Author: Dr. Zar

A Brief History On September 28, 235 A.D., Pope Pontian became the first pope to resign his office, only to live out his days exiled to the mines of Sardinia! Digging Deeper When Pope Benedict XVI resigned his papacy in 2013, he was the first pope to do so since 1415.  In fact, he was one of only a handful of popes to ever resign.  Out of the 266 popes who have led Roman Catholicism, only six have ever abdicated.  Pope Emeritus Benedict actually retains various aspects of his former office and probably lives under better conditions than many people…

A Brief History On September 27, 1944, The Kassel Mission, which resulted in the largest loss by a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) group on any mission in World War II, was so successfully covered up that even today few non-WWII experts are even aware it occurred. Digging Deeper The USAAF conducted roughly twenty bombing raids over Kassel, Germany from 1942 through 1945.  These raids resulted in severe fires, the deaths of at least 10,000 inhabitants of the city, and the destruction of much of the city center.  Eventually, as the war began to conclude, American and British forces…

A Brief History Today, September 26th, we take a step back from the usual blood and guts bizarre history to celebrate something a bit more light-hearted (although not necessarily light on your stomach!): the flapjack, the hotcake, or what is perhaps best known as the pancake! Digging Deeper The earliest known versions of pancakes go back to the Ancient Greeks in the fifth century B.C., although the word pancake does not appear in English until about the 1400s A.D. Today, pancakes come in many varieties and we of course even have an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) chain dedicated specifically…

A Brief History On this day, September 25th, Catholics remember the death of Spanish Saint Fermin, the first bishop of Pamplona, in 303 A.D…and the miracles that followed! Digging Deeper Saint Fermin is mostly associated with the well-known “Running of the Bulls”, which actually occurs as part of a seven day festival in honor of the saint.  Yet, his actual martyrdom has nothing to do with bulls chasing people! Saint Fermin lived during the Roman Empire’s transition period from the persecutions of Christians by Emperor Diocletian before the toleration of Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great.  As such, Fermin converted…

A Brief History Below is a table of contents of sorts for our site. General Overview The Most Evil People in History The Most Unusual Deaths in History This Day in History (Articles) This Day in History (Categories) Timeline of the History of Breasts Timeline of the History of Weaponry Timeline of Music History Timeline of Jerusalem’s History Timeline of Israeli History A Timeline of France and the Francophone World Timeline of Ohio History Timeline of Baseball History Timeline of School Murders and Massacres Ancient History Timeline of Ancient Egypt Timeline of Ancient Greece Medieval History Timeline of the Dark…