This Week In History News Jan 26 Feb 1

Ancient Egyptian murder mystery solved, mysterious population of human ancestors uncovered, 3,000-year-old mummy’s voice resurrected. Murder Mystery Behind Peculiar Egyptian Mummy Solved After 2,600 Years Ulster MuseumTakabuti has fascinated researchers since her 1834 discovery due to her blackened face and stunningly-preserved auburn hair. Takabuti lived in the ancient city of Thebes during the 25th Egyptian dynasty before dying a horrible death some 2,600 years ago. For the last two centuries since her mummy was discovered, researchers have never been sure what killed her — until now....

February 26, 2022 · 3 min · 440 words · Trey Bulger

Vlad The Impaler The Real Dracula With A Thirst For Blood

Responsible for killing 80,000 people and impaling 20,000, Vlad Dracula committed some of history’s grisliest acts as the ruler of 15th-century Wallachia. In 1897, writer Bram Stoker published the novel Dracula, the classic story of a vampire named Count Dracula who feeds on human blood, hunting his victims and killing them in the dead of night. The Count Dracula in the book, which contemporary critics described as the “most blood-curdling novel” of the century, was Stoker’s own creation....

February 26, 2022 · 10 min · 2000 words · Tim Forsman

What Caused The Salem Witch Trials Inside 6 Compelling Theories

From church politics to ergot poisoning, the causes of the Salem witch trials have been hotly debated since 1692. Here are some of the most likely explanations. In 1692, the quiet Puritan settlement of Salem, Massachusetts descended into madness when its residents suddenly began accusing each other of witchcraft. Now known as the Salem witch trials, this phenomenon would go on to become the largest witch hunt in American history. But what caused the Salem witch trials in the first place?...

February 26, 2022 · 3 min · 588 words · Frank Whelan

10 Myths About History You Probably Believe

All history is a political process, which means that most facts we take for granted today have been shaped by power. These history myths prove it. History can be a tricky thing to get right because, by default, none of us were there to see it take place. And even for those who were there, perspective and politics often shape the way they would remember—and relay—the story to others. This can and often does lead to confusion and misconceptions about our past and present....

February 25, 2022 · 7 min · 1315 words · Paul Humphreys

Alice Cooper Finds Andy Warhol Masterpiece In Storage

The Godfather of Shock Rock has, appropriately, found one of Warhol’s “Little Electric Chair” silkscreens. “He thinks the conversation was real, but he couldn’t put his hand on a Bible and say that it was.” Those are the words of Shep Gordon, the manager of rockstar Alice Cooper, in describing a conversation the Godfather of Shock Rock had with pop artist Andy Warhol in 1964. The conversation itself pertained to a Warhol painting that Cooper wanted — and that Cooper recently discovered “rolled up in a tube” in a storage locker, the Guardian reported....

February 25, 2022 · 3 min · 472 words · Chad Feliciano

Archeologists Uncover 1500 Year Old Wine Factory In Israel

The sprawling site in Yavne, Israel, once produced half a million gallons of wine a year and exported it around the ancient world. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty ImagesThe wine factory in Yavne was the world’s “largest” at the time. Raise a glass — the largest known Byzantine-era wine factory has been unearthed in Israel. The sprawling site in Yavne — 15 miles south of Tel Aviv — extends 75,000 square feet and includes five wine presses, as well as warehouses....

February 25, 2022 · 4 min · 706 words · David Duffy

Baby Thrown From Burning Building Survives After Being Caught

More than 12 people died in the fire that ravaged a London apartment building Wednesday. One mother was forced to throw her child from the window. Update: A recent BBC investigation has revealed that the story of a baby being thrown from the Grenfell Tower fires “probably never happened.” ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty ImagesSmoke billows from Grenfell Tower as firefighters attempt to control the blaze. Shaken survivors told of seeing people trapped or jump to their doom as flames raced towards the building’s upper floors and smoke filled the corridors....

