2023-12-20 00:14:44
Mysterious 19th Century Note Found in Silk Dress Stumps Code Breakers for a Decade
A brown silk dress from the 19th century recently made headlines for more than just its age and design. In 2013, Sarah Rivers Cofield purchased the dress at an antique store in a Maine mall and made a remarkable discovery hidden in a secret pocket – a note containing English text.
Despite her best efforts, Cofield was unable to make sense of the sequence of words in the note. Frustrated but determined, she turned to the internet for help, sharing the mysterious message online and seeking the assistance of code breakers.
The note, which had been concealed in the dress for over 100 years, was filled with seemingly random words. One line, for example, contained the words “Bismark, omit, leafage, buck, bank.” Many attempted to decipher the message, with some speculating that it may have been written using telegraph code due to the brevity and staccato nature of the text.
Despite the promising assumption that the note may have been a telegraph message, its meaning remained a mystery for a decade. Dubbed “The Silk Dress Cryptogram,” the message perplexed experts and hobbyists alike, eventually gaining a reputation as one of the top 50 unsolvable codes in the world, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The dress and its cryptic note have captured the curiosity of people around the globe, leaving them eager for answers. The mystery of the 19th century note hidden in the silk dress continues to baffle experts, sparking endless speculation and intrigue.
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