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00:00Four submarines mysteriously vanish without a trace.
00:05Four submarines, each from a different nation, vanish, killing a combined 318 sailors.
00:13The location of the tomb of one of history's most feared rulers remains a mystery.
00:20His burial was designed to be an act of erasure,
00:23ensuring that no one, not even his closest followers, could reveal the location of his final resting place.
00:32So where is it?
00:34The treasure of one of the world's most infamous pirates was lost to time.
00:39Blackbeard's bearsome image included his infamous Jolly Roger flag, a chilling symbol for an inevitable death.
00:47With this heavily armed ship, he unleashed terror on the high seas, amassing a fortune that, legend has it, remains hidden to this day.
00:56But if that's true, where did he hide the treasure?
00:59The chain of history has many missing links.
01:04Prominent people, priceless treasures, extraordinary artifacts.
01:09Their locations still unknown, lost to the fog of time.
01:14What happens when stories of the past become vanished history?
01:21The great Genghis Khan, who ruled over millions and reshaped the course of history,
01:41left behind one of the world's greatest mysteries, the location of his tomb.
01:45Genghis Khan wasn't just a conqueror, he was a force of nature.
01:52Born as Temujin around 1162, he unified the Mongol tribes and carved out an empire that spanned around 12 million square miles at its peak from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe.
02:05Surprisingly, there are actually still debates about the exact cause of Khan's death.
02:13Some say he died from injuries after falling from his horse or from the plague, from an infection after being shot with an arrow.
02:20Some have even claimed a Tenguk princess from northwestern China, stabbed or even castrated him.
02:29Legend has it that his soldiers buried him and killed anyone in their path.
02:34Then they rode a thousand horses over the ground to erase any sign of his grave.
02:38And the 2,000 slaves who took part in the burial were executed to keep the tomb's location a secret forever.
02:44His burial was designed to be an act of erasure, ensuring that no one, not even his closest followers, could reveal the location of his final resting place.
02:57So where is it?
02:59The search for the tomb of Genghis Khan has become as vast as the empire he once commanded,
03:05fueling speculation that his final resting place lies deep within the lands he once ruled.
03:11There are countless stories about Genghis Khan's death, but most agree that he died in August 1227,
03:19in modern-day Yinchuan, which is in northern China's Ningxiawei Autonomous Region.
03:25During his conquests in northwestern China, Khan spent considerable time on the Order's Plateau,
03:32a huge windswept stretch of desert bordered by the Yellow River and the southern edge of the Great Wall.
03:41The theory that the Ordos Plateau was Genghis Khan's resting place gained currency in the early 20th century,
03:49when European explorers publicized photographs of an ancient mausoleum 20 miles east of Yinchuan.
03:55The western Xia mausoleums cover almost 20 square miles, with nine beehive-shaped imperial mausoleums,
04:06more than 250 other tombs for tangled royals and officials.
04:11So it's an obvious place to wonder about whether Genghis Khan could be buried somewhere in the vast complex,
04:18especially given the connection between the Mongols and western Xia.
04:22But no one seems to have found any evidence to support it.
04:26While the Order's theory is intriguing, it's unlikely Mongolia's greatest leader would be buried in China.
04:34It's more likely that Genghis Khan's grave is closer to home, hidden in plain sight, concealed by the land, just as he intended.
04:43Mongolia is a land of vast, untamed wilderness, spanning over 600,000 square miles of mostly uncharted, undeveloped terrain,
04:55with few roads and a sparse population.
04:58In 1990, a Japanese-Mongolian project called the Three Rivers Expedition focused on Genghis Khan's birthplace in the Hinti province,
05:08where the Onan, Ghalin, and Toul rivers flow.
05:11Using ultrasound technology, 1,380 ancient graves were discovered, spread across the landscape.
05:18Most historians believe that Genghis Khan was born and raised on the Onan River,
05:24so it makes sense that he might have chosen this area as his final resting place.
05:29The graves they discovered there likely belonged to Mongol nobles.
05:34The expedition was also very controversial.
05:37There were public protests by people who believed Khan's wishes should be respected,
05:42that people shouldn't go looking for his tomb.
05:45And in the end, they put a stop to it.
05:47While excavations were prohibited in the Kenti province, further west,
05:53the same researchers studied a 2,000-year-old cemetery of Xiongnu kings in the Arkhangai province of Mongolia.
06:02Historians believe the Xiongnu were the ancestors of the Mongols.
06:07If that's true, they might have had similar burial practices,
06:11and unearthing their graves would give us a better picture of what we're searching for.
06:17Those excavations tell us that at least some Xiongnu kings were buried more than 65 feet underground,
06:25in a log, chambers, often marked by only a small square of stones.
06:30So if Khan was buried like that, the main chamber would be hidden deep underground,
06:36and incredibly hard to find in all of the sprawling Mongolian wilderness.
06:44In 2001, an amateur archaeologist who spent 40 years searching for Khan's tomb
06:50discovered a walled burial site in Bhaksharit,
06:53a town nestled in northern Kenti province, about 200 miles northeast of Ulaanbaatar.
06:59Perhaps his biggest breakthrough came at Chinggis' castle, or Red Rock,
07:08where he uncovered at least 20 unopened rectangular tombs atop a hill,
07:13each marked by standing stones.
07:16At the base of the hill, they found an additional 40 graves.
07:20The upper area was enclosed by an imposing stone wall standing 9 to 12 feet tall
07:27and stretching for two miles around.
07:30The sheer scale of the burial grounds and a roadway connecting the two
07:35suggests a site of tremendous importance,
07:37and it's only a few miles from Genghis Khan's probable birthplace,
07:42where he was also declared emperor of the Mongols in 1206.
07:46But there's no concrete proof that Khan might be buried there.
07:51In 2004, a Japanese Mongolian team uncovered Genghis Khan's palace,
07:58reigniting the search for his final resting place.
08:02The palace, a square tent-like structure supported by wooden columns,
08:07was uncovered alongside porcelain fragments dated to Khan's era.
08:10The most exciting part, though, is that ancient Chinese texts
08:14describe court officials making daily journeys from this palace
08:18to a nearby mausoleum, possibly where Khan was buried.
08:22But it seems unlikely that he would have chosen
08:25somewhere as obvious as his palace for his final resting place,
08:30especially if he was determined to keep the location a secret.
08:35Maybe the better place to look for Khan's tomb
08:38is where his epic journey first began.
08:41Birkenholden, nestled in the rugged peaks of Kenti province,
08:48was revered as Mongolia's most sacred mountain
08:50and deeply intertwined with the legacy of Genghis Khan.
08:56Birkenholden isn't just a mountain.
08:58It's the spiritual core of Genghis Khan's story
09:01and a turning point in his journey to power
09:04and a place he went for refuge.
09:06According to legend, the mountain saved his life
09:09as he escaped from the Merkid tribe.
09:12And in gratitude, he declared it the most sacred mountain in Mongolia
09:16and promised to offer daily prayers and sacrifices.
09:21Birkenholden became a symbol of Genghis Khan's survival and strength,
09:27and he had a deep spiritual bond with it.
09:30So lots of people think he might have chosen it
09:32for his final resting place.
09:35It became one of the most popular theories.
09:37High-status figures like Khan were buried in elevated places,
09:42far from the reach of ordinary people.
09:45In the 1200s, the first Mongol rulers of Persia
09:48were laid to rest on mountain peaks in off-limit areas.
09:53Khan likely received the same honor.
09:56After Genghis Khan's death, a great taboo known as Ihorig in Mongolian
10:03was pronounced over a 92-square-mile area
10:06around Birkenholden, sealing the region in secrecy.
10:13For centuries, the Ihorig was off-limits to outsiders,
10:17a sacred place.
10:19Only the Khan's family were allowed to enter.
10:21It was guarded by the Darhad,
10:24a group of elite warriors and their descendants
10:26who protected its secrecy for more than 700 years.
10:31So it's no surprise that many people think Genghis Khan's tomb
10:34is probably hidden there.
10:37According to legend, around 500 Darhad families
10:41were chosen to safeguard the secret location of Khan's tomb.
10:44To this day, they are considered the custodians
10:47not only of Birkenholden, but of Khan's eternal legacy.
10:52The mystery deepens at the summit
10:54where Tangerine Ovu, or Heavenly Hill, stands.
10:59While it may look like a simple pile of stones,
11:03some think this unassuming sight could hide Khan's tomb.
11:07But any attempt to explore or search the area
11:11is virtually impossible.
11:13Some historians believe the focus on Birkenholden
11:18might have been a masterful diversion,
11:21a way to lead us away from his true burial site.
11:25Perhaps this was his final act of control,
11:28disappearing from history
11:29just as he had commanded during his life.
11:33In the end, all signs point to the fact
11:36that Khan didn't want his final resting place to be known.
11:40So maybe we should respect his wishes
11:42and stop looking for it.
11:44But of course, it's not surprising that people do,
11:48since it's human nature to be curious
11:49and try to solve mysteries,
11:51especially when it comes to a larger-than-life
11:54historical figure like Genghis Khan.
11:58Khan's tomb remains one of history's greatest enigmas,
12:02hidden by time, tradition,
12:04and the vast expanse of Mongolia.
12:06Whether it's ever uncovered,
12:08his legacy lives on,
12:10etched into the land he once conquered.
12:23He was a terror on the seas,
12:25a name spoken in fear across the Atlantic.
12:29Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard,
12:31was one of the most notorious pirates of his time.
12:35With a ship armed to the teeth
12:37and a crew as ruthless as the captain,
12:40Blackbeard carved a path of destruction
12:42from the Caribbean to the American coastline.
12:47Blackbeard was the most infamous pirate
12:49in the golden age of piracy.
12:51But his reputation wasn't built on violence alone.
12:54Intimidation was his greatest weapon.
12:56He rarely killed unless absolutely necessary,
12:58instead relying on his fearsome appearance
13:00to break his enemy's will.
13:03He wore black ribbons in his beard,
13:06carried six pistols,
13:08and lit fuses beneath his hat before battle,
13:11dangling some of them down the sides of his face
13:13to surround it with a halo of smoke and fire.
13:17He created a terrifying spectacle
13:19that often caused his opponents to surrender
13:22without a fight.
13:23Blackbeard's fearsome image
13:28included his infamous Jolly Roger flag,
13:31a skeleton holding an hourglass
13:33and a spear aimed at a bleeding heart,
13:37a chilling symbol threatening inevitable death.
13:41In 1717, Blackbeard captured the French slave ship
13:44La Concorde off Martinique
13:46and quickly transformed the vessel,
13:48adding 26 guns to its existing 14
13:51and renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge.
13:54With this heavily armed ship,
13:55he unleashed terror on the high seas,
13:58amassing a fortune that,
13:59legend has it,
14:00remains hidden to this day.
14:02But if that's true,
14:03where did he hide the treasure?
14:06Blackbeard's journey to piracy
14:08began as a privateer
14:09during Queen Anne's war,
14:11when Britain and other imperial powers
14:13fought for control of North America.
14:16Privateers like Blackbeard
14:19were authorized to plunder enemy ships
14:21and seize valuable cargo
14:23under what were called
14:24letters of marquee from the crown.
14:27During that time,
14:28he honed skills
14:29that would later propel him to infamy
14:31as the scourge of the Atlantic Ocean.
14:35Queen Anne's war gave Blackbeard
14:37his first taste of raiding.
14:39But when the war ended,
14:40so did the opportunities for legal privateering.
14:43Like many former privateers,
14:44Blackbeard turned to piracy.
14:47As Blackbeard's legend grew,
14:49so did the legend
14:50surrounding his hidden fortune.
14:52One of the most enduring stories
14:54centers on the place
14:55where his reign of terror
14:56came to an abrupt halt.
15:00In May 1718,
15:02Blackbeard launched
15:03one of his boldest moves,
15:04blockading the port of Charleston, South Carolina.
15:07Over the course of a week,
15:08he captured at least eight ships,
15:10took hostages,
15:11and struck fear
15:12in the heart of the colony.
15:14But as he later sailed
15:15towards North Carolina,
15:17disaster struck.
15:19Queen Anne's revenge ran aground
15:21on a sandbank near Beaufort, England.
15:24And while Blackbeard escaped,
15:26his ship was lost.
15:28Interestingly,
15:29some have suggested the wreck was no accident.
15:32Blackbeard wasn't just a pirate.
15:33He was a strategist.
15:35Evidence suggests
15:36that the grounding
15:37of the Queen Anne's revenge
15:38was a non-violent wreck event,
15:41meaning it may have been
15:41a deliberate,
15:42calculated move
15:43to offload his treasure
15:44before abandoning the ship.
15:45years of exploration
15:51have revealed fascinating artifacts
15:53from Blackbeard's pirate life,
15:55including many of the ship's 40 cannons.
15:58But there has been no sign
15:59of the vast wealth
16:00the legend suggests.
16:05Extensive excavations
16:07at the site
16:07of Queen Anne's revenge
16:08have been covered
16:09thousands of artifacts,
16:10but only a sprinkling
16:11of gold dust.
16:12Nothing close
16:13to the immense treasure
16:14Blackbeard is said
16:15to have buried.
16:17It's possible
16:18that the real treasure
16:19may have been hidden
16:20long before the shipwreck,
16:22or he never stored valuables
16:24aboard the Queen Anne's revenge
16:25at all.
16:27While Beaufort Inlet
16:29may have marked
16:29the end of Blackbeard's flagship,
16:32some believe
16:32the notorious pirate's treasure
16:34lies much closer to home.
16:37After the Queen Anne's revenge
16:38ran aground,
16:39Blackbeard took command
16:40of a smaller vessel,
16:41allowing him to continue
16:42his piracy
16:43with a more agile crew.
16:45He soon sailed
16:45to North Carolina
16:46where he promised
16:47to give up piracy
16:48in exchange for a pardon
16:49from Governor Charles Eden.
16:51He even attempted
16:52a respectable life there
16:54in the town of Bath,
16:55marrying a local woman,
16:57said by some
16:57to be his 14th life.
17:00Some people like to say
17:01that during
17:01that brief moment of peace,
17:04Blackbeard could have hidden
17:05his greatest treasure
17:06along the eastern shores
17:08of Bath Creek
17:09at Plum Point.
17:10Bath wasn't just a quiet
17:12colonial town for Blackbeard.
17:14It was his chance
17:15to reinvent himself.
17:17Under the protection
17:18of the governor,
17:18he saw an opportunity
17:19to go straight
17:20and distance himself
17:22from his life of crime.
17:23The royal pardon
17:25issued under King George I
17:26was designed to grant
17:28amnesty to pirates
17:29willing to give up
17:30their lawless ways.
17:32For Blackbeard,
17:32this was a chance
17:33to settle down
17:34and enjoy the wealth
17:35he had amassed
17:36over the years.
17:37But rumors persisted
17:39that his pirating days
17:40were far from over.
17:44One particular site
17:46of interest
17:46was a field
17:47where Blackbeard
17:48reportedly set up
17:49a tar pit
17:50or kettle
17:50which was used
17:51to make wood tar
17:52in the early 18th century
17:54to seal the hulls
17:55of ships.
17:58According to residents
17:59and researchers,
18:01the field once held
18:02a brick structure
18:02believed to have been
18:03used by Blackbeard
18:04to render wood tar
18:05for his ships.
18:06It's possible
18:07that while building it,
18:08he also dug
18:09a perfect hiding spot
18:10for his treasure.
18:11A frustrated farmer
18:13who owned the land
18:14eventually demolished
18:16the kettle
18:16to keep the treasure
18:17hunters away.
18:19The site has still
18:20continued to attract them.
18:22One of them claimed
18:22to have unearthed
18:23a brick vault
18:25buried eight feet
18:26beneath the sand
18:27containing a chest
18:28of Spanish gold.
18:31But with no authentication
18:32and the chest
18:33never found again,
18:35the mystery
18:35of Blackbeard's fortune
18:37remains as elusive
18:38as ever.
18:39The question is,
18:40if it's not in Varth,
18:42could it be hidden
18:42somewhere far more remote
18:44in a place
18:45only Blackbeard knew?
18:48It wasn't long
18:49before Blackbeard
18:50returned to the seas.
18:51His quest for power
18:52ultimately brought him
18:54to a new refuge,
18:55a remote island
18:56where he would make
18:57his last stand.
19:00By the end of August 1718,
19:02Blackbeard had resumed piracy
19:03and after stealing
19:04several French ships,
19:05the governor of the
19:06province of Pennsylvania
19:07issued a warrant
19:07for his arrest.
19:08He eventually made his way
19:10to Ocracoke Island,
19:11a remote windswept stretch
19:12of land off the coast
19:13of North Carolina.
19:15For Blackbeard
19:16and his men,
19:17Ocracoke was the ideal hideout.
19:20It was isolated,
19:21surrounded by treacherous waters
19:23and far from prying eyes.
19:26Blackbeard regrouped there,
19:27knowing the British Royal Navy
19:29was closing in.
19:30So, if you believed
19:32in the treasure,
19:33you might think
19:34he used this time
19:34to stash it
19:35somewhere on the island
19:37before his final battle.
19:41Ocracoke was a famous
19:42pirate haven,
19:43offering easy access
19:44to British shipping lanes
19:46coming to the New World,
19:47but remote enough
19:48that authorities
19:49did not have control
19:50over it during colonial times.
19:54Ocracoke wasn't just
19:55a random hideout.
19:57Blackbeard knew
19:57these waters well.
19:59The shallow inlets
20:00made it impossible
20:01for larger ships to follow,
20:03giving him
20:04a strategic advantage.
20:06Its isolation
20:07allowed him to evade
20:08the growing threat
20:09of the Royal Navy
20:10while secretly
20:11continuing his operations.
20:14During this period of calm,
20:15it's likely he secured
20:17whatever treasure he had
20:18before the final confrontation.
20:22Blackbeard's prior
20:23unchecked presence in Bath
20:24had infuriated
20:25Virginia's Governor
20:26Alexander Spotswood,
20:27especially after
20:29the siege on Charleston.
20:31Spotswood suspected
20:32collusion between
20:33Blackbeard and
20:34North Carolina's
20:35Governor Eden,
20:36whose pardon of the pirate
20:37only fueled the tension.
20:39Governor Spotswood
20:40would not stand
20:41for piracy in his waters.
20:43He summoned captains
20:44of the British Royal Navy
20:45to discuss a strategy
20:46for bringing Blackbeard
20:47to justice.
20:48And as an additional incentive,
20:49Spotswood offered
20:50a bounty for the pirate's
20:51capture.
20:52100 pounds,
20:53dead or alive.
20:54Opracoke Island
20:57became the stage
20:58for one of the most
20:59legendary confrontations
21:00in pirate history.
21:02November 1718,
21:04British forces,
21:06led by Lieutenant
21:06Robert Maynard,
21:08ambushed Blackbeard
21:09in the treacherous waters
21:10off the coast.
21:13It was a fierce,
21:14bloody battle.
21:15Blackbeard was shot
21:16and slashed multiple times
21:17before he finally fell.
21:19In a brutal display,
21:20his head was severed
21:21and mounted
21:22on the bowsprit
21:23of Maynard's ship.
21:24A grim warning
21:25to anyone
21:26who dared follow
21:27in Blackbeard's
21:27notorious footsteps.
21:30After Blackbeard's death,
21:32Maynard's men
21:33scoured the island,
21:35searching through
21:36the difficult terrain
21:37and hidden coves
21:38for any trace
21:40of the pirate fortune.
21:42But they found nothing
21:43of any unusually
21:44great value,
21:45just sugar,
21:46coca,
21:47indigo,
21:48and cotton.
21:48There's an enduring legend
21:51that when Blackbeard's crew
21:52was questioned
21:53after his death,
21:54they famously said,
21:56only he and the devil
21:58know where the treasure is.
21:59This cryptic remark
22:00has driven treasure hunters
22:02for centuries.
22:03The island's history
22:04and Blackbeard's reputation
22:06make it one of the most
22:07intriguing possible locations.
22:10But so far,
22:11nothing has been found.
22:13Another theory,
22:15one that's most likely
22:16closest to the truth,
22:17maintains that the idea
22:18of Blackbeard's hidden treasure
22:20is nothing more
22:21than legend.
22:23The myth of buried pirate treasure
22:25often overshadows
22:26the reality.
22:27In truth,
22:28pirates like Blackbeard
22:29likely spent their wealth
22:30quickly after plundering it.
22:32Another issue is that
22:33even a small sea chest
22:35filled with gold
22:35would weigh nearly
22:375,000 pounds.
22:38That's a lot of weight
22:39for pirates to lug around
22:41a sandy beach.
22:42At the time of Blackbeard's death,
22:44his possessions were valued
22:45at only 2,500 pounds sterling.
22:48It's hardly the grand fortune
22:49we associate with legendary pirates
22:51like Captain Kidd
22:52or Henry Every,
22:54whose plunder reached
22:54tens of thousands of pounds.
22:56This raises an intriguing question.
22:59Did Blackbeard use the myth
23:01of untold riches
23:02to fuel his power and influence?
23:05Perhaps there was never
23:06a vast treasure at all,
23:08just a clever illusion
23:09that kept his crew loyal
23:10and his enemies at bay.
23:13The legend of Blackbeard's
23:15hidden riches
23:15has captivated treasure hunters
23:17for centuries.
23:19Even without hard evidence,
23:21the search continues,
23:22fueled by the possibility
23:24that somewhere out there,
23:26the rumored fortune
23:27of the world's most feared pirate
23:29awaits discovery.
23:30In the mid-1st century BCE,
23:44the 9th Legion,
23:45more than 5,000
23:46of Rome's fiercest fighters,
23:48stormed into Britain,
23:50establishing the region
23:51as its base for generations.
23:53They cloached rebellions
23:55and left their indelible mark
23:56everywhere they went.
23:58The 9th was one of Rome's
24:00oldest and most respected
24:02elite legions.
24:03Disciplined, loyal, experienced,
24:06they fought in just about
24:06every major Roman conflict.
24:08And it's all traceable.
24:12Evidence of the 9th Legion
24:13and its exploits
24:15are all over the historical
24:17and archaeological records.
24:19Until suddenly,
24:21it's just not.
24:22The entire legion
24:24seems to disappear
24:25from history.
24:26More than 5,000
24:28living,
24:30breathing men.
24:31Their weapons,
24:32their armor,
24:33gone.
24:35The 9th's fate
24:37has been a point
24:38of intensive investigation
24:40and fierce debate
24:42among historians
24:43for centuries.
24:45But the one thing
24:46everyone agrees on
24:47is that something
24:48is not right.
24:50So what happened
24:51to Rome's legendary
24:539th Legion?
24:54The legion began
24:56its storied career
24:57close to home,
24:58establishing itself
24:59as a force
25:00for putting down
25:01insurrections.
25:03The first historical mention
25:05of the 9th Legion
25:06is regarding
25:07their participation
25:08in what's known
25:09as the Social War,
25:10a rebellion
25:11in the south of Italy
25:12that they crushed
25:13in 90 BCE.
25:14Within a couple
25:16of generations,
25:17the 9th Legion
25:18fought in the
25:18Gallic Wars
25:19under Julius Caesar
25:20and were so trusted
25:21by him
25:22that they became
25:22known as
25:23Caesar's Legion.
25:25A few years later,
25:26in 55 BCE,
25:27Caesar used them
25:28for Rome's
25:28first invasion
25:29of Britain.
25:31But then,
25:32something odd
25:33happened in
25:3445 BCE.
25:36After they were
25:36sent to fight
25:37in a civil war
25:38back home
25:39and then put down
25:39a rebellion
25:40in Africa,
25:42Caesar retired
25:43the Legion.
25:44He disbanded it
25:45and pensioned off
25:46all its veterans.
25:48The very next year,
25:50Caesar was assassinated
25:52and his heir,
25:53Octavian,
25:54reformed
25:55the 9th Legion.
25:57They proved
25:58themselves to be
25:59so effective
26:00in the conquest
26:00of part of Spain
26:02that from that
26:03point forward,
26:04Hispana was added
26:05to their name,
26:06becoming
26:07Legio IX Hispana.
26:09Ultimately,
26:10they returned to Britain,
26:11one of four
26:12Roman legions
26:13needed to quell
26:14a resistance
26:15by Celtic tribes.
26:17By 71 CE,
26:19the 9th Legion
26:20was stationed
26:21in Eberrachum
26:22and it was
26:23their responsibility
26:24to oversee
26:25and secure
26:26Britain's
26:26northern territories,
26:28including
26:28Caledonia,
26:30ancient Scotland.
26:32Caledonia
26:33was considered
26:34dangerous,
26:35volatile,
26:35and unpredictable.
26:37Most of Rome's
26:38legions were based
26:39in the southern part
26:40of Britain
26:40and made forays
26:41into Caledonia
26:43only when necessary.
26:45The 9th was the
26:46go-to legion
26:47for that hazardous
26:48work for at least
26:49the next two generations.
26:52We know that the 9th
26:53was still present
26:54in northern Britain
26:55in 108 CE
26:56because in the mid-19th century,
26:58workers digging a drain
26:59near what's now York
27:00in northern England
27:00found a square stone slab
27:02over three feet across
27:04with an inscription.
27:05It reads,
27:06the 9th Hispana legion
27:07rebuilt the fort
27:08for the emperor.
27:09It's dated to 108 CE,
27:11so we know the 9th legion
27:12was there at that time.
27:15By 122 CE,
27:17things were going
27:18poorly enough
27:18for the Romans
27:19in Caledonia
27:20that reigning
27:21emperor Hadrian
27:23traveled to Britain
27:24in person,
27:26taking another legion,
27:27the 6th Vitrix,
27:29with him.
27:29He was building
27:30a wall
27:31and not just
27:32any wall.
27:34Hadrian's wall
27:35was going to divide
27:36the island of Britain
27:37in two,
27:38separating the Romans
27:40and the so-called
27:41barbarians
27:42to the north.
27:44All military units
27:46were needed
27:46to build the wall,
27:48thousands of soldiers
27:49working for at least
27:51six years.
27:53Each legion
27:53signed the wall
27:54with engraved plaques
27:56and stamped bricks.
27:58The 2nd legion,
28:00the 6th Victrix,
28:01and the 20th.
28:03Yet no part
28:04of the wall
28:05bears the mark
28:06of the 9th legion.
28:08So we know
28:08the 9th was there
28:09in 108 CE,
28:11but by 122 CE,
28:14they were gone.
28:15What happened
28:15to them?
28:18Marcus Cornelius Fronto,
28:20the historian of the day,
28:22wrote that during
28:22emperor Hadrian's reign,
28:24the Britons
28:25could not be kept
28:26under Roman control
28:27and that large numbers
28:28of Roman soldiers
28:29had been killed
28:30by them.
28:31given that Hadrian
28:33and the 6th legion
28:35took up residence
28:36at Ibarakim
28:37as soon as they arrived
28:38in 122 CE,
28:40when Fronto wrote
28:41about large numbers
28:42of casualties,
28:43could he have been
28:44talking about
28:44the 9th legion?
28:46Had the 9th legion
28:47been wiped out
28:48before Hadrian
28:49and the 6th got there?
28:50If the 9th legion
28:52had been attacked
28:53and decimated,
28:53it would have been
28:54a pretty compelling reason
28:55for Hadrian
28:56to want to build a wall
28:57to prevent a devastating
28:58attack from happening again.
