WWII veteran who notified world of Pearl Harbor attack dies

[The Missoulian]  On Sunday, a little more than 69 years after notifying the world that "This is no drill - Pearl Harbor is being bombed by the Japanese - this is no drill," the 88-year-old Navy veteran died at his home in Billings. He was one of Montana's last survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that propelled the United States into World War II.  More...

9,400-year-old dog found, earliest found in Americas

[Christian Science Monitor]  PORTLAND, Maine  Nearly 10,000 years ago, man's best friend provided protection and companionship — and an occasional meal.  More...

1,200-Year-Old Royal Tomb Uncovered in Peru

[Fox News]  The 1,200-year-old tomb of a ruler of the pre-Incan Sican culture was found recently in Peru's Lambayaque region, the director of the Las Ventanas archaeological dig announced on Wednesday.  More...

Binham Priory discovery of giant medieval graffiti

[BBC]  Thousands of years of history at a remote priory in Norfolk could be unearthed after the discovery of giant medieval graffiti on its walls.  More...

Grapes domesticated 8,000 years ago

[USA Today]  In the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team led by Sean Myles of Cornell, looked at "1,000 samples of the domesticated grape, Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera, and its wild relative, V. vinifera subsp. sylvestris." Comparing the gene maps across the grapes, the team concludes that humanity has only begun to explore the genetic diversity of the humble grape.  More...

Scientists model ancient bog woman's face

[The Local]  German researchers have shed light on life during the Iron Age after examining the ancient remains of a woman found in a bog in what is now Lower Saxony. The body dates back to the pre-Roman era, more than 2,600 years ago. More...

Caligula's tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue

[UK Guardian]   The lost tomb of Caligula has been found, according to Italian police, after the arrest of a man trying to smuggle abroad a statue of the notorious Roman emperor recovered from the site. More...

Author: Medieval explorers may have visited New England

[Norwich Bulletin]   The evidence is fading from years of the elements pounding upon it, but even stone can’t hold the image of a medieval knight forever — an image that suggests there might have been Europeans exploring America 96 years before Christopher Columbus. In 1954, the late Frank Glynn uncovered the figure, whose arms have been identified as belonging to the Gunn clan incised on a slab of glacier rock along the side of the road in Westford, Mass.Known as the Westford knight, the image is one of the clues and scholarly research author Richard White, of East Lyme, explores in his nonfiction book, “These Stones Bear Witness.”  More...

Italian researcher: symbols found in 'Mona Lisa'

[Yahoo News]  An Italian researcher says the key to solving the enigmas of "Mona Lisa'" lies in her eyes.Silvano Vinceti claims he has found the letter "S" in the woman's left eye, the letter "L" in her right eye, and the number "72" under the arched bridge in the backdrop of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting. According to the researcher, the symbols open up new leads to identifying the model, dating the painting, and attesting to Leonardo's interest in religion and mysticism.  More...

New Book: In the Beginning: the Story of the King James Bible and how it changed a Nation, a Language and a Culture.

[BBC]   Readers absorbed its language both directly and through other reading. Tennyson considered Bible reading "an education in itself", while Dickens called the New Testament "the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world." The US statesman Daniel Webster said: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures." Equally celebrated as a British orator, TB Macaulay said that the translation demonstrated "the whole extent of [the] beauty and power" of the English language.  More...

Monks' diaries to help weather forecast

[BBC]  Medieval weather records, including details from monks' diaries are helping experts work out how and why climates have changed over the past 500 years. Edinburgh University scientists found the historic data, such as harvest records, matched modern computer simulations of climate patterns.  More...

Ike warned of 'military-industrial complex' 50 years ago

[USA Today]  Today is the 50th anniversary of a very historic White House speech, one that resonates to this day: Dwight Eisenhower's warning against "the military-industrial complex.""In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex," Ike said that night. "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."  More...

2,100 year-old Greek coin may have marked rare astronomical event.

[Unreported Heritage News]  An unusual Greek coin, minted around 120 BC, may have marked a moment in time when people in ancient Syria saw Jupiter being blocked out by the moon.  More...

Scientists to Clone Woolly Mammoth in Five Years

[PC World]  Professor Akani Iritani of Kyoto University told the The Daily Telegraph that he thinks there's a "reasonable chance" that a "healthy mammoth could be born in four or five years."  More...