Of all of history’s unsolved mysteries, perhaps none is stranger than the fateful voyage of the Mary Celeste.
SAILING INTO THE UNKNOWN
On November 5, 1872, a ship named the Mary Celeste set sail from New York bound for Genoa, Italy, under the command of Captain Benjamin Briggs. On board were a crew of seven along with the captain’s wife and their two-year-old daughter.
A month later, on the morning of December 4, the Mary Celeste sailed out of the fog off the coast of Spain and was spotted by the crew of the British ship Dei Gratia. The Mary Celeste’s sails were raised and the hull and masts appeared in good order. The crew of the Dei Gratia hailed the ship, but received no answer, so they boarded her, ready to extend their greetings. What they found was mystifying: the ship was completely deserted.
ANYBODY HOME?
The ship’s cargo—1,700 barrels of alcohol—was untouched. The money box was full. There was plenty of food and water. In fact, some reports tell of finding a meal on the table, as if dinner had just been served. Toys were found on the captain’s bed, as if his little daughter had just played with them. Everyone’s clothes were still on board. The only things missing were nautical charts and maps, a lifeboat…and all the people.
Rainy-day fact: Umbrellas were originally invented to keep the sun off.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The mysterious disappearance of the Mary Celeste’s crew had people all over the world wondering.
• Some believed the crew mutinied, murdered the captain and his family, then took the ship. But if that were true, why did they abandon it?
• Perhaps pirates attacked the ship and killed everyone aboard. But that made no sense because nothing was stolen.
• The most outrageous explanation offered was that the ship had been attacked by a giant squid. But a squid wouldn’t have been interested in the ship’s papers. And a squid wouldn’t need a lifeboat.
Eeek! There are 29,000 different species of spiders.
The mystery of the Mary Celeste has puzzled people for over a century. In all that time, say experts, only one reasonable explanation has been proposed. According to this theory, four things happened, in succession:
1. The captain died of natural causes while the ship was caught in bad weather.
2. A crew member misread the depth of the water in the hold, and everyone thought the ship was sinking.
3. They panicked and abandoned ship in such a hurry that they took no food or water.
4. Everyone in the lifeboat eventually starved or drowned.
Is that what happened? Could be…but no one will ever know.
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DUMB JOKES
Q: Why do hummingbirds hum?
A: Because they don’t know the words.
Q: How can you find a lost rabbit?
A: Make a noise like a carrot.
Q: Why is a pig’s tail like getting up at five in the morning?
A: It’s twirly. (Don’t get it? Say it slowly.)
Heads up! Approximately 500 meteorites strike the Earth every year.