Shakespeare's playhouse, Togo's Olympic medal

Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe are the remains of the playhouse where William Shakespeare staged some of his first works.

Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe are the remains of the playhouse where William Shakespeare staged some of his first works. Built in 1576 and known simply as “the Theatre,” the open-air structure was located in East London; Shakespeare not only performed there, he used it to premiere an early version of Hamlet. Coincidentally, the remains were discovered during construction of a new home for the famed Tower Theatre Company. “The discovery that we shall be building a 21st-century playhouse where Shakespeare played is a huge inspiration,” said company chairman Jeff Kelly.

Togo has been competing in the Summer Olympics since 1972. Not until this week, though, did the small West African nation finally win a medal, when Benjamin Boukpeti took home the bronze in the men’s single kayak slalom. His achievement was unexpected; going into the event, Boukpeti was ranked only 56th in the world. But as he reached the finish of the white-water course, the crowd loudly cheered him on and he paddled into third place with a combined time of 173.45 seconds. The victory so excited Boukpeti that he snapped his paddle in half. “I’ve got a massive party ahead of me,” he said.