Unearthed! in Spring 2025, Part 2
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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The Mystery of Jack the Ripper's Identity
This chapter explores the controversial identification of Jack the Ripper as Aaron Kaminsky, triggered by DNA evidence from a shawl linked to one of the victims. The hosts critically examine the validity of the findings and the enduring intrigue surrounding this historical mystery.
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Part two of the spring 2025 installment of Unearthed! features the potpourri category, plus drones/radar/lidar, books and letters, animals, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, swords (sort of) and cats.
Research:
- Roque, Nika. “Maria Orosa, fellow World War II heroes laid to rest at San Agustin Church.” GMA Integrated News. 2/14/2025. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/936107/maria-orosa-fellow-world-war-ii-heroes-laid-to-rest-at-san-agustin-church/story/
- Adam, David. “Does a new genetic analysis finally reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper?” Science. 3/15/2019. https://www.science.org/content/article/does-new-genetic-analysis-finally-reveal-identity-jack-ripper
- Jeffries, Ella. “These Everyday Artifacts Tell the Story of Harriet Tubman’s Father’s Home as Climate Change Threatens the Historic Site.” Smithsonian Magazine. 3/14/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-everyday-artifacts-tell-the-story-of-harriet-tubmans-fathers-home-as-climate-change-threatens-historic-site-as-climate-change-180986204/
- The History Blog. “Lavish private baths found in Pompeii villa.” 1/18/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72199
- Balmer, Crispian. “Rare frescoes unearthed in Pompeii shed light on ancient rituals.” Reuters. 2/26/2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rare-frescoes-unearthed-pompeii-shed-light-ancient-rituals-2025-02-26/
- Lawler, Daniel. “How did this man's brain turn to glass? Scientists have a theory.” Phys.org. 2/27/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-brain-glass-scientists-theory.html
- The History Blog. “Footprints fleeing Bronze Age eruption of Vesuvius found.” 1/31/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72318
- net. “Archaeologists Identify ‘Lost’ Anglo-Saxon Site Depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.” 1/2025. https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/archaeologists-identify-lost-anglo-saxon-site-depicted-in-the-bayeux-tapestry/
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Fragment of Epic Medieval Bayeux Tapestry Rediscovered in Germany.” Artnet. 3/5/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bayeux-tapestry-fragment-rediscovered-in-germany-2615620
- Schrader, Adam. “Is There Graffiti of a Legendary Film Star Under the Lincoln Memorial?.” Artnet. 2/23/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/graffiti-of-a-legendary-film-star-under-the-lincoln-memorial-2611242
- National Museums Northern Ireland. “Further research Suggests Remains Found in Bellaghy Likely to be Female.” https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/news/ballymacombs-more-woman
- Boucher, Brian. “Who Owned This Fabulous Hoard of Viking Treasure? A New Translation Offers a Clue.” ArtNet. 2/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/galloway-hoard-communal-wealth-translated-inscription-2611850
- Randall, Kayla. “Josephine Baker’s Memoir Is Now Being Published for the First Time in English.” Smithsonian. 3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/josephine-baker-memoir-now-published-first-time-english-180985963/
- Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 1/10/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-intricately-decorated-tomb-belonging-to-a-doctor-who-treated-egyptian-pharaohs-4100-years-ago-180985788/
- University of Vienna. “Analysis of skull from Ephesos confirms it is not Cleopatra's sister.” 1/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-analysis-skull-ephesos-cleopatra-sister.html
- Weber, G.W., Šimková, P.G., Fernandes, D. et al. The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos. Sci Rep 15, 943 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83870-x
- Ferguson, Donna. “Archaeologists discover 3,500 year-old tomb of ‘missing pharaoh’ in Egypt.” The Guardian. 1/19/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/first-new-pharaohs-tomb-to-be-found-in-over-a-century-discovered-in-egypt
- Ferguson, Donna. “‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another.” The Guardian. 2/22/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/22/you-dream-about-such-things-brit-who-discovered-missing-pharaohs-tomb-may-have-unearthed-another
- State Information Service. “New Discoveries illuminate the Legacy of Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple in Luxor.” 1/8/2025. https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/204116/New-Discoveries-illuminate-the-Legacy-of-Queen-Hatshepsut%E2%80%99s-Temple-in-Luxor?lang=en-us
- Lynch, Cherise. “Penn Museum, Egyptian archaeologists discover tomb of unnamed pharaoh.” 3/27/2025. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/penn-museum-egypt-unnamed-pharaoh/4145053/
- Melly, Brian. “The scent of the mummy. Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice.” Phys.org. 2/16/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scent-mummy-ancient-egyptian-nice.html
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Suitcase Belonging to King Tut Tomb Explorer Sells for More Than 11 Times Its Estimate.” ArtNet. 2/28/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/howard-carter-suitcase-king-tut-2612417
- Erb-Satullo, Nathaniel L. et al. “Mega-Fortresses in the South Caucasus: New Data from Southern Georgia.” Antiquity 99.403 (2025): 150–169. Web.
- Cranfield University. “Drone mapping unveils 3,000-year-old fortress, reshaping ancient history.” Phys.org. 1/8/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-drone-unveils-year-fortress-reshaping.html
- Randall, Ian. “Sprawling Lost City From 600 Years Ago Revealed.” 1/30/2025. https://www.newsweek.com/lost-city-mexico-guiengola-zapotec-forest-lidar-archaeology-2023494
- Anderson, Sonja. “Researchers Have Found an Inca Tunnel Beneath the Peruvian City of Cusco.” Smithsonian. 1/21/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-found-an-inca-tunnel-beneath-the-Peruvian-city-of-cusco-180985872/
- Politecnico di Milano. “Ground-penetrating radar reveals new secrets under Milan's Sforza Castle.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070514
- Schrader, Adam. “Rare 19th-Century Painting by Beloved Black Artist Found in a Thrift Store.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/william-henry-dorsey-thrift-store-painting-2595107
- Kinsella, Eileen. “Unique 19th-Century Double-Sided Portrait by American Folk Art Icon Resurfaces.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/market/ammi-phillips-double-portrait-rediscovered-christies-2595027
- Whiddington, Richard. “A Famed Painting of Venice’s Grand Canal Is Reattributed to a Precocious 16-Year-Old.” ArtNet. 3/11/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a-grand-canal-painting-bellotto-wallace-collection-2618974
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Lavinia Fontana’s Lost Miniature Resurfaces at Texas Auction.” 1/20/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/miniature-portrait-lavinia-fontana-2599828
- Wizevich, Eli. “Expert Rediscovers Painting by Renaissance Master Lavinia Fontana, One of the First Professional Female Artists.” Smithsonian. 3/26/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-rediscover-painting-by-renaissance-master-lavinia-fontana-one-of-the-first-professional-female-artists-180986307/
- The Collector. “Digitization Reveals Cathedral’s Hidden Medieval Wall Paintings.” https://www.thecollector.com/digitization-reveals-hidden-medieval-wall-paintings/
- The History Blog. “Hidden 13th c. murals of Angers Cathedral documented for the 1st time.” 1/14/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72156
- Almeroth-Williams, Tom. “Islamic ‘altar tent’ discovery.” University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/islamic-altar-tent
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Van Gogh Museum Rules $50 Garage Sale Painting Is Not a $15 Million Masterpiece.” Artnet. 1/29/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-group-2602847
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “$50 Van Gogh? Experts Say No, Offering Alternative Attribution in Dramatic Art Dispute.” ArtNet. 2/3/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-henning-elimar-attribution-2604921
- The History Blog. “Hellenistic era statue found in garbage bag.” 2/5/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72363
- Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “18th-Century Drawing Rescued From a Dumpster Shatters Estimates at Auction.” Artnet. 3/14/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/how-did-this-18th-century-english-drawing-end-up-in-a-new-york-dumpster-2611654
- “Police, art sleuth crack case of Brueghel stolen in Poland in 1974. 3/3/2025. https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974
- Jeffries, Ella. “Eagle-Eyed Experts Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Missing Masterpiece—Half a Century After It Was Stolen.” Smithsonian. 3/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eagle-eyed-experts-say-theyve-solved-the-mystery-of-a-missing-masterpiece-half-a-century-after-it-was-stolen-180986157/
- Heritage UK. “Could This Mysterious Portrait Be Lady Jane Grey?” 3/7/2025. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/could-this-mysterious-portrait-be-lady-jane-grey/
- Archaeology Magazine. “Ancient Greek Statues Smelled of Perfume.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/03/17/ancient-greek-statues-smelled-of-perfume/
- Kuta, Sarah. “Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic.” Smithsonian. 1/28/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-finds-rare-trove-of-winnie-the-pooh-drawings-and-manuscripts-in-his-fathers-attic-180985907/
- Leiden University. “Keyhole surgery on old books leads to discovery of medieval fragments.” Phys.org. 1/13/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-keyhole-surgery-discovery-medieval-fragments.html
- Killgrove, Kristina. “Curse tablet found in Roman-era grave in France targets enemies by invoking Mars, the god of war.” 1/15/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/curse-tablet-found-in-roman-era-grave-in-france-targets-enemies-by-invoking-mars-the-god-of-war
- Wells, Robert. “Ancient artifacts unearthed in Iraq shed light on hidden history of Mesopotamia.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070460
- net. “Earliest Known Rune-Stone Discovered in Norway.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/02/earliest-known-rune-stone-discovered-in-norway/
- Archaeology Magazine. “Oldest Example of Writing in Northern Iberia.” 1/25/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/25/oldest-example-of-writing-in-northern-iberia/
- Whiddington, Richard. “Century-Old Bottle Turns Up Behind a Historic Theater Stage—With a Sealed Note.” Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/century-old-bottle-discovered-in-kings-theatre-2615505
- University of Oxford. “Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet.” Phys.org. 3/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-uncovers-hidden-shakespeare-sonnet.html
- net. “Over 110,000 Medieval Manuscripts May Have Been Copied by Women.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/110000-medieval-manuscripts-women/
- Ommundsen, Å., Conti, A.K., Haaland, Ø.A. et al. How many medieval and early modern manuscripts were copied by female scribes? A bibliometric analysis based on colophons. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 346 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04666-6
- Pacillo, Lara. “Paleolithic ingenuity: 13,000-year-old 3D map discovered in France.” Phys.org. 1/14/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-paleolithic-ingenuity-year-3d-france.html
- Oster, Sandee. “Archaeologists reveal 8,000-year-old bone powder cooking practice in ancient China.” Phys.org. 1/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-archaeologists-reveal-year-bone-powder.html
- “Dried plants 19th-century Australian colonial institution indicate secret, illicit snacking among residents.” Phys.org. 1/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-dried-19th-century-australian-colonial.html
- Connor, Kimberley. “History under the floorboards: Decoding the diets of institutionalized women in 19th century Sydney.” Phys.org. 1/22/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-history-floorboards-decoding-diets-institutionalized.html#google_vignette
- The History Blog. “Earliest distilled liquor in China found in owl vessel.” 1/22/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72239
- Naiden, Alena. “An ancient Dene cache discovered at JBER highlights Anchorage’s Indigenous history.” Alaska Public Radio. 1/22/2025. https://alaskapublic.org/news/alaska-desk/2025-01-22/an-ancient-dene-cache-discovered-at-jber-highlights-anchorages-indigenous-history
- Kuta, Sarah. “This 1,600-Year-Old Filter Helped Ancient Drinkers Sip Beverages Through a Straw.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1600-year-old-filter-helped-ancient-drinkers-sip-beverages-through-a-straw-180986073/
- Archaeology Magazine. “Study Finds Evidence of Early Alcoholic Drinks in Brazil.” 2/18/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/18/study-finds-evidence-of-early-alcoholic-drinks-in-brazil/
- University of York. “The early roots of Carnival? Research reveals evidence of seasonal celebrations in pre-colonial Brazil.” 5/2/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-early-roots-carnival-reveals-evidence.html
- net. “Medieval Birds of Prey Feasted on Human Waste, Study Finds.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/medieval-birds-of-prey-feasted-on-human-waste-study-finds/
- Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Iberian Neolithic herders were already strategically managing cattle herds 6,000 years ago.” 2/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-iberian-neolithic-herders-strategically-cattle.html
- Kuta, Sarah. “Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds.” 2/3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mammoth-bones-used-to-build-mysterious-25000-year-old-site-in-russia-came-from-different-herds-180985977/
- Vrak Museum of Wrecks. “Oldest Carvel-built Ship from the Nordic Countries Discovered.” 2/21/2025. https://www.vrak.se/en/news/oldest-carvel-built-ship-in-nordics-found/
- Archaeology Magazine. “Brazilian Ship Struck by WWII U-Boat Located.” 2/19/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/19/brazilian-ship-sunk-by-wwii-u-boat-located/
- Kuta, Sarah. “Warship Sunk by the Nazis During World War II Located Off the Coast of Brazil.” Smithsonian. 2/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/warship-sunk-by-the-nazis-during-world-war-ii-located-off-the-coast-of-brazil-180985996/
- Richmond, Todd. “Explorers discover wreckage of cargo ship that sank in Lake Superior storm more than 130 years ago.” Phys.org. 3/11/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-explorers-wreckage-cargo-ship-sank.html
- Wizevich, Eli. “Metal Detectorists Stumble Upon a Rare 2,000-Year-Old Roman Sword in Poland.” Smithsonian. 2/25/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorists-stumble-upon-a-rare-2000-year-old-roman-sword-in-poland-180986101/
- Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England.” Smithsonian. 1/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-early-medieval-sword-engraved-with-mysterious-runes-in-a-cemetery-in-england-180985768/
- The History Blog. “Rare two-handed medieval sword, axes found in Poland.” 2/21/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72486
- The History Blog. “1,000-year-old scabbard fitting found in Poland.” 3/26/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72759
- Pare, Sascha. “Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds.” LiveScience. 3/9/2025. https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/pet-cats-arrived-in-china-via-the-silk-road-1-400-years-ago-ancient-dna-study-finds
- Kuta, Sarah. “Staffers Find a Japanese Hand Grenade From World War II at a Museum in Kentucky.” Smithsonian. 1/27/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/staffers-find-a-japanese-hand-grenade-from-world-war-ii-at-a-museum-in-kentucky-180985885/
- Dimacali, Timothy James. “Ancient seafarers in Southeast Asia may have built advanced boats 40,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 2/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-seafarers-southeast-asia-built.htm
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