Sputnik 1 Launch Begins the Space Race (1957)

The first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, was launched by the USSR in 1957 and spurred the dormant US space program into action, leading to an international competition popularly known as the “space race.” Explorer I, the first American satellite, was launched just months later, in January 1958. In the decade that followed, the US and the USSR launched approximately 50 space probes between them to explore the Moon. What project is said to have marked the end of the space race? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fiesta of San Francisco (San Pacho)

In Quibdó, Colombia, the Fiesta of San Francisco is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. The procession on October 4 is the highlight of the festival, but several days of sports—including boxing, horse racing, cycling, and pig-catching contests—precede this. The streets are filled with people dressed up as devils, savages, and various animals, and there are dancing and fireworks every night. On the final day, there is an afternoon procession, in which everyone accompanies the statue of St. Francis as it is carried through the streets of Quibdó. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Rutherford B. Hayes (1822)

After fighting in the Union army in the American Civil War, Hayes served in the US House of Representatives and then as governor of Ohio. In 1876, he won the Republican nomination for president. His opponent, Samuel Tilden, won a larger popular vote, but the election was so close that a special commission had to decide the issue. It eventually ruled in Hayes’s favor. What concessions did Hayes make as part of a secret compromise reached with Southerners during the electoral dispute? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Electron Microscopes

Producing images of specimens magnified to about 2 million times their natural size—compared to just 2,000 for common light microscopes—electron microscopes use electron beams to resolve the minute structural details present in samples. An integral part of many laboratories, electron microscopes are used by researchers to examine biological materials, such as microorganisms, cells, and medical biopsy samples. Why are samples sometimes coated with gold before they are magnified? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

“The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” (1951)

Late in the 1951 baseball season, the New York Giants trailed far behind their crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, in the standings. However, the Giants went on a winning streak, and the two teams finished the regular season with identical 96-58 records. In the first two games of a three-game playoff series, the teams traded wins. In the bottom of game three’s ninth inning, the Giants were trailing 4-2 with two men on base when Bobby Thomson came to bat. What happened next? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Honduras Soldiers’ Day

This celebration is held on the birthday of Francisco Morazán (1792–1842), a highly revered Honduran general and statesman. Morazán’s achievements as a military leader in various liberation struggles led the Honduran government to designate his birthday as the official date to honor the country’s soldiers. The day’s main celebration is a military parade that takes place in Tegucigalpa, Honduras’s capital city. The procession features the service members of every branch of the armed forces, along with dozens of tanks and artillery carriers. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

John Ross (1790)

The son of Scottish and Cherokee parents, Ross served in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson against the Creeks. Elected principal chief of the eastern Cherokee in 1828, he resisted government attempts to seize Cherokee farms and lands in Georgia and unsuccessfully petitioned Jackson to defend the tribe’s rights. In 1838, he was forced to lead his people on the infamously long, hard journey to the Oklahoma Territory. In Native American lore, this journey is known as what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary