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History CSI50 real mysteries from U.S. and world history.

Evidence, Theories, Verdict and Teacher Guide

Illustrated History CSI case files for Roanoke, King Tut and the Mary Celeste

From the pharaoh who died at 19 to the colony that vanished overnight, 50 real historical mysteries turned into ready-to-print CSI case files. Each case gives your students the evidence, the competing theories and a verdict they have to defend. Organized by era, so every mystery plugs into the unit you’re already teaching.

✓ One CSI case file per mystery✓ Evidence, theories and verdict✓ Print and go
OPEN THE 50 CSI CASE FILES →
4.9/5 on 1.480 Ratings on TPT
sound familiar?

Make history the class they talk about in the hallway

✕Spending your Sunday turning textbook chapters into lessons
✕Students who think history is just memorizing names and dates
✕Blank stares, heads down and a phone hidden under the desk
✕Slides, videos and quiz games that hold their attention for five minutes
Hand them a CSI case file. Let them weigh the evidence. Watch them argue over what really happened. History stops being something to memorize and becomes something to solve.
OPEN THE 50 CSI CASE FILES →
U.S. and world history

History under the magnifying glass

Explore six illustrated case covers. Tap any cover to see it full size.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke1587 – 1590 · Colonial America · 115 colonists and one carved word.
The Death of King Tutc. 1323 BC · Ancient Egypt · A pharaoh dead at 19. Accident, illness or murder?
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste1872 · 19th century · A ship found drifting with no one aboard.
The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart1937 · 20th century · The last radio calls over the Pacific.
The Salem Witch Trials1692 · Colonial America · What turned neighbors into accusers?
The Lincoln Conspiracy1865 · Civil War · Booth acted, but who else was in on it?

And dozens more CSI cold cases

50 real mysteries in all, including:

  • Easter Island’s Moai
  • The Vikings in North America
  • The Library of Alexandria
  • The Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde
  • The Voynich Manuscript
  • The Tunguska Event
  • Jamestown’s Starving Time
  • The Lost Dutchman’s Mine
  • Who Was Shakespeare?
  • The Hindenburg
  • The Mystery of the Nazca Lines
  • D. B. Cooper
  • The Princes in the Tower
  • Stonehenge
  • The Fall of the Maya Cities
  • The Lost Franklin Expedition
  • The Lost Ninth Legion
  • The Death of Alexander the Great
  • The Lost Colony of Greenland
  • The Bronze Age Collapse
  • The Fate of the USS Cyclops
  • The Lost Persian Army of Cambyses
50 mysteries, endless debates

In class, at home or with a sub

⌖History lessonsOpen any unit with a mystery instead of a lecture
◷Sub plansLeave a case file and come back to a class that worked
✥Critical thinkingStudents weigh evidence and defend their claim
✧HomeschoolInvestigate history together, one case at a time
what you get today

Five extras for your detectives

The Classroom Case Board: printable set
bonus 01

The Classroom Case Board

Printable evidence-wall kit: case headers, suspect and theory cards, “CASE CLOSED” stamps and red-string labels to turn your bulletin board into a detective’s wall.

$9.90FREE TODAY
The Sub Plan Folder: printable set
bonus 02

The Sub Plan Folder

10 cases packaged for a substitute, with step-by-step sub instructions and timing, so your class keeps investigating while you’re out.

$12.90FREE TODAY
The Primary Source Detective Toolkit: printable set
bonus 03

The Primary Source Detective Toolkit

Reusable organizers for analyzing any document, image or map: who made it, when, why, and can we trust it? Works with every unit you teach.

$7.90FREE TODAY
The Verdict Rubric and Writing Frames: printable set
bonus 04

The Verdict Rubric & Writing Frames

One simple rubric to grade every verdict, plus claim-evidence-reasoning sentence starters that help struggling readers and English learners defend their answer.

$8.90FREE TODAY
Cold Case Warm-Ups: printable set
bonus 05

Cold Case Warm-Ups

50 five-minute mystery bell ringers, one clue and one question each, to start class with students already leaning in.

$11.90FREE TODAY
Total bonus value: $51.50Today only: FREEAll 5 bonuses. No extra cost.
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Investigate the collection for 30 days

Try the case files at home or in class. If the collection isn’t right for you, contact us within 30 days for a full refund.

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Complete Edition
All 50 history mysteries + 5 bonuses
Total value: $71.40
$19.90
One-time payment · lifetime access
  • History CSI: all 50 case files
  • + 5 bonuses
  • The Classroom Case BoardINCLUDED
  • The Sub Plan FolderINCLUDED
  • The Primary Source Detective ToolkitINCLUDED
  • The Verdict Rubric & Writing FramesINCLUDED
  • Cold Case Warm-UpsINCLUDED
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teachers and families

What teachers are saying

4.9/5.0 · 1,480 Ratings

★★★★★“Can we do another one tomorrow?”
Ms. Carter7th Grade Social Studies
I used the Roanoke case with my 7th graders. Two groups read the same clue and came to completely different conclusions. They were still trying to convince each other when the bell rang.
★★★★★“My Monday lesson was handled.”
Mr. Brooks8th Grade U.S. History
I printed the case file and detective sheets before first period. The teacher guide gave me enough to lead the discussion without spending Sunday night making slides.
★★★★★“They actually went back to the source.”
Ms. Patel6th Grade Social Studies
One of my students stopped her group and said, ‘Wait, where does it say that?’ They pulled the document back out and read it together. That’s exactly the habit I’ve been trying to build.
★★★★★“The verdict sheet made their writing better.”
Mr. Rivera9th Grade World History
My students usually stop after ‘I think this happened.’ The verdict sheet got them to point to a specific clue and explain why it mattered. It also made it easier for me to see who understood the evidence.
★★★★★“I can keep coming back to this bundle.”
Jamie L.Homeschool Parent
We did King Tut during ancient Egypt and saved Amelia Earhart for our 20th-century unit. By the second case, my kids knew what to do as soon as I handed them the file. With 50 cases, I can pick what fits our next unit.
meet the author

Hi, I’m Priscilla Martins

Priscilla Martins13 years ✎

I studied at the University of Texas, and for the last 13 years I’ve been creating teaching materials for social studies teachers. I built History CSI because I kept hearing the same thing from teachers: their students tune out the moment history turns into names and dates. A good mystery changes that. I designed every case file so you can print it, hand it out and let your students do the investigating.

quick answers

Frequently asked questions

Each case opens with the background and the detective’s mission. Then students get the evidence (adapted primary sources, images, maps and testimony), the competing theories historians still debate, a detective sheet to connect evidence to theories, and a verdict page where they defend their conclusion. A teacher guide with the answers comes with every case.

Social studies and history teachers in grades 5–10, homeschool families and anyone who loves a good mystery. Open the illustrated case covers to explore the investigation questions. Some cases involve war, death or violence and are best discussed with an adult.

50 real mysteries, from ancient history to the 20th century: the death of King Tut, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Mary Celeste, Amelia Earhart, the Princes in the Tower and many more. You get all 50 case files plus the five bonuses.

The cases are organized by era (ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, Colonial America, the 19th century and the 20th century), so each one plugs into the unit you’re already teaching. Every case has students read sources, cite evidence and build an argument.

Both, with a one-time payment and lifetime access. You get print-ready PDFs to hand out in class and a digital version students can type into on Google Classroom.

Your purchase includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. If the collection isn’t right for you, contact us within 30 days of your purchase for a full refund.

ready to investigate?

50 CSI cases. All of history.

Open the case file, weigh the evidence and let your students decide what really happened. Start with one mystery. See where the debate takes your class.

OPEN THE 50 CSI CASE FILES →
lifetime access ·one-time payment ·30-day guarantee

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