Hill Of Crosses in Lithuania

The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage in northern Lithuania just outside the city of Siauliai. Standing upon a small hill are an estimated 100,000 crosses, crucifixes and rosaries that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression. In 1795 Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914 there were 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, declaring it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.

Exotic Dancers of the 1890s

Dr. Charles H. McCaghy, a professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University, specializes in the study of deviance and his interest in the topic has led to a collection of materials documenting the history of stripping.

These portraits of exotic dancers of the 19th century probably appeared scandalous at one time, but they are SFW. What is fascinating is that, outside of wearing corsets, these professional exotic dancers display the size and shape of average women who would never be offered a professional position in entertainment today.












































Via: Retronaut

The Learning Power of Lego [Infographic]

Ole Kirk Christiansen created Legos in the 1940s in Denmark. Ole’s company originally sold and made wooden stepladders and ironing boards, until he started making wooden toys. The toys were more popular, so he decided to sell toys exclusively. He named the company LEGO, which came from the Danish phrase “play well“.

Lego bricks have withstood the test of time because of their unlimited open-ended possibilities - 400 billion bricks have been produced since 1958. Lego has been going strong for the last sixty years, developing children’s creativity, fine motor skills, teamwork, and curiosity. Who knows what the next fifty years will bring!

Check out this infographic to learn some history of LEGO and how it’s being used in the education field.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Via: onlinecollege

The History of Thomas Edison

Today would have been the 165th birthday of Thomas Edison and, to celebrate, Jeremiah Warren whipped up this brief biography, which pretty much sums all of the things he improved upon, rather than invented.

Mona Lisa Copy Painted By Leonardo Da Vinci's Student Discovered in Spain

A copy of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Mona Lisa, has been found in the vaults of the Spanish Prado museum, looking younger and more ravishing than the original (See picture above: original left, copy right). Museum officials said it was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci's apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original.

Painted alongside the original, historians say it gives another insight into what the model for one of the world's most famous paintings actually looked like. The copy of the Mona Lisa features the same female figure, but had been covered over with black paint and varnish. Two years ago tests were done and restorers discovered something hidden under the black coat.


Via dailymail & thehistoryblog