Events, Verisoph

c. 1970 Seed-faith giving is popularized 0 cit. Oral Roberts popularized seed-faith, the teaching that money given to a ministry is a seed that God will multiply back to the giver. The idea became a fundraising engine for prosperity ministries and is one of the movement's most criticized doctrines. economy / religion ●●

c. 1970 The Neopagan revival spreads worldwide 0 cit. Wicca, modern Druidry, Norse Asatru, and reconstructed Greek and Roman worship grow into a global family of Neopagan religions. Most are freshly built rather than unbroken survivals, a deliberate return to the old gods. religion / society ●●

c. 1970 The ankh becomes a widely recognized symbol of Egyptian revival and countercultural spirituality 0 cit. Following a century of Egyptological popularization and Theosophical and occult adoption, the ankh, ancient Egypt's hieroglyphic sign for 'life,' becomes a widely worn popular symbol in Western countercultural, New Age, and neopagan circles, detached from its original funerary and royal Egyptian religious context. culture / religion ●

c. 1 January 1970 Indian Student Placement Program reaches peak enrollment 0 cit. Annual enrollment in the Indian Student Placement Program peaked at about five thousand Native American children. Historians and participants have offered differing assessments of the program: Church leaders framed it as an educational and spiritual blessing, while later critics, including former participants, described it as an assimilationist project that separated children from their families and cultures. religion / society ●●

1971 Nike is named for the Greek goddess of victory 0 cit. In 1971 Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman renamed their shoe company Blue Ribbon Sports to Nike, after Nike, the winged Greek goddess of victory. The swoosh logo is meant to suggest her wing. economy / religion / war ●●●

1971 Starbucks uses the twin-tailed siren of Greek myth as its logo 0 cit. The Seattle coffee company, founded in 1971, built its logo around a twin-tailed siren, the sea creature of Greek myth whose song lured sailors. The company name itself comes from a character in Moby-Dick. culture / economy / religion ●●●

1971 'Nike' the goddess becomes the brand 0 cit. The sportswear giant Nike is named for Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, and its swoosh evokes her wing. An ancient goddess is one of the most valuable brands on earth. economy / religion ●●●

1972 Iceland recognizes Asatru, a revival of Norse worship 0 cit. Followers of Asatru revived worship of the Norse gods such as Odin and Thor, and Iceland gave the group official standing in the 1970s. Similar heathen movements spread in Europe and North America. religion / society ●●

1972 Hermes parcel service is named for the Greek messenger god 0 cit. The German parcel-delivery service, founded in 1972, is named after Hermes, the Greek messenger god, a fitting patron for shipping goods. economy / religion ●

1972 Apollo Tyres is named for the god Apollo 0 cit. The Indian tire manufacturer, founded in 1972, is named after Apollo, the Greek and Roman god of the sun, light, and strength. economy / religion / technology ●●

1972 Asatru is revived as a religion 0 cit. Iceland formally recognizes Asatru, a modern revival of Norse paganism, as a religion. Heathenry now has followers worldwide, most honoring the old gods peacefully and rejecting the racist groups that also claim the symbols. religion / society ●●

26 December 1973 The Exorcist opens and becomes a cultural phenomenon 0 cit. William Friedkin's horror film The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty's novel, opened in American theaters. Stories spread of viewers fainting and fleeing screenings of the tale of a possessed girl and two priests. It was the first horror film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. culture / religion ●●●

1974 Kenneth Hagin and the Word of Faith movement 0 cit. Kenneth Hagin founded the Rhema Bible Training Center and became the leading teacher of the Word of Faith movement, stressing positive confession, healing and prosperity as the believer's right. He drew extensively on E. W. Kenyon's earlier writings. economy / religion ●●●

1976 A Course in Miracles is published 0 cit. A Course in Miracles, which psychologist Helen Schucman said she received through inner dictation, presented a spiritual system using Christian words with a very different, mind-centered meaning. It became a widely read New Age text promoted by teachers like Marianne Williamson. culture / religion ●●

1977 Oracle is named for the prophetic oracle of Greek religion 0 cit. The software company, founded in California in 1977, is named for the oracle, a source of prophecy and truth in Greek religion, most famously the Oracle of Delphi. economy / religion / technology ●●●

1977 Kronos software is named for the Greek figure of time 0 cit. The workforce and timekeeping software firm, founded in Massachusetts in 1977, is named after Chronos, the personification of time in Greek myth, often rendered Kronos. economy / religion / technology ●●

16 October 1978 John Paul II elected pope 0 cit. The Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years. His election brought a figure from behind the Iron Curtain to the head of the global Church. politics / religion ●●●●

1978 Versace uses the head of Medusa as its emblem 0 cit. Gianni Versace founded his Italian fashion house in 1978 and chose the head of Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon of Greek myth, as its symbol. He said she stood for a beauty with no way back. culture / economy / religion ●●

1978 Orion Pictures is named for the hunter of Greek myth 0 cit. Orion Pictures, founded in 1978, is named after the constellation Orion, itself named for the giant hunter of Greek mythology. culture / economy / religion ●

11 August 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act 0 cit. Congress passed a resolution affirming the right of Native Americans to practice traditional religions, including access to sacred sites and use of sacred objects, after decades in which practices like the Sun Dance and use of peyote in Native American Church ceremonies had been suppressed or criminalized. The act had limited enforcement power and later Supreme Court rulings narrowed its practical protections, prompting further legislation in the 1990s. politics / religion ●●

1 June 1978 Spencer W. Kimball receives revelation ending priesthood ban 0 cit. Church President Spencer W. Kimball and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met and prayed together in the Salt Lake Temple. Church accounts state that in this meeting they received confirmation to rescind the policy barring men of Black African descent from priesthood ordination. religion ●●●

8 June 1978 Church announces end of priesthood ban 0 cit. The First Presidency issued a letter, publicly released June 9, 1978, announcing that all worthy male members could be ordained to the priesthood regardless of race, and that Black members could receive all temple ordinances. This ended the 126-year-old priesthood and temple ban. religion / society ●●●

30 September 1978 Official Declaration 2 canonized as scripture 0 cit. At the Church's general conference, First Presidency counselor N. Eldon Tanner presented the June 1978 revelation extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members regardless of race. Members present sustained it, and it was canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants as Official Declaration 2, formally ending the priesthood and temple ban. religion ●●●

11 June 1978 Joseph Freeman Jr. becomes first Black elder ordained after ban 0 cit. Three days after the First Presidency's announcement, Joseph Freeman Jr. was ordained an elder in the Melchizedek priesthood, becoming recognized as the first man of Black African descent ordained under the new policy. Other Black members were ordained to priesthood offices the same day across the Church. religion / society ●●

c. 1979 Aryeh Kaplan's translations reach a wide public 0 cit. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan produced clear English translations and studies of core Kabbalistic texts, including the Sefer Yetzirah and the Bahir. His work brought primary sources to English readers within a traditional framework. culture / religion ●●

20 November 1979 Grand Mosque seizure in Mecca 0 cit. Armed extremists led by Juhayman al-Otaybi seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca and held it for two weeks. The siege and its recapture left more than 100 people dead and pushed Saudi Arabia toward stricter religious policies. politics / religion ●●●

c. June 1979 The Moral Majority and the Religious Right 0 cit. Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority to organize conservative Christians as a political force. It helped make the Religious Right a major power in American politics. politics / religion ●●●●

20 November 1979 Seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca 0 cit. Armed militants led by Juhayman al-Otaybi seized the Grand Mosque and held it for two weeks, denouncing the monarchy as corrupt. The shock pushed the Saudi state toward stricter religious policies at home and abroad. religion / war ●●●●

2 June 1979 John Paul II's first visit to Poland 0 cit. The pope returned to communist Poland and drew vast crowds, encouraging Poles to resist fear. The visit is widely seen as a spark for the Solidarity movement and the wider challenge to Soviet control. politics / religion / society ●●●●

1979 Iran becomes a modern theocracy 0 cit. After the revolution, Iran created a system where a supreme religious leader holds ultimate authority above elected officials. It is a leading modern example of religious rule over a state. politics / religion ●●●●

16 January 1979 The Iranian Revolution topples the Shah 0 cit. Mass protests drive Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into exile, and Ayatollah Khomeini returns to lead a new Islamic republic. Decades of repression under SAVAK and resentment of foreign backing, dating to the 1953 coup, fed the uprising. The revolution turned a close Western client into one of America's fiercest adversaries. politics / religion ●●●

c. 1979 Uhuru grows up in the St Marys Catholic elite pipeline 2 cit. Uhuru grew up between State House privilege, Mama Nginas Catholic household and St Marys School in Nairobi, a Catholic-founded private school for children of Kenya elites. Profiles remember him as a rugby player, prefect and popular school figure. The point is not only personal religion; it is the formation of a postcolonial ruling-class style: Catholic schooling, English-speaking elite networks, and social confidence before electoral politics. culture / politics / religion / society ●●●●

c. 1980 Global Export of Salafi Ideology 0 cit. Using oil wealth, Saudi Arabia funded mosques, schools, charities, and preachers spreading its religious doctrine across the Muslim world and beyond. Critics linked the campaign to the growth of hardline movements, though its scale and effects remain debated. politics / religion / society ●●●●

c. 1980 Lucis Trust's World Goodwill gains UN consultative status 0 cit. World Goodwill, an activity of the Lucis Trust, holds consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is listed on the UN roster of nongovernmental organizations, a real and verifiable fact. This status is the same kind held by thousands of other NGOs and does not give the Trust any control over UN policy, contrary to conspiracy claims that it secretly runs the organization. politics / religion ●●●

c. 1980 Conspiracy claim: a Lucifer Trust runs the UN 0 cit. Some writers claim a sinister Lucifer Trust secretly directs the United Nations, playing on the publisher's original 1920s name. The documented reality is an NGO called the Lucis Trust whose World Goodwill has ordinary consultative status like thousands of other groups, with no governing power over the UN. politics / religion ●●

c. 1980 Positive confession, name it and claim it 1 cit. Word of Faith teachers hold that believers can speak desired outcomes into existence through positive confession, a practice critics nickname name it and claim it. Many mainstream theologians reject this as closer to New Thought magic than to biblical prayer, which submits requests to God's will. religion ●●

c. 1980 Contrast on God: divine self versus personal Creator 0 cit. New Age and New Thought thought tends toward pantheism or monism, holding that all is one divine reality and that the self is part of God. Orthodox biblical Christianity teaches a transcendent, personal Creator who is distinct from creation, a fundamental difference between the two views of the divine. religion ●●●

c. 1980 Contrast on salvation: self-realization versus grace 0 cit. New Age spirituality generally frames the human problem as ignorance of one's own divinity, solved by self-realization and raised consciousness. Orthodox Christianity frames the problem as sin against God, solved not by self-effort but by grace through the atoning death and resurrection of Christ. religion ●●●

c. 1980 Contrast on Jesus: ascended master versus incarnate Son 0 cit. Many New Age teachings present Jesus as one enlightened master or good teacher among several, sometimes as a being who attained Christ consciousness. Orthodox Christianity confesses Jesus as the unique incarnate Son of God, fully God and fully man, a claim the two traditions understand very differently. religion ●●●

c. 1980 Contrast on the afterlife: reincarnation versus resurrection 0 cit. New Age belief commonly includes reincarnation, in which the soul returns through many lives to grow spiritually. Orthodox Christianity teaches a single earthly life followed by bodily resurrection and final judgment, so the two traditions picture human destiny in incompatible ways. religion ●●●

c. 1980 Contrast on truth: many paths versus exclusive claim 0 cit. New Age thought usually holds that all religions are paths up the same mountain to one truth. Orthodox Christianity makes an exclusive claim that salvation comes through Christ alone, which is a core reason the two frameworks cannot simply be merged. religion ●●●

17 March 1981 The Propaganda Due (P2) scandal 0 cit. Italian investigators discovered that the secret lodge Propaganda Due, led by Licio Gelli, had enrolled hundreds of powerful figures and operated outside masonic rules. The scandal brought down a government and led regular Freemasonry to expel the lodge. economy / politics / religion ●●●●

13 May 1981 Assassination attempt on John Paul II 0 cit. A Turkish gunman shot and gravely wounded the pope in Saint Peter's Square. The pope survived and later met and forgave his attacker. politics / religion ●●

1981 Maruti is named for the Hindu deity Hanuman 0 cit. Maruti, India's carmaker whose modern entity was established in 1981, is named after Maruti, a traditional name for the Hindu deity Hanuman, the swift and mighty son of the wind god. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. 1 January 1981 1981 Book of Mormon edition restores "pure and delightsome" 0 cit. In a new edition of its scriptures, the Church restored Joseph Smith's 1840 wording of 2 Nephi 30:6, changing the text back from "white and delightsome" to "pure and delightsome," the phrasing that had not carried through most 19th- and 20th-century printings. religion ●

August 1982 Collapse of Banco Ambrosiano 0 cit. Italy's largest private bank collapses with over a billion dollars missing, entangling the Vatican Bank, its main shareholder. Chairman Roberto Calvi, known as God's banker, is found hanged under London's Blackfriars Bridge weeks before the liquidation. economy / religion ●●●

c. 1982 Revival and regulation of religion 0 cit. After the Cultural Revolution, the state allowed limited religious practice within official channels in the early 1980s. Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, and Christianity revived under close government supervision. religion / society ●●●

c. 1982 Robert Muller, the philosopher of the UN 0 cit. Robert Muller, a long-serving UN assistant secretary-general, wrote New Genesis: Shaping a Global Spirituality and is often called the philosopher of the UN for promoting a shared spiritual world ethic. His personal views were genuinely mystical and drew on Alice Bailey's ideas, but they were his own advocacy and never adopted as UN doctrine. politics / religion ●●●

1982 Pandora jewelry is named for the first woman of Greek myth 0 cit. The Danish jeweler, founded in Copenhagen in 1982, is named after Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology. Her famous jar, often called a box, held the world's evils. culture / economy / religion ●●

18 June 1982 Banco Ambrosiano and the death of Roberto Calvi 0 cit. Roberto Calvi, head of Italy's Banco Ambrosiano and known as God's Banker for his Vatican ties, was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London. The bank collapsed amid massive fraud, and the Vatican Bank was its main shareholder. The Holy See denied wrongdoing but paid creditors about 240 million dollars in 1984, and the affair exposed the murky finances of the Vatican. economy / politics / religion ●●●

1983 Shirley MacLaine popularizes the New Age 0 cit. Actress Shirley MacLaine's bestselling memoir Out on a Limb, later a 1987 television miniseries, described her turn to reincarnation, channeling and the idea that each person is divine. Her fame carried New Age ideas into ordinary living rooms and made the term widely known. culture / religion ●●●

c. 1983 Christian discernment ministries respond to the New Age 0 cit. From the 1980s onward, evangelical writers such as those behind books on the New Age produced a large body of critique aimed at warning Christians away from its teachings. This response shaped how many churches understand and talk about New Age spirituality. religion / society ●

c. 1984 Muller's World Core Curriculum contested 0 cit. Robert Muller designed a World Core Curriculum for global education that he said drew on the teachings Alice Bailey attributed to a Tibetan master. It influenced some private Muller schools but was never a United Nations program, though critics often present it as one. politics / religion ●●

1984 TriStar Pictures uses Pegasus as its logo 0 cit. The film studio, founded in 1984, uses a winged horse as its logo, Pegasus of Greek myth, shown galloping in its opening sequence. culture / economy / religion ●●

1984 Titan watches are named for the elder gods of Greek myth 0 cit. Titan, the Indian watchmaker founded in 1984 as a Tata venture, is named after the Titans, the elder gods of Greek mythology. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. 1 January 1984 to c. 1989 Foreign fighters flock to the Afghan jihad 0 cit. Thousands of Arab volunteers joined the war against the Soviets, drawn by recruitment networks like Abdullah Azzam's services bureau. These networks later seeded transnational jihadist movements. religion / war ●●●●

23 June 1985 Bombing of Air India Flight 182 0 cit. A bomb planted by Sikh separatists based in Canada destroyed Air India Flight 182 over the Atlantic, killing all 329 people on board. It was the deadliest aviation terrorist attack before 2001. politics / religion ●●●

c. 1985 Court filings expose the Xenu and OT III space opera doctrine 0 cit. Litigation brought Hubbard's secret upper-level teachings into the public record, including the story of a galactic ruler named Xenu. The church had guarded the material as confidential scripture. religion ●●

1985 The Saturn car brand traces to the Roman god Saturn 0 cit. General Motors created the Saturn car brand in 1985, naming it after the Saturn rockets and ultimately the planet, which carries the name of the Roman god of agriculture and time. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. October 1986 King Fahd Adopts the Title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques 0 cit. King Fahd replaced royal titles with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, stressing the monarchy's role as guardian of Mecca and Medina. The title tied Saudi legitimacy to its stewardship of Islam's holiest sites. politics / religion ●●●

c. 1986 Creflo Dollar and World Changers 0 cit. Creflo Dollar built World Changers Church International on explicit prosperity teaching that faith and giving produce financial abundance. His appeals for donations toward private jets became a widely cited example of the movement's excesses. economy / religion ●●

24 January 1986 L. Ron Hubbard dies in seclusion 0 cit. Hubbard died at a secluded California ranch at age 74. The church announced he had voluntarily left his body to continue his work on another plane. religion / society ●●●

c. 1986 David Miscavige takes control of Scientology 0 cit. After Hubbard's death, David Miscavige emerged as the church's dominant figure and consolidated power as head of the Religious Technology Center. He has led Scientology ever since. religion ●●●●

13 April 1986 John Paul II visits the Synagogue of Rome 0 cit. On 13 April 1986 Pope John Paul II entered the Great Synagogue of Rome, the first recorded visit by a pope to a synagogue since the early Church. He called the Jews the elder brothers of Christians and again condemned antisemitism. The visit built on Nostra Aetate and signaled a lasting shift toward reconciliation. diplomacy / religion / society ●●

December 1987 Founding of Hamas 0 cit. The Islamist movement Hamas was founded in Gaza in 1987 during the First Intifada. It rejected recognition of Israel and later became a major armed and political force. politics / religion ●●●

16 August 1987 The Harmonic Convergence 0 cit. Author Jose Arguelles promoted the Harmonic Convergence as a globally synchronized meditation tied to Mayan calendar cycles, drawing thousands to sacred sites. It was the first mass New Age event and showed the movement could organize people worldwide. culture / religion ●●●

c. 1987 The televangelist boom and its scandals 0 cit. Prosperity preaching reached mass audiences through 1980s religious television, but figures such as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart fell in fraud and morality scandals that damaged the movement's image. The scandals sharpened public scrutiny of ministry finances. religion / society ●●

1987 D. Michael Quinn examines Joseph Smith's esoteric and Masonic context 0 cit. Historian D. Michael Quinn published "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View," situating Joseph Smith's religious development within a broader nineteenth-century milieu of folk magic, hermeticism, and esoteric societies that included Freemasonry. Quinn, then a Latter-day Saint historian, argued for a documented pattern of cultural borrowing and synthesis rather than treating Mormon ritual as wholly self-contained, a position that drew both scholarly interest and institutional criticism. religion ●●

8 November 1987 Enniskillen (Remembrance Day) bombing 0 cit. An IRA bomb exploded at a Remembrance Sunday commemoration in Enniskillen, killing 11 civilians and injuring more than 60; a twelfth victim died from his injuries in 2000. The IRA later said the bombing had not been sanctioned as planned and expressed regret, but the attack caused widespread revulsion and significant damage to republican support both in Northern Ireland and internationally. It is remembered as one of the most condemned attacks of the Troubles. religion / war ●●●

1987 Elijah Masinde dies after decades of detention across three governments 0 cit. Masinde spent much of his life in colonial and post-colonial detention. After independence the Kenyatta government held him for years on charges of stirring religious hatred, and he was released under Daniel arap Moi in 1978 before further arrests. He died in 1987 and is remembered by many as a neglected freedom fighter. politics / religion ●

c. 1988 Millennium of the Baptism of Rus 0 cit. State-tolerated celebrations marked a thousand years since the Christianization of Rus, signaling a thaw in relations between the Soviet state and the Orthodox Church. The event helped open the way for a religious revival. religion / society ●●●

