Month: December 2018

The Battle of the Trebbia

One of the titanic struggles of history, the Second Punic, or Hannibalic, War, lasted from 218 to 201 BCE. Fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and the Roman Republic, the war’s first major clash was the Battle of the Trebbia, named for the Trebbia River where it took place. Shortly after making his now-famous crossing of the Alps with elephants and a full baggage train, Hannibal descended into Italy and stunned the Roman forces by defeating them at Trebbia. Who won the war? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Largest Mass Execution in US History (1862)

Though the US government and the Sioux concluded several treaties during the first half of the 19th century, relations had deteriorated by 1862 when a Sioux uprising killed more than 800 white settlers and soldiers in Minnesota. Military tribunals convicted 303 Sioux prisoners of murder and rape and sentenced them to death. US President Abraham Lincoln commuted most sentences, but the public hanging of 38 prisoners was still the largest mass execution in US history. What became of the bodies? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Boxing Day

The term “Boxing Day” comes from the little earthenware boxes that servants, tradespeople, and others who rendered services to the public used to carry around on the day after Christmas to collect tips and year-end bonuses. The name has remained, and Boxing Day is still observed in England, Canada, Australia, and many other nations. In South Africa, it is known as the Day of Good Will. If December 26 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday or Tuesday is usually observed as a public or Bank Holiday. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780)

Somerville became an accomplished science writer at a time when women’s involvement in the sciences was generally discouraged. She earned widespread recognition for her 1831 translation of Pierre-Simon Laplace’s five-volume Mécanique Céleste (Celestial Mechanics), a project she undertook for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, which aimed to adapt scientific material for the rapidly expanding reading public. What term was coined in a review of one of her other works? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Naked-Eye Planets

The naked-eye planets are the five planets in our solar system that can be observed without any optical aid: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The five planets closest to Earth, they were the only ones known to the ancients before the development of the telescope. Grouped together with the Sun and the Moon, they form what some cultures call the seven heavenly objects. Ancient cultures’ knowledge of the heavens can be seen in the word “planet,” which comes from a Greek term meaning what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hirohito Becomes Emperor of Japan (1926)

Hirohito was the longest reigning Japanese monarch, ruling from 1926 to 1989. During his reign, militaristic Japan entered World War II and bombed Pearl Harbor. After the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Hirohito pushed for surrender. He then broke the precedent of imperial silence by making a national radio broadcast to announce Japan’s surrender. After World War II, Hirohito changed the importance of the monarchy when he renounced what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Koledouvane

Koledouvane is the ritual singing of Christmas carols that takes place in Bulgaria each year on December 24 and 25. The koledari, or “carol singers,” go from house to house and wish people good health and prosperity. Although their dress and ornaments differ from region to region, the koledarka, a long oak stick covered with elaborate carving, is a traditional accessory. A similar ritual, called Sourvakari, is carried out on New Year’s Day. They have survived as separate celebrations, even though they are closely related in meaning. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876)

An Indian Muslim politician, Jinnah was the founder and first governor-general of Pakistan. Early in his career, he fervently supported the Indian National Congress and advocated Hindu-Muslim unity, but he eventually became convinced that a Muslim nation distinct from Hindu India was needed to protect Muslim interests in the dying days of the British Raj. Jinnah’s firm stand and widespread Hindu-Muslim riots forced the issue, and Pakistan was created in 1947. How long did he lead the new nation? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary