Destination: Sidewalk

Mary Baker Eddy

MARY BAKER EDDY's date with a sidewalk changed her life. As described in the church's timeline, "A turning point occurred in 1866 when a severe fall on an icy sidewalk left her in bed in critical condition. Friends and a homeopathic physician who was called to treat her saw no hope for her recovery... [Eddy] asked for her Bible and, while reading an account of Jesus' healing, found herself suddenly well." Eddy began teaching her Biblical system of healing to others, and in 1879 founded the Church of Christ, Scientist -- now widely known as Christian Science.