February 16, 1923: Howard Carter first enters the tomb of Tutenkhamun. 

After Howard Carter first uncovered the steps to the now-famous tomb of the Boy King in November of 1922, he and his excavation team spent the next anticlimactic months cataloging the assorted items in the antechamber. It was not until February of 1923 that Carter finally glimpsed the golden sarcophagus of Tutenkhamun for the first time. Although the discovery was actually highly anticipated by the public (and Carter was well-known by this time), only one journalist was actually allowed on the scene - H.V. Morton. 

Later, Carter wrote of his experience seeing the sarcophagus:

“A sight met our eyes that at first puzzled us. It was a little disappointing. The contents were completely covered by fine linen shrouds. The lid being suspended in mid-air, we rolled back those covering shrouds, one by one, and as the last was removed a gasp of wonderment escaped our lips, so gorgeous was the sight that met our eyes: a golden effigy of the young boy king, of most magnificent workmanship, filled the whole of the interior of the sarcophagus.”

In October of 1925, Carter’s team finally removed the cover of the final sarcophagus, exposing the mummy.