The Tucker Cross Treasure Heist

 

One of Bermuda’s most famous treasure stories revolves around the San Pedro. The ship was laden with gold, silver, and precious jewels bound for Spain. In 1955, Bermudian diver Teddy Tucker discovered what became known as “Tucker’s Cross”, a 22-karat gold cross studded with seven emeralds, believed to be from this wreck. Found with other artifacts like gold buttons, swords, and muskets, it’s considered one of the most valuable shipwreck finds ever.

 In 1975, the treasure from the San Pedro was transported from the Bermuda Aquarium to the Bermuda Maritime Museum, to be shown to Elizabeth II during her visit to the island.  Moments before the Queen arrived, Teddy Tucker inspected the display and noticed that the Tucker Cross had been replaced by a replica. The point at which the swap was made is unknown. Local lore attributes the theft to an international art thief because of the substitution of a replica rather than a straight theft.

Some believe the San Pedro still holds vast treasures locked in coral, with rumors of unrecovered gold and jewels scattered across the ocean floor.  Tucker’s find is well-documented, and artifacts are displayed at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI). 

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1861 Clash with a Giant Squid

 

On November 30, 1861, off the Azores, the French gunboat Alecton spotted a 20 foot long giant squid at the surface. The ship fired cannons and harpooned the beast. The crew lassoed its tail, but the soft body tore; only a fragment was salvaged. The specimen reached Paris, confirming ancient legends of giant squids. The log—verified by the French Academy—proved pivotal. It bridged sailor tales and science. The Alecton encounter remains the first documented human-giant squid battle and inspired Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

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The Diving Bell

 

Sir Edmund Halley, the renowned astronomer, invented an ingenious diving bell in 1691 to explore underwater realms. Frustrated by shallow dives, he engineered a wooden, open-bottomed barrel weighted with lead, replenished with air via weighted barrels lowered from the surface. This allowed divers, including Halley himself, to descend over 60 feet into the Thames for up to 90 minutes. His bell aided salvage operations, like recovering cannons from wrecks, and inspired future submersibles. Halley’s design proved air could be supplied underwater.

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The Bermuda Gunpowder Plot

 The Bermuda Gunpowder Plot

The Bermuda Gunpowder Plot of 1775, was a covert operation where Bermudians sympathetic to the American Revolution stole about 100 barrels of British gunpowder from a magazine in St. George’s, Bermuda, and delivered it to American ships. This supply was vital for the Continental Army, which was critically short on powder early in the war.

St. George Tucker, a 22-year-old Virginian studying law at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, took part in the plot. Born in Bermuda to a prominent family, he had moved to Virginia around 1771 and was living there in 1775. His father, Henry Tucker, a leading Bermudian merchant, negotiated the deal with Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris in Philadelphia, trading the gunpowder for an exemption from the Continental Congress's trade embargo on British colonies. Tucker shared details about the lightly guarded magazine with Americans, including a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 8, 1775, pleading for relief from the embargo and confirming the powder's vulnerability. On the night of August 14, 1775, he helped roll the barrels from the magazine to Tobacco Bay for loading onto American ships.

Tucker returned to Virginia after the raid, served in the Continental Army (where he was wounded twice), became a prominent lawyer, judge, and law professor.

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The British Invasion of Tibet

 

In 1904, the British Empire launched the Younghusband Expedition, invading Tibet to counter perceived Russian influence and secure trade routes. Led by Colonel Francis Younghusband, a 13,000-strong force advanced from India, facing minimal resistance from poorly equipped Tibetan troops. The campaign culminated in the capture of Lhasa, with significant Tibetan casualties. The resulting Treaty of Lhasa forced Tibet to open trade markets and cede control over foreign affairs to Britain. This invasion disrupted Tibet’s isolationist policies.

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Custer's Scout Curly

 

Curly a young Crow scout born around 1856, served with Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry during the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. He was one of six Crow scouts attached to Custer's command, but he did not participate in the fighting; instead, he was dismissed before the final engagement, observed parts of the battle from a distance, and became the first to report the defeat to U.S. forces aboard the steamboat Far West. Over the decades until his death in 1923, Curly provided multiple accounts of the events, often through interpreters, which varied in detail and sometimes conflicted—likely due to memory, media sensationalism, and cultural differences.

 Curly's earliest known account was given shortly after the battle. Curly, hidden in a ravine with limited visibility, estimated the fight began around 2:30–3:00 p.m. and lasted until nearly sunset. He vividly portrayed the intense, continuous firing as "the snapping of the threads in the tearing of a blanket." The troops repelled several charges until ammunition ran low, leading to a final Indian assault where soldiers were killed at close range, many with arrows.

Curly claimed Custer animated his men until mortally wounded about an hour before the end. Curly escaped by wrapping his blanket like a Sioux warrior and passing through their lines during the chaos, possibly mistaken for an ally.

Near the end of his life in 1923, Curly provided what was described as his "last story".  After Reno split off; Custer and his men rode to a hill, then down a ravine, and briefly surveyed the valley from a high point, seeing Reno's men advancing amid rising dust. Custer proceeded down Medicine Tail Creek, halted, and sent the gray horse troop ahead while turning north.

Curly’s accounts are valuable for their Native perspective but show inconsistencies. Claims like hiding in a gutted horse or high Sioux casualties likely stem from media embellishments. Despite this, his descriptions of Custer’s movements, the village’s size, and the warriors’ tactics align with archaeological evidence and other accounts, making his early reports particularly useful when cross-referenced.

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Execution of Vestal Virgin

 

In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were priestesses dedicated to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. Sworn to chastity, their primary duty was maintaining the sacred fire, symbolizing Rome’s eternal prosperity. Breaking their vow of celibacy was considered a grave offense, threatening the city’s safety. Punishments were severe: guilty Vestals faced live burial in a small underground chamber, with minimal provisions, ensuring a slow death. The most infamous execution was that of Cornelia the chief Vestal Virgin condemned in 91 CE by the Emperor Domitian.

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Photographer of Native American life

 

Edward S. Curtis (1868–1952), an American photographer, dedicated his life to documenting Native American cultures. Beginning in the late 1890s, Curtis traveled across North America, capturing over 40,000 images of more than 80 tribes. His monumental work, The North American Indian, a 20-volume series, preserved vanishing traditions, portraits, and daily life with remarkable sensitivity. Despite financial struggles and criticism for romanticizing his subjects, Curtis’s photographs remain invaluable historical records. His images, blending artistry and ethnography, offer a poignant glimpse into Native American heritage, ensuring their stories endure for future generations.

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Grant’s Response to Warnings About Lee

 

When warned about the formidable reputation of Confederate General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant reportedly dismissed the concerns with characteristic resolve. Grant, aware of Lee’s tactical brilliance, responded, “I’m tired of hearing about what Bobby Lee is going to do to us.  He’s only human.  I want him to think about what we are going to do to him.” This reflected Grant’s pragmatic approach, refusing to be intimidated by Lee’s legend. Instead, Grant focused on relentless pressure, leveraging Union resources to outmaneuver Lee. His confidence and strategic tenacity ultimately led to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

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