The Dalai Lama recognized six-year-old Tibetan Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama on this date in 1995. Almost immediately Chinese authorities detained the child and his family; he has not been seen since May 17, 1995, and his location has never been divulged. Human rights organizations once considered him one of the youngest political prisoners; now he is considered one of the longest-held. China, although officially atheist, used the tools of religion against Tibet and installed its own choice as the 11th Panchen Lama.
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There were probably many motivations behind Cardinal Richelieu’s decision: sometimes, one does not need one’s dinner guests to always be armed with daggers and knives, especially not at dinner. An angry guest can always retrieve his sword on the way out, the Cardinal may have thought.

It is believed by Henry Petroski, the historian of things, among other writers, that the Cardinal was irritated by the disgusting habit some of his dinner guests displayed of picking their teeth with their daggers and the blades they ate with.

On this date in 1637, Cardinal Richelieu ordered his house staff to grind down and round off the sharp ends of his dinner knives, which led to an instant invention: the table knife, which is used to cut one’s meal but not stab at it and convey the chunks to one’s mouth, and can not be used to settle violent disagreements.
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According to WikiSimpsons, the online encyclopedia of all things related to The Simpsons and the Simpsons, Homer Simpson was born on this date in 1952, which of course means that he remains the same age today that he has been since his family made its first appearance on April 19, 1987: somewhere around 36. The Simpson family’s appearance has developed through the years, however; above is a photo of the Simpsons from The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.
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