"The material in this book was originally published as Unsolved mysteries of American history (1997) and More unsolved mysteries of American history (2004) by John Wiley & Sons, Inc."

"A lively tour through our past and an ingenious primer in the art of historical detection." --Robert A. Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World Did Leif Ericsson beat Columbus to America? What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? Did Pocahontas really save John Smith? Did Davy Crockett die at the Alamo? What really happened to Amelia Earhart, and was she a spy? Who killed JFK? Unsolved Mysteries of American History re-creates the most mystifying events of our past, following some of our greatest historians as they search for the elusive answers. Spanning more than five centuries--from Leif Ericsson and Columbus through Watergate and Iran-Contra--Aron makes sense of all the latest discoveries and speculations. Here is everything you could ever want from a detective story: dramatic twists and turns, intellectual challenges, frustrating dead-ends, murderous mayhem, and thrilling espionage. "Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews "Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure "A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist "Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart

* Who built Stonehenge? * Why did the pharaohs build the pyramids? * Did Richard III kill the princes in the tower? * Could the Titanic have been saved? * Did Hitler murder his niece? PRAISE FOR UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF HISTORY "Like a sleuth, Aron pieces together the possible answers . . . It's an engaging way to learn more about history and the new evidence that sheds light on long-standing theories." --Daily Press "Aron has produced a fascinating and judicious description of historical mysteries from the Neanderthals to Gorbachev. His entertaining account of historical controversies will leave every reader the wiser about the past." --Jack F. Matlock Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union "With unerring good sense and in well-paced prose, Paul Aron solves as best he can the major who-done-its, did-it-happens, and did-it-have-to-happens of world history. Unsolved Mysteries of History should keep readers engaged well into the night."-- Adam Potkay, author, A Passion for Happiness

An Eye-Opening Journey Through 500 Years of Discoveries, Disappearances, and Baffling Events.

An eye-opening journey through 500 years of discoveries, disappearances, and baffling events.

“The stories are interesting and the scientific approaches used to investigate them are fascinating.” ―The Paintsville Herald (Kentucky) What constitutes historical truth is often subject to change based on new evidence. In this book, former detective Joe Nickell demonstrates the techniques used in solving some of the world’s most perplexing mysteries, such as the authenticity of Abraham Lincoln’s celebrated Bixby letter; the 1913 disappearance of writer and journalist Ambrose Bierce; and the apparent real-life model for a mysterious character in a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nickell also uses newly uncovered evidence to further investigate the identity of the Nazi war criminal known as “Ivan the Terrible.” “A thoughtful, well-documented book in which the author shares with the reader techniques for solving historical riddles.” —Lexington Herald-Leader

Our world is full of mysterious places, strange stories, and unexplained phenomena. Many attempts have been made to find the truth behind these legends, but there are still many unanswered questions, even after many years of investigation. Discover the enduring mystery of the Incas, the dead sea scrolls, the secretive world of freemasonry, Roswell, incidents in WWII and unexplained healing and understand that we still have much to learn about the world in which we live.