This is Why We Can't Have Historical Things Quiz

Answer: The only copy was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned

Though Archimedes was famous for several different inventions, theories, and works in the third century BC, only a few ever chronicled the fact that his manuscript, "On Sphere-Making", was actually in existence. Though his other more mathematical works "On the Sphere and the Cylinder", "On the Measurement of a Circle" and "On Spirals" survived through the years and hinted at the immense understanding of science and math the Greeks had in his day, "On Sphere-Making" was most likely lost in Egypt's Library of Alexandria when it was burned down in 48 BC, making it one of countless books that the Romans simply decided to torch. Had it survived it could have had an immense impact on science as we know it today-- many believe it contained clues to the purpose and construction of the Antikythera mechanism, a device unseen in history for another sixteen centuries after Archimedes' death. Thanks Ancient Romans. Thanks.

Many historical paintings depict the building being burnt down, so it's not like they can get out of it either. Sigh.

Answer: His wife lost them on a vacation in Switzerland

This is why you bring this sort of thing on as a carry-on. When soon-to-be Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway needed to take a break, he and his first of four wives, Elizabeth Hadley, decided to head abroad to Switzerland for the winter. Amongst their travel cases was one piece of luggage containing Hemingway's entire body of work, and with the year being 1922, four years before Hemingway's first novel, "The Sun Also Rises", you can imagine the impact it had on him when it was all lost en route to Geneva.

Many believe that the case simply didn't make it onboard; it was lost to the ages. Although we can't possibly know the contents of the case now, it did contain most of what he'd written during and after the First World War. He and his wife split up a few years later. Can't imagine why.

Answer: To make room for a new IKEA store

Sure enough, in a moment of unnecessary destruction, the builders and excavators seeking to build a brand new IKEA location uncovered not one, but ten underground tombs from almost two thousand years ago, all containing historical artifacts which could give more insight into past dynasties. If what you're thinking is that attention was paid to the finding, let me assuage your worries by letting you know that the IKEA location opened on time. Yeah. Sure enough, although local archaeological museums asked (and were allowed to) retrieve the remnants (although the place was basically caved in), the builders kept going.

It's unknown whether or not fines were enforced ... you know ... for destroying history and desecrating graves.

Answer: Temple of Artemis

Sure enough, the Wonders of the World didn't have tight security way back when. Maybe they should've; after a flood, the temple was rebuilt and, disappointingly, burned down by Herostratus, a man who only committed arson in an attempt to get famous. Well, he did-- the name Herostratus has been synonymous with 'glory through destruction' since he performed the act in 356BC. Ironically, we only know who did it because someone decided to break the damnatio memoriae on his name.

Answer: Paul IV

Pope Paul IV reigned in the Vatican in the 16th century and, with his 'responsible values', single-handedly destroyed most of the statues in the city by removing their penises and plastering leaves overtop; a later Pope actually opted to remove those leaves and install metal ones in their place. Of course, Pope Paul IV was also known for the Roman Inquisition, questioning men like Copernicus and Galileo's views of heliocentrism. Nonetheless he also stapled his place in history as a destroyer of classical art ... though he wasn't the only one.

Answer: Jesus Christ

In the small town of Borja, Spain, an elderly Catholic artist took it upon herself to restore a fresco of Jesus Christ in her local church, Sanctuary of Mercy. What resulted was equal parts hilarious and sad. Gimenez allegedly received the OK from the local priest (something he'd obviously not admit to after the fact) and what resulted was (what seems to be) a monkey in a cowl.

While it ended up becoming major news story and a weird local landmark, it was all for the wrong reasons. Hilariously, she took the church to court demanding to get paid.

Answer: The Mongols

The Grand Library of Baghdad, better known as the House of Wisdom, was built in Baghdad in the ninth century AD and was, by and large, the biggest library in the world containing the greatest multitude of important literature for a short amount of time-- it was one of the most important literary spots a millennium ago. And then the Mongols showed up. What happened was little more than senseless destruction; they ended up drowning the library's contents in the Tigris River during the Siege of Baghdad in the thirteenth century. What ensued was a significant step back for science and literature in the Arab world, one which would not be recovered for centuries.

Answer: It's not known, though some theorized it was Thomas Edison's doing

Tesla was responsible for some of the most interesting and advanced scientific works of his time but, sadly, a great deal of it was lost-- burnt up in a New York City fire. In fact, Tesla estimated that a half of his life's work was destroyed as it was all in his lab.

The media of the time theorized that the fire was sparked by someone working under another inventor (Edison or Marconi). Amongst the casualties was Tesla's unified field theory, a scientific hypothesis that no one has been able to work out to perfection since.

Answer: Saddam Hussein

Another one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Babylon was found in what is now Iraq. For a great deal of time it was in ruins ... you know, just the type of thing that absolutely needs to be rebuilt at any cost. Saddam Hussein did just that, reconstructing and renovating the city of Babylon to his liking and, throughout, having his name etched into the stonework.

He never finished, mainly because he was executed. He wasn't the only person to harm Babylon. U.S. troops later used the site as a military base, pretty much destroying and vandalizing as they went by digging up the grounds for their own means and causing massive amounts of erosion.

Answer: Other Meccan religious sites

Sure enough, due to the immense amount of people traveling to Mecca on religious pilgrimages, the city was 'forced' to build accommodations for their primary economic draws specifically by destroying nearby buildings, some with religious histories of their own, and building massive hotel complexes a la Dubai or Las Vegas.

The Kaaba, for instance, one of the most revered, sacred spots in the entire Islam faith, is now shadowed by a hotel known as the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, one of the tallest accommodations in the world. What was there before it was built? A historic fort of the Ottoman Empire.