This Week In History News, Oct. 1 – 7

Published October 6, 2017

Philosopher's mummified head put on display, St. Nicholas' grave found, possible Mona Lisa prototype identified, human radiation experiments revealed, "Band of Brothers" vet laid to rest.

British Philosopher’s Mummified Head To Be Put On Display, Tested For Autism

Bentham Head

UCLPhilosopher Jeremy Bentham’s mummified head.

The preserved head of an eccentric 18th-century British philosopher will be put on display at University College London and will be tested to see if he had autism.

The Daily Mail reports that the mummified head of British philosopher Jeremy Bentham, which has been preserved since his death 185 years ago, will soon be put on display at a University College London art exhibit entitled “What does it mean to be human?”

Learn more here.

Santa Confirmed Dead After Grave Of St. Nicholas Is Discovered

Church Mosaic

Getty images Mosaics on the floor of the Church of St. Nicholas, in Demre, Antalya.

New Christmas theory: Santa is a ghost.

He must be because according to archeologists in Turkey, they just found his grave, buried beneath the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Antalya.

Dig deeper here.

Topless Sketch May Be Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa Prototype

Monna Vanna Mona Lisa

Left: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images, Right: Wikimedia CommonsLeft: Monna Vanna. Right: Mona Lisa.

Before painting the iconic Mona Lisa, might Leonardo da Vinci have sketched a nude version first?

This is precisely the question that experts at the Louvre in Paris are now trying to figure out. Previously attributed to one of da Vinci’s students, this sketch known as the Monna Vanna may have in fact been created by the man himself — and could have been a precursor to the Mona Lisa.

Read the full report here.

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.