Month: May 2015

The Waxhaw Massacre (1780)

The Battle of Waxhaws took place during the American Revolution, when 150 mounted Loyalist soldiers overtook a detachment of about 350 Virginia Continentals in South Carolina. According to American accounts, the Loyalist forces ignored the Continentals’ surrender and massacred them. Americans therefore refer to the incident as the Waxhaw Massacre. The British, meanwhile, call it the Battle of Waxhaw Creek. What future US president helped to treat those wounded in the clash? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ascension of Baha’u’llah

This marks the anniversary of the death in 1892 of Mirza Husayn Ali, known as Baha’u’llah, founder of the Baha’i religion. “Ascension” is not meant literally, but is considered the ascension of the spirit. The day is one of nine Baha’i holy days on which work is suspended. It is observed by gathering together at 3:00 a.m., the time of Baha’u’llah’s death in Acre, Palestine (now Israel), for prayers and sometimes readings from Baha’i historical works. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Oswald Spengler (1880)

Spengler was a German historian and philosopher whose major work, The Decline of the West, brought him worldwide fame. In it, he contends that every civilization passes through a life cycle, blossoming and decaying like a natural organism, and that Western culture has passed its creative stage and entered the period of decline. He was ostracized after 1933 for refusing to support Nazi ideas of racial superiority. What major historic event occurred on the ninth anniversary of his death? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mount Everest

The peak of Mount Everest is 29,035 ft (8,850 m) above sea level, making it the highest point on earth. It is called Chomo-Lungma, or “Mother of the Universe,” by the Tibetans, and Devgri in Sanskrit, meaning “Holy Mountain.” The first confirmed ascent of the mountain took place in 1953, by Hillary of New Zealand and Norgay of Nepal; however, whether George Mallory had successfully ascended the mountain in 1924 before dying is a matter of controversy. What is the Death zone? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Battle of Halys (585 BCE)

Also known as the Battle of the Eclipse, the Battle of Halys was fought between the Medes and the Lydians in 585 BCE at the Halys River in what is now Turkey. The final battle of a 15-year war between Alyattes II of Lydia and Cyaxares of Media, the fight ended abruptly due to a total solar eclipse, which was perceived as an omen that the gods wanted the war to end. After a truce, the river was declared the border of the two nations. How is the exact date of the ancient battle known? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ethiopia National Day

A military junta called the Derg brought an end to the Ethiopian Empire and Haile Selassie‘s rule on September 12, 1974. The Derg socialist military regime was overthrown by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in 1991, commemorated by the May 28 holiday. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia’s first multiparty elections were held in 1995. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Carl Larsson (1853)

Larsson was a popular and imaginative Swedish illustrator and painter whose watercolors, particularly of his family and home, became popular worldwide. He is perhaps best known, however, for his last monumental work, Midvinterblot, or “Midwinter Sacrifice,” a large oil painting depicting a scene from Norse mythology. Considered Sweden’s most debated painting, it was commissioned by the National Museum in Stockholm but was rejected by the board upon its completion. Where does it now hang? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker, a celebrated ballet by Tchaikovsky, tells the story of a young girl whose Christmas gift of a nutcracker turns into a prince and leads her to a magical land. In 1954, George Balanchine choreographed and premiered his New York City Ballet version, which was later made into a feature film. Mikhail Baryshnikov choreographed another enormously popular version for the American Ballet Theatre. What novel instrument did Tchaikovsky use in the Nutcracker score? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary