Month: June 2020

Gaspee Days

The British revenue schooner Gaspee was sent to the American colonies to reinforce various British revenue laws, including the Townshend Acts of 1767. The colonists at Rhode Island burned the ship on June 10, 1772, in what many regard as the first act of rebellion leading up to the Revolutionary War. Since 1966 the event has been commemorated in a festival that includes a symbolic reenactment of the burning, a fife and drum muster, a colonial parade, numerous athletic events, and a gala ball, which take place in both Cranston and Warwick, Rhode Island. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Birdman of Easter Island

Tangata Manu, or “Birdman,” was the title given to the winner of an annual ritual competition practiced by Easter Island natives up until Christian missionaries suppressed it in the 1860s. The object of the contest was the retrieval of the first sooty tern egg of the season from the cliffs of a rocky islet off the coast of the main island. The winner’s clan received the right to collect that season’s harvest of wild bird eggs, while the Birdman himself was afforded what privileges? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Common Ridings Day (Selkirk)

Many Scottish border towns hold a ceremony known as Common Ridings or Riding the Marches in June or July. The custom dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was often necessary to reconfirm boundaries in order to retain royal charters. The two main observations of Common Ridings occur in Selkirk and Haywick in June. In Selkirk, the event is combined with a commemoration of the 1513 Battle of Flodden, in which King James IV of Scotland and 10,000 others were killed. The Royal Burgh Standard Bearer leads a cavalcade of 200 riders around the borders of the town common. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Photophone

Though Alexander Graham Bell is best known for his telephone, he was proudest of his photophone, a device that uses rays of light to transmit sound. He made the first wireless call with it in 1880 and was so smitten with the invention that, to his wife’s dismay, he wanted to name his second daughter “Photophone.” Although outdoor interference from rain and clouds made the device impractical and it never caught on, it is considered the precursor to what modern method of information transfer? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fronleichnamsfest (Corpus Christi, Germany)

Corpus Christi Day in Germany is celebrated with colorful processions where the Sacrament and other holy symbols are carried through villages, where streets are decorated with flowers and greenery. The most picturesque of these processions take place in Bavaria, where Corpus Christi is a legal holiday. Some are held on lakes rather than in the streets, with flower-decked boats carrying members of the procession and worshippers across crystal clear waters. The processions at Lake Staffelsee and Lake Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria are among the most dramatic. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Akkad

Akkad was an ancient city and region in northern Babylonia, now central Iraq. It was founded by the conqueror Sargon around 2,300 BCE. Sargon extended the vast Akkadian Empire by uniting the city-states of Mesopotamia, and the now-extinct Akkadian language became a lingua franca of the region. After about a century, the empire declined, ushering in a dark age. Sargon’s grand capital city has not been found, and there are several theories as to the location of its ruins. Where might they be? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

James Earl Ray Escapes from Prison Again (1977)

In 1967, Ray, who was serving time for armed robbery, escaped from prison by hiding in a bread truck. He remained at large until 1968, when he was captured in London following an international manhunt sparked by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ray pled guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. In 1977, he once again escaped, but this time he was recaptured within days. In 1969, Ray recanted his confession and claimed that who was responsible for King’s death? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary