Taylor Swift Is Counting Down to Something

At midnight on Friday, pop singer Taylor Swift updated her official website with a giant countdown clock, which will reach zero at 12:00 a.m. The internet has been ablaze with rumors ever since the countdown clock appeared, most of which revolve around the idea that Swift might be releasing new music on the 26th. But students of history and students of the Assassin's Creed video game series recognize that the situation is far grimmer than even the lead-up to the release of Reputation. April 26 is the anniversary of the Pazzi's attack on the Medici outside the Duomo in Florence, making it an apt day for betrayals and treason. And this isn't the first time a monomaniacal multi-millionaire with a love of gadgets, a passion for revenge, and a stockpile of diamonds has started a ticking clock.