Using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, researchers discovered an automobile in one of the USS Yorktown's hangars. The car might have been used by one of the aircraft carrier's high-ranking officers.

Cool Finds

Why Was a 1940s Car Discovered in the Wreck of an American Naval Ship That Sank During World War II?

The mysterious automobile was found in a hangar on the USS “Yorktown,” which has been resting on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean since 1942

The burials were filled with rich grave goods like pottery and corn cobs.

Archaeologists in Peru Discover Graves of Men, Women and Children Killed in Battle, Then Buried With Honor

The 24 members of the mysterious Chuquibamba culture were interred with valuable grave goods

Divers found the Antikythera mechanism in a shipwreck in 1900.

New Research

How Well Did the Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism Actually Work?

Historians think the 2,000-year-old device was used to predict the positions of celestial bodies. A new digital simulation suggests that its gears may have frequently malfunctioned

Glowing "milky seas," seen here from a satellite, have confused and captivated sailors for centuries.

Glowing ‘Milky Seas’ Have Baffled Sailors for Centuries—New Research Brings Scientists One Step Closer to Solving the Mystery

Historical accounts of vast ocean waters glowing in the dark go back hundreds of years, and researchers are still trying to determine exactly what triggers the phenomenon

The boxcar was part of the Merci Train, which France gave to the United States in 1949.

Cool Finds

Long-Lost ‘Merci Train’ Given to New Jersey After World War II Has Been Found

To thank America for its support during the war, France sent a boxcar stuffed with gifts to each state. But in the late 1950s, New Jersey’s disappeared without a trace

Hong Wang, one of the paper co-authors, presents her work on the Kakeya conjecture.

Mathematicians Solve Decades-Old Geometry Problem About Spinning a Needle That Had Long Puzzled the Field

A new proof solves the “Kakeya conjecture” in three dimensions, opening up a new set of possibilities for mathematics, from computer science to cryptography

Delacroix mural at the Palais Bourbon, home to the French National Assembly

Art Meets Science

Can A.I. Resurrect a Delacroix Mural That Was Destroyed in a Fire More Than 150 Years Ago?

A new project called Digital Delacroix is training cutting-edge technology on the French painter’s style to unravel the lost artwork’s secrets

The excavations that uncovered the British fortifications took place at the site of a proposed single-family home in St. Augustine, Florida.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Rare Reminder of Britain’s Brief Reign Over the ‘Nation’s Oldest City’

The find offers archaeological evidence of the 20-year interlude when the British ruled St. Augustine, Florida, which was founded by the Spanish in 1565

A spy pigeon with a camera strapped to its breast at the CIA Museum

Learn the Secret Histories of These Fascinating CIA Artifacts, From Pigeon Cameras to Cufflink Compasses

With the launch of its new website, the CIA Museum is bringing its sprawling collection of spy artifacts out of the shadows and into the public eye

An artistic interpretation of what Flagstones might have looked like shortly after it was constructed

New Research

Could This Prehistoric Burial Site Have Influenced the Construction of Stonehenge?

Researchers say that Flagstones, a large circular enclosure in southern England, dates to around 3200 B.C.E.—which means it predates Stonehenge by several hundred years

The three larger figurines measure about a foot tall.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Clay Puppets With Open Mouths and Detachable Heads That ‘Resemble Modern Toy Dolls’

The figurines were discovered in a largely unexcavated site in El Salvador. Some 2,400 years ago, they were controlled by strings that passed through their necks

In 1974, thieves replaced Woman Carrying the Embers by Pieter Brueghel the Younger with a magazine cutout.

Cool Finds

Eagle-Eyed Experts Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Missing Masterpiece—Half a Century After It Was Stolen

Brueghel’s famous 17th-century painting “Woman Carrying the Embers” vanished from a Polish museum in 1974. Fifty years later, it’s been rediscovered at a museum in the Netherlands

This George Romney sketch was discovered in a dumpster in upstate New York.

Cool Finds

This 18th-Century Sketch by a Renowned English Portraitist Was Hiding in a Dumpster in New York

The tiny drawing by artist George Romney depicts Henrietta, Countess of Warwick. It will be sold at an upcoming auction in London

The photos were taken between 1966 and 1970.

Can You Identify the Mystery Photographer Who Captured Thousands of Captivating Images of 1960s San Francisco?

Discovered in an abandoned storage locker, the 2,042 processed color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film depict key moments in the city’s history

An early Remington typewriter featuring the QWERTY keyboard

The QWERTY Keyboard Will Never Die. Where Did the 150-Year-Old Design Come From?

The invention’s true origin story has long been the subject of debate. Some argue it was created to prevent typewriter jams, while others insist it’s linked to the telegraph

In 2022, researchers used DNA extracted from hairs left on the Somerton Man's death mask to identify him as Carl Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne.

The Enduring Mystery of the Somerton Man, One of Australia’s Most Puzzling Cold Cases

The discovery of a body on Somerton Beach in 1948 sparked theories that the dead man, now believed to be Carl Webb, was a Soviet spy, a ballet dancer or a jilted lover

Researchers estimate the women were buried with more than 270,000 disc-shaped beads.

New Research

Why Were These Women Buried With More Than 270,000 Beads?

At a 5,000-year-old tomb in Spain, researchers found what is likely the largest known collection of beads ever discovered at a burial site

Diver Chris de Putron inspects the wreck of the German submarine UC-18, which sank off the Channel Islands in February 1917.

How Britain’s Secret Decoy Ships Outfoxed German U-Boats During World War I

Divers recently discovered the wreck of a German submarine and the Royal Navy Q-ship that sank it in February 1917

Stained-glass windows depicting George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, and his wife, Isabel Neville

On This Day in History

Why an English King’s Traitorous Brother Was (Allegedly) Drowned in a Barrel of Wine

George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, spent his life engaged in a power struggle that pitted cousins and siblings against each other. He was executed for treason on this day in 1478

Chicago officials re-enact the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

On This Day in History

When Al Capone’s Henchmen Marked Valentine’s Day With a Bloody Massacre

The infamous mob assassination, which took place on this day in 1929, resulted in the deaths of seven men linked to gangster George “Bugs” Moran

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