4 November 1922: Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb

On this day in 1922 archaeologist Howard Carter discovered a set of stone steps that led to the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Howard Carter at Tutankhamun's tomb
Carter at Tutankhamun's tomb with a box of artefacts
(Image credit: © George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Egypt's Valley of the Kings is a barren, arid place, near the west bank of the Nile. For 500 years, Egypt's rulers were interred there, surrounded by inscriptions of Egyptian mythology and priceless artefacts to help them in the afterlife. But if they thought they would be left alone, they had another thing coming. Over the years, virtually all the tombs had been robbed and the treasures lost.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.