 00:28:01,934
as it would be
seen from space,
625
00:28:02,055 --> 00:28:05,805
which, of course, is an
impossible viewpoint in 1513,
626
00:28:05,893 --> 00:28:07,773
when the map was made.
627
00:28:07,895 --> 00:28:09,945
Fishburne: When von Daniken
applies the same logic
628
00:28:10,063 --> 00:28:12,903
to the "Voynich Manuscript,"
he believes he’s finally
629
00:28:12,983 --> 00:28:16,443
unlocked
its mysterious origin.
630
00:28:16,570 --> 00:28:19,910
- In his 2009 book
"History is Wrong,"
631
00:28:19,990 --> 00:28:23,990
von Daniken goes into great
detail about his theory
632
00:28:24,077 --> 00:28:25,947
about the "Voynich Manuscript."
633
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:30,749
He believes that it was
written by an alien astronaut
634
00:28:30,876 --> 00:28:33,626
who was stranded
on Earth in the 1400s
635
00:28:33,754 --> 00:28:37,134
and spent the rest
of his life on planet Earth
636
00:28:37,257 --> 00:28:41,847
recording his observations
in the "Voynich Manuscript."
637
00:28:41,929 --> 00:28:43,299
- Even though
we don’t understand
638
00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:46,020
the written language, the
illustrations seem to indicate
639
00:28:46,099 --> 00:28:48,809
that there was
a crude understanding
640
00:28:48,936 --> 00:28:52,146
perhaps riddled
with inaccuracies.
641
00:28:52,272 --> 00:28:55,192
Could it be
that this alien astronaut
642
00:28:55,275 --> 00:28:58,105
in cataloguing these things
was writing about things,
643
00:28:58,195 --> 00:29:00,575
drawing pictures of things
he didn’t know anything about?
644
00:29:00,656 --> 00:29:03,316
Are we being
observed and studied
645
00:29:03,450 --> 00:29:05,160
by somebody else out there?
646
00:29:05,285 --> 00:29:07,825
♪ ♪
647
00:29:07,955 --> 00:29:11,295
- The alien theory
is obviously pretty out there.
648
00:29:11,375 --> 00:29:14,345
But the concept that the book
is written in its own language
649
00:29:14,461 --> 00:29:17,591
instead of a code, that
definitely could be possible.
650
00:29:17,673 --> 00:29:19,053
And, in fact,
there’s another really
651
00:29:19,132 --> 00:29:21,552
well-documented phenomenon
that this could be.
652
00:29:21,635 --> 00:29:25,685
In 2004 British researchers
Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill
653
00:29:25,806 --> 00:29:28,386
published a book
on the "Voynich Manuscript."
654
00:29:28,475 --> 00:29:29,885
- The theory they put forth
655
00:29:29,977 --> 00:29:31,307
is that
the "Voynich Manuscript"
656
00:29:31,395 --> 00:29:32,905
is written in glossolalia,
657
00:29:32,980 --> 00:29:35,190
which is
the speaking of tongues
658
00:29:35,315 --> 00:29:37,025
or the language of tongues,
659
00:29:37,150 --> 00:29:40,200
in this case,
the writing in tongues.
660
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,320
- There are thousands
of examples of this
661
00:29:42,447 --> 00:29:45,527
catalogued from
antiquity to the present,
662
00:29:45,659 --> 00:29:47,739
and it typically
presents the same way.
663
00:29:47,828 --> 00:29:50,658
Person generates
unintelligible words
664
00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:54,789
that appear to be a language
but can’t be understood,
665
00:29:54,876 --> 00:29:56,746
and in many cases
this is thought to happen
666
00:29:56,837 --> 00:29:59,127
while the person is possessed.
667
00:29:59,214 --> 00:30:01,934
Could that be
what’s happening in Voynich?
668
00:30:02,009 --> 00:30:07,559
♪ ♪
669
00:30:07,681 --> 00:30:10,351
- Kennedy and Churchill
are the first to notice
670
00:30:10,434 --> 00:30:13,604
a potential parallel between
the "Voynich Manuscript"
671
00:30:13,687 --> 00:30:16,857
and the work of
the 12th-century German saint
672
00:30:16,940 --> 00:30:18,400
Hildegard von Bingen.
673
00:30:18,525 --> 00:30:22,395
She wrote hundreds of pages
in a language known as
674
00:30:22,529 --> 00:30:25,489
Lingua Ignota,
or the unknown language.
675
00:30:25,574 --> 00:30:29,544
She had her own script.
She had her own vocabulary.
676
00:30:29,661 --> 00:30:33,751
Both manuscripts contain
perplexing illustrations.
677
00:30:33,874 --> 00:30:37,544
So you could see why the
comparisons suggest itself.
678
00:30:37,669 --> 00:30:40,129
- Hildegard claimed
she was recording visions
679
00:30:40,213 --> 00:30:43,133
that she was receiving
thought to be from the divine.
680
00:30:43,216 --> 00:30:44,586
Fishburne:
Kennedy and Churchill
681
00:30:44,718 --> 00:30:47,298
suggest the same phenomenon
could have afflicted
682
00:30:47,387 --> 00:30:49,927
the Voynich author
causing what is known as
683
00:30:50,057 --> 00:30:53,267
automatic
or possessed writing.
684
00:30:53,393 --> 00:30:56,903
- Historically,
Judeo-Christianity expresses
685
00:30:56,980 --> 00:30:58,770
possession as being
a real thing
686
00:30:58,899 --> 00:31:01,779
from demonic
to angelic possessions.
687
00:31:01,902 --> 00:31:05,282
Jesus has many examples
of Him driving out demons.
688
00:31:05,405 --> 00:31:06,945
For many years
the Catholic Church
689
00:31:07,074 --> 00:31:08,454
tried to downplay possession.
690
00:31:08,575 --> 00:31:11,655
But now
in current times especially
691
00:31:11,745 --> 00:31:14,835
they admit that it exists,
that it is out there,
692
00:31:14,915 --> 00:31:18,135
and there are dozens
if not hundreds
693
00:31:18,251 --> 00:31:20,461
of exorcisms
performed every month.
694
00:31:20,587 --> 00:31:21,837
♪ ♪
695
00:31:21,922 --> 00:31:24,802
- Of course, there will
probably never be any way
696
00:31:24,925 --> 00:31:26,095
to prove this theory.
697
00:31:26,176 --> 00:31:28,466
But it just goes to show
how the "Voynich Manuscript"
698
00:31:28,595 --> 00:31:30,675
has captured
everybody’s imagination.
699
00:31:30,764 --> 00:31:33,774
The possibilities
are literally endless.
700
00:31:33,850 --> 00:31:36,100
- If it turns out the book
wasn’t written in code,
701
00:31:36,186 --> 00:31:38,806
it wasn’t written by an alien,
it wasn’t written by an angel,
702
00:31:38,939 --> 00:31:40,439
a demon,
it wasn’t written
703
00:31:40,524 --> 00:31:43,154
by someone suffering
from mental illness,
704
00:31:43,276 --> 00:31:45,946
we may never be able
to find out what it says.
705
00:31:46,071 --> 00:31:48,491
Maybe this mystery
is truly unsolvable.
706
00:31:53,495 --> 00:31:55,835
Fishburne: One of history’s
most infamous books
707
00:31:55,956 --> 00:31:59,496
is a manuscript
that no one can understand.
708
00:31:59,626 --> 00:32:03,126
But that hasn’t
stopped people from trying.
709
00:32:03,213 --> 00:32:06,593
- After all this time,
no one can read it.
710
00:32:06,675 --> 00:32:08,555
No one can understand it.
711
00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:13,505
We all want to believe that
the manuscript has meaning.
712
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,350
Someone spent a lot of time,
a lot of effort,
713
00:32:17,477 --> 00:32:20,767
and a lot of resources
writing it and drawing on it.
714
00:32:20,856 --> 00:32:24,276
The "Voynich Manuscript"
must have a purpose.
715
00:32:24,359 --> 00:32:25,739
How could it not?
716
00:32:25,819 --> 00:32:29,699
- And that’s why so many people
have dedicated their lives
717
00:32:29,823 --> 00:32:32,373
trying to solve this so-called
Voynich code,
718
00:32:32,492 --> 00:32:34,452
because they sincerely
and firmly believe
719
00:32:34,536 --> 00:32:37,366
that this book has something
monumental to share.
720
00:32:37,497 --> 00:32:39,247
There’s got to be
some sort of amazing secret
721
00:32:39,332 --> 00:32:40,882
it wants to let us know.
722
00:32:41,001 --> 00:32:42,211
Fishburne:
But what if the answer
723
00:32:42,335 --> 00:32:44,335
is something
much more surprising?
724
00:32:44,463 --> 00:32:46,013
[dramatic music]
725
00:32:46,089 --> 00:32:48,719
- As researchers have hit
dead end after dead end
726
00:32:48,842 --> 00:32:51,722
after dead end trying to find
patterns, substitutions,
727
00:32:51,845 --> 00:32:54,315
translations,
languages of origin,
728
00:32:54,389 --> 00:32:58,229
there’s this one burning
question that’s just sitting
729
00:32:58,351 --> 00:32:59,231
in the back of their minds.
730
00:32:59,352 --> 00:33:00,902
No one wants
to admit it out loud.
731
00:33:01,021 --> 00:33:04,901
But what if they’re just
wasting their time?
732
00:33:05,025 --> 00:33:06,535
♪ ♪
733
00:33:06,651 --> 00:33:07,941
In April 2007
734
00:33:08,028 --> 00:33:09,988
Austrian researcher
Andreas Schinner
735
00:33:10,071 --> 00:33:11,911
completes his own
computer analysis
736
00:33:12,032 --> 00:33:13,952
of the "Voynich Manuscript."
737
00:33:14,034 --> 00:33:15,914
Like everyone else,
he’s been looking for patterns
738
00:33:16,036 --> 00:33:17,576
that might crack the code.
739
00:33:17,704 --> 00:33:19,374
But instead, his findings show
740
00:33:19,498 --> 00:33:21,248
that the statistical
properties of the text
741
00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:24,754
are most consistent
with meaningless gibberish.
742
00:33:24,878 --> 00:33:26,878
♪ ♪
743
00:33:26,963 --> 00:33:28,423
If Schinner is correct,
744
00:33:28,548 --> 00:33:31,258
then a lot of people
have spent a lot of time
745
00:33:31,384 --> 00:33:32,644
on a wild goose chase.
746
00:33:32,719 --> 00:33:37,889
♪ ♪
747
00:33:37,974 --> 00:33:41,814
- In some ways a hoax might
be the easiest explanation.
748
00:33:41,895 --> 00:33:46,615
But if so, I mean...wow,
what a hoax.
749
00:33:46,733 --> 00:33:48,483
- Still, hoax or not,
we’re still trying
750
00:33:48,568 --> 00:33:50,448
to find proof
of what this book is,
751
00:33:50,570 --> 00:33:52,160
not just more speculation.
752
00:33:52,239 --> 00:33:54,949
So is there any way to prove
753
00:33:55,075 --> 00:33:58,795
that this book
could have been faked?
754
00:33:58,912 --> 00:34:01,462
- The material, the parchment
on which the manuscript
755
00:34:01,581 --> 00:34:04,001
has been written,
is carbon dated
756
00:34:04,084 --> 00:34:07,464
to the early 15th century.
You can’t fake that.
757
00:34:07,587 --> 00:34:09,627
The parchment is 600 years old.
758
00:34:09,756 --> 00:34:13,466
If somebody in the early 15th
century created the manuscript,
759
00:34:13,593 --> 00:34:17,393
just gibberish,
it will be extremely difficult
760
00:34:17,472 --> 00:34:20,062
to identify who that was.
761
00:34:20,141 --> 00:34:23,811
Fishburne: But there is one
person with a possible motive.
762
00:34:23,937 --> 00:34:26,147
- We’re talking about
none other than
763
00:34:26,273 --> 00:34:28,653
Wilfrid Voynich himself.
764
00:34:28,775 --> 00:34:31,485
♪ ♪
765
00:34:31,611 --> 00:34:34,161
For starters,
Voynich has a financial motive.
766
00:34:34,281 --> 00:34:35,661
Think about this.
Remember, he was going
767
00:34:35,782 --> 00:34:37,832
around the world trying
to convince everybody
768
00:34:37,951 --> 00:34:40,791
that he’s found a long-lost
encoded alchemy guide
769
00:34:40,912 --> 00:34:42,622
written by Roger Bacon,
770
00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:45,827
which, of course, he wants to
sell for quite a lot of money.
771
00:34:45,959 --> 00:34:47,839
Fishburne:
Supporters of the hoax theory
772
00:34:47,961 --> 00:34:51,841
also cite the book’s
complete lack of provenance.
773
00:34:51,965 --> 00:34:53,175
- People begin to realize,
774
00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:57,010
"Wait, there’s actually
no written evidence
775
00:34:57,137 --> 00:35:00,347
"that proves the existence
of the ’Voynich Manuscript’
776
00:35:00,473 --> 00:35:02,183
before Wilfrid Voynich."
777
00:35:02,309 --> 00:35:03,519
♪ ♪
778
00:35:03,643 --> 00:35:05,193
- Remember,
Voynich offers proof
779
00:35:05,312 --> 00:35:07,732
in the form of a 17th-century
letter that he’s found.
780
00:35:07,814 --> 00:35:11,364
But if you actually read the
letter, all it really says
781
00:35:11,484 --> 00:35:14,324
is that there’s
this mysterious book
782
00:35:14,404 --> 00:35:16,494
that we can’t seem
to figure out
783
00:35:16,615 --> 00:35:18,375
and that it was
written by Roger Bacon.
784
00:35:18,491 --> 00:35:21,241
♪ ♪
785
00:35:21,328 --> 00:35:22,788
It doesn’t mention any details
786
00:35:22,871 --> 00:35:25,041
specific to
the "Voynich Manuscript."
787
00:35:25,165 --> 00:35:26,375
There’s no proof
that they’re even talking
788
00:35:26,499 --> 00:35:27,709
about the same book.
789
00:35:27,834 --> 00:35:29,174
♪ ♪
790
00:35:29,294 --> 00:35:32,384
- In fact, some say maybe
Voynich found the letter
791
00:35:32,505 --> 00:35:35,375
and then he made the book
so that he could claim it was
792
00:35:35,508 --> 00:35:38,718
the lost Bacon manuscript
they’re referring to.
793
00:35:38,845 --> 00:35:40,505
Fishburne:
Additionally, Voynich’s story
794
00:35:40,639 --> 00:35:43,219
seems to change
over the years.
795
00:35:43,350 --> 00:35:45,560
- In 1912 he says
he got it in a castle
796
00:35:45,685 --> 00:35:47,015
in southern Europe.
797
00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:50,185
In 1915 he says that
the castle was in Austria.
798
00:35:50,273 --> 00:35:53,613
When Voynich’s wife,
Ethel, dies in 1960,
799
00:35:53,693 --> 00:35:56,533
a letter’s discovered only
to be opened posthumously
800
00:35:56,655 --> 00:35:58,825
that says that he actually
found the manuscript
801
00:35:58,907 --> 00:36:01,407
in a Jesuit order
in Frascati, Italy.
802
00:36:01,534 --> 00:36:03,494
♪ ♪
803
00:36:03,578 --> 00:36:05,118
- It all adds up
to suspicious behavior,
804
00:36:05,205 --> 00:36:07,255
and one has to ask,
805
00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:12,304
is Wilfrid Voynich just this
celebrated and respected
806
00:36:12,379 --> 00:36:16,969
antiquities dealer,
or has he pulled off
807
00:36:17,050 --> 00:36:20,430
one of the single
greatest hoaxes in history?
808
00:36:24,599 --> 00:36:27,389
Fishburne: Is it possible
that the centuries-old mystery
809
00:36:27,477 --> 00:36:31,397
of the "Voynich Manuscript"
is a hoax?
810
00:36:31,481 --> 00:36:33,901
- If it’s a fake,
it’s an incredible fake.
811
00:36:33,983 --> 00:36:36,573
For starters, it uses materials
from the 1400s.
812
00:36:36,653 --> 00:36:40,073
It’s got all of these writings
and drawings and charts
813
00:36:40,156 --> 00:36:42,066
and diagrams.
It has different-sized pages
814
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:44,580
that fold out
in every which way.
815
00:36:44,661 --> 00:36:48,751
It would take a genius-level
expert in antique books
816
00:36:48,832 --> 00:36:50,422
to pull this off.
817
00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:52,922
Fishburne: And some think
that genius is none other
818
00:36:53,002 --> 00:36:55,922
than Wilfrid Voynich himself.
819
00:36:56,005 --> 00:36:59,875
- To some it’s not a question
of how could it be Voynich?
820
00:36:59,968 --> 00:37:03,758
It’s more a question of how
could it not be Voynich?
821
00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:07,598
At some point
between 1908 and 1911
822
00:37:07,684 --> 00:37:10,604
Voynich finds a letter
by Jan Marek Marci
823
00:37:10,687 --> 00:37:14,017
that talks about an encoded
Roger Bacon manuscript.
824
00:37:14,107 --> 00:37:18,107
And then, perhaps, he sets
about forging a fake one.
825
00:37:18,194 --> 00:37:19,784
♪ ♪
826
00:37:19,904 --> 00:37:21,074
- The problem
with this hoax theory,
827
00:37:21,156 --> 00:37:22,776
and it’s the one
a lot of people cite,
828
00:37:22,866 --> 00:37:26,906
is that it’s nearly impossible
for anyone in the modern day
829
00:37:26,995 --> 00:37:30,295
to have access to a lot
of these ancient parchments
830
00:37:30,373 --> 00:37:33,633
and inks and other materials
to create such a thing.
831
00:37:33,710 --> 00:37:37,380
Fishburne: But is it possible
Voynich did?
832
00:37:37,464 --> 00:37:39,974
- Shortly before the appearance
of the manuscript,
833
00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:43,141
Voynich purchases
the entire collection
834
00:37:43,261 --> 00:37:45,971
of the Libreria Franceschini
in Italy.
835
00:37:46,055 --> 00:37:47,305
It’s a private collection
836
00:37:47,432 --> 00:37:49,892
that consists
of over half a million books,
837
00:37:49,976 --> 00:37:52,976
pamphlets, maps,
and other manuscripts.
838
00:37:53,062 --> 00:37:57,152
And we can’t say for sure,
but it is likely that among
839
00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:00,145
that treasure trove
of materials that he purchased
840
00:38:00,278 --> 00:38:06,408
was a large amount of
blank 15th-century parchment.
841
00:38:06,493 --> 00:38:08,663
- In any ancient library
842
00:38:08,745 --> 00:38:11,335
you’re going to find
blank parchment,
843
00:38:11,456 --> 00:38:13,956
whether it’s sewn
into a complete book
844
00:38:14,042 --> 00:38:16,212
or some kind of
a blank notebook
845
00:38:16,336 --> 00:38:20,006
or empty parchment that just
happens to be sitting around.
846
00:38:20,131 --> 00:38:22,841
Many books and manuscripts
have blank pages
847
00:38:22,926 --> 00:38:24,676
at the beginning
or at the end,
848
00:38:24,761 --> 00:38:26,851
another place
where you can find
849
00:38:26,930 --> 00:38:28,680
ancient blank parchment.
850
00:38:28,765 --> 00:38:31,645
- This would have been
a jackpot for Voynich,
851
00:38:31,726 --> 00:38:34,346
and from that moment on
he probably had
852
00:38:34,437 --> 00:38:35,687
everything he needed
to pull this off.
853
00:38:35,772 --> 00:38:38,022
Fishburne:
What about the ink?
854
00:38:38,149 --> 00:38:41,359
- In addition to being
a Polish revolutionary,
855
00:38:41,444 --> 00:38:44,204
a Siberian prison escapee,
856
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:47,160
and one of the world’s
premier rare book dealers,
857
00:38:47,242 --> 00:38:49,542
Voynich also has a training
in chemistry
858
00:38:49,619 --> 00:38:52,369
from when he was a student
at the University of Moscow.
859
00:38:52,497 --> 00:38:55,747
In his restoration work
on his own collections
860
00:38:55,875 --> 00:38:59,455
he sometimes uses that work
to create inks and pigments
861
00:38:59,546 --> 00:39:03,296
to restore books
and manuscripts.
862
00:39:03,383 --> 00:39:04,723
- He may have also had
some help,
863
00:39:04,801 --> 00:39:06,391
because it turns out he had
a covert friendship
864
00:39:06,469 --> 00:39:08,389
with a famous British
secret agent
865
00:39:08,513 --> 00:39:10,263
by the name of Sidney Reilly,
866
00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:13,230
who was also known
as the ace of spies.
867
00:39:13,351 --> 00:39:16,561
Reilly allegedly goes into
the British Museum Library
868
00:39:16,646 --> 00:39:18,226
and takes out a book
that’s called
869
00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:21,396
"Some Observations
on Ancient Inks."
870
00:39:21,526 --> 00:39:26,066
- So according to this theory
Voynich finds the letter,
871
00:39:26,155 --> 00:39:27,905
buys the parchment,
872
00:39:27,991 --> 00:39:30,581
creates the inks
and the pigments,
873
00:39:30,660 --> 00:39:33,250
forges the book,
and there you have it.
874
00:39:33,329 --> 00:39:36,079
Fishburne: If the manuscript
is a forgery
875
00:39:36,165 --> 00:39:38,995
it didn’t turn out
the way Voynich hoped.
876
00:39:39,085 --> 00:39:40,085
- The crazy thing is,
877
00:39:40,169 --> 00:39:41,919
if Voynich was trying to create
878
00:39:42,005 --> 00:39:45,425
a Roger Bacon masterpiece
to sell, he failed.
879
00:39:45,508 --> 00:39:48,588
Voynich was never able
to sell the book.
880
00:39:48,678 --> 00:39:49,638
- The problem is,
881
00:39:49,762 --> 00:39:52,602
he created too good
of a puzzle.
882
00:39:52,682 --> 00:39:55,102
Everyone got so wrapped up
in the story
883
00:39:55,184 --> 00:39:58,104
in cracking the code
and deciphering it
884
00:39:58,187 --> 00:40:00,107
that they started
finding patterns
885
00:40:00,189 --> 00:40:01,939
that Voynich never intended,
886
00:40:02,025 --> 00:40:03,905
clues that weren’t there.
887
00:40:03,985 --> 00:40:06,825
People didn’t want to buy
the thing.
888
00:40:06,946 --> 00:40:08,856
They wanted to solve it.
889
00:40:08,948 --> 00:40:11,278
But Wilfrid Voynich
did successfully sell
890
00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:13,617
at least one forgery
that we know of.
891
00:40:13,745 --> 00:40:15,625
It’s called
the "Columbus Miniature."
892
00:40:15,747 --> 00:40:18,077
It’s a painting of Columbus
landing in the New World,
893
00:40:18,166 --> 00:40:21,416
which was made by an anonymous
Spanish forger in the 1800s.
894
00:40:21,502 --> 00:40:23,422
And he sold it
to the British Museum.
895
00:40:23,504 --> 00:40:25,974
Whether he did this knowingly
we’re not entirely sure,
896
00:40:26,049 --> 00:40:27,969
but at least there is
some precedent
897
00:40:28,051 --> 00:40:29,471
for Voynich selling a fake.
898
00:40:29,552 --> 00:40:30,972
Fishburne:
Despite this evidence
899
00:40:31,054 --> 00:40:33,144
most scholars still believe
the "Voynich Manuscript"
900
00:40:33,264 --> 00:40:35,984
is a genuine
15th-century article.
901
00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:38,520
- The book has been tested
and retested.
902
00:40:38,645 --> 00:40:41,115
It’s been studied using
some of the most advanced
903
00:40:41,189 --> 00:40:43,689
scientific techniques,
none of which even existed
904
00:40:43,816 --> 00:40:45,816
when Voynich was alive.
905
00:40:45,902 --> 00:40:50,532
So could he have made a forgery
that good in the 1910s?
906
00:40:50,657 --> 00:40:51,527
Maybe.
907
00:40:51,658 --> 00:40:53,778
But is it likely?
908
00:40:53,868 --> 00:40:54,988
Probably not.
909
00:40:55,078 --> 00:40:57,828
- Besides,
where’s the fun in that?
910
00:40:57,914 --> 00:41:00,174
Where’s the mystery?
Where’s the history?
911
00:41:00,291 --> 00:41:01,831
We’re not all clamoring
over this book
912
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,000
and studying it piece by piece
913
00:41:04,087 --> 00:41:06,007
because we want it
to be a fake.
914
00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:09,840
We want it to be a revelation,
the greatest code of all time,
915
00:41:09,926 --> 00:41:11,796
which when unlocked
916
00:41:11,886 --> 00:41:14,676
will reveal
the greatest secrets
917
00:41:14,764 --> 00:41:19,694
of the universe.
918
00:41:19,769 --> 00:41:24,059
Fishburne: In 2016 Yale
University’s Beinecke Library
919
00:41:24,190 --> 00:41:28,530
scanned all 234 pages
of the "Voynich Manuscript"
920
00:41:28,653 --> 00:41:31,363
making it easily available
to anyone
921
00:41:31,489 --> 00:41:33,119
who wants to take a crack
922
00:41:33,199 --> 00:41:36,329
at solving
the 600-year-old puzzle.
923
00:41:36,411 --> 00:41:38,371
I’m Laurence Fishburne.
924
00:41:38,454 --> 00:41:42,544
Thank you for watching
"History’s Greatest Mysteries."
925
00:41:42,625 --> 00:41:46,545
♪ ♪
73102
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.