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Message in a bottle, written 200 years ago by an archaeologist, found on a French clifftop
Volunteers on an archaeological dig in the ruins of an ancient Gaulish village high above the cliffs in northern France this week uncovered a small glass vial —and within it a neatly rolled, 200-year-old message from a colleague from another era.
The note was written by archaeologist P.J Féret, who conducted a dig at the Cité de Limes site in January 1825, the town supporting the dig, Eu, said in a Facebook post.
Féret wrote —perhaps as inspiration to the nascent archaeologists standing in his footsteps nearly two centuries later— that he was a member of several scientific societies and he “continues his research in this entire vast compound.”
“It was an absolutely magic moment,” Guillaume Blondel, who heads the archaeological service for the town of Eu, told the BBC. “We knew there had been excavations here in the past, but to find this message from 200 years ago… it was a total surprise.”
“Sometimes you see these time capsules left behind by carpenters when they build houses. But it’s very rare in archaeology,” Blondel said. “Most archaeologists prefer to think that there won’t be anyone coming after them because they’ve done all the work!”
Municipal records confirmed that Féret conducted a first dig at the site 200 years ago.
The oldest message in a bottle ever found was 131 years and 223 days old when it was discovered, Guinness World Records said in a statement. Australians Tonya and Kym Illman found the message on Jan. 21, 2018, at Wedge Island, Australia.
A German ship captain threw a gin bottle overboard on June 12, 1886, Guinness World Records said, with a message written in ink, that contained the ship’s coordinates and details, including departure and arrival times. The note, from the Deutsche Seewarte in Hamburg, requested the finder deliver the note to the nearest German Embassy.
If authenticated, Féret’s 200-year-old message in a bottle will be the oldest ever found.
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San Francisco 49er Ricky Pearsall scores 1st career touchdown just over 2 months after being shot
San Francisco 49er Ricky Pearsall scored his first NFL career touchdown on Sunday, after being shot almost three months ago.
Pearsall scored a 46-yard touchdown on a pass from Brock Purdy, in the 1st quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His first touchdown comes just over 20 days after he made his return to the field. He made his return during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pearsall was shot on Aug. 31 in San Francisco. Police said he was walking about a block from Union Square around 3:30 p.m. when someone armed with a gun tried to rob him.
A brief struggle ensued, and police said the gun was fired, injuring both Pearsall and the suspect.
Pearsall was hospitalized overnight, but despite being shot in the chest, he was not seriously injured. He began working out at the team facility the following week and made his return just 50 days later.
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11/10: Face the Nation – CBS News
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Face the Nation: Khanna, Kashkari, Pierce
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