11 August 1988 Al-Qaeda founded in the Afghan war's aftermath contested 0 cit. Osama bin Laden and associates founded al-Qaeda from networks built during the anti-Soviet war. The group grew out of the war's aftermath, though the claim that the CIA created or directly funded bin Laden is contested and not supported by the documented record. religion / war ●●●●●

1988 An astrologer in the Reagan White House 0 cit. It emerges that astrologer Joan Quigley had for years helped set the schedule of US President Ronald Reagan, timing events by the stars at the First Lady's request. Documented in the chief of staff's memoir, it showed astrology reaching the highest office in the world. politics / religion ●●●

1989 The Vatican and the fall of communism 0 cit. As communist governments fell across Eastern Europe, the Church under John Paul II was credited with helping inspire the change. The collapse restored Church freedom in much of the former Soviet bloc. politics / religion / society ●●●●

1989 Asus takes its name from Pegasus of Greek myth 0 cit. The Taiwanese electronics company, founded in 1989, took its name from the last letters of Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. 1990 Conspiracy claim: the UN is a New Age one-world religion contested 0 cit. A recurring conspiracy theory holds that the UN is a front for a New Age one-world religion, pointing to the Lucis Trust's NGO status, the Meditation Room and figures like Muller. In reality these are limited and largely symbolic links; the UN is a secular intergovernmental body with no official religion, and the theory overreads real but minor facts. politics / religion ●●●

1990 Pegasus Airlines is named for the winged horse of Greek myth 0 cit. The Turkish low-cost carrier, founded in 1990, is named after Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. 1 January 1990 Afghan weapons and fighters spread abroad 0 cit. Arms and battle-hardened veterans from the Afghan war moved into conflicts in Kashmir, Algeria, Bosnia, and beyond. The dispersal is a central example of blowback from a covert program. religion / war ●●●

April 1990 Removal of penalties and other changes to the endowment ceremony 0 cit. The LDS Church eliminated the penalty oaths and their accompanying gestures from the temple endowment entirely, along with the five points of fellowship performed at the veil, the Adamic phrase spoken in the prayer circle, and the wording requiring wives to covenant obedience to their husbands. The removed penalty gestures had been among the ritual elements most frequently cited by historians as directly paralleling Masonic degree ceremonies. Church leaders did not publicly detail the reasoning, and the change was communicated to members through updated temple instruction rather than public announcement. religion ●●●

17 March 1992 Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires 0 cit. A suicide bombing destroyed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 people. Islamic Jihad, linked to Hezbollah, claimed responsibility. politics / religion ●●

26 February 1993 1993 World Trade Center bombing 0 cit. Islamist militants detonated a truck bomb in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center, killing 6 people and injuring more than a thousand. It was an early sign of the threat that culminated in 2001. politics / religion ●●●

12 March 1993 1993 Bombay bombings 0 cit. A series of 12 coordinated bombings struck Bombay, including the stock exchange, killing 257 people and injuring more than 1,400. The attacks were organized by the crime figure Dawood Ibrahim. politics / religion ●●●

1 October 1993 The IRS grants Scientology tax-exempt status 0 cit. After decades of litigation and conflict, the IRS recognized Scientology entities as tax-exempt religious organizations. The settlement ended a long and bitter battle with the US tax authorities. politics / religion ●●●●

1993 Nvidia's name echoes invidia, envy in Roman myth 0 cit. The graphics-chip company, founded in California in 1993, built its name around the NV acronym for next version. The founders liked that the result resembled invidia, the Latin word for envy personified in Roman myth as the goddess Invidia. economy / religion / technology ●●

28 February 1993 ATF raid on Branch Davidian compound near Waco 0 cit. ATF agents attempted to serve a search warrant on the Branch Davidian religious compound over illegal weapons allegations, triggering a gun battle that killed four agents and several Branch Davidians. The failed raid led to a 51-day FBI siege that ended on April 19, 1993, when a fire during a tank and tear-gas assault killed roughly 76 Branch Davidians, including many children. Congressional investigations and independent reviewers criticized the ATF's tactical planning, and the episode became a lasting flashpoint in debates over federal law enforcement use of force. politics / religion ●●●

18 July 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing 0 cit. A car bomb destroyed the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentine history and was linked to Hezbollah and Iran. politics / religion ●●●

1994 Amazon is named after the warrior women of Greek myth 0 cit. Jeff Bezos named his 1994 online bookstore after the Amazon River, the world's largest. Spanish explorers had named that river for the Amazons, the warrior women of Greek mythology. economy / religion / war ●●●

1994 Delphi is named for the ancient Greek oracle site 0 cit. Delphi, the auto-parts company spun off from General Motors in 1994, is named after Delphi, the ancient Greek sanctuary of Apollo and home of its famous oracle. economy / religion / technology ●

1 September 1994 The Taliban rise from the war's wreckage 0 cit. The Taliban emerged from religious schools and former mujahideen amid the chaos that followed the Soviet withdrawal and the collapse of Afghan factions. They seized most of the country and later sheltered al-Qaeda. politics / religion ●●●●

c. 1994 Michael Homer surveys the Mormon-Masonic relationship in "Dialogue" 0 cit. Historian Michael W. Homer, writing in the independent journal Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, laid out documentary evidence connecting the endowment ceremony's structure and language to Masonic ritual practice known in Nauvoo in 1842. Homer's approach became characteristic of a body of scholarship, by both Latter-day Saint and non-Mormon historians, that treats the parallels as well documented while remaining more cautious about characterizing Joseph Smith's intent or theological meaning. religion ●●

April 1994 Massacres in the churches 0 cit. Tutsi families fled to churches and parish compounds, long treated as places of refuge, and were slaughtered there in the thousands at sites like Nyarubuye, Nyamata, and Ntarama. In some cases local clergy and officials are documented to have helped gather or hand over the victims. These church sites are now among Rwanda's main genocide memorials. religion / war ●●

20 March 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack 0 cit. The Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin nerve agent on the Tokyo subway during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring thousands. It was the most serious chemical terrorist attack in a major city. religion / society ●●●

5 December 1995 Lisa McPherson dies after 17 days in Scientology care 0 cit. McPherson died of a pulmonary embolism after being held for weeks under a Scientology isolation practice called the Introspection Rundown following a mental breakdown. Her death became a rallying point for critics. religion / society ●●●●

16 December 1995 Desmond Tutu sworn in to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 0 cit. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was sworn in as chairperson of the TRC, alongside deputy chair Alex Boraine and fifteen other commissioners. The TRC operated through three committees: Human Rights Violations, Amnesty, and Reparation and Rehabilitation. politics / religion / society ●●

1996 T. D. Jakes and the Potter's House 0 cit. Bishop T. D. Jakes founded the Potter's House and became a leading preacher and media figure whose message blends personal empowerment, healing and material blessing. He is often grouped with prosperity teachers, though his emphasis and theology are debated. culture / religion ●●

c. 1996 Scholars describe the New Age as a milieu, not a church 0 cit. Religious scholars describe the New Age not as an organized religion with creeds and clergy but as a loose spiritual milieu where individuals mix ideas from many sources. This is why claims of a single unified New Age religion controlling institutions are hard to support factually. religion / society ●●

1996 Osiris Shoes is named for the Egyptian god of the afterlife 0 cit. The skateboarding footwear brand Osiris, founded in San Diego in 1996, is named after Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife and resurrection. culture / economy / religion ●

17 November 1997 Luxor massacre 0 cit. Gunmen from al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya attacked tourists at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, killing 62 people, most of them foreign visitors. The attack badly damaged Egypt's tourism industry. economy / religion ●●●

c. 1998 The Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt cancellation 0 cit. A global coalition of churches, charities, and activists demands cancellation of unpayable poor-country debt by the year 2000, drawing on the biblical idea of a jubilee. Mass petitions and a human chain around a G8 summit pushed leaders to widen relief and helped shape the enhanced HIPC scheme. Campaigners argued that much of the debt was odious and had already been repaid many times over in interest. economy / religion ●●

1999 Joel Osteen and the megachurch message contested 0 cit. Joel Osteen took over Lakewood Church and built the largest congregation in the United States on an upbeat message that God wants believers to prosper and live their best life now. Supporters find it encouraging while critics say it softens or omits traditional teaching on sin and the cross. culture / religion ●●●