Unsolved Mysteries of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey through 500 Years of Discoveries, Disappearances, and Baffling Events

by Paul Aron

A lively tour through our past and an ingenious primer in the art of historical detection." --Robert A. Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World Did Leif Ericsson beat Columbus to America? What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? Did Pocahontas really save John Smith? Did Davy Crockett die at the Alamo? What really happened to Amelia Earhart, and was she a spy? Who killed JFK? Unsolved Mysteries of American History re-creates the most mystifying events of our past, following some of our greatest historians as they search for the elusive answers. Spanning more than five centuries--from Leif Ericsson and Columbus through Watergate and Iran-Contra--Aron makes sense of all the latest discoveries and speculations. Here is everything you could ever want from a detective dramatic twists and turns, intellectual challenges, frustrating dead-ends, murderous mayhem, and thrilling espionage.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Mystery, Reference, Historical, Trivia

225 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Paul Aron is senior editor at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Previously he was a reporter for The Virginia Gazette and executive editor at Simon & Schuster.

Reviews

[KL · Rating 3 out of 5]

These American "mysteries" are better suited for those who don't know a lot about American history and it's stranger occurrences. For those interested in how to write a short historiography, it's a perfect read. Each chapter lays out what supposedly happened in each event and then gives a historiography of the event. The collection of works cited at the end of each chapter are also a great tool. Overall, this is a short and easy read that reiterates historic details that are already well-know.

[Terra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is comprised 30 short and sweet chapters on a variety of history's mysteries, including the disappearance of the Roanoke Island colony, the assassinations of JFK and Malcolm X, and whether a handful of presidents knew of the shenanigans that went on during their presidencies. Aron gives a short peek into the questions still surrounding the mysteries and then lists a handful of resources for further exploration and study of the topics. This book was neat and a nice intro to 30 of the most well-known American mysteries in history, but it didn't go deep enough for me. It was short and succinct and a good jumping off point, but I would have loved a touch more detail.

[Sarah Coller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typically I find books like these to be full of one and a half page synopses of events that have been so belabored that there can be absolutely nothing interesting left to know about them. This book surprised me as, while most of the events were typical overly-done and belabored ones, I learned something new, sometimes many new things, from each one. The anecdotes were well written and interesting with lengthy bibliographical info for each event. I felt like this could be a really good book for launching research on any of the given subjects. I'm glad I read it!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick reads for the curious mind. Offers another side to stories that have been passed down as fact.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books like these. They remind you not to believe everything you hear and dig into history a little more on your own. With that being said, I’m not saying I believe what they say 100% either. Read/listen to the book. RESEARCH the topics and you decide!

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Aron wrote good summaries to explain the event situations, background, speculated mystery solutions by historians and other guessers. I also caught the fact that a high school student was more accurate than all the adults when it came to Watergate's "Deep Throat." This book was published before Mark Felt revealed himself. I was sorry to see a good mystery ruined by that revelation a few years ago. I highly recommend this book as it is easy reading and even handed. The book also gives references to help those who want to know more explore the topics more in-depth. Another plus for the book is background. To many times when you research these same mysteries on the Internet the accounts begin with the incident, when knowing what came before really makes a difference in figuring out the mystery solution. An example of this is White's instructions to the Roanoke colonists before he returned to England. This is the first time I knew that and knowing that, plus some of most recent archaeology (since the book was published), make clear the most likely estimate of what happened.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book is a collection on some of America's greatest mysteries in history. These range from popular, such as the Watergate scandal, to the more low key, like the lost Anasazi civilization. All of these have interested historians, detectives, scientists and mystery lovers alike. And each chapter has Paul Aron giving a little background on the topic and the mystery itself, along with a nice list if recommended readings for deeper analysis.

Going in timeline order, Aron starts from America's earliest discovery to the modern age of the 1980s. While he doesn't go in depth, there's enough info to get the surface level on why things are left in the open on these topics. I kind of agree with other reviewers, in that individual research would better help in comprehending some of these mysteries. And given that this was published back in the late 90s, there are probably a handful of new evidence to help reach a more coherent story on some of these mysteries. For what its worth, I did enjoy this journey back in time to the unknown amd found some new ones to look more into.

[T.A. Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re looking at that title and thinking cheesy titillation and misinformation was contained with the covers, you might be right. At least part right. There is some gasp, shock, and awe writing going on but there is also a strong measure of interesting information. The author compiles other people’s research and theories and only occasionally proposes his own theory.

The chapters are short snippets that make for convenient reading. Maybe ten minutes a topic. And each chapter ends with a bibliography. I like that. I can go read his sources on a subject that interests me and learn more.

℘℘℘ – Solid 3 pages. Interesting read. Interesting design. Limited target audience. If you aren’t a history geek, this would bore you quickly. If you are a history geek, you know 90% of the material already. So it’s the in between, those with an interest and a high school level history knowledge who would most gravitate to this book.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Unsolved Mysteries of History" by Paul Aron is a good read to get a taste of some history mysteries of the past. While I read this book hoping to read it and move it on (I am trying read many of my books and then purge them - I have too many sitting on shelves!), I may have to keep this book for the list of references of further reading and study.... just what I need, more ideas of books to read!.

Anyway, this book addresses "Were the Neandertals our ancestors?, Who Built Stonehenge, Why did the pharaohs build pyramids, who who was Theseus, and just so many more curiosities.

This is not a book for IN DEPTH information, but more to introduce you to the mystery, what was thought, and what might be, and what may have been proven already through research, artifacts and DNA.

[Jaymes Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost passed reading Unsolved Mysteries of American History by Paul Aron because he neither used footnotes nor endnotes to cite specific information, even though he had chapter bibliographies (or rather, "further readings"). I am exceptionally glad reading it while overruling my dubious thoughts.

Aron is especially critical in his approach in presenting and weighing the evidences, especially in the most difficult cases. He discusses everything from the First Americans and early American civilizations to other infamous questions, such as who killed JFK and who erased the Watergate Tapes. Aron maintains careful examination, considering the evidence and potential motives of many individuals involved. Aron even entertains some revisionists' claims or speculations at times and discusses feasibility base on evidence, potential political or personal motives, and so on. An excellent example of this is his chapter discussing whether Davy Crockett died within the Alamo, as new evidence may spin a different tale.

He occasionally editorializes on points such as Davy Crockett's death, or realistically defending Lee's reputation regarding his defeat at Gettysburg after Pickett's charge. Editorializing is generally done to keep a larger perspective on topics and individual to facilitate readers understanding of the events of the larger context rather than devolving into pure opinion or personal attacks/defenses on historical figures.

After reading Aron's book, I somewhat wish our professors made us read this book (or a book like it) in regard to how to structure our papers and arguments as a whole (in spite of Aron's lack of proper academic citation). He covers aspects such as significance, evidence and counter-evidence, examination of motives, et cetera, and generally provides rounded arguments in a concise format. True; Aron's book is intended for mass market, but he presents information for and against each argument and the likelihood or each argument based off his and others' findings--ultimately letting the reader decide what may have happened in spite of historical ambiguity (or potential political motives).

In terms of free reading, it may encourage your own conscious or unconscious at becoming more critical.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The difficulty with this niche genre of writing is that it's exceedingly rare that a book of this type would offer any new evidence when addressing these questions - that would likely be found in a splashier title, with more marketing heft. As such, I was not as satisfied with this title as I had hoped to be - many of the chapters read like a recounting of the evidence for and against the major hypotheses put forward to answer the title question. I did appreciate that each chapter offered an annotated bibliography that seemed to honestly evaluate each of the sources and point out any perceived or validated biases.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outside of the catchy title, there is a less obvious reason why Paul Aron's 1997 book led to two sequels from academic publisher John Wiley & Sons--his writing. Aron has a gift for taking complex historical topics and summarizing the known historical research in a succinct yet persuasive way. The book covers famous mysteries (who killed JFK, who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby, were the Rosenbergs guilty) as well as less well known ones (was Amelia Earhart an American spy, was Daniel Boone a traitor, was Mrs. Andrew Jackson a bigamist). For readers of popular histories, these appetizers will whet their appetites to explore many of these topics in depth. Recommended.

[Tom Mobley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that popped up at the end of one of my last Cussler book so I thought I would give it a go.

Cover many “mysteries”, from American History. One I found interesting was the one about Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson. Interestingly, it had not come to the same conclusion as we now know via DNA testing. Then I looked at the publication date of the book and that mystery was solved.

All in all, OK book. Help take my mind off my MI drive.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author did a great job of succinctly summarizing some of America's greatest unanswered questions. For subjects I knew a bit about, it seemed like not nearly enough information, but for subjects I knew nothing about it was a short, well-written primer that whet my appetite to learn more. Author also does a great job providing a list of resources if you want to dig deeper into any particular story.

[Bruce A. Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author brings up some good and fair points for and against arguments on thirty different matters that have occurred in U.S. history. So if you are looking for answers or even wondering what the author believes to be what actually happened, then this is not the book for you. We are still left to make up our own minds. There was, however, a lot of fact based information.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its an intriguing notion, looking back at some of the questions that historians have pondered....unfortunately, it makes for a somewhat unsatisfactory reading experience, as it can't really give any definitive answers on anything. Plus, it looks at many mysteries, so it can't really spend too much time on any single one.

[Ronn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters cover many historical episodes from the arrival of the first people on the American continent to the death of Merriwether Lewis to the Iran-Contra affair. They are concise, very fair in showing all sides of any disagreements, and well written. There are also well researched bibliographies for each chapter should anyone wish to investigate further.

[Gerald Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun way to review some of your American history. Aron touches on many interesting happenings including immigrants to America, unsolved murders and episodes of espionage. Though the book is 20 years old, most of the research still holds up. Certainly recommended.

[Melissa Cowder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave this book 4 stars, only because there’s nothing “technically” wrong with it. It’s a good intro to some famous unsolved mysteries that provides basic theories to what happened. I would have liked less stories, with more details.

[Ash.O · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read with some interesting perspectives on historical events. The copy I ran into was published in 1997 though, so some of the information is outdated. Overall, I'm glad I read it; it was an enjoyable book, but one I likely won't read again.

[Jacquelyn Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting in that it dives into many different mysteries since the beginning of American history. They give great jumping off points for future research and even dabble a little in conspiracy theories.

[Terry Fedosky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok, not much about the majority of the stories interested me. The ones that did, like the one about Amelia Earhart, didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. It was disappointing.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history on some of America's historical events. Written in 1997, some "mystories" have been solved or closer to being solved than others. Emilio Earhart for example my now be on the verge of being solved.

Nevertheless this is a good read.

[Buddy Crawford]

Fascinating and easy read

[Mike Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Quick, easy read. Obviously these are “mysteries” or the answer is unknown. But, it’s fun to speculate based on the facts or opinions presented.

[Kim Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting! I liked the format of short sections and learned a lot.

[Stacey]

Very interesting points made throughout the book

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 Nice and succinct with a deft touch with the prose. Although I was familiar with all of the entrants, the chapters were concise and did a good job with the explanations and summary.

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was OK. Just a review of school.

[Googoogjoob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly respectable light reading material. Aron lays out a bunch of historical mysteries of varying levels of mysteriousness (eg, What happened to the Anasazi? Was Meriweather Lewis murdered? Who lost and found the Lost Order before the Battle of Antietam? Were Sacco and Vanzetti guilty? Who shot JFK?) in clear prose, then lays out several plausible explanations that have been put forward, and then he lists a bibliography of sources for further reading at the end of each chapter. He doesn't pretend to have special knowledge or expertise about any of these mysteries, or secret answers "they" don't want you to know, or anything of the like. He does pronounce solutions to some "mysteries," usually things that were once controversial, but where there's now a firm historical consensus behind them (eg, Yes, the Rosenbergs were spies, though inept, small-scale spies, who were used as scapegoats once caught; FDR certainly knew war with Japan was going to happen sooner or later, but no, he did not have specific advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack).

His only major misstep comes when he concludes that Thomas Jefferson probably did not father Sally Hemings's children- which was a defensible (but not definitive) argument when he wrote the book, but was near-definitively debunked by DNA evidence shortly after Aron wrote about the matter. He doesn't, to be fair, present this conclusion as totally definitive, and he is not at all forgiving of Jefferson's hypocrisy on slavery ("Probably he did not have an affair with her... But he was supported by a slave system under which owners routinely did far worse things to slaves than Jefferson was ever accused of. And, when the chips were down, Jefferson supported the system that supported him."). So I can't be too hard on him over it.

Not terrifically insightful or provocative, but consistently entertaining, and very good for pop history.

(Note that this edition combines the original book of the same title with its successor, "More Unsolved Mysteries of American History.")