Freethought Almanac

Lighting a candle in toxic air.
2014-10-12
October 12: Columbus in the New World

Columbus Discovers the New World (1492) It was on this date, Friday, October 12, 1492, that Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in September or October 1451, and was reared a Roman Catholic. He became a Portuguese subject and married a Portuguese noblewoman, but had no success in persuading […]

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2011-12-08
December 8: The Original Sin of Pius IX

Pius IX and Original Sin (1854) It was on this date, December 8, 1854 – that the same Pope Pius IX promulgated, in the bull Ineffabilis Deus, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Not to be confused with the "virgin birth" legend of Jesus, this equally absurd doctrine says that, at Mary's conception, she did […]

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2011-10-09
October 9: Christianity vs Paganism

Temple of Apollo Dedicated (28 BCE), Christianity v. Paganism It was on this date, October 9, 28 BCE, that the Temple of Apollo was dedicated on the Palatine Hill in Rome. The "Apollo Palatínus" was built by Emperor Augustus and contained a library. As Platner describes it, This temple was the most magnificent of Augustus' […]

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2011-08-10
August 10: Churches v. Astronomy

Royal Observatory Opens (1675): Churches v. Astronomy It was on this date, August 10, 1675, that, by order of King Charles II, the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, south London, was laid. The rationale was chiefly commercial: to improve knowledge of the positions of stars in order to aid navigation. The first […]

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2011-07-25
July 25: Churches v. Medicine

Church opposition to surgery, dissection and the study of anatomy slowed the development of medicine.

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2011-06-16
June 16: Founding the RSPCA (1822): Churches and Animal Cruelty

Churches were silent on animal cruelty.

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2010-12-31
December 31: Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius died at age 49 in Zakinthos, Greece. He had reached Jerusalem, but never made it back home. You could say Vesalius died for the church that persecuted him.

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2010-12-08
December 8: The Errors of Pius IX

What Pius IX condemned generally as "Liberalism" is today seen as general principles of modern civilization.

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Ronald Bruce Meyer

Our Fearless Leader.


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January 13: Ernestine Rose

Six weeks before her death, Rose gave a copy of a speech, "In Defense of Atheism," to the London Freethinker. An Atheist to the last, Rose said there was nothing in it to alter.



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