|
|
|
TopClicks
->
Curiosities, Wonders & Interesting Facts
->
Treasures, Treasure Hunting and Pirates
CyberSurfari - Do you like treasure hunts? If so, you need to come check out this one brought to you by DiscoverySchool.com. They take you across the web on a treasure hunt, complete with prizes. Individuals, families, and schools can sign up to share the adventure. And there are two age groups, kids under 15, and 15 or older. Players visit sponsors' Web pages and outposts to locate treasure codes. For example, one outpost may be the White House's Web site and the clue on the sponsor's page might be: "What are the five different kinds of American crafts in the White House collection?" The cyber-hunter would then visit the White House Web page and look for a reference to White House collection of American crafts. Once the text describing the collection is clicked, a congratulations page complete with a specific treasure code is revealed.
Diving for Captain Kidd's Sunken Ship-Discovery Online - In 1697 Captain Kidd fitted out the Adventure Gallery, a formitable fighting ship equiped with 30 guns designed for speed and mobility. He had been hired by the British government to sail the high seas and put an end to pirates wreaking havoc on the important trade routes of the East India Company. After only a few months aboard the Adventure Galley, something went wrong. Follow the story as it unfolds!
Oak Island - Did you ever dig a hole? What if you dug a hole and found beams of wood? What if you then found a buried shaft? You'd probably be excited! That's exactly what happened to a young man years ago on Oak Island, just off the coast of Nova Scotia, in Maritime Canada. What's really intriguing is that many people have dug deeper into the shaft since then and found inscribed stones, coconut fiber, an iron plate, and oak wood, just as might be found in treasure chests. Problem is, the shaft is booby-trapped to flood with water, and no one has made it to the bottom. Is there treasure? No one knows. See more about this mystery at this Web page
On-line Treasure Hunter - This site has exciting stories of real treasure finds. Sometimes the best place to look for treasure is where others have already looked. With today's modern computerized, electronic equipment, treasure hunters can often revisit sites that were "cleaned out" many years ago and walk off with riches! This site offers plenty of detailed information for folks who would like to find wealth in the ground or the ocean, as well as solid equipment data, classified ads, question and answers, and links to other related pages. Some of the articles are written by kids.
Pirates at the City Art Centre - "Shiver me timbers!" If you don't know a pirate from a buccaneer, better sail over to this page. You'll learn lots about famous pirates, legends, and perhaps locations of buried treasure.
Pirates! @ Nationalgeographic.com - Can you solve these National Geographic adventures? You'll have to read clues and figure out which pirate, which ship, and which treasure star in each of the mysteries. Beware: if you get it wrong, you may have to walk the virtual plank and start all over again! There are also links to additional materials, books, and links about pirates.
Pirates: Fact and Legend - What's the story with pirates, anyway? Did they really act the way they do in the movies and in books? Compare the legend to the hard facts in this close-up look at pirates, their history, ships, customs, and lots more. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Silver Bank @ Nationalgeographic.com - "Spanish galleon Nuestra Sen'ora de la Pura y Limpia Concepcion set sail from Havana, Cuba, in September 1641. Eight days later a hurricane thrashed the ship. Leaking, she began a month-long limp toward Puerto Rico for repairs. Just short of salvation, the Concepcion struck a shallow reef and began sinking slowly. Three hundred hapless passengers and crew perished, and a fortune in silver tumbled into the Atlantic, inspiring the reef's shiny new name: Silver Bank." That's the background. This site allows you to explore the last days of the ship, the wreck itself, and salvage efforts over the years. Treasure hunter Tracy Bowden is the most recent explorer of the Silver Bank, and you can see many artifacts at this site. There are links to other marine archaeology and treasure Web sites, too.
The Armchair Treasure Hunt Club - Some years ago, publication of Kit Williams' beautifully illustrated book, Masquerade , caused an international sensation. Williams had buried a valuable Golden Hare and provided a series of cryptic visual clues and riddles in the book that revealed where the treasure was hidden. Intrepid treasure hunters did not have to go skulking about backyards and parks with shovels (although some did). Instead, they simply had to follow the clues and send in their guess to the publisher in order to win the gold. This could be done without leaving home--hence the advent of the phrase "armchair treasure hunting." Since then, similar puzzling treasure hunts have popped up with enough regularity that a home page has become essential to sort them all out. You'll find lists and links to an assortment of new and ongoing hunts, the solutions to old ones, and an invitation to join an Internet mailing list where armchair treasure hunters around the globe compare notes.
The Riddle of the Beale Treasure - The Beale ciphers hold the key to one of the greatest unsolved puzzles of all time. The story goes that around 1820, a fellow named Beale hid two wagonloads of silver, gold, and jewels someplace near Roanoke, Virginia. He left three coded letters, supposedly detailing the location of the treasure, with a trusted friend. Then he left for the West and was never seen again. One of the letters, describing the treasure, has been deciphered. It is in a code based on the Declaration of Independence. It is believed the other letters are similarly coded to the same document or other public documents. You can read about the status of the Beale ciphers, and you might want to try solving them yourself (if you find this treasure, please let us know!).
Underwater Archaeology - Discovery of shipwrecks and their cargoes in the Mediterranean, and the English Channel. Discover the organization and supervision of archeological undersea excavations and research on maritime history.
Worldwide Treasure Links - Treasure--everybody wants to find coins, jewelry, or other valuables hidden or lost. Finding treasure, though, takes skill, the right equipment, good clues, and maybe a bit of luck. If you want to be a treasure hunter, this Web page is a good place to start. You'll find links to dozens of treasure-related resources on the Internet. Learn about the latest equipment, find tips from treasure hunters, and read about treasure sites around the world. Start mining for valuables now--right on the Net!
|
|
