Epic Memes of HistoryExplore

Free history mysteries · ages 9–12

Can you crack the history case?

No quiz, no right-answer race. Study the clues, write your own theory, and pin the evidence that supports it. Then open the source notes to see what historians can tell us—and what is still a mystery.

Pick a case to investigate. Your notes stay on this device session and are not saved.

Investigate EgyptInvestigate Scotland

Case file 01 · ancient Egypt

CleoCATra’s Rosetta Stone mystery

What can three kinds of writing on one stone reveal? Put on your investigator hat, follow the clues, and build your own explanation.

“Show me the evidence.”

Mystery case · make your own theory

The three-script mystery

Read each clue card carefully. Write your own theory in the pinned note, then pin the clues you think support it. You choose the case your evidence makes.

0 clues on your board

Case question

How did the Rosetta Stone help people investigate ancient writing?

Clue cards

Investigate the clues. Pin the ones you believe support your own explanation.

Your case theory

CleoCATra, a fictional sidekick, beside the theory card

You are the detective. Choose the evidence that backs up your idea.

0/240

Open the source file

The museum catalogue describes the Rosetta Stone as a fragment of a larger stela made for Ptolemy V. It carries one decree in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Ancient Greek.

Source: The British Museum, Rosetta Stone collection record, object EA 24.

CleoCATra is a made-up cat sidekick, not Cleopatra VII. This history-hopping sidekick is fictional, not a historical source. Your case notes are temporary and are not saved.

CleoCATra is a history-hopping sidekick, not a historical source.

Case file 02 · Scotland

William Walrus’s bridge mystery

What can the Stirling Bridge record help us figure out? Follow the details, decide what they support, and keep facts separate from your own inferences.

“Show me the evidence.”

Mystery case · make your own theory

The Stirling Bridge mystery

Study the source clues, write a theory in your own words, and pin the evidence you think supports it. A narrow bridge might suggest something—but say when you are making an inference.

0 clues on your board

Case question

What can the battlefield record help us work out about the battle?

Clue cards

Investigate the clues. Pin the ones you believe support your own explanation.

Your case theory

William Walrus, a fictional sidekick, beside the Scotland case note

You are the detective. Choose the evidence that backs up your idea.

0/240

Open the source file

The modern record dates the battle to 11 September 1297, names William Wallace and Andrew Moray as Scottish leaders, and describes a narrow bridge crossing. It is an inventory, not a witness account.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland, Inventory of Historic Battlefields, Battle of Stirling Bridge, designation BTL28.

William Walrus is a made-up walrus sidekick, not William Wallace. This history-hopping sidekick is fictional, not a historical source. Your case notes are temporary and are not saved.

William Walrus is a history-hopping sidekick, not a historical source.