RIO DE JANEIRO
CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/GETTY
Fireighters battle a massive blaze that engulfed Brazil’s National Museum on September 2. Most of the 20 million artifacts in the 200-year-old institution, including the oldest human fossil found in the Americas, were destroyed. Among the items rescued was the 5.9- ton Bendegó meteorite. Oficials speculate an electrical short circuit might have sparked the overnight inferno. No injuries were reported, but the tragedy “serves as a lesson”, said Culture Minister Sérgio Sá Leitão. “Brazil needs to take better care of its cultural heritage.”