Traditional Judaism says that the Exodus happened in 1446 BC, but there’s no record (outside of the Bible) of a mass exodus from Egypt. Many historians remain skeptical as to whether it really occurred.
Some scholars have looked for historical events that match up to the ten plagues. A volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, for example, may have become one of the plagues in retellings. Some suggest that the story of the Nile turning to blood may have come from heavy rainfall causing red clay to slide into the river.
The parting of the Red Sea can be tougher to explain. One computer model found that a combination of winds and preexisting mud flats may have created the appearance of a part. And two oceanographers have suggested that sustained wind gusts might have been powerful enough to expose an area of the sea floor by way of a hydrodynamic mechanism.
