Events, Verisoph

1999 NYX Cosmetics is named for the Greek goddess of night 0 cit. NYX Cosmetics, founded in Los Angeles in 1999, is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. culture / economy / religion ●●

1999 LUNA bars are named for the Roman goddess of the moon 0 cit. Clif Bar launched its LUNA nutrition bar for women in 1999, named after Luna, the Roman goddess who personified the moon. culture / economy / religion ●

c. 1999 Peatrik reads Mbwaa as a charter of initiation contested 1 cit. Anne-Marie Peatrik argues the Mbwaa story is not a record of migration but a work of political philosophy that encodes the logic of initiation and generational succession. She reads the impossible tasks as a world turned backward toward primordial indistinction, Aita's lengthwise cutting as a figure of circumcision that establishes patrilineal dominance, and the parting of the waters as the release of suspended time so that ages and colours can separate again. On this reading the myth restates the central Meru problem: each generation must reopen the passage and rebuild the social order. culture / religion / society ●●●

19 August 2000 Reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour 0 cit. The Moscow cathedral demolished under Stalin was rebuilt and consecrated, a symbol of the post-Soviet revival of the Russian Orthodox Church. The church regained a prominent public role after decades of repression. culture / religion / society ●●●

2000 Pandora music is named for Pandora's box of Greek myth 0 cit. The music-streaming service, launched in 2000, is named after Pandora's box of Greek myth, opening to reveal a tailored world of songs. economy / religion / technology ●●

c. 1 January 2000 Indian Student Placement Program formally ends 0 cit. The Church's Indian Student Placement Program concluded, with its last participating student graduating from high school in 2000. Enrollment had declined sharply after 1970 and the program was largely inactive by the mid-1990s, as reservation schools improved and the Church's approach to Native American outreach shifted away from off-reservation placement. religion / society ●●

26 March 2000 John Paul II's apology at the Western Wall 0 cit. In March 2000 Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and prayed at the Western Wall, leaving a written prayer that asked God's forgiveness for Christian wrongs against the Jews. It followed the Vatican's 1998 document We Remember, which expressed repentance for Catholics who failed to resist the Nazi genocide. Critics found the apology guarded, noting that it distinguished the sins of Church members from the Church itself. diplomacy / religion / society ●●●

c. 2000 Mainstream Judaism holds both strands in tension 0 cit. Modern Judaism carries both strands at once: rigorous halakhic and Talmudic study on one side, and living mystical currents through Hasidism, Chabad, and renewed interest in Kabbalah on the other. Rather than one defeating the other, reason and mysticism remain in a lasting, productive tension at the heart of the tradition. culture / religion ●●

29 January 2001 White House faith-based initiatives 0 cit. President George W. Bush created a White House office to steer federal funds to religious social programs. The initiative deepened ties between government and faith-based groups. politics / religion ●●

11 September 2001 The Gulf and the September 11 Attacks 0 cit. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers in the attacks on the United States were Saudi citizens, straining ties with Washington. The event intensified scrutiny of Gulf funding for extremist networks. politics / religion / war ●●●●

2001 Venus razors are named for the Roman goddess of love 0 cit. Gillette introduced its Venus razor for women in 2001, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. culture / economy / religion ●●

11 September 2001 The September 11 attacks and the blowback debate 0 cit. Al-Qaeda's attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and reopened debate over how the Afghan war's aftermath fed the group's rise. Scholars stress the documented chain of consequences, not a direct US plot to build al-Qaeda. religion / war ●●●●●

12 October 2002 Bali bombings 0 cit. Bombs at nightspots in Kuta, Bali, killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. The attack by Jemaah Islamiyah was the deadliest in Indonesian history. economy / religion ●●●●

6 January 2002 The abuse crisis becomes public 0 cit. Reporting by the Boston Globe revealed that Church leaders had covered up decades of child sexual abuse by clergy. The exposure set off investigations worldwide and a lasting reckoning over Church accountability. politics / religion / society ●●●●

12 May 2003 Riyadh compound bombings 0 cit. Al-Qaeda suicide bombers struck residential compounds housing foreigners in Riyadh, killing 39 people. The attacks pushed Saudi Arabia to intensify its campaign against Al-Qaeda. religion / war ●●

5 August 2003 Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing 0 cit. A suicide car bomb struck the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, killing 12 people. The attack was attributed to the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. economy / religion ●●

