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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Mysterious letters
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that conceal a serial killer's
identity.
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A sculpture outside
CIA headquarters,
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with a cryptic message.
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And a medieval manuscript
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that could hold the secrets
of ancient sorcery.
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There's nothing more
fascinating than a code
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that can't be cracked.
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For centuries, mankind has
devised ingenious ways to hide
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valuable information,
using everything
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from enigmatic puzzles,
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to complex ciphers
and secret symbols.
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If history's unbreakable
codes can be deciphered,
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could we unlock answers
to some of the greatest
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mysteries of both the past
and the present?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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♪ ♪
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Since the dawn of humanity,
our species has tried
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to make order out of
what seems like chaos.
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From divining the secrets
in our stars,
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to deciphering lost languages,
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we excel at finding
patterns in the noise.
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It's all part of
our innate desire
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to find meaning in that
which we don't understand.
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And perhaps the best example
of this drive
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is our long-held
fascination with codes.
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Codes and ciphers
have always fascinated
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humans throughout history,
in part because on the one hand,
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there's always knowledge
that people want to hide.
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And on the other hand,
it's human nature to want
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to read what's hidden.
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To want to uncover
what is disguised.
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To try and be the person who has
broken the unbreakable code.
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SHATNER: For centuries,
governments, mathematicians
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and spies have used codes
and ciphers to hide secrets.
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In turn, this spawned
a field dedicated to both
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making and breaking codes.
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Today, we call it cryptography.
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(electronic blipping)
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Any time you want to
keep information secret,
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the study of cryptography
is involved.
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It's like an arms race
of trying to figure out,
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what's the clever way
to encode the message?
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And then what's the clever way
to take advantage of weaknesses
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in the encryption method?
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There's a mystery-solving
aspect to it
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that interests people because
everybody likes a good mystery.
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And so when you break a code,
it's very satisfying,
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kind of like putting
the last puzzle piece in place
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when you're working
a jigsaw puzzle.
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SHATNER:
What greater mystery is there
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than a supposedly unbreakable
code that has yet to be solved?
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Take, for example, one of
the most enigmatic codes
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in recent history.
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A cryptic message
known only as "Cicada."
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On the popular
image-sharing website
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known as "4chan"
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an anonymous user posts
a mysterious image, consisting
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of only a black graphic box
and plain, white text.
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The message states,
in part: "Hello.
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"We are looking for
highly intelligent individuals.
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"To find them
we have devised a test.
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"There is a message
hidden in this image.
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Find it, and it will lead
you on the road to finding us."
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The image was cryptically
signed "3301,"
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and at first, no one could
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figure out the meaning
of this bizarre post.
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On the surface,
this makes absolutely no sense,
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just saying how we were seeking
highly talented individuals.
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And if all you do is
read that text in the image,
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it's a dead end.
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But some people went
a little bit farther trying to
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figure out what's going on here,
and unravel the message.
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SHATNER: Using specialized
decryption software,
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codebreakers discovered that
the black square and white text
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could be translated
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into a different image--
a duck, of all things.
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But the mystery didn't
end there,
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because the duck could
then be decoded further,
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leading to even more pictures,
puzzles and clues.
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It quickly became clear that
solving this strange
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Internet code would require
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traveling down a deep
digital rabbit hole.
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DAVID KUSHNER:
At the most basic level, they were a series of puzzles
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that set off a massive
hunt and chase and
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effort to figure out
how to solve them
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and who was behind them.
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It required cryptography,
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and there were
all kinds of challenges.
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People were starting to feel
that maybe this had turned
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into some goose chase.
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SHATNER:
Cryptographers tried hundreds
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and even thousands of methods
to solve the code.
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The mystery eventually caught
the attention of the media,
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and the elaborate cypher
became known as Cicada 3301.
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3301 was in reference to the
original signature of the code,
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and the cicada insect
was featured
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in several of the cypher's
confounding puzzles.
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One of those caught
in Cicada 3301's grasp
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was a cryptologist who goes by
the pseudonym Nox Populi.
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If you were going along
with it at the time,
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it was just this great mystery.
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And that's because,
after a certain point,
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uh, they started personalizing
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the puzzles for each person
who had got to that point.
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So, this, like, thing
that had expanded
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to be global and just
absolutely wild, suddenly was,
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like, personally talking to you,
the person solving it,
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which was just, kind of
blew people's minds at the time.
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These puzzles ran for three
years; 2012, 2013 and 2014.
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So, I was one of the people
who finished the 2013 puzzle
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after it got to the point
where it was individualized.
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It was me and probably
about five or six other people
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that were kind of considered
the winners of that year.
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At the end, once you finally
put in your last piece,
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what you received
was an emailed invitation
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to work with them.
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SHATNER:
The invitation to work with the secretive creator
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of Cicada 3301 was intriguing,
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but there was a catch.
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Whoever designed
this fascinating enigma
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refused to reveal
their true identity.
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And it begs the question,
who would go to all the trouble
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of designing this labyrinth
of codes and puzzles?
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I think part
of what really drove
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people's imagination
with the puzzles
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was the question
of who 3301 actually is
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because they worked very hard
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to not have an answer
to that question.
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KUSHNER:
The rumors definitely swirled around who was behind Cicada.
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There was this kind of dude
in the basement theory,
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but that kind of got
blown out of the water
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when Cicada made the leap from
the Internet to the real world.
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POPULI:
So, suddenly, Cicada 3301
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starts posting GPS coordinates
all over the world.
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Australia, USA,
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South Korea, France--
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just all over the place.
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Then there were posters
around the globe
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of these places.
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The poster had a QR code on it
and a cicada.
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And so, it's sort of
that realization that,
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no, we're not just back on the
Internet, and we're in-in fact,
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expanding well beyond
the kind of real-world impact
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we thought this was gonna have.
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BAUER:
Whoever was behind Cicada wanted to find people
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who are not only
highly intelligent,
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but also persistent.
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Could this be somebody
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from the American
Intelligence Community
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just finding a clever way
to recruit people
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to be American codebreakers?
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Could it be a secret society?
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Some group of, say,
civil libertarians
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who just wants
to make the Internet
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completely private and secure?
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Or perhaps some third option?
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SHATNER:
While the identity of the creators of Cicada 3301
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remains elusive,
one thing is certain.
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Since 2014,
they've gone underground.
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No new messages have appeared,
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and the mysterious invitation
to work with the code's creators
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appears to have led nowhere.
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Now, many years later,
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we still don't know anything
about who they are.
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It's almost like they fell off
the face of the Earth.
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Whether they still even exist,
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whether they're still
working on anything,
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is a big point of debate
between people
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who are involved in this
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because there's definitely
not been any indication
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that they are still working.
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SHATNER:
Is the shadowy Cicada 3301 organization
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gone for good?
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We'll just have to wait and see.
