10 Mind-Blowing Historical Secrets You Should Know About

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

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

#10. Coughton Court’s Secret Room

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

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

#9. The Poulos Room

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

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

#8. Sennacherib’s Palace

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

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

#7. Brogdar Butterflies

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

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

#6. Cat’s Brain Barrow

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

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