Month: October 2016

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Opens in New York (1959)

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and opened six months after his death, the Guggenheim Museum represents a radical departure from traditional museum design, spiraling upward and outward in a smooth coil of massive, unadorned white concrete. The exhibition space, which consists of a six-story spiral ramp lighted by a glass dome supported by stainless steel, has even been criticized for upstaging the artwork displayed. For how many years did Wright work on the building? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Festival of the Black Christ

One legend associated with the observance of this festival in Portobelo, Panama, says that, during a cholera epidemic on the Isthmus, the people discovered a statue of a black Christ and brought it into the church. Within a few days, cholera had completely disappeared from Portobelo, even though it continued to rage elsewhere. The people of Portobelo honor El Jesús Nazarene by carrying the statue in procession on a decorated platform through the city. Pilgrims come from all over Panama, as they have for more than 300 years, to celebrate with folk dancing, music, and songs. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sir Georg Solti (1912)

Solti was a Hungarian-born British conductor. Not long after making his piano debut at age 12, he decided he wanted to conduct. He returned to piano during WWII and won the 1942 Geneva International Competition. After the war, he began conducting again and led orchestras all over Europe and the US. As director of the Royal Opera House, he made the first full recording of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle, one of history’s most celebrated recordings. How did he earn the nickname “the screaming skull”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Qianlong Emperor

Hongli took the title of Qianlong—meaning “the Era of Strong Prosperity”—when his imperial reign of China began in 1735. Ironically, by the end of Qianlong’s reign in 1796, expensive military expeditions and corruption had nearly exhausted the funds of the Imperial Treasury. A patron of the arts, the Qianlong Emperor commissioned a catalogue of all important Chinese cultural works that took 20 years to complete and consisted of 36,000 volumes. How many copyists were involved in the project? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Guatemala Revolution Day

On October 20, 1944, university students and military leaders aligned to overthrow the dictator Jorge Ubico. Guatemalans fondly remember the replacement government and its executive leader, Juan José Arévalo, who implemented a series of successful labor and agrarian reforms. Music and fireworks mark the day’s lively celebrations, the grandest of which are held in the Plaza Mayor in Guatemala City. It is also common on this day for activists to exercise their free speech, a human right that Arévalo championed. Some protests draw thousands of people and extend into the next day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Arthur “Art” Buchwald (1925)

Buchwald was an American humorist who started as a columnist covering the lighter side of Parisian life. After moving to Washington, DC, in 1961, he began poking fun at issues in the news and soon became one of the sharpest satirists of American politics and modern life. His syndicated column of wry humor eventually appeared in more than 500 papers worldwide, and he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1982. What was unusual about his video obituary featured by The New York Times? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary