Gone (Podcast)

Cooper orchestrated one of the most daring hijackings of all time when he successfully held his fellow passengers ransom for $200,000 in 1971, before parachuting to an unknown fate. Though some clues have surfaced over time, no definitive answers exist explaining what happened to Cooper, at least not to the satisfaction of the FBI. What happened to Cooper and how did he seemingly vanish into thin air?

Famously declared the eighth wonder of the world, the Amber Room was a set of incredibly ornate amber wall panels that may be worth over $500 million dollars today. German forces stole the panels from Russia in October, 1941 and Hitler himself ordered the panels moved in January, 1945. But little is known about their whereabouts since. Were they stowed aboard a sunken Nazi ship? Hidden in a salt mine? Or destroyed by the Russians themselves?

Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was instrumental in ousting the monarchy during the English Civil War. But soon after his death, the monarchy was restored. As a show of power, Cromwell’s corpse was disinterred, and his head cut off, piked, and displayed atop Westminster Abbey. But in the late 1600’s, the head fell off Westminster Abbey and disappeared...

Many of the world’s most priceless paintings were stolen by the Nazis. Most were either recovered or eventually resurfaced. But Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man" has never been found. Was it left behind in a cave or cellar for safe keeping? Is it floating on the black market? Or was it destroyed entirely?

In the Lambayeque Valley in Northern Peru lies the ruins of Túcume. Founded approximately in 1100 AD, the city of was a thriving population center with thousands of inhabitants. But around 1530, it was completely abandoned. Who were these inhabitants and where did they go?

In August of 1983, Korean Airlines flight 007 deviated off course and disappeared from radar. Some believe it was shot down by the Soviets. Others believe it was on a government spy mission. Korea, the US, and Japan all publicly demanded an investigation, but it would take ten years to learn the truth.

Nefertiti was queen alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten. While the remains of other ancient Egyptian royalty have been found, the location of Nefertiti’s tomb remains a mystery. Is it still hidden in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt? Could her remains have already been found in a mummy whose identity has yet to be confirmed? Or did Nefertiti ever exist at all?

In 1983, the Jules Rimet Trophy, the original World Cup trophy, disappeared from a bullet-proof glass case on the ninth floor of a building in Rio de Janeiro. How was the trophy stolen? Was it an inside job? Or was the real Jules Rimet Trophy even on display?

Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard, was a pirate who was killed in November of 1718, but whose treasure was never found. Did it sink to the bottom of the ocean with his ship? Is it buried it in a chest on an island off the coast of North Carolina? Or was there ever any hidden treasure at all?

When Christopher Columbus returned to Spain from the New World, he gave his original log to the Sovereigns at royal court at Barcelona. Then Queen Isabella ordered the log to be copied. The original has not been seen since. Was it sequestered by the Spanish crown? Hidden by the Vatican? Sold off? Destroyed? Or simply...misplaced?

Alcatraz Maximum Security Penitentiary is one of the most infamous prisons in American history. Located in the treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay, the island facility was surrounded by rocks and sub sixty-degree water. It was deemed to be inescapable. But in June, 1962, three men would carry out a plan months in the making, and seemingly disappear into thin air. How did they do it?

During World War 2, inventor Nikola Tesla died in a New York hotel room while working on a project known as “Tesla’s Death Ray.” When he was found, the prototype and most of Tesla’s notes were missing. Who got to Tesla’s room first? And what happened to the Death Ray?

In May of 1990, Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet, sold at auction for 82.5 million dollars. The buyer would die six years later. In 1999, the Metropolitan Museum of Art sought out the new owner to borrow the painting for an exhibit, but they couldn't find one. After numerous conflicting leads and dead ends, it was discovered that the painting was gone.

The tallest statue in the ancient world welcomed travelers with its likeness to the sun god Helios. After it was destroyed by an earthquake, tourists still came from far and wide to see the rubble. Then one day, the pieces of the 108-foot tall Colossus of Rhodes were suddenly gone. Where did they go?

After being kidnapped and spending 12 years as a slave, Solomon Northup disappeared again on a warm summer’s night in Canada in 1857. Was he murdered? Abducted and sold into slavery a second time? Or did he become a spy for the Union army during the Civil War, and never return?

This immaculately jeweled throne served as the seat for the Mughal emperors in India before it was stolen in 1739 by Persian emperor Nadir Shah. Some estimate that the throne would be worth more than a trillion dollars today!

Home to possibly 700,000 books, including works by Homer, Plato, and Socrates, this ancient library in the heart of Egypt was destroyed thousands of years ago. Is there any hope we will find these valuable manuscripts?

A testament to its owners wealth and power, the brilliant diamond survived exiles of kings and the fall of empires. After the assassination of its final owner in 1747, all records of the diamond virtually disappeared. The stone which rose from the dirt of a dried riverbed in India and became of the world’s most puzzling precious stones has been displaced ever since.

John F. Kennedy’s brain went missing after he was assassinated in 1963. His brain wasn’t buried with his body and it hasn’t been seen since 1965. Was his brain taken by his younger brother to hide evidence of JFK’s drug use and mental illnesses? The missing component could provide evidence that Kennedy was not shot from the back by Lee Harvey Oswald, but from the front. Assassinations Podcast - Thank you Kate and Bill for joining today's episode!

Myth and history intertwine in searching for the whereabouts of a sword that is 1.8 million years old. Since 660 BCE, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi has been passed down from emperor to emperor. Nobody can identify what the sword looks like, but the Japanese government claims it resides in the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. Parcast - If you enjoyed this episode, check out our new show MYTHOLOGY! Subscribe today for more tales of mythical heroes, gods, and creatures!

Before he disappeared into thin air, this French artist was set to release one of the most anticipated inventions of the late 19th century: the moving picture camera. Louis Le Prince, known as the Father of Cinema, vanished under suspicious circumstances in 1890, leaving behind a slew of possible suspects.