A Brief History On August 28, 632, Fatimah bint Muhammad, the youngest and possibly the only daughter of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, beloved by Muhammad and by Muslims throughout the world, died under disputed circumstances. Sunni Muslims claim Fatimah died because of the death of her father and her sorrow at that death, while Shia Muslims contend that Fatimah was killed due to the actions of Abu Bakr, the heir to Muhammad’s empire. Digging Deeper Fatimah is the most common name in the Islamic world for females, a considerable tribute to the daughter of the Prophet. Fatimah, married to Ali…
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A Brief History On August 19, 2002, the Russian military suffered the worst fatal helicopter incident and crash in the history of aviation when a missile fired by Chechen Islamic Separatists struck a Russian Mi-26 helicopter, bringing the huge helicopter down in a minefield and killing a total of 127 Russian soldiers. Digging Deeper The Mil Mi-26 (NATO code named “Halo”) is a heavy lift helicopter introduced in 1983. Over 300 of the giants have been built, and it is the biggest and most powerful production helicopter ever produced. Its 2 turboshaft engines produce a total of almost 23, 000…
A Brief History On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), was shot to death by a mob with blackened faces in a Carthage, Illinois jail while awaiting trial for treason. Digging Deeper Smith, who founded the Mormon Church on the basis of the Book of Mormon that had (he claimed) been given to him by the angel Moroni in the form of engraved metal plates in 1823, and interpreted by Smith and written down in 1828. In between being “given” the plates (which he promised to, but never showed anyone) and…
A Brief History On May 14, 1878, the town of Salem, Massachusetts, was fittingly (in a way) the scene of the last known trial for the crime of witchcraft in the United States. Had people gone mad? Was there some sort of time warp? Were there ghosts from 1692 at work here? Digging Deeper Goofy as it sounds to us today, there are still plenty of people who believe in witches and witchcraft, and even the former Republican Vice Presidential nominee and erstwhile Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin can be seen on video being cleansed and protected from witchcraft by…
A Brief History On April 18, 1857, Frenchman Hippolyte Leon Denizard Rivail, writing under the nom de plume Allan Kardec, published The Spirits Book, marking the beginning of the Spiritism philosophy (or religion or movement, if you prefer). Today, the International Spiritist Council has representatives in 35 countries with its headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil. Digging Deeper The publishing of The Spirits Book is celebrated by Spiritists, and today, April 18, 2017, is National Day of Spiritism in the United States. The total number of adherents is unknown, but said to be in the millions, with 5 million followers in Brazil…