29:00The 9th had a reputation
29:01for being unbeatable.
29:03However,
29:03there is evidence
29:04that they weren't
29:05entirely invincible.
29:07In 61 CE,
29:09there was a revolt
29:10in the Esseni tribe
29:11in eastern Britain
29:13and a large number
29:14of Roman soldiers
29:15died in the bloody conflict.
29:17Roughly half
29:18the 9th legion
29:19was wiped out,
29:20which earned the battle
29:21the name
29:22The Massacre of the Knife.
29:26They could also
29:26have been sent
29:27somewhere else
29:28and been wiped out there.
29:30In the Roman-Parthian war
29:32near Armenia,
29:33fought a bit later
29:34between 161 and 165 CE,
29:37there were records
29:38of a Roman legion
29:39being annihilated.
29:41Their commander
29:41even chose to die
29:43by suicide,
29:44which they sometimes did
29:45after a humiliating defeat.
29:47But while the event
29:49was documented,
29:50the legion itself
29:51wasn't named.
29:53At that time,
29:54there was a seldom-used
29:55sanction called
29:56Demnatio Memoriae
29:58where anyone
29:59perceived to be
30:01a traitor to Rome
30:02or an enemy
30:03of the state
30:04might have their memory
30:05officially condemned.
30:08Their name would be
30:09erased from public record,
30:11so an event
30:11they took part in,
30:12such as a battle,
30:14would still be recorded,
30:15of course,
30:16but they would be
30:18unnamed in that record.
30:19So could the Ninth
30:21have done something
30:22worthy of Demnatio Memoriae?
30:26There is one little-known
30:27chapter in the Ninth Legion's
30:29otherwise spotless history
30:31as loyal soldiers
30:32of the empire
30:33that could have resulted
30:34in Demnatio Memoriae.
30:36Back when Julius Caesar
30:39was leading them
30:40in northern Italy,
30:42the Ninth threatened mutiny
30:43over not getting enough pay
30:45or a cut of the spoils of war.
30:48Caesar could have decimated
30:49the Ninth for that,
30:50meaning that he executed
30:52every tenth soldier
30:53as a lesson to all.
30:55But he ended up
30:55allowing a plea deal
30:56where the Ninth
30:57abandoned its mutiny
30:58and just an even dozen
30:59of the ringleaders
31:00were executed.
31:01Amazingly,
31:01the Ninth went back
31:02to being one of Caesar's
31:03favorite legions after that.
31:04But the incident proved
31:06they were willing
31:06to defy orders,
31:08or worse.
31:09One possible hole
31:11in the Demnatio Memoriae
31:13theory is that
31:14many of the records
31:15back then
31:15were literally
31:16chiseled in stone.
31:19And while there's evidence
31:19of senators
31:20and even disgraced emperors
31:22having their names
31:23chiseled away
31:24and erased,
31:26there doesn't seem
31:26to be any sign
31:27of that happening
31:28to the Ninth Legion's name.
31:30So it's an interesting theory
31:31but with no hard evidence
31:33to back it up.
31:34After centuries
31:36of searching
31:36all over Britain
31:37for any trace
31:38of Rome's Ninth Legion,
31:40a surprise discovery
31:41led some researchers
31:43to believe
31:44that they would
31:45never be found there.
31:47An archaeological dig
31:49hundreds of miles away
31:51across the sea
31:52in what is now
31:53the Netherlands
31:54turned up
31:55three building tiles
31:57stamped with
31:59the ninth unit number.
32:01and more than that,
32:03a bronze pendant
32:04from a harness
32:05that would have been
32:06worn by one
32:07of the Ninth's war horses
32:09was also found.
32:10So how could these
32:11have ended up here?
32:15In 132 CE,
32:17the Bar Kokhba revolt
32:18broke out in Judea,
32:20part of modern Israel
32:21and the West Bank.
32:22The Romans put the rebellion
32:23down ruthlessly
32:25but it took about
32:26three years to do it.
32:27Some believe
32:28that the artifacts
32:29discovered in the Netherlands
32:30are proof
32:31that Rome's Ninth Legion
32:33was sent to fight
32:34in Judea
32:35and stopped
32:36in the Netherlands
32:37en route.
32:39This would prove
32:40that the Ninth Legion
32:40was still in existence
32:42in 132 CE,
32:43much later than
32:44what previous evidence
32:45had suggested.
32:46And it also opens up
32:48a possibility.
32:49Is that when and where
32:50the Ninth finally met its end
32:51during the bloody
32:52three-year battle
32:53in Judea?
32:54But if the entire
32:56Ninth Legion
32:57was wiped out
32:58in Judea,
32:59you might expect
32:59to find physical
33:00evidence of it.
33:01Maybe there's
33:02skeletal remains,
33:03damaged armor,
33:05shields, helmets,
33:06none of which seems
33:07to have been found
33:08so far.
33:10We do know
33:11that lots of Roman
33:12soldiers died
33:13putting down
33:14the revolt
33:14but we don't have
33:15any concrete evidence
33:16to convince historians
33:17that any of them
33:19belonged to the
33:19Ninth Legion.
33:21Rome's Ninth Legion
33:22had a long history
33:23and a mysterious end
33:25but left
33:26a lasting legacy.
33:28Hadrian's Wall
33:29stood for over
33:30300 years
33:32and during that time
33:33the cultures
33:34of the people
33:35to the north
33:36and south of it
33:37had time to develop
33:38quite differently
33:39into England
33:41and Scotland.
