The Lake Norman Brief
History Under Investigation
Documented investigations into historical mysteries, shipwrecks, ciphers, expeditions and disasters. Explore primary records, illustrated timelines and competing explanations.
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The Railroad That Met the Sea: Flagler’s Overseas Railroad and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane
Explore Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, the 1935 hurricane, the failed evacuation, survivor testimony and the long struggle to remember the dead.
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History Under Investigation: Mysteries, Shipwrecks and Disasters
Explore twelve illustrated historical investigations, from encrypted manuscripts and vanished ships to Flagler’s railroad and the 1935 hurricane.
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Rudolf Diesel: The Inventor Who Vanished, the Engine That Changed the World
Investigate Rudolf Diesel’s disappearance through contemporary reports, his own technical lectures, financial clues, and competing theories.
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D. B. Cooper: The Hijacking, the Money, and the Evidence Behind the Mystery
Investigate D. B. Cooper through FBI records, the Tena Bar ransom, parachutes, tie particles, diatom research, and the latest North Carolina claim.
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The Franklin Expedition: What the Wrecks, Inuit Knowledge, and Human Remains Reveal
Investigate Franklin’s lost expedition through original letters, Inuit testimony, shipwrecks, medical research, and the new DNA identifications of 2026.
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The Flannan Isles: Three Lighthouse Keepers and the Evidence the Sea Left Behind
Investigate the Flannan Isles keepers: original reports, damaged landing gear, missing clothing, sea conditions, false log entries, and competing explanations.
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The Voynich Manuscript: A Book We Can Date but Cannot Read
Investigate the Voynich Manuscript: parchment dates, missing provenance, failed solutions, statistical clues, and the tests a real decipherment must pass.
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Mary Celeste: Why Did Ten People Leave a Ship That Could Still Sail?
Investigate Mary Celeste through family letters, the Gibraltar inquiry, cargo records, competing theories, and the evidence behind recent experiments.
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Carroll A. Deering: The Ghost Schooner on Diamond Shoals
Investigate the Carroll A. Deering through sightings, Coast Guard reports, missing boats, the forged bottle message, and competing explanations.
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Theodosia Burr and the Patriot: The Last Voyage and the Stories That Followed
Investigate Theodosia Burr’s lost voyage through family letters, the Nags Head portrait, pirate confessions, winter weather, and the evidence still missing.