These mysterious figures have kept historians and amateur sleuths guessing for centuries! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down significant figures from throughout history whose origins and pasts remain shrouded in mystery.
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00:00I just bumped into Robin of Loxley. He's back from the Crusades.
00:03Ha, ha, ha, ha! You know, he just beat the crap out of me and my men.
00:08Ha, ha, ha, ha!
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down significant figures from throughout history
00:14whose origins and pasts remain shrouded in mystery.
00:18Nostradamus and Notre Dame. It's two different things completely.
00:24Number 10. Jack the Ripper
00:26This one smallish area of the East End of London, Whitechapel,
00:30was a magnet for not only the very poor people, people who had menial jobs, for example,
00:36but also the actually destitute.
00:38Stalking the foggy streets of 1888 Whitechapel,
00:41a shadowy figure brutally murdered at least five women, all of whom were sex workers.
00:46The victims, including Marianne Nicholls and Catherine Eddowes,
00:49were found with their throats slashed and bodies mutilated in a manner suggesting anatomical knowledge.
00:54Society had very stringent rules about women earning or having money,
00:59so many women turned to prostitution as a way to make ends meet in those days.
01:06Letters sent to the police signed Jack the Ripper taunted authorities and fueled public hysteria.
01:11Despite numerous suspects, including physician Sir William Gull and barber Aaron Kosminski,
01:16the killer's identity remains unknown.
01:18The failure to catch the Ripper, combined with the savagery of the murders,
01:21has cemented this case as one of history's most chilling unsolved mysteries,
01:25sparking endless theories and investigations.
01:28And every single letter, no matter how ridiculously it seemed at face value,
01:32had to be looked into by the police.
01:35Number 9. Cleopatra VII
01:37I'm pleased that you received my summons, after all, and were able to...
01:40Summons? I'm pleased to say I received nothing of the kind.
01:44The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt,
01:48Cleopatra VII's life is cloaked in layers of intrigue.
01:51Renowned for her intelligence and political acumen,
01:54she formed influential liaisons with powerful Roman figures Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
01:59These relationships played crucial roles in her attempts to preserve Egypt's independence
02:03and the rising power of Rome.
02:05You Roman generals become divine so quickly.
02:08A few victories, a few massacres.
02:12Only yesterday Pompey was a god.
02:15They murdered him, didn't they?
02:16Her dramatic demise, traditionally believed to involve a fatal ass-bite,
02:20only adds to the mystique.
02:22Cleopatra's reign, marked by her efforts to maintain her kingdom's sovereignty
02:25and her enigmatic death, continues to fascinate historians and the public alike,
02:29embodying a potent blend of historical fact and myth.
02:32I would have believed you.
02:34You didn't trust me, is that it?
02:36Not for an instant.
02:38And yet, in these last few minutes, you have made me undisputed queen.
02:43The sole ruler of Egypt.
02:45Number 8. Rasputin
02:47Rasputin would certainly have felt part of that very cold, very isolated,
02:53kind of embattled sort of Russian frontier, if you like.
02:58Sort of Wild West, except of course the Wild East.
03:01Emerging from Siberia, Grigori Rasputin gained significant influence
03:05over the Russian royal family in the early 20th century.
03:08A mystic and self-proclaimed holy man,
03:10Rasputin's ability to alleviate the symptoms of Sarovitch Alexei's hemophilia
03:14endeared him to Tsarina Alexandra.
03:17His growing power at court, coupled with rumors of debauchery and corruption,
03:21sparked widespread scandal and resentment among nobles and politicians.
03:25He performed this ritual where he was trying to exercise the demon of lechery.
03:30In December 1916, a group of conspirators determined to end his influence
03:34assassinated Rasputin in a dramatic plot involving poisoning, shooting,
03:38and ultimately drowning.
03:39Despite his death, the tales surrounding his purported supernatural endurance
03:43have cemented his place as a symbol of the waning days of Imperial Russia.
03:47I think he was a holy man in the fullest sense of the word.
03:50All of these other things, the seductions and so on,
03:54can be explained as a part of his peculiar obsession with getting rid of sin through sin.
04:00Number 7. The Man in the Iron Mask
04:02I'm sorry, you've never seen me before. I must shock you.
04:05An enigmatic prisoner held during the reign of Louis XIV,
04:08the Man in the Iron Mask has captivated imaginations for centuries.
04:11Detained in various French prisons, including the Bastille,
04:14his identity was kept secret, with his face obscured by a velvet mask.
04:18Speculation about his true identity has ranged from a disgraced nobleman
04:21to the king's illegitimate brother or even his twin.
04:24And you take the side of traitors, of this one,
04:28worst of all, my own father who's trying to do this to me!
04:31Theories were fueled by the secrecy surrounding his incarceration
04:34and the strict orders of confidentiality imposed on his jailers.
04:37Voltaire and Alexandre Dumas popularized the mystery in their writings.
04:41But despite extensive research, the true identity of the Man in the Iron Mask
04:45remains an unsolved riddle.
04:47I am a young king, but I am king.
04:52Then be a good king, your majesty.
04:55Number 6. King Arthur
04:57Everybody is trying to claim Arthur.
04:59The reason behind this is Arthur is hope.
05:03Arthur is light at the end of the tunnel.
05:05In the time of depression, there is always Arthur.
05:08This iconic figure of British folklore is believed to have led the defense
05:11against Saxon invaders during the early medieval period.
05:14His story, interwoven with myth and history, features prominently
05:17in the tales of the Knights of the Round Table,
05:19The Wizard Merlin, and The Quest for the Holy Grail.
