Charles Dow (1851)

In the early 1880s, Charles Dow and Edward Davis Jones established the Dow Jones Average as a stock price indicator consisting mostly of railroad stocks. In 1889, Dow Jones & Co. began publication of the Wall Street Journal, and the well-known Dow Jones Industrial Average was created in 1896. Today, there are four different Dow Jones averages—industrial stocks, transportation stocks, utility stocks, and a composite average of all three. What were Dow’s “Leadville Letters”? Discuss

The Vestments Controversy

Arising during the English Reformation, the vestments controversy superficially pertained to vestments—liturgical garments worn by clergy members—but more fundamentally concerned the future of English Protestant identity, doctrine, and various church practices. The controversy stemmed in part from a debate about whether or not the wearing of vestments should be required during certain religious ceremonies. The development of which two branches of Protestantism was affected by the debate? Discuss

The Gunpowder Plot Is Thwarted (1605)

Angered by King James I’s refusal to grant more religious toleration to Catholics, a group of conspirators plotted to blow up Parliament and kill the king. The plot was discovered, and conspirator Guy Fawkes was arrested in a cellar under the palace at Westminster, where he had concealed 36 barrels of gunpowder. Under torture, he revealed the names of his coconspirators, and they were all either killed while resisting arrest or executed in 1606. How is November 5 celebrated in England today? Discuss

William James Durant (1885)

Durant was an American historian and essayist. In 1926, he published The Story of Philosophy, which soon became a bestseller. He then began a decades-long project—the writing of a comprehensive history of civilization. The result was The Story of Civilization, a monumental, 4,000,000-word, 10,000-page work stretching from prehistory to the 19th century. The series, published in 11 volumes from 1935 to 1975, introduced millions to intellectual history. Who coauthored the work? Discuss

Mongolian Script

The classic Mongolian script was the first of many writing systems created for the Mongolian language. It is still in use today—having been only slightly modified since its initial development—in China’s Inner Mongolia region. The script was created in the early 13th century, when Genghis Khan ordered a captured scribe to create a writing system. In 1587, a number of new characters were devised to transcribe sounds from foreign languages. In what direction is Mongolian script written? Discuss

Guido Reni (1575)

Reni was an Italian painter and engraver whose style was influenced by his rival, Caravaggio. Reni was apprenticed to Flemish painter Denis Calvaert as a boy and by 23 had been commissioned by the government to execute decorative frescoes for the facade of the Palazzo Pubblico. Shortly thereafter, he made the first of his many trips to Rome, where he executed many important commissions, including the celebrated ceiling fresco Aurora. What are some of Reni’s other well-known works? Discuss

Amala and Kamala

Amala and Kamala were two so-called “wolf-girls”—feral children allegedly raised by a family of wolves before being found in 1920 near Calcutta, India, at eight and 18 months old, respectively. They were taken in by the rector of a local orphanage, who documented his observations of them in a diary for almost 10 years and claimed that, like wolves, the girls were nocturnal, did not allow themselves to be dressed, and walked on all fours. What other wolfish behaviors did they allegedly display? Discuss