3 February 2003 The Catholic Church studies the New Age 0 cit. The Vatican released a study called Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life, offering a careful description of New Age beliefs and explaining where they differ from Christian faith. It is a notable example of a mainstream church engaging the movement analytically rather than only polemically. religion ●●

c. 2004 Celebrity popularization of the Kabbalah Centre 0 cit. During the 2000s the Kabbalah Centre gained global visibility through celebrity followers such as Madonna, bringing the word Kabbalah into mainstream popular culture. Observers debated whether the movement reflected or diluted the historical tradition. culture / religion ●●●

11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings 0 cit. Coordinated bombs on four commuter trains in Madrid killed 193 people and wounded around 2,000. The attack, linked to Islamist militants, came days before a general election and reshaped Spanish politics. politics / religion ●●●●

27 February 2004 The John Jay Report on abuse in the US Church 0 cit. Commissioned by the US bishops, a study by the John Jay College documented accusations against more than four thousand priests and over ten thousand reported victims between 1950 and 2002. It was the first large-scale accounting of the scale of clerical sexual abuse in the American Church. religion / society ●●●

9 November 2005 Amman hotel bombings 0 cit. Suicide bombers from Al-Qaeda in Iraq struck three hotels in Amman, killing 60 people, most of them Jordanians at a wedding reception. religion / war ●●●

7 July 2005 7 July London bombings 0 cit. Four suicide bombers attacked London's transport network during the morning rush hour, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil. politics / religion ●●●●

c. 2005 Mainstream Christian rejection of the prosperity gospel 0 cit. Many evangelical and traditional Christian leaders formally reject the prosperity gospel, arguing it distorts the Bible by promising health and wealth and by treating faith as a tool to get things from God. This internal criticism shows the movement sits at the edge of, and often in conflict with, orthodox Christianity. religion / society ●●

11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings 0 cit. A series of bombs exploded on Mumbai's suburban trains during the evening rush hour, killing about 189 people and injuring more than 800. politics / religion ●●●

c. 1 October 2006 Book of Mormon introduction revised on Lamanite ancestry 0 cit. The Church changed the introduction to the Book of Mormon, revising the statement that the Lamanites were "the principal ancestors of the American Indians" to say they were "among the ancestors of the American Indians." The Church described the change as accounting for details of Book of Mormon demography that are not known; the revision followed years of discussion prompted partly by DNA research on Native American ancestry. religion / science ●●

June 2006 The rise and fall of the Islamic Courts Union 0 cit. In 2006 a coalition of Sharia courts, the Islamic Courts Union, defeated the warlords and briefly brought order to Mogadishu, welcomed by many exhausted residents. Fearing an Islamist state, Ethiopia invaded late that year with US backing and drove the Courts from power. The intervention scattered the movement and pushed its hardline youth wing toward armed insurgency. politics / religion / war ●●

14 August 2007 Qahtaniyah bombings 0 cit. Four coordinated suicide truck bombs struck Yazidi towns in northern Iraq, killing about 796 people. It was the deadliest car bomb attack of the Iraq War. religion / war ●●●

2007 US courts and military recognize the pentagram as a valid religious symbol 0 cit. Following a lawsuit, the US Department of Veterans Affairs adds the Wiccan pentacle to the list of approved religious emblems for veterans' headstones, formally recognizing the upright pentagram as a legitimate religious symbol under US law rather than an occult or Satanic marker. religion / society ●●

c. 2007 Al-Shabaab emerges as a jihadist insurgency 0 cit. Out of the wreckage of the Islamic Courts, the militant youth wing known as Al-Shabaab grew into a jihadist insurgency, later pledging allegiance to Al-Qaeda. It fought the transitional government and African Union peacekeepers, seized much of the south, and imposed a harsh version of Islamic law. The group carried out mass-casualty bombings in Mogadishu and attacks in Kenya, and remained a potent force despite losing territory. politics / religion / war ●●●

2009 Ireland's Ryan and Murphy Reports 0 cit. Two official Irish inquiries reported in 2009. The Ryan Report described widespread physical and sexual abuse in Church-run industrial schools, while the Murphy Report found that the Dublin archdiocese had concealed abuse to protect the institution's reputation. Together they broke the moral authority of the Church in Ireland. politics / religion / society ●●●

11 July 2010 Kampala World Cup bombings 0 cit. Al-Shabaab suicide bombers struck two venues where crowds were watching the football World Cup final in Kampala, killing 74 people. religion / war ●●

c. 2011 New Thought churches continue today 0 cit. Organized New Thought bodies such as Unity and Centers for Spiritual Living, formerly Religious Science, remain active and teach the divine potential of the individual. They keep the historic New Thought stream alive as recognizable churches alongside the looser New Age. religion ●

