History

Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise, marks his 190th with fanfare and salad cake
While Jonathan's exact birthday is unknown, it's estimated he was born in 1832 — before the first photograph of a person and the first postage stamp. He's getting lots of well-wishes on St. Helena.
Another batch of JFK assassination papers may see the light of day. A well-known Minnesotan has already given them the eye
The only living remaining member of the Assassination Records Review Board is U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim, who presides from a bench at the Minneapolis federal courthouse.
Discovery of ancient bronze statues in Italy may rewrite Etruscan and Roman history
The discoveries shed light on what the Italian Culture Ministry calls a "unique multicultural and multilingual haven of peace" between Etruscans and Romans at a time when they were mostly at war.
Work of pioneering Arctic explorer from Minnesota gains new relevance in tracking effects of climate change
Canadian researchers have been traveling to Minnesota to view plant specimens gathered in the Arctic decades ago by a boot-clomping, chain-smoking librarian who grew up near Duluth. The work of Margaret Oldenburg is finding new relevance as a way to better understand the effects of climate change.
40 years ago, massive Thanksgiving fire destroyed a block of downtown Minneapolis
It started late on Thanksgiving Day, 1982 — Nov. 25, to be exact. Forty years ago. Flames erupted from the vacant former Donaldson's Department Store building in downtown Minneapolis and quickly spread to the adjacent 16-story Northwestern National Bank building.
Split Rock’s beacon will shine to mark Edmund Fitzgerald anniversary
Today — Nov. 10 — is the 47th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in a Lake Superior storm. Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota’s North Shore will mark the anniversary with its annual ceremony.
Discovery of bronzes rewrites Italy's Etruscan-Roman history
Italian authorities have announced the extraordinary discovery of more than 2,000-year-old bronze statues in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring. They say the find will “rewrite history” about the transition from the Etruscan civilization to the Roman Empire. 
A rare copy of the first printing of the U.S. Constitution is going up for auction
The document last went up for auction in 1894. After the new auction was announced, the group that crowdfunded an attempt to buy a similar copy last year told NPR, "We're looking into it."
Martin Luther King Jr. paid the bill for Julia Roberts' birth. Here's the backstory
As fans marked Julia Roberts' birthday last week, they also uncovered a connection between her family and that of the civil rights icon. It all started when her parents opened an acting school.