Today’s What We’re Reading features the debate (and removal) of Confederate flags on a university campus, a crusty 118-year-old sandwich makes international news, little known facts about the Founding Fathers (via the Onion), and much more!

History Links

Contested History

The president of Washington and Lee University recently apologized on behalf of the university for its history of owning slaves, and also announced the immediate removal of Confederate flags displayed next to a statue of Robert E. Lee.

Crusty 118-Year-Old Sandwich Found Stuffed in UK Church Organ

The perfectly preserved sandwich was found alongside an 1896 copy of the Stockport Advertiser.

Keeping Track of the Oldest People in the World

Smithsonian Magazine features the Gerontology Research Group, which maintains an online database of people who are 110 and older. The group often finds that people lie about their age—and claim to be older.

The Girl with a Pearl Earring: The Making of an Icon
“At the end of the 19th century, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring sold for a pittance, an unknown work by an artist who was only beginning to achieve recognition. Today it is revered as a great masterpiece.” National Gallery of Art curator Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. explains why.

MetCollects: Japanese Illustrated Books

A slideshow about the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of Japanese illustrated books from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Fun and Off-Beat

Little Known Facts about the Founding Fathers

Via the Onion, and done in jest.

50 Photos of Actors behind the Scenes That Will Change How You See Their Movies Forever

For Titanic fans, these photos prove without a shadow of a doubt that the wooden board did have enough room for Jack Dawson.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.