Used to date pottery and burnt flint (anything that hasn't been alive, but that has been exposed to heat or sunlight). See 'Some Notes on Archaeology'.
Thermoluminescence
Fact of the Day
According to FIFA, football was played in Han-dynasty China (206 BCE - 220 CE): players kicked a leather ball filled with feathers into a net supported by bamboo rods.
Quote of the Day
"Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions.
"
~ Terry Pratchett
On This Day
1586 American colonists arrived in Plymouth with large quantities of tobacco. Smoking caught on quickly, though it was also used in tea.
1694 The Bank of England was founded by an act of parliament as a way to finance government debt by private subscription.
1943 The concentrated Allied bombing of Hamburg led to a three hour firestorm that killed approx 30,000 civilians.