10 Historical Questions That Were FINALLY Answered

10 Historical Questions We FINALLY Have Answers To

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we are counting down our choices for long-standing historical questions that once fueled endless debate and wildly imaginative theories but have now been laid to rest thanks to modern science, archaeology, and a little persistence.

#10: What Happened to the Franklin Expedition?

In 1845, 129 British sailors vanished in the arctic. They were searching for the Northwest Passage, a historic sea route that connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, providing a shorter route to Asia. The unfortunate Franklin Expedition has driven speculation for decades on the true fate of the sailors. Arguments ranged from ice entrapment to madness. In 2013, researchers finally pieced together a clearer picture. After being trapped in ice for two brutal winters, the crew ran dangerously low on food and supplies. The surviving men abandoned their ships and attempted a desperate trek south toward the mainland. Poor health, extreme cold, and malnutrition worked against them at every step. Ultimately, none survived, confirming a tragic but human explanation for their disappearance.

#9: Did Anastasia Escape the Bolsheviks?

For nearly a century, rumors persisted that Anastasia Romanov, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, survived her family’s execution. In the time since her disappearance, Anastasia’s legend had grown that she was practically an icon. The mystery behind her family’s survival drew many. Imposters came forward and the public was enthralled by the possibility of her survival. That hope ended in 2007, when archaeologists discovered a second burial site containing two missing Romanov children. DNA testing matched the remains to the royal family using genetic material from Nicholas II. Anastasia did not escape. She died alongside her family in 1918. While heartbreaking, the discovery finally closed one of history’s most enduring royal mysteries, replacing legend with scientific certainty.

#8: How Did King Richard III Die?

History states that King Richard III died in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the Wars of the Roses, but the “how” remained a mystery. Accounts of his death relied on written records and dramatized portrayals. Science provided a better picture in 2012 when archaeologists uncovered skeletal remains beneath a parking lot in Leicester. DNA analysis confirmed the body belonged to the king. Further examination also revealed multiple battle injuries, including fatal blows to the skull. The wounds supported historical accounts that he died fighting on foot after losing his horse. Far from what was once thought to be the mysterious disappearance of a royal, the discovery provided rare physical confirmation of a medieval king’s violent end, grounding legend firmly in archaeological evidence.

#7: What Happened to the City of Ubar?

Imagine Atlantis except in the desert. This was Ubar, long believed to be a mythical lost city. The veil of mythology didn’t stop amateur archaeologist Nicholas Clapp. Partnering with NASA, Clapp searched satellite images for clues about the city. Radar data revealed ancient trade routes converging in southern Oman. Excavations uncovered a fortified settlement with towers and walls. This was not the case of a mysterious disappearance. Rather, Ubar had collapsed into a massive sinkhole beneath it. The desert took care of the rest with the sands burying the remains. The discovery confirmed Ubar’s existence and explained its sudden disappearance, transforming a legendary city into a documented archaeological site with a surprisingly straightforward fate.

#6: What Happened to Napoleon's Army?

Winter invasions of Russia have historically never gone too well for invaders. Napoleon was on the receiving end of this in 1812. Leading over 500,000 soldiers for the invasion, Napoleon’s campaign ended with a catastrophic retreat. The defeat was believed to be due to a combination of combat, cold, and starvation, but modern science has added a new layer. Genetic analysis of soldiers’ remains have revealed pathogens previously undetected. Researchers found evidence of Salmonella enterica and Borrelia recurrentis, bacteria that cause paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever. These illnesses would have weakened soldiers already struggling with harsh conditions and accelerating the army’s collapse. Rather than a single cause, Napoleon’s defeat resulted from a lethal combination of environment, logistics, and microscopic enemies hidden in plain sight.

#5: Where Was Troy?

The Trojan war and its host, the city of Troy, have long been dismissed as a legend from Homer’s epics. That legend turned real in the 19th century when archaeologists Heinrich Schliemann and Frank Calvert excavated a site in Hisarlik, modern-day Turkey. The dig began in 1871, and the two archaeologists uncovered nine distinct layers of settlement, each built atop the last. Troy was not fiction but a real city that had been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Scholars now believe Troy VI aligns most closely with the city described in Greek mythology and immortalized by Homer in The Odyssey. Debates still rage as to if there was an actual war, but the location and the reality of Troy is no longer in question.

#4: Who Built the Moa'i on Easter Island?

Walking along the shores of Easter Island, it is hard to miss the massive monolithic human figures. These oversized heads, also called the Moa’i of Easter Island, have puzzled researchers for generations. Carved from volcanic rock at Rano Raraku, the statues were transported across the island and placed on stone platforms called ahu. While how they were moved remains debated, researchers solved a different mystery in 2019. A Binghamton University study revealed that ahu locations consistently align with sources of fresh drinking water. The statues weren’t just ceremonial or arbitrary. They were waypoints and essential markers for community resources. The discovery reframed the Moaʻi as tied to survival, offering insight into how island communities organized themselves around limited resources.

#3: Where Did Stonehenge's Giant Stones Come From?

If Easter Island had the Moa’i, Wiltshire, England had the Stonehenge. These massive stones have inspired centuries of speculation, from supernatural theories to distant origins. In 2020, researchers finally confirmed their source. Using geochemical analysis, scientists traced the largest stones, known as sarsens, to West Woods in Wiltshire. This was about fifteen miles from the monument. A modest distance, at first glance, but transporting stones weighing up to twenty-five tons would have required remarkable coordination. It took nearly four hundred years of study to settle the question conclusively. This latest reveal didn’t explain exactly how the stones were moved, but it definitely highlighted their origin, grounding the monument in its local prehistoric landscape.

#2: Why Did the Mayan Civilization Collapse?

From inventing the mathematical concept of zero to developing a complex and accurate calendar system, the Mayans were peerless. Which made it all the more baffling that their civilization declined. Historians have long sought an answer to this mystery and in the fateful year of 2012, an explanation arrived. Researchers from Arizona State University determined that environmental mismanagement played a key role in the Mayans’ decline. Extensive deforestation altered the land’s ability to regulate heat and moisture, reducing cloud formation and rainfall. This intensified natural droughts and caused soil erosion, undermining agriculture. As food supplies dwindled, populations abandoned cities, leading to widespread collapse. Rather than a sudden catastrophe, the fall of the Maya was a slow unraveling driven by environmental strain and unsustainable practices.

#1: How Were The Pyramids Built?

The Pyramids stand as one of the greatest symbols of Egyptian history and cultural heritage. Their construction has long been thought impossible without the use of advanced technology or supernatural help. But physics provided a surprisingly simple answer in 2014. Experiments showed that dragging heavy stone blocks on sleds across sand becomes significantly easier when the sand is slightly wet. Moisture in the sand increased its stiffness and reduced friction. This prevented piles from forming in front of the sled. Ancient Egyptian wall paintings even depict workers pouring water ahead of sleds, reinforcing the theory. No mystery machines, no aliens, just clever engineering accompanied by teamwork and a deep understanding of materials.

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