Mona Lisa STOLEN, Civilization on the Moon, and Windows 95
Giving you the full scoop on the historical events of this week and keeping you up to date with the latest news and finds about history.
This Week In History
August 20th, 1858:
Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. Darwin's theory laid the groundwork for the field of modern biology. It provided a unifying framework that explained the diversity of life, the relationships between species, and the mechanisms underlying adaptation and speciation. Darwin's theory was met with significant controversy, particularly from religious circles. The clash between evolutionary theory and religious creationist views are still debated to this day.
August 21st, 1911:
The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee. After keeping the painting hidden in a trunk in his apartment for two years, Peruggia returned to Italy with it. Eventually Peruggia was caught and said he did it for a patriotic reason, claiming he wanted to bring the painting back for display in Italy, "after it was stolen by Napoleon." When Peruggia worked at the Louvre, he learned of how Napoleon plundered many Italian works of art during the Napoleonic Wars.
August 22nd, 2004:
Versions of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway. Three men were convicted in connection with that theft in May 2006. Yet another version of “The Scream” remained in private hands and sold on May 2, 2012, for $119.9 million.
August 23rd, 1305:
Sir William Wallace is executed for high treason at Smithfield, London. Wallace, who was portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart, was a Scottish knight and military leader who lived during the 13th century. He is best known for his role in the Wars of Scottish Independence and his efforts to resist English rule. Wallace's execution is a historically significant event in the context of Scottish history and the struggle for Scottish independence.
August 24, 1995:
Microsoft Windows 95 was released to the public in North America. The release of Windows 95 was a pivotal moment in the history of computing and technology. It marked a significant shift in the way people interacted with computers and set the stage for many of the modern computing experiences we take for granted today.
August 25th, 1835:
The first Great Moon Hoax article is published in The New York Sun, announcing the discovery of life and civilization on the Moon.
August 26, 1071:
The Seljuq Turks defeat the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert, and soon gain control of most of Anatolia.
Looking Back In Time
Today, I present to you, the first underwater photo taken in history by Louis Boutan in 1899. Boutan developed a flash bulb that could be used underwater, and then he went on to publish the first book on underwater photography La Photographie sous-marine et les progrès de la photographie.
History News
Renowned 5,300-Year-Old Alps Iceman Exhibited Balding Appearance in Middle Age, Possessing Dark Skin and Eyes
Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old mummy found murdered high in the Alps with an arrow in his back, is a prehistoric celebrity who attracts 300,000 visitors a year to his custom cooling chamber in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. Over the years, extensive research has unveiled numerous details about Ötzi's life and circumstances, from his final meal of dried ibex and deer meat with einkorn wheat to the origin of his copper ax, which traces back to ancient Tuscan roots.
In a recent breakthrough, scientists revisited Ötzi's genome, this study, published in Cell Genomics, unveiled intriguing insights into Ötzi's appearance. Contrary to previous artistic interpretations, the analysis revealed that he possessed dark eyes and darker skin pigmentation than what is commonly associated with modern populations in Greece or Sicily. Furthermore, it was discovered that Ötzi experienced male pattern baldness—a familiar affliction that transcends time.
Through comparisons with the DNA of other ancient individuals, the study unveiled Ötzi's ancestral lineage, predominantly linking him to the Anatolian agriculturalists who introduced farming to Europe approximately 9,000 years ago. This lineage extended from Anatolia through what is now Turkey into regions like Greece and the Balkans. The genetic data also suggested that Ötzi's community was relatively small and isolated in their Alpine environment, demonstrating limited mixing with the existing hunter-gatherer populations of Europe.
