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A newly rediscovered drawing of a foot created by Michelangelo has just been auctioned off, fetching an eight-figure price tag and setting a record.The five-inch chalk drawing of the Libyan Sibyl's foot sold for $27.2 million on Thursday, Feb. 5, according to world-famous auction house Christie's.The subject of the drawing, which shows a foot with its heel off the ground, appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, which was painted from 1508 to 1512, the auction house said.This drawing now sets the record for the most spent at auction for a piece of Michelangelo artwork, topping...

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Abigail Adams. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, second president of the United States. She was a fiercely independent woman who supported her husband throughout his life, particularly making the deals necessary to unite the thirteen colonies to support the Delcaration of Independence. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered font to prevent accidental spoilers. Please refrain from disclosing the full answer in comments to prevent...

On the same day that the Declaration of Independence became official, a telling event further reveals that our founders understood well the “ancient principles” upon which our republic must be built. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee -- consisting of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams -- to design an official seal for the United States. Adams proposed an image of Hercules contemplating the persuasions of Virtue and Sloth. Franklin proposed a biblical theme: Moses standing on the Shore, and extending his Hand over the Sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm Pharaoh who...

Abigail Adams, best known for her articulate writing and her involvement in the presidency of her husband, John, is the subject of a yearlong commemoration by the Massachusetts Historical Society that begins Sunday with a walking tour that explores the Adams family’s presence in Boston. “It’s a long walking tour, but it’s a really fun one,” said Nancy Haywood, a lead guide for the two-hour excursion. “It’s a nice way to really explore the city and learn more about this significant family.” The tour, organized by Boston By Foot, runs just two times annually, but this year, with the 200th...

HBO's Crabby Abby "..My Wife who had always encouraged and animated me, in all antecedent dangers and perplexities, did not fail me on this Occasion..." -- John Adams, Autobiography, on the news of his leaving for France. Memo to Laura Linney, HBO: Abigail Adams was smart, well-read, loving, devout, and certainly forthright. She was not, however, a peevish, brooding feminist bore. America's Second First Lady, at the outset, is quite capable of speaking for herself; you can read everything she ever wrote here, but somehow you get the feeling Ms. Linney's shooting schedule didn't allow for a reading light in...

What does the Fourth of July mean to contemporary Americans? For many it means a day off from work and little more. To others it means an opportunity to "party," roast hot dogs, drink beer and watch fireworks. But to the Founders of our nation, it meant far more. Upon the completion of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams, known as the "Father of the American Revolution" said, "We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun,...