Today is the anniversary of the 480 BC death of Spartan King Leonidas I at the Battle of Thermopylae. The battle is probably best known in popular culture through “300,” the 2006 movie and the 1998 comic series of the… Continue Reading
On this day in 1846, the United States Congress chartered the Smithsonian Institution using funds from the estate of James Smithson. The Smithsonian tells us, “The will left his estate to his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, and stated that if… Continue Reading
Today is the 48th anniversary of the murder of Sharon Tate, as well as guests Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Stephen Parent. Tate was an actress and model, probably best known for the now-classic Valley of the Dolls. She… Continue Reading
The Wellcome Trust in London is funding researchers at ten locations to study the diverse ways that sexuality plays a role in health. In a press release dated August 4, the Trust notes: Sexuality is an often wilfully overlooked or… Continue Reading
Today is the 57th anniversary of the birth of David Duchovny, an American actor best known for his portrayal of Fox Mulder in The X-Files. Duchovny was born in New York City to Margaret “Meg” Miller and Amram “Ami” Duchovny. Duchovny’s… Continue Reading
Registration is now open for Massapalooza, William Blake Lodge’s annual celebration of the Gnostic Mass and its mysteries! The temple at William Blake Lodge was custom built to suit the specifications in Liber XV. It’s a chance to see the ceremony… Continue Reading
University of Minnesota researchers released a 121-page report yesterday — completed by the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center — filling a gap in research having to do with sex buyers. Using a national study, the report estimates that 1% of Minnesota… Continue Reading
Today, August 2, is the anniversary of the 1776 formal signing of the US Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six people signed the Declaration. It is also the anniversary of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s 1834 birth in Colmar, France. Bartholdi grew up to become the sculptor… Continue Reading
August 1 marks the beginning of autumn observances in the Northern hemisphere, and spring observances in the Southern hemisphere: Lughnasadh and/or Lammas in the Northern hemisphere, Imbolc and Pachamama Raymi in the Southern hemisphere. According to The Festival of Lughnasa,… Continue Reading
Filmmaker Karen Maine grew up in the 1990s in a Catholic community in Iowa, where her high school sex education was a video of a late-term abortion and an abstinence-only talk by Pam Stenzel. Her autobiographical short film, “Yes, God, Yes,”… Continue Reading