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Pandora
Pandora is a figure from Greek mythology who was not only the first woman, but —as an instrument of the wrath of Zeus— was held responsible for releasing the ills of humanity into the world. Pandora was also an unrelated earth goddess in...
Definition
Scylla and Charybdis - The Monsters Who Guarded Sicily
Scylla and Charybdis were monsters from Greek mythology thought to inhabit the Straits of Messina, the narrow sea between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Preying on passing mariners, Scylla was a terrible creature with six heads and twelve...
Definition
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth who buried him in his own tomb after the crucifixion. In the gospels, Mark and Luke identified him as a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council in Jerusalem. The location of Arimathea...
Definition
Kingdom of Saba
Saba (also given as Sheba) was a kingdom in southern Arabia (region of modern-day Yemen) which flourished between the 8th century BCE and 275 CE when it was conquered by the neighboring Himyarites. Although these are the most commonly accepted...
Definition
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, or the Incident on King Street, occurred in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 March 1770, when nine British soldiers fired into a crowd of American colonists, ultimately killing five and wounding another six. The massacre was...
Definition
Vestal Virgin
Vestal Virgins (Latin: Vestales) were the priestesses of the Roman goddess of the hearth, Vesta, in the state religion of ancient Rome. At varying times there were four to six priestesses employed. They were the only full-time clergy (collegia...
Definition
Kellogg-Briand Pact - When 63 States Signed Up for Peace
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement signed in August 1928 by 63 countries, which all promised, after the horrors of the First World War (1914-18), to regard war as an illegal instrument of national policy. Unfortunately, this sentiment...
Definition
Harpy
A harpy, also known as a harpyia (pl. harpyiai), is a part-bird, part-woman monster in Greek mythology. Known as the 'Hounds of Zeus,' they were the personification of storm winds and were under the command of Zeus, who would send them out...
Definition
Revolt of Lyon
The Revolt of Lyon against the rule of the National Convention was a counter-revolutionary rebellion that played a role in both the Federalist Revolts and the Reign of Terror during the period of the French Revolution (1789-1799). Beginning...
Definition
Oceanus
Oceanus (also Okeanos) was the eldest of the Titans and a son of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth) in Greek mythology. He was the god and personification of the freshwater river Oceanus, which was thought to encircle the earth and was said...