The Man in the Iron Mask
French king Louis XIV had an
unidentified prisoner with a mask
covering his face. His true identity
has sparked countless theories,
books and films, such as the 1998
film of the same name starring
Leonardo DiCaprio. In fact, his mask
likely wasn’t made of iron at all, but
became a popular myth thanks to
writings by Voltaire and Alexandre
Dumas. Historians agree that the
man did exist and was probably
really wearing a black velvet mask
to disguise his identity. Theories
include a nobleman, a failed
assassin or even the secret twin
brother of Louis XIV.SOURCE: HISTORY.COMComte de Saint Germain
The Comte de Saint Germain is
an 18th-century adventurer and
philosopher whose true identity
is unknown, according to the
Encyclopaedia Britannica. His
accomplishments – including
his musical talents, chemistry
knowledge, and ability to speak
nearly all European languages- lent him the nickname of ‘the
Wonderman’. It’s a wonder, then,
why his real name, parentage, or
place of birth are speculative at best.
His travels took him from France to
England to Russia and he most likely
died in 1784, but people claimed to
have seen him in Paris in 1789.
$200,000 in $20
bills, about $1.2
million in today’s
dollars, according to
theEncyclopaedia
Britannica. After the
plane landed and let
out passengers, theyrefuelled, and Cooper
forced the pilots to
keep the aircraft flying
under 3000 metres at
185 km/h. Then he
parachuted out of the
plane with the ransom
money in hand. No oneever identified, caught,
or even heard from
him again. Although
he used the name Dan
Cooper, a reporter
misheard this as D.B.
Cooper, thus starting
his popular epithet.IMAGES: WIKIMEDIA; UNITED ARTISTS PICTURES
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