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historyMonday, July 20, 2026

Mozart's lost notebook, Nazi database, Roman woman ID'd

Today's history coverage is a grab bag of rediscoveries: a 248-year-old Mozart notebook surfaces with unknown pieces, a German newspaper builds a searchable Nazi Party database, and archaeologists may have named a 2,000-year-old woman from a well inscription. Each story is about finding something thought lost and giving it new context.

Sources

Rediscovered artifacts

Two stories this week are about objects that resurface after centuries, each carrying a surprising human story.

#01www.popularmechanics.comJul 20

An Archivist Found Mozart’s 248-Year-Old Notebook. The Lost Masterpieces Inside Tell a Wild Story.

An archivist found Mozart's 248-year-old notebook containing unknown pieces he wrote in 1778 while down on his luck in Paris. The pieces were for a diplomat's daughter, adding a personal layer to a well-known period of the composer's life.

7 min readRead original

#02www.popularmechanics.comJul 20

A Mysterious Woman’s Name Was Etched Into Stone Nearly 2,000 Years Ago. Archaeologists May Have Finally Found Her Identity.

A new study may have identified Junia Rufina, the woman behind a 2,000-year-old well inscription in Roman Butrint. The research, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, pieces together her social standing from a single line of text.

5 min readRead original

Digital history projects

One major project shows how technology can open up dark historical records to the public.

#03www.niemanlab.orgJul 20

One name at a time: How Die Zeit built a searchable database of Nazi Party members

Die Zeit built a searchable database of over 10 million Nazi Party members using AI and surviving membership cards. The cards were nearly destroyed but saved by a paper mill operator, and the project makes a vast, grim archive accessible to the public.

Also today15

100 years of Rainbow Cone’s wonderful weirdnesswww.chicagotribune.com
To generations of Chicagoans, the first Rainbow Cone of the season means summer has arrived. As it celebrates its centennial, it’s more visible and accessible than ever.
Finding lost names of CT history: ‘It’s regular people, and some of them have very sad endings.’www.courant.com
“They’re almost alive in my mind, I’ve spent so much time with them,” a historian said.
This Week in Literary History: O. Henry is Released from Prisonlithub.com
This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Literary History newsletter—sign up here. Famously, O. Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter), author of “The Gift of the Magi,” and one of the most celebrated short story writers of his generation, and whose
How Leprosy Was Used as a Weapon Against Hawaii’s Indigenous Populationlithub.com
Father Damien was a dirty man. Everyone agreed on that. Dirt would accumulate under his fingernails; he rarely washed his hands. His clothes—his habitual cassock and wide-brimmed hat—were worn for days on end; he saw no reason to clean his
Today in Chicago History: Special Olympics debuts at Soldier Fieldwww.chicagotribune.com
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 20, according to the Tribune's archives.
Visit A Museum Of Glasses, And Go On A Cemetery Bat Walk: Heritage Open Days 2026londonist.com
September = Xmas for London lovers.
Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery beginswww.journal-advocate.com
America’s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony in the Senate office building.
Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery beginswww.mercurynews.com
America’s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony in the Senate office building.
Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery beginswww.citizensvoice.com
America’s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony in the Senate office building.