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Stories from Christian Thorsberg

One of the stelae mentioning Ix Ch’ak Ch’een

Archaeologists Decipher Crumbling Hieroglyphs to Reveal the Name of a Forgotten Maya Queen Who Ruled 1,400 Years Ago

Ix Ch’ak Ch’een reigned over the city of Cobá in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Historians didn’t know her name before they began translating a series of inscriptions discovered in 2024

The People’s Salvation Cathedral stands more than 410 feet tall.

The World’s Largest Christian Orthodox Church Is Now Open in Romania

The People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest is covered in stunning frescoes and mosaics. At 410 feet tall, it cost more than $300 million and took 15 years to build

Hall's Croft, the home of Susanna Shakespeare from 1613 to 1616

Car Backs Up Into Home Where Shakespeare’s Daughter Lived, Causing Serious Damage

Hall’s Croft, once the residence of Susanna Shakespeare, is now in stable condition as experts assess the repairs that will be required

The dollhouse belonging to Petronella Oortman

Take a Virtual Tour of This Lavish Dollhouse, the Centerpiece of a New Exhibition on Everyday Life in the 17th Century

Helena Bonham Carter provides an English-language tour of the Rijksmuseum’s miniature masterpiece, which stands at about six and a half feet tall

Storage jars found among the cargo known as Dor L1

Three Shipwrecks Discovered Off the Coast of Israel Shed New Light on the History of Iron Age Maritime Trade

An anchor, basket handles, jars and other artifacts were found among the cargoes at the three sites, the oldest of which dates to the 11th century B.C.E.

Sheet of Studies, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, circa 1885-86

See Renoir’s Rare Drawings on Display in the First Exhibition of Its Kind Since 1921

Around 100 of the French Impressionist painter’s lesser-known paper works are now on view at New York City’s Morgan Library and Museum

French police officers stand by the ladder that robbers used to enter the Louvre on October 19.

Burglars Just Broke Into the Louvre and Stole Historic Crown Jewels in a Daring Daylight Heist

In a matter of minutes, thieves climbed a ladder and smashed display cases before fleeing the scene with eight valuable artifacts. The jewels had been housed just 270 yards from the “Mona Lisa”

Susanna and the Elders was bought for an undisclosed sum after being put up for sale this summer by New York art dealer Nicholas Hall.

This Tiny Museum in Coastal Denmark Just Surpassed the Louvre in One Big Way

Following its latest acquisition, the Nivaagaard Collection has become a global leader in Renaissance and Baroque-period female painters

Robots running in the 100 meter finals on August 17, 2025

World’s First ‘Robot Olympics’ Featured Soccer, Kickboxing and Lots of Falling Down

Hundreds of humanoids from 16 countries stumbled over each other while competing in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

Italian officials with the five stones and brick fragment

Italian Police Catch Tourist Stealing Stones From the Ancient City of Pompeii

According to legend, travelers who remove artifacts from the historic Italian city are cursed to endure hardship. Many have even returned the stolen items years later

Wildlife officials in Oregon are using drones with speakers to deter wolves from attacking cattle.

Drones Are Blasting Iconic Argument From ‘Marriage Story’ to Scare Wolves Away From Cows in Oregon

Scarlet Johansson and Adam Driver’s charged dialogue is playing from speakers attached to drones as wildlife officials get creative in their efforts to stop wolves from killing cattle

A digital rendering of the bridge

Italy Plans World’s Longest Suspension Bridge to Connect Mainland With Sicily

The bridge, expected to cost more than $15 billion, would stretch more than two miles across the Messina Strait

Exterior of Norwich Castle Keep, commissioned by William the Conqueror.

William the Conqueror’s Norwich Castle to Reopen Following $37 Million Renovation

In partnership with the British Museum, 900 Norman artifacts will be displayed across the reimagined space’s five floors

Artists Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood

See the Abstract Artworks That Defined Radiohead’s Iconic Visual Style

A new exhibition explores the artistic collaborations between Thom Yorke, the rock band’s frontman, and artist Stanley Donwood, his longtime friend

A large section of the possible La Fortuna shipwreck sits on the beach in southern North Carolina

In the Muddy Banks of North Carolina, Student Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Remnants of a Centuries-Old Spanish Ship

While taking measurements of an abandoned wharf site, the students found timber from what experts believe may be part of La Fortuna, a Spanish ship destroyed nearly 300 years ago

Umpire Jen Pawol during a spring training game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins on March 16, 2024

Jen Pawol Is About to Become the First Female Umpire in Major League Baseball History

When the Atlanta Braves face off against the Miami Marlins this weekend, Pawol will become the first woman to umpire in a regular season MLB game

An exterior view of the Studio Museum in Harlem's new building

Studio Museum in Harlem, Closed for Renovations Since 2018, Sets November Reopening

The museum, which features work from African and African American artists, will debut a new look in its expanded space

Composer John Williams conducting in 2023

John Williams, the Famous Composer Known for ‘Jaws’ and ‘Star Wars,’ Debuts First Piano Concerto at Age 93

The renowned composer has scored many of the most famous films of our time. But until this summer, he had never attempted a concerto for piano

The guitar previously used by Keith Richards on display at Christie's in 2004

Former Rolling Stones Musician Mick Taylor Claims His Stolen Guitar Is at the Met

The guitarist’s team says he last saw the famous instrument when it vanished 54 years ago. The Met, which received the guitar as part of a recent donation, disputes these claims

Bill Cunningham worked as a photographer for the New York Times for nearly 40 years.

Tens of Thousands of Stunning Images by Photographer Bill Cunningham Acquired by New York Historical

The museum will house photographs, negatives and slides belonging to the renowned photographer, who captured life in New York City for decades before his death in 2016

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