Pirate Fact Eighteen

During the golden years of piracy the Bahamas was a favorite haunt. It became a haven for many pirates including Blackbeard and the locals were helpless as they got out of control. To deal with the situation the Bahamas was made into a British crown colony in 1718. The first Royal Governor Woodes Rogers succeeded at the difficult task of suppressing piracy during his four years in office. Rogers himself had been a privateer.


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St Telesphorus Eighth Pope

St Telesphorus was the eighth Pope from 125 to 138. His family was thought to be of Greek descent and he was born in Terranuova located in the Italian province of Calabria. He may have been an anchorite or hermit monk before ascending to the office. Pope Telesphorus is credited with establishing both the seven week lenten season that precedes Easter and the Christmas midnight Mass. He witnessed the persecution and deaths of many Christians under the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian. He is the second Pope whose death as a martyrdom is not disputed. While the exact cause is not documented it was described as a glorious martyrdom that happened under the first year of the reign of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. His Feast day is January 5th.

Ancient Seven Wonders of the World Fact Seventeen

All seven of the Ancient Wonders had ties to Alexander the Great. Five had been in existence during his time and all fell within the territory he eventually ruled. The Temple of Artemis was set ablaze the day he was born and was rebuilt after his death. There was a story he had visited the Great Pyramid of Giza after he conquered Egypt and ruled as their Pharoah 332 to 323 BC. He likely visited the Statue of Zeus while attending the Olympics and inspected the Mausoleum after conquering the city of Halicarnassus. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have been located near where he died in 323 BC. The Colossus of Rhodes was built after his death after two of his generals fought and it celebrated the victor. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was necessary because it was at one of the several cities he had founded in his name.


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Knights Templar Fact Seventeen

The Knights Templar built their first church in 1128 on donated land in the Holborn area of London, England. It was established by first Grand Master Hugh de Payens. The original temple was the first round church and the grounds also contained gardens, orchards and a cemetery. It became known as the Old Temple when the Templars later moved to a larger location to the south.


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Viking Fact Seventeen

The Vikings turned Dublin into the largest slave trade center in the world by 1000 AD. The slave trade was an important part of the Vikings commerce as they captured people from the British Isles and the lands along the Baltic Sea. Each year hundreds and sometimes thousands of young men and women were bought and sold there.


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American Civil War Fact Seventeen

There were more than 150 prisons established and utilized by both sides during the Civil War. About 195,000 Northerners spent time in Confederate prison camps and about 215,000 Southern soldiers were in the Union prisons. The casualties were high as over 30,000 or 15.5% of Union soldiers died in Southern prisons. Andersonville in Georgia was the worst claiming the lives of  about 13,000 or 29% of those who entered. On the other side nearly 26,000 or 12% of Confederate captives perished in Northern prisons. Elmira Prison in New York had the highest mortality rate with 25% or 2,963 deaths.


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Ancient Egypt Fact Seventeen

The people of Ancient Egypt believed that when a person died their soul split into two parts. The Ba would leave the body each morning to keep watch over the person's living family. The Ka would fly off to the Land of Two Fields which was their afterlife. Each night both the Ba and Ka returned to the body in the tomb to rest for the next day. A cartouche on the coffin helped the Ba and Ka find their way back. However if the preserved body was disturbed or damaged the Ba and Ka would be lost and a person would cease to exist in the afterlife. That is why grave robbery was considered such a vile crime and punishable by death.


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