For as long as written language has been around, humanity has been secretly using codes and ciphers in order to communicate hidden messages. For example, the Caesar cipher shifts a certain amount of letters in order to disguise messages just in case an enemy intercepts it. However, some codes and ciphers still remain unsolved to this day.

Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscipt is a handmade book of unknown origin that contains some fantastical illustrations of mysterious astronomical and botanical objects. Not only that, the book is written in an indecipherable language. The 240-page book was discovered by Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish antique book dealer, while rummaging through a chest full of books that was on sale by the Society of Jesus at the Villa Mondragone near Rome. Voynich spent the rest of his life trying to decipher the mysterious book to no avail. After Voynich passed away in 1930, a team of code breakers tried to decipher the book during the World War II but failed to do so.  A research team from the University of Arizona’s physics department has found out through radiocarbon dating that the book was made during the early 15^th century. The book currently belongs to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Yale University.

The Shepherd’s Monument

The Shepherd’s Monument is a monument that was built between 1748 and 1758 on the Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire, England that contains a 10 letter inscription: DOUOSVAVVM. Many people such as Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin tried to decipher the inscription but with no luck. There are many theories about what the inscription entails such as a coded message from the Knights Templar about the location of the Holy Grail to just a secret declaration of love left by estate resident George Anson to his wife Mary Vernon-Venables. There were rumors that the Anson family, the owners of the estate, were members of the Priory of Sion, a successor sect to the Knights Templar.

Keith Massey, a former NSA Arabic linguist and public school Latin Teacher, believes that the inscription stands for “Oro Ut Omnes Sequantur Viam Ad Veram Vitam” ( I pray that all may follow the Way to True Life). The phrase may be a reference to John 14:6: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.

Cicada 3301

Cicada 3301 is a mysterious online organization that left a series of complex problems throughout the Internet in order to recruit the best code breakers. Cicade 3301 first made its presence through a message on an Internet forum in January 2012:

“Hello, we are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test. There is a message hidden in this image. Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through. Good luck.”

This simple message launched an Internet-wide scavenger hunt. In order to decipher the clues left by Cicada 3301, one must have an extensive knowledge of topics such as number theory, philosophy, classical music, cyberpunk literature and Mayan numerology amongst others. A month after the initial post, Cicada 3301 announced they have found the people they have been looking for. There has been debate about the identity of Cicada 3301. For example, the complex problems could be a recruiting tool for the CIA, NSA or the MI6 or a PR campaign for an alternate reality game.