The Make-A-wish Foundation (New Hampshire) built a castle - in his backyard - for young David Marasco, who "has a rare disease called desmoid fibromatosis."

In which "old' is "new" again. Perhaps these young Mexican gentlemen have been influenced by late 15th century footwear?

Israeli archaeologists are excited over the discovery of a 6th century Byzantine church in the desert southwest of Jerusalem. The small basilica features "exquisitely decorated" mosaic floors.

Until January 29, 2011, art lovers and historians have the opportunity to study six masterpieces from the Uffizi gallery in Florence in minute detail on the Haltadefinizione company website. The site allows visitors to zoom in on high-resolution images.

Archaelogists, working at the Driffield Terrace site in York have unearthed some 80 skeletons dating from the 1st through 4th centuries CE.  Based on current evidence, they believe it to be a Gladiator graveyard from the Roman settlement of Eboracum.

Bruno Heller, creator of the hit TV series Rome, has announced plans for a feature-length film.

Gordon Strachan, a minister for the Church of Scotland, believes Jesus may have visited England and studied with the Druids at Glastonbury. His research is featured in a new film, And Did Those Feet.

A newly-discovered section of China's Great Wall shows that the structure was actually at least 11 kilometers longer than previously believed. The new section was found in the northeastern Jilin province.

A team of archaeologists, led by Professor Nikolay Ovcharov, has discovered the walls of what they believe is the the Monastery of the Bulgarian Patriarch in the 13th century in Veliko Tarnovo, the country's medieval capital.

Under Armour, manufacturer of a line of athletic garments popular with SCA martial participants, has recalled over 200 thousand athletic cups because they may break under stress and cause injury.

According to a 15th century history book, Robin Hood may not have been as popular with the common people as believed. According to art historian Julian Luxford, Robin and his merry men "infested" Sherwood Forest with their thieving ways.

A batch of leather shoe soles dating from the 13th to 18th centuries was found in 2005 in a hollow tree trunk in an ancient trash dump in Lyon, France. The soles are well-preserved.

A 1500-year-old "Sleeping Buddha" statue has been found buried in Afghanistan near the site of the tragic destruction of two other statues seven years ago by Taliban extremists. The latest 62-foot long Buddha was found by a French-Afghan team.

"X-rays, CAT scans, reflective infra-red photography, lasers, men and women in white coats, microscopes, latex gloves" all played a part in the restoration of Raphael's masterpiece "Madonna of the Goldfinch," a 10-year project with stunning results. (photo)

A new virtual tour of Beijing's Forbidden City allows visitors to step into the silk slippers of an imperial eunuch for a behind-the-scenes virtual tour of the cultural treasure.

Berlin radio station Kiss FM plans to air its morning show entirely in Latin on September 26, 2008. The show will celebrate the European day of languages.

The ASTRA (Ancient instruments Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application) project has produced the sound of a Epigonion, a wooden string instrument similar to a modern-day harp. This is the first time that this ancient instrument has been heard by modern man.

Archaeologists are hoping that they have found the remains of The Theatre. Built in 1576, the venue is very likely the place where Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and "Romeo and Juliet" debuted. Walls of the building were discovered under a vacant garage.

A new study suggests that medieval stained glass windows covered with tiny gold particles helped to purify the air when sunlight shone through them.

Richard Garriott, known in the Kingdom of Ansteorra as Don Shamino, will become the next space tourist when he blasts off in the fall of 2008 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 10-day stay on the International Space Station.

A 7th century curse inscribed on a tablet has been found by archaeologists working near Limassol, Cyprus. The inscription curses the sexual prowess of men and may be linked to the island's pagan past. PG-13.

New evidence pertaining to the death of a Viking woman found in a ship burial disputes the earlier belief that the woman was ritually murdered. "We have no reason to think violence was the cause of death," Per Holck, professor of anatomy at Oslo University, told Reuters after studying the two women who died in 834 aged about 80 and 50.

The theatre and film world is mourning the death of British actor Paul Scofield, best known for his role as Sir Thomas More in the classic A Man for All Seasons. Scofield was 86 years old. Audrey Woods of the Associated Press wrote his obituary.

Police in Seoul, Korea believe arson was responsible for the destruction of a 600-year-old gate considered to be Korea's most important national treasure.

An archaeological dig in downtown Berlin has uncovered evidence that the German capital is at least 45 years older than had previously been established.

Apparently to avoid building inspections and zoning laws, Robert Fidler, a farmer in Surrey, England, built and lived in a complete mock-Tudor house and concealed the structure behind hay bales.

Archaeologists working in Vietnam's central province of Quang Ngai have discovered an ancient brick kiln dating to the 8th century CE.

The Codex Atlanticus, "the largest collection of drawings and writings by the Renaissance master" Leonardo da Vinci, may have suffered extensive damage due to mold.

Archaeologists are studying the buried remains of a ship from a Spanish colonization fleet led by Don Tristan de Luna.

The remains of a late Roman-Byzantine-era synagogue have been discovered in the Arbel National Park near the Sea of Galilee. The building is thought to date from the 2nd to 4th century C.E.