Have you no basic manners? (Usually said after someone has left open a door to the outside.) Watch the video
Month: July 2022
Monopoly
Though initially rejected by the toy firm Parker Brothers, Monopoly has become one of the world’s most popular board games. Players move around the game board buying properties and developing them with houses and hotels. Their opponents then pay rent when they land on these spaces. Players can also pick up “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards, with outcomes ranging from being sent to jail to winning second prize in a beauty contest. What city inspired the locations on the US game board? Discuss
ventail
Henry IV of France Converts to Catholicism (1593)
Henry IV was the first of the Bourbon kings of France, reigning from 1589 until his death. A Protestant, Henry was involved in the Wars of Religion before his accession to the throne. He then converted to Catholicism, allegedly explaining his pragmatic philosophy with the statement, “Paris is well worth a mass.” Five years later, he signed the Edict of Nantes, granting religious and civil liberties to Protestants, and ruled as one of the most popular French kings. Who assassinated him in 1610? Discuss
Grotto Day
In England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, oysters were not considered the rare delicacy they are today, and the large number of oysters eaten at that time meant there were lots of shells around. On St. James‘s Day, which was observed on August 5 before the Gregorian, or New Style, Calendar came into use and on July 25 thereafter, children used the shells to construct small decorative grottoes. Sometimes the children begged for pennies as a reward for their efforts. Most of this grotto-building took place in London, and the custom continued up to the 1950s. Discuss
Henry Knox (1750)
A bookseller, Knox became active in the colonial militia in the lead-up to the American Revolution. Upon the outbreak of war with England, he volunteered for the revolutionary forces and soon proved himself a capable tactician and leader. He was so highly regarded that he was chosen to succeed George Washington as commander of the army at the war’s end and later served as the first US secretary of war. What did Knox accidentally swallow that caused an infection that claimed his life? Discuss
weep (one's) heart out
To weep copiously; to cry intensely and for a long time. Watch the video
The Lincoln Cent
When the Lincoln one-cent coin made its initial appearance in 1909, it marked a radical departure from the accepted styling of US coins. No regularly circulating US coin had ever featured a portrait of a real person before, but public sentiment stemming from the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth was strong enough to outweigh tradition. Sculptor Victor David Brenner was invited to participate in the formulation of the new design when which president chose him for the commission? Discuss
seafarer
Mary Queen of Scots Is Deposed (1567)
Mary Stuart was Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567. She was forced to abdicate the throne after her husband, Lord Darnley, was murdered and she was implicated in the plot. Mary then fled to England, where she faced a murder inquiry and became a prisoner of the English government. After conspiracies to put her on the throne of England were uncovered, she was tried for treason and ultimately beheaded. Some say her executioners asked for her forgiveness. What is she said to have replied? Discuss