Tasty Thursday News
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Today's smorgasbord of tasty news nuggets to brighten the day.
Ancient Paris
Archaeologists excavating the forecourt of Notre Dame Cathedral have uncovered artifacts dating back roughly 2,000 years to Roman-era Paris. The dig is part of a city project to redesign the plaza in front of the cathedral following the 2019 fire. Roughly 20 centuries of history are layered within about 13 feet beneath the site. Work on the cathedral began in 1163, and the site was surrounded by tightly packed medieval homes and narrow lanes. Many of the discoveries come from Lutetia, the ancient settlement that later became Paris. Finds include a fourth-century coin bearing the image of Constantine, the Roman emperor who ruled in the early 300s CE, and fragments of medieval pottery bearing symbols that researchers have yet to identify. The city plans to add 160 trees, improve walkways, and expand shaded areas to better handle millions of visitors while preserving views of the cathedral’s facade - it's all part of a 'green facelift' for the City of Light.
'Highway to Hel'
Coach operator FlixBus has announced the return of the 666 bus service to the Polish seaside resort of Hel - resurrecting the controversial so-called 'Highway to Hel' bus journey. FlixBus says: "The number 666 was deliberately chosen as a marketing communication element, intended to increase the visibility of the connection on the popular holiday route to Hel." The Bible identifies 666 as the "number of the beast" and Hel is just one "l" short of the English word "hell". Hel is located on the tip of the 22-mile (35km) Hel Peninsula, which juts off the northern coast of Poland in the Gulf of Gdańsk. Tourists are drawn to Hel's sandy beaches, ancient architecture and seal sanctuary.
Passionate Bibliophile
To be loved is to be known. And a young woman named Lauren Elizabeth Burkardt is well known by her mom, Linda Van Valkenburgh. Knowing that her daughter has been a passionate bibliophile since she was little, Van Valkenburgh created a detailed bookshelf quilt featuring 125 of the many books Burkardt has read throughout her life. “Mom gave me a treasure beyond words this year,” Burkardt wrote in the caption of a viral TikTok video, showing the amazing gift. Van Valkenburgh titled her work My Daughter’s Heart, and added an inscription that reads, “My Lauren, ever since you were a tiny being, you knew what you loved. Never lose that compass point.”
Oldest in Britain
Painted rock art discovered in a Welsh cave has been confirmed to be the oldest in Britain. The series of somewhat indistinct 10 red horizontal stripes was first found on the wall of a side chamber of Bacon Hole cave in Gower, Swansea, in 1912, before being dismissed years later as a natural phenomenon. But archaeologists have now used scientific advances to date the rock art to at least 17,100 years ago - also making it the oldest in north-western Europe. Archaeologist and prehistoric art specialist George Nash said the art could have been used as a "communication system" but that its meaning was something "way beyond our comprehension".
Strange But True
A rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh was spared from becoming an Eid sacrifice because its “blonde tuft” made it look like Donald Trump. After images of the buffalo went viral “crowds gathered at the farm”, and the attention prompted “a last-minute government intervention” to purchase Trump’s doppelganger, who has now been moved to the national zoo.
Swift's Toy Story
Taylor Swift is releasing an original song for Toy Story 5 tomorrow - called I Knew It, I Knew You - despite the fact that the movie doesn't hit the big screen until 19 June. She posted on Instagram: "I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie. I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?"
"At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home and those who don’t. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other." Ann Landers
On This Day
4 June 1984: Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's seventh studio album Born in the USA, his biggest commercial success that topped the charts in 11 countries and sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Today's Articles
Floating City: A mile-long, 800ft-wide and 30-decks-high, the world's first floating city could be home to 80,000 people.
Health Benefits: As well as being convenient and delicious, bell peppers come with numerous health benefits.
Mood Boosting Video
Boston Subway: Busker plays Sweet Caroline and the whole crowd joins in.