This Week In History News, July 23 – 29

Published July 28, 2017
Updated January 10, 2018

Nazi Gold Found On Sunken Ship Could Be Worth $130 Million

Other Boat

The SS Porta, a sister ship of the SS Minden.

You could never accuse the Nazis of having hearts of gold — but a new discovery shows that when it comes to Nazi vessels, it’s a different story.

Indeed, British treasure hunters have uncovered up to $130 million-worth of gold within the wreckage of the SS Minden, a Nazi cargo ship.
As the Sun first reported, hunters from Advanced Marine Services (AMS) found the sunken goldmine 120 miles off the coast of Iceland, whose government approval the researchers must receive in order to open the chest.

Dig deeper here.

Famous 19th Century British Doctor Kept A Lifelong Secret That LGBT Activists Are Now Celebrating

Barry James

WikipediaA portrait of Barry, and a photo of Barry (man on left).

As Dr. James Barry lay on his deathbed in July of 1865, those attending to him discovered something new: Dr. Barry was born a woman.

Indeed, the English surgeon — who performed one of the first cesarean sections where both mother and infant survived, who saved countless lives working for the British Army — was born Margaret Ann Bulkley, and had abandoned that identity early on in his life.

And now, as the Guardian reported, English officials have deemed Barry’s grave a site of historical significance in shaping the country’s LGBTQ history.

On Tuesday, Historic England announced 16 sites that had made historic contributions to the country’s diversity in gender and sexual orientation — a diversity that officials believe needs celebration.

Read more here.

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