windsingr
windsingr t1_j7btuow wrote
Reply to comment by MattMasterChief in TIL in early 1942 the Battle of Los Angeles was fought, with an hour-long barrage of anti-aircraft artillery fired from the city against a perceived Japanese invasion. The cause: a stray weather balloon. by McKFC
Neunundneunzig luftballons.
windsingr t1_j44i7x9 wrote
Reply to comment by MeatballDom in Discovery of a temple of Poseidon located at the Kleidi site near Samikon in Greece by MeatballDom
I find it classically Greek that a temple to Poseidon would be lost due to an earthquake.
windsingr t1_iz2f103 wrote
"If just one person believes in you..."
windsingr t1_iz2eu54 wrote
Reply to comment by Steelplate7 in Bob McGrath, original 'Sesame Street' cast member, dead at 90 | CNN by CanadianDiver
"Oh hey Jim, Will, Jerry, Jerry.... Good to see you all again. Fred... glad to meet you!"
windsingr t1_ixil59e wrote
Reply to Might be a stupid question, but I've been watching a lot of stuff regarding the Spartan and Persians recently and I always wondered how would these people have communicated back then? Were there specific scholars in both countries that were trained in various languages? by herewego199209
King Leonidas: "We've been sharing our culture with you all morning."
Seriously though, much like in the modern day, there were multilingual people. And major city states and neighboring empires would keep trained citizens, slaves, and freedmen who were versed in multiple languages of important trading partners, regional powers, and potential enemies.
windsingr t1_ivxznla wrote
Reply to What was the societal role of polytheistic Mediterranean religions and their priests? by bhejda
It is important to note that Ancient Hellenic practice was an orthopraxic religion, not an orthodoxic one. What this means is that religious observance was about DOING the right thing rather than THINKING the right thing. Want to appease the gods? Give them presents, don't talk shit on them. An orthodoxic religion wants you to feel bad if you miss church or believe in a set of commandments.
The practical upside of the more reasonable orthopraxic practices is where they benefit the people regardless of their religious standing. In Hellenic religion you might sacrifice animals or cloth or grains or wine to the gods, but they only require a small portion of the consumable parts or take the inedible parts. What happens to the rest? It's a party! The amount of meat involved in a bull, pig, or goat sacrifice can be substantial, and feed not only the family but whole neighborhoods in a polis. This now means that thanks to the full religious calendars, even the poor are getting meat on a regular basis. To say nothing of wine, grains, cloth...
Orthopraxic Hellenic religion was not just a source of moral guidance, but a provider of public works and a source of welfare as well in a very direct way.
Even monthly household observances meant a meal left out for the gods at a nearby Herm or crossroads... Where homeless people and travelers could often be found. Come back the next day and look! The food is gone! The gods loved your offering! It's a miracle! And the homeless travelers think look! There is food when I need it! What a miracle! And no one thinks to question that traveler, because what if it's a god in disguise? This is also the source of the concept of Xenia, or Guest Right, which is incredibly common throughout that part of the world to this day.
windsingr t1_je9xqn6 wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in TIL a special law in the UK was created to ensure that the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital will forever be able to collect royalties from stage performances, audiobooks, book releases, etc. of Peter Pan in the UK. This is the only work with an 'exception' to copyright laws. by [deleted]
Well that's wholesome AF