Discovered in 1910, nearly two hundred years after the first excavations at Pompeii, the site later dubbed the Villa of Mysteries contained many finds typical of the ruined Roman city, including the ashen outlines its long dead inhabitants. But a cryptic –and remarkably well preserved — series of frescos uncovered inside hinted at a story entirely different than that of the other townsfolk that met their apocalyptic end, along with Pompeii itself, after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

An otherwise conventional seaside estate outside of the city proper, the stately villa went largely undamaged by volcanic ash and magma. But though the frescoes adorning a 15 by 25 foot ancillary chamber — later to be known as the Initiation Room — could viewed clear as day, they featured scenes that many found at once both baffling and fascinating.

The god Bacchus appears prominently in the scenes alongside his mortal bride, Adriane. While Bacchus had been among most widely worshiped deities in first century Rome, he was the most popular with a certain demographic — young women — and his venerators were said to have participated in orgies, gluttonous feasts, and animal sacrifice, after which the carcass of the sacred beast would be consumed raw.

Soon enough, it became plainly evident to archaeological authorities that the Villa of Mysteries was in fact as site of worship for that very same Bacchanalian mystery cult and set aside for a certain for a particular ceremony. Close examination of the masterfully executed frescoes revealed the steps of an esoteric ritual, presided over by Bacchus, that aimed to induct upper class females into the rigors of marriage — a psychological preparation for entrance in the next phase of womanhood.

As depicted on the walls of the Initiation Room, the soon-to-be wed initiate would have been begun by consuming a cup of Kykeon - an intoxicating and possibly hallucinogenic brew — and then be led through a series of mysterious sacraments meant to parallel the scared union of Bacchus and Ariadne. At the end, after a confrontation with the god of love, Eros, the young participant would be fit to marry.

Though the Villa of Mysteries’ Initiation Room contains some of the clearest insights into the cult of Bacchus ever discovered, researchers have been unavailable to identify the owners of the sprawling Pompeiian villa — something done for almost every other home in the ruined city. Since restoration of the site was completed in 1930, all that has been known is that its residents owned a thriving vineyard — one that may have provided the necessary cover to practice rituals that, even by Roman standards at the times, were considered perverse.

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December 7, 1941 is the day the attack on Pearl Harbor took place. A day later The United States and Great Britain declared war on Japan. World War two now had its two largest combatants fully engaged. The war would intensify as man’s inhumanity to man scaled new and scientific heights.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

It was around 9:30 in the morning when then president Franklin Delano Roosevelt went before the Congress to request a formal declaration of war against Japan. He gave a speech about the sad destruction of the pacific fleet the day before. His address was broadcast over every radio and school loud speaker in the country.

The nation listened in mourning still dumbfounded by yesterday’s brutal attack. 1,500 people were dead and 1,500 people were injured. The planes, boats, ships and artillery at the Pearl Harbor military installation lay in ruins. It seemed to many an unprovoked attack on a “neutral” nation.

The United States had been assisting its old allies Britain and France with weapons and funds since the beginning of the war in 1939. So soon after the end of the Great War (914-1918), Britain was ill equipped to wage another campaign. The U.S. had declared itself neutral and Adolph Hitler had stated on several occasions he had no desire to go to war with the United States.

Japan was Germany’s ally and a part of a pact signed in 1940 by Italy, Germany and Japan that stated if a country (namely the United States) attacked one of the pact members they were automatically at war with the other two members.

There are several theories that the attack on Pearl Harbor was planned to ensure American involvement in World War II. FDR had pledged to the American people they would not become involved but he had informed Great Britain that he would support a war against Germany. No matter the cause, the attack the day before was to bring America into the war against Germany and all her allies.

Less than half an hour after FDR finished his speech and he request for a declaration of war, Congress passed a resolution to enter a state of war with Japan. The vote was unanimous. A similar vote in the house had only one vote against. Before lunch on December 8, 1941 America was at war.

American involvement with Japan would last until August of 1945 when two atomic bombs were dropped by the United States on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Almost 200,000 people died as a result of the attacks. Japan, a thus far ruthless and determined opponent surrendered and one of history’s bloodiest wars came to an end.

The day America declared war on Japan is one example of the day after. The day after history is often forgotten; what occurred after the dramatic change. But it is the day after that pushed history forward and gave us the world we enjoy today.

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It was the fall of 1914 when a heady rumor began to circulate amongst the Allied troops of World War I. In August of the same year, the British Expeditionary Force made its first incursion into German-occupied Belgium, only to find itself greatly outnumbered at the city of Mons. St. George and an armed brigade of angels, the story went as it passed from man to man, had appeared on the frontline and repelled — or, in some tellings, smited — the enemy horde, allowing the English to mount a safe retreat.

Passing beyond mere word of mouth in wartime France, the incident was circulated in English newspapers. Local parish publications picked it up and repeatedly reprinted the initial accounts of the miraculous apparition for their congregations. After much repetition, the story of the “Angels of Mons” was deemed credible enough that once skeptical thinkers were citing it as proof of divine intercession.

That is until Arthur Machen, a writer with The Evening News — the very paper where the story had originated — pointed to one of his fiction pieces, “The Bowmen,” that had gone to print on September 29th, 1914. Due to a misprint in its initial publication, Machen’s fantastical retelling of the events at Mons — St. George and all — had been taken by many to be a factual news article. But there had been skeptics from the beginning. After being told the story shortly after its publication, Brigadier-General John Charteris wrote from France: “Men’s nerves and imaginations play weird pranks in these strenuous times.”

After the truth behind the erstwhile urban legend came to light, Machen’s early novels and stories — which had fallen out of favor around the turn of the century — enjoyed a brief renaissance. Initially an author of gruesome and wanton horror stories, the Welsh novelist’s critics had labeled him as an apologist of black magic — the supreme irony being that, in fact, he was. Fifteen years before his the story of the “The Bowmen” was disseminated in churches across England, he had been a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — an occult secret society that also counted William Butler Yeats and Aleister Crowley as members.

Those Machen’s fortunes waxed and waned as the angels incident receded from public memory, references to the man and his work have cropped up in works by later authors including H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Anton Wilson, Alan Moore, Stephen King and Iain Sinclair. His novels and stories remain in print today — though, in a testament to the selling power of a good urban legend, tale of angelic archers on the battlefield is more often than not republished under the title that made it famous, “The Angels of Mons.”

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History Collectors: We offer a wide selection of museum quality replicas and authentic items representing nearly every century of the Common Era and the most significant civilizations of ancient history. Once you browse through our online catalogue, we are certain you’ll find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one with an interest in history.

On December 1, 1887 the first story about the fictional but historically famous British sleuth Sherlock Holmes was published. The story was “A Study in Scarlet” and first appeared in “Beeton’s Christmas Annual” capturing front page space. The work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is well known in popular fiction, television and cinema. But the man behind the man is a little less familiar.

Born May 22, 1859, Doyle was still in his 20s when he created the character of Sherlock Holmes. It wasn’t an easy upbringing for Doyle and his family and his experience colored the man he was to be. Born into a Scottish family to a story telling mother and alcoholic father, Doyle was sent to England for his schooling. Being Scottish, he was teased by his English classmates and had a hard time adjusting. He did discover however that he had inherited his mother talents for story telling and writing.

Doyle left school at 17 bolstered rather than beaten down by his upbringing and circumstances. Despite coming from a family of well known artists, Doyle chose medicine as his career path. Perhaps this is where the character of Dr. Watson came into being. Doyle chose to be the foil to his own imagination rather than the central character of his books.

The character of Holmes actually came from a college professor Doyle met during his schooling. A master of logical deduction and puzzle solving, the professor inspired Doyle and influenced his writing.

As a medical student, Doyle was offered a position as a ship’s doctor and had the opportunity to travel to the Arctic. Throughout his travels and during his studies, Doyle was publishing short stories to make a little extra money. Although he did work as a doctor both off and on board ship, Doyle encountered many circumstances that left him poor and dissatisfied.

Eventually, Doyle set up his own practice in Plymouth, England and worked hard as a doctor during the day and as an author at night. He spent a year perfecting and drafting “A Study in Scarlet”. Despite trying out other characters and story lines after this, it was the Sherlock Holmes mysteries that changed Doyle’s life and catapulted him toward literary fame.

Doyle wrote, married, had children, traveled and wrote some more. He was a dedicated and passionate author. In 1893, Doyle killed off the Holmes character disappointing thousands of fans but Doyle had other things on his mind. His father died, his wife became fatally ill and he sank into depression. Doyle’s later life was filled with paranormal investigation, trips to America, service in Africa during the Boer war, a new marriage, more children and of course, writing stories, plays and poetry to solidify his place as one of Britain’s most celebrated Victorian writers. He passed away in 1930.

Many writers yearn for the talent and luck of a man like Arthur Conan Doyle. Few are aware of the colorful and sometimes dark life he had to lead in order to color his pen just so. Still, because of him we have Holmes and Watson and remain historically grateful.

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History Collectors: We offer a wide selection of museum quality replicas and authentic items representing nearly every century of the Common Era and the most significant civilizations of ancient history. Once you browse through our online catalogue, we are certain you’ll find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one with an interest in history.