On This Day: November 26th - Tutankhamun's Tomb was Entered By Howard Carter

On this date in history in the year 1922, an English archaeologist named Howard Carter successfully penetrated the tomb of the 18th century Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun. Howard Carter was born on May 9th, 1874 and formed an interest in studying Egyptian history and archaeology. Later in his life, Carter befriended George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, a wealthy English aristocrat interested in excavations as well. He was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a small town in Whales. His curiosity led him to finance Carter in his search for Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Having trouble finding anything worth noting, Lord Carnarvon became impatient with Howard Carter’s work. Believing that Carter may still find something, he continued to finance him. After searching for several years, Carter finally found the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb in November of 1922. In February of 1923, Carter found the entryway into Tutankhamun’s burial chamber where his mummified body laid. This event is historically important because little was known about Tutankhamun prior to the excavation of his tomb. The contents of his tomb gave the world new insight into what the ancient King was like. The excavation of his tomb is considered one of the most important historical finds in the 20th century. Howard Carter died on March 2nd, 1939 and George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert died on April 5th, 1923. Speculations about King Tutankhamun’s death have been controversial because of the young age in which he died. Some believe he was murdered while other historians believed he died in another way.