June 9, 2012

The Great Wall of China isn’t really a single wall. Instead, it’s a catchall term to describe the many fortifications built in China over the last ~2,700 years. Recently, archaeologists finished a 5-year project to map these structures. What are the Forgotten Great Walls of China? The Forgotten Great Walls of China? China’s first walls…

June 7, 2012

In 1526, Hernán Cortés wrote about a fabled lost city. Generations of scholars have considered it a myth. But now, a new expedition may be on the verge of proving otherwise. Did the lost city of Ciudad Blanca really exist? The Mysterious Lost City of Ciudad Blanca? In 1526, Cortés wrote his fifth letter to…

May 30, 2012

Some 4,000 years ago, the mighty Harappan civilization accounted for 10% of the entire global population. Suddenly, this once-great society collapsed. What happened to the Harappan civilization? Why did the Harappan Civilization Collapse? The Harappan, or Indus, sprouted up 5,200 years ago. It grew into an ancient powerhouse, covering a massive area of 386,000 square miles,…

May 29, 2012

On October 7, 1829, Sam Patch ventured out onto a ladder and leapt 85 into the churning waters of the Niagara River. When he surfaced, the crowd went crazy. Who was the first American Daredevil? Sam Patch: The First American Daredevil? Sam Patch was born in Rhode Island in 1807. While still young, he began…

May 28, 2012

According to American Mythology, Paul Revere jumped onto a horse on April 18, 1775 and rode into the night, shouting “The British are coming!” But did Paul Revere’s Ride actually happen? The Story of Paul Revere’s Ride According to American mythology, Paul Revere’s ride was a solo one. He and other colonists knew the British…

May 26, 2012

Update: On Saturday, December 6, 2014, I will be teaming up with forensic geologist Scott Wolter in the world premiere of Custer’s Blood Treasure, the latest episode of H2’s #1 hit original series, America Unearthed. You can read more about it here. On June 25, 1876, General George Custer led the U.S. Army’s Seventh Cavalry Regiment against a large…

May 22, 2012

By the 4th century BC, the ancient Greeks had conquered much of Egypt, Persia, and Babylonia. This opened the door for ancient travel writers to record the most amazing structures in the so-called “known world.” What were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? What were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Multiple versions…

May 21, 2012

With Facebook’s public offering now a thing of the past, it seems like a good time to look at a much older version of social networking…petroglyphs. What was the Bronze Age Facebook? Ancient Petroglyphs = An Ancient Facebook? Starting around 4000 BC, semi-nomadic people began to carve petroglyphs on granite rocks in western Russia and…