The Second Triumvirate

The Second Triumvirate is the historical name given to the ancient Roman alliance of Octavian, Marc Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, established in 43 BCE. Unlike the First Triumvirate, it was an official, if extraconstitutional, organization that was legally established and given enormous power by the senate. After Lepidus was deposed and Antony defeated, Octavian became the first emperor of Rome in 27 BCE. Octavian is better known by what name? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Victoria Hall Disaster (1883)

At the end of a children’s variety show in Sunderland, England, organizers announced that certain ticket holders would receive a prize upon exit. Many of the estimated 1,100 children in attendance excitedly rushed toward the staircase, creating a bottleneck at the narrow exit. Those in the front were trapped and crushed, and 183 children between the ages of 3 and 14 died of asphyxiation before adults could disperse the crowd. The inquiry that followed is said to have led to what invention? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

South Africa Youth Day

Throughout the history of South Africa, black citizens have suffered from segregation and oppression by white leaders. On June 16, 1976, more than 20,000 students from Soweto began a protest march. Police were called to the scene, and violent riots broke out. Approximately 700 people, many of them youths, were killed. June 16 has been set aside as Youth Day across the Republic of South Africa, to commemorate the day the protests began and to honor the youth who lost their lives during the riots. Ceremonies, parades, and historic exhibitions are part of the celebrations across South Africa. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Geronimo (1829)

When US authorities abolished the Chiricahua Reservation in 1876 and removed the Apaches to an arid region of New Mexico, Geronimo led a group of followers to Mexico. He was soon captured and returned to the new reservation, but escaped again with a group in 1881 and began leading them on raids. The cycle repeated again and again, until late in 1886, when Geronimo and the remainder of his forces surrendered for good. How is it that he ended up riding in Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural procession? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Gibson Girl

The Gibson Girl was an iconic representation of the feminine ideal in the US at the turn of the 20th century, as portrayed by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. The Gibson Girl was tall and slender, with an hourglass figure and tightly corseted wasp waist. Why was an RAAF survival radio transmitter carried by World War II aircraft on over-water operations nicknamed the “Gibson Girl”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Arlington National Cemetery Established (1864)

Early in the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his family fled their Virginia estate. Shortly thereafter, Arlington National Cemetery was established there. More than 290,000 people are now interred in Arlington, a privilege that is limited to active, retired, and former members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, high-ranking federal government officials, and their dependents. Why were the remains of a Vietnam War soldier removed from the Tomb of the Unknowns in 1998? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Valdemar Day

According to legend, Danish King Valdemar II set out to conquer the pagan Estonians and convert them to Christianity. During the night of June 15, 1219, the Estonians made a surprise attack on the Danish camp. A red banner with a white cross floated down from the sky, and the Danish archbishop heard a voice say that the Danes would win if they raised this banner. Schools, sports organizations, and Boy Scout troops in Denmark often hold pageants on June 15 in which they reenact the story of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag) and King Valdemar. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Erik Erikson (1902)

Erikson was a Pulitzer Prize-winning German-American psychoanalyst known for his psychosocial development theory. In his most influential work, Childhood and Society, he divided the human life cycle into eight psychosocial stages of development: trust, autonomy, initiative, industry, identity, intimacy, generativity, and ego integrity. He also explored the convergence of personal development and social history in his psychohistorical studies. What now widely used phrase did he coin? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary