Sofia Liberated from Ottoman Rule (1878)

Sofia was established as a Thracian settlement around the 8th century BCE and has since developed into a major world city and the capital of Bulgaria, due in part to its central position in the Balkans. Today it is home to attractions like the 6th century Church of St. Sofia and 15th century Banya Bashi mosque. During its long history, the city passed through the hands of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. After nearly 500 years of Turkish rule, Sofia was liberated by what country?

Source: The Free Dictionary

Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The first native-born American to be declared a saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) was canonized in 1975. She was the founder of the first religious community for women in the US, the American Sisters of Charity, and was responsible for laying the foundations of the American Catholic school system. Special services commemorating Elizabeth Ann Seton’s death on January 4, 1821, are held at the Chapel of St. Joseph’s Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the headquarters for her order of nuns.

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sir Isaac Newton (1643)

Widely considered the greatest scientist who ever lived, Newton was an English physicist and mathematician. His most famous publication, Principia Mathematica, regarded as the seminal work of modern science, includes his works on the laws of motion, tidal theory, and the theory of universal gravitation. Newton also worked out the fundamentals of calculus, though this work went unpublished for more than 30 years. How might Newton’s study of alchemy have influenced his theory of gravity?

Source: The Free Dictionary

Atari’s Pac-Man Disappoints

In 1982, Atari published the first port version of Namco’s popular Pac-Man arcade game for their Atari 2600 console. Though the world’s favorite arcade game could now be played on the most popular console, the release met with criticism and slow sales. In Atari’s rush to bring the game to market, quality was sacrificed, shaking consumer confidence in both the company and video game industry. Why did Atari produce more copies of the game than there were users with compatible consoles?

Source: The Free Dictionary

March of Dimes Established by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1938)

The March of Dimes is a US charity whose mission is to improve the health of babies. It was founded with the goal of eradicating polio, one of the most dreaded diseases of the 20th century, during the tenure of President Roosevelt, who himself contracted what was thought to be polio in 1921. The national, nonpartisan organization initially raised funds for research by urging the public to contribute a dime to the effort and came to be called the March of Dimes, but its original name was what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ball-Catching Festival (Tamaseseri)

This 500-year-old tradition, said to have its roots in the legend of a dragon god (Ryujin) offering two balls to the Empress Jingu (170-269 CE), takes place each year in Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka City, Japan. Two teams of men wearing only loincloths (fundoshi) compete for a ball that weighs about 18 pounds; these teams consist of the Land Team, made up of farmers who work the fields, and the Sea team, composed of fishermen. A Shinto priest awaits the winner to hand him the ball—the size of the harvest or the catch during the New Year is determined by which team wins. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cicero (106 BCE)

Cicero was a statesman, philosopher, unsurpassed master of Latin prose, and one of Rome’s greatest orators. His writings introduced the Romans to Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary. He was a prolific author, and his letters reveal a wealth of information about Roman life and politics. As an active politician and leader of the senatorial party, he was at times hailed as a hero, but he also made enemies who contributed to his exile and, later, his execution for what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary