2014 Event The Pyu Ancient Cities in Myanmar and the Shahr-i-Sokhta (Burnt City) in Iran have been named World Heritage sites; the Myanmar cities were active from 200 B.C. to 900 A.D.; the Iranian city was active primarily from 3200 B.C. to about 1800 B.C. 2014 Event The Italian government sets aside 2 million euros for repairs to the ancient city of Pompeii after damage caused by heavy rains highlights the general decay of this World Heritage site 2014 Event The world's largest virus to date is discovered in 30,000-year-old Siberian ice; the ancient virus is still able to infect amoebae, its target hosts 2013 Event Pope Francis gives his Urbi et Orbi speech (to the City of Rome and to the World), a papal address and Apostolic Blessing dating back to Ancient Rome; the Pope calls for peace in Syria and South Sudan 2013 Event NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft transmits images that for the very first time, allow scientists to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient water channels below the surface of Mars 2013 Event Scientist in China discover an ancient human fossil in a cave near Beijing; the 40,000 year-old leg bone shows it was related to the ancestors of present-day Asians and Native Americans 2012 Event A biblical picture of Samson and a Hebrew inscription is discovered in an ancient synagogue in the Galilee region of northern Israel 2012 Event Between 60 to 70 artifacts of the ancient Olympic games are stolen by thieves who broke into the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece 2011 Event Ancient Korean royal books looted by French troops in 1866 are returned to South Korea; 1,000 officials and locals celebrate the return of the 297-volume 'Oegyujanggak' books 2010 Event In China, a 2,400 ear-old pot of soup is discovered near the country's ancient capital of Xi'an 2010 Event A new species of ancient crocodile, Khoratosuchus jintasakuli, is identified by a fossil in Thailand 2010 Event A construction site in London reveals a Roman settlement filled with ancient artifacts and human remains 2010 Event Denisova hominin - a previously unknown type of ancient human, is identified by scientists through DNA analysis from a finger discovered in a cave near Siberia, Russia 1963 Death Carel C van Essen, archaeologist (Art of Ancient Rome), dies at 63 1937 Death Georg A Erman, Germany egyptologist (Grammar of Ancient Egypt), dies at 82 1930 Birthday Velio Tormis, born in Estonia, composed music based on traditional ancient Estonian folksongs, most important composer in 20th century Estonia 1926 Birthday David Ogilvy, born in London, England, David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, judge, served as Lord Chamberlain 1909 Birthday Hermann Bengtson, German historian, Greeks Ancient Times 1881 Event Ancient Egyptian obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" erected in Central Park 1873 Birthday Ellen Anderson Glasgow, U.S., novelist, Ancient Law, Pulitzer-1942 1871 Event Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of Mystic Shrine founded, New York City 1864 Birthday Max Weber, German sociologist/economist/historian, Ancient Judaism 1854 Birthday Georg A Erman, German Egyptologist, Grammar of Ancient Egypt 1832 Birthday Gustave Dore, Strasbourg Fr, illustrator, Inferno, Ancient Mariner 1795 Death Jean-Jacques Barthelemy, French historian (Ancient Greece), dies 1772 Birthday Samuel Taylor Coleridge, England, poet, Rime of Ancient Mariner 1717 Birthday Johann J Winckelmann, German archaeologist, History of Ancient Art
