Month: October 2022

Taipei 101 Becomes World's Tallest Building (2003)

On October 17, 2003, a pinnacle placed atop Taiwan’s Taipei 101 allowed it to surpass the height of what had once been the tallest buildings in the world—the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—by 184 feet (56 m). Designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes, Taipei 101 houses a massive pendulum suspended from the 92nd floor to counteract swaying. Its elevators set a record in 2004 with top ascending speeds of about 37 mph (60 km/h). What is currently the world’s tallest structure? Discuss

Anniversary of the Death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A former slave, Jean-Jacques Dessalines (ca. 1758–October 17, 1806) played a pivotal role under the command of Toussaint L’Ouverture in the Haitian struggle for independence from France. Dessalines ruled Haiti as Emperor Jacques I for two years before he was assassinated in a coup. It is Dessalines’ legacy as a freedom fighter and a founding father that Haitians remember on this official holiday commemorating the anniversary of his death. Haitians observe the holiday by participating in street parades in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and other cities. Discuss

Arthur Miller (1915)

Miller was an American dramatist whose plays deal with morality and the pressures exerted by family and society. The Crucible, one of his most famous works, is a dramatization of the 17th-century Salem witch trials and a parable about the US in the McCarthy era. His masterpiece, Death of a Salesman, was the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Play, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award all in the same year. What movie star was his second wife? Discuss

The Weeping Willow

Easily recognized by its long drooping branches and leaves, the weeping willow belongs to the Salicaceae family of deciduous trees and shrubs. It is native to China, but, as willow cuttings generally take root quite easily, it has been cultivated elsewhere for millennia. Legend has it that all of England’s weeping willows are descended from a cutting sent to Lady Suffolk from Spain. Though it is widely cultivated for ornamental purposes, the weeping willow is used by some to serve what function? Discuss

Chinese Communist Army Begins the Long March (1934)

The Long March was a crucial event in the rise of the Chinese Communist state. Facing annihilation from Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang (KMT) Army, the Communists, led by Mao Zedong, retreated some 6,000 miles (9,656 km) in 370 days. Though the Long March was technically a tactical defeat, it allowed the Communists to avoid destruction. Mao’s forces later regrouped and defeated the KMT after World War II. What were the Eight Points of Attention followed by the soldiers during the Long March? Discuss

David Ben-Gurion (1886)

Ben-Gurion was one of the founders of the state of Israel and its first prime minister. Born in Russian Poland, he immigrated to Palestine—then part of the Ottoman Empire—at the age of 20 hoping to fulfill the Zionist aspiration of building a Jewish state in historic Israel. He was a founder and leader of the Mapai labor party and an early leader of the trade union Histadrut. What was Ben-Gurion’s stance on the King David hotel bombing perpetrated by the Irgun Zionist group? Discuss

Marcasite

Marcasite looks like and even has the same chemical formula as pyrite, or “fool’s gold,” but it is a separate and much less common mineral. Marcasite is paler in color, becomes darker upon oxidation, and is more apt to crumble than pyrite. Its tendency to break down makes it a poor choice for use in jewelry, so pyrite is actually used in its stead but is referred to as “marcasite” in this context. What is “pyrite decay,” and how does it affect marcasite? Discuss