Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic, anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Although it is sometimes incorrectly called a liqueur, absinthe does not contain added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor. Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, but is more well-known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. In its heyday the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. At the height of this popularity, absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug; the chemical thujone was blamed for most of its deleterious effects. By 1915 it was banned in a number of European countries and the United States. Modern evidence shows it to be no more dangerous or psychoactive than ordinary alcohol. A modern-day absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
451: The Battle of Chalons against Attila the Hun is the last major battle of the Roman Empire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chalons)
1756: A garrison of the British army in India was imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta)
1789: 577 deputies of the French National Assembly took the Tennis Court Oath, starting the French Revolution. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_Court_Oath)
1837: Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom)
1947: A Mafia hitman murdered gangster Bugsy Siegel in Beverly Hills, California, United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
"We wanted to bring some love to the world. I thought we were good at doing that. Bringin' love to the world." -- Brian Wilson (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson)