Secrets of the Dead

On February 8, 2023, a sensational story came out in the news: three codebreaking enthusiasts announced that after a year of dedication and collaborative efforts, they finally had succeeded in decoding the secret correspondence of one of the most tragic characters in European history: Mary, Queen of Scots. Composed of 57 letters written in a code consisting of at least 150,000 different symbols, the correspondence between Mary and the French ambassador to England details Mary's efforts to free herself from imprisonment and gain advantage over her rival, Queen Elizabeth. After four centuries, Mary's urgent pleas can now be revealed.

"Chasing the Plague" looks at the societal impacts of the bubonic plague on medieval Europe as scientists today track down the earliest known bubonic plague victims. They are studying the virus in hopes of preventing future outbreaks, while historians and scholars explore the societal impact of the plague on medieval Europe. What happens when a third of a continent's population is wiped out?

There are only two accepted portraits of William Shakespeare that are considered "official," but a portrait that's been hanging over a mantlepiece for the last 50 years could be the third. It could be worth as much as $200 million…if it is genuine.