Curated category
Religion and politics
- SecularismIn 1851, a British writer named George Holyoake stood before a crowd in London and spoke the word secularism for the first time.
- Investiture ControversyThe collapse of the Western Roman Empire left a power vacuum that nobility rushed to fill. Members of the ruling class began performing investiture, the act…
- PolygamyThe word polygamy comes from Late Greek terms meaning state of marriage to many spouses. It describes the practice of marrying multiple spouses at once.
- Edict of ThessalonicaThe Roman Empire in 379 stood divided between two religious camps. The eastern half followed Arianism, a theology claiming Christ was created by God rather…
- English ReformationIn the early 1500s, an English parishioner knelt before a priest to receive the Eucharist during Mass. The bread and wine had been consecrated by the priest…
- Vatican CityThe name Vatican first appeared in the time of the Roman Republic. It described a marshy area on the west bank of the Tiber River.
- Divine right of kingsIn the year 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket died after being murdered by knights loyal to King Henry II of England. This violent event marked a turning point…
- Keston InstituteMichael Bourdeaux spent a single year in Moscow during the 1950s as one of the first wave of British exchange students. He arrived to find only 41 Russian…
- Holy SeeThe Holy See traces its origins to the first century, when Saint Peter and Saint Paul established the Diocese of Rome. Catholic tradition holds that this…
- IranThe earliest known presence of hominins in Iran dates to around 800,000 BP. Middle Paleolithic sites have been discovered mainly in the Zagros Mountains.