Kapp Putsch Briefly Ousts Weimar Republic Government (1920)

The fledgling Weimar Republic was just a year old when a renegade right-wing military unit made the first serious coup attempt. The government had tried to disband the unit to comply with the Versailles Treaty—which limited military power in Germany—so the brigade took Berlin. The legitimate regime fled, and Wolfgang Kapp, a radical civil servant, formed a new government. Within days, the coup collapsed and the former regime returned, thanks to a massive swell of support from whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Holi

Holi is a colorful and boisterous Hindu spring festival in India, also known as the Festival of Colors. This is a time of shedding inhibitions: people smear each other with red and yellow powder and shower each other with colored water shot from bamboo blowpipes or water pistols. Restrictions of caste, sex, and personal differences are ignored. Bhang, an intoxicating drink made from the same plant that produces marijuana, is imbibed, and revelry reigns. The name of the festival derives from the name of the wicked Holika. On the night before the festival, images of Holika are burned on huge bonfires. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Abraham “Al” Jaffee (1921)

A regular contributor to Mad for more than 55 years, Jaffee is the satirical magazine’s longest-running contributor, as both an illustrator and writer. Since 1964, only one issue has been published without new material from Jaffee, now in his 90s. He created some of the magazine’s most popular features, such as blueprint-style inventions and his famous “fold-ins”—which he continues to draw by hand. Before joining Mad, Jaffee worked with what then-unknown comic book pioneer? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hadhramaut

The name Hadhramaut formerly referred to the Hadhramaut states, a collective term for the Quaiti and Kathiri sultanates that were British protectorates until 1967. Today, the Hadhramaut region roughly incorporates the territory of the two sultanates, extending about 400 mi (640 km) along the southeastern coast of Yemen. It consists of a narrow, arid coastal plain, a broad plateau, a network of deeply sunk wadis, and an escarpment bordering the desert. What is the origin of the word Hadhramaut? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

First “Fireside Chat” by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933)

The “fireside chats” were a series of informal radio speeches delivered by president Roosevelt beginning in 1933, when the US was in the midst of the Great Depression and a third of Americans were unemployed. With his calm manner and simple way of explaining issues, Roosevelt discussed such issues as the banking crisis, the New Deal program, and the drought. During WWII, he reported on the progress of the war and discussed national defense. How many fireside chats did he deliver in all? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Vaslav Nijinsky (1890)

Nijinsky was a ballet dancer and ballet’s first modernist choreographer. One of the greatest dancers of the 20th century, he performed spectacular leaps with unrivaled grace. During his career, his innovations were considered both scandalous and revolutionary. He had a romantic relationship with his mentor, Sergey Diaghilev, who dismissed him from the Ballets Russes when he married a Hungarian countess. A few years later, acute schizophrenia ended his career. Did he and Diaghilev ever reconcile? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bloatware

During the 1970s, computer system resources like disk space and memory were fairly limited, and software developers worked long hours to produce small, efficient software products. Although technology has since improved, the industry’s focus on marketing and rapid coding has resulted in the proliferation of bloatware—software that gets larger and more complex with each version without providing obvious benefits to users. Which of today’s programs are often cited as examples of bloatware? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary