Adventure - it seems - is always afoot, and particularly throughout the early 20th century
- the human wanderlust for eternal endeavour turned its sights toward the more mysterious,
unexplored places of the planet - that for an age remained unclaimed by society and civilization.
It is human nature to wonder just what’s over that hill - or what lurks in that deep,
dark cavern - and for the most part, that endless curiosity has carried our species
to the lofty heights that we are today.
But sometimes, when we flick back through the annals of history - that same curiosity
has often been the cause of our complete and utter ruin.
Hello horror fans - what’s going on, and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Cursed Expeditions.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from the disgustingly underrated AMC horror
series - The Terror - which fictionally takes some liberties with one of the most famous
doomed expeditions in history, Franklin’s Lost Expedition - which may or may not be
on this list.
But nevertheless, it’s an originally awesome TV series - and if you haven’t seen it,
you definitely should.
Anyway, on with the show.
Kicking off at Number 5 - The Donner-Reed Party
Now, it’s a given fact that throughout the history of the colonization of North America
- there are countless recorded tales of bleak misfortune and murderous misery - but one
of the most famous accounts, is that of the renowned Oregon Trail - and one of the most
infamous groups of pioneers to ever walk it - The Donner-Reed Party.
However, in an even more grim revelation, the one word that first springs to mind in
this instance - is cannibalism.
You see, during the 1840s - the fledgling United States saw a massive increase in pioneers
- particularly people who had left their traditional homes in the East, to settle the newly founded
Oregon Territory and California.
In the bright and hopeful spring of 1846 - almost 500 wagons departed from Independence, Missouri
- including the wealthy Reed and Donner family - forming a massive wagon train bound for
the new territory.
However, by July - the Donner-Reed Party had received word of a new trail that would get
them to their destination quicker, by a pioneer adventurer named Lansford W. Hastings.
Trusting Hastings would ultimately be the worst mistake that the party made - and despite
protest from some, the party split off from the main wagon trail and headed into the Wasatch
Mountains.
Eventually, the unexplored and relentless landscape proved merciless to the party, and
they quickly became split off from each other over weeks and months of hardship.
The party were beset upon by accidental gunshot deaths, malnutrition - grizzly bears, whiteouts
and blizzards - and by February 19th - the true extent of their misfortune was realized
by the outside world.
The party were finally found at Truckee Lake - 41 of them had died - and the other 46 had
resorted to eating the dead to survive.
All because of a supposed shortcut.
Sometimes, it’s best to stay on the beaten path.
Coming in at Number 4 - The Darien Scheme
Now, although I’m a huge advocate for the majestic people and picturesque peaks of the
Caledonian Kingdom of Scotland, noble explorers and brave adventurers in their own right - it’s
safe to say that in early history, they weren’t exactly known for their feats in exploring
the Southern places of the Americas.
And there may be a reason for that - the doomed expedition of the Darien Scheme - a ploy conjured
up in the mid 1690s to get Scotland into the newly-surging, worldwide economic trading
game.
And where did they set their sites?
Panama.
Of course.
In 1698 - 5 ships filled with 1200 people set sail from the eastern coast, to avoid
detection by British Warships - as the East India Company didn’t exactly take kindly
to any competition of commerce.
Villains.
And in November 2nd 1968 - they successfully landed off the coast of their destination
without a hitch.
The settlers aptly christened their new home - New Caledonia, and all was well.
Well.
That’s until they realised that none of them had absolutely any idea how to live in
the Caribbean, never mind set up a trading post.
First up, they decided to spend all of their energy constructing a fort in an area with
no fresh water supply, and many of them quickly succumbed to dehydration.
Then they decided to go to the backbreaking effort of setting up fields to grow maize
and yams - which they didn’t have any idea how to do, either - or even had access to
the crops in the first place.
Because they didn’t know how to store food in the burning heat of Panama - the little
food that they did manage to gather quickly spoiled - and dysentry, fever and rot spread
throughout the fort.
In the end, out of 1200 settlers, only 300 survived the ordeal - with many more dying
on the return ship back.
In January of 1700, they completely abandoned the colony - and when they returned to Scotland,
the few survivors were disowned by their families and considered a disgrace to the country.
Yikes.
Next up at Number 3 - The Percy Fawcett Expedition
Percy Fawcett.
What a name.
And with a name like that, you’d think that nothing could ever go awry, twirling his beautiful
moustache - and smoking a pipe as he surged across the seven seas in his hot air balloon.
But unfortunately for Percy - that same headstrong British gumption was exactly what spelled
his ruin - although the actual fact of the matter remains, no one truly knows the ultimate
fate of Percy Fawcett, and it is rumoured that over 100 people have died in 13 separate
attempts just to learn what happened to him.
So what’s the big deal?
Well, Percy was a member of the British Royal Geographical Society - and he was convinced
that somewhere in the deep jungles of the Amazon, lay a legendary golden palace of riches
ripe for the picking, that he referred to as The Lost City of Zed.
And so, after the First World War had ended, on April 20th 1925 - Percy, his eldest son
Jack, and his friend Raleigh - set off into the jungle alongside two Brazilian guides,
two horses - eight mules - and two dogs.
They would never be seen again, and the last known correspondence was a letter written
by Fawcett to his wife, sent by a runner from the remote Dead Horse Camp.
Now, there are a multitude of rumours surrounding the ultimate fate of Percy Fawcett, but the
fact of the matter remains - that we very well may never truly know.
One of the most accepted rumours is that the group met an ill-fate at the hands of an unknown
Amazonian tribe, although it is also widely known that Percy Fawcett kept in good-standing
with the majority of the tribal people.
Others claim that Percy never truly intended to return to Britain, and instead already
had knowledge of the Lost City of Zed - where he planned to create a commune with his son
and live out the rest of his days.
Who knows - maybe one day, another brave explorer will stumble upon the Lost City of Zed - and
the final resting place of Percy Fawcett will finally be discovered.
Spooky.
Although, I’ve seen enough Indiana Jones movies to know that if there IS a golden temple
in the jungles of the Amazon, it’s probably full of giant boulders and walls of poisoned
spears.
Next up at Number 2 - Franklin’s Lost Expedition
Of course - because much like with our opening clip, we can’t outline a list of the scariest
cursed expeditions in history - without acknowledging one of the most horrifying tales of remote
isolation in the frozen icy-floes of the Arctic Circle.
Led by Captain Sir John Franklin - the Expedition departed from England in 1845 - a total of
129 men spread across two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror - with the ultimate intention
of navigating the legendary final section of the Northwest Passage - an unexplored area
of the frozen North.
From the off, the Expedition was met with brutal hardship - and after suffering a few
early fatalities - the two ships became icebound in the Victoria Strait - unable to move in
the remote territory of what is now known as Nunavut.
That was their last known recorded location.
In 1848 - three years later, the first search party had been launched, after a campaign
by Franklin’s wife - and in 1850 - the first relics of the doomed expedition was found.
The rough shallow graves of three crewmen, buried off the east coast of Beechey Island.
Later in 1854 - an explorer by the name of John Rae found evidence of a few malnutritioned
survivors, told to him by local Inuit.
When the bones of the survivors were finally analysed, cut marks were found - pointing
toward signs of cannibalism, and suggesting that the 129 men resorted to eating each other
out in the frozen wastes - just to prolong their suffering.
Help would never come.
In total, it is thought that the two ships were trapped in the ice for a total of one
year and seven months - before the men wandering even deeper into the frozen sea, searching
for hope that they would never find.
Despite the misery and ruin of the expedition, in actual fact - it proved to map enough of
the landscape to suffice discovery of the coveted Northwest Passage.
The ultimate price though, were the lives of everyone on board.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - The Lost Roanoke Colony
And the truth of the matter is, the haunting tale of the Lost Roanoke Colony isn’t just
one cursed expedition - but a number of them, spread out across five fateful years, during
a time when then Americas were first being colonised by England.
Now, many of you may already know the tale of the Lost Roanoke Colony - and hundreds
of theories have permeated their way across our culture over countless generations - but
still - it serves to be one of the most mysterious and unexplained occurrences in Western history.
The expedition and subsequent founding of the colony was first sponsored by the legendary
explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh - although fittingly, he himself vowed to never set foot in it.
In the summer of 1585, the first colony was attempted on the small Roanoke Island, off
the coast of what is today’s Dare County in North Carolina.
Quickly things turned south - after a lack of supplies in the area, and bad relations
with the local Native Americans.
Many of the English colonists left with Drake - but a few resolute pioneers stayed behind,
determined to carve a new life for themselves.
Later, in 1857 - a new expedition arrived, headed by John White, who would later become
the colony’s governor.
When they made their way to the new colony though - the only thing they found were the
skeletal remains of one of the colonists.
Uh.
Bad sign, right?
Well in fact, they decided to settle Roanoke again - this time with a larger party of around
115 colonists.
John White sailed for England once again in the later summer of 1587, leaving the colony
to flourish - but when he returned in 1590 - he was greeted by the same, familiar sight.
Nothing.
No one.
Not a trace of the 90 men, 17 women and 11 children he had left.
There were no signs of struggle - no remains of damage - in fact, the only clue was a single
word carved into a fence post.
CROATOAN.
Phew.
Well, I’m sure you guys have got your own theories about the Lost Roanoke Colony - and
if you do, make sure to let us know them down in the comment section below.
And well, there we have it - our list for the Top 5 Scariest Cursed Expeditions.
Before we depart from today’s video, let’s first take a quick look at some of your more
resounding remarks from over the past few days.
Marcos Olivarez says -
--- I am the curious amongst us.
-- Well, I’m certainly glad to hear it Marcos - finally - that phrasing is paying off.
On that note, I suppose that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - cheers for
sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video in particular, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - as
well as that subscribe bell, and we’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos, and until next time - you take it easy.