King Tut Day is November 4th. Are You Ready to Celebrate?

I love all things mummies!  This past summer, I visited Highclere Castle outside of London, England,and toured the  castle and gardens made famous for being the backdrop of the British series, Downton Abbey. In the basement was also a museum to King Tut. Why, you may ask? Well,  George Herbert,  the 5th Earl of Carnarvon whose family has owned the castle for many years, funded the expedition to search for the tomb of King Tut.  When Howard Carter discovered the tomb, he waited weeks for Lord Carnarvon to travel by ship to be there for the opening of the tomb. He had guards stand watch at the entrance of the tomb. He did NOT go inside. Now, I don't think I could have waited but Howard Carter felt that since Lord Carnarvon had funded the expedition, he should be there when the tomb was entered for the first time in thousands of years.

If you go to Highclere Castle, I recommend a visit to the basement museum dedicated to ancient Egyptian artifacts and the discovery of King Tut.  

King Tut Day, yes there really is such a day on the calendar, is celebrated every November 4th. It was on November 4, 1922, that Howard Carter uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamen!

Interesting facts:
Lord Carnarvon was bitten by a mosquito, while in Egypt and died days later. It is said that the lights in Cairo, Egypt, went out when Carnarvon died. Also, back in London, his dog is said to have started to howl and, died.  When King Tut's mummy was unwrapped, a mark was found in the same location as the mosquito bit on Lord Carnarvon. It was around this time that the idea of a curse on those that went inside the tomb began to gain in popularity!

One of the discoveries in the tomb, in addition to golden statues and a golden throne, jewels and chariots, was a box of UNDERWEAR for King Tut to use in the afterlife.

Licorice was also found in King Tut's tomb.

Each of King Tut's toes were individually wrapped in gold!

Watermelon seeds were found in King Tut's tomb.

With the discovery of the tomb, all things Egyptian became very popular. Women began to wear dresses with Egyptian patterns. Songs about King Tut were written,dances created and beauty products were advertised with Egyptian themes.  This popularity in all things  ancient Egyptian was  called "Tutmania".

Question:
A number of people that went into the tomb died under unusual circumstances. However, the person that discovered the tomb,Howard Carter, lived a long life. So, if there was a curse(as stated on the entrance of Tut's tomb), it didn't harm Carter. WHAT might explain why some people may have died from being in the tomb, opened for the first time in centuries?

I created a play on King Tut and mummies: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/King-Tut-Wrapping-with-a-Mumm...