Month: June 2021

Bunker Hill Day

Observed primarily in Boston, Massachusetts, Bunker Hill Day commemorates the Revolutionary War battle of June 1775 between 2,200 British troops and half that number of Americans. It was, in fact, Breed’s Hill that was fortified, not nearby Bunker Hill, and that is where the British attacked the rebels three times. Although the Americans were driven from their fortification and lost some 450 men, it has always been looked upon as one of the great heroic battles of the Revolution. A 221-foot granite obelisk in Charlestown, north of Boston, marks the site of battle. Discuss

Rogue Waves

Rogue waves were once thought to be the stuff of sailors’ lore, but scientists have since established that these ostensibly unpredictable, abnormally large ocean surface waves are indeed real. Though similar in appearance to tsunamis, rogue waves are an entirely different phenomenon. Tsunamis are often preceded by an undersea earthquake, but rogue waves spring up without warning in seemingly calm waters, often far out at sea. What famously ill-fated ship may have been the victim of a rogue wave? Discuss

Bloomsday

James Joyce‘s novel Ulysses describes the events of a single day in Dublin: June 16, 1904. First published in Paris in 1922, Ulysses caused an uproar when it finally did appear in Ireland. But since 1954, Bloomsday—named after the novel’s main character, Leopold Bloom—has been a Joycean feast day, observed with a number of events throughout Dublin that commemorate its illustrious author and the lives of his characters. There is a ritual pilgrimage along the path followed by Bloom, public readings from the novel, costume parties, and parades. Discuss

The Sokal Affair

In 1996, physics professor Alan Sokal submitted a parody article to the journal Social Text to see if the editors would publish it just because it “sounded good” and “flattered” their views. Though Sokal disregarded their requested edits, they still published his article. In a different journal, he revealed that his piece was a hoax meant to expose the unreliable nature of non-peer reviewed publications and the bias of “the academic Left.” What was the subject of Sokal’s article? Discuss