Category: History

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Hat Sells for 2.4 Million Dollars

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Photo Credit: Charles Platiau / Reuters

I don’t think I’ve ever bought a hat in my life.  I don’t wear ’em.

While I would agree that the dome-topper pictured above is very stylish, even if I did buy hats, I couldn’t afford this one’s two point four million dollar price tag.

Yeah, you read that right.

Two.  Point Four. MILLION. Dollars.

That’s a lot of dough, even if Napoleon Bonaparte did wear the hat into battle.  The winner bidder paid more than five times the reserve!

If I wore a hat, I’d say, “Hats off to the winner.”

Source: Buzzfeed News.

The Truth About King Tut!

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Almost everyone has heard of King Tut the legendary boy-king ruler of Egypt.  We think of him as a handsome advernturesome youth who led a nation.  As it turns out, much of the legendary ruler’s life was legend…

With strong features cast in burnished gold, Tutankhamun’s burial mask projects an image of majestic beauty and royal power.

But in the flesh, King Tut had buck teeth, a club foot and girlish hips, according to the most detailed examination ever of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s remains.

And rather than being a boy king with a love of chariot racing, Tut relied on walking sticks to get around during his rule in the 14th century BC, researchers said.

A ‘virtual autopsy’, composed of more than 2,000 computer scans, was carried out in tandem with a genetic analysis of Tutankhamun’s family, which supports evidence that his parents were brother and sister.

The scientists believe that this left him with physical impairments triggered by hormonal imbalances. And his family history could also have led to his premature death in his late teens.

You can read the full story with more and larger photos at Daily Mail.

“Vampire Grave” Found in Bulgaria

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From The Telegraph, October 10, 2014 in the article “Vampire Grave” Found in Bulgaria by Matthew Day and Harriet Alexander.

A skeleton with a stake driven through its chest has been unearthed in Bulgaria, in what archaeologists are terming a “vampire grave.”

“We have no doubts that once again we’re seeing an anti-vampire ritual being carried out,” said Professor Ovcharov.

All I can say is, “Don’t remove the stake!” – Craig

New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered

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Ray John de Aragon claims that he has found a new photo of Billy the Kid.  This is not the first time de Aragon has done so, but this time  de Aragon has famed forensic art Lois Gibson in agreement.

Gibson says the picture is Billy the Kid.  If true the photo will be worth thousands of dollars.

Chron.com has an excellent piece by Heather Alexander that details with photos the evidence pointing to the Billy the Kid photo being legit.

48 Unexpected Views Of Historic Moments

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Here we have 48 Unexpected Views of Famous Events.

I love stuff like this.  Above we have,,,

Abraham Lincoln and General George McClellan in the general’s tent at Antietam [3 October, 1862]

While [appropriately] below we have…

A photograph taken by Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole, before they perished on their return journey. [1910]

If you click over you can also see photos of….

  • How massive the crowds were at Woodstock. [1969]
  • The photographs that inspired Norman Rockwell.
  • The back of the Hoover Dam just before it was submerged and never seen again. [1936]
  • View from the top on the opening day of the Empire State Building. [1931]
  • A large crowd, made up of many African Americans, mourn the death of Abraham Lincoln outside the Courthouse in Vicksburg, Mississippi. [1865]
  • A photo taken in secret of the Supreme Court in session, one of only two ever taken. [1932]
  • The last known photo of the Titanic above water. [1912]
  • The Beatles during their shoot for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. [1967]
  • Three men run in the marathon at the first modern Olympic Games. [1896]
  • Howard Carter Looking through the open doors of Tutankhamun’s Shrine. [January, 1924]
  • The only known photograph of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, before giving his famous address. [November 19, 1863]
  • An injured survivor of the Hindenburg smokes as he is carried to safety. [6 May, 1937]
  • Neil Armstrong photographed by Buzz Aldrin, shortly after walking on the moon. [1969]
  • The aftermath of Victory over Japan Day in New York. [14 August, 1945]
  • A Native American overlooks the newly completed Transcontinental railroad. [1868]
  • Race organizers attempt to stop Kathrine Switzer from competing in the Boston Marathon. She became the first woman to finish the race. [1967]
  • Wilbur Wright circles the Statue of Liberty in the Model A. [29 September, 1909]
  • The iceberg that is thought to have sunk the Titanic. Black and red paint is smeared along the side. [1912]
  • The models of “American Gothic” stand next to the painting
  • And more!

Hear Harry Houdini Speak!

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It’s a pretty safe bet that none of us ever saw Harry Houdini perform his famous Water Torture Cell live.

Now through the er, magic of the internet we can hear a live recording made October 29, 1914 of Harry Houdini offering his famous $1,000 Challenge to anyone who can prove that he could receive air once locked in his Water Torture Cell.

The original recordings are now in the David Copperfield Collection.