Article by John Davis Who must keep secrets? We’d all agree spies, diplomats, and government leaders would, of course. Then there are lovers, religious groups, and businessmen who must keep their dealings private. All of these share a need for codes and cyphers. Where and when did they begin to …
In 1885 a pamphlet was published which released to the public for the first time a story about an incredible treasure being buried somewhere in Bedford County, Virginia. It was entitled The Beale Papers. The tale was introduced by J. B. Ward, and included copies of unsolved codes, letters …
In June of 2018, it was announced that a small 15th century tile depicting the Archangel Gabriel could be the work of Leonardo da Vinci. If verified, this decorative tile would be the earliest known work of the famed Italian polymath of the Renaissance. The 20×20 cm square image, also …
A mysterious cipher made up of Dancing Men stick figures can be seen in one of the stories of The Return of Sherlock Holmes. This collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle was published in 1903 in the Strand Magazine. It was also published in the …
The mystery of Rennes le Chateau is one of many twists and turns. It is a story that involves possible treasure being discovered in the later part of the 19th century by the village priest, Berenger Sauniere. What exactly the treasure was remains a mystery to us today. But what …
One of the most mysterious, but lesser known monuments of Rome, is a marble structure sitting in the corner of the gardens of Piazza Vittorio. It is called the Alchemical Door, also known as the Magic Portal or Gate. The door’s frame is etched with curious symbols and writings. The …
The Rail Fence Cipher, or often called the ZigZag, is a form of transposition cipher. A transposition cipher rearranges the letters of a message following a system. The reason it is called a rail fence is because letters of a message are rearranged by lines that can look like rails …
Braille is a tactile writing system which was developed by Louis Braille in the 1800’s. Louis was a Frenchman who lost his sight at a young age and later decided to create a system allowing him, and others who were blind, to read and write. This extremely beneficial system is …
For many, the words code and cipher often induce the same thought. However, there is a difference between the two words. And even though code and cipher get interchanged a lot, even by myself, the actual definitions for the words establishes there should be a precise usage and understanding for …
The Playfair Cipher can be seen featured in the 2007 movie of National Treasure: The Book of Secrets. This film is the sequel to the box office success National Treasure which was released in 2004. That film featured the Ottendorf Cipher in part of its story line. Both of these movies …
