Month: July 2018

The International Atomic Energy Agency Is Established (1957)

In 1953, during the Cold War, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the creation of an international body to regulate the use of nuclear power in his “Atoms for Peace” address to the United Nations General Assembly. Four years later, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The IAEA may purchase and sell fissionable materials, and it inspects for compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Is the IAEA part of the UN? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Chief Joseph Days

Chief Joseph (1840-1904) was the chief of the Nez Perce Indians. He spent his life in exile and pleaded with President Theodore Roosevelt to let his people return to their ancestral home, and is honored with a four-day festival every July in Joseph, Oregon. Established in 1945, the festival features one of the largest rodeos in the Northwest, a traditional Indian dance contest, a Nez Perce encampment and powwow, parades, dances, a golf tournament, and a cowboy church service. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Dag Hammarskjöld (1905)

The only person to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize posthumously, Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary General of the United Nations. In this role, he greatly extended the influence of the United Nations and personally led peace missions, though he clashed with the Soviet Union for his vigorous attempts to diffuse civil strife in the newly independent Congo. He served as Secretary General until his death in a mysterious plane crash in 1961. What conspiracy theories surround his death? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Dictionary Attacks

In cryptanalysis and computer security, a dictionary attack is a method of breaking a cipher or authentication mechanism by trying common words, like names of people, sports teams, pets, and cars, as possible passwords or decryption keys. Sophisticated dictionary attacks rank words by those most likely to be used. For that reason, computer users are advised to avoid passwords that can be found in an ordinary dictionary. How else can dictionary attacks be thwarted? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Great Tangshan Earthquake (1976)

In July 1976, Wang Chengmin of China’s State Seismological Bureau concluded that the Tangshan region would be struck by a significant quake between July 22 and August 5. Based on the prediction, Qinglong County undertook serious emergency preparations, a move that likely limited the number of casualties there when a powerful temblor struck on July 28, destroying hundreds of thousands of buildings and killing as many as 700,000 across Tangshan. What were the political consequences of the quake? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous

Every July since 1975, classic wooden yachts of pre-1952 vintage have gathered for the annual Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. More than 50 boats from throughout the Northeast participate each year, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind. The boats can be viewed at dockside on Friday evening and early on Saturday. Sunday afternoon the vessels begin their colorful parade down the Mystic River to Noank, led by the museum’s 84-year-old steamboat, Sabino, with a Dixieland jazz band on board. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary