“You Can Not Stop Us. We Have This Anthrax. You Die Now. Are You Afraid? Death to America. Death to Israel. Allah is Great.” These lines were written on the face of an envelope sent to Senator Patrick Leahy in the aftermath of 9/11. Inside the envelope, the attackers stuffed a white powder that when […]
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People have always gone to great lengths to look attractive through the centuries. All different cultures and eras have seen their fair share of truly bizarre, not to mention dangerous, beauty trends. Some are weirder than others. For example, the Renaissance era saw women using leeches to achieve a pale, “ghostly” appearance. Women in 19th-century
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For as long as societies have fought and battled one another, the weapons they developed, relied upon and ultimately had to defend against have defined their deadly combat. In the realm of ancient warfare, one weapon in particular emerged. It embodied precision and deadly effectiveness—the plumbata. The plumbata was wielded by skilled Roman skirmishers. This
A Deadly Precision Weapon of Ancient Rome: The Plumbata Read More »
The Great Wall of China was built as a protective fortress to keep enemies at bay. Today, it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. According to Travel + Leisure, around 10 million people visit the Great Wall of China every year. The majestic attraction is located in northern China in
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Ancient Egypt. Two words that immediately whisk your mind away to a far-off, exotic locale. Where grand pyramids loom above shifting sand dunes and mighty Pharaohs hold glorious ceremonies on the banks of the Nile. It was a time of magic, mummies, and mystery. Even though the ancient Egyptians are separated from us by millennia,
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The four cardinal virtues are wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. The word ‘cardinal’ comes from the Latin word cardo for ‘hinge’ or the word cardinalis meaning ‘essential’. It is often said that all human virtues hinge on these four. The Four Cardinal Virtues Throughout History The four cardinal virtues were originally conceptualized by Plato, expanded
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In a world where modern athletes like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Mike Tyson capture headlines and acquire massive fortunes, there exists a historical figure whose wealth and fame dwarf even the most celebrated sports icons of our time. His name was Gaius Appuleius Diocles. He was a legendary Roman charioteer whose fortune remains unrivaled.
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Before the pharaohs, before the gods, there was the scarab. The significance of the scarab beetle in Egypt dates back over eight thousand years. Mummified scarabs and scarab-shaped amulets have been found in tombs dating back to the beginning of the Predynastic period. It came to be the face of one of their most important
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Angels, heavenly entities that were often depicted as messengers or harbingers of God, are present in more than just Christianity. Judaism, Islam, and other Abrahamic religions all have angels or angel equivalents in their scriptures. The modern image of angels has them as strong, winged beings that are almost always benevolent, but that hasn’t always
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Humans devote much of their time and energy to finding and maintaining happiness. Just as many people today reach for self-help books or go to therapy to feel better, the Stoics of ancient Greece used philosophy as a means of “healing the soul” and achieving eudaimonia – the principle of living according to one’s true nature. But
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