From lost golden cities to pirate loots: 10 treasures worth looking for

Image: Bjorn Pierre

Everyone has, at some point, imagined stumbling across a hidden chest of gold or a mysterious jewel lost for centuries. Most of us only strike gold in our dreams, but history is filled with treasures that have yet to be discovered. While some are probably tall tales, others may be buried just beneath our feet. Here are 10 of the most curious (and glittering) mysteries still unsolved.

Image: Daniel J. Schwarz

Centuries ago, there was an entire city gleaming with gold, hidden deep in the thick, uncharted jungles of South America. In the 1500s, Spanish conquistadors became obsessed with this dazzling vision, driven by tales of a great ruler who offered invaluable treasures to the gods and covered his body in gold dust.

The promise of limitless wealth lured expedition after expedition into dangerous territories, where many lives were lost along the way. Yet, despite many years of searching, El Dorado was never found. Was there truly a golden kingdom, or was it nothing more than the world’s most extravagant legend?

Image: János Venczák

In 1216, King John of England somehow managed to lose an entire royal treasure convoy while crossing a tricky inlet in the North Sea known as The Wash. According to lore, the heavy wagons were swamped by the incoming tide and never resurfaced. Crowns, jewels, and priceless relics disappeared into the muck. Historians estimate the haul would be worth millions today.

Image: Alex Boyd

The Wild West outlaw Jesse James became famous for robbing banks and trains with style, but the bigger mystery is what happened with the priceless loot. Did he tuck away the money for a rainy day? Campfire tales insist he buried it in caves, canyons, and lonely hillsides, supposedly leaving behind cryptic maps and clues.

Generations of treasure hunters have chased after the myth, shovels in hand, hoping for a jackpot that never turns up. If James is chuckling somewhere, it’s likely at the sight of modern folks still poking around the prairie, convinced his ghost left them a scavenger hunt to play.

Image: Peter Burdon

When conquistadors captured the Incan emperor Atahualpa in 1532, he made an offer that could outshine any ransom in history: a chamber packed floor-to-ceiling with gold and silver. While some of that treasure was taken, much of it mysteriously vanished after the Spaniards executed the king anyway. And we’re not talking mere trinkets; historians estimate hundreds of thousands of pounds of precious metal. To this day, no one knows where the rest of the bounty is.

Image: Andrej Sachov

Back when pirates ruled the world, British privateer Henry Morgan became famous for plundering Caribbean towns, carting off gold, silver, and whatever else he could find. Rumor has it, he didn’t spend it all but stashed mountains of riches on remote islands. San Andrés locals will even guide you to "Morgan’s Cave." Spoiler alert: it’s totally empty—unless you count bats and sea breeze. Treasure or not, the cave’s real prize is probably the tall tale itself.

Image: Marcus Woodbridge

In the 1500s, a Portuguese ship set sail carrying what can only be described as a floating fortune—around 120,000 pounds of gold, along with crates of jewels, spices, and other exotic goods from the East. But before it could reach Europe, a violent storm struck near Sumatra, sending the vessel and its priceless cargo to the bottom of the sea. Despite centuries of searching, the wreck has never been located. For modern treasure hunters, it remains the ultimate fantasy.

Image: Nicholas Nduati

Legend has it that during the 1940s, Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita secreted away thousands of tons of gold somewhere in the Philippines. Over the years, treasure hunters have dug, scanned, and explored, occasionally uncovering small trinkets but not the vast bulk of the WWII loot. True or not, the story continues to fuel the imaginations of swashbucklers who keep exploring jungles and tunnels, leaving local hardware stores empty of shovels, metal detectors, and digging gear.

Image: Abimelec Castillo

When Spanish forces conquered Mexico, the vast treasure said to belong to Emperor Montezuma seemed to vanish into thin air. Chronicles speak of mountains of gold, silver, and dazzling artifacts, yet none were ever officially recovered. Some legends claim the riches were hidden away in secret caves, while others insist the treasure was dumped into Lake Texcoco.

The truth remains a mystery, but the allure hasn’t faded. And who knows? If you happen to stumble across a golden mask or bright jewel while wandering the streets of Mexico City, you’ll have uncovered one of history’s most tantalizing legends.

Image: Nadjib BR

Pirate William Kidd’s name is forever tied to the rumor that, before his capture, he secretly buried a fortune somewhere along his sailing routes. Ever since, countless maps have surfaced, each claiming to point the way to his hidden gold, with locations ranging from the Caribbean islands to the rocky shores of New England. None of these supposed guides has ever led to the treasure, yet that hasn’t stopped adventurers from trying their luck.

Image: Francesco Ungaro

A fleet of twelve Spanish galleons once departed from Havana, Cuba, their holds packed to the brim with gold, silver, and sparkling gems destined for Europe. But fate had other plans. An unforgiving hurricane smashed the ships against reefs and dragged their cargo to the ocean floor off Florida’s coast.

Over the centuries, divers and fortune seekers have managed to recover scattered coins, jewelry, and fragments of the wreck; yet, the vast majority of the treasure remains hidden beneath the waves. So, if your next vacation to the Sunshine State involves a trip to the beach, it might be worth bringing along a snorkel!

Fiddlesticks!

Hard to say? Maybe not. Learn 11 nicer words for gross things

We all need to say things that are not pleasant-sounding from time to time. But we can choose how we express such things. That's especially true when the topic involves bodily functions or other unpleasant realities. English is full of words that soften, sanitize, or medicalize things we'd rather not describe too vividly. Some come from Latin or Greek, others from doctors' offices, and a few were invented simply because saying the blunt version felt awkward. Here are 11 examples of "nice" words for not-so-nice things.

If "sweat" sounds a bit too direct, perspiration offers a more polished alternative. The word comes from the Latin perspirare, meaning "to breathe through," and originally referred to moisture passing through the skin. By the 18th and 19th centuries, it had become the preferred choice in polite society, especially among writers and etiquette experts who considered "sweat" a little too earthy.

The distinction wasn't always scientific, but social. Victorians often treated "perspiration" as the refined term while reserving "sweat" for hard labor or athletic exertion. Today, both words describe the same natural process, but "perspiration" still carries a more formal, clinical tone in advertisements, medicine, and everyday conversation.

Few topics inspire more creative wording than this one. While everyday English offers plenty of colorful expressions, the medical term for flatulence is derived from the Latin flatus, meaning "wind" or "blowing."

The funny part is that it's completely normal. Digestive specialists note that healthy adults commonly pass gas many times a day as part of ordinary digestion. Using a gentler expression doesn't change the biology; it simply makes discussing it a little less awkward.

Americans rarely ask, "Where's the toilet?" Instead, they're far more likely to ask for the restroom, even though almost nobody goes there to rest. The word became popular during the early 20th century as a polite substitute that avoided mentioning the room's actual purpose.

It's one of English's classic euphemisms. Similar terms like "bathroom" and "washroom" focus on the room's features rather than the activities that take place inside.

Doctors rarely tell patients to "spit." Instead, they'll often ask them to expectorate. The word comes from the Latin expectorare, meaning "to drive from the chest," and specifically refers to expelling mucus or phlegm rather than simply spitting.

Because it's more precise, the term remains standard in hospitals and medical textbooks. Outside healthcare, however, few people ever use it. It's a perfect example of how scientific language can make an unpleasant subject sound surprisingly dignified.

Most people know it as "earwax," but physicians and hearing specialists almost always call it "cerumen." The term comes from the Latin word cera, meaning "wax," and is the official anatomical term for the substance naturally produced in the ear canal.

Using the scientific term doesn't make it any less ordinary, but it certainly sounds more professional. That's why you'll find "cerumen" in medical charts, anatomy textbooks, and audiology clinics instead of the much more familiar everyday word.

"Halitosis" may sound like an intimidating medical condition, but it's simply the clinical term for persistent bad breath. Although doctors use the word today, it became widely known thanks to Listerine advertising campaigns during the early 1900s, which presented halitosis as a treatable problem rather than just an occasional inconvenience.

Those advertisements are still studied by marketing historians because they helped transform mouthwash into a household staple. It's a reminder that sometimes a sophisticated-sounding word can completely change how people think about an everyday issue.

Hospitals rarely record that a patient "vomited." Instead, medical records almost always use the term "emesis," borrowed from the Greek word emein, meaning "to vomit." The more formal language helps healthcare professionals communicate with precision while maintaining an objective tone.

The same Greek root appears in words like "antiemetic," the name for medications that prevent nausea and vomiting. Outside medical settings, though, most people stick with simpler vocabulary, even if it's a bit less elegant.

When doctors, laboratories, or researchers discuss bodily waste, they almost always use the word "stool" in direct reference to the bathroom.

The term removes much of the emotional reaction that everyday words can provoke. That's one reason formal writing almost always favors "stool" over the more casual vocabulary heard in ordinary conversation.

Children usually learn the word "pee" long before they ever hear the word "urinate," but the latter is the preferred term in medicine. It comes from the Latin urina, which also gave English words like "urinary," "urinalysis," and "urology."

Using "urinate" creates a neutral, professional tone that's especially helpful in healthcare. It allows doctors and patients to discuss sensitive topics comfortably without resorting to slang or overly childish language.

Many cultures have developed indirect ways of referring to a period, but medicine generally uses the more formal term "menstruation." It comes from the Latin mensis, meaning "month," reflecting the cycle's roughly monthly pattern.

English has accumulated dozens of euphemisms over the centuries, from "that time of the month" to more playful nicknames, revealing how reluctant many societies have been to discuss the subject openly. Today, "menstruation" is widely preferred in education and healthcare because it's both accurate and neutral.

Most people would say something rotted, but scientists usually say it decomposed. The two words describe essentially the same process, yet "decompose" emphasizes the natural biological breakdown of organic material by bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.

Because it's more precise and emotionally neutral, the word appears regularly in biology, ecology, archaeology, and forensic science. Sometimes the nicest-sounding word also happens to be the most scientifically accurate, proving that language can soften reality without sacrificing the truth.