On this day in 1692, in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, an Indian slave from Barbados are charged with the illegal practice of witchcraft. Later that day, Tituba, possibly under coercion, confessed to the crime encouraging the authorities to seek out more Salem witches.
Also on this day in 1961, President John F Kennedy created the Peace Corp. This was a volunteer organization that would go to underdeveloped countries and help them without expecting anything in return. Boy did this piss off the Christian missionaries too! They saw it as a threat to their church building missions down there. Some bleeding-heart liberals like myself believe this is when Satan took over the Christian faith. Other's point to slavery and the KKK. You decide.
Interesting that also on this day in the year 1888, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (an influential Western occult order and secret society) was established. It offered teachings on ceremonial magic, divination, Kabbalah, and other occult oriented sciences. Many of its rituals are still in use by modern-day practitioners of High Magic. Aleister Crowley (one of the Golden Dawn's most famous members) was initiated into the Order in the year 1898 but was later expelled. Here's a video tribute to Aleister Crowley. Enjoy!
~~ Eso Terry