FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
The Parthenon (/ˈpɑːrθəˌnɒn, -nən/; Ancient Greek: Παρθενών, Parthenṓn, [par.tʰe.nɔ̌ːn]; Greek: Παρθενώνας, Parthenónas, [parθeˈnonas]) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art, an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, democracy and Western civilization.
The Parthenon was built in thanksgiving for the Hellenic victory over Persian invaders during the Greco-Persian Wars. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon also served as the city treasury.
Construction started in 447 BC when the Delian League was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438; work on the decoration continued until 432. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the final decade of the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest in the mid-fifteenth century, it became a mosque. In the Morean War, a Venetian bomb during the 1687 siege of the Acropolis landed on the Parthenon, which the Ottomans had used as a munitions dump. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon. From 1800 to 1803, the 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles, reportedly (but controversially) with the permission of the Turks of the Ottoman Empire.
The Parthenon replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was demolished in the Persian invasion of 480 BC.
Since 1975, numerous large-scale restoration projects have been undertaken to preserve remaining artefacts and ensure its structural integrity.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
How can I get stains off my cookie sheets and other baking pans?
If your pans are slightly tarnished aluminum, clean them with a solution of hot soapy water and a little ammonia. Then wipe dry, rub with salt, and polish with a soft, dry cloth. For other kinds of stains, you can boil the pans (if you can find a pot big enough) with some water and grapefruit or lemon rinds for about 30 minutes. The acid in the fruit will remove the stains.
Advice of the Day
Counsel is no command.
Home Hint of the Day
To clean discolored glass, soak it in vinegar with the contents of a tea bag, then wash and rinse.
Word of the Day
Midsummer Day
June 24. Although it occurs near the summer solstice, to the farmer this day is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest and an occasion for festivity. The English church considered it a “Quarter Day,” one of the four major divisions of the liturgical year. It also marks the feast day of St. John the Baptist.
Puzzle of the Day
To half your wish, add half your fear; And lo, a partner will appear. (Guess the word!)
Wife
Born
- Johnny Appleseed Chapman (farmer, folk legend) – 1774
- Sir Louis-Olivier Taillon (8th premier of Quebec) – 1840
- Ivan Pavlov (physiologist) – 1849
- Arthur B. Davies (artist) – 1862
- T.S. Eliot (poet) – 1888
- George Gershwin (composer) – 1898
- Jack LaLanne (fitness guru) – 1914
- Olivia Newton-John (singer) – 1948
- Melissa Sue Anderson (actress) – 1962
- Serena Williams (tennis player) – 1981
Died
- Daniel Boone (frontiersman) – 1820
- Bessie Smith (singer) – 1937
- Robert Palmer (singer) – 2003
- Paul Newman (actor & businessman) – 2008
Events
- Parthenon partially destroyed by Venetians, Athens, Greece– 1687
- On the steps of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse, Colonel Robert Johnson bit into a tomato in order to prove wrong the long-lasting theory that tomatoes were poisonous– 1820
- The Shriners, a fraternal and charitable organization, opened its first temple– 1872
- Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy confronted each other in the first televised presidential debate– 1960
- The Beverly Hillbillies debuted on television– 1962
- N.Y. Giant Ali Haji-Sheikh kicked a 56-yard field goal– 1983
- Australia won the America’s Cup. It was the first time in 132 years that the U.S. did not win– 1983
- 42.1-inch-long cucumber set world record– 2011
Weather
- The temperature in San Diego, California, reached 111 degrees F– 1963
- The temperature in Los Angeles, California, reached 109 degrees F– 1963
- Death Valley, California, had an afternoon temperature of 104 degrees F– 1979
COURTESY www.almanac.com
