Article of the Day
 The Anatomy Act of 1832Prior to 1832, only the corpses of executed murderers were allowed to be dissected in the UK, but with the rise of medical science and the scaling back of executions, demand came to outstrip supply. The British Anatomy Act, passed in response to public concern about the illegal trade in corpses, was an act of Parliament that increased the supply of cadavers legally available for medical research and education. What were "resurrectionists," and how were they impacted by the Anatomy Act? More... |
This Day in History
Tennis Player Arthur Ashe Announces He Has AIDS (1992)Ashe was the first African-American male to reach prominence in tennis and was thus a very public figure, even after his retirement, which followed a 1979 heart attack and quadruple-bypass surgery. In 1983, he contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during a second heart surgery. He kept it a secret until 1992, when a newspaper threatened to publish a story about his illness. His subsequent openness about AIDS helped combat the disease's stigma. How much longer did Ashe live? More... |
Today's Holiday
Hana MatsuriHana Matsuri is a celebration of the Buddha's birthday, observed in Buddhist temples throughout Japan, where it is known as Kambutsue. The highlight of the celebration is a ritual known as kambutsue ("ceremony of 'baptizing' the Buddha"), in which a tiny bronze statue of the Buddha, standing in an open lotus flower, is anointed with sweet tea. People use a small bamboo ladle to pour the tea, made of hydrangea leaves, over the head of the statue. The custom is supposed to date from the seventh century, when perfume was used, as well as tea. More... |
Today's Birthday
Sonja Henie (1912)Henie began ice skating at the age of eight and won the first of six straight Norwegian figure-skating championships within two years. Starting in 1927, she won the world's figure-skating crown 10 straight years, the European title six times, and the Olympic gold medal three times. She introduced music and dance into free skating, greatly broadening its appeal, and turned professional in 1936, earning millions starring in films and ice shows. Why did many Norwegians consider her a quisling? More... |
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Quote of the Day
| If any question why we died, tell them, because our fathers lied. Rudyard Kipling (wikipedia) (1865-1936) |