The mysteries of Isis were religious initiation rites performed in the cult of the goddess Isis in the Greco-Roman world. Alluding to the worship of Isis from ancient Egyptian religion, they were modeled on other mystery rites, particularly the Eleusinian mysteries, which honored the Greek goddess Demeter. By undergoing the mystery rites, initiates signaled their dedication to Isis. Many texts from the Roman Empire refer to the Isis mysteries, but the only source to describe them is a work of fiction, the novel The Golden Ass, written in the second century by Apuleius. In it, the initiate undergoes ritual purification before descending into the innermost part of Isis's temple, where he experiences a symbolic death and rebirth and has an intense religious experience. Some aspects of the mysteries of Isis and of other mystery cults resemble elements of Christianity, but the evidence for their influence on Christianity is unclear.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysteries_of_Isis

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1233:

Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols entered Kaifeng after a 13-month siege and began looting the fallen capital of the Jin dynasty. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_siege_of_Kaifeng

1852:

Swedish operatic soprano Jenny Lind concluded a successful concert tour of the United States under the management of showman P. T. Barnum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Lind%27s_tour_of_America

1953:

The mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay (both pictured) became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_British_Mount_Everest_expedition

1999:

President Olusegun Obasanjo took office as Nigeria's first elected and civilian head of state after 16 years of military rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olusegun_Obasanjo

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

nick: 1. (transitive) To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way. 2. (transitive) To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar. 3. (transitive, rare) To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher). 4. (transitive, obsolete) To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with. 5. (transitive) To hit at, or in, the nick; to touch rightly; to strike at the precise point or time. 6. (transitive, cricket) To hit the ball with the edge of the bat and produce a fine deflection. 7. (transitive, gaming) To throw or turn up (a number when playing dice); to hit upon. 8. (transitive, mining) To make a cut at the side of the face. 9. (transitive, Australia, Britain, slang) To steal. 10. (transitive, Britain, law enforcement, slang) To arrest. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nick

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I believe in an America that is on the march — an America respected by all nations, friends and foes alike — an America that is moving, doing, working, trying — a strong America in a world of peace. That peace must be based on world law and world order, on the mutual respect of all nations for the rights and powers of others and on a world economy in which no nation lacks the ability to provide a decent standard of living for all of its people.   --John F. Kennedy https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy