Curiosities The Leaning Tower of Pisa Now Leans Less, Its Infamous Tilt Having Been Reduced by 1.6 Inches Over the Last Two Decades Stabilization efforts have corrected the monument's once-dangerous lean. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 23, 2022
Archaeology Researchers Using Laser Technology Have Located Nearly 1,000 Previously Unknown Maya Settlements in Guatemala The sites include ceremonial centers, sporting facilities, roads, and reservoirs. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 22, 2022
Art World The Massive ‘Domino Sugar’ Sign Lights Up the Williamsburg Skyline Once Again, Marking Progress in the Landmark’s Transformation The former sugar factory was last open to the public for artist Kara Walker’s 2014 installation of a Sphinx-like sugar sculpture. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 21, 2022
Pop Culture World Cup Hero Lionel Messi Has Now Set a New Record for the Most-Liked Instagram Post Ever. It Was Previously Held by an Egg The World Record Egg is now just an egg. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 21, 2022
Auctions Giddy-Up! Wrangler Is Auctioning a Diamond-Studded Belt Buckle to Spur Preservation of the ‘Great American Cowboy’ The diamond-encrusted hunk of gold and silver is valued at $40,000. Bidding ends December 30. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 20, 2022
Archaeology Norwegian Researchers Piloting a Deep Sea Rover Stumbled Upon a Well-Preserved Medieval Shipwreck The wreck was found in Lake Mjøsa, which once served a thriving Viking trade route. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 20, 2022
Auctions The Robotic Alien Figure That Starred in ‘E.T.’ Sold for an Interstellar $2.56 Million in an Auction of Classic Hollywood Memorabilia The staff that Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea with as Moses in 'The Ten Commandments' went for $448,000. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 19, 2022
Art History Google Has Dedicated One of Its ‘Doodles’ to Judith Leyster, the 17th-Century Dutch Painter Whose Works Were Once Misattributed to Her Male Peers The Doodle reimagines Leyster's famed 1630 self-portrait. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 19, 2022
Auctions Jane Fonda Is Selling 14 Works by Thornton Dial and Other Artists of the American South Christie’s "Outsider and Vernacular Art" auction will take place in New York on January 18. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 16, 2022
Archaeology U.K. Archaeologists Say That Ancient Tools Discovered Around Stonehenge Point to a More Advanced Society Than Previously Known Researchers have examined several 4,000-year-old tools from a burial site near Stonehenge for the first time. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 16, 2022
Books 60 Years Since the First Barbie Dreamhouse, a New Book Unpacks the Importance of the Iconic Toy Domicile Mattel has released the first hardcover volume documenting the evolution of Barbie's many Dreamhouses since 1962. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 16, 2022
Crime 300-Year-Old Hindu Relics Looted From an Indian Temple a Decade Ago Have Been Recovered Red flags were raised when an art collector unwittingly tried to register the stolen goods with the Archaeological Survey of India. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 15, 2022
The 12 Days of Artmas Artist Urs Fischer Turned His Digital ‘CHAOS’ Sculpture Into a 2,000-Piece Puzzle—Perfect for the Art-Inclined Homebody On the third day of Artmas, we head to the UF Drop Shop at Jeffrey Deitch in New York, which has merch from the Swiss artist’s new brand. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 15, 2022
Sustainability Sotheby’s Has Postponed Its Unprecedented Auction of the Rights to 100 Pristine Indonesian Islands Following an Outcry The archipelago, called the Widi Reserve, comprises roughly 100 islands and 25,000 acres of land. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 14, 2022
Pop Culture ‘I Wanted to Design Something Fit for Royalty’: The Creator of Drake’s New Necklace Made of 42 Engagement Rings Tells Us His Process The rapper and jewelry aficionado revealed his new 351-carat diamond necklace by New York-based designer Alex Moss this week. By Vittoria Benzine, Dec 14, 2022
