A Latin word used to describe the set of political and social ideas and practices that the Romans used to define themselves. Those without Romanitas were considered barbarian.
Romanitas
Fact of the Day
The eighteenth-century evangelical preacher George Whitefield considered it a badge of honour that, along with rotten fruit, he might be pelted by 'pieces of dead cats'.
Quote of the Day
"Nobody is healthy in London. Nobody can be.
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~ Jane Austen (Emma)
On This Day
1509 Pope Julius II, in his attempt to increase the power of the Church and to reduce Venice to a fishing village in the process, excommunicated the entire state.
1521 Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer who organised the Spanish expedition to the East Indies, was killed by local tribesmen in the Philippines.
1667 A blind and impoverished (thanks to the restoration of the monarchy) John Milton sold the rights to his magnum opus for £10. As soon as it was published, it was hailed as a masterpiece.
1828 London Zoo opened its doors to the public for the first time.
1865 The American steam boat Sultana exploded and sank on the Mississippi, killing between 1,500 and 1,800 people. It remains one of the worst maritime events in US history.
1941 Athens fell to the German army, after a Blitzkrieg invasion of Greece that had lasted for less than a month.
1945 Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci were caught trying to escape to Switzerland. They were summarily executed the following day.
1968 The Abortion Act, which allowed women abortions on certain medical grounds, came into effect.