Eastern Europe
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Tyche- The Original Lady Luck
Tyche, or Tykhe in Greek, was the goddess of fortune, chance, providence and fate. Although some sources identify her as an Oceanid, a daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, other sources have indicated her parents were Aphrodite and either Zeus or Hermes. Some sources give her a husband called Agathos Daimon, literally “good spirit”, which emphasizes her later association with good luck. She is depicted holding a rudder as she was the deity charged with guiding the affairs of the world. In this aspect she was a one of the Moirai, or Fates. Tyche is also shown with a ball, showing the unsteadiness of fortune as it can roll…
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Three Flags Day
The Louisiana Purchase was a big deal. (Read more about the ins and outs of it in this post: http://www.historynaked.com/the-louisiana-purchase/) It was a great deal for the United States, but it was somewhat of an administrative nightmare. The territory being turned over was huge. Also, it technically belonged to the French as part of a secret treaty with the Spanish in 1769. However, since the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso was secret, Spain still administered the territory to keep up appearances. Confused yet? So were a lot of other people. Many of the Spanish officials didn’t know they were working for the French until it came time to turn things…
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Greek Goddess Eileithyia
She was the goddess of childbirth and labor pains. Her name means “she who comes to aid” or “relieve” from the Greek word elêluthyia. Her Roman counterpart was Lucina (“Light bringer”) or Natio (“Birth”). She was depicted as a woman wielding a torch, representing the burning pains of childbirth, or with her arms raised in the air to bring the child to the light. Hesiod in the Theogony states she is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She was born in a cave near Knossos, Crete, and this became her main place of worship. She was also worshiped in Olympia, which is attested by the discovery of a shrine attributed…
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Weird Science – Ilya Ivanovich Ivano
Born around 1870 in the town of Shchigry, Kursk Gubernia, Russia. Graduating from Kharkov University in 1896 Ivano became a full professor in 1907. He worked as a researcher in the Askania-Nova Natural Reserve, also for the State Experimental Veterinary Institute for the Central Experimental Station for Researching Reproduction of Domestic Animals, and for the Moscow Higher Zootechnic Institute. Around the start of the 20th century, he would perfect the artificial insemination and practical usage for horse breeding. He proved that this technology allows one stallion to fertilize up to 500 mares. The results were sensational for their time, and Ivanov’s station was frequented by horse breeders from many parts…
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Smoking throughout history
Smoking can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world. Many ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, Indians and Chinese, burnt incense as a part of religious rituals. The Israelites and the later Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches also practiced this as part of religious worship. Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies- as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter their minds for purposes of divination or spiritual enlightenment. After the European exploration and conquest of the Americas, the practice of smoking tobacco quickly spread to the rest of the…
