Photo: National Park Service

The longstanding theory is that humans arrived in the Americas about 16,000 years ago. They migrated down the Pacific Coast after crossing the Bering Strait on a land bridge that once existed. They may have then used boats to sail down the coast around glaciers which were still extant as the last Ice Age wound down. This timeline is considered by many to be the logical conclusion from existing archeological sites and the sheer amount of ice that would have existed prior to this period. However, a paper two years ago used carbon dating to rewrite this timeline according to sets of ancient footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Their bold, controversial claims were recently bolstered with additional testing, suggesting that the footprints are an impressive 23,000 and 21,000 years old. This puts into question when humans arrived in the Americas.

The footprints are visible and distinct, stamped into what was once mud on an ancient lakeshore in present day New Mexico. Frozen into stone by layering sediment, the first testing aimed at establishing the age of the prints through carbon dating. As footprints are not organic material, the scientists used seeds from a lake plant called Ruppia cirrhosa. The seeds were found in the surrounding layers of sediment around the prints. Testing of the seeds suggested a date range of about 23,000 to 21,000 years ago. However, these initial findings caused some doubt among scientists, especially given its radical revision of known migrations. Loren Davis, an archaeologist at Oregon State University who was not involved in the research, expressed concern to Science that older carbon-14 in the lake water could have been absorbed into the plants which produced the seeds.

To help settle these concerns, the researchers have now added two new dating methods that both agree with their former findings. They took pollen samples from the surrounding sediment layers and found that carbon dating once again agreed with the seeds. The pollen would not have imbibed carbon because the trees grew on land. Quartz grains were also collected and tested by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The results showed that these stone bits were last exposed to light 21,400 and 18,000 years ago. Despite this impressive corroboration, some scientists still think erosion may have moved older sediment on top of the prints. Even so, the newfound evidence certainly suggests that 16,000 years ago humans may have already been in North America. Hopefully, further testing will bring more answers to light.

These footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico are now thought to be 23,000 and 21,000 years old, over 5,000 years before humans were previously thought to have roamed the Americas.

Photo: National Park Service

h/t: [Science.org, Scientific American]

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READ: Footprints in New Mexico Suggest That Humans Were Already in North America Over 20,000 Years Ago

What do you do when you have a question? These days most people turn to the Google search bar. But back in the 20th century, knowledgeable people were the search bars and libraries full of books were the internet. If you had a question in 1966, you could call your local librarian and ask them to point you in the direction of the best resource. The New York Public Library hotline was established in 1967, but even before that curious citizens called with queries. Many of these questions were recorded by the librarians, and they include some amusing and random insights into people's quests for information.

The questions are recorded on small cards like those that used to fill card catalogs. Typed on a typewriter or scrawled in loopy handwriting, the questions are sometimes notated alongside their answers. People asked a variety of things. In 1963, someone whose identity has been lost to history asked, “Any statistics on the life span of the abandoned woman?” One can only imagine the story behind the question. Other questions clearly were inspired by recent events. On May 27, 1947, a caller asked, “What does it mean when you dream you’re being chased by an elephant?” No answer is given on that card.

Other questions have a bit of a creepy undertone. On November 30, 1948, someone asked, “Where can I get all available statistics on volume of business, money involved, etc. in the sale of cadavers?” If the librarian asked follow up questions it was not recorded. In 1976, an art lover asked, “Why do 18th century English paintings have so many squirrels in them, and how did they tame them so that they wouldn't bite the painter?” One can only hope the librarian cautioned the caller about domesticating squirrels. Other questions are much more practical, like: “Off-hand, do you happen to know a really good book about having twins?”

Is the squirrel query a stupid question? “There are no stupid questions,” NYPL Librarian Rosa Caballero-Li says. “Everything is a teachable moment. We don't embarrass people; we try to answer any questions they have with honesty and we try to refer them to appropriate resources that they might find useful.” The NYPL still offers their ask-a-librarian call in service, which despite the existence of Google gets 30,000 questions a year. “We don't know everything,” Caballero-Li told NPR, “But we can always point you in the right direction.” To get those burning questions answered, about squirrels or anything else, call 917-275-6975 between 9 am and 6 pm EST on business days.

Before there was Google, people had to rely on their local library to have their questions answered.

If you had a question in 1966, you could call your local librarian and ask them to point you in the direction of the best resource.

The New York Public Library hotline was established in 1967, but even before that curious citizens called with queries.

Many of these questions were recorded by the librarians, and they include some amusing and random insights into people's quests for information.

The questions are recorded on small cards like those that used to fill card catalogs

People asked a variety of things.

“There are no stupid questions,” NYPL Librarian Rosa Caballero-Li says. “Everything is a teachable moment.”

“We don't embarrass people; we try to answer any questions they have with honesty and we try to refer them to appropriate resources that they might find useful.”

h/t: [Amusing Planet]

All images are courtesy of the New York Public Library.

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READ: Before Google, People Asked Public Librarians Their Questions

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Claude Monet (1840–1926), “Le bassin aux nymphéas,” c. 1917–1919. (Photo:
Christie's)

Claude Monet's dreamy paintings of water lilies are some of the most recognizable works of art ever created. The series Water Lilies depicts scenes from Monet's garden and pond at Giverny in France, rendered in expressive blends of blues, greens, and purples. However, while many can be viewed in Paris's Musée de l'Orangerie, others are less well known. In an exciting recent auction at Christie's, a Monet which had been held in a private collection for 50 years came to light, selling for an impressive $74,010,000. Known as Le bassin aux nymphéas or Water lily pond, the work was painted between 1917–1919, and “hails from an important period of renewal and experimentation in Monet’s painterly visions of the lily-pond,” according to the auction house.

This work was created in Giverny, depicting that iconic pond. It bears all the hallmarks of Monet's groundbreaking Impressionist style, which was influential on his contemporaries like Alfred Sisley and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Monet's work came to define the genre as it played with light and color. The style was rendered especially impressive on the large mural canvases Monet preferred to use later in life for documenting his beloved pond.

The new water lily painting's exciting emergence after five decades provides another glimpse into the private world of the artist a hundred years ago. It sold alongside works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Arshile Gorky, Frida Kahlo, and Vincent Van Gogh—altogether, these masterpieces amounted to a total of $640,846,000 in sales at The 20th Century Evening Sale. Who knows if other masterpieces from private collections will emerge sometime soon, and what they will reveal about these great artists' legacy.

A painting by Claude Monet as part of his Water Lilies series, which has been unseen by the public for over 50 years, recently sold at Christie's for $74 million.

The 20th Century Evening Sale on Thursday, November 9, 2023. (Photo:
Christie's)

h/t: [CNN]

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READ: Long-Unseen ‘Water Lilies’ Painting by Monet Sells for $74 Million

The arrow has a quartzite arrowhead on a birch shaft. (Photo: Espen Finstad/Secrets of the Ice)

Climate change is impacting temperatures around the world. Collapsing ice shelfs and melting glaciers regularly make the news as indicia of a warming planet and shifting ecosystems. The receding of the planet's ice is also exposing remnants of the past which have lain preserved under cold temperatures for hundreds, even thousands, of years. The glaciers of Norway have yielded particularly interesting finds from past inhabitants of the region. In the Jotunheimen Mountains, archeological group Secrets of the Ice recently discovered an exciting Bronze Age arrow, complete with shaft, quartzite arrowhead, and even several fletching feathers.

The arrow was discovered on one of the group's regular patrols over regions where they know warming temperatures are melting ice. If an ancient item is missed, it may be destroyed by the elements once the ice that formerly sheltered it is melted. Luckily, the Bronze Age arrow, dating to about 3,000 years ago, was discovered in time. It has a birch wood shaft and three feathers at the tail, which are the fletchings which help arrows fly. Such delicate materials have been frozen preserved under the ice since they were dropped millennia ago.

The weapon also has an arrowhead of quartzite stone, cut into a point and covered in organic pitch. “The pitch was used for securing the arrowhead to the shaft and to smooth the front of the arrow, allowing for better penetration. Arrows with preserved arrowheads still attached are not uncommon during the Iron Age on our ice sites, but this early they are very rare,” says Lars Pilø, archaeologist for Secrets of the Ice. While the arrow was likely used for reindeer hunting, it was not discovered near the remains of any blinds, such as those that have been found elsewhere. Likely lost on an ancient hunt, the arrow is remarkable for its amazing preservation. Despite being broken into three parts from the weight of the ice, it is a fascinating remnant from a lost era.

This 3,000-year-old arrow has been well preserved for millennia by glaciers.

Even a feather remains preserved! (Photo: Espen Finstad/Secrets of the Ice)

h/t: [Live Science]

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READ: 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Arrow is Discovered at Melting Ice in Norway

The time capsule discovered in the statue base. (Photo: United States Military Academy)

West Point is known as a prestigious military academy, producing many of the nation's generals since its founding in 1802. Known officially as the United States Military Academy, it can also count two American presidents among its alumni. Such a long history is sure to come with good and bad moments, and even a few surprises. Recently, renovations uncovered a box hidden in the base of a statue of a Revolutionary War hero. It turned out to be a time capsule that West Point later opened during an assembly with great fanfare. The interior did not yield treasures at first, only silt. However, after some sifting, six historic coins and an Erie Canal commemorative medal were uncovered.

The statue which yielded the time capsule is of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish immigrant. While not a West Point alum, he fought with the Continental Army during the Revolution. He died in 1817, and shortly afterward his statue was erected on the dime of admiring cadets. Its stone base was completed in 1828, although the column and statue atop was added in 1913. It is thought cadets tucked the time capsule into the base of the statue around 1828, and its existence remained unknown for almost 200 years. It is still unclear why the capsule was hidden in the first place.

The find greatly excited the university, which began to hype a ceremonial first opening to be filmed and presented on stage. Current students speculated what might be inside. However, when Paul Hudson, a West Point archaeologist, opened the box the waiting crowd received a disappointing news flash. “We don’t want to think that they went to all of this trouble to put this box in the monument and not put anything in it,” he said. But it required detailed lab work to eventually discover what else the box might held apart from the obvious pile of silt that may have once been something organic, such as paper.

Sifting carefully through the silt with wire, Hudson and his team found six silver early American coins. They date from 1795 to 1828. There was also a small medal from 1826 that commemorated the finishing of the Erie Canal's construction in 1825. A pivotal moment in United States history, the canal connected the great waterways of the northeast to produce thriving industrial centers across upstate New York and fill the bustling ports of New York City, down the Hudson River. The coins and the medals were clearly chosen for the time capsule for their meaning to the historic cadets. Brigadier general Shane Reeves, a dean, said in a statement, “There is no better opportunity to take a moment and be inspired by our Army and academy’s connection through time that is represented by that capsule and one of our nation’s true heroes.”

A 200-year-old time capsule found in a West Point statue turned out to be full of silt and surprises.

A historic coin found in the silt inside the time capsule. (Photo: United States Military Academy)

Eventually, six coins from the late 18th and early 19th centuries emerged, along with a medal.

The statue of Thaddeus Kościuszko. (Photo: United States Military Academy)

The dedication to the Revolutionary War
hero. (Photo: United States Military Academy)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

All images via United States Military Academy.

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In the 2022 to 2023 school year, 3,362 individual book bans went into effect across 1,557 unique titles. This is an increase over last year's totals, and Florida is leading the book-banning charge. The banned titles include a children's book about Anne Hutchinson, one of the first Rhode Islanders and a female preacher put on trial by puritans, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and The Family Book by Todd Parr. While some bans might seem senseless, others evince a barely disguised desire to target books affirming LGBTQ identities or addressing racism and racist history. Now, the pop star Pink (aka P!nk) is putting her megawatt star power to work to fight such censorship and stand up for the voices behind these books. Pink announced, in collaboration with PEN America, that she would donate 2,000 banned books at her Florida concerts.

Pink played in Miami and Sunrise Florida this past week. Her team planned to distribute titles such as Amanda Gorman‘s The Hill We Climb and Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani, among other titles. Pink proudly calls herself a longtime reader, denouncing the book bans in an Instagram video: “It's confusing, it's infuriating, it is censorship.” Pink acknowledged to PEN America that being a parent to her two children influences her perspective on the importance of “representation for all races and sexual identities.”

“Books have held a special joy for me from the time I was a child, and that’s why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools,” Pink said in a statement. “It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color. We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed. This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books.” Beyond gifting literature, Pink remains committed to the fight against book bans. To learn how you can help too, visit https://pen.org/pink-against-book-bans.

 

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A post shared by PEN America (@penamerica)

 

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A post shared by P!NK (@pink)

h/t: [NPR]

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The ancient Babylonian tablet in cuneiform describes the pythagorean theorem. (Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

The Pythagorean Theorem is fundamental to geometry. Named after the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, the simple equation (c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where c is the hypotenuse) helps determine the missing value of a right triangle when you know the other two sides. Its application has been vital to technical endeavors like engineering and design for thousands of years. However, despite the name of the theorem, the numerical relationship of the sides of a triangle was known long before Pythagoras was born around 570 BCE. Ancient clay tablets suggest that the ancient Babylonians knew of this relationship as early as 2000 BCE.

The tablet above is a clay tablet discovered in Iraq and covered in cuneiform writing. It dates to sometime between 2000 and 1500 BCE. It was likely used as a teaching tool, because it describes how the “Pythagorean” theorem can be used to find the length of the diagonal of a rectangle. (Hint: A rectangle is two right triangles of equal side put together at the rectangle's diagonal, which is also the triangles' hypotenuses.) This ancient text is not the only evidence that the Babylonian's used this equation. Drawings on other tablets depict triangles which look amazingly similar to proofs of the theorem (see below).

So why does Pythagoras get all the credit, when Babylonians and likely ancient Egyptians and Indians knew the relationship between the sides of a right triangle? It is possible the heavy influence of the Pythagorean school, disciples of the man himself who passed down his teachings, may have influenced this. It is also true that much of ancient historical studies has been deeply Eurocentric. However, it is always important to remember the ancient mathematical traditions of non-European cultures and the interchange of ideas that happened over the millennia.

Clay tablets from ancient Babylon use the Pythagorean Theorem long before the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras was born.

A Babylonian tablet using the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate a problem around 1,900 BCE. It reads: 4 is the length and 5 is the diagonal. What is the breadth? Its size is not known. 4 times 4 is 16. And 5 times 5 is 25. You take 16 from 25 and there remains 9. What times what shall I take in order to get 9? 3 times 3 is 9. 3 is the breadth.(Photo: Fig. 3, Ratner)

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READ: Ancient Babylonian Tablet Uses Pythagorean Theorem 1,000 Years Before Pythagoras Was Born

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What's your favorite memory of the '90s? Your answer will likely depend on your age, but there's no doubt it'll include some sort of trend that seems long lost. Gen X college students ordered pizza via landlines while wearing flannels and loose high-waisted Levis, millennial kids were trying to keep their Tamagotchis alive, and Gen Z babies were being introduced to their first Tickle Me Elmo dolls. It felt like we had it all!

Though it may seem like our worlds have changed a great deal, you can still find many of your favorite things available today on sites like Etsy, Amazon, and Target. And a trip down memory lane is the perfect Christmas gift for the holiday season.

Know a now-grown-up boyband fan? Get them an NSYNC doormat to declare their everlasting love for the frosted-tip quintet. For those with a sweet tooth, a vintage candy box will bring back sugary sweet memories. Childhood often revolved around appointment TV viewing, so give someone a Saved by the Bell sweatshirt to declare their Bayside High school spirit or pair of socks of vintage Nickelodeon cartoon shows.

Of course, the '90s spans 10 years, so there's a lot to cover. It was a time when color was king,  big and baggy was “da bomb,” and Lisa Frank was… everywhere. (Also, there were snap bracelets, butterfly clips, Walkmen, floppy discs, and dial-up internet.)

So, scroll down to check out our list of retro gift ideas that include '90s fashion, toys, classic games, and gifts that are—in the natural cycle of things—cool again.

Throwback Gifts Full of '90s Nostalgia

Caboodle Cases

Caboodles | $16.99+

Tamagotchi

Tamagotchi | $19.99

Magna Doodle

Magna Doodle | $14.99

Magic Eye 25th Anniversary Book

Cheri Smith | $20.45

Saved By the Bell Spirit Sweatshirt

SpruceMount | $50.54+

Nickelodeon 90s Cartoon Socks

Bioworld | $16.95

1990s Candy Box

Vintage Candy Co. | $43.98

That's So… 90s Trivia Game

The Best Store-Ever | $20.99

Lisa Frank Stickers

Lisa Frank | $16.95

Floppy Disk Coasters

DIMROM | $10.94

Furby Earrings

imyourpresent | $28

Clear Phone Enamel Pin

Here Meow | $15

Nostalgic Stickers

BellaKodaDesigns | $6.49+

Slap Bracelets

Spritz | $3

Crazy Straws (100 Pack)

TOMNK | $16.99

These retro gifts will bring back memories.

Troll Dolls

Yintlilocn | $11.99

Doodle Bear Enamel Pin

Cosmic Buns Art | $16+

A Modern, Mini Lite Brite

Lite-Brite | $12.99

Glitter Gel Pens

Sakura | $10.99

'90s Solo Cup Mug

TheFunGiftShoppe | $16.97+

Video Store Candle

DioCandleCompany | $14.99+

MTV Sweatshirt

MTV Store | $29.99

Music Trivia Game

Ridley’s Store | $8

Gameboy Heat-Changing Mug

Paladone | $15.99

Butterfly Choker Necklace

BodyJ4You | $11.99

This article has been edited and updated.

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Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Anyone who has studied ancient Roman architecture knows they never missed an artistic moment. From elaborate columns to painted plaster to marble statues, Roman villas in particular were true showstoppers. Even the floors were beautifully decorated with rich, intricate mosaics. One villa in the village of İncesu, in the province of Keyseri, Turkey, is a standout even among the incredible floors of Roman yore. The massive site in Anatolia is the largest Roman mosaic discovered in the region, with 6,500 square feet emerging this year alone. The mosaics are incredibly well-preserved. They include geographic designs and inscriptions in Greek and Latin.

The site of the villa sits above the ancient town of Sadogora, inhabited in the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. Excavations have been ongoing, with pauses for legal reasons, since 2010. So far, at least 10 rooms have been discovered across 43,000 square feet of excavated site, and 6,500 square feet of that is the mosaic flooring. The home was probably one for local elites or administrators of empire. The villa was estimated to be built in the third and fourth century CE, although it was likely used after the fall of Rome throughout the Byzantine and Islamic periods.

The mosaic is elaborate and expansive. The vast majority are patterns, which according to the History Blog include “simple guilloche (two interlaced strand lines), chain guilloche (the interlaced strands tie together like a linked chain), 3D cubes, Solomon’s knots, wave bands, meanders, ribbons, diamonds, swirls and much more.” One Latin inscription honors an unknown official name Hyacinthus; a Greek one is more clear: “If you are healthy, enter.”

Can Erpek, professor at Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, explains, “We are talking about a high-end residence spread over a very large area, a residence with 33 rooms, we have not reached the limits of this residence, we foresee that the current residence will expand even further with our excavations that will continue next year. When we think of Cappadocia and the Central Anatolia Region, which has very valuable floor mosaics, we do not see floor mosaics on such a large residential floor.” It will be fascinating to see just how much more mosaic artwork appears with further excavation.

An incredible Roman-era villa in Turkey has yielded 10 rooms full of ornate mosaic with repeating patterns.

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

Photo: Sercan Küçükşahin/Anadolu Ajansı

h/t: [Colossal]

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“Charles I (1600-49,” by Van Dyck, c. 1635-6. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Some things become so ordinary that we easily miss their extraordinary nature. For some people, the decor they spend their lives around is merely sentimental or aesthetically pleasing. However, it can turn out to be extraordinary and of great interest to the world. We’ve recently seen a TV room painting turn out to be by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and even garage sale purchases turn out to be Ming Dynasty relics. The latest surprising find is a painting which hung for generations on the wall of a family's living room in Jaén, Andalucía. As it turns out, it is a 17th-century masterpiece entitled The Presentation of the Baby Jesus to Saint Barbara by Flemish Baroque artist Sir Anthony Van Dyck.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck trained in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, and he later became court painter to the British Royal Family. His portraits of the doomed Charles I and other members of the elite ruling class were softer than the depictions of their predecessors. He became quite successful in these circles, dying in 1641, eight years before Charles I would lose his head in the English Civil War. Today, Van Dyck's name is attached to the signature point beards of many of his sitters, and his portraiture and religious work hangs in museums and private collections around the world.

It had, as it turned out, been hanging on the wall of the unnamed family in Spain for generations. No picture has been released of the work, which is religious in nature. It is possible the family acquired the work through the influx of Flemings which arrived in nearby Seville, where some of the family lived in the 17th century. The painting only measures 130 by 92 centimeters (51.18 by 36.22 inches). The family reportedly admired the artwork, but only recently realized its origins and verified its authorship. It now sits in a safety deposit box as the family strategizes its next home.

“The owner of the painting has no intention of speculating, but he does have a special interest in it staying in Seville, the city where the family now lives and with which he has a special connection,” says Luis Baena, the family's lawyer. Estimating its worth at this point will be purely speculative on the part of the public, but the family plans to ask “a fair and reasonable price.” The family is reportedly discussing possibilities with the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, in order to keep the painting in its home city of several centuries, even if it no longer hangs on the living room wall.

A family in Andalusia long had a visual masterpiece hanging in their living room, but they did not know it was in fact a work by iconic Renaissance painter Anthony van Dyck.

“Christ Crowned with Thorns,” by Van Dyck, c. 1620. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

“Anton Giulio Brignole-Sale on horseback,” by Van Dyck, 1627. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

h/t: [Inside Edition]

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