Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these His amazing tales are right there on display just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the cabinet of curiosities. The books do not simply appear. Someone must undertake the task to sit down and compose the words on the page Another person to read and that's the main purpose of a book to be read, to convey information to another individual so that they might learn or be entertained, or in some cases both a book is a vessel and person who opens that vessel is meant to consume the contents within, which is what makes the voynich manuscript such a complex and strange volume.

It was discovered by an antiquarian bookseller name wilfred voyage in nineteen twelve it had been passed down through the ages from the roman emperors doctors to check collectors. Missing for two centuries until finally ending up in the hands of voyage, he purchased it in small italian village and brought it back to london, where he kept it hidden for several years, then, in nineteen fifteen, when it decided to reveal the manuscript of the world in scholars were befuddled by it. Measuring roughly the size of a standard modern, hard cover. The book is comprised of two hundred forty vellum pages bound within a goat skin binding in two thousand nine radio carbon dating test pegged its creation to some time in the early fourteen. Hundreds, almost every page is adorned with. Teens and drawings of flowers, mythological creatures, buildings and people know and text text that no one can read

Some words are written in latin, but the majority of the text is in an unknown language, it has been studied, continue this since voyage first uncovered the manuscript over a century ago One has successfully deciphered its contents. It's even vents reed by an essay cryptography earth who believe the manuscript was written in a european language that had been converted using a kind of cipher to obscure the text. Others, though, say that the words are really codes that required a separate book to translate properly. One man who examined the book in nineteen forty three claim that it was actually a diary rid in a special shorthand only understood by the original author. However, historians quickly debunked that theory in that the abbreviations used in the book worked base. done any known style or form scientists, students and scholars looked at everything. The arrangement of the text, the number of letters and words and each line

How each letter was formed and still came away, knowing no more than they did before they laid eyes on it. One of the more prominent theories from a television writer and historian name, Nicholas gibbs, even contact to examine the manuscript as part of a project he was working on for a uk television show. He published findings on a prominent literary website where it was picked up by countless outlets across the internet by all accounts on what no one else could do. He had solved the mystery now accordingly, gives. Many of the latin abbreviations had been used in fifteenth century medical texts about herbs. The idea that the book been written in a kind of code or cipher had been incorrect all was was medical shorthand and not only that, but men if the diagrams within the book match diagrams and other medical text that gives had consulted, leading him to

leave. The manuscript had been especially created documents for one specific reader who wanted all their necessary information stored within one book. The voyage manuscript predates the printing press by a few decades, so books of that time had to be reproduced. Really gives claim. This particular manuscript had been greatest hits album of other textbooks. Pretty Turning to herbal medicine and gynecology. Sadly, his treatise would quickly become a target of criticism and soon after it was published, monopolist's dug in there ripped apart his theory mainly about how he interpreted the latin abbreviations. No one within the historical community, took him seriously and Just like that, everyone was back square one things. So desperate at one point that rumours circulating that the book was a fake fabricated by voyage himself, using his vast knowledge of antique books have bookmaking

Historians, though, have ruled that idea out due to the age and provenance of the vellum, finding, so many pages from a single source would have been nearly impossible even for a dealer such as voynich and so for now. the voyage manuscript remains an unsolved literary. Mystery theory seem to be bunked as soon as they are offered buffer. Anyone wanting to try their luck. They'll have to pay a visit to yell university. That's where the book is house today within its rare book and manuscript library. Under the call number m s, forest oh eight, and if you manage to sit in front of it happy reading. Hmm

music has a way of affecting people like nothing else. Hearing in old song can transport a person back to their childhood, drumming up feelings of wistfulness or pain, love songs can ignite romance on starlit nights or rigour. For something lost. Music has always been acquainted with magic and in some ways it really is in others it's a poison that can bring a person lower than they ve ever thought possible. Founding father, Benjamin franklin learn about this more sinister aside of music, the way franklin was a bit of a renaissance man with his interest extending from politics to art, to literature and music. A friend of his edward delve played a unique kind of instruments, one that captivated franklin from the first note. He called it a glass harp and it wasn't really an instrument at all, at least not in the traditional sense

it didn't you strings or a red degenerate sound. It was nothing more than a table of glass cups filled to different levels with water. Del of all would wet his finger and rub it along the rim of each glass. One at a time which would generate a tone franklin, was enchanted by the gentle hums from del evolves harp, so he set out to make one for himself. His idea was to construct a table of goblets into something that would fit in a box and could be easily transported for travel. He worked with the local Glass blower to create glass balls of various sizes arranged on an iron rod horizontally. Each bull would play a single, no twin touched by a wet finger. A foot pedal would spend the whole contraption allowing franklin to simply shift his hands when he wanted to play. Different it's a novel. New design actually allowed him to play up the ten notes. At the same time, much like a piano

his creation, the glass our monica yes, just like hormone another name. It often went by he debuted is ass, our monica in seventeen sixty two and it took off with audiences immediately. The sound was, unlike anything, anyone had ever heard, and its popularity grew so quickly that legends like mozart and beethoven, even composed music, for it, However, not everyone found, the glass are Monica a soothing experience. Its other worldly tones didn't sit well with some listeners who spoke of dizziness stomach aches, fainting and, in some extreme cases, permanent nerve damage. Even worse word, the psychological problems associated with its music, both listeners, an players were known to suffer from depression, suicidal thoughts and some even had to be committed to sanitariums for delusions.

and all of it, was attributed to listening to this instrument during one performance in germany, a child died after prolonged exposure to its music, the more beardsley minded believed its high pitched notes could summon the ghosts of the dead. In reality, it was science that held the answers. It turns out that the tones produced by the device occurred at such a. change. The human ear was unable to detect their origin. This disoriented Sean combined with the surreal nature of the notes themselves may have been what had created such discomfort and audiences. It had also been suspected that lead, in the glass may have caused sickness and anyone who touch the bulls, but those claims were never confirmed mode

agree that the trace amounts that would have been present could not have been enough to triggered lead poisoning regardless of the science. These symptoms and stories led to the belief that the glass are monica was cursed which led to its eventual decline, except in the case of Benjamin franklin. He never experienced any of the instrument side effects and continued to play it until his death and seventy nine he was quoted as saying of all my inventions the glass are Monica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction. Unfortunately, no one else felt the same over half a century after its debut, not a single musician was still plain glass, harmonica musical tastes had moved on. New instruments were cropping up ones whose notes could fill a concert hall with

creating psychological damage in the listener. Five thousand glass our monica were made during the seventeen hundreds and today only a handful. Still remain, a replica of the one franklin played is on display at the franklin institute in philadelphia. You can visit it. You want to see it surprisingly, though, the instrument has seen a kind of resurgence, most notably among film composers. In fact, thanks to composer James horner millions of people around the world have heard the other worldly tones of the glass our monica, without knowing it and the song, it's simply called spock a theme for the same character, in stark track to the wrath of can a good choice and one, I might add. That is most logical. I hope you enjoy today's guided tour of

Cabinet of curiosities subscribe for free on apple podcast or learn more about the show by visiting curiosities, podcast dot come the show was create by me, Erin monkey in partnership with how stuff works I make another award winning show called lore witches upon cast book series and le vision show and you can learn all about it over at the world of lore. Dont come until next time. Stay curious.