00:11In 1590, a ship returned to the shores of North America carrying supplies for a thriving English
00:18settlement. But when the captain stepped ashore, he found nothing. No people, no bodies, no sign
00:26of struggle. Just one single word carved into a wooden post. Croatian. Over 500 years later,
00:35nobody knows what happened. This is the story of Roanoke, history's most haunting disappearance.
00:49It was 1587. Queen Elizabeth I of England had a bold ambition, to plant the first permanent
00:57English colony in the New World. She chose a remote island off the coast of modern-day North Carolina
01:04called Roanoke Island. 117 men, women, and children made the dangerous voyage across
01:11the Atlantic Ocean. They built homes. They started families. In fact, Virginia Dare became the very
01:19first English child born in the Americas. But there was a problem. Supplies were running low.
01:27Their governor, John White, sailed back to England to get more. He promised to return quickly. He had
01:33no idea it would be three long years before he saw Roanoke again. The mystery unfolds.
01:47When John White finally returned in 1590, his heart must have stopped. The entire settlement,
01:54every man, woman, and child, had completely vanished. No graves. No skeletons. No signs of attack or fire.
02:03The only clue? That one word. Croatoan. Carved deep into a wooden post at the entrance of the fort.
02:12What did it mean? The Croatoan were a nearby Native American tribe. Did the colonists join them?
02:20Were they taken by force? Did they try to escape somewhere and perish at sea? Here's what makes it even
02:27stranger. A search of the surrounding area found nothing. No trace of the colonists was ever
02:33discovered. It was as if 117 people had simply ceased to exist. Theories.
02:47Over five centuries, historians and archaeologists have proposed many explanations.
02:53Theory one. They peacefully integrated with the Croatoan tribe, adopted their way of life,
03:00and simply became one of them. Their English identity fading into history forever.
03:07Theory two. A hostile tribe attacked and killed them all, leaving no evidence behind by design.
03:14Theory three. They tried to sail back to England on their own, and were swallowed by the ocean.
03:20Theory three. In 2020, archaeologists found English-style artifacts buried deep in Native American sites nearby.
03:29It was the closest anyone had come to an answer, but it still wasn't enough to close the case.
03:47One hundred and seventeen souls. One word carved in wood. The Roanoke colony remains one of the greatest
03:55unsolved mysteries in American history. And perhaps it always will. And in silence that has echoed through
04:04five centuries of history. What do you think happened? Let's know in the comments below. If you love stories
04:11like this, hidden truths, forgotten mysteries, and the parts of history nobody talks about, then you're in the
04:19right place. Welcome to Truthscope. Subscribe so you never miss a story.
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04:34You
