Remembering October anniversaries: Jacques de Molay, Sputnik, and 'Atlas Shrugged'

Several noteworthy anniversaries occur this month.

October 13, 2007, will mark the 700th anniversary of the mass arrests of Jacques de Molay and the Knights Templar at the order of King Philippe IV and Pope Clement V. It is believed that this is the origin of the superstition of Friday the 13th being bad luck.

Two other anniversaries are being noted this month, too.

It was 50 years ago this month that the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik, the first satellite. Sputnik sparked the space race between the United States and Russia. I saw former lunar astronaut Jim Lovell on television the other day; he said that were it not for Sputnik, we'd have never gone to the moon.

Also in October, 1957 Atlas Shrugged, a novel by Russian immigrant Ayn Rand, was published. Millions of copies have been sold. A 1992 survey by the Library of Congress determined that, after the Bible, Atlas Shrugged is the most influential book in the United States. It helped launch the modern free market and the libertarian movement, according to an opinion piece in today's Washington Times.

Image: Ayn Rand

Knights Templar | Jacques de Molay | Sputnik | Ayn Rand | Atlas Shrugged | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Friday the 13th, Jacques de Molay and alien lizard kings

We're only a month away from the 700th anniversary of the Pope's roundup of the Knights Templar, the event that supposedly gave us the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky.

Looks like we just missed the Scottish Rite's presentation of The Trial of Jacques De Molay, which was performed back on Sept. 6 in Des Moines, Iowa, according to an article last week on the Freemasonry Resources blog.

According to the article, the play "is a presentation of the final confrontation between the leader of the Knights Templar and Philip, the King of France.

"The story, set in 1314, details how the Knights Templar, a group of warrior monks sworn to protect the Christian Holy Land, were captured and tortured at the end of the Crusades. The round-up of the Knights Templar on Friday, Oct 13, 1307 is believed to be the origin of the superstition of 'Friday the 13th.' 2007 marks the 700 year anniversary of the events.

"Jacques de Molay was the last Grand Master or leader of the Knights Templar. The events leading to his execution form the basis for the play. The story of Jaques de Molay and the Knights Templar has been featured in movies such as [The] DaVinci Code and National Treasure."

Another blog has presented more of the story of the Knights Templar, taking its information from such diverse sources as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Lincoln, Bagient and Leigh's Holy Blood, Holy Grail, various history books, and Jim Marrs' anti-Masonic book Rule By Secrecy. Marrs has written extensively on Alien Lizard Kings, UFO's, Egyptian pyramids and the Trilateral Commission, so take your salt shaker with you when you read this one.

Masons | Jacques de Molay | Conspiracy Theory | Freemasonry | Alien Lizard Kings | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com