These are the most fascinating history news stories and anniversaries of the month, from a Viking warrior's grave in Norway to a thrift store vase that proved to be a valuable relic.
It’s the end of July and we have, as always, put together a collection of our favorite history news stories that we featured on the site this month, as well as several historic July anniversaries.
History never sleeps, and we covered a number of remarkable history stories in July. For starters, we wrote about a vase that was purchased in a thrift store for just $3.30 and later turned out to be from Meiji-era artist Namikawa Yasuyuki. The vase was a thrifter’s dream, and could sell for $11,000 at auction.
We also covered the discovery of an 18,000-year-old settlement that could be the oldest human settlement in North America, how the remains of an American soldier were identified 80 years after he disappeared during World War II, and two amazing archaeological discoveries in Norway.
Though we often cover discoveries made by archaeologists, the Norway discoveries were not made by professionals. In the first story, a Norwegian family discovered a Bronze Age rock painting while out on a hike. Tormod Fjeld, an amateur archaeologist and petroglyph enthusiast, was with his family when he noticed strange markings on a rock. He ran some photos through an app, and discovered a faded petroglyph that appears to depict people rowing in a boat, animals, and other human figures.
The second Norway discovery was even more surprising. We wrote about how a family in Setesdal, Norway, discovered a 1,100-year-old Viking warrior’s grave while renovating their home. Though archaeologists called to the scene found no human remains, they did unearth a sword, a lance, glass beads, a gold-gilded belt buckle, and a bronze brooch.
Joakim Wintervoll/Science NorwayThe rusted Viking sword hilt uncovered on the family’s property.
In addition to these history news stories, we also discussed a number of historic anniversaries from July. These included the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1, 1863), the Boise Bombing Raid (July 7, 1943), Garry Hoy’s death (July 9, 1993), Lady Jane Grey’s short reign as England’s queen (July 10, 1553 – July 19, 1553), the passage of the U.K.’s Marriage Act (July 17, 2023), the death of Bruce Lee (July 20, 1973), and the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA (July 29, 1958).
The foundation of NASA also inspired this month’s historic cocktail: the “Moonwalk” cocktail. It was created in 1969 to commemorate the return of astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins, after they became the first men on the moon. It is alleged that this was the first beverage the men sipped upon returning to Earth.
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