33:43Some say
33:44the wall
33:44never would have
33:45been built
33:46if the Ninth Legion
33:47hadn't allowed itself
33:49to be beaten
33:49by the Caledonian tribes
33:51and that it is
33:53responsible
33:53for Britain
33:54being divided.
33:56As it stands
33:58the last irrefutable
33:59concrete evidence
34:00we have
34:01that the Ninth Legion
34:02was still in existence
34:03is the fort building
34:05inscription
34:05from 108 CE
34:07and what was then
34:08Ibarakum.
34:10There are so many
34:11theories as to
34:11what became of them
34:12after that
34:13but what every one
34:14of them lacks
34:15is evidence
34:16to back it up.
34:17It's still very possible
34:19that one day soon
34:21Rome's lost
34:22Ninth Legion
34:22will march back
34:23into the history books
34:25and the mystery
34:26of their disappearance
34:27can finally
34:28be put to rest.
34:391968
34:40a year when the world
34:41teetered between peace
34:43and nuclear catastrophe
34:44as tensions rose
34:47on land
34:47something darker
34:49unfolded beneath
34:50the ocean's surface.
34:54In January of 1968
34:56the INS Dakar
34:57a newly acquired
34:58Israeli submarine
34:59disappeared
35:00without a distress signal.
35:02Only two days prior
35:03the French Minerv
35:04vanished during
35:04a routine patrol.
35:05in March
35:09the Soviet
35:09K-129
35:10a nuclear armed sub
35:12sunk in the Pacific
35:13and in May
35:14the USS Scorpion
35:15went missing.
35:19Four submarines
35:20each from
35:21a different nation
35:22vanished
35:23without a trace
35:24killing a combined
35:25318 sailors.
35:29The odds of
35:30four subs
35:31going missing
35:32within less than
35:33six months
35:34of each other
35:35must be
35:36astronomical.
35:37In that
35:38geopolitical climate
35:39any explanation
35:40seemed possible.
35:42Covert attacks
35:43technical sabotage
35:44Cold War
35:45cover-ups
35:46so what happened
35:48to these subs?
35:49And why were
35:50authorities
35:50so desperate
35:52to keep it
35:53under wraps?
35:55In early 1968
35:57the Soviet
35:58K-129
35:59left the naval base
36:01at Petropavlovsk
36:02Russia
36:02for a routine
36:04patrol
36:04in the Pacific
36:05Ocean
36:05northeast of Hawaii
36:07for weeks
36:08it traveled
36:09in silent mode
36:10running on battery
36:11power
36:11to avoid detection.
36:14The K-129
36:16wasn't the most
36:17modern sub
36:18a fairly old model
36:20but it was
36:20330 feet long
36:23and thought to have been
36:24armed with
36:24three
36:25one megaton
36:26nuclear missiles
36:27each with more than
36:2865 times
36:30the explosive power
36:31of the bomb
36:33that leveled
36:33Nagasaki.
36:37On March 8th
36:381968
36:39the K-129
36:40failed to transmit
36:41a scheduled radio signal.
36:43The sub
36:44and its crew
36:44of 98 men
36:45had suddenly vanished.
36:47The Soviet
36:47Admiralty
36:48quickly launched
36:49a massive search
36:49covering over
36:50800,000 square miles
36:52but after two months
36:53of unsuccessful efforts
36:54they ultimately
36:55had to abandon
36:56the operation.
36:58In the 1960s
37:00Israel agreed
37:01to buy three
37:02World War II
37:02era T-class submarines
37:04from Great Britain
37:05including the Dakar
37:07which would be
37:08refurbished
37:08and modernized
37:09before joining
37:10their fleet.
37:11Throughout 1967
37:12the Dakar
37:14underwent
37:14extensive sea trials
37:15and the sub
37:16set out for its
37:17maiden voyage
37:18from the UK
37:19bound for Haifa, Israel
37:21with a crew of 69
37:22on January 9th
37:241968.
37:26The last time
37:27anyone heard
37:28from the Dakar
37:29was just after
37:30midnight
37:31on January 25th
37:331968
37:34as it traveled
37:35through the waters
37:36of the eastern
37:37Mediterranean
37:38between Crete
37:39and Cyprus.
37:41Some people
37:41immediately suspected
37:43it had been attacked.
37:45The six-day war
37:46had ended
37:46just months earlier
37:48and relations
37:48between Israel
37:49and Egypt
37:50were still
37:51on a knife's edge.
37:52search efforts
37:55by sea and air
37:56began immediately
37:57after Dakar's
37:58transmissions
37:59went silent
38:00but nothing
38:01was found.
38:04On January 27th
38:061968
38:07just days after
38:09the disappearance
38:09of the INS Dakar
38:11France's Minerva
38:13suffered the same fate.
38:15The Daphne-class
38:16diesel-electric
38:17powered submarine
38:18and its 52 crew members
38:20disappeared
38:20during a routine
38:22training mission
38:23near the port
38:24of Toulon
38:24on the south coast
38:25of France.
38:26Once the alarm
38:29was raised
38:29the French admiralty
38:31threw everything
38:32into the search
38:33around 20 boats
38:34helicopters
38:35aircraft
38:36and even
38:37a diving vessel
38:38from Jacques Cousteau's team.
38:40But despite
38:41all that
38:42they found
38:43nothing.
38:45There was speculation
38:46over what
38:48caused the disaster.
38:49They ranged
38:50from a problem
38:51with the sub's rudder
38:52a collision
38:53with another boat
38:54the explosion
38:55of a missile
38:56or torpedo
38:57or a fault
38:58with its oxygen
38:59supply systems.
39:00We know it went down
39:01in less than
39:02four minutes
39:03but there's just
39:03no evidence
39:04to explain
39:05exactly why.
