Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678)

Vivaldi was an Italian composer, considered the greatest master of Italian baroque. He became a priest in 1703 and spent most of his life after 1709 in Venice, teaching and playing the violin and writing music for the Pietà, a music conservatory for orphaned girls. Although he produced vocal music, including 46 operas, Vivaldi is best known for instrumental music, including The Four Seasons and nearly 500 concertos for violin and other instruments. Why was he nicknamed the “Red Priest”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The “Rat-Squirrel”

When scientists discovered the Laotian rock rat, a large, rat-like creature with a thick, hairy tail, they believed that the animal was so different from known rodents that it warranted classification in a new, distinct family called Laonastidae. Shortly thereafter, another group of experts published their assertion that the animal was actually a member of the ancient fossil family Diatomyidae. Under what urban circumstances did researchers find the first Laotian rock rat specimens? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Alexander II of Russia Signs the Edict of Emancipation (1861)

Signed by Czar Alexander II, the 1861 Edict of Emancipation granted liberty to more than 23 million serfs, about a third of the Russian population. The edict extended to the serfs the full rights of citizens, in particular, the right to own property—which they were to receive from the landlords and pay off over time. However, the process by which they were to acquire the land was slow, complex, and expensive. What was the village commune that controlled the peasants’ landholdings called? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bulgaria’s Day of Liberation from Ottoman Domination

Bulgaria‘s Day of Liberation from Ottoman Domination, celebrated each year on March 3, commemorates the day in 1878 when the Peace Treaty of San Stefano was struck between Russia and Turkey. Throughout Bulgaria, citizens pause on this day to pay tribute to those who helped Bulgaria to become a modern, independent country. Festivities often include parades, concerts, religious services, cultural exhibitions, and fireworks. Those who died fighting for Bulgaria’s freedom are honored by the placement of ceremonial wreaths upon their graves. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Jamsetji Tata (1839)

Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and pioneer industrialist known as “the father of Indian industry.” He began his career at his father’s trading firm but formed his own company in 1868 and had early success in the textile industry, buying, selling, and setting up cotton mills. He went on to establish the Tata Group of companies, which now has interests in steel, automobiles, information technology, energy, tea, and hotels. Tata died in 1904 while on a trip where? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The White Rose Society

During the early 1940s, a group of German university students and their philosophy professor founded the White Rose resistance movement, secretly drafting, printing, and distributing leaflets urging Germans, particularly the intelligentsia, to rise up against the Nazi regime. In February 1943, 2 prominent White Rose members, Sophie and Hans Scholl, were arrested. The rest of the group’s founding members were soon captured, and all 7 were sentenced to death. What were Sophie Scholl’s last words? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary