Month: July 2022

Mormon Pioneer Day

After their founder, Joseph Smith, was murdered in 1844, the Mormons moved westward from their settlement in Nauvoo, Illinois, under the leadership of Brigham Young. When Young surveyed the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, he proclaimed, “This is the right place.” Thousands of Mormon pioneers followed him over the next two decades, many of them pushing their belongings in handcarts. The original 40-acre plot where the Mormons settled is the modern Salt Lake City, and the day on which Young chose the site is celebrated not only in Utah but in surrounding states with significant Mormon populations, such as Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and California. Discuss

Simón Bolívar (1783)

Bolívar was a South American revolutionary leader whose actions earned him the title of “El Libertador.” He defeated the Spanish in 1819, was made president of Greater Colombia—which comprised modern Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador—and helped liberate Peru and Bolivia. He declared himself dictator in hopes of unifying the region but was less successful at ruling countries than at liberating them, and he resigned in 1830, dying shortly thereafter. Why was Bolívar’s body exhumed in 2010? Discuss

Blood Type

Human blood is classified according to the presence or absence of specific markers, called antigens, on the surface of red blood cells. The most commonly encountered blood group system is the ABO system, which classifies blood based on the presence or absence of two antigens, A and B. There are four blood types in this grouping, A, B, AB, and O. Type AB indicates the presence of both antigens and O the absence of both. What do the symbols + and – represent in the classification of blood? Discuss

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Marries Sarah Ferguson (1986)

Prince Andrew is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Duke of York since his marriage to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. Initially, the Duke and Duchess, who had known each other since childhood, appeared to have a happy marriage, but problems soon surfaced—along with tabloid pictures showing the Duchess cavorting with her financial advisor. They were officially divorced in 1996. Where does Prince Andrew sit in the line of succession to the British throne? Discuss

Warei Taisai

This Japanese festival is held in Uwajimay in late July. Hundreds of ships dock in the harbor, all decorated with flags. In town, there is the parade of the Ushioni, a creature that looks like a combination of a whale and a dragon that is carried through the streets by 15 to 20 young people. Another festival highlight is the Hashiri-komi ceremony, a procession of young people carrying portable shrines called mikoshi into the sea while rockets explode all around them. The Warei Tasai festival dates back to the 18th century and is the highlight of the summer festival season in Ehime Prefecture. Discuss

Raymond Chandler (1888)

Chandler was an American novelist who had an immense impact on the detective genre. His well-plotted and brutally realistic novels, among them The Big Sleep, depict the seedy lowlife of Los Angeles and feature Philip Marlowe, a hard-boiled yet honorable private detective who became the prototype for the tough-guy private eye of many subsequent American detective novels. Before beginning his fiction writing career in the 1930s, Chandler held an executive position in what industry? Discuss

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. According to legend, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II built the gardens around 600 BCE to soothe his wife, who was homesick for her mountainous homeland. Though extensively documented by ancient historians, no extant Babylonian texts mention the gardens, and there is little physical evidence of their existence. Alternative theories suggest that the gardens were built by the Assyrian king Sennacherib near what modern city? Discuss