The U.S. officially recognizes the Armenian Genocide, divers uncover a sunken Swiss village, and researchers discover Viking artifacts in an Icelandic cave.
A Century After 1.5 Million Were Killed, The U.S. Officially Acknowledges The Armenian Genocide
Wikimedia CommonsArmenian leader Vahan Papazian looks out over the remains of the dead at Deir ez-Zor.
In 1943, in the midst of the Holocaust, Polish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin coined the word “genocide” to describe what the Ottomans had done to the Armenians between 1915 and 1917. Though it remains both widely overlooked and outright denied to this day, the Turks and Ottomans killed 1.5 million Armenians during World War I.
Today, just 30 of the world’s approximately 200 independent states recognize the Armenian Genocide, with the United Kingdom and Israel among those that do not. But now, the U.S. has finally acknowledged this horrific chapter in modern history.
Learn more here.
Divers Discover A 3,000-Year-Old Sunken Bronze Age Village Beneath A Swiss Lake
Wikimedia CommonsLake Lucerne
For centuries, Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne concealed a secret. Beneath a layer of mud and 13 feet of sparkling blue water, a sunken Bronze Age village lay quietly forgotten — until now.
The village, discovered by underwater archeologists assisting with the installation of a pipeline, completely rewrites Lucerne’s history. It suggests that the region was settled much earlier than previously thought.
Dig deeper in this report.
Viking Sacrificial Cave Intended To Ward Off The Apocalypse Discovered In Iceland
Wikimedia CommonsOne of the many staggering tunnels formed by lava in Surtshellir Cave.
Researchers in Iceland recently unearthed a trove of rare Middle Eastern artifacts dating back 1,000 years near a since-dormant volcano. Most remarkable was a stone, boat-shaped structure they believe the Vikings associated with Ragnarök — a world-ending event that would see their gods killed and humanity wiped out in a fiery apocalypse.
See more here.
