Random People Who Disappeared Mysteriously Before 1800 (14 items)

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  (#1) Henry Hudson

  Henry Hudson was a sea captain who made multiple attempts to discover the mythical Northwester Passage that would lead to Asia via the North American continent. In 1609, the Dutch East India Company hired Hudson to embark on yet another voyage. He reached the east coast of North America and sailed up the river that presently bears his name as far as Albany, New York. 

  Hudson attempted another voyage in 1610, taking a more northerly route that ultimately accessed Canada's present day Hudson's Bay. Unfortunately, Hudson's boat became trapped by ice and he and his crew were forced to spend a bitter winter on land, probably near the shores of present-day James Bay. 

  In the spring of 1611, the crew prepared to journey back to England, but decided to mutiny instead. Angry crewmembers cast Hudson, his son, and a few sick sailors into a small lifeboat and into the bay, never to be heard from again. 

   
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  (#2) Spartacus

  • Dec. at 38 (108 BC-70 BC)

  Spartacus was a first-century Roman slave of Thracian (present day southeastern Europe) descent who lead a lengthy rebellion against ancient Rome. Because accounts of his life and exploits come primarily from ancient Roman historians, his biography is vague and unsubstantiated. He is believed to have been enslaved by Roman legions and confined to a school for gladiators, where he helped lead a successful revolt in 73 B.C. His original group of slaves captured wagons and military equipment, recruited other slaves into their ranks, and plundered the Capua region, near present-day Naples, Italy. 

  Because much of the Roman military was involved in foreign expeditions, Spartacus easily defeated the initial attempts to subdue his revolt and his forces swelled to over 70,000 men. Responsibility for destroying Spartacus was now turned over to the wealthiest man in Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who would lead eight Roman legions of over 40,000 men into battle. 

  Over an extended period, Crassus was able to push Spartacus southward until the rebel force was bottled up in the toe of present-day Italy. Plans to flee to Sicily failed and Spartacus and his rebel force were decisively defeated and decimated in a battle near Senerchia. Although six thousand captives were subsequently crucified by Crassus, Spartacus's body was never found and the exact circumstances of his death are unknown.        
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  (#3) David Thomson, The Founder Of New Hampshire, Vanished From History

  They say timing is everything. In 1622, David Thomson received a land grant from the New England Council. His family would the be the first non-natives to establish themselves in the territory. Thomson built a settlement called Pannaway and traded successfully with the local Piscataqua natives. He also fished extensively in the waters surrounding his settlement, and he and his wife spent three winters as the first white settlers of the territory.

  Then, in 1626, Thomson suddenly left Pannaway and moved to an island in Boston Harbor. He established himself to the extent that today this island is still known as Thomson Island. What happened to him subsequently is unknown, but it is believed that he died in 1627 or 1628. 
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  (#4) Jean-Francois de Galaup Sailed Around The World But Got Lost Somewhere Between Australia And France

  Jean-Francois de Galaup was born in Albi, in southern France, in 1741. De Galaup served in the French Navy the American Revolution. After this, de Galaup had achieved great military success and was promoted to the rank of Commodore. In 1785, Louis XVI appointed him to lead a global French naval expedition around the world, similar to voyages being attempted by Great Britain.

  Two ships, the Astrolabe and the Boussole, were fitted for the voyage, which departed in August of 1785. He managed to pass through Cape Horn, made a stop at Easter Island, and stepped foot on the island of Maui. From here, LaPerouse's remarkably long journey would proceed to Alaska, south to California, Macao, the Philippines, Korea, and Eastern Russia. The expedition then headed to present-day Sydney, Australia. En route, more than ten of his crew members, including the commander of the Astrolabe, were slain in Samoa. 

  LaPerouse arrived in Botany Bay, Australia, in January of 1788. He would remain in Australia for six weeks, before returning for France. Unfortunately, neither LaPerouse nor his men were ever seen again. More than two hundred years later, wreckage found on the island of Vanikolo in the Solomon group was historically verified as that of the Astrolabe and the Boussole. While many theories persist, the disappearance of LaPerouse and his men was never fully explained.
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  (#5) The Lost Colony Of Roanoke Left Behind Nothing But An Eerie Message

  Having received a charter of colonization from Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh was intent on establishing a colony on Roanoke Island, near present-day Outer Banks, North Carolina. By 1587, a group of 115 colonists, led by John White, arrived on the island. White returned to England, prompted by the onset of an English war with Spain, determined to return with more men, weaponry, and resources to solidify the colony's survival. 

  White would not return until August of 1590 and when he arrived there was not a trace of any member of the colony, including his infant granddaughter, Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America. All he found was the single word "CROATOAN" carved into a fence post. What happened to the colonists has remained an unsolved mystery.  
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  (#6) John Cabot

  John Cabot (AKA Giovanni Caboto) was born in Genoa around 1450. He spent his early adult years in Venice getting involved in maritime commerce throughout the eastern Mediterranean. He began to search for backers for a planned voyage to the New World, successfully obtaining both financing and official permission in England. 

  Little is known of Cabot's first couple of voyages. Nevertheless, Cabot returned to England amidst great fanfare. Within a year he would attempt another voyage, this time hoping to sail west from Europe to Japan, departing in 1498 with two hundred men and around five ships. The fate of Cabot, his men and even the voyage itself remain historically vague, and any record of Cabot's end is nonexistent.
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  (#7) Edward V of England

  • Dec. at 13 (1470-1483)

  It is not known exactly what happened to Edward V and his younger brother, the Duke of York. Most likely it was something unpleasant. Edward and his younger brother Richard were the only sons of King Edward IV, who passed on April 9, 1483.  The two boys were then placed under the guardianship of their uncle Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. 

  They were both quartered in the Tower of London. The Duke of Gloucester began machinations to have the boys declared illegitimate and he himself crowned king. This was ultimately decreed by an act of Parliament, and the Duke was crowned King Richard III.

  After the summer of 1483, the princes were never seen publicly again. Almost two hundred years later, a box containing two small skeletons was discovered, and Charles II ordered that they be buried at Westminster Abbey as the remains of the two princes.
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  (#8) Francisco de Orellana

  • Dec. at 35 (1511-1546)

  Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish conquistador who conducted various South American explorations as an associate of Francisco Pizarro. De Orellana was charged with exploring the Amazon River and completed the first successful crossing of South America via waterway. He decided to return to Spain to announce his achievements. Despite some difficulty, de Orellana secured the right to try to govern the lands known as "New Andalusia."

  In 1545, de Orellana returned to the Amazon, with a substantial crew and a small ship, intent on further exploring the Amazon region. Attacked every step of the way by hostile natives, disease, and dissension, the force eventually disintegrated with de Orellana disappearing along the river. 
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  (#9) Henry Every

  Henry Avery took charge of a crew at La Coruna, Spain, and began his career as a pirate in 1694. His ship, the former privateer Charles II, became the pirate vessel The Fancy and headed to the Indian Ocean. The Fancy plundered Mecca-bound, Indian-based ships in the Arabian Sea, leading to a giant bounty on Avery's head after an astonishing haul of wealth that threatened English-East Indian relations. Rape and murder also precipitated what became the world's first global manhunt.

  Avery and The Fancy were able to escape to the Bahamas, where they anchored and then began negotiating with Sir Nicholas Trott, the governor of the islands. With a French invasion imminent, Trott was intrigued by Avery's offer to help defend the colony - promises of additional massive bribes must have been persuasive, as well. 

  But then, Henry Avery disappeared. Legend has it that he sold his loot and jewels in the Bahamas and returned to England, where he eventually died penniless. His exploits undoubtedly electrified a generation of sailors who went over to the dark side of piracy.
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  (#10) Ambiorix

  Ambiorix was a chieftain of a Belgic tribe that revolted against Julius Caesar in 53/4 BC. During the winter of 54 BC, Ambiorix led a massacre that destroyed one complete Roman legion. Caesar was committed to personally putting down the revolt. He arrived with 50,000 Roman reinforcements and began a lengthy campaign to destroy the Belgae.  Later, in his writings about the Gallic Wars, De Bello Gallico, Caesar commented that "the Belgae are the bravest." 

  Although Ambiorix's army and his lands were completely destroyed, the tribal chieftain was able to escape across the Rhine and find refuge among other Germanic tribes, disappearing forever. In the centuries since, Belgians rediscovered the legacy of Ambiorix, who was immortalized in an epic poem and became a symbolic figure of new Belgian independence.    
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  (#11) Francisco de Hoces

  Francisco de Hoces was a member of the 1525 Garcia Jofre de Loaisa expedition to the Spice Islands of the East Indies. De Hoces commanded the ship the San Lesmes as part of this expedition. Bad weather scattered the entire expedition, and the San Lesmes was pushed close enough to possibly be the first European expedition to observe Cape Horn and the passage to the Pacific. Currently known as the Drake Passage, it was originally referred to by some Hispanic historians as the Mar de Hoces.

  On May 26, 1526, De Hoces was able to reunite with some of the Loaisa's ships and enter the Pacific. By June 1, bad weather scattered the flotilla again. The San Lesmes disappeared entirely and, with it, Hoces and his men.
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  (#12) Thomas Lynch, Jr.

  • Dec. at 30 (1749-1779)

  By 1779, Thomas Lynch, Jr., had accomplished a great deal. Born in South Carolina in 1749,  he graduated with honors from Cambridge and studied law in London, returning home a few years before the American Revolution. Commissioned a Company Commander in the South Carolina Regiment, he resigned when he was elected to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. Lynch's health went into a steep decline after this momentous event and, at the end of 1776, in an attempt to recover, he and his wife sailed to the West Indies. Unfortunately, bad weather met their ship mid-voyage, and neither Lynch nor his wife was ever seen again. 
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  (#13) Gaspar Corte-Real

  • Dec. at 51 (1450-1501)

  Gaspar Corte-Real was a Portuguese explorer from the early sixteenth century. Gaspar set off to find the Northwest Passage with his brother, Miguel, in 1501. They sailed near present-day Greenland, landed on Newfoundland and Labrador, and ultimately Gaspar separated from Miguel, who returned to Portugal. Gaspar was never seen again.
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  (#14) Miguel Corte-Real

  • Dec. at 54 (1448-1502)

  Ever loyal, Miguel Corte-Real returned to the New World in search of his missing brother in 1502.  He became separated from his flotilla of three ships and disappeared. While the other two ships made it back to Portugal, Miguel never returned.

   

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