Famous Unsolved Codes & Ciphers

- Dorabella Cipher

- Voynich Manuscript

- D’Agapeyeff cipher

- Beale Ciphers

Four popular cipher texts

Dorabella CipherFeatures

Encrypted letter written and edited by Edward Elgar (Romantic composer) to Miss Dora Penny in 1897

She was never able to decrypt

87 characters3 linesAlphabet of 24 symbols1,2,3 approximate semicircles.8 directionsSmall dot: significance unknown

simple substitution cipher: fruitlessExpected to be much more complex.

This cipher has a very interesting shape, and as mentioned before, consists of semicircles and dots; does not fit pattern of simple substitution. Can YOU figure it out??

Voynich manuscriptFeatures

Book named after Wilfrid M Voynich who acquired in 1912Written between 1450 – 1520Unknown author Unidentified script

Intensely studied by American and British code breakers of World War II, but all failed to decode even a single word.This string of failures made it famous

Elaborate hoax?Meaningless arbitrary symbols.

Here is a bit closer look at this special cipher…

D’Agapeyeff Cipher

Features

Written by Russian born English cartographer Alexander D'Agapeyeff

Available in First edition of his Codes and Ciphers published in 1939.Offered as “challenge cipher” at the end of book.Not included in later editions.

Numbers have actually played a large part in codes, computers, and hidden messages. And you thought they were just math!!!

Beale Ciphers

First letter

Second letter

Third letter

Features

Beale ciphers are a set of 3 cipher texts

Letter 1: LocationLetter 2: Worth Letter 3: Next of Kin

2nd letter deciphered using US Declaration of independence book as it’s key.

Letter says Gold and Silver worth 30million US dollars.

Was owned by Thomas Jefferson Beale in 1818.

Let to 30 adventures.

In Iron boxTo Robert Morriss in 1822.Opened in 1832Friend deciphered 2nd letter using...

Public in 1885

“ I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford's, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number "3," herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. The second was made December, 1821, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight pounds of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at US$13,000. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number "1" describes the exact locality of the vault, so that no difficulty will be had in finding it. “

Deciphered second letter

As you can see, codes, ciphers, and messages are just another puzzle that needs to be solved… Mathematicians everywhere push their brains to the limit to try to solve these enigmas… Will you be the next great codebreaker?? Research them more at the following sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography

http://www.vectorsite.net/ttcode.html

http://www.otr.com/ciphers.shtml

http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/10/enigma/enigma5.htm