Month: October 2022

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim is a modern art museum located in New York City. It is named for its benefactor, art collector Solomon Guggenheim. Founded in the 1930s, it is known for its remarkable circular building designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The structure resembles a white ribbon spiraling upward and outward in a smooth coil of white concrete. It has no separate floors but instead uses a spiral ramp, realizing Wright’s ideal of a continuous space. Why has Wright’s design been criticized? Discuss

Second Boer War Erupts in South Africa (1899)

The Boer Wars were fought between the British Empire and Dutch settlers in South Africa, called Boers. The Second Boer War was sparked by the discovery of gold in the Transvaal, a region annexed to Britain but controlled by anti-British statesman Paul Kruger. Tensions rose as the Boer government began limiting the rights of British settlers moving into the region. It has been argued that what method of control now commonly associated with the Nazis was first employed by the British in this war? Discuss

Henry Heinz (1844)

Heinz was a pioneer in the American food industry. He got an early start in the food business, peddling surplus home-grown vegetables to neighbors by the age of eight. In 1876, he, his brother, and a cousin founded a pickles and condiments company that became the H. J. Heinz Company when he bought them out in 1888. The company’s tomato ketchup quickly became a bestseller and remains the most popular ketchup in the US today. Why did Heinz make “57 varieties” his company slogan? Discuss

Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu—”The Blue Ribbon”—is an international group of cooking schools teaching French cuisine. The school’s name comes from an elite order of French knights who were awarded the Cross of the Holy Spirit, which hung from a blue ribbon. Because these knights were known for their extravagant banquets, the blue ribbon became synonymous with excellent cooking. The school opened in 1895 as an outgrowth of La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu magazine. Who are some of its famous alumni? Discuss

Quebec's Pierre Laporte Kidnapped (1970)

The separatist Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ) formed in the 1960s to bring about the independence of predominantly French Quebec from the rest of Canada. To achieve this aim, the FLQ carried out various terrorist activities, including the 1970 kidnapping of Quebec’s Minister of Labor Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James Cross. This touched off the October Crisis and led the Canadian government to assume sweeping emergency powers to combat the insurrection. What happened to Cross and Laporte? Discuss

Fiji Day

Fijians still celebrate the date of the signing of the 1874 Deed of Cession, the document that initiated the protracted process by which Fiji gained independence in 1970. In Levuka, festivities focus on the historical aspects of Fiji Day, and people dress in traditional garb to re-enact of the Deed of Cession. In Suva, leaders, dignitaries, and citizens gather in historic Albert Park for addresses by the president and the prime minister. There is also a parade, the singing of the national anthem, and a ceremonial firing of cannons. In other communities, Fijians hold oratory contests and cultural performances. Discuss

Giuseppe Verdi (1813)

Verdi is regarded as the foremost Italian composer of opera and one of the most influential opera composers of the 19th century. His works, like Il trovatore, La traviata, and Aïda, remain at the heart of the opera repertory even today, and many of his themes transcend the boundaries of the genre and have taken root in popular culture. Though the baptismal register for October 11, 1813, lists Verdi as “born yesterday,” his date of birth remains a mystery. Why is this? Discuss