Month: December 2022

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

The Wounded Knee Massacre was the last major armed conflict of the Indian wars. After the death of Sitting Bull, a band of Sioux led by Big Foot fled into the badlands but was captured by the 7th Cavalry on December 28, 1890. The next day, as the Sioux were being disarmed, a scuffle broke out and a US officer was wounded. US troops then opened fire, killing about 200 men, women, and children in mere minutes. Who seized and occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days in 1973? Discuss

Cali Fair

The rich cultural identity of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, has been celebrated each year since 1957 at the Cali Fair. The Fair is a major event that draws thousands of local residents and tourists from around the world. There are numerous artisans selling their crafts, street performers, and other forms of entertainment. A Bullfighting Festival is also part of the celebration, and a salsa marathon is one of many dance events held each year. It is said that during Fair time, Cali is the home of the best salsa dancing in the world. Discuss

Charles Goodyear (1800)

Goodyear was the inventor of vulcanization, a process that makes rubber stronger, more elastic, and less susceptible to extreme temperatures. It is said that he discovered it quite by accident in 1839, when he dropped a rubber-sulfur mixture onto a hot stove. Despite patenting his process, he died deep in debt. He had no official connection to the famed Goodyear Tire Company, which was founded after his death and named in his honor. Why was he in prison when he began experimenting with rubber? Discuss

Swiss Cheese

Swiss cheese is the generic name in the US for several related varieties of cheese that resemble Switzerland’s Emmentaler cheese. The cheese’s distinctive holes, which are called “eyes,” are formed during ripening when the bacterium used to produce the cheese releases carbon dioxide gas that causes large bubbles. In general, the larger the eyes, the more pronounced the cheese’s flavor, although large eyes make the cheese more difficult to slice. Swiss cheese without eyes is known as what? Discuss

William Semple Files Chewing Gum Patent (1869)

Existing in various forms since prehistoric times, chewing gum is one of the oldest types of candy still widely consumed today. Early chewing gums were made from plant resins. In 1869, dentist William Semple patented a rubber-based chewing gum that he envisioned as a tooth cleaning product. Around that time, confectioners discovered that chicle, a natural latex that was being explored as a possible rubber substitute, was an ideal gum base. What country banned chewing gum in 1992? Discuss

Woodrow Wilson (1856)

Wilson served as US president from 1913 to 1921, a period that spanned the country’s involvement in World War I. Following the war, Wilson hoped to achieve world peace through his “Fourteen Points,” but his progressive vision suffered numerous setbacks, and he ended his term incapacitated by a stroke. While trying to implement his plan at the Paris Peace Conference, he became the first US president to travel to Europe while in office. On what rare unit of US currency is Wilson’s image featured? Discuss