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This Day in History
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Edgardo Mortara Kidnapped from Jewish Family after Secret Baptism (1858)June 23, 2026
Mortara, the son of a Jewish couple living in the Papal States, was secretly baptized Catholic as an infant by a panicked servant during an infantile illness. The baptism was deemed valid by the Catholic Church and, because canon law forbade non-Christians from raising Christian children, Pope Pius IX ordered the six-year-old Mortara to be taken to Rome as his ward. Several countries objected to the pope's decision and called for the boy to be returned to his parents. What became of Mortara?
Mortara, the son of a Jewish couple living in the Papal States, was secretly baptized Catholic as an infant by a panicked servant during an infantile illness. The baptism was deemed valid by the Catholic Church and, because canon law forbade non-Christians from raising Christian children, Pope Pius IX ordered the six-year-old Mortara to be taken to Rome as his ward. Several countries objected to the pope's decision and called for the boy to be returned to his parents. What became of Mortara?Today’s Birthday
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Wilma Glodean Rudolph (1940)June 23, 2026
Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympic Games. She accomplished this despite having contracted numerous serious illnesses as a child, including polio, which damaged her leg and required her to wear a brace for some time. At the 1960 Games, she won gold in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay. She finished the 100-meter dash in world-record time but was not credited with the record. Why?
Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympic Games. She accomplished this despite having contracted numerous serious illnesses as a child, including polio, which damaged her leg and required her to wear a brace for some time. At the 1960 Games, she won gold in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay. She finished the 100-meter dash in world-record time but was not credited with the record. Why?Today’s Holiday
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Stonehenge Summer Solstice CeremonyJune 23, 2026
Stonehenge, the ancient stone circle located in Wiltshire, England, is believed to have been built between about 3050 and 1600 BCE. At the Summer Solstice, when viewed from the center of the monument, the sun rises through the entrance and just between two of the large stones. Today, modern Druids and other Neopagans gather at Stonehenge for Summer Solstice ceremonies. Wearing white robes and scarlet hoods, when the first rays of the rising sun shine on the Altar Stone, they walk in procession around the circle, gathering at the Altar Stone to recite prayers and salute the rising sun.
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LilithJune 23, 2026
Likely derived from the Assyrian storm demon Lilitu, Lilith is a female demon of Jewish mythology. In rabbinic literature, she is acknowledged as either Adam's first wife or the mother of his demonic offspring after he separated from Eve outside of Eden. Talmudic sources describe Lilith as a nocturnal creature with many evil attributes, while Jewish folklore paints her as the incarnation of sensual lust and a vampire-like child-killer. What item is said to protect newborn boys from Lilith?
Likely derived from the Assyrian storm demon Lilitu, Lilith is a female demon of Jewish mythology. In rabbinic literature, she is acknowledged as either Adam's first wife or the mother of his demonic offspring after he separated from Eve outside of Eden. Talmudic sources describe Lilith as a nocturnal creature with many evil attributes, while Jewish folklore paints her as the incarnation of sensual lust and a vampire-like child-killer. What item is said to protect newborn boys from Lilith?
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