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Article: The Diet of Worms and the Defenestration of Prague
- Article from:
- Natural History
- Article date:
- September 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Museum of Natural History Sep 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Did the Devil make Protestants throw Catholics out of windows-or was it biology?
I once ate an ant (chocolate covered) on a dare. I have no awful memories of the experience, but I harbor no burning desire for a repeat performance. I therefore feel poor Martin Luther's pain when, at the crux of his career, in April 1521, he spent ten days on the Diet of Worms (washed down with a good deal of wine, or so I read).
I am, I suppose, a collector by nature, and mental drawers have more room for phrases and facts than physical cabinets maintain for specimens. I therefore reserve one cranial shelf for the best funny or euphonious phrases of history.
The Diet of Worms is my prize specimen, but I ...