John F. Kennedy Defeats Richard Nixon for US Presidency (1960)

In 1960, Kennedy, a US senator, earned the Democratic nomination for president. In the campaign that followed, he engaged in a series of televised debates with his Republican opponent, Richard M. Nixon. After a vigorous campaign managed by his brother Robert F. Kennedy and aided financially by his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, he defeated Nixon by a narrow popular margin. At 43, he became the youngest person ever, and the first Catholic, elected president. How did the debates affect the election? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Election Day

Election Day, the day on which Americans vote for their elected officials, is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Americans vote for their president and vice president every four years on that Tuesday. They vote for their U.S. representatives every two years during even-numbered years, and they vote for their U.S. senators every six years. Americans also vote for their state senators, state representatives, and many local officials on this day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Milton Bradley (1836)

After working as a draftsman, Bradley introduced the first lithograph press to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. He printed and sold a new parlor game, “The Checkered Game of Life.” It was so profitable that he formed Milton Bradley and Company in 1864 to print games and manuals. In 1878, he reorganized his business as the Milton Bradley Company, which long retained its position as a leading American manufacturer of games and toys. In 1869, his press published the first US book on what topic? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Indian March of Paul

The Indian March of Paul, a secret plot to attack British territories in India, was organized by Napoleon Bonaparte and his coconspirator Emperor Paul I of Russia. The plan called for two infantry units, one Russian and one French, to march to India. In a possible attempt to mask the true objective of the campaign, engineers, painters, and scientists were included in the expeditionary force. The Russian unit began its march to India in January 1801, but turned back a few months later; why? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

NASA’s New $8.8 Billion Telescope Can’t Be Fixed If Broken

NASA experts admitted they won’t be able to fix the $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) if something goes wrong. JWST will unfold itself “origami style” in deep space in an extremely technically complicated process which could potentially lead to a  … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Battle of Tippecanoe (1811)

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought between US forces and the forces of Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader who sought to stem US expansion by establishing a confederacy of Native American tribes. Led by Tecumseh’s brother, the Shawnee attacked US forces camped near their village. Both sides suffered similar losses, but the battle dealt a serious blow to the Native American military movement and was ultimately considered a victory for the US. What was done to the bodies of the fallen after the battle? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Revolution Day (Soviet Union)

Revolution Day commemorates the October Revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian government by seizing power in Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg, later named Leningrad, and in 1991, after the collapse of the Communist Party, renamed St. Petersburg). The coup took place on November 7 (October 25 on the Julian calendar) and, through the years, was celebrated as a national holiday marking the start of the Soviet regime. All of this ended in 1991 with the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Albert Camus (1913)

Camus was an Algerian-French novelist, essayist, and playwright. He spent the war years in Paris, and the French Resistance brought him into the circle of Jean-Paul Sartre and existentialism. In 1942, he became a leading literary figure with his enigmatic first novel, The Stranger, a study of 20th-century alienation, and the philosophical essay “The Myth of Sisyphus,” an analysis of contemporary nihilism and the concept of the absurd. What else did Camus write? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Book of Kells

Among the most intricately illuminated manuscripts to survive from the Middle Ages, the Book of Kells, created by Celtic monks around 800 CE, is an ornate masterpiece of the Hiberno-Saxon style. Described as the peak of Western calligraphy and illumination, the book features the four Gospels in Latin. However, there are a number of errors in the text, including the use of the Latin word “gaudium” instead of the correct term, “gladium.” How does that mistake change the meaning of Matthew 10:34? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary