12 historical mysteries to investigate
Each case in PastRush: History Detective asks one real question about the past and gives you the evidence to answer it. Below are the briefings, the exhibits and the investigation steps. The answers stay in the app.
Coming to the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Not available to download yet.
Free cases · 1 to 6
- 01Free case
The Rosetta Stone
How did people learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphs again?
Rashid (Rosetta), Egypt · 196 BC to AD 1822 · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
- 02Free case
Pompeii and Vesuvius
On what day did Vesuvius bury Pompeii?
Pompeii, Bay of Naples, Italy · AD 79 · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
- 03Free case
Grand Canyon rock layers
How can rock layers tell us what came first?
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA · 1.8 billion to 270 million years ago · Chronology, Time and place, Supported conclusions
- 04Free case
Ötzi the Iceman
What happened to the Iceman 5,300 years ago?
Ötztal Alps, Italy–Austria border · c. 3300 BC · Chronology, Cause and consequence, Supported conclusions
- 05Free case
Continental drift
How do we know the continents moved?
South Atlantic Ocean · 290 million years ago to today · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
- 06Free case
The Norse in North America
Did Norse sailors reach the Americas first, and when?
L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada · AD 1021 · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
Founder Lifetime cases · 7 to 12
You can open each case's briefing and exhibits in the app before buying. Playing them needs Founder Lifetime, a one-time purchase with no subscription.
- 07Lifetime case
The end of the dinosaurs
What ended the age of the dinosaurs?
Chicxulub, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico · 66 million years ago · Chronology, Cause and consequence, Supported conclusions
- 08Lifetime case
The Black Death
What caused the Black Death, and what can we really know about it?
East Smithfield, London, England · 1346–1353 · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
- 09Lifetime case
The invention of printing
Who first printed with movable type?
Mainz, Germany · 1040s to 1517 · Chronology, Time and place, Supported conclusions
- 10Lifetime case
Stonehenge
Where did Stonehenge's stones come from?
Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England · c. 3000–1600 BC · Chronology, Time and place, Supported conclusions
- 11Lifetime case
The Antikythera mechanism
What was the Antikythera mechanism for?
Antikythera, Greece · c. 2nd–1st century BC · Chronology, Source comparison, Supported conclusions
- 12Lifetime case
The extinction of woolly mammoths
Why did the woolly mammoths disappear?
Wrangel Island, Arctic Ocean · 26,000 to 4,000 years ago · Chronology, Cause and consequence, Supported conclusions