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Egyptian temples were built for the official worship of the gods and commemoration of pharaohs in ancient Egypt. Within them the Egyptians performed the central functions of Egyptian religion: giving offerings to the gods, reenacting their mythological interactions through festivals, and warding off the forces of chaos. These rituals were seen as necessary for the gods to continue to uphold the divine order of the universe. Most of the populace was forbidden from entering temples' most sacred areas, but temples were still important religious sites for all classes of Egyptians. Temples are among the largest and most enduring examples of Egyptian architecture, with their elements arranged and decorated according to complex patterns of religious symbolism. A large temple owned sizable tracts of land and employed thousands of laymen to supply its needs. Some temples have become world-famous tourist attractions that contribute significantly to the modern Egyptian economy. Egyptologists continue to study the surviving temples, as they are invaluable sources of information about ancient Egyptian society. (more...)

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• Yani Tseng (pictured) wins the Women's British Open, becoming the youngest golfer to win five major championships.
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August 2: Day of the Republic in the Republic of Macedonia

• 1610 – English sea explorer Henry Hudson sailed into what is now known as Hudson Bay, thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage to reach the Pacific Ocean.
• 1897 – Anglo-Afghan wars: The Siege of Malakand ended when a relief column was able to reach the British garrison in the Malakand region of colonial India's North West Frontier Province.
• 1923 – Calvin Coolidge (pictured) became the 30th President of the United States after Warren G. Harding suffered a fatal heart attack.
• 1932 – At the California Institute of Technology, Carl David Anderson proved the existence of antimatter when he discovered the positron.
• 1989 – The Indian Peace Keeping Force began killing 64 minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians over a two-day period in Valvettiturai, Sri Lanka.

More anniversaries: August 1 – August 2 – August 3