When British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed the sealed tomb of Tutankhamen on Nov. 4, 1922, little was known about the Egyptian boy pharaoh. That didn’t stop newspapers from filling their pages with wild speculation and admiration for Tut’s ancient civilization as Carter, his patron Lord Carnarvon (George Herbert), and their crew worked their way through the tomb. It made for some peculiar headlines. After the jump, some winners that I found while researching for the World Almanac Book of Records.
The treasures that Carter uncovered are now touring the U.S. as part of the exhibition King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It’s in Chicago until Jan. 1 and will be in Philadelphia Feb. 3 - Sept. 30, 2007 before heading to London. The last time these items crossed the Atlantic was for The Treasures of Tutankhamen tour from Nov. 17, 1976 to Sept. 30, 1979. It drew an estimated 8 million people; making it the world’s first traveling museum “mega-event.”
Also, National Geographic’s account of the tomb’s opening.
