Chevalier d’Éon (1728)

The inspiration for the now-obsolete term “eonism,” describing the adoption of female dress and behavior by a male, the Chevalier d’Éon was a French noble, soldier, and spy who lived first as a male and then as a female. His cross-dressing appears to have begun as part of his covert activities, but by the 1770s, rumors reached France that the Chevalier was actually a woman masquerading as a man, and he was ordered to live as a woman thereafter. When was it proven that he was anatomically male? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Seppuku

Also known as hara-kiri, seppuku is a form of ritual suicide by disembowelment formerly practiced by members of Japan’s samurai class. Favored because it was slow and painful—and therefore demonstrative of courage and strong resolve—voluntary seppuku was performed to avoid the dishonor of capture, show loyalty to one’s lord, protest against a policy, or atone for failure. Over time, an elaborate ritual evolved that began with the samurai bathing and then dressing in robes of what color? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Elephant Bird Regains Its Title as the Largest Bird That Ever Lived

History has not been kind to the elephant bird of Madagascar. Standing nearly 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,000 pounds — or so researchers believed — this flightless cousin of the ostrich went extinct in the 17th century, thanks in part to humans … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant Explosion (1918)

On the night of October 4, 1918, an explosion rocked the T.A. Gillespie Company’s ammunition plant in Sayreville, New Jersey, one of the largest such plants in the world at the time. The blast triggered a series of explosions, which continued for three days, killing 100 people. Sayreville and nearby South Amboy and Perth Amboy were evacuated, displacing about 62,000 people who thus became more vulnerable to the catastrophic flu epidemic of 1918. What remnant of the accident was found in 2007? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mozambique Peace Day

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution, funded by the United States Congress to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts; it played an instrumental role in brokering the peace in Mozambique. On October 4, 1992, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique, signed the Mozambique General Peace Agreement in Rome and essentially put an end to the country’s civil war. To commemorate this day, the Republic of Mozambique has declared October 4 as Peace Day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Charlton Heston (1923?)

An iconic Hollywood leading man and six-term president of the Screen Actors Guild, Heston distinguished himself as an actor playing larger-than-life heroes in films like The Ten Commandments, Planet of the Apes, El Cid, and Ben-Hur. The strapping performer also used his sonorous voice to speak out against racism and other political issues of his day. A staunch opponent of gun control, he made what phrase famous at a 2000 National Rifle Association convention? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Child Soldiers

Children have been used extensively in military campaigns as direct combatants, porters, spies, and sex slaves throughout history, even in societies where such involvement is regarded as immoral, and the practice remains widespread today. Hundreds of thousands of child soldiers can be found throughout the world, with an estimated 100,000 in Africa alone. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, conscripting or enlisting children under what age constitutes a war crime? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary