The Council of Nablus (1120)

The Council of Nablus was convened to establish the first written laws for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Christian kingdom established in 1099 by the First Crusade. The council included both ecclesiastic and secular lords who established 25 canons that addressed both religious and secular issues like tithing, adultery, bigamy, false accusations, legal attire for Muslim residents, and theft. Why, according to the canons, was it necessary for the Christian leadership to organize this council? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sinulog Festival

The Sinulog Festival takes place on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, held at the same time as the frenzied Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo and the more sedate Dinagyang in Iloilo City. The festival celebrates both early Cebuano culture and the history of the Christianization of Cebu, combining the pageantry of early years with today’s Christian ritual. An image of Cebu’s patron saint, the Santo Niño (“the Holy Child,” Jesus), is carried in a procession along the streets, while drums beat in the ritual for a bountiful harvest and revelers dance in the streets. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fulgencio Batista (1901)

Batista was a soldier, president, and dictator who twice ruled Cuba. After working his way up through the army, he ruled first through associates before becoming president himself in 1940. In his first term, he achieved gains in education, public works, and the economy while enriching himself and his associates. He lost the 1944 election but returned to power through a US backed coup in 1952 and ran a corrupt and brutal dictatorship that set the stage for his overthrow in 1959 by whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

When Mastodons Roamed the Earth

Scientists believe that mastodons, elephant-like mammals that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times, first appeared nearly 4 million years ago. Though the large, furry, prehistoric mammals resembled wooly mammoths, the two had distinctly different dental and skeletal structures. Hunting may have played a role in the extinction of the mastodon 10,000 years ago. In what US states have mastodon remains been found? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Body of Elizabeth Short—the “Black Dahlia”—Found (1947)

Elizabeth Short was the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder that is still unsolved. Nicknamed the “Black Dahlia” by newspapers after her body was recovered in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, Short was found mutilated, her body severed at the waist. The unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to several books and film adaptations, as well as many false confessions and leads in the years since she was killed. From what was the “Black Dahlia” nickname derived? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Carmentalia

It was unusual in ancient Rome for a single deity to have two separate festival days only a few days apart (January 11 and 15), and a number of explanations have been offered for why the second festival in honor of the goddess Carmenta was instituted. The only thing that is certain is that it was primarily women who frequented her temple near the Porta Carmentalis, a gate at the foot of the southern end of the capitol. Carmenta had her own priest, or flamen, whose duties on her festival days were confined to the preparation of offerings of grain or cereal. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary