Submerged Sherman Tank from the battle of Saipan. Still in water

The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June 1944 to 9 July 1944.The invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on June 5, 1944, the same day Operation Overlord was launched with the invasion of Normandy (AKA the D-Day landings). The Normandy landings were the larger amphibious...

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Amazing armor of Henry II, king of France (16th century)

Henry II, also known as Duke d’ Orleans, was a great monarch of the House of Valois and was King of France from 1547 until 1559.He was a competent administrator who was an active suppressor of Protestants in his territory. Like his father, Francis I, Henry favored the arts, and he was a patron of Renaissance culture. The King was involved in projects which were begun by Francis I, including the reconstruction...

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The only complete viking helmet ever found - Gjermundbu

The popular image of the Vikings is one of fearsome warriors wearing horned helmets. Many depictions of the Vikings display this particular attribute. However, there is only one preserved helmet from the Viking Age and this does not have horns.On March 30 1943, historians in  Oslo gained the information that a farmer named Lars Gjermundbo found and dug into a huge mound on his land near the farm...

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One of the oldest diving suits in existence - called Wanha Herra

THE 'OLD GENTLEMAN' OF RAAHE -the oldest surviving diving suit in the world.The best-known item in Raahe Museum is "the Old Gentleman", a diving suit from the early 18th century. This rarity was donated to the museum by Captain Leufstadius in 1860s.The maker of the suit has mastered the latest achievements of the diving technology that made huge progress in the 18th century. The Old Gentleman is therefore...

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Viking axe from Mammen

In 1868 a farmer began to dig into the mound Bjerringhøj at Mammen near Viborg. During this work he chanced upon an unusually richly-furnished grave, which has become known as the grave from Mammen. A magnate was buried in the grave during the winter of 970-71 AD. He was given an expensive costume, a ceremonial axe with inlaid silver decoration and a large wax candle.The buried man lay upon a bed...

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Roman walls of Lugo

Remarkably intact Roman stone fortifications encircled this Spanish city for centuries. Built sometime around the 3rd century, the ring of towers and walls which now surround the city of Lugo were originally constructed to protect a Roman city from barbarians, and they continue to contain the world’s only city that is completely surrounded by ancient Roman walls. Making a bulbous circuit around...

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Hiroshima shadows

At 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, a person sat on a flight of stone stairs leading up to the entrance of the Sumitomo Bank in Hiroshima, Japan. Seconds later, an atomic bomb detonated just 800 feet away, and the person sitting on the stairs was instantly incinerated. Gone like that. But not without leaving a mark. By a flash of the heat rays with temperatures well over a 1,000 degrees or possibly...

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Executioner sword with inscription: When I raise this sword, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life. Germany 1600s

Although the axe was favored in England, for centuries swords were used throughout Central Europe for beheadings. The blades were often etched with moralizing inscriptions and designs representing Justice (as here), the gallows, the rack, or the Crucifixion. By the early 1700s swords were no longer used in Europe for executions, but they still functioned as symbols of power.The blades of executioner's...

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Medieval masks of shame

Shame masks were a type of embarrassing punishment device used in Europe during the middle ages until 18th century. They were usually made of cold, unyielding metal, and the masks were created in various mortifying designs.While the heavy mask was certainly tortuous, the main point of the practice was to humiliate the offender as much as possible. Consequently, the masks were often made to look...

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Horned helmet of Henry VIII

One of the most iconic pieces of armor ever is the horned helmet of Henry VIII. It formed part of a magnificent armour, commissioned in 1511 by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I as a gift for the young king, who would have worn the armour for court pageants rather than in combat.The Horned helmet is technically called an armet, with protection for the skull, hinged cheek pieces, and a face defense....

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True colours of ancient sculptures

When we think of statues and buildings of the classical period, we tend to imagine white marble; scientists in recent years have discovered that it is, in fact, most likely that many of the buildings and statues were painted and, probably, adorned with jewelry.White marble has been the norm ever since the Renaissance, when classical antiquities first began to emerge from the earth. The sculpture of...

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The zweihänder sword that belonged to Grutte Pier (1480-1520), Friesian pirate and warlord.

In the early sixteenth century, Friesland was under the authority of George, Duke of Saxony. However, Charles, Duke of Egmond or Guelders, was also keen on possessing the Frisian region, resulting in a battle between their supporters. After George, Duke of Saxony, had given the territory to Charles of Egmond, yet another war broke out, this time between the Frisians and Holland. This war formed the...

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2000 years old die from Egypt (with 20 sides)

Nothing specific about the use of these polyhedra is preserved, so theories are built on clues provided by some variant examples. One unusual example uses Greek words, a few of which resemble those associated with throws of the astragals (knucklebones), and this has led to suggestions they were used for games. Another remarkable example discovered in Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt in the 1980s records an...

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Unfinished obelisk in Aswan (Egypt) - largest known ancient obelisk, 1500 years old.

The largest known Egyptian obelisk is called the “unfinished obelisk”, which today can be found exactly where it was once semi-carved from the solid bedrock. This stone block was intended to be a 120ft / 36m tall obelisk. It is estimated that a block of granite this size would easily weigh more than a 1000 tons, some geologists have suggested a figure in the region of 1100 tons – 1150 tons.The obelisk's...

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