History: Three children, siblings Jacinta and Francisco Marto and their cousin, Lucia Santos, were herding sheep on May 13, 1917, near their home in the village of Fatima, Portugal, when a brightly lit woman appeared out of nowhere. She said that she was the Virgin Mary and told them that she would reveal three secrets to them. When they told their parents, they thought they were lying. The same event occurred on August 13, 1917, and by then word had gotten out—thousands of people had flocked to Fatima. Witnesses said that the sun got brighter, but they did not see the Virgin Mary. However, the children claimed that they saw her and that she had communicated with them "telepathically". The last incident occurred on October 13, 1917, which was similar to the second one. Several thousand peo