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But there are many other codes
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that are hidden in plain sight,
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like a perplexing sculpture,
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built in the epicenter
of cryptology,
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with a cipher that is still
unsolved to this day.
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ORANCHAK:
The Kryptos sculpture is a sculpture
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commissioned by the CIA.
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SAMI JARROUSH: This fourth
section of Kryptos is one
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of the most famous
unsolved ciphers in history.
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SHATNER:
In a wooded expanse,
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nine miles outside
the nation's capital,
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lies the headquarters of the
Central Intelligence Agency.
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Standing in a sleek courtyard
near the front of the building
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is a rather cryptic sculpture.
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It's a curved copper art piece
that is called Kryptos,
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which is Greek for "hidden."
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This highly secure
government facility
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might seem like
an odd spot for fine art,
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but Kryptos is actually one
of the greatest unsolved ciphers
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of the modern era.
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ORANCHAK:
Kryptos is a copper sculpture
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with letters cut out of it
containing
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four different
hidden secret messages
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that are encrypted using
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four different
encryption schemes.
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The Kryptos sculpture
has created a lot of interest
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in cryptography
because of its association
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with secretive
government agencies,
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and it's a very
compelling mystery.
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SHATNER: Kryptos is
a fascinating enigma,
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but why was this
encoded sculpture
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placed outside
the world's biggest spy office?
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The story goes back to 1988,
when the CIA
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selected artist Jim Sanborn
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to create the sculpture
for the agency.
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JIM SANBORN:
At the time, the CIA was interested in polishing
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their reputation,
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and, uh, they figure that maybe
one way we can do this
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is by introducing
an art program.
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And so, I was awarded
the commission
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and then started down
this long process.
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I did a lot of research,
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and I-I really want
to understand what the CIA does.
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And I finally figured out
that most CIA missions
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and spies involve
some sort of encoding.
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And if it's gonna succeed,
the coding's got to be perfect.
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And so, I went ahead
and used encoding
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as a major part of it.
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I figured, in popular culture,
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the CIA is what we all think of
when we think about codes.
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SHATNER:
After Jim Sanborn labored over its conception
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and construction for two years,
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Kryptos was dedicated
in November of 1990.
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The resulting sculpture was
not only visually striking,
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but also a seemingly
indecipherable code.
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On closer inspection,
codebreakers around the world
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noticed that Kryptos
resembles the pages of a book,
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arranged side by side.
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ORANCHAK:
When you look at the Kryptos sculpture,
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you'll see a bunch of letters.
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But if you split it
down the middle,
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the letters on the left
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contain four different
secret messages.
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These are referred to as
K1, K2, K3 and K4.
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And then,
the letters on the right
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form a table of letters,
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which includes
the word Kryptos itself,
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that were used to encrypt
the four messages.
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My whole coding system
was designed
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to be slowly deconstructed
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like layers of an onion,
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and to say something.
That's key
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because there are a lot
of people that believe,
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"Well, this is just gibberish.
250
00:13:21,125 --> 00:13:22,792
He hasn't written
anything there."
251
00:13:22,958 --> 00:13:25,333
But it's not. It says something,
252
00:13:25,542 --> 00:13:28,125
and, um, best of luck.
253
00:13:28,292 --> 00:13:32,000
SHATNER:
As it turns out, codebreakers have actually had
254
00:13:32,167 --> 00:13:36,458
some success cracking
Jim Sanborn's cipher.
255
00:13:36,583 --> 00:13:39,625
Nine years after the sculpture
was put on display,
256
00:13:39,792 --> 00:13:42,500
the first three messages
were solved.
257
00:13:43,875 --> 00:13:47,375
K1, which is located
on the top left portion
258
00:13:47,542 --> 00:13:49,917
of the sculpture, reads...
259
00:13:57,042 --> 00:14:00,333
Below that, K2 says, in part...
260
00:14:14,083 --> 00:14:16,667
And finally, on the bottom left
quadrant of the sculpture,
261
00:14:16,833 --> 00:14:20,167
K3 reads, in part...
262
00:14:32,042 --> 00:14:36,167
All of these strange messages
beg the obvious question:
263
00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:40,125
what on earth is Jim Sanborn
talking about?
264
00:14:41,125 --> 00:14:44,042
K1 and K2, those messages are
265
00:14:44,208 --> 00:14:47,667
bits of writing
that Sanborn came up with.
266
00:14:47,875 --> 00:14:50,542
They're a bit mysterious still
because they're
267
00:14:50,750 --> 00:14:52,208
kind of a poetic passage.
268
00:14:52,375 --> 00:14:57,458
K3 decodes to
a paraphrased version
269
00:14:57,667 --> 00:15:00,000
of the account of Howard Carter
270
00:15:00,208 --> 00:15:03,583
opening the tomb of King Tut.
271
00:15:03,708 --> 00:15:05,750
And so, there's another puzzle
to be solved even after
272
00:15:05,875 --> 00:15:07,125
all the messages
have been decoded.
273
00:15:07,333 --> 00:15:09,625
BAUER:
Kryptos is tying together
274
00:15:09,750 --> 00:15:12,583
some various sort
of esoteric arcana.
275
00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:17,375
What this means towards
the greater mystery is unknown.
276
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:20,042
You're not gonna know exactly
what the artist intended.
277
00:15:20,208 --> 00:15:22,667
He thought that the mystery
of what he had in mind
278
00:15:22,833 --> 00:15:24,833
would never be fully cracked.
279
00:15:25,042 --> 00:15:28,000
SHATNER:
Many cryptographers believe that the key
280
00:15:28,167 --> 00:15:32,333
to unlocking the meaning
of Kryptos lies in solving K4,
281
00:15:32,542 --> 00:15:35,833
the final message located
on the bottom left
282
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,875
of the sculpture.
283
00:15:38,042 --> 00:15:41,875
But more than 30 years
after Kryptos was created,
284
00:15:42,042 --> 00:15:46,208
K4 remains indecipherable.
285
00:15:46,417 --> 00:15:49,083
I think that K4 is still
unsolved because we don't know
286
00:15:49,208 --> 00:15:52,625
exactly what steps were taken
to create it in the first place.
287
00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:55,208
The other three sections,
288
00:15:55,375 --> 00:15:57,917
people were able to try
a lot of different methods
289
00:15:58,125 --> 00:16:00,250
that are known
to cryptographers.
290
00:16:00,417 --> 00:16:03,667
The fourth system uses
possibly something novel
291
00:16:03,875 --> 00:16:06,208
or some combination
of cryptographic methods
292
00:16:06,375 --> 00:16:08,500
that haven't really been
put together before.
293
00:16:09,667 --> 00:16:12,167
The other challenge with K4
might be because it's so short.
294
00:16:12,333 --> 00:16:13,917
There's not a whole lot
of data to work with.
295
00:16:14,042 --> 00:16:16,792
So, we can't find
a lot of different
296
00:16:16,958 --> 00:16:19,000
statistical clues
that might point
297
00:16:19,083 --> 00:16:21,625
to characteristics
about the underlying text.
298
00:16:23,208 --> 00:16:26,750
I personally think the fourth
panel of Kryptos will be solved.
299
00:16:26,875 --> 00:16:28,917
There's just too much attention,
300
00:16:29,083 --> 00:16:32,500
too many people with mad
computer skills going after it.
301
00:16:32,708 --> 00:16:34,208
Maybe it'll take 50 years,
302
00:16:34,375 --> 00:16:36,208
but I don't think
it can endure forever.
303
00:16:37,250 --> 00:16:40,833
SHATNER:
Will K4, and with it the full meaning of Kryptos,
304
00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,833
eventually be cracked,
as some believe?
305
00:16:44,042 --> 00:16:47,542
Or is Jim Sanborn's
curious creation
306
00:16:47,708 --> 00:16:50,792
a truly unbreakable code?
307
00:16:50,958 --> 00:16:54,875
Artworks are at their strongest
308
00:16:55,042 --> 00:16:58,667
when they're
slightly inscrutable.
309
00:16:58,875 --> 00:17:01,833
And so, I certainly prefer
310
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,875
that Kryptos is not deciphered.
311
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,708
I would rather
it not be deciphered ever.
312
00:17:08,792 --> 00:17:12,833
There are only two of us
who know what the code says.
313
00:17:12,958 --> 00:17:15,208
It's myself and my wife, Jae Ko,
314
00:17:15,375 --> 00:17:17,500
and, uh, we'll see what happens.
315
00:17:19,750 --> 00:17:23,000
The secret message embedded
in the Kryptos sculpture
316
00:17:23,208 --> 00:17:26,792
is a baffling mystery
that has remained unsolved
317
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:28,167
for 30 years.
318
00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:31,292
However,
the most famous unbroken code
319
00:17:31,458 --> 00:17:35,083
in American history was actually
written two decades earlier,
320
00:17:35,208 --> 00:17:39,667
by a shadowy serial killer
321
00:17:39,833 --> 00:17:44,125
who called himself the Zodiac.
322
00:17:45,917 --> 00:17:46,958
BAUER:
Just like Jack the Ripper,
323
00:17:47,125 --> 00:17:48,833
the Zodiac Killer
324
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,625
was never apprehended,
never identified.
325
00:17:50,750 --> 00:17:52,333
MICHAEL BUTTERFIELD:
The murderer sent a letter
326
00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,042
with a piece of the victim's
blood-stained shirt
327
00:17:55,250 --> 00:17:57,583
to prove that he was responsible
for the crime.
328
00:18:06,625 --> 00:18:09,000
SHATNER:
The city is gripped by fear
329
00:18:09,208 --> 00:18:11,292
after a number of horrific
and unsolved murders
330
00:18:11,458 --> 00:18:15,167
are committed by
a shadowy serial killer.
331
00:18:16,292 --> 00:18:18,208
The panic reaches
a fever pitch when the killer
332
00:18:18,375 --> 00:18:21,167
releases a series
of chilling notes,
333
00:18:21,333 --> 00:18:26,000
in which he refers to himself
as the Zodiac.
334
00:18:26,208 --> 00:18:28,750
Three virtually identical
handwritten letters
335
00:18:28,875 --> 00:18:32,333
arrived at the offices
of three California newspapers.
336
00:18:33,708 --> 00:18:35,917
And those letters
took credit for the crimes
337
00:18:36,083 --> 00:18:39,208
and included details
from the crimes,
338
00:18:39,375 --> 00:18:42,333
including the ammunition
that was used,
339
00:18:42,458 --> 00:18:45,750
the positions of the victims,
and things like that.
340
00:18:46,875 --> 00:18:51,333
And then, another letter that
was sent on August 4th of 1969,
341
00:18:51,500 --> 00:18:55,500
was the first to use
the name the Zodiac.
342
00:18:55,708 --> 00:18:58,042
The Zodiac's crime spree
is often referred to
343
00:18:58,208 --> 00:19:00,000
as a reign of terror.
344
00:19:00,167 --> 00:19:03,500
And that's because his murders
not only sent fear
345
00:19:03,667 --> 00:19:06,833
throughout the community,
but he eventually threatened
346
00:19:07,042 --> 00:19:08,958
to murder schoolchildren
on a bus.
347
00:19:09,042 --> 00:19:11,750
He also said
he was gonna use a bomb.
348
00:19:11,875 --> 00:19:14,833
He threatened to kill
dozens of people over a weekend.
349
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:16,333
So, there were a lot of threats
350
00:19:16,542 --> 00:19:18,375
that sent fear
through the community.
351
00:19:19,792 --> 00:19:22,458
ORANCHAK:
His name really got out there, and on top of that,
352
00:19:22,583 --> 00:19:25,708
Zodiac's victims were selected
presumably randomly.
353
00:19:25,875 --> 00:19:29,000
And so, people felt like,
"Well, he could be around
354
00:19:29,167 --> 00:19:31,333
the corner
ready to kill me or us."
355
00:19:31,458 --> 00:19:33,792
So, it became
kind of like a boogeyman
356
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:36,667
waiting to kill somebody
out of the blue.
357
00:19:37,875 --> 00:19:40,333
SHATNER:
The Zodiac's reign of terror became national news,
358
00:19:40,542 --> 00:19:42,167
not only because
of the frightening nature
359
00:19:42,333 --> 00:19:44,208
of his crimes,
360
00:19:44,375 --> 00:19:47,708
but also because some
of his mysterious letters
361
00:19:47,875 --> 00:19:50,375
were written in code.
362
00:19:50,542 --> 00:19:53,875
The Zodiac,
as macabre as this sounds,
363
00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,833
turned his killings into a game,
364
00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:59,250
not just for law enforcement
to try to figure out,
365
00:19:59,417 --> 00:20:00,792
but for the average citizen.
366
00:20:00,958 --> 00:20:04,583
These ciphers sort of served
as a way for people
367
00:20:04,708 --> 00:20:06,583
to play his game.
368
00:20:08,042 --> 00:20:09,667
Can you figure out who I am?
369
00:20:09,833 --> 00:20:15,167
So, using these codes, while
it made Zodiac incredibly scary,
370
00:20:15,375 --> 00:20:17,625
it also made him
intriguing because
371
00:20:17,833 --> 00:20:21,208
anybody could figure out
who the Zodiac Killer is,
372
00:20:21,375 --> 00:20:23,500
if you know how to play
his game correctly.
373
00:20:24,750 --> 00:20:27,250
SHATNER:
The Zodiac's claim that the ciphers revealed
374
00:20:27,417 --> 00:20:32,042
his true identity taunted
the police and the public.
375
00:20:32,208 --> 00:20:35,083
Both the authorities
and amateurs alike
376
00:20:35,250 --> 00:20:37,417
pored over
the encrypted letters,
377
00:20:37,583 --> 00:20:42,167
hoping to crack
the killer's devious codes.
378
00:20:42,375 --> 00:20:44,333
JARROUSH:
The first cipher of the Zodiac,
379
00:20:44,458 --> 00:20:48,000
it's commonly referred to
as the 408 cipher.
380
00:20:48,208 --> 00:20:50,625
That was actually solved
in a matter of days
381
00:20:50,792 --> 00:20:54,542
by a couple of citizens
in the San Francisco Bay Area.
382
00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:59,167
BUTTERFIELD:
A local high school economics teacher and his wife,
383
00:20:59,250 --> 00:21:01,583
Donald and Bettye Harden,
384
00:21:01,792 --> 00:21:04,167
decided to take
the killer's challenge
385
00:21:04,292 --> 00:21:06,875
and spent a weekend
trying to solve that cipher.
386
00:21:08,125 --> 00:21:10,250
And they were able
to find the solution.
387
00:21:10,417 --> 00:21:12,625
Unfortunately,
the Hardens' solution
388
00:21:12,750 --> 00:21:15,500
did not reveal
the killer's identity.
389
00:21:15,708 --> 00:21:18,625
But it did begin
with the phrase...
390
00:21:22,375 --> 00:21:25,958
Then he talked about collecting
slaves for his afterlife.
391
00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:29,667
SHATNER:
The shocking content of the first cipher
392
00:21:29,833 --> 00:21:32,500
heightened public panic
about the Zodiac.
393
00:21:32,708 --> 00:21:35,125
But the killer's second cipher,
394
00:21:35,292 --> 00:21:40,667
known as Z-340,
would not be solved so easily.
395
00:21:40,792 --> 00:21:44,958
BUTTERFIELD:
The Zodiac's second cipher consisted of 340 symbols.
396
00:21:45,083 --> 00:21:48,250
Unfortunately, that cipher was
very difficult to solve.
397
00:21:48,417 --> 00:21:50,750
And he may have made it
that way deliberately
398
00:21:50,917 --> 00:21:53,042
because he may have been
upset that his first cipher
399
00:21:53,208 --> 00:21:54,792
was solved so quickly.
400
00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,167
SHATNER:
Despite years of effort,
401
00:21:57,375 --> 00:22:00,708
the Z-340 cipher
eluded decryption.
402
00:22:00,875 --> 00:22:05,833
By 1974, the Zodiac had released
more than 20 letters,
403
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,792
in which he claimed
to have killed 37 people.
404
00:22:09,958 --> 00:22:14,167
And then, after
a five-year reign of terror,
405
00:22:14,375 --> 00:22:16,333
his communications
abruptly ceased,
406
00:22:16,542 --> 00:22:19,417
and the case went cold.
407
00:22:21,083 --> 00:22:23,375
It seemed that the codes
and the crimes
408
00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:29,458
of this evil genius were
destined to remain unsolved.
409
00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:34,292
More than 30 years would pass
410
00:22:34,458 --> 00:22:39,000
before software engineer
David Oranchak became inspired
411
00:22:39,167 --> 00:22:42,708
to take on the Z-340 cipher.
412
00:22:42,875 --> 00:22:44,792
I first heard about
the Zodiac ciphers when
413
00:22:44,958 --> 00:22:47,833
the Zodiac movie
came out in 2007.
414
00:22:48,042 --> 00:22:50,792
And so there was already
kind of a vibrant community
415
00:22:50,958 --> 00:22:53,417
of people involved with
the Zodiac cipher specifically.
416
00:22:53,542 --> 00:22:55,000
So when I saw that, I thought,
417
00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:56,750
"Hey, I want to take
a crack at that."
418
00:22:56,958 --> 00:23:00,292
Because I'm a programmer,
I like puzzles,
419
00:23:00,458 --> 00:23:03,958
and it would be very cool
to be able to crack that.
420
00:23:05,292 --> 00:23:08,208
SHATNER:
To try and solve the cipher, David Oranchak teamed up
421
00:23:08,333 --> 00:23:11,000
with Australian
mathematician Sam Blake,
422
00:23:11,167 --> 00:23:15,208
and Belgian computer
programmer Jarl Van Eycke.
423
00:23:15,375 --> 00:23:18,375
The team became kind
of this collaboration of people
424
00:23:18,583 --> 00:23:21,667
that would run experiments,
try out different ideas,
425
00:23:21,792 --> 00:23:24,500
come up with computer programs
426
00:23:24,667 --> 00:23:26,500
and different kind
of specialized tools
427
00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:29,542
in order to try out these ideas
428
00:23:29,708 --> 00:23:32,875
or to just run a bunch of keys
and try to break the code.
429
00:23:34,042 --> 00:23:36,750
SHATNER:
In spite of their combined efforts, the Z-340 cipher
430
00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:40,708
seemed like it might be
an unbreakable code.
431
00:23:40,875 --> 00:23:42,125
But then,
432
00:23:42,292 --> 00:23:45,958
after 15 years
of challenging work,
433
00:23:46,125 --> 00:23:49,083
the team finally cracked it.
434
00:23:49,208 --> 00:23:51,167
ORANCHAK:
It was very satisfying to decrypt the message.
435
00:23:51,333 --> 00:23:53,000
It was very exciting.
436
00:23:53,208 --> 00:23:54,708
Once we had the solution,
437
00:23:54,875 --> 00:23:57,250
I put together a report
and sent it to my contacts
438
00:23:57,417 --> 00:23:59,250
in the codebreaking unit
of the FBI.
439
00:24:00,292 --> 00:24:02,583
And then very quickly,
they came back to us and said,
440
00:24:02,750 --> 00:24:04,583
"This looks good,
it looks strong,
441
00:24:04,750 --> 00:24:07,125
looks like the real solution,"
442
00:24:07,292 --> 00:24:09,958
and that's
when the media storm hit.
443
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,667
SHATNER:
The revelation that the Z-340 cipher
444
00:24:13,875 --> 00:24:16,000
had been broken,
more than 50 years
445
00:24:16,208 --> 00:24:19,000
after it was released,
made headlines around the world.
446
00:24:19,208 --> 00:24:21,250
But, unfortunately,
447
00:24:21,375 --> 00:24:25,333
the decrypted message did not
reveal the killer's identity.
448
00:24:25,417 --> 00:24:29,167
However, the search continues,
449
00:24:29,333 --> 00:24:33,042
because there are
other Zodiac ciphers
450
00:24:33,208 --> 00:24:34,875
that are yet to be solved,
451
00:24:35,042 --> 00:24:40,125
the most fascinating
of which is called Z-13.
452
00:24:40,250 --> 00:24:43,542
This cipher will literally
make you pull your hair out,
453
00:24:43,708 --> 00:24:45,417
because at first glance,
454
00:24:45,583 --> 00:24:46,708
you would think
it's got to be easy.
455
00:24:46,875 --> 00:24:49,000
There's only
13 characters in the cipher.
456
00:24:49,208 --> 00:24:54,792
What's worse, is that it starts
with the phrase, "My name is."
457
00:24:55,750 --> 00:24:58,833
He's literally telling you,
"Here's who I am."
458
00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,042
And to this day, no one's been
able to figure it out as of yet.
459
00:25:04,042 --> 00:25:07,625
Until cipher Z-13
can finally be solved,
460
00:25:07,792 --> 00:25:10,417
it seems that the identity
of the Zodiac killer
461
00:25:10,583 --> 00:25:12,042
will be a mystery.
462
00:25:12,167 --> 00:25:14,625
And the frustrating reality
is that, sometimes,
463
00:25:14,792 --> 00:25:17,375
a code can remain
uncracked for centuries.
464
00:25:17,542 --> 00:25:22,583
Like in the case of a series
of cryptic hieroglyphs
465
00:25:22,750 --> 00:25:25,500
that might explain the fate
of a civilization
466
00:25:25,667 --> 00:25:28,583
that disappeared from history.
467
00:25:31,542 --> 00:25:35,542
The Phaistos disc comes
from 1700 to 1600 BCE.
468
00:25:35,708 --> 00:25:37,500
JARROUSH:
What appear to be just random symbols
469
00:25:37,667 --> 00:25:39,542
appear in a spiral formation.
470
00:25:39,708 --> 00:25:42,833
What do these symbols mean?
It's anybody's guess.
471
00:25:47,708 --> 00:25:51,125
SHATNER: Phaistos, on the Greek
island of Crete, 1908.
472
00:25:52,208 --> 00:25:54,958
Italian archaeologists
excavate the ruins
473
00:25:55,125 --> 00:25:56,375
of an ancient palace
474
00:25:56,542 --> 00:25:59,458
built by a mysterious
lost civilization
475
00:25:59,667 --> 00:26:03,000
referred to as the Minoans.
476
00:26:04,208 --> 00:26:08,583
The Minoan civilization
flourished from about 1900
477
00:26:08,708 --> 00:26:11,292
to about 1450 BCE
478
00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:14,417
in an amazingly advanced culture
479
00:26:14,583 --> 00:26:16,458
that was not just
based on Crete,
480
00:26:16,625 --> 00:26:18,333
but it sent its influence out
481
00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:21,167
to the various
Greek islands as well.
482
00:26:21,375 --> 00:26:25,750
The Minoans were great travelers
and traders and sailors.
483
00:26:25,958 --> 00:26:28,208
They were trading in things
484
00:26:28,333 --> 00:26:32,417
like perfumed oils
that brought them great riches.
485
00:26:32,542 --> 00:26:35,667
One of the great mysteries
that we have here
486
00:26:35,875 --> 00:26:39,833
really is what happened at
the end of the Minoan culture.
487
00:26:40,042 --> 00:26:43,125
In the end,
how they finally disappeared
488
00:26:43,292 --> 00:26:45,708
is argued about by scholars.
489
00:26:47,917 --> 00:26:50,250
SHATNER:
The disappearance of the Minoan civilization
490
00:26:50,458 --> 00:26:54,000
is one of the great unsolved
mysteries in ancient history.
491
00:26:54,208 --> 00:26:56,917
But some believe
that a clue to their fate
492
00:26:57,083 --> 00:27:01,667
may have been found during
the Italian excavations in 1908.
493
00:27:02,583 --> 00:27:05,667
On the 3rd of July, in 1908,
494
00:27:05,833 --> 00:27:09,125
at approximately 7:00 p.m.
in the evening...
495
00:27:10,750 --> 00:27:13,792
...the foreman of the site
at the archaeological dig was
496
00:27:13,958 --> 00:27:16,292
doing a final check of the site,
497
00:27:16,375 --> 00:27:18,542
and discovered this amazing,
498
00:27:18,750 --> 00:27:22,083
enigmatic piece
of ceramic wondrousness.
499
00:27:23,208 --> 00:27:27,833
It has a uniqueness to it
that made it very special.
500
00:27:28,042 --> 00:27:31,750
So it generated a huge amount
of interest very, very quickly.
501
00:27:33,250 --> 00:27:36,125
SHATNER:
The gold-hued, 5.9 inch in diameter
502
00:27:36,333 --> 00:27:38,500
clay object that the foreman
picked up was covered
503
00:27:38,708 --> 00:27:41,875
in strange,
indecipherable markings,
504
00:27:42,083 --> 00:27:46,000
that looked like some
kind of ancient hieroglyphs.
505
00:27:46,208 --> 00:27:49,542
This curious artifact
came to be known
506
00:27:49,708 --> 00:27:52,292
as the Phaistos Disc.
507
00:27:53,417 --> 00:27:55,792
The Phaistos Disc
is a ceramic disc.
508
00:27:55,958 --> 00:27:59,750
And it's imprinted
with a series of symbols
509
00:27:59,917 --> 00:28:01,958
in a spiral pattern.
510
00:28:03,167 --> 00:28:07,542
It's made of high-quality clay
that's been deliberately fired.
511
00:28:07,750 --> 00:28:09,958
Someone had to make
the symbol on a stamp
512
00:28:10,042 --> 00:28:12,792
and it was imprinted
on the clay when it was wet.
513
00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:17,083
It's got to be
one of the very first
514
00:28:17,208 --> 00:28:20,917
printed artifacts that we have
that survived to this point.
515
00:28:22,042 --> 00:28:25,500
There are 123 symbols
on one side
516
00:28:25,625 --> 00:28:28,792
and 119 on the other.
517
00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:33,625
So these seem to be,
perhaps words,
518
00:28:33,792 --> 00:28:38,083
perhaps sentences,
perhaps little concepts
519
00:28:38,208 --> 00:28:40,667
that we're trying
to get to the bottom of.
520
00:28:41,750 --> 00:28:43,250
SHATNER:
For decades, the strange symbols
521
00:28:43,417 --> 00:28:46,000
on the Phaistos Disc
have been an unbreakable code
522
00:28:46,167 --> 00:28:48,333
that historians have
tried to crack.
523
00:28:49,875 --> 00:28:52,625
Many have wondered,
could this small disc
524
00:28:52,750 --> 00:28:54,625
actually contain information
525
00:28:54,792 --> 00:28:57,292
about the Minoan civilization?
526
00:28:58,875 --> 00:29:00,292
The Phaistos Disc is
527
00:29:00,458 --> 00:29:02,333
an incredible archaeological
find to be sure.
528
00:29:02,542 --> 00:29:05,583
However, the bigger mystery is
529
00:29:05,708 --> 00:29:10,708
what is embedded
into the clay in that disc.
530
00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:12,583
You have a series
531
00:29:12,750 --> 00:29:16,500
of what appear to be
just random symbols.
532
00:29:16,667 --> 00:29:19,042
What do these symbols mean?
533
00:29:19,208 --> 00:29:21,833
As of right now,
it's anybody's guess.
534
00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:27,292
KERSHAW:
We don't know what language the Minoans spoke,
535
00:29:27,417 --> 00:29:29,167
or what they wrote.
536
00:29:29,375 --> 00:29:31,458
We don't know
what they called themselves.
537
00:29:31,667 --> 00:29:34,208
Minoan is the name
that we give them.
538
00:29:35,375 --> 00:29:37,750
People have been
desperately trying to unlock
539
00:29:37,875 --> 00:29:41,208
the information
that might be on this disc.
540
00:29:41,417 --> 00:29:44,542
JARROUSH:
People have posited that the Phaistos Disc
541
00:29:44,708 --> 00:29:46,500
is actually a religious text.
542
00:29:46,708 --> 00:29:49,125
A hymn in honor
of a mother goddess,
543
00:29:49,250 --> 00:29:51,167
the goddess
of fertility and love.
544
00:29:52,208 --> 00:29:55,167
But if it turns out
that it's not,
545
00:29:55,333 --> 00:29:57,208
what else could
this disc possibly be?
546
00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:00,417
What other mysteries could this
disc potentially hold for us?
547
00:30:01,583 --> 00:30:03,333
SHATNER:
Unlocking the code to an ancient language
548
00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:08,375
is a very unlikely proposition,
but it has happened before.
549
00:30:09,375 --> 00:30:12,042
When you think
of mysterious ancient languages,
550
00:30:12,208 --> 00:30:16,917
perhaps the most famous
are Egyptian hieroglyphs.
551
00:30:17,042 --> 00:30:20,917
Transcription of these ornate,
pictographic writings
552
00:30:21,042 --> 00:30:25,000
remained a mystery
for almost 1,400 years
553
00:30:25,208 --> 00:30:29,625
until the discovery
of the Rosetta Stone in 1799
554
00:30:29,708 --> 00:30:32,333
changed history forever.
555
00:30:32,542 --> 00:30:35,583
KERSHAW:
With Egyptian hieroglyphics, we had the Rosetta Stone,
556
00:30:35,750 --> 00:30:39,833
where there was an inscription
in Egyptian hieroglyphics,
557
00:30:40,042 --> 00:30:43,833
but also one in Greek
that we could read.
558
00:30:43,958 --> 00:30:45,250
So we knew exactly
559
00:30:45,417 --> 00:30:47,833
what the Egyptian one
was supposed to say.
560
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,333
SHATNER:
So far, no Rosetta Stone has been uncovered
561
00:30:51,500 --> 00:30:55,292
that would explain
the Phaistos Disc's markings.
562
00:30:56,333 --> 00:30:58,208
It appears that for now,
the truth about both
563
00:30:58,417 --> 00:31:02,000
the disc and the lost
civilization that created it
564
00:31:02,208 --> 00:31:06,167
remains frustratingly
out of reach.
565
00:31:06,375 --> 00:31:10,042
KERSHAW:
The problem is that the Minoans have taken away the key
566
00:31:10,250 --> 00:31:12,250
that we need
to unlock their disc.
567
00:31:12,417 --> 00:31:15,167
We haven't yet
deciphered it because
568
00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:18,625
we don't have
enough information to use.
569
00:31:18,792 --> 00:31:22,333
It is right now
a complete mystery.
570
00:31:23,375 --> 00:31:27,792
While this conundrum continues
to perplex historians,
571
00:31:27,958 --> 00:31:29,875
a similar air of mystery
572
00:31:30,042 --> 00:31:33,333
surrounds
another curious ancient text.
573
00:31:33,542 --> 00:31:38,000
It's a strange,
240-page medieval manuscript,
574
00:31:38,167 --> 00:31:43,167
written in an unknown language,
that is often referred to
575
00:31:43,292 --> 00:31:47,583
as "the world's
most mysterious book."
576
00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,292
LUKE LINDEMANN:
The Voynich Manuscript is
577
00:31:51,458 --> 00:31:53,375
not found
anywhere else in the world.
578
00:31:53,542 --> 00:31:56,500
It looks like Latin script
although you can't read it.
579
00:31:56,708 --> 00:31:59,542
DAVIS: It's quite possible
that Voynichese represents
580
00:31:59,708 --> 00:32:01,417
a lost language.
581
00:32:07,208 --> 00:32:09,833
SHATNER: On the campus
of Yale University stands
582
00:32:09,958 --> 00:32:13,000
the Beinecke Rare Book
and Manuscript Library.
583
00:32:13,167 --> 00:32:17,292
The library's towering shelves
preserve more than one million
584
00:32:17,458 --> 00:32:21,458
literary works and the most
fascinating volume housed there
585
00:32:21,583 --> 00:32:25,542
is a medieval European text
that, curiously,
586
00:32:25,708 --> 00:32:29,000
was written
in an unknown language.
587
00:32:29,167 --> 00:32:31,750
This cryptic book is referred to
588
00:32:31,917 --> 00:32:34,167
as the Voynich Manuscript.
589
00:32:35,583 --> 00:32:40,667
The Voynich Manuscript is
a book written by hand that
590
00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:44,708
is reliably dated to the early
part of the 15th century.
591
00:32:44,875 --> 00:32:47,042
The book consists of
592
00:32:47,208 --> 00:32:50,042
around 102 pages.
593
00:32:50,208 --> 00:32:51,958
And there are quite
a significant amount
594
00:32:52,083 --> 00:32:55,250
of text and illustrations.
595
00:32:55,375 --> 00:33:00,625
The manuscript was written
in an entirely unique language,
596
00:33:00,792 --> 00:33:02,500
which we call "Voynichese."
597
00:33:02,708 --> 00:33:06,833
When you are faced
with a language you can't read,
598
00:33:07,042 --> 00:33:10,458
all we can do is
look at the illustrations.
599
00:33:10,625 --> 00:33:14,583
There are basically five
sections in the manuscript.
600
00:33:15,750 --> 00:33:18,833
About half of it is pictures,
601
00:33:18,958 --> 00:33:21,333
drawings that take up
the entire page
602
00:33:21,458 --> 00:33:24,458
of a plant,
an herb, or a flower.
603
00:33:24,542 --> 00:33:28,417
And this looks like what we see
in medieval herbals of the time
604
00:33:28,542 --> 00:33:32,333
that describe the usages
and the appearance of plants.
605
00:33:32,542 --> 00:33:35,917
And then there is
a cosmological section.
606
00:33:36,083 --> 00:33:40,667
We think it's cosmological,
because there are stars,
607
00:33:40,833 --> 00:33:44,125
and suns and what look
608
00:33:44,292 --> 00:33:47,292
like cosmological objects.
609
00:33:47,500 --> 00:33:49,458
But then there are
various pages that are just
610
00:33:49,625 --> 00:33:53,667
entirely paragraphs and
paragraphs of running text.
611
00:33:53,792 --> 00:33:57,542
So we have no other examples
of this script anywhere.
612
00:33:57,708 --> 00:34:00,333
We don't know what it's about.
We can't read any of it.
613
00:34:00,542 --> 00:34:03,167
SHATNER: For centuries,
the Voynich Manuscript
614
00:34:03,375 --> 00:34:06,083
has intrigued and baffled
people around the world.
615
00:34:06,250 --> 00:34:08,792
While we are at a loss
as to what information
616
00:34:08,958 --> 00:34:11,208
these pages contain,
we're not alone.
617
00:34:11,375 --> 00:34:14,375
Because this strange writing
has been a secret code
618
00:34:14,542 --> 00:34:16,792
for hundreds of years.
619
00:34:16,958 --> 00:34:19,167
So why would anyone choose
to write
620
00:34:19,375 --> 00:34:22,167
in a language
that can't be understood?
621
00:34:23,667 --> 00:34:28,000
The fact that the manuscript
is written in a way that
622
00:34:28,208 --> 00:34:30,125
nobody else could read it,
623
00:34:30,250 --> 00:34:32,667
suggests that it is preserving
624
00:34:32,792 --> 00:34:36,042
knowledge that someone
wanted to keep secret.
625
00:34:36,208 --> 00:34:40,417
It could be a known language
that has been enciphered.
626
00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:43,333
LINDEMANN:
When you look at the pictures,
627
00:34:43,542 --> 00:34:46,417
it contains drawings that make
it look like an alchemical,
628
00:34:46,542 --> 00:34:50,500
or magical text
that include incantations,
629
00:34:50,708 --> 00:34:54,083
astrological information,
that sort of thing.
630
00:34:55,125 --> 00:34:59,167
And so there's been some
suggestion that Voynichese
631
00:34:59,375 --> 00:35:02,042
represents an attempt
to encipher what is considered
632
00:35:02,208 --> 00:35:05,958
to be sacred and
potentially dangerous knowledge,
633
00:35:06,125 --> 00:35:09,208
because of the taboos
of the day.
634
00:35:10,625 --> 00:35:12,875
SHATNER: We've all heard tales
from the Middle Ages about
635
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,750
secret sorcerer's texts,
636
00:35:14,875 --> 00:35:19,250
filled with forbidden knowledge
about alchemy and magic spells.
637
00:35:19,417 --> 00:35:22,083
Is it possible
that the Voynich Manuscript
638
00:35:22,292 --> 00:35:25,000
is a real-life version
of such legendary books?
639
00:35:25,167 --> 00:35:27,167
For the moment,
we obviously can't say for sure,
640
00:35:27,292 --> 00:35:30,458
because its language
remains indecipherable.
641
00:35:30,625 --> 00:35:35,333
But perhaps further clues about
encoded ancient writings
642
00:35:35,542 --> 00:35:39,250
can be found by examining a much
darker and more disturbing text
643
00:35:39,375 --> 00:35:42,167
from the 16th century,
that is known
644
00:35:42,333 --> 00:35:45,042
as the Book of Soyga.
645
00:35:45,208 --> 00:35:49,375
JARROUSH:
The Book of Soyga in total is about 200 pages long.
646
00:35:49,583 --> 00:35:54,292
Inside, you'll find
instructions for magic spells,
647
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:58,833
incantations, talk of witches,
talk of angels
648
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,667
and their genealogy,
talk of demons,
649
00:36:01,833 --> 00:36:03,708
how they can possess someone,
650
00:36:03,875 --> 00:36:07,500
and how they might tie back
to our natural world.
651
00:36:07,667 --> 00:36:11,542
It's dark,
twisted stuff to be sure.
652
00:36:12,833 --> 00:36:14,667
SHATNER: The Book of Soyga
was written in Latin,
653
00:36:14,833 --> 00:36:17,792
and its contents are
both fascinating and unsettling.
654
00:36:19,375 --> 00:36:22,000
But the most
enigmatic part of the text
655
00:36:22,167 --> 00:36:26,500
is its final pages
which were all written in code.
656
00:36:28,125 --> 00:36:30,875
The end of the Book of Soyga
is 36 pages.
657
00:36:31,042 --> 00:36:33,000
Each of these pages contains
658
00:36:33,208 --> 00:36:36,542
a 36-by-36 cell grid...
659
00:36:38,500 --> 00:36:42,125
...with letters
in each of the cells.
660
00:36:42,292 --> 00:36:46,167
We don't know the significance
of those letters.
661
00:36:47,250 --> 00:36:50,417
You've got around
what appears to be 40,000
662
00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:52,542
different letters,
characters, symbols
663
00:36:52,708 --> 00:36:56,375
that seem to be
arranged in just a random order.
664
00:36:56,542 --> 00:36:59,958
But in reality,
these letters all make up
665
00:37:00,083 --> 00:37:01,958
encoded messages.
666
00:37:02,125 --> 00:37:04,083
And so if the parts you can read
667
00:37:04,250 --> 00:37:08,167
talk about some
pretty dark stuff,
668
00:37:08,292 --> 00:37:10,625
what's the stuff
that they couldn't print
669
00:37:10,792 --> 00:37:12,500
in a language
that you could read?
670
00:37:12,708 --> 00:37:14,125
What dark magic
might potentially
671
00:37:14,292 --> 00:37:16,292
be hidden
in that section of the book?
672
00:37:17,542 --> 00:37:20,375
SHATNER: It's intriguing
to speculate about the forbidden
673
00:37:20,542 --> 00:37:23,083
knowledge that may be contained
within the Book of Soyga
674
00:37:23,250 --> 00:37:25,292
and the Voynich Manuscript.
675
00:37:25,458 --> 00:37:27,458
But of course,
the more pressing question is,
676
00:37:27,583 --> 00:37:30,500
will we ever actually decode
677
00:37:30,667 --> 00:37:34,042
these mysterious ancient texts?
678
00:37:34,208 --> 00:37:38,667
DAVIS: I believe that we will be
able to read these manuscripts,
679
00:37:38,875 --> 00:37:43,708
because of new technologies,
new techniques
680
00:37:43,875 --> 00:37:47,375
that our predecessors
didn't have access to.
681
00:37:47,542 --> 00:37:50,667
We have more powerful
computers than they did.
682
00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:55,000
And we have access
to a much larger pool
683
00:37:55,125 --> 00:37:59,250
of theories
and linguistic analysis,
684
00:37:59,458 --> 00:38:02,250
than anyone has had in the past.
685
00:38:02,458 --> 00:38:04,667
And I do believe
that we will get there.
686
00:38:04,833 --> 00:38:07,667
Deciphering either
of these cryptic books would be
687
00:38:07,875 --> 00:38:11,583
fascinating
from a historical perspective.
688
00:38:11,750 --> 00:38:15,167
However, there have been some
codes that needed to be broken,
689
00:38:15,333 --> 00:38:17,458
not just for curiosity's sake,
690
00:38:17,583 --> 00:38:20,750
but rather because
the fate of the free world
691
00:38:20,875 --> 00:38:22,625
depended on it.
692
00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:42,292
SHATNER: Shortly after
the outbreak of World War II,
693
00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:45,208
British military
intelligence establishes
694
00:38:45,375 --> 00:38:48,667
a top secret base at
this secluded country estate.
695
00:38:49,583 --> 00:38:51,792
Referred to as "Station X,"
696
00:38:51,958 --> 00:38:55,667
it is home to a handpicked team
of brilliant mathematicians
697
00:38:55,792 --> 00:38:58,417
who are charged
with cracking an infamous
698
00:38:58,583 --> 00:39:01,125
German encoding device called
699
00:39:01,292 --> 00:39:03,708
the Enigma Machine.
700
00:39:03,917 --> 00:39:05,875
The Enigma Machine is
an electromechanical
701
00:39:06,042 --> 00:39:10,833
ciphering device for
encoding a plain text message
702
00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,708
in such a way that it cannot
be deciphered or decoded.
703
00:39:16,792 --> 00:39:19,333
When communicating
with an Enigma Machine,
704
00:39:19,542 --> 00:39:22,167
an operator can key in
a plain text message
705
00:39:22,375 --> 00:39:24,375
that's encoded by the device,
706
00:39:24,583 --> 00:39:28,708
that can then be transmitted
as alphabet gobbledygook
707
00:39:28,875 --> 00:39:31,167
to the other operator
who receives it.
708
00:39:31,375 --> 00:39:34,292
And through adjusting
a series of rotors
709
00:39:34,417 --> 00:39:36,750
and plug boards,
the receiving end can then
710
00:39:36,917 --> 00:39:41,333
turn that alphabet soup
into a coherent message.
711
00:39:41,458 --> 00:39:44,167
But anybody that's
listening in won't be able
712
00:39:44,333 --> 00:39:46,167
to make sense of the message.
713
00:39:46,333 --> 00:39:48,375
Enigma was such
a successful cipher
714
00:39:48,542 --> 00:39:51,875
that it took a Herculean
effort to break it.
715
00:39:53,708 --> 00:39:55,875
SHATNER: At the peak
of British decryption efforts,
716
00:39:56,042 --> 00:40:00,792
nearly 9,000 personnel worked
tirelessly at Bletchley Park
717
00:40:00,917 --> 00:40:04,167
and its substations to try
and crack German ciphers.
718
00:40:04,333 --> 00:40:07,208
And then finally,
a breakthrough came
719
00:40:07,375 --> 00:40:09,750
when mathematician
Alan Turing realized
720
00:40:09,875 --> 00:40:14,667
that the Enigma Machine
had a critical flaw.
721
00:40:14,875 --> 00:40:17,583
The Enigma Machine had
one big weakness.
722
00:40:17,750 --> 00:40:20,625
And the weakness was
that a letter
723
00:40:20,792 --> 00:40:23,333
cannot be encoded as itself.
724
00:40:23,500 --> 00:40:26,500
So if it's the letter A,
no matter what,
725
00:40:26,708 --> 00:40:29,500
the Enigma Machine
will never make it the letter A.
726
00:40:30,833 --> 00:40:33,125
So you automatically
know what letter it is not.
727
00:40:33,292 --> 00:40:34,667
You're able to work from that.
728
00:40:35,708 --> 00:40:37,667
Alan Turing came up
with the idea
729
00:40:37,875 --> 00:40:40,250
of we could automate
the process of running
730
00:40:40,375 --> 00:40:43,500
through all the possibilities
of what letter this might be.
731
00:40:43,708 --> 00:40:47,667
He worked with another person
by the name of Gordan Welchman
732
00:40:47,833 --> 00:40:51,167
to come up with a device that
they called the Bombe device.
733
00:40:51,375 --> 00:40:54,000
And the Bombe device by 1941,
734
00:40:54,208 --> 00:40:58,542
was cracking Enigma-encoded
messages every day.
735
00:40:59,875 --> 00:41:02,458
SHATNER:
While the Enigma Machine was ultimately deciphered
736
00:41:02,583 --> 00:41:04,583
by the more sophisticated
Bombe device,
737
00:41:04,750 --> 00:41:07,583
both contraptions are
prime examples of the power
738
00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:12,000
of the human mind to create
and crack codes.
739
00:41:12,167 --> 00:41:15,500
BAUER:
The Enigma is the best-known cipher system in history.
740
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Just because Enigma
was broken during World War II,
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doesn't mean we have
decrypts of everything.
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Every so often, a researcher
finds Enigma messages
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in archives where
we just have the cipher text.
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And it's an ongoing battle.
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So even now we have Enigma
messages that have gone unread.
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SHATNER: The ongoing mystery
of the Enigma messages shows
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how strongly human beings
are fascinated
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by hidden information.
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Throughout history,
our curiosity and ingenuity
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00:41:44,542 --> 00:41:47,458
have been sparked by
everything from military ciphers
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00:41:47,583 --> 00:41:52,000
to lost languages,
because we relish the challenge
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00:41:52,167 --> 00:41:55,875
of a seemingly unbreakable code.
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00:41:56,875 --> 00:42:00,667
Codes and cyphers are utterly
fascinating to so many people
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because it's the allure
of the unknown.
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00:42:04,292 --> 00:42:07,333
This idea of hiding
information in plain sight
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00:42:07,542 --> 00:42:10,000
is, uh, so intriguing.
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00:42:10,167 --> 00:42:12,792
And if only we can
get to the bottom of it,
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00:42:12,917 --> 00:42:16,667
then it can reveal
wonderful truths,
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00:42:16,792 --> 00:42:19,208
and marvelous facts,
and great secrets.
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POPULI: There's a whole history
around codes and their
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00:42:23,375 --> 00:42:26,625
kind of associations that
I think really excite people.
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00:42:28,042 --> 00:42:30,292
I think probably
the simplest explanation is
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00:42:30,417 --> 00:42:34,083
that if someone put all
of this effort into hiding it,
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that there's something
interesting in there.
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There's some reason
that this needed to be hidden.
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When secrets are locked away
behind an impenetrable cypher,
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it can be quite frustrating,
right?
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00:42:48,875 --> 00:42:50,667
And we have to accept
the possibility
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that some codes
will never be cracked.
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00:42:53,708 --> 00:42:56,917
But if history is any
indication, humanity will keep
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00:42:57,083 --> 00:43:01,458
striving to decrypt and decipher
these intriguing codes that,
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for the moment,
remain unbreakable and...
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unexplained.
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