1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class is production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Hello Again. I'm Eves and you're listening to this Day 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,320 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show where we drop history knowledge 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:24,159 Speaker 1: every single day. Today is October nineteen. The day was 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: October nineteen seventeen. A crowd of about seventy thousand people 6 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 1: reported having seen what became known as the Miracle of 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: the Sun in Fatima, Portugal. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: unusual solar activity, but analysis suggested that the phenomenon had 9 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: a psychological explanation. In early nineteen seventeen, three Shepherd children 10 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: who lived near Fatima said that they had begun seeing 11 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: apparitions of an angel and may. They said that they 12 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary and Covada idea, 13 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: and she said that she would reappear to them on 14 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: the thirteenth day of the next six months. The children 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 1: told their parents about the apparitions. As words spread around 16 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 1: the town, some people believed the children, while others didn't. 17 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: Either way, people began flocking to Fatima to witness a 18 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 1: Virgin Mary sighting. After their third reported sighting, the children 19 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: said that the Virgin Mary told them three secrets about 20 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: the future. Of course, their sightings stirred up a lot 21 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: of controversy in secular and religious circles. A state authority 22 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: took the children into custody and tried to get them 23 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: to deny the legitimacy of their claims, but they did 24 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: not recant, and newspapers continued to pick up the story 25 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: of the Virgin Mary sightings as thousands more people made 26 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: the pilgrimage to the Koba da Idea fields. The most 27 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: anticipated of the visits was the one on October thirteenth, 28 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: since the Virgin Mary reportedly told the children that a 29 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: miracle would happen that day. Estimates of the number of 30 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: people present at the covid Idea fields ranged from around 31 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: thirty thousand up to one hundred thousand. The people in 32 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: the crowd claimed that they saw a miracle as they 33 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: looked at the sun, but what they actually reported being 34 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: buried wildly. Some people said the sun came out from 35 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: behind rain clouds and danced around the sky. Some said 36 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: it changed colors. Others said that the sun moved towards 37 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: Earth in a zig zag motion. Still, other people present 38 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: said that the sun did not do anything extraordinary. The 39 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: event was said to have lasted for ten minutes. Thirteen 40 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: years later to the day, the Catholic Church recognized the 41 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,239 Speaker 1: event as a miracle that was worthy of belief and 42 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: approved the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. While some 43 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: people believe in a supernatural explanation for the miracle of 44 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: the Sun, others explained it away with science. Besides general 45 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: disbelief in miracles and skepticism, critics doubted the occurrence of 46 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: any unexplained solar phenomenon because many people did not see 47 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: anything happen, and those who did did not agree on 48 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,679 Speaker 1: what they saw. One explanation of the event was that 49 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: it was an optical illusion caused by staring at the 50 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: sun for too long. Others positive that the pilgrims had 51 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: been expecting a miracle to happen, so they saw one. 52 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: Still others suggested that it had something to do with 53 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: the weather or atmosphere in the area at that particular time. 54 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: The Church claimed that it was a supernatural event, and 55 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: so did many believers, but many skeptics set the event 56 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: is better explained as a psychological phenomenon. Lucia Jesus dos Santos, 57 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: the girl who saw the visions of the Virgin Mary 58 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: became a calmer light nun and stood by her story 59 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: her entire life. Her two younger cousin who also reported 60 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: seeing the apparitions, decent To and Francisco Marto, died of 61 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: the flue not long after the apparitions began coming to them. 62 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: Decent To and Francisco were canonized in TV. I'm is 63 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: Chef Cote and hopefully you know a little more about 64 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. No any fellow history 65 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: buffs who would enjoy the show, you can share it 66 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: with them. 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