39:09Spring 1968
39:10the USS Scorpion
39:12a nuclear powered
39:13attack submarine
39:14slipped quietly
39:15into the Mediterranean
39:16on a classified mission.
39:18On May 21st
39:19during the return
39:20voyage to Norfolk,
39:22Virginia
39:22the Scorpion's
39:23radio man
39:24reported that
39:25she was
39:25250 miles southwest
39:27of the Azores Islands
39:28and would arrive
39:30at her home port
39:31on May 27
39:32as scheduled.
39:37Six days later
39:39families gathered
39:40at Pier 22
39:41in Norfolk
39:42waiting for the return
39:44of the sub
39:45and the 99 men
39:47aboard.
39:48They never arrived.
39:50The Navy
39:50had secretly
39:51been searching
39:51for the USS Scorpion
39:53since May 24th
39:54after calls
39:55to the sub
39:56went unanswered.
39:58There was a Soviet
39:58flotilla in the area
39:59near the Canary Islands
40:01at that time
40:01and the Scorpion
40:03had been rerouted
40:04from her original mission
40:05to keep an eye on them.
40:06Some people think
40:07the Soviets
40:07discovered the Scorpion
40:09and sank it
40:10in retaliation
40:10for spying
40:11which is a tantalizing theory
40:13but the Soviets
40:14didn't have the capability
40:15to hunt down
40:16the Scorpion.
40:16At that time
40:18the Soviets
40:19were still relying
40:20on their slow
40:21outdated
40:22diesel powered submarines
40:24the Whiskey class.
40:26The Scorpion
40:27with its advanced technology
40:29would have easily
40:30outpaced them.
40:32Plus no Soviet
40:33or Warsaw Pact vessels
40:35were known to be
40:36even within
40:37a thousand miles
40:38of the Scorpion's
40:39last known location.
40:41There doesn't seem
40:41to be any direct evidence
40:43of a Soviet ambush
40:44and if the Soviets
40:45had sunk the Scorpion
40:46it could have escalated
40:48into something
40:48neither side wanted
40:50nuclear war.
40:53In October 1968
40:55a U.S. Navy research ship
40:57made a shocking discovery.
40:59400 miles off the Azores
41:01nearly 11,000 feet down
41:03the shattered hull
41:05of the USS Scorpion
41:06leaked twisted
41:07on the ocean floor
41:08almost torn in half.
41:12One of the earliest
41:13possibilities explored
41:15by the U.S. Navy
41:16was the idea
41:17that a hot run torpedo
41:18had destroyed
41:19the Scorpion.
41:21A hot run
41:22is when a torpedo's
41:23engine activates
41:24while it's still
41:25inside the submarine
41:27and six months earlier
41:28the Scorpion
41:29had a near disaster
41:31with a Mark 37 torpedo
41:32that accidentally
41:34armed itself.
41:35In its eight years
41:36of service
41:37the Scorpion
41:38had been plagued
41:39by so many
41:39technical issues
41:41that it had earned
41:42the nickname
41:43the Scrap Iron.
41:44There were a staggering
41:45109 unfulfilled
41:48work orders
41:49on the sub
41:49during its last deployment
41:51and crew members
41:52reported that the sub
41:53was already showing
41:54significant signs
41:56of wear and tear.
41:57It's not a stretch
41:59to think that this
42:00could have created
42:00huge problems
42:02like a hot run.
42:03But when investigators
42:06examined the photos
42:07of the wreckage
42:08they couldn't find
42:09any torpedo damage
42:10to the hull
42:11no sign of a kind
42:12of cataclysmic explosion
42:14it would have sparked
42:15and no fragments
42:16of the torpedo room
42:18in the debris field.
42:21When the Scorpion
42:22disappeared
42:23it produced
42:24acoustic signals
42:25detected by
42:26underwater sensors
42:27on both sides
42:28of the Atlantic.
42:29A re-analysis
42:30of this data
42:31in recent years
42:32combined with the
42:33conclusions drawn
42:34in a 1970
42:35government inquiry
42:36points to an
42:37onboard catastrophe.
42:41It's possible
42:42the Scorpion
42:43experienced
42:44a hydrogen explosion
42:45while charging
42:46its lead-acid batteries
42:48which were prone
42:49to leaks.
42:50At the time
42:50the sub went down
42:51it was at
42:52periscope depth
42:53with watertight
42:54hatches closed.
42:56This could have
42:56trapped explosive
42:58hydrogen in the
42:59battery area.
43:00A spark could have
43:01ignited the gas
43:02causing an explosion
43:03that led to a
43:04second battery
43:04explosion.
43:06This matches
43:06two small blasts
43:07that were detected
43:08by hydrophones
43:09half a second apart.
43:10And really
43:11this is the only
43:12concrete evidence
43:12that we have
43:13that might explain
43:14how the Scorpion
43:14was lost.
43:15But we may never
43:16know what happened
43:17to her.
43:18In 2012
43:19the U.S.
43:20submarine
43:20veterans organization
43:22requested a new
43:23investigation
43:24into the Scorpion
43:25sinking.
43:26But it was denied.
43:27The wreckages
43:28of the other
43:28three submarines
43:29were ultimately
43:30located after
43:31varying lengths
43:32of time.
43:33Francis Minerv
43:34lay undiscovered
43:35on the ocean floor
43:36for a full
43:3751 years.
43:39No connection
43:40has been made
43:40between the disasters
43:41and authorities
43:43have offered
43:43no official
43:44explanation
43:45as to what
43:46caused the
43:46destruction
43:47of any of
43:48the four subs
43:48in 1968.
43:50of the
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