Friday May 11, 2012
Europeana 1914 - 1918 is a roadshow travelling Europe in an attempt to find new material on World War One. This BBC article explains how the experts who accompany the show have been shown a bible which still has the shrapnel it stopped and other items. But what's really made the news was a collector who came in with a postcard from one Adolf Hitler. Material relating to Hitler's early life is rare, and obviously vitally important, and so this find is interesting. Hitler wrote it to Karl Lanzhammer, a dispatch runner from Hitler's regiment, and it reveals a surprising desire to get back to the frontlines. The postcard has now been recorded and returned to the collector. So far 45,000 items have been recorded by Europeana, including precious firsthand accounts passed down through families.
Friday May 11, 2012
As red blood cells degrade quickly, they're hard to find in most of the targets archaeologists dig. However Oetzi, whose 5,300 year old body was found preserved in an Alpine glacier, has provided the world with the oldest ones we have. Since Oetzi was found science has probed his body to discover how he lived and how he died - he appears to have been killed by his wounds - and now scientists have found red blood cells around those wounds. If you want to probe more into the science, the BBC has an explanation, but I should warn you they also have a picture of Oetzi as he is now, and some people don't like that sort of thing.
Friday May 11, 2012
Work is progressing in Romania on the Orastie-Sibiu highway, and the construction has been planned in association with the Romanian National History Museum. According to 'Romania Insider', eleven sites of archaeological interest have been identified, and work has begun on excavating them. One key discovery is two hundred pieces of bronze and iron which date to the ninth to eighth centuries BC. They're parts from jewellery, weapons and equipment, and are being billed as one of the most important finds in the country to date.
Friday May 4, 2012
Five years ago, I had to report on a fire on Britain's famous 'tea clipper' ship the Cutty Sark. The initial pictures suggested severe damage, but due to good fortune, hard work and a £50 million conservation project, the ship has now reopened to resume its place as one of London's leading landmarks. The BBC has a video report, but I'm not sure if there's any geographical restrictions on viewing.