Linked List : History Edition

For whatever reason, there were a bunch of interesting articles on history in my feeds this morning...

To start things off, an archaeologist believes he may have found clues to the fate of some of the original Roanoke colonists:

Mr. Luccketti, 66, chose his words carefully as he described the fruits of their latest work. "I'm trying to make sure that I say this correctly," he said. "We have evidence from this site that strongly indicates that there were Roanoke colonists here." In Chapel Hill, N.C., on Tuesday, the foundation will reveal its findings, which have been submitted for peer review, and the theory that at least a few of the settlers moved inland to Site X.

Next, an article on the American program to eavesdrop on enemy radio communications in Europe and Africa... from Scituate, Rhode Island:

Seventy years ago this week Rhode Islanders swarmed into the streets with other joyous Americans celebrating the end of World War II. It would be three more months before the world learned of Rhode Island's top-secret role in defeating Germany and Japan. It was a tale of espionage, now virtually forgotten, centered in, of all places, an old farmhouse in Scituate.

Also related to WWII - excavation while building luxury apartments in Bethnal Green, England turned up a 500lb bomb:

The Royal Logistics Corps was on site preparing to stabilise and defuse the device, dropped during the Blitz in 1941. It was found by builders working on a site behind Temple Street. Photographs released by the Ministry of Defence showed the rusting shell embedded two feet below the ground encased by mud.

Finally, via Peter Grant - a.k.a Bayou Renaissance Man - a report of the recovery of the ship's bell from the HMS Hood by a team funded by Paul Allen:

The bell was brought up from the shattered wreck lying in the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland at a depth of more than 9,000 feet. The bell will now spend a year undergoing restoration before being placed in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.

Update: Almost forgot that I wanted to include a link to cracked.com's article on "5 Insane True Stories That Change How You Picture WWII":

#5. The Nazis Had A Supervillain Arctic Base To Make Nukes ... And 11 Men Took It Out

#4. Japan Was Building A Tesla-Inspired "Death Ray"

#3. Hitler Saved America From A Nazi Bioweapon Plot

#2. An American Citizen And A Downed Japanese Pilot Teamed Up To "Invade" Hawaii

#1. Japan And Germany Planned To Send A Dirty Bomb To America Delivered By Kamikaze Submarines