This Week In History News, May 13 – 19

Published May 18, 2018

Earliest human virus uncovered, Stone age artifacts rewrite history books, oldest U.S. WWII vet turns 112.

The Oldest Virus In A Human Skeleton Was Just Found — And It’s Still Afflicting People Today

Hep B

MSN NewsPrior to the study, the oldest human virus detected was from 450 years ago.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of human hepatitis, which afflicts over 250 million people. Now, we know that is has been infecting people for at least 4,500 years.

Research published in the journal Nature on May 9, 2018, revealed that Hepatitis B was found on skeletons from the bronze age, making it the oldest human virus ever discovered.

Dig deeper here.

Discovery Of 78,000-Year-Old Artifacts Changes How We See The Stone Age

Pys Cave

Mohammad ShoaeeThe first substantial cave record from coastal Kenya shows gradual changes in innovations beginning 67,000 years ago.

An international, interdisciplinary group of researchers have uncovered human innovations from at least 67,000 years ago. The artifacts were found in a cave located in a coastal area of Africa that, up until now, there was very little information on.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications on May 9, 2018, gives us new information about human history and evolution.

Read more in this report.

Richard Overton, America’s Oldest World War II Vet Is 112 And Still Smoking And Drinking

Richard Overton Cigar

Cigar AficionadoRichard Overton

“Just keep living, don’t die.” Sage advice from America’s oldest World War II Veteran.

Richard Overton celebrated his 112th birthday on May 11, 2018. Born in Texas’ Bastrop County in 1906, Overton joined the military in 1942. Serving in the South Pacific as a soldier with the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, Overton fought in a segregated Army unit.

Learn more about Richard Overton.

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.