Tennis Player Arthur Ashe Announces He Has AIDS (1992)

Ashe was the first African-American male to reach prominence in tennis and was thus a very public figure, even after his retirement, which followed a 1979 heart attack and quadruple-bypass surgery. In 1983, he contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during a second heart surgery. He kept it a secret until 1992, when a newspaper threatened to publish a story about his illness. His subsequent openness about AIDS helped combat the disease’s stigma. How much longer did Ashe live? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sonja Henie (1912)

Henie began ice skating at the age of eight and won the first of six straight Norwegian figure-skating championships within two years. Starting in 1927, she won the world’s figure-skating crown 10 straight years, the European title six times, and the Olympic gold medal three times. She introduced music and dance into free skating, greatly broadening its appeal, and turned professional in 1936, earning millions starring in films and ice shows. Why did many Norwegians consider her a quisling? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Acid Rain

Acid precipitation, also known as acid rain, is any form of precipitation—snow, rain, sleet, or hail—that contains a heavy concentration of sulfuric and nitric acids. Automobiles, certain industrial operations, and electric power plants that burn fossil fuels emit pollutants that combine with atmospheric moisture to create these acids. Acid rain can contaminate drinking water, damage vegetation and aquatic life, and erode buildings and monuments. Where was acid rain first found? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The World Health Organization Is Established (1948)

World Health Day is observed every year on April 7 to mark the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN agency whose main objective is to promote “the highest possible level of health” in all people. Coordinating international efforts to prevent, control, and treat illness, it has worked to successfully eradicate smallpox and has made notable strides in checking polio, leprosy, cholera, and malaria. What controversies have surrounded the WHO? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Eleanora Fagan, AKA Billie Holiday (1915)

Despite a deeply troubled upbringing, Holiday became one of the most celebrated and influential singers in jazz history. She was also one of its most tragic figures. She debuted in the 1930s and, after performing with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Artie Shaw, embarked on a successful solo career. However, she suffered many personal setbacks, complicated by the drug addiction that eventually destroyed her career and hastened her death. How did she choose her stage name? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Anatomy Act of 1832

Prior to 1832, only the corpses of executed murderers were allowed to be dissected in the UK, but with the rise of medical science and the scaling back of executions, demand came to outstrip supply. The British Anatomy Act, passed in response to public concern about the illegal trade in corpses, was an act of Parliament that increased the supply of cadavers legally available for medical research and education. What were “resurrectionists,” and how were they impacted by the Anatomy Act? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary