Dead...Or Alive?

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the possibility of being thought dead and then buried when not actually dead was widely feared, so much so that special coffins were built by many people.  These "safety-coffins" were equipped with breathing devices, keys that could unlock the casket from the inside, and devices that could inform observers that the buried coffin contained a living person.  For more information click here and click here.

What did you learn today?

New Seven Wonders

Photo of Iguazu Falls courtesy New7Wonders.com

The New Seven Wonders Corporation began tallying popular votes on July 7, 2007 (07-07-07) for a list of  New Seven Wonders of Nature and New Seven Wonders of the World, which will be finalized and released in early 2012.  The New Seven Wonders series are based on the ancient Seven Wonders of the World lists by the ancient historians and scholars Herodotus and Antipator of Sidon.

Fully Intact Viking Boat Burial Site Discovered in Scotland

"The UK mainland's first fully intact Viking boat burial site has been uncovered in the west Highlands, archaeologists have said.  The site, at Ardnamurchan, is thought to be more than 1,000 years old.   Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.  Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the 'artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain'."  Read more and see pictures at BBC News Highlands and Islands.