Fire
A 65,000-Year-Old Hearth Reveals Evidence That Neanderthals Produced Tar for Stone Tools in Iberia
While Neanderthals have been found to create glue-like substances with other materials, this finding, if confirmed, would be the first sign of Neanderthals burning the rockrose plant to make tar
When London's Iconic Crystal Palace Burned to the Ground in a Devastating Fire
Three years before World War II, on this day in 1936, an inferno marked the symbolic end of the global hegemony of the British Empire
Researchers Uncover the Oldest Record of Humans Using Fire in Tasmania, Almost 2,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Known
A new paper reveals how Aboriginal people changed the landscape by burning, demonstrating how similar practices could help manage modern bushfires
Hear the Bells of Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral Ring Out for the First Time in More Than Five Years
The cathedral has been under renovation since 2019, when it was badly damaged in a fire. Crews are testing the bells before the historic structure reopens on December 8
To Strike Fear Into Napoleon's Occupying Army, These Retreating Soldiers Burned Down Their Own City
When the blaze in Moscow subsided on September 18, 1812, the French—who had traveled hundreds of miles into Russia—were left without vital resources as a brutal winter approached
Plans to Modernize Notre-Dame’s Stained-Glass Windows Move Ahead Despite Heritage Experts' Rejection
The French Ministry of Culture has selected eight finalists to design replacement windows for the celebrated cathedral—and not everyone is happy
Humans Pollute the Environment With 57 Million Tons of Plastic Each Year, Study Suggests
Scientists used A.I. to model local waste management in 50,000 municipalities worldwide and say the results suggest a need to improve access to waste collection systems
What Happened to the Sodder Children, the Siblings Who Went Up in Smoke in a West Virginia House Fire?
Authorities said the Christmas 1945 blaze was accidental, but the victims' family believed otherwise, theorizing it was an act of arson designed to distract them while their loved ones were kidnapped
Firefighters Extinguish Blaze at London's Somerset House
The palatial complex's historic artworks sustained no damage from the fire that broke out on August 17
These Markers of Scandinavia’s Bronze Age Boatyards Were Hiding in Plain Sight
Archaeologists argue that ancient fire pits were used for constructing the area's distinctive boats
One Year After a Devastating Fire, Lahaina's 151-Year-Old Banyan Tree Is Healing
Arborists didn't know if the historic tree would survive, but they've been working to give it the best possible odds
'We Have a Rattlesnake Problem': Wildland Firefighters in the West Must Also Face a Slithering, Venomous Foe
Nearly 100 large fires are burning in the United States right now, including some in rattlesnake territory
California Faces a Brutal Wildfire Season, With More Land Burned to Date Than in Recent Years
The state's fires have burned more than 11 times as much land so far in 2024 than they had at this point last year, according to the most recent numbers from Cal Fire
Fire Extinguished at Rouen Cathedral, a Frequent Subject of Monet's Paintings
The 12th-century structure and the artworks inside it sustained no significant damage
Did Hannibal's Army Burn Down This Ancient Mountain Settlement?
In a scorched village in Spain, archaeologists discovered a hidden gold earring that suggests residents foresaw a coming attack around the time of the Second Punic War
Historic Borax Wagon Destroyed in Blaze at Death Valley National Park
Beginning in 1883, 18 mules and two horses hauled wagons full of borax across eastern California
Ancient Maya Royals' Remains Were Burned in a Public Ceremony to Mark a New Political Regime
Archaeologists discovered charred remains of former rulers tossed "haphazardly" into a tomb in present-day Guatemala, suggesting they had been removed from their original burial sites
Fire Devastates Copenhagen's Historic Stock Exchange
Its signature 184-foot spire collapsed, but rescuers salvaged some of the valuable artworks inside
The Olympic Torch Relay Began in Nazi Germany
After a torch-lighting ceremony this week, the Olympic flame began its long journey from Olympia to Paris
This Artist Used A.I. to Recreate a Velázquez Painting Lost in a Fire 300 Years Ago
Fernando Sánchez Castillo employed historical resources and image-generation technologies to reimagine "Expulsion of the Moriscos"
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