Month: January 2022

The Emancipation Proclamation Is Formally Issued (1863)

Though this edict, issued by US President Abraham Lincoln while the country was embroiled in a bloody civil war, was largely a symbolic gesture and did not actually end slavery, it was a major step on the road to abolition and sent a clear message about the Union’s stance on the matter. The proclamation—which was almost entirely the work of Lincoln himself—declared free all slaves living in areas still engaged in revolt against the Union. What officially ended slavery in the US? Discuss

Polar Bear Swim Day

Since 1920, a group of hardy swimmers has celebrated New Year’s Day by plunging into the frigid waters of Vancouver’s English Bay. The custom has spread to the US, where chapters of the American Polar Bear Club have established themselves in a number of states known for their cold winter weather. In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, more than 300 daring swimmers brave the ice floes of Lake Michigan to take their New Year’s Day swim. The Sheboygan event has gradually expanded into a day-long festival, with a brat-fry, a costume contest, and live entertainment. Discuss

Huldrych Zwingli (1484)

Zwingli was a Swiss theologian who championed the Reformation in Switzerland. Inspired by his studies rather than a crisis of faith, he challenged the ritualism, decadence, and hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and his stance on the sacrament of communion brought him into conflict with both Martin Luther and the Church. After a Zurich council approved many of his proposals, organs were destroyed, priests were allowed to wed, and the liturgy was simplified. In what 1531 battle was Zwingli killed? Discuss

The Trepov Incident

In July 1877, a Russian political prisoner refused to remove his cap in the presence of St. Petersburg governor Theodore Trepov, a colonel known for violently suppressing rebellions. In retaliation, Trepov ordered that the man be flogged, which outraged Vera Zasulich, a fellow prisoner allied with a revolutionary group. In January 1888, Zasulich wounded Trepov with a revolver shot. In the trial that followed, a sympathetic jury found Zasulich not guilty. What happened to her? Discuss