The coffin of King Tut.
Howard Carter (1874-1939) spent his life working in Egyptology and archaeological excavations in Egypt. Tutankhamen, or King Tut, was not a famous name in history until Carter's excavation team uncovered his tomb. They discovered the tomb's antechamber in November, 1922, and in February, 1923 opened the burial chamber itself where they found Tutankhamen's sarcophogus (stone burial box). Inside that, in January, 1924, they found the solid gold coffin of the boy king. (Archaeology work proceeds slowly and painstakingly, with much care.)