A 525-year-old copy of a letter by Christopher Columbus that was stolen from the Vatican was returned on Thursday after joint sleuthing by U.S. Homeland Security agents and Holy See antiquity experts. "We are returning it to its rightful owner," said U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Callista Gingrich at a handover ceremony in a frescoed room of the Vatican Library, which houses tens of thousands of rare, historic items.

While still at sea returning to Europe in February 1493 — four months after discovering the New World — Columbus penned a letter to Spain's monarchs describing what he had found and laying the groundwork for his request to fund another voyage.