21 September 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack 1 cit. Gunmen from the Somali group Al-Shabaab stormed the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi and held it for four days, killing 67 people. religion / war ●●●

15 April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing 0 cit. Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people and wounding hundreds. The manhunt for the two brothers responsible shut down much of the city. religion / society ●●●

13 March 2013 Election of Pope Francis, First Jesuit Pope 0 cit. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope and took the name Francis, becoming the first Jesuit to hold the office. He was also the first pope from the Americas. politics / religion ●●●

11 February 2013 Benedict XVI resigns the papacy 0 cit. Pope Benedict XVI announced he would step down, the first pope to resign in nearly six hundred years. His decision cited failing strength amid the pressures of the office. politics / religion ●●●

13 March 2013 Pope Francis elected 0 cit. The Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Jesuit and first Latin American pope, taking the name Francis. His election marked a shift toward the Church's growing membership in the global South. politics / religion / society ●●●

4 February 2013 Crown Nominations Commission process confirms Justin Welby as Archbishop 0 cit. Justin Welby was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury after being formally nominated to the Queen through the Crown Nominations Commission and confirmed by royal letters patent. The monarch's role in appointing Church of England archbishops and bishops is now largely ceremonial, with the Commission doing the real selection, but the formal act of appointment still runs through the Crown. This illustrates how the monarch's church headship functions in modern practice. politics / religion ●

6 December 2013 Church publishes "Race and the Priesthood" essay 0 cit. The Church published the Gospel Topics essay "Race and the Priesthood" on its official website. The essay states that the Church "disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life," and that Church leaders "unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form." It attributes the origin of the ban to Brigham Young and the racial attitudes of his era rather than to Joseph Smith or an unambiguous divine mandate. religion / society ●●●

2013 to 2017 Australia's royal commission on child abuse 0 cit. A national royal commission examined how institutions responded to child sexual abuse and found that the Catholic Church accounted for the largest share of cases. It reported that about seven percent of priests in Australia had been accused, and its findings drove new laws on reporting abuse. politics / religion / society ●●

2013 Jubilee uses Christian peace and born-again election language 2 cit. In the 2013 campaign, the Uhuru-Ruto team did not run only on ethnicity and the ICC backlash. Scholars of the election point to Christian peace, repentance and born-again imagery: Kenya would wash away the sins of 2007-08, choose peace, and move into a renewed future. That religious language helped present Jubilee as reconciliation even while accountability questions remained unresolved. politics / religion / society ●●●●

14 April 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping 0 cit. Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State. Many were held for years and some remain missing, drawing worldwide attention through the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. religion / society ●●●

12 June 2014 Camp Speicher massacre 0 cit. Islamic State fighters captured and killed around 1,700 mostly Shia Iraqi military cadets near Camp Speicher in Tikrit. It was one of the deadliest mass killings of the Iraqi conflict. religion / war ●●●

16 December 2014 Peshawar school massacre 0 cit. Pakistani Taliban gunmen stormed an army-run school in Peshawar and killed about 149 people, most of them children. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan's history and reshaped its counterterrorism policy. religion / society ●●●●

2014 Elysium Health is named for the paradise of Greek myth 0 cit. The supplement company Elysium Health, founded in 2014, is named after Elysium, the paradise reserved for heroes in Greek mythology. economy / religion / science ●

2014 Kenya tetanus vaccine anti-fertility controversy contested 0 cit. In 2014 the Kenya Catholic Doctors Association alleged that a WHO and UNICEF tetanus vaccination campaign aimed at women was laced with the hormone hCG to secretly sterilize them, sparking a real standoff with the government. The WHO and UNICEF rejected the claim and mainstream testing found the vaccine safe, while the church's own test results were widely disputed as false positives from inappropriate methods. religion / science ●●

May 2014 "Joseph's Temples" published as a comprehensive scholarly study 0 cit. The University of Utah Press published Michael W. Homer's "Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism," a full-length scholarly treatment drawing on lodge minutes, correspondence, and temple records. Homer documented extensive structural parallels between the endowment and Masonic degree ritual while framing the relationship as a dynamic, evolving one rather than a simple act of copying. The book is widely cited by both Latter-day Saint and non-Mormon scholars as the most detailed documentary treatment of the subject, even as interpretations of its meaning, borrowing versus restoration, continue to differ. religion ●●

2014 Mother-and-baby homes and the Tuam scandal 0 cit. A local historian's research revealed that a Catholic-run home for unmarried mothers in Tuam had buried hundreds of infants, some in a disused sewage structure. A 2021 Irish commission found that about nine thousand children died in such homes across the country, and the government and Church apologized for decades of neglect and secrecy. politics / religion / society ●●●

20 June 2014 Mainstream churches meet Uhuru over insecurity and national dialogue 1 cit. In June 2014 leaders of mainstream Christian churches met Uhuru at State House and issued a public statement on insecurity, incitement, dialogue and national unity. The signatories included Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Africa Inland Church and NCCK figures. This shows a practical church-state channel: religious leaders were not just campaign decoration; they could bless, pressure and mediate the presidency. politics / religion / society ●●●●

2 April 2015 Garissa University College attack 1 cit. Al-Shabaab gunmen attacked Garissa University College, separating Christian students from Muslims and killing 148 people, most of them students. religion / war ●●●

c. 3 January 2015 Baga massacre 0 cit. Boko Haram overran the town of Baga and nearby villages in northeastern Nigeria. Estimates of the dead ranged from about 150 to as many as 2,000 people. religion / war ●●●

18 March 2015 Bardo National Museum attack 0 cit. Gunmen attacked the Bardo National Museum in Tunis, killing 22 people, most of them foreign tourists. economy / religion ●●

26 June 2015 Sousse beach attack 0 cit. A gunman opened fire on a tourist beach and hotel near Sousse, killing 38 people, most of them British holidaymakers. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. economy / religion ●●●

10 October 2015 Ankara railway station bombings 0 cit. Two suicide bombers linked to the Islamic State attacked a peace rally outside Ankara's main railway station, killing 109 people. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Turkish history. politics / religion ●●●

20 March 2015 Sana'a mosque bombings 0 cit. Suicide bombers attacked two mosques used by Houthi worshippers in Sana'a, killing about 142 people. The Islamic State group claimed the attack. religion / war ●●●

7 January 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting 0 cit. Two gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12 people. The attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda in Yemen, sparked worldwide debate over free expression. culture / religion ●●●

13 November 2015 November 2015 Paris attacks 0 cit. Islamic State attackers struck the Bataclan concert hall, restaurants and a stadium across Paris, killing 130 people. It was the deadliest attack in France since the Second World War. politics / religion ●●●●

c. 2015 Debates over yoga and meditation in churches 0 cit. As yoga and meditation became mainstream, Christians divided over whether these practices can be adopted as neutral exercise or carry Eastern spiritual meaning that conflicts with their faith. The debate shows the ongoing overlap and friction between New Age derived practice and Christianity. culture / religion ●

May 2015 Ireland's social transformation 0 cit. Once a socially conservative and church-dominated society, Ireland changed rapidly in a generation. Divorce was legalised by referendum in 1995, same-sex marriage was approved by popular vote in 2015, and the ban on abortion was repealed in 2018. The shift followed a sharp decline in the Catholic Church's authority, hastened by revelations of clerical and institutional abuse. religion / society ●●

3 July 2016 Karrada bombing in Baghdad 0 cit. An Islamic State suicide truck bomb struck a busy shopping district in Karrada during Ramadan, killing more than 340 people. It was one of the deadliest single bombings in Baghdad since 2003. religion / war ●●●

22 March 2016 Brussels bombings 0 cit. Islamic State suicide bombers attacked Brussels Airport and a metro station, killing 32 people. The bombers were linked to the same network behind the November 2015 Paris attacks. politics / religion ●●●

14 July 2016 Nice truck attack 0 cit. A man drove a cargo truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, killing 86 people. The Islamic State group claimed the attack. religion / society ●●●

19 December 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack 0 cit. A man drove a truck into a Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, killing 13 people. The Islamic State group claimed the attack. religion / society ●●

12 June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting 0 cit. A gunman who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State attacked the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people. It was one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history. religion / society ●●●

1 July 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery attack 0 cit. Islamist militants took hostages and killed 22 people, most of them foreigners, at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka. The Islamic State group claimed the attack. religion / society ●●

24 November 2017 Al-Rawda mosque attack 0 cit. Militants attacked the al-Rawda mosque in North Sinai during Friday prayers with bombs and gunfire, killing 311 people. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in modern Egyptian history. religion / society ●●●

14 October 2017 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings 0 cit. A truck bomb detonated in the Hodan district of Mogadishu, killing around 587 people in the deadliest attack in Somalia's history. It was widely attributed to Al-Shabaab. religion / war ●●●

1 January 2017 Reina nightclub attack 0 cit. A gunman attacked the Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Year celebrations, killing 39 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. religion / society ●●

22 May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing 0 cit. A suicide bomber attacked crowds leaving an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, killing 22 people, many of them children and teenagers. religion / society ●●●

3 April 2017 Saint Petersburg metro bombing 0 cit. A suicide bomber detonated a device on a metro train in Saint Petersburg, killing 15 people. The bomber was linked to Central Asian militant networks. religion / society ●●

31 October 2017 Tercentenary of the United Grand Lodge of England 0 cit. English Freemasonry marked 300 years since the 1717 founding with a large celebration at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017. The event drew thousands of members from around the world. culture / religion / society ●●

23 May 2017 Muslim leaders rally around Uhuru before the 2017 election 1 cit. In May 2017, representatives from SUPKEM, NAMLEF, Jamia Mosque and more than 100 Muslim scholars met Uhuru at State House. The Jubilee side framed the meeting around appointments, infrastructure in Muslim-majority regions, Ramadan support and religious rights. The episode shows another religious alliance layer: Uhuru was Catholic by background, but his reelection coalition also courted Muslim institutional leadership through appointments and development claims. politics / religion / society ●●●●

14 August 2018 The Pennsylvania grand jury report 0 cit. A grand jury found that about three hundred priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses had abused more than a thousand children over seventy years, and that bishops had systematically hidden the crimes. The report renewed pressure on the Church and prompted investigations in other US states. politics / religion / society ●●●

2018 to 2019 Pope Francis and the abuse reckoning 0 cit. After a crisis in Chile and revelations about the former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was expelled from the priesthood in 2019, Pope Francis convened a global summit of bishops on protecting minors. The Church issued new rules requiring the reporting of abuse and cover-ups, though critics said the measures fell short of true accountability. politics / religion / society ●●●

15 January 2019 DusitD2 complex attack in Nairobi 6 cit. Al-Shabaab attackers stormed the DusitD2 hotel and office complex on Riverside Drive in Nairobi, killing 21 people during a siege lasting nearly 20 hours. religion / war ●●

21 April 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings 0 cit. Coordinated suicide bombings struck churches and hotels across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 269 people. A local Islamist group linked to the Islamic State carried out the attacks. religion / society ●●●●

15 March 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings 0 cit. A white supremacist gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers, killing 51 people and streaming the attack online. It was the deadliest shooting in New Zealand's history. religion / society ●●●

6 January 2019 Independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine 0 cit. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople granted a decree of independence to a new unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine, separate from the Moscow Patriarchate. The Russian Orthodox Church rejected the move and broke communion with Constantinople over it. politics / religion ●●●●

c. 2019 Official LDS Church essay addresses Masonry and the temple 0 cit. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published an official history topic essay on "Masonry" acknowledging that Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were Freemasons in Nauvoo and that the endowment introduced in 1842 shares elements of language and structure with Masonic ritual. The essay presents the Church's position that the ceremony's substance came through revelation to Smith and represents a restoration of temple worship rather than a borrowing from Masonry, explicitly attributing this as the Church's interpretation while noting the documented historical overlap in timing and form. religion ●●

May 2021 Unmarked graves and the papal apology in Canada 0 cit. Ground-penetrating radar detected what were reported as hundreds of possible unmarked graves at former residential school sites, beginning at Kamloops. The findings drew global attention, and in 2022 Pope Francis traveled to Canada and apologized for the role of Church members in the abuse and destruction of Indigenous cultures. politics / religion / society ●●●

c. 2023 The global Catholic Church of 1.3 billion 0 cit. The Catholic Church counts roughly 1.3 billion baptized members, about a sixth of the world's people, with its fastest growth in Africa and Asia. It remains one of the largest and oldest continuous institutions on Earth. politics / religion / society ●●●

3 January 2024 Kerman bombings 0 cit. Two bombs struck a memorial ceremony for Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, killing about 95 people. Islamic State Khorasan claimed the attack, the deadliest in Iran in decades. politics / religion ●●●

22 March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack 0 cit. Gunmen attacked a concert at Crocus City Hall near Moscow and set the building ablaze, killing about 145 people. Islamic State Khorasan claimed the attack. religion / society ●●●