Month: October 2022

Bayreuth Festival

Bayreuth, Germany, is home to this annual festival devoted to the performance of operas by Richard Wagner. Wagner launched the festival in 1876 to showcase a variety of German music and did not intend for his compositions to be the focus. The event was plagued by financial problems in its early years, but survived through state intervention and the support of influential Wagnerians, including Ludwig II of Bavaria and Adolf Hitler. Who did Hitler beg—unsuccessfully—to lead the festival? Discuss

Kennedy Confirms Missile Presence in Cuba (1962)

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major Cold War confrontation that began when US reconnaissance flights uncovered Soviet missile sites in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy denounced the Soviet actions, imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, and vowed that the US would retaliate against any missile launched from Cuba. After hovering on the brink of war for several days, the two superpowers were able to reach a compromise. From which countries did the Soviets demand the withdrawal of American missiles? Discuss

Jidai Matsuri

Jidai Matsuri is one of the three great festivals of Kyoto, Japan, commemorating the founding of the city as capital in the year 794. A procession of more than 2,000 costumed people depict the epochs or ages in Kyoto’s history. They parade from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine, which was built in the 18th century as a dedication to the emperors who established Kyoto as the capital. The capital was moved in 1868 to Tokyo, and the festival stems from that time. Among the paraders is one representing Gen. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a patron of the arts under whom Kyoto flourished. Discuss

Curly Howard (1903)

Jerome Lester Horwitz, a man best known as “Curly Howard” or simply “Curly,” was arguably the most popular member of the legendary comedy trio the Three Stooges. He appeared in nearly 100 Three Stooges shorts before suffering a career-ending stroke. According to brother and fellow Stooge Moe Howard, Curly often struggled with his lines and instead improvised the visual and vocal nonsense that became hallmarks of his character. Why did he shave his head for the role of Curly? Discuss

George Balanchine

Balanchine was one of the 20th century’s foremost choreographers. His stark ballets emphasized “pure” dance and formed a bridge between classical and modern ballet. Born in Russia, he moved to the US in 1933 and became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera House and co-founder of the School of American Ballet. He later helped found the company that would become the New York City Ballet and was named its artistic director and principal choreographer. What disease ended Balanchine’s life? Discuss

Festival of the Black Christ

One legend associated with the observance of this festival in Portobelo, Panama, says that, during a cholera epidemic on the Isthmus, the people discovered a statue of a black Christ and brought it into the church. Within a few days, cholera had completely disappeared from Portobelo, even though it continued to rage elsewhere. The people of Portobelo honor El Jesús Nazarene by carrying the statue in procession on a decorated platform through the city. Pilgrims come from all over Panama, as they have for more than 300 years, to celebrate with folk dancing, music, and songs. Discuss

Alfred Nobel (1833)

Nobel was a Swedish chemist and engineer who invented dynamite, the smokeless powder Ballistite, and an explosive gelatin more powerful than dynamite. In his last will, he left his enormous fortune in trust for the endowment of the Nobel Prizes, which recognize outstanding achievements in the fields of science, literature, and economics and in the promotion of peace. What was the content of the prematurely published obituary that is said to have made Nobel resolve to leave a better legacy? Discuss