HISTORY

July 12

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Desiderius Erasmus READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1984 Geraldine Ferraro designated running mate of Walter Mondale READ MORE

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2005: Prince Albert II, the only son of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, formally assumed the throne of Monaco. [ Take our quiz about kings and emperors.] 1979: Between games of a baseball doubleheader involving the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park, disco records were blown up as part of a promotion dubbed Disco Demolition Night; fans subsequently rushed the field, and as a result of the ensuing mayhem, the game was forfeited to the Tigers. 1976: The television game show Family Feud began airing on ABC, and it became hugely popular, in part because of the personal charm and witty banter of host Richard Dawson; the show continued—with different hosts, including Steve Harvey—into the 21st century. [ Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quiz.] 1975: The island nation of Sao Tome and Principe was granted independence from Portugal. [Test your knowledge of islands.] 1962: Iconic British rock band the Rolling Stones performed their first show, billed as the Rollin' Stones, at a club in London. [Take our quiz about rock and roll.] 1920: The independent republic of Lithuania, having successfully expelled invading Soviet troops, signed a peace treaty with Russia . SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1937 Bill Cosby American entertainer and producer -100 Julius Caesar Roman ruler 1997 Malala Yousafzai Pakistani activist 1817 Henry David Thoreau American writer 1904 Pablo Neruda Chilean poet 1895 R. Buckminster Fuller American engineer, architect, and futurist SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY

DID COLUMBUS REALLY DISCOVER AMERICA ( FICTION OR TRUTH)

Although the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus is often credited to the discovery of America, some believe it is not entirely true. According to some historians, the first Europeans to discover America were the Vikings. They reached America during the 11^th century. They are often called as Norse sailors. The Norse sailors were a group of sailors that included explorers, merchants, warriors, and pirates.
The map above shows the Viking’s journey as they went to discover North America, about 500 years before Columbus found it. In 985 AD, Erik the Red reach Greenland and his son, Leif Eriksson eventually reach Newfoundland in about 1000 AD.

The Viking Age
From the late eighth century to the mid 11^th century, they explored, traded, and settled in different parts of Europe and the North Atlantic islands, including the continental North America. These timeline is also famously known as the Viking Age. Most of the Vikings or Norse sailor had Scandinavian origins. Later, they created settlements in various colonies. They also established several colonies in the continental North America. These colonies are known as the Norse colonies of North America.
No permanent settlements were made
They have also established colonies in Greenland at about the same time. These colonies in Greenland lasted for about 500 years but the colonies in North America were not developed to permanent colonies. Historians suggest that they mainly explored the continental North America for natural resources. At that time, Greenland was suffering from deforestation while the continental of North America had plenty of supply of furs, lumber and other resources. The reason for not establishing a permanent colony in North America, however, has remained unclear to historians.
The arrival of Christopher Columbus
Many speculate that the real reason was the hostile relation with the native people. The age of Vikings ended in the 12^th century, mainly with the empowering of medieval Church, who outlawed the slavery tradition of the Vikings, which was their main source of income. With the voyage of Christopher Columbus, the Europeans gained a foothold in America, ending the short-lived settlements of the Viking on the continent.

The History of Throwing Rice at Weddings

   Posted by: Mike   in Ancient Greece, Ancient History, Ancient World, Cultural History, History Blog, History Today, World History

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There are many wedding customs and traditions throughout the world but we do many of these things because they are customary without really understanding what they mean or where they come from. One of those traditions is throwing rice at the newlyweds as they run the gauntlet of guests. The history and meaning of using rice or grain dates back to the ancient Hebrew, Assyrian, and Egyptian societies where the throwing of food items over the newlyweds was symbolic of fertility.

Food was a natural product to throw because it was meant to give the newlyweds good luck and a hope for prosperity. Seeds or nuts were often thrown as a symbol of fertility since the small seed grows into a larger plant. Wheat and rice were symbols of prosperity to wish the newlyweds abundance and healthy children to help work the land. Italy throws sugared nuts and sweets (the word confetti comes from the Italian word for confection). Some European countries throw eggs, others throw wheat. Moroccans throw raisins and dates to wish a fruitful union for the newlyweds.

Rice became the popular item in the United States to wish prosperity and luck on newlyweds and was a common part of traditional weddings. Birdseed has widely replaced rice due to a widespread urban myth that rice is harmful to birds. The myth states that birds eat the rice and then explode because the rice swells when they ingest it. This legend is not true and has been debunked by ornithologists and bird watchers. Uncooked rice has no negative effects on birds; in fact they have been known to eat it in the wild.

The main danger of using rice (or birdseed for that matter) is to the wedding guests who can slip and fall if the items are thrown on hard surfaces. Out of concern over possible lawsuits, some places have banned the tossing of rice or seed. Some trends are flower petals, sunflower seeds or fall leaves. Whether you are the thrower or you are being thrown at now you know what the act symbolizes regardless of the actual product used in the ceremony.

Tags: Assyrian wedding traditions, confetti tradition, Cultural History, Cycladic Lovers with Arms Interlocking Statue, Dame Au Blason Tapestry, dates at weddings, Egyptian wedding traditions, Eternal Springtime by Rodin, fertility traditions, Hebrew wedding traditions, history of throwing rice at weddings, History Store, Moroccan wedding traditions, rice at weddings, throwing birdseed at weddings, throwing eggs at weddings, throwing food at weddings tradition, wedding customs, wedding history, wedding traditions

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