There's a very thorough article about the history and growth of the gothic movement called Undead Undead Undead that appeared in Alternative Press in November of 1994. This article is posted in the News Articles section.
Two musicians most often credited as the "Grandfather" and "Grandmother" of Goth: Peter Murphy (formerly of Bauhaus, now doing solo work) and Siouxsie Sioux (formerly of Siouxsie and the Banshees, now with The Creatures). Bauhaus released their first single in 1979. Siouxsie and the Banshees first formed in a haphazard fashion in 1976 and released their first single in 1978. The statement is often made that Sioux was the one who coined the term "gothic" when she mentioned it was the new direction the band was taking. Entranced: the Siouxsie and the Banshees Story suggests that the music press, not Sioux, were the ones who tagged Siouxsie and the Banshees with the label "gothic."
Many of the specific practices in BDSM are those which, if performed in nonconsensual contexts, could be considered unpleasant, undesirable or abusive. For example, while pain, physical restraint and servitude are traditionally inflicted on persons, in BDSM, these activities are engaged in with the mutual consent of the participants, and typically for mutual enjoyment.
According to the writings of her contemporaries, Barbara was one of the most beautiful women in Europe. She was tall for her times (162 cm), had a slim, well shaped body, blonde hair and even white teeth. Moreover, Barbara had an interest in fashion and cosmetics; she used perfume and face powder. Her parents had educated her well, and she spoke Lithuanian and Polish, was able to write in both languages, and most likely in Latin as well.
The actual date of the birth of Jesus is not known and during the first few centuries of Christianity it was celebrated at various times of the year. The modern date of December 25th was first adopted by Liberius, Bishop of Rome, in the year 354. This date was also adopted by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 379, and in 506 the Law Book of Alarich designated it as a public holiday.
The ancient Romans celebrated a number of midwinter festivals: Saturnalia on December 17 - 24, winter solstice or Brumalia on December 25, and the Calends of January on January 1. Saturnalia celebrated the sowing of winter crops, Brumalia celebrated the return of the Invincible Sun, and the Calends of January celebrated the start of the New Year. In time, Christian celebration of Christmas eclipsed all of the above, but some of the ancient customs, such as decking houses with evergreens, giving presents and feasting, became a part of the Christmas tradition. The Lithuanian name for Christmas, Kaledos, comes by way of Slavic languages from the Latin word for Calends, Kalendae.
* Confectionery history has a record of at least 4,000 years, when Egyptians displayed their pleasures on papyrus. Sweetmeats were being sold in the marketplace in 1566 BC. Yet chocolate didn't appear on the scene until the ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures discovered the value of the cacao plant. It is reputed to have originated in the Amazon or Orinoco basin.
* In 600 A.D. the Mayans migrated into the northern regions of South America, establishing the earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan. It has been argued that the Mayans had been familiar with cocoa several centuries prior to this date. They considered it a valuable commodity, used both as a means of payment and as units of calculation.