The Production Code

In 1922, after a number of scandals involving Hollywood personalities, film industry leaders formed the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America to counteract the threat of government censorship. Its first president, Will H. Hays, developed a Production Code—also known as the Hays Code—that detailed what was morally acceptable on screen. The code was enforced until it was supplanted by a voluntary rating system in 1966. What specific things did the code outlaw? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Mexico City Earthquake (1985)

At 7:18 AM, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Mexican state of Michoacán, releasing more than 1,000 times the energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Several hundred miles away in Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, the devastation was catastrophic. Official estimates place the death toll at 10,000, but several times that number may have actually perished. Tens of thousands of others were hurt and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Why was Mexico City so hard hit? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Feast of San Gennaro

San Gennaro, or St. Januarius, fourth-century bishop of Benevento, is the patron saint of Naples, Italy. He was eventually beheaded during the reign of Diocletian, and his body was brought to Naples, along with a vial containing some of his blood. The congealed blood, preserved since that time in the Cathedral of San Gennaro, is claimed to liquefy on the anniversary of his death each year—an event that has drawn crowds to Naples since 1389. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Emil Zátopek (1922)

Zátopek, the “Czech Locomotive,” was a long-distance runner who won three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000-m and 10,000-m runs, and he amazingly earned gold yet again after deciding at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. His wife, competing in the javelin toss, added a gold medal to the family collection at the same Olympics. Zátopek’s success was likely due to his grueling training methods. What did he wear while training? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Aediles

In ancient Rome, magistrates in charge of public works, games, buildings, and roads were called aediles, derived from the Latin word for “temple” or “building.” Appointed from the ranks of both patricians and plebeians, these officials were generally young men intending to pursue high political office. Aediles supervised markets, the grain supply, and the water supply and also had powers to enforce public order. The position was created at the same time as what important Roman office? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Man disfigured by hunting accident becomes world’s oldest face transplant recipient

A 64-year-old man in Canada who was left disfigured after a hunting accident has become the oldest person in the world to receive a face transplant, his doctors report. Four months after the surgery, performed at Hospital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Fashoda Incident (1898)

Toward the end of the 19th century, France and Britain were brought to the brink of war by territorial disputes in Africa. Tensions came to a head at a strategically located fort at Fashoda, Sudan, occupied by the French mere months before a British force arrived with its own designs on the area. A standoff ensued, but the French, fearing an outbreak of hostilities, eventually withdrew. The diplomatic solution to this political crisis is widely seen as a precursor to what Anglo-French agreement? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary