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The legendary individuals from history are overwhelmed with facts we often hear over and over again. Yet, some details slip through the cracks, only to be rediscovered when researchers delve deeper.
This process often uncovers new facts and revelations, injecting more intrigue, mystery, and eccentricities into historical narratives. From medical conditions that sparked famous artists' genius to exorcisms involving contemporary saints, there's much more to uncover about these notable lives.
10. The 10 Hidden Picassos
During the 1970s, the empress of Iran helped create a museum for modern art. In 1979, when she and her husband fled the country due to demonstrations against him, the last shah of Iran, the art was quickly hidden in the museum’s basement.
This was a sad turn for art lovers. The collection was one of the greatest compilations of postwar art from the West, consisting of thousands of pieces. After the removal of these pieces, the galleries displayed revolution propaganda.
Recently, renovations led to a heart-stopping discovery. Curators had always known the museum owned two Picassos. While working in the storage areas, 10 unknown Picassos turned up. This was followed by a forgotten sketch by Marcel Duchamp, another valuable find.
For the first time in decades, many of the hidden works will be shown again. These include the new Picassos, the Duchamp sketch, and work by Andy Warhol as well as several Iranian artists in a mixed Western and Middle Eastern exhibition.
9. Letter from the Vanishing Einstein
In 1922, Walther Rathenau, the German foreign minister, was assassinated by a far-right group, most likely because of his Jewish heritage. He was a close friend of renowned physicist Albert Einstein, who also shared the same Jewish background. The death of his friend deeply affected Einstein, prompting him to go into hiding after police warned that he might meet the same fate.
When he vanished in 1922, no one knew his whereabouts. Astonishingly, a letter written during this period later surfaced. In it, he reassured his sister, Maja, that he was safe but expressed grave concerns about the growing nationalism in Germany.
Given the distressing circumstances, this wasn’t surprising. What made this letter significant, however, was that it was written 10 years before the Nazis came to power. Einstein eventually emerged from hiding and returned to Germany after a speaking tour, but he left permanently when the Nazis took over in 1933. He spent the remainder of his life in the United States.
The letter was recently auctioned in Jerusalem for a remarkable $39,350.
8. Michelangelo's Bronze Sculptures
The renowned Renaissance artist Michelangelo is known to have created three surviving bronze sculptures. All were lost during tumultuous periods of civil conflict. In 1878, a pair of bronze statues were acquired by the Rothschild family. The statues depicted a nude man riding a panther, and their remarkable anatomical accuracy, alongside Sotheby’s recognition of their Florentine origins, suggested they were crafted by Michelangelo’s disciple, Daniele da Volterra.
However, in 2018, evidence began to surface that pointed to Michelangelo himself as the creator of the Rothschild bronzes. Both statues displayed a unique leg muscle, identifiable only by an expert. The statues also featured auscultation triangles (distinctive spots on the lower back without bone or muscle), a feature that was only documented by the medical community about a generation later.
It is widely known that Michelangelo conducted dissections of human cadavers, which provided him with this deep anatomical understanding. The pair’s remarkable eight-packs, elongated second toes, and pubic hair all aligned with Michelangelo’s distinctive style.
Neutron analysis confirmed that the statues were created during the artist’s lifetime (early 16th century). The Rothschild bronzes are now regarded as authentic works by Michelangelo, and they are his only surviving bronze sculptures.
7. Otzi’s Close Call with a Heart Attack
In 1991, hikers in the Alps stumbled upon an ancient body. As one of the most extensively studied mummies, Otzi brought with him many mysteries and fascinating details—such as his 61 tattoos and the fact that he met his end through murder.
Otzi's medical history was thoroughly documented, making a recent health discovery even more unexpected. When he was killed 5,300 years ago, he was in his mid-forties and in good shape, but still, he was on the verge of a heart attack.
A full body scan conducted in 2018 revealed hardened plaques, or calcifications, around his heart in three separate areas. This increased his heart attack risk. Another alarming calcification blocked his carotid artery, raising the possibility of a stroke. These findings supported earlier studies suggesting that Otzi had a genetic predisposition for fatty deposits that could narrow his veins.
Earlier research had already noted signs of artery disease in Otzi, but the 2018 scan was the first to show that the condition affected his heart as well. This discovery makes Otzi one of the earliest known cases of vascular calcification.
6. Earhart’s Distress Signals
Historians were always aware of the distress signals from a Pacific island, but they were dismissed as fantasies or fabrications. The reason behind this? The calls were believed to have come from the aviator Amelia Earhart, who had been missing since July 2, 1937.
A 2018 study revisited the distress calls recorded between July 2 and July 7, 1937. They revealed a chilling tale. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, had crash-landed on a coral reef near Gardner Island. Both were injured. The calls came in clusters during the night. Researchers theorize that Earhart used the plane’s propellers to charge the batteries during the day while staying on the island.
At night, Earhart transmitted messages, with intervals of silence as the engine had to shut down to cool from the tropical heat. However, other scholars disagree with this theory.
Even if the human bones, discovered in 1940, belonged to Earhart, some argue that she wouldn’t have landed with the landing gear down as described in the messages. An experienced pilot would avoid lowering the wheels when approaching a reef. The coral would have damaged the landing gear, jerking the plane forward, thus preventing the propellers from turning and charging the batteries.
5. Curie's Radioactive Possessions
Throughout her remarkable life, Marie Curie earned two Nobel Prizes—one in chemistry and the other in physics. Tragically, the groundbreaking discoveries she made led to her untimely death. Along with her husband, Pierre Curie, a fellow French physicist, she discovered the highly radioactive elements radium and polonium in 1898.
The prolonged exposure to radiation ultimately caused Curie to develop aplastic anemia. Known as the 'mother of modern physics,' she left behind an extensive collection of notebooks. Today, these works are revered as both scientific and national treasures.
Unfortunately, radium 226 contaminated many of Curie’s personal belongings, including her notebooks. These items are carefully stored in lead-lined containers at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. This safety measure is necessary because, even after over a century, they remain highly radioactive. This is an extremely brief period for radium 226, which has a half-life of around 1,600 years.
Visitors can see Curie’s books, but they must first sign waivers and don protective suits before being allowed access. A significant portion of her clothing, furniture, and other possessions are also considered radioactive. Curie herself was laid to rest in a lead-lined coffin.
4. Arnold The Invader
Benedict Arnold is remembered as one of America's most infamous traitors. During the Revolutionary War, he attempted to betray the fort at West Point to the British. Prior to this, he had been part of a failed attempt to invade Canada in 1775.
Arnold’s plan was strategic and had the backing of George Washington. The goal was to deny the British control over valuable trade routes and strategically important lands, while also trying to rally French Canadians to support the American cause.
However, Arnold failed to account for the harsh weather, loyalist support for the British, the vast Canadian wilderness, and the soldiers defending Quebec. The man responsible for building the expedition's boats was a British loyalist, who deliberately constructed poorly designed boats that led to the loss of much-needed supplies. To make matters worse, a hurricane destroyed even more of their provisions.
During the arduous journey through the unforgiving wilderness, most of Arnold’s men deserted. When they finally launched their attack, a blizzard struck, and his support unit stationed outside Quebec was decimated by a single cannon shot. Arnold himself was shot in the leg and nearly died, and most of his men perished.
Arnold managed to keep the city under siege with just one cannon. However, he was eventually ordered to return home, where he faded into obscurity with no hope for advancement. This might have contributed to his eventual decision to switch allegiances years later.
3. Mother Teresa’s Exorcism
In 2001, the Archbishop of Calcutta made a shocking revelation. Months before her death in 1997, Mother Teresa had undergone an exorcism. In 1996, Archbishop Henry D’Souza, a close friend of the 87-year-old nun, visited her in the hospital and grew concerned about her odd behavior.
Mother Teresa was restless, pulling out her wires and appearing disoriented. On the second night of his visit, she continued to exhibit strange behavior. Worried that malevolent spirits, and possibly even the devil, were attacking the frail nun, the archbishop recommended an exorcism. He claimed that Mother Teresa agreed.
A priest arrived and also observed the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s odd behavior. The exorcism, lasting about half an hour, involved only prayer. Afterward, Mother Teresa peacefully fell asleep.
By 2001, the late nun was on her way to becoming a saint. The priest who had conducted the exorcism stated that many saints had undergone similar procedures. Her case was included in the extensive 35,000-page investigation into her life, which was presented to Pope John Paul II. In 2016, Pope Francis declared her Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
2. Da Vinci’s Eye Condition
Leonardo da Vinci’s unique depth perception contributed to the exceptional quality of his paintings. In 2018, researchers speculated that he might have had a condition known as strabismus, or crossed eyes. When the eyes point in different directions, the brain often suppresses the information from one eye, creating a 2-D view that could have enhanced his artistic abilities in painting and sketching.
The study analyzed six of da Vinci’s works, all portraits or self-portraits. The goal was to examine his pupils closely. While it couldn’t definitively confirm that da Vinci had strabismus, the evidence was compelling. In each painting, one or both eyes appeared to look outward, a trait that was more noticeable in portraits painted by others than in those done by da Vinci himself.
This suggested that da Vinci’s condition might have been intermittent exotropia, where the misalignment was more apparent when he was relaxed, such as posing for a portrait, and less noticeable when he was focused, like while painting a self-portrait. Interestingly, both Rembrandt van Rijn and Pablo Picasso also exhibited signs of strabismus in their self-portraits.
1. Galileo Mystery Solved
Galileo Galilei's personal observations convinced him that Nicolaus Copernicus' theory was accurate. In 1543, Copernicus proposed that the Earth revolved around the Sun, rather than the Sun orbiting the Earth. At the time, the Church deemed this heliocentric idea as heretical. This created a situation shrouded in controversy and mystery.
Two letters from Galileo reveal his attempts to justify his beliefs. One was softened, while the other was far more provocative. Galileo consistently claimed that the more heated letter was a manipulated version of the gentler one, altered by vengeful Church authorities. Eventually, Galileo was condemned for heresy and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.
In 2018, a historian unexpectedly uncovered a letter in London's Royal Society Library. Written by Galileo in 1613, it confirmed that the original letter was indeed the fiery version. Astonishingly, the letter revealed Galileo's edits, transforming it into the more subdued version. Regrettably, the original letter ended up in the wrong hands after being sent to a friend.
