Welcome to the best of National Geographic History. Today, what Myanmar’s history lost to earthquakes and how Roman roads (literally) built an empire. 

But first, an unsolved Arctic murder mystery.

TAUBMAN MUSEUM OF ART, ROANOKE, VIRGINIA

Charles Francis Hall, like much of the American and British public in the mid-19th century, was riveted by accounts of Sir John Franklin’s tragic 1845 Arctic expedition in search of the North­west Passage. His interest in Franklin’s doomed quest evolved into an obsession, leading Hall on two Arctic expeditions in the 1860s. 

Hall’s third expedition, the Polaris expedition, was meant to journey to the North Pole. Unfortunately, Hall didn’t make it. 

More mysteries: 
— Seeking to solve the Arctic’s biggest mystery, they ended up trapped in ice at the top of the world 
— This is how you solve one of history's greatest cold cases 

PHOTOGRAPH BY MYO KYAW SOE XINHUA, EYEVINE, REDUX

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE PROVINCE OF NORTH-HOLLAND, THE NETHERLANDS 

Could this be one of the most important dresses ever found? The dress, found in a 17th-century shipwreck, is made of lavish silk and is believed to date to around the 1620s. The contents of the shipwreck contain objects only accessible to the elite—like this dress—and include some of the most important clothing discoveries ever made in Europe.

ONE LAST THING:  Hello Kitty may be Japan’s cuteness ambassador, but did you know the character was born from the trauma of World War II?

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter, edited and curated by Jennifer Baik and produced by Amanda Williams-Bryant. Catch our latest Photo of the Week—and sign up here to get our future adventures in your inbox.