Top 20 People Who Took HUGE Secrets to the Grave

Music has a way of conveying messages that may never be revealed with the spoken word. Though Sir Edward Elgar penned multiple pieces throughout his career, none have been as intriguing as “Enigma Variations”. Beyond the musical content you hear on the surface, there are also supposed hidden melodies interwoven throughout the different movements. The secret lies within the title itself, with people trying to figure out exactly what the enigma is. Elgar even left hints within his lifetime, prompting several people to try and guess. However, no one came close– and eventually, the truth died with him. While the melody remains a mystery, it's also added an air of intrigue that has allowed the theme to live on long after the composer.

Even something as small as a knife can be shrouded in mystery. In 1830, a blacksmith named James Black crafted a weapon for Jim Bowie, a famed knife-fighter who used it to take three lives. This led to others wanting one– and Black complied. However, the exact process he used was elusive, with everything being done behind a curtain. Customers were mystified by how they were both tough and incredibly flexible at the same time– a combination that should’ve been impossible. Some even theorized that he had somehow learned an ancient technique. Unfortunately, a series of personal tragedies led to him forgetting the exact method; and after his death, some began to question if he had any hand in the original at all.

There’s no worse feeling than realizing you hit a dead end on a conundrum. Journalist Robert Parry dedicated his career to exposing the truth behind the 1980 October Surprise, a theory that claimed the Republican Party prevented hostages in Iran[b] from coming home until Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. Parry always believed that George H. W. Bush and William Casey had secret meetings with the Iranian government, but the two always had an alibi witness. This party, later revealed to be lawyer Richard A. Moore, was the only one who could have confirmed if the two were at the meeting. However, his death in 1995 confirmed that the truth would remain unknown; and Parry’s own passing in 2018 ended the investigation entirely.

Dying before your invention can come to fruition is awful for many reasons. In 1995, Jan Sloot claimed to create a coding system with the ability to compress data into a smaller size. This was a feat that went against everything previously understood about the technology at the time. Just before he could finalize a deal, he died of a heart attack. Investors attempted to move forward with the plan, only to learn that a floppy disk containing a key component of the program had gone missing. They were never able to find it, leading to the idea dying with its creator. Sloot’s code is still speculated on today, with some wondering if it ever actually worked at all.

In life, he was a highly publicized figure that loved the spotlight. In death, however, he yearned for the opposite. Following Freddie Mercury’s passing in 1991, he had a public funeral service that was attended by friends, family and celebrities. However, rather than be buried, he opted for cremation again. He entrusted his ashes to his closest friend, Mary Austin, and only told her where to bury them. To this day, she hasn’t told a soul about his final resting place. While some of Mercury’s fans claim to have cracked the code, there has never been any confirmation that they’re correct. Austin’s commitment to his final request has ensured that he finally had some privacy.

There are some accomplishments so incredible that it’s hard to fathom how they could have happened. Florida’s Coral Castle, Edward Leedskalnin, is the ultimate example of this. The architectural feat is still unknown, as there are several roadblocks he should have faced along the way. It consists of over a thousand tons of oolite, which is typically only found deep underground. The stones were then placed on top of one another with nothing to bond them together. Yet, the spaces between them were non-existent. When asked, Leedskalnin claimed to know the same secrets used to build the Great Pyramids. Both he and the site are now enshrouded in mystery, with some hypothesizing that he had made the materials levitate.

Even famed art pieces aren’t safe from thieves, and the Ghent Altarpiece is no exception. It’s made up of several parts, which have been damaged and seized since its inception. In 1934, the panel depicting “The Just Judges” was taken– and the details are still a complete mystery. In fact, nothing was known at all until a potential suspect, Arsene Goedertier, made a sudden deathbed confession. He claimed to know the whereabouts of the missing piece, and even said he wrote down the location, which ended up being another ruse. While it's assumed that he was the perpetrator, it’s still unknown if he had help or how he succeeded. As for the panel, it’s still missing– and it seems it may never be found.

A celebrity being involved in some shady dealings may come as no surprise. However, even those who claimed to be family friendly held dark secrets– some of which were only revealed posthumously. Bing Crosby was a highly respected musician and actor, but even he had a dark past that was eventually uncovered. In 1999, over twenty years after his death, the FBI let it be known that the performer had been indebted to one shady character in particular. He had received letters threatening his life if he didn’t pay $10,000 to an unknown mobster. While those details have been released, who the letters were coming from still remains under wraps.

This founding father had a bit of a reputation with the ladies, and in the process ended up with a son of mysterious origin: William. Franklin was very secretive about who William’s mother was. Some suspect that he was born before Ben married Deborah Read, making him illegitimate. Another theory posits that he was the result of one of Franklin’s many escapades with sex workers. William Franklin did make a name for himself by helping his father in his famous kite experiment, opposing him in the Revolutionary War, and eventually settling in England. Even so, his mother’s name was never released.

Sometimes, it’s the ones you suspect the most that are guilty. During his multi-decade career in British television, Jimmy Savile had been hit with multiple allegations of abuse. While those were eventually dismissed, the ones made after his death weren’t so easily brushed under the rug. Investigations began almost immediately afterwards, and hundreds of people came forward to finally share their alleged experiences. The findings were worse than anyone could have imagined, with reports of him hurting minors and even abusing corpses. Though no physical proof was found, word-of-mouth was plenty of evidence for some; and his reputation was subsequently destroyed. The true extent of his crimes may never be known, but at the very least, he faced some posthumous consequences.

In 1820, during the Peruvian War of Independence, the city of Lima[g] needed to keep its riches secure, and decided to move the fortune to Mexico. Captain William Thompson and his crew were to transfer the treasure, valued at around $208 million. But, they went rogue, killing the guards and priests onboard, and snagging the loot for themselves. They supposedly buried it on Cocos Island – near modern-day Costa Rica – but were then captured. Thompson and his first mate were allowed to live if they showed the treasure’s location to the Spanish. When they got to the island though, they escaped and were never heard from again, taking the secret of the treasure’s location with them.

Some geniuses leave this Earth without ever being truly recognized. There’s no better example than Alan Turing, whose work with Ultra went unknown for nearly three decades. During World War II, the designation decoded ciphers that reportedly shaved years off the conflict, saving countless lives as a result. Turing and his colleagues’ work was unknown, with no explanation given as to why it was hidden. In 1974, the program was finally made public– but by that point, Turing had already been outed, arrested, and convicted on an indecency charge, leading to him taking his own life in 1954. He would never see the way he or his work was celebrated– and today, the government still won’t reveal why they hid the intelligence from the world.

Back in the 1980s, ex-hairdresser Maurice Ward invented something that could’ve changed the world. After the Manchester Air Crash, Ward was inspired, and began mixing non-toxic, heat-resistant plastics. Eventually, he produced a material with amazing heat dissipating properties. This invention, named Starlite by his granddaughter, could withstand blowtorches and lasers. Although numerous companies contacted him regarding the formula, Ward declined to sell, believing Starlite to be too valuable. He unfortunately passed away in 2011, taking his secret with him. Not even his wife or kids seem to know how to replicate it, and so it seems Starlite has faded into the night.

Many inventors have tried to create a perpetual motion machine, but most have failed. Hundreds of years ago however, Johann Bessler, aka Orffyreus, may very well have done it – or so he claimed. Back in 1712, the German innovator showed off a self-spinning wheel that was able to lift weight off the ground and keep going. By 1717, word of his invention had spread, captivating scientists and common folk alike. Bessler’s wheel was said to have spun for 54 days straight with no energy source. Being extremely paranoid, however, he destroyed the machine, and in 1745, Bessler fell off a windmill to his death.

In the Catholic Church, the Pope appoints cardinals. However, on rare occasions, cardinals are named in pectore, signifying “in the breast.” This means the Pope names them in secret, a move typically made when the clergyman in question is from a hostile country where such a position could put them in danger. During his lifetime, Pope John Paul II appointed and later revealed in pectore cardinals from China, Ukraine, and Latvia. A fourth was appointed, but John Paul II passed away before the cardinal was made public. As a result, this cardinal’s appointment technically expires, and we’re left to guess who the Pope had selected.

After famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in 1827, a love letter addressed to the German’s “Immortal Beloved” was found. Beethoven had written the 10-page letter around 1812. But who was his “beloved”? Scholars suggest it could have been Antonie Brentano, despite Ludwig being good friends with her husband. Others propose Countess Josephine Brunsvik as the most likely candidate. Beethoven had written her many love letters, but because he was of lower social standing, she could never be open about their relationship, and eventually pulled away. Theorists have suggested other potential recipients, but only Beethoven knew the real answer.

No one could make ‘em like Stradivari. Literally! Italian Antonio Stradivari was known for crafting stringed instruments – violins in particular – that produced exceptional sound. But how did he craft these remarkable instruments? Well, Stradivari died without leaving any notes, so his secret is lost to us. Scientists believe it was a mix of the shape, the resins, glues, and varnishes, but haven’t been able to replicate it. Stradivari made around 1100 instruments, but only 650 are still around – and they fetch exorbitant prices. His Messiah Stradivarius, made in 1716, is valued at an estimated $20 million! Clearly, everyone’s mad for Strads.

This is code-cracking at its finest. Back in 1940, as part of their expansion, Germany set their sights on Norway. As a countermeasure, Russia was trying to take Finland. Sandwiched in between, the neutral Swedes feared for their safety. Listening to the German Siemens & Halske T52 secret teletypewriter, they attempted to decipher what was considered the most impossible code to crack at the time. Then, only two weeks after being assigned the task, mathematician Arne Beurling solved the riddle using nothing more than paper and pen. Having cracked the code, Beurling enabled the Swedes to create a device to decipher the code. What he refused to divulge, however, was HOW he cracked it.

This man was basically one big secret. He was found on a beach in Nova Scotia, but proved incapable of speech, possibly due to brain injury. When asked his name, he reportedly responded with something that sounded like “Jerome,” and that stuck. That’s not all, though. He was found with both legs amputated to the knee, but bandaged. Some suspect that he was a sailor who got his legs chopped off for mutiny. One historian tied him to the story of a European man who suffered from gangrene in New Brunswick. He was moved from family to family, and died in 1912 without ever telling his story.

Inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla wanted to change the world by providing wireless energy across the globe. To do this, he would build the Wardenclyffe[n] Tower – financed by J. P. Morgan – and use Earth’s atmosphere as a conductor to make the dream a reality. Unfortunately, he faced scepticism from investors and the press. With J. P. Morgan refusing further funding, and Tesla himself in debt, the project fell apart, thus marking the beginning of the end for Nikola Tesla. When he died in 1943, his plans for global wireless electricity and countless other concepts died with him.