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old church of our lady mary of zion

from ark of the covenant posted in history by donkeyoti

According to legend, the Queen of Sheba heard of the great and wise King Solomon of Israel and journeyed to see him. They hit it off and she came back pregnant. That child was named Menelik I.

When he became a man, Menelik went to see Solomon. The king didn't believe Menelik's story until he saw the ring that he had given Queen Sheba. Solomon rejoiced, and gave Menelik a parting gift- the Ark of the Covenant (some versions of the story say a fake ark was left).

For those of you who haven't seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark of the Covenant is the chest that contains the remnants of the tablets that Moses inscribed the ten commandments on under divine instruction.

After a "divine heat" from the tablets (or Tabot in Ethiopia) cracked the stones of the Old Church, a new Chapel of the Tablet (aka Tzion Maryam church) was built by Emperor Haile Selassie. Today, the tablets are only allowed to be seen by the guard of the tablets, who never leaves.

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hitler’s birthplace

from adolf hitler, fascism posted in history by pete_nice

On April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler, the world's most evil vegetarian, was born in this apartment building in Upper Austria, just across the river from Germany.

Today, the future of the building is being debated; it is most likely to end up as high-end apartments.

A memorial stone fashioned from a slab of rock from the former Mauthausen Concentration Camp, near Linz, Austria sits outside the building.

It reads: "For peace, freedom and democracy / never again fascism / millions of dead admonish."

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hotel chelsea

from chelsea hotel posted in history by pete_nice

Leonard Cohen wrote "Chelsea Hotel #2" about a romantic encounter with Janis Joplin at the Chelsea. It was released on the 1974 album, New Skin for the Old Ceremony.

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hotel chelsea

from chelsea hotel posted in history by pete_nice

Few standing structures have had the varied cultural impact that the Chelsea has on popular culture. Built from 1883-1885, the twelve-story red-brick building was one of the city's first private apartment cooperatives.

While staying at the Chelsea, Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Dylan Thomas was staying at the Chelsea when he died of pneumonia on November 9, 1953.

On October 12, 1978, Nancy Spungen (girlfriend of Sid Vicious) was found stabbed to death here.

Today, the Chelsea no longer accepts new residents and is privately owned, but many previous long-term residents are protected by state rent regulations.

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patty hearst safehouse

from patty hearst kidnapping posted in history by pete_nice

Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publishing magnate (and Citizen Kane inspiration) William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped from her Berkeley apartment by the Symbionese Liberation Army on February 4, 1974.

The Symbionese Liberation Army, or SLA, drew their name from the word "symbiosis", and based their manifesto on leftist urban guerilla propaganda.

Hearst participated in a bank robbery at 1450 Noriega Street in San Francisco on April 15, 1974. She was photographed wielding an M1 carbine at the Sunset District branch of the Hibernia Bank.

Patty was shuttled between many safe houses by the SLA until her eventual arrest in September of 1975. This house in Haight-Ashbury is one of them.

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