Robben Island

Robben Island is a mile-wide island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Stone-age people lived there thousands of years ago when sea levels were lower and the area was easily accessible. Starting in the late 17th century, the island was used to isolate lepers and, later, political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, who was held there from 1964 to 1982. In the 1600s, a ship laden with millions of dollars worth of gold sank off the island’s coast. Why has no one recovered the treasure? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mount Tarawera Erupts (1886)

Mount Tarawera, a 3,646-ft (1,111-m) high volcanic peak on New Zealand’s North Island, consists of several lava domes that were split apart by an explosive eruption in 1886, which destroyed surrounding villages and killed more than 100 people. It also destroyed the nearby Pink and White Terraces, considered by some to have been the eighth wonder of the natural world. What ghostly apparition witnessed by a boatful of tourists, including a clergyman, is said to have been a portent of the eruption? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Portugal National Day

Also known as Camões Memorial Day and Portugal Day, this national holiday observes the death anniversary of Luís Vas de Camões (1524-1580), Portugal‘s national poet. His epic work, The Lusiads (1572), was based on the voyage to India of Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama. This national holiday is observed with patriotic speeches, games, and costumed citizens in the capital city of Lisbon. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

James Francis Edward Stuart, Prince of Wales (1688)

Known as “The Old Pretender,” Stuart was the son of the exiled James II of England and claimant to the English and Scottish thrones. Raised in France, he was proclaimed King of England by French King Louis XIV upon his father’s death in 1701. However, the English Parliament passed an act excluding the male line of Stuarts from succession, and various plots and rebellions to restore him to the throne failed. What was the movement to restore the Stuart line to the throne called? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Punjabi

Punjabi is an Indo-European language spoken in the Punjab regions of Pakistan and India, where there are 80 and 30 million speakers, respectively. Unlike other Indo-European languages, it is tonal, meaning Punjabi words have high or low tones permanently associated with them. Punjabi is the preferred language of the Sikhs, and it is the usual language of Bhangra music, popular in South Asia and abroad. What are the main dialects of Punjabi? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Completes First Transpacific Flight (1928)

The first successful transpacific flight was carried out by Australian aviator Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew, who piloted the trimotor monoplane Southern Cross from Oakland, California, to Brisbane, Australia. During the 7,250-mi (11,668-km) journey, the Southern Cross stopped to refuel in Hawaii, then flew on to Fiji—where it was the first aircraft ever to land on the island—and then embarked on the final leg of its trip. How many days did the entire crossing take? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

St. Columba’s Day

Along with St. Bridget and St. Patrick, St. Columba (c. 521-597) is a patron saint of Ireland. Although he led an exemplary life, traveling all over Ireland to set up churches, schools, and monasteries, he is chiefly remembered for his self-imposed exile to the island of Iona off the Scottish coast. He landed at Iona on the eve of Pentecost, and proceeded to found a monastery and school from which he and his disciples preached the gospel throughout Scotland. Although he had been forbidden to see his native country again, he returned several years later. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bertha von Suttner (1843)

Baroness Bertha von Suttner was an Austrian novelist who was known chiefly as an ardent pacifist. Her 1889 pacifist novel Die Waffen nieder—translated into English in 1892 as Lay Down Your Arms—had great social impact. Through her subsequent friendship with Swedish Chemist Alfred Nobel, she influenced him to establish the Nobel Prizes. In 1905, she became the first woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She met Nobel after answering an advertisement for what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary