Browsing: Religion

A Brief History On June 5, 1893, the murder trial of Lizzie Borden began.  Borden was accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe.  Despite the popular assumption of her guilt, she was acquitted in one of the most famous trials in US history. Digging Deeper Some of the other candidates as the most famous American trial include the following: In The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial of 1921 for robbery and murder, the men were believed by many to be railroaded because they were immigrants and anarchists in a case that saw worldwide attention. The Scopes Monkey Trial…

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A Brief History On June 2, 1780, a week of violent rioting began in London, England, the worst in the city’s history, by protestors against recent legislation to reduce official discrimination against Catholics. Digging Deeper Known as The Gordon Riots due to Lord George Gordon being a primary anti-Catholic leader, a staggering 300 to 700 people were killed and many more injured, while property was damaged including the embassies of Catholic countries.  Also damaged was the reputation and prestige of England in the eyes of the rest of Europe, especially those nations with large Catholic populations. The cause of complaint…

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A Brief History On May 22, 2017, an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, was rocked at the end by a horrific terrorist attack by a man of Libyan descent in the name of ISIS. Digging Deeper Salman Ramadan Abedi, age 22, and his co-conspirator brother, Hashem Abedi, age 20, were deemed responsible for the suicide blast that killed 22 innocent concert goers and Salman.  Hashem was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, but only got a 55 year prison sentence due to British law protecting people less than 21 years of age from life in…

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A Brief History On May 18, 1896, the Supreme Court of the US ruled that “separate but equal” was a legal doctrine for segregating Caucasian Americans from Americans of sub-Saharan African descent, especially regarding school children.  The case known as Plessy v. Ferguson is frequently referred to as the most egregious error in judgement ever made by the Supreme Court.  Oddly enough, the case has never been overturned, except regarding the classroom. Digging Deeper Some other cases that have attracted the ire of Supreme Court critics include Dred Scott v. Sandford of 1857 about fugitive slaves, the Buck v. Bell…

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A Brief History Today, March 17, 2023, I, Dr. Zar, wish all of my family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Digging Deeper As Saint Patrick is considered the foremost patron saint of Ireland and March is also Women’s History Month, here are some notable American women with Irish ancestry: Maureen Dowd (born 1952) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, currently writing for The New York Times. Eileen Collins (born 1956), a retired astronaut and United States Air Force colonel, was the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission. Stephanie McMahon (born 1976), a retired professional wrestler, currently serves…

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