Like treasure maps, ciphertexts were used for hiding treasures and transmitting information secretly. In 1820, a man named Thomas J. Beale buried his treasure in a specific location in Bedford Country, Virginia. Beale then handed over a set of three ciphertexts in a box to a friend and mysteriously disappeared. 23 years later, the friend gave it to another friend and died. The latter solved one of the texts and then published it hoping someone would decipher it. Despite several attempts none has ever been able to solve the texts and the location of the treasure continues to be a mystery.
Beale Ciphers
