The history of erotic depictions includes representations of sexual
acts that have been created by nearly every civilisation, ancient and
modern. Early cultures often associated the sexual act with
supernatural forces and thus their religion is intertwined with their
depictions. In Asian countries such as India, Japan and China,
representations of sex and erotic art have specific meanings within
the native religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism. The
Greeks and Romans produced much art and decoration of an erotic nature
also stemming from their religious and cultural beliefs which was
especially influential on the west. In more recent times, erotic
depictions have gone from being a luxury item to a propaganda tool and
then an every day commodity and livelihood for some. As the technology
of communication has changed, each new technique, such as printing,
photography, motion pictures and computers, has been adapted to
display and disseminate these depictions.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_erotic_depictions
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1853:
Russian battleships led by Pavel Nakhimov destroyed an Ottoman fleet
at the Battle of Sinop, precipitating the Crimean War.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War)
1936:
The Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London,
England, was destroyed by fire.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Palace)
1939:
The Winter War broke out as the Soviet Red Army invaded Finland and
quickly advanced to the Mannerheim Line.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War)
1962:
Burmese diplomat U Thant became the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, after serving as Acting Secretary-General following the death
of Dag Hammarskjöld in September of that year.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Thant)
2005:
John Sentamu was enthroned as Archbishop of York, becoming the first
member of an ethnic minority to serve as an archbishop in the Church
of England.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sentamu)
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Wikiquote of the day:
It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is an admirable work, and I studied it
intently. The quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good
thoughts. They also make you anxious to read the authors and look for
more. -- Winston Churchill
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)