Top 10 Most Important Historical Finds

A farmer in Xi’an named Yang was drilling for water when he found the Terracotta Army in 1947. The Army was carved by 700,000 forced workers and was buried underground in front of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang so they could protect him in the afterlife. Qin Shi Huang was the first Emperor to unify China and is as much reviled for his tyranny as he is admired as a visionary. Tens of thousands of human and animal statues were created in several pieces and then assembled, each of which is unique. Actual weapons and armor were used in the manufacturing of the warriors but they were stolen shortly after the creation of the tomb. Despite the impressive discoveries in Xi’an, the tomb of the emperor has yet to be found.

Importance

The Terracotta Army is our doorway to understanding how the real Qin Dynasty army functioned. By examining these clay warriors we can determine the formations of the army and what kind of weapons they used as well as their quality. Fine bronze swords, daggers, billhooks, spears, halberds, axes, crossbow triggers and arrowheads were all found in the pits at Xi’an.

9. The Dead Sea Scrolls

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Top 10 Most Reputable Historical Gamblers

John Montague lived in England lived from 1718 to 1792. He was a British statesman who held many important and prestigious stations in both military and political offices. Montague doesn’t have the best reputation, but it is said that most of the history written about him was written by his political enemies.
Apparently Montague, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, would ask his servants to bring him slices of meat between two slices of bread during his long hours at the card table. This habit became well known amongst his gambling friends and thus the ‘sandwich’ was born.

Montague was well educated, a Cambridge graduate, and held a number of important posts in his life; however, it is the invention of the sandwich that earns him a spot on this list. (Hogarth’s “Gaming House” painting from freshbynorthwest.com, read ‘Hunger and Aces Make Culinary History‘ for more history of the sandwich.)
9. John Aspinall


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