The link below is to an article that looks at the Viking Sunstone, known as an Iceland Spar.
For more visit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8862471/Magical-Viking-stone-may-be-real.html
The link below is to an article that looks at the early history of the parachute.
For more visit:
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2013/03/a-history-of-the-parachutes-earliest-days/