Where is Cleopatra’s tomb? Who made the devil’s footprints? What happened to Abigail Williams? If you don’t know about any of those queries yet, you are sure to after this surprising list of history’s most persistent mysteries. Historians spend their careers studying life’s most important questions. Yes, there are plenty of major historical events that have been endlessly documented. (Both World Wars and the American Civil War come to mind, among many others.) But many more events throughout history are far less understood than we may think. And it’s not just ancient happenings, either. Some relatively recent mysteries from the last century still persist in the minds of historical investigators, readers, and amateur sleuths, too.In this list, we’ll dive into ten of the most pressing historical questions that experts still haven’t been able to answer. No matter how much these ten items are studied, nobody can come away with a conclusive take. And as time keeps on passing us by, every day brings more certainty that the truth will probably never quite be known.
What Fate Befell Abigail?
The Hidden Truth Behind The Salem Witch Trials
The Salem witch trials were a notorious chapter in colonial America. And even today, they remain shrouded in mystery—especially when it comes to the fate of Abigail Williams. In 1689, Samuel Parris arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, as a new minister. He was accompanied there by his daughter Betty and her cousin Abigail. For a while, life was normal. But then strange occurrences plagued the girls in early 1692. They were found to be suffering from convulsions and speaking in tongues. That led the town doctor to conclude they were bewitched. Blaming the family slave, Tituba, the girls accused her of sending them into a life of witchcraft. She confessed and then quickly implicated two more women.
The madness escalated as more girls exhibited similar symptoms. Soon, even more individuals faced witchcraft accusations. Samuel Parris lost his job and left with Betty, who went on to lead a normal life. Meanwhile, Abigail Williams stayed behind. She began to play a significant role in the town by accusing 57 more people of witchcraft. However, after testifying in June 1692, Abigail vanished from historical records. Nobody ever heard from her again.Today, experts suggest she may have acted out due to her powerless position in society and sought temporary control for attention or influence. Others theorize the symptoms displayed by Abigail and the other “afflicted girls” were caused by ergotism. That’s a condition that comes from consuming fungus-infected rye. Historians wonder whether that could have led to her untimely demise and, thus, her subsequent disappearance from historical accounts. But nobody knows for sure. As far as the records are concerned, she simply vanished.