6 NEWS
A new study of footprints in New
Mexico dates them to the Ice Age,
rolling back the arrival of humans in North
America to as far as 23,000 years ago.8 PROFILES
In 1843 math mastermind Ada
Lovelace wrote an algorithm for
an adding machine, immortalizing herself as
the world’s first computer programmer.12 SNAPSHOTS
The pizza Margherita is named
for a queen—or so the tale goes.
Historians suggest the facts behind this
origin story may be a little half-baked.14 MILESTONES
Army officers falsely accused
Alfred Dreyfus for selling secrets
to the enemy in 1894, a scandal steeped in
anti-Semitism that tore France apart.92 DISCOVERIES
When a queen’s tomb was
found near the Great Pyramid
in 1925, archaeologists were astounded
at the 4,000-year-old treasures inside.18 Beware the Ides of March
Riled by Julius Caesar’s ambition, on March 15, 44 b.c., an elite group of
Romans stabbed him to death. Piecing together the sources, historians can
recount the intrigue behind the most famous assassination of all time.
32 Splendor of Angkor
Amid the lush forests and waterways of Cambodia, the temples of
Angkor form the world’s largest religious complex—built as the Khmer
Empire began its religious shift from Hinduism to Buddhism.
46 Knights in Shining Armor
The “superheroes” of the Middle Ages, European knights acted according
to a code of valor and courtesy and inspired great works of medieval
literature, even as new trends in warfare made their military role obsolete.62 Sofonisba, Superstar
With raw talent that could not be ignored, Sofonisba Anguissola attracted
the attention of Renaissance greats, including Michelangelo.
Her skilled portraiture launched her career as a
Renaissance court painter for the king of Spain.
78 Saving Nunalleq
Rising temperatures are threatening indigenous
artifacts made of ivory, antler, and wood that
were once preserved and protected by the
permafrost at the Yupik site of Nunalleq, Alaska.Features Departments“IDES OF MARCH,” COIN COMMEMORATING
CAESAR’S ASSASSINATION, CA 43-42 B.C.VOL. 8 NO. 1KNIGHTLY IDEAL
The French knight Boucicaut, a
paragon of valor and piety, prays in
a 15th-century miniature. Musée
Jacquemart-André, Paris