Ancient Rome placed great importance in “prodigia,” or unhappy omens from the Gods requiring some rite of redress. Following Rome’s defeat to Hannibal at Cannae, human sacrifices were made to earn back divine favor.

In 1066, the appearance of Halley’s comet was seen as an omen of doom for Harold Godwinson. The Bayeux Tapestry shows Englishmen pointing with fear as the comet streams through the sky, lending purpose to the conquest of William I.

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