We have the ancient Egyptians to thank for setting us on the road to today’s $40,000-plus weddings. They came up with the idea of getting engaged, to make sure a couple was compatible, as well as throwing rice or grain (symbolic of fertility) at the ceremony. Originally, however, the dowry […]

Early Christians thought this apocalyptic return of Jesus was right around the corner, likely in their own lifetimes. But Christians didn’t have a monopoly on apocalypse. In 448, Moses of Crete, a rabbi, claimed to be the Messiah as predicted by Talmudic calculations and led his followers to the sea, which […]