STONES, BONES, AND WRECKS

Civil War-Era ‘Witch Bottle’ Used to Keep Evil Spirits at Bay Discovered in Virginia

The old bottle filled with rusted nails looks like trash, but it was actually used by a Union soldier to ward off evil spirits during the Civil War.

2000-Year-Old Roman Tweezers and Metal Ear Swab Discovered in UK

At the site of the new Springhead Bridge in the UK, workers stumbled upon what appears to be tweezers and an ear cleaner dating back to the Roman Empire 2000 years ago.

Archaeologists Uncover Infant Remains Wearing Skulls of Older Children

The discovery is the first of its kind, researchers write in a paper published in 'Latin American Antiquity.'

A WWII Navy Submarine, Lost for 75 Years, Has Been Discovered Off the Coast of Japan

The location of lost Navy submarine the USS Grayback had been unknown for decades due to a translation error. After missing for 75 years, it's finally been discovered.

The Vasa shipwreck displayed in Sweden's Vasa Museum.

Swedish Divers Just Discovered Two Shipwrecks That Might Be Related to the Famous Vasa Warship

Unlike the ‘Vasa,’ these ships almost definitely didn’t sink less than a mile into their maiden voyages.

J.M. Luijt, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.5 nl

How the T. Rex at the American Museum of Natural History Became an Icon

Specimen AMNH 5027, which has been on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City since 1915, has inspired countless dinosaurs in pop culture, from 'King Kong' to 'Jurassic Park.'

A Powerful Storm Dislodged a Cargo Ship That’s Been Stuck on Niagara Falls for 101 Years

It was such a dark and stormy night at Niagara Falls this Halloween that the ship finally escaped its craggy prison.

Pulling Down the Statue of King George III, N.Y.C. by Johannes Adam Simon Oertel circa 1859.

The Hand and Arm That Once Belonged to Bowling Green’s King George III Statue Is Going Up for Auction

Most of the statue’s parts were melted into bullets for the American Revolution, but a few pieces were buried.

12 Surprising Facts About Viking Runestones

Standing tall in the Scandinavian countryside, Viking runestones bear messages from 1000 years ago in an alphabet called the Futhark. Read on for more little-known lore.

Take a Virtual Tour of a 17th-Century Dutch Smugglers’ Shipwreck

A Dutch vessel posing as a Danish trading ship sunk near Iceland in 1659, and now a 3D recreation of the shipwreck is available to tour in virtual reality.

Lin uses his iPad to visualize scanning data of a crusaders' fortress at the lagoon in Acre, Israel.

Mapping Technology Reveals 'Lost Cities' on National Geographic

Armed with a drone, an iPad, and a thirst for adventure, Albert Lin reveals what we can learn about the past with today's technology in a new TV series.

A ‘Lost’ Viking Graveyard Was Discovered in Norway

The archaeological site in Norway contains several burial mounds and boats that were used in Viking funerals.

Civil War Cannonballs Found on South Carolina Beach in Aftermath of Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian uncovered two Civil War cannonballs on South Carolina's Folly Beach—and it's not the first time cannonballs have washed up there.

A Lost Japanese Village Has Been Uncovered in the British Columbia Wilderness

Game pieces, sake bottles, and hundreds of ceramic pieces have been unearthed at the archaeological site.

Watch Groundbreaking Underwater Footage of the Franklin Expedition’s HMS Terror Shipwreck

More than 150 years after the HMS ‘Terror’ sank in the Canadian Arctic, the shipwreck was finally rediscovered under the ice. Now, we know what the inside looks like.

Could Gigantic Coconut Crabs Have Played a Part in Amelia Earhart’s Mysterious Disappearance? At Least One Scientist Thinks So

Thirteen human bones that may have been Amelia Earhart’s were found and promptly lost. But what happened to the other 193?

NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island

Submarine Expedition Reveals Parts of the Titanic Have Fully Decayed

The salt, currents, and metal-eating bacteria of the ocean are breaking down the wreck of the 'Titanic,' and it could be gone completely as soon as 2030.

The Fossil of a Human-Sized Penguin Has Been Unearthed in New Zealand

The new species, dubbed 'Crossvallia waiparensi,' waddled the Earth some time between 66 and 56 million years ago.

Scientists Are Creating a 3D Model of an 18th-Century ‘Vampire Witch’ Who Was Tortured to Death

Archaeologists plan to use the 3D model to find out exactly what the woman’s face looked like, warts and all.

Harrison Duran with a partial Triceratops skull.

College Student Finds a 65-Million-Year-Old Triceratops Skull During Paleontology Dig in North Dakota

Harrison Duran, a dinosaur fanatic since childhood, discovered the partial triceratops skull on a dig in the Badlands of North Dakota.

A Pair of Dutch World War II Shipwrecks Have Disappeared Off the Coast of Malaysia

A pair of Dutch shipwrecks that have been on the ocean floor for decades were stolen. Scrap metal thieves are to blame.

Dr. Tyler Lyson, curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, brushes dirt away from a newly uncovered horned dinosaur fossil at a construction site in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Construction Workers Stumbled Upon a 68-Million-Year-Old Triceratops Fossil in Colorado

Construction workers were digging near Denver, Colorado when they discovered the bones of the three-horned dinosaur.

By Anonymous, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

15th-Century Cannonballs Likely Used by Vlad the Impaler Discovered in Bulgaria

The man who inspired 'Dracula' was known for using his fangs and otherworldly powers to conquer his victims. But he apparently liked to have a few cannonballs by his side as well (just in case).

Easter Island Statues Are Being Threatened By Nose-Picking Selfie-Seekers

The number of travelers to Rapa Nui has exploded in recent decades, and the island is feeling the pressure.

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