The Littlemore Priory scandals of 1517 and 1518 involved accusations of
sexual immorality and brutal violence. The Benedictine priory in
Oxfordshire, England, was very small and poor and had a history of
troubled relations with its bishop. Katherine Wells, the prioress of
Littlemore, was accused of putting nuns in the stocks for extended
periods and physically assaulting them. She entertained men in her
parlour, had a baby by the priory's chaplain and pawned the priory's
jewels to pay for the child's upbringing; at least one other nun also
had a child. On one occasion several nuns broke out of the priory
through a window and escaped into the surrounding villages. The bishop
launched an investigation, and in 1525 the priory was closed. It was one
of the priories that Cardinal Wolsey suppressed during the 1520s. The
house became a farmstead and was gradually pulled down; only one
original building survived into the 21st century.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littlemore_Priory_scandals>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1917:
Being unable to resolve disputes with Eddie Livingstone, owner
of the Toronto Blueshirts, the other ice hockey clubs of Canada's
National Hockey Association officially agreed to break away and form the
National Hockey League.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League>
1939:
The Soviet Red Army shelled the village of Mainila and then
claimed that the fire originated from Finland, giving them a casus belli
to launch the Winter War a few days later.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelling_of_Mainila>
2011:
NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory mission from Cape
Canaveral, carrying the Curiosity rover onboard.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_%28rover%29>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
double life:
1. An existence or life that has two aspects, particularly when one of
them is regarded as embarrassing, immoral, or unlawful and thus kept
hidden from a person's family, friends, and work colleagues.
2. The hidden, or more unusual, aspect of a person's life.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/double_life>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
To introduce people to a different world, to encounter the
miracle of being, that is important.
--Eugène Ionesco
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Ionesco>