Two dates:
The prophet Mohammed died on this date in 632 CE. A
misbelief circulating in Europe - propagated by an unnamed Spanish
mystic - held that Mohammed had died in 666. From this it was inferred
that he had been the Antichrist, and his passing from earth spelled the
imminent return of Christ.
George Sand - the literary pseudonym
of Amantine Dupin - died this day in 1876. Messianic themes, mingled
with proto-Communist sympathies, appeared in her novels "Consuelo"
(1842) and its sequel "The Countess of Rudolstadt", both about the
Hussite wars (see May 30, also July 6 forthcoming).
