Random Important Historical Artifacts That Are Still Missing (14 items)

(#1) No One Knows The Whereabouts Of The Bayeux Tapestry's Final Panels

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most recognizable treasures from the Middle Ages that still exists today. Reportedly created within a few years of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 CE, the lengthy narrative wall-hanging depicts William the Conqueror's invasion of England.

Uncovered in 1729, the tapestry spans 230 feet long, but it is missing its final scene, as evidenced by its frayed ending and lack of a narrative conclusion. While modern-day embroiderers have attempted to complete the story, the real final panels of the Bayeux Tapestry have never turned up.
(#12) Three-Quarters Of The World's First Feature-Length Film Got Blacklisted From History

There is a robust list of missing films from cinematic history, but arguably the most historically significant item was The Story of the Kelly Gang, a 1906 silent motion picture widely recognized as the world's first ever feature-length narrative film.

The Australian movie told the story of Ned Kelly and his mischievous crew, and it was a smash success despite its apparent runtime being over an hour long. Unfortunately, all records of the film became lost by the mid-1900s. In the decades since its disappearance, some fragments of the film have emerged, which adds up to about 25% of the entire movie; these parts are available for public viewing. The rest of the film remains lost.
(#3) Somebody Seemingly Took JFK's Brain

At some point between 1963 - the year when President John F. Kennedy passed - and 1966, JFK's brain - which medical professionals had removed during his autopsy - went missing from its storage place in the National Archives. Nobody can explain when, how, or why this happened.

Numerous conspiracies abound about this case, with one theory centering on JFK's brother, Robert Kennedy. Some believe Robert took the brain to hide evidence of the many supposed illnesses JFK was hiding from the public while he was in office.
(#10) An Entire William Shakespeare Play Is Lost To The Annals Of Time

William Shakespeare isn't simply the most renowned playwright of all time, he's also one of the most prolific. Most of Shakespeare's work has survived centuries and readers can still read his plays today - but the major exception seems to be Cardenio, an apparent full-length play that scholars are only aware of due to bureaucratic records. Some scholars believe the play, sometimes referred to as The History of Cardenio, was based on the story of Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote.

No pages of Cardenio is known to exist today, but some literary historians surmise that a later production, Double Falsehood, is a close adaptation of it.
(#2) Blackbeard's Treasure May Still Be Out There

Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard, may have tight competition for the title of most famous pirate, but when it comes to pirate lore, his missing treasure is the most well-known piece of lost history. In 1718, Blackbeard and Queen Anne's Revenge supposedly ran aground on a sandbar in North Carolina; no one has ever found the enormous trove of treasure that the ship reportedly carried.

Since this incident neither rendered the ship unusable - and experts argue if this ship is indeed Queen Anne's Revenge - nor significantly impacted the people aboard it, the crew would have had more than enough time to unload and conceal their haul. As of 2018, there is no definitive find of Blackbeard's purported treasure.
(#8) The Honjo Masamune Sword Didn't Make It Through WWII

Goro Nyudo Masamune was a storied Japanese swordsmith, and the Honjo Masamune was arguably his finest work. The legendary katana supposedly emerged around the 13th century, with famed samurai Honjo Shigenaga wielding it. Generations of shoguns handed down the sword, which served as a powerful symbol of Japanese leadership.

The blade became an official National Treasure of Japan in 1939, but it did not survive the next six years of conflict. After Japan surrendered to the United States at the end of WWII, the US government demanded Japanese families relinquish personal arms, which included the Honjo Masamune. It remains unknown where the sword is now located.