Month: June 2022

Igor Stravinsky (1882)

Stravinsky was a Russian-American composer considered by many to be the greatest and most versatile composer of the 20th century. His first major success, The Firebird, brought him international renown in 1910. He followed this the next year with the great ballet score Petrushka and two years after that with his most acclaimed—and controversial—work, the ballet The Rite of Spring, recognized as a landmark and masterpiece of modern music. Why did its premiere provoke a riot? Discuss

The Abacus

An abacus is a calculation tool, often a frame with beads sliding on wires. Used for centuries before the adoption of the written Arabic numeral system, it is still utilized by merchants in China and elsewhere. Though often attributed to the Chinese, it is thought to have been invented by the ancient Babylonians. The first abacus was probably a flat tablet covered in sand. Lines were drawn in the sand and pebbles were used to make calculations. What is the origin of the instrument’s name? Discuss

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho Opens in New York (1960)

Groundbreaking in its depiction of sex and graphic violence and in its exploration of mental illness, Psycho is often seen as marking a turning point in film history, simultaneously labeled as the first slasher film and a work of cinematic art. The film’s “shower scene” has taken on an iconic status as one of the most terrifying scenes ever filmed. What blooper did Hitchcock’s wife reportedly notice during one of the film’s final screenings before its official release? Discuss

South Africa Youth Day

Throughout the history of South Africa, black citizens have suffered from segregation and oppression by white leaders. On June 16, 1976, more than 20,000 students from Soweto began a protest march. Police were called to the scene, and violent riots broke out. Approximately 700 people, many of them youths, were killed. June 16 has been set aside as Youth Day across the Republic of South Africa, to commemorate the day the protests began and to honor the youth who lost their lives during the riots. Ceremonies, parades, and historic exhibitions are part of the celebrations across South Africa. Discuss

Katharine Graham (1917)

Graham was publisher of The Washington Post from 1963 to 1979 and was at the helm when the paper played an integral role in breaking the Watergate scandal that led to US President Richard Nixon’s resignation. One of the first women in the US to head a prestigious national newspaper, Graham had few female role models. She became a trailblazer for women in journalism and won a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History. How did she come to head up the Post? Discuss

Paul Rusesabagina

Rusesabagina is a Rwandan hotel manager and humanitarian known for hiding and protecting more than 1,200 refugees during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Rusesabagina, who worked at the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, used his influence and connections as manager of the hotel to shelter Tutsis from being slaughtered by the Interahamwe militia. All of the refugees in his care survived. What Academy Award-nominated movie brought Rusesabagina’s heroics to the attention of the masses? Discuss