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The Rosetta Stone, a game-changer in archaeology from 196 BC, is nothing short of a legend.
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Unearthed in 1799 by French soldiers in Egypt, this granodiorite behemoth features the same decree carved into three languages: Ancient Greek, Demotic, and the enigmatic Egyptian hieroglyphs. It didn’t just help us crack the code of hieroglyphics; it tore down the walls of ignorance surrounding centuries of ancient Egyptian language…
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SS Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was the largest ship ever built when it was completed in 1858.
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It could transport up to 4,000 passengers from England to Australia without refueling, making it a technical masterpiece of its time. The SS Great Eastern was equipped with sails, paddle wheels and a screw drive, marking a turning point in shipbuilding. Her length of 211 meters and her double hull…
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In a remarkable archaeological find at Téviec in France, dating back to between 6740 and 5680 BC, scientists unearthed the graves of two women who met violent deaths.
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Despite their tragic end, the women were buried with extraordinary care. Their skeletons, bearing evidence of trauma, were placed beneath a protective “roof” crafted from antlers. Adorned with hand-strung shell necklaces, the burial suggests a deliberate and respectful treatment, hinting at the women’s social importance or spiritual significance within their…
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De Loys’s ape
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Louis François Fernand Hector de Loys (1892–1935) was a Swiss oil geologist. He is remembered today for the claim that he discovered a previously unknown primate, De Loys’s ape, during a 1920 oil survey expedition in Venezuela. The identity of the animal he photographed has long been established with considerable confidence to be a spider…
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Evidence of early human presence in the Arctic found on an ancient Woolly Mammoth :
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Paleolithic records of humans in the Eurasian Arctic (above 66°N) are scarce, stretching back to 30,000 to 35,000 years ago at most. Pitulko et al. have found evidence of human occupation 45,000 years ago at 72°N, well within the Siberian Arctic. The evidence is in the form of a frozen…
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This 1899 photograph of two women strolling past horse-drawn carriages in New York City captures urban life at the turn of the 20th century.
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At the time, horse-drawn carriages were not only a common mode of transport but also a symbol of wealth and status. The women’s elaborate Victorian-era fashions reflect the period’s emphasis on formality and decorum. As New York’s streets became more crowded, these carriages were central to the city’s bustling atmosphere.…
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Anna war crime : 12 August 1944: The Massacre of St. Anna di Stazzema.
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Sant’Anna di Stazzema is a locality in the province of Lucca, in Tuscany, sadly known for being the site of one of the worst na#ifascist massacre in Western Europe during the Second World War. Introduction note:The na#i/na#ifascist reprisals in Italy are less known to English-speaking readers than Oradour sur Glane’s,…
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In January 1987, explorers deep inside a remote New Zealand cave uncovered something extraordinary:
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In January 1987, explorers deep inside a remote New Zealand cave uncovered something extraordinary: the mummified claw of an upland moa, so perfectly preserved it still had muscle, skin, and sinew intact. This flightless bird was believed to have vanished around 600 years ago after humans arrived and hunted it…
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Velma Barfield – a serial killer.
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Velma Barfield made international headlines when she became the first woman to be executed in America since 1962 and first since the re-introduction of the death penalty in 1976. She was also the first woman to be executed by lethal injection. She was put to death at 2.00 a.m. on…
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The ancient Romans were nothing if not resourceful, even when it came to dental hygiene.
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Believe it or not, they often used stale urine as mouthwash! The key ingredient in urine is ammonia, a potent cleaning agent that helped whiten teeth and combat bad breath. This unusual practice was so common that stale urine became a highly sought-after commodity. The demand grew so much that…