Secrets, Codes and ciphers: Cracking Mysteries Through History (Kids Program)

Nikolaos has always loved puzzles and when he discovered codebreaking, he couldn't stop reading about it. People have been creating secret codes for thousands of years. Spartans once wrapped strips of writing around wooden rods so only someone with the right rod could read it. Julius Caesar shifted the alphabet to send secret messages to his generals. Some codes from history were solved long ago but others remain unsolved even today.

In this talk, Nikolaos will share some of the most fascinating code mysteries. There are the Beale Ciphers, which are said to lead to hidden treasure. The Zodiac Killer created strange ciphers that still puzzle people decades later. And at CIA headquarters, there's a sculpture called Kryptos with a message that even professional codebreakers haven't fully solved!

What Nikolaos finds amazing is that cracking codes is about spotting patterns, using logic and thinking outside the box. Nikolaos feels this connects to the conference theme "Mensa Swallows Universe." Just like exploring the universe, codebreaking is about trying to make sense of something hidden and mysterious.

This session will be interactive. Nikolaos will give the audience a chance to try solving simple ciphers so they can experience the challenge of being a codebreaker. Plus, the successful solvers will receive a small prize - a win win!

Nikolaos Saivanidis - 10

Nikolaos (10) is a lifelong fan of snacks and ideas, who has been a Mensa member since 2022. Nikolaos spends the little spare time he has building things, creating online games, reading and drawing anime. Nikolaos' future plan: become an actor. His backup plan: rule the world as a computer engineer or scientist.