February 25, 2022 · 3 min · 428 words · Andrew Lavoie

Behind The Scenes Stunning Shots Of Your Favorite Iconic Films

Movie-goers marvel at the stunning scenes that appear on the big screen. But going behind the scenes is exciting, too. Sigourney Weaver and Bill Paxton take a coffee break while filming “Aliens.” Paxton passed away in February of 2017 after complications from surgery.reddit/mlslgn Tom Cruise with director Tony Scott on the set of “Top Gun.“Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images Arnold Schwarzenegger and Grace Jones behind the scenes on “Conan the Destroyer,” 1984.Flickr/randar...

February 25, 2022 · 8 min · 1662 words · Ronald Marshall

Church Of The Apostles Unearthed Near Sea Of Galilee

The Church of the Apostles, built atop the home of Jesus’ first disciples, was believed by many to be merely a myth. But these researchers think they’ve finally found it after centuries. Zachary WongThe Beit Habek excavations in have uncovered a Byzantine-era church believed to have been built over the home of Jesus’ earliest disciples, Peter and Andrew. Archaeologists digging along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee believe they’ve found the storied Church of the Apostles, supposedly built atop the former home of two of Jesus’ earliest disciples, Peter and Andrew....

February 25, 2022 · 5 min · 1004 words · Chloe Chiu

Countries That Contribute Least To Climate Change Will Be Affected The Most

Based on the models used, many of the world’s poorer countries could suffer major social, economic, and ecological consequences. Science Advances Map that shows temperature changes from the standard deviation across the globe. Even though poor tropical areas contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions, new research has found that these areas are more vulnerable to extreme climate effects, which can lead to detrimental agricultural, economic, and political consequences. The research, published in the journal Science Advances on May 2, 2018, analyzed simulations from 37 climate models....

February 25, 2022 · 2 min · 392 words · Jose Donley

Did Charles Manson Kill Anyone The Surprising Truth

Did Charles Manson kill anyone? No. Who said he ordered any killings? Only the killers themselves. So, in truth, what did Charles Manson do? Charles Milles Manson was not a good person. By most accounts, he was a racist, rapist, car thief, and attempted murderer, having nonfatally shot a man named Bernard “Lotsapoppa” Crowe in a drug deal gone wrong in Hollywood on July 1, 1969 — the month before the Tate-LaBianca killings that made him forever infamous....

February 25, 2022 · 15 min · 3102 words · Edna Guerrero

Halima Aden Makes History As First Muslim Contestant At Miss Usa

Halima Aden makes history as the first woman to compete wearing a burkini during the Miss Minnesota pageant @StarTribune pic.twitter.com/QEJWToIFC1 — Leila Navidi (@LeilaNavidi) November 27, 2016 The first Muslim contestant in the Miss USA pageant to ever wear the religion’s traditional attire took the stage this past Sunday. Halima Aden makes history as the first woman to compete wearing a burkini during the Miss Minnesota pageant @StarTribune pic.twitter.com/QEJWToIFC1 — Leila Navidi (@LeilaNavidi) November 27, 2016...

February 25, 2022 · 3 min · 579 words · Nancy Hanna

How Erno Rubik Invented The World S Most Famous Puzzle

The Rubik’s Cube may have started out as a simple exercise for design students, but it quickly became the best selling puzzle of all time. “I was searching to find a good task for my students,” said Erno Rubik, 71, who got the idea for the cube in 1974 while teaching interior design at the Budapest College of Applied Arts. He made the first prototype in the school’s workshop, using wood he cut himself to construct the cube and elastic bands to hold it together....

February 25, 2022 · 3 min · 545 words · Charles Hayward

Incredible Before And After Photos Of Dubai S Skyline

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai’s main thoroughfare, in 1990. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons You’re probably aware that Dubai is home to the tallest building in the world (as this dizzying Burj Khalifa video demonstrates) and that its urban planning is a marvel of modern civic engineering. Even still, you’re probably not aware just how much this one-of-a-kind metropolis has grown in recent decades. In 1960, Dubai was nothing more than a regional trading center with one hotel and 40,000 people....

February 25, 2022 · 2 min · 218 words · Barbara Howard

Inside Croatia S Fascinating Museum Of Broken Relationships

Conceptualized and housed in Zagreb, Croatia, the Museum of Broken Relationships grew out of a traveling exhibition dedicated to failed romances. One of many unusual displays at Croatia’s Museum of Broken Relationships. “No museum has ever made me feel more connected to everyone else in the world before,” reads one entry in the guestbook of the Museum of Broken Relationships. The message hits on a paradox more than one visitor has observed — few would expect a museum dedicated to failed relationships to buoy the spirit of human connection....

February 25, 2022 · 6 min · 1148 words · Cheryl Ferko

Inside William Wallace Lincoln S Short And Tragic Life

The third son of Abraham Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln died at the age of just 11 after contracting typhoid fever in 1862. Gilder Lehrman CollectionWilliam Wallace Lincoln was Abraham Lincoln’s third son and the second to die. As the Civil War intensified in February 1862, Abraham Lincoln waged a private war within the White House. His two youngest sons, William Wallace Lincoln, “Willie,” and Thomas Lincoln III, “Tad,” had fallen ill....

February 25, 2022 · 7 min · 1349 words · Felipa Myers

Jean Hilliard The Woman Who Froze Solid And Thawed Back To Life

Jean Hilliard’s body was frozen for six hours in -22 degree weather. Miraculously, she survived. Vickie Kettlewell/StarTribuneJean Hilliard in December 1980 with her parents in the hospital. All Jean Hilliard remembers is blackness, falling asleep, and then waking up. Unbeknownst to her, doctors had declared Hilliard a medical miracle after she recovered from being frozen for six hours in subzero temperatures. Indeed, the baffling case of this “hibernating woman” remains a medical marvel nearly 40 years later....

February 25, 2022 · 7 min · 1419 words · Linda Leverette

Jocelyn Bell Burnell Robbed Of The 1974 Nobel Prize Awarded 3 Million

Jocelyn Bell Burnell has been a pioneer in the astrophysics field. Her story highlights the importance of women and minority representation in the STEM field. Colin McPherson/Corbis via Getty ImagesAcclaimed Northern Irish astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell, pictured in 2011. More than a half-century after her groundbreaking discovery, female astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell is finally receiving recognition for her achievement. In a recent statement, the committee for the Breakthrough Prize announced that Jocelyn Bell Burnell will be awarded their prestigious prize in Fundamental Physics for her work as a graduate student in 1967 when she discovered the astrophysics phenomenon known as pulsars....

February 25, 2022 · 6 min · 1114 words · Alice Mcintyre

Lizard Penises Are The Newest Black Market Craze Which Is Concerning For Multiple Reasons

Dozens of arrests have been made regarding the bogus homeopathic remedy. There’s a quickly growing trend in India of people buying and eating lizard genitalia. Except these unsuspecting customers don’t actually know they’re snacking on dried reptile penises. Instead, they think they’ve bought magical plant roots — rumored to bring happiness and good luck. The scammers selling the black market “medicine” have named their product “hatha jodi,” meaning clasped hands in Hindi....

February 25, 2022 · 3 min · 506 words · David Buck

Meet The Japanese Spider Crab The Daddy Long Legs Of The Sea

With a leg span of 13 feet, the Japanese spider crab is the biggest crab in the world — and the stuff of nightmares in Japanese folklore. The Japanese spider crab is a giant sea creature that lurks in the waters surrounding Japan. Gaming enthusiasts probably recognize this crustacean from the Animal Crossing: New Horizons video game while bold Japanese foodies might enjoy this crab on their dinner table. The Japanese spider crab is thought to be the biggest crab in the world, with a leg span of up to 13 feet and an average weight of 40 pounds....

February 25, 2022 · 6 min · 1173 words · Remona Yang