Our world is full of the unexplainable.

And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display,

just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

Walt Disney once said, all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue

them.

Throughout history, artists, scientists, and scholars have worked tirelessly to solve

life's greatest mysteries and provide a greater understanding of the world.

This sort of work takes dedication, though.

It takes time and effort, late nights and long hours.

But keep it up for long and you can wear a person down.

This is what happened to a serialologist, Herman Helpricht, although it was his pursuit

of a dream that shed new light on Assyria, the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom.

In 1883, Herman was studying some sketches, sent to him by the University of Pennsylvania.

Their excavation team had been digging at the Temple of Bell at Nippur, when they unearthed

pieces of Agate.

Agate is a type of rock, teaming with miniature crystals.

And while most of the Agate found at the site was fairly standard in look and composition,

two fragments stood apart as different from the others.

Archaeologists theorized they were parts of an ancient fingering, but Herman wasn't

so sure.

Unfortunately, there was only so much he could learn from the drawings.

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