Gone (Podcast)

The son of the governor of New York, and one of the wealthiest families in the world, Michael Rockefeller was on an art-collecting expedition in Dutch New Guinea when he went missing in 1961. He was last seen trying to swim to shore after his boat capsized. What followed was a 10-day rescue mission in shark-infested waters. Did Rockefeller make it to shore only to be eaten by a local tribe? Or is his body forever lost at sea?

This legendary trove of gold and precious jewels was a figurative and literal representation of the Aztec Empire's wealth. The treasure also had the value of high art that showed the empire's impressive reach and influence in the 1500s. However, all good things come to an end and the fall of the empire marks the moment Montezuma’s treasure was never to be seen again.

In 1944, a Japanese submarine was sunk by Allied forces in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Fifty years later, declassified documents indicated that the wreckage may contain two tons of Japanese gold worth more than $25 million today. Does the treasure remains at the bottom of the ocean among the wreckage of the I-52.

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold. What happened next has been debated by historians and treasure hunters over the last 150 years. Did Davis squander what remained of his country's treasury in a desperate attempt to keep the Confederacy alive? Or, is it possible that the gold is still out there, waiting to be found?

Most people consider the Dodo Bird to be synonymous with human-driven extinction. First discovered by Dutch sailors in the late 1590s, it would be completely wiped out in just over 60 years. The pursuit of the last remnants of this iconic creature continues to this day, with an incomplete composite skeleton selling recently for just under half a million dollars.

Since the first Europeans set foot in South America in the late 1400s, explorers have been captivated by, El Dorado, the mythical city hidden within the jungles of the Andes Mountains. After centuries of expeditions and countless lives lost in the pursuit, no man has actually ever laid eyes on this fabled city.

For centuries, historians believed that Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria were the only great Kingdoms of the ancient middle eastern world. But the early 20th century yielded the discovery of ruins that might indicate the existence of a fourth kingdom: the Hittites.

In 1955, the fishing vessel MV Joyita vanished off the coast of Samoa along with all 25 people on board. A massive search yielded no results, and the ship was deemed lost at sea. But then, over a month after it vanished, the MV Joyita was found, six hundred miles off course, and without a single living soul on board. To this day, no one knows what happened to the crew and passengers of the MV Joyita.

In 1975, Jimmy Hoffa, one of the most powerful Union leaders in the country, went to a meeting with the mafia in a suburb of Detroit. He was never seen again, and his body had never been recovered.Parcasters - Jimmy Hoffa's relationship with organized crime figures factored heavily into his disappearance.

In 1891, the ceremonial mace that, by law, was required to be present at every convening of the Victorian Parliament, vanished from its holding case. Police investigated the theft for over a year and never came close to finding the mace or deducing who had stolen it.

In December of 1812, the daughter of disgraced former Vice President Aaron Burr, boarded a ship in South Carolina to travel north to see her father. Theodosia Burr Alston was never seen again.

The Ninth Roman Legion and its 5000 soldiers was famous across Rome in the 1st century BCE. But by 200 CE, the Ninth had vanished from nearly all historical records, and to this day no one has ever confirmed what really happened to all those men.

In 1785, a stunning and expensive diamond necklace was stolen from the Crown Jewelers in Paris, France. The Cardinal who was charged with the theft thought he was working on the orders of Queen Marie Antoinette. In reality, he was victim to a daring, complex con job that seemed to unveil all that was wrong with the nobility class in pre-Revolution France.

In 1939, author and former child prodigy Barbara Newhall Follett stormed out of her apartment after a fight with her husband. The 25-year-old was never seen or heard from again.

Officially, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man to ever fly to space in 1961. But is it possible he was just the first man to go to space and return alive?

Genghis Khan was one of the most powerful warlords in medieval Mongolia, and one of the most feared military generals in all of history. Despite his reputation, no one knows today where the legendary figure was buried after his death in 1227.

In the early 1900s, archeologists unearthed a treasure trove of early human bones in the land near modern day Beijing. It was the most significant paleontological discovery ever made at the time. However, when the Second World War struck Asia, they vanished without a trace.

For thousands of years, biblical scholars have considered the likely existence of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Assumed to have gone extinct at some point in the 8th century BCE, there is some evidence that survivors of the tribe may have lasted until at least after the crusades.

When famed violinist Erica Morini died in 1995, she didn't know a terrible truth. Her violin - a Stradivarius worth millions of dollars - was gone. To this day, it has never been found.

Australia’s Prime Minister disappeared while swimming in the sea near Portsea, Victoria. Although a massive search operation was set up around Cheviot Beach, his body was never recovered.

An English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, Henry Hudson was best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern U.S. On a dreaded expedition, most of his crew mutinied. Hudson, his son, and seven others were cast adrift—never to be seen again.

World famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart was at the height of her career when she embarked on an ambitious global circumnavigation in 1937. But then, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, she disappeared.

History and legend has it that the Biblical Ark of the Covenant was a sacred container built to house the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. But just as it’s depicted in film and TV, the Ark’s whereabouts are the subject of mystery and countless theories.

On February 19th, 1977, Helen Brach checked out of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Her physician recommended “she lose a bit of weight and get more exercise.” The socialite widow of candy magnate, Frank Brach, was never seen again.

Hidden in the jungles of Honduras, the Lost City of the Monkey God was a legendary settlement. Some people claim it’s a make-believe city invented by gold-hungry conquistadors. Others believe it’s a real city that somehow disappeared.