05:22The only really real contemporary writer living at the time of when Arthur would have lived
05:29is the possibly monk, certainly, Ecclesiastic Gildas.
05:33Although records of Arthur are sparse and often contradictory,
05:36he is often depicted as a symbol of chivalry and justice.
05:39The real existence of King Arthur has been the subject of debate among historians,
05:43with some suggesting he is composite of several historical figures.
05:46The lasting allure of his legend, combining heroism, magic, and romance,
05:50continues to inspire literature, film, and scholarly inquiry.
05:53So if you've got problems with defining who Shakespeare is,
05:56it's the same problem with Arthur.
05:59Number 5. Robin Hood
06:01Master Robin, is that you?
06:03Yes!
06:04Back from the Crusades?
06:06Yes!
06:07And alive?
06:08Yes!
06:10Oh, happy day!
06:12Here's another famous English folk hero,
06:14said to have roamed Sherwood Forest with his band of merry men,
06:17robbing from the rich to give to the poor.
06:19His tales, set during the reigns of Richard the Lionheart and King John,
06:22are steeped in both tale-telling and speculation.
06:25And whom might you be?
06:27Oh, they call me Little John.
06:29Hey, but don't let my name fool you.
06:31In real life, I'm very big.
06:34Described as a skilled archer and swordsman,
06:36Robin Hood's true identity remains elusive.
06:38Some historians suggest he may have been inspired by actual outlaws or disenchanted nobles,
06:43while others view him as a purely mythical figure embodying resistance against tyranny.
06:47The still-strong appeal of Robin Hood lies in his defiance of unjust authority
06:51and his quest for social justice,
06:53themes that continue to resonate through literature, film, and popular culture.
06:57Careful, Robin. You've gone too far.
07:00I've only just begun.
07:01I've come to warn you that if you do not stop levying these evil taxes,
07:05I shall lead the good people of England in a revolt against you.
07:09He was the most strategic thinking of all of these Golden Age pirates from this time period.
07:15Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, remains one of history's most notorious pirates.
07:20Active during the early 18th century,
07:22he terrorized the Caribbean and the eastern coast of the American colonies.
07:25Blackbeard's fearsome reputation was amplified by his intimidating appearance,
07:29with a long black beard and lit fuses in his hat during battles,
07:32creating a menacing image.
07:34He's lit fuses in his beard, which he's tied into it,
07:38so there's smoke pouring out and fire and sparks from around his head,
07:42like he's the devil.
07:44He captured the French slave ship La Concorde,
07:46renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge and outfitting it with 40 guns.
07:49His reign of terror ended in 1718
07:51when he was killed in a fierce battle with British naval forces off the coast of North Carolina.
07:55Despite his relatively short career,
07:57Blackbeard's infamy endures, continuing to captivate popular imagination.
08:01All the received myths you've ever heard about the pirates come from this particular book,
08:05and it was a mix of accounts that are shockingly and completely accurate,
08:10and in other instances we know are complete fabrications and completely wrong,
08:14and the trick is always knowing which is which.
08:17Number 3. Aesop
08:19Once the north wind and the sun were arguing about who was the stronger.
08:24This ancient Greek fabulist and storyteller is credited with an extensive collection of fables
08:29that have captivated audiences for centuries.
08:31Believed to have lived around the 6th century BCE, Aesop's life remains a mystery,
08:35with much of what is known coming from later sources that mix fact and fiction.
08:39The man looked up, happy to see the sun again.
08:44It is my turn now, said the sun, getting stronger and brighter every minute.
08:51According to tradition, he was born a slave but gained his freedom through his wit and storytelling prowess.
08:56His fables such as The Tortoise and the Hare and The Boy Who Cried Wolf
08:59are characterized by their moral lessons and anthropomorphized animals.
09:03While the authenticity of his existence remains debated,
09:06the impact of Aesop's tales on literature and moral education is undeniable,
09:10continuing to be retold and cherished across cultures and generations.
09:18Number 2. Nostradamus
09:20About two-thirds of the prophecies of Nostradamus have already come to fruition.
09:25That's why people keep looking to them for truth.
09:28Born Michael de Nostradame in France in 1503,
09:31Nostradamus is best known for his prophetic writings and enigmatic quatrains,
09:36but is himself an unusual figure.
09:38His early years remain largely undocumented.
09:40After studying medicine and becoming a physician,
09:42he gained notoriety for his work during the plague outbreaks.
09:45However, it was his shift to astrology and prophecy that cemented his place in history.
09:49Nostradamus has predicted earthquakes, famine, war.
09:53His book Les Prophétés has sparked endless speculation about his ability to foresee the future.
09:58The ambiguous nature of his predictions and the lack of concrete evidence about many aspects of his existence,
10:03such as his exact methods of divination, have contributed to his timeless mystique.
10:07He remains one of the most intriguing figures of the Renaissance.
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10:54The life of the illustrious playwright and poet is veiled in mystery and speculation.
10:57Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564,
11:00his rise to literary prominence remains somewhat obscure due to sparse and often ambiguous records.
11:05Questions about the authorship of his works have sparked intense debate,
11:09with some suggesting alternative candidates such as Christopher Marlowe or Francis Bacon.
11:25Despite these controversies, Shakespeare's unparalleled contributions to English literature
11:29encompassing timeless plays like Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet are indisputable.
11:33His profound understanding of human nature and his immense impact on language and culture
11:38continue to fascinate scholars and enthusiasts,
11:40ensuring that the mystery surrounding his life only enhances his legendary status.
11:52What other figures from history could have made this list? Let us know in the comments.
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