SCAtoday.net - MSNBC

Pennsylvania may end "Beer Case Law"

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 19:05:39 -0500

Moderate drinkers at Pennsic take heart. The end of Pennsylvania's beer "case law," which requires purchase of an entire case of beer at a time, may be at hand.

Suffering for beauty has ancient roots

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:06:00 -0500

For as long as humans have admired themselves in magazines, mirrors and murky pools of water, they’ve also had to contend with the ugly side of beauty.

Some relics of St. Francis probably did not belong to the saint

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:35:18 -0400

Carbon dating done on relics of St. Francis of Assisi have given mixed results. While a tunic, belt and mortuary cushion were dated to the right time period, another tunic, which the church attributes to the saint, did not.

Botticelli fresco in Hungary?

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:15:20 -0400

Art historians are excited about the possible discovery of a Botticelli fresco in the ruins of a Hungarian palace. The large work was found in remains of the palace of Archbishop Janos Vitez, the head of the country's Catholic church from 1465 to 1472.

Frescos cleaned with salad dressing?

Thu, 31 May 2007 07:16:44 -0400

Fine art met culinary art in Siena, Italy recently when delicate frescos by Renaissance painter Lorenzo di Pietro were cleaned with a salad-dressing-like mixture of oil and water.

Rome: Upstairs Downstairs with swords!

Fri, 9 Feb 2007 07:34:42 -0500

In an article for Newsweek, Malcolm Jones looks at the second season of the HBO series Rome.

400-year-old seeds help tell Jamestown story

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:16:32 -0500

The recent discovery of some 400-year-old seeds in a well at the Colonial Jamestown archaeological site has given researchers much to ponder about the life and survival skills of the early Jamestown settlers.

Pazyryk warrior gives keys to Russian past

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:58:03 -0500

The well-preserved, frozen remains of a 2,000-year-old Russian warrior, found recently in the Altai mountains region of Russia, have archaeologists excited.

Shakespeare's Church Has Leaky Roof

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:50:25 -0500

The caretakers of the church where William Shakespeare was baptized and buried want help to fix its leaky roof. Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon is seeking sponsors to "adopt a gargoyle" and help the church provide the extensive maintenance needed.

Bones probably not those of Joan of Arc

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:19:37 -0500

Eighteen experts, working to determine if a rib bone and a piece of cloth belonged to St. Joan of Arc, have not completely finished their task but now feel that "there is relatively little chance that the remnants are hers."

Scientists at last understand ancient calculating device

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:52:05 -0500

After many years of study, scientists at last can fathom the works of a calculating device from ancient Greece, which some researchers consider more valuable than the Mona Lisa due to its unique historical value.

"Da Vinci Code" Renews Interest in the Grail

Sat, 27 May 2006 14:51:58 -0400

The popularity of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code has sparked interest in grail legends, according to scholars. An MSNBC article looks the various ways the grail has popped up in literature over the centuries.

Heyerdahl Sails Again; Re-enactor's Descendant Repeats his Feat

Mon, 15 May 2006 08:02:41 -0400

The grandson of Thor Heyerdahl is re-enacting his grandfather's 1947 re-enactment of a hypothetical ancient voyage from South America to the Polynesian islands.

Shakespeare First Folio to be Auctioned

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 21:06:57 -0400

A rare, 17th century, calf-bound volume of the plays of William Shakespeare is scheduled to be auctioned in the summer of 2006 at Sotheby's sale of English Literature and History.

Cultural Icons Among Most Endangered Wonders

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:18:21 -0400

Newsweek has listed three iconic medieval structures among the Seven Most Endangered Wonders of the World.