Month: June 2022

Tajikistan Day of National Unity

On June 27, 1997, a treaty was signed between Islamic rebels and the Russian-backed Tajikistan government, bringing to an end a five-year-long civil war. The day is remembered as the Day of National Unity. On the Day of National Unity in 2007, the Tajik parliament passed a law granting amnesty to all rebels who had fought against the government, provided they had not committed murder, rape, human or drug trafficking, or terrorism. Some 2,000 prison inmates were released under the new law. The 2007 commemoration also marked the opening of 11 new buildings in the city of Dushanbe. Discuss

Helen Keller (1880)

Blind and deaf from the age of two, Helen Keller was placed in the care of Anne Sullivan, who acted as her teacher and companion for 49 years. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, Keller made rapid progress, eventually graduating from Radcliffe College with honors. She later became a world-famous lecturer and advocate for people with disabilities. The Miracle Worker, a play based on Keller’s autobiography, chronicles her remarkable journey. What was the first word Keller learned? Discuss

Quicksilver

Quicksilver, commonly known as mercury and represented in the periodic table with the symbol Hg, is a chemical element with an atomic number of 80. A heavy, silvery, transition metal, mercury is the only elemental metal that is liquid at room temperature. It is used in thermometers, barometers, and other scientific apparatuses. Due to the toxicity of the element, however, the use of mercury in thermometers has been largely phased out in the interests of health and safety. What has replaced it? Discuss

Elvis Presley Gives Last Concert (1977)

Elvis Presley, now known to millions as “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” became a national sensation in 1956 and dominated the world of rock music until 1963. His most successful songs include “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Love Me Tender,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” His success spawned a spate of B-movie appearances, but his popularity waned in the late 60s, and he developed a drug dependence and died in 1977 at age 42. What theories do some fans cite in their claims that Elvis did not really die in 1977? Discuss

Lord Kelvin (1824)

Kelvin was a British mathematician and physicist known especially for his work in thermodynamics and electricity. He introduced the Kelvin temperature scale, helped develop the second law of thermodynamics and discover the Joule-Thomson effect in thermoelectricity, and was an important innovator and authority in the field of message transmission through submarine cables. He also invented the siphon recorder. Kelvin entered the University of Glasgow at what young age? Discuss

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor was the queen consort of Louis VII of France and then of Henry II of England and mother of two kings of England, Richard I and John. She established a court at Poitiers noted for its cultivation of the concept of courtly love and later helped Richard secure the throne. When he was held captive in Europe, she forestalled John’s plots against him and worked to collect ransom for his release. She later facilitated the brothers’ reconciliation. Who was she rumored to have poisoned? Discuss