Month: February 2023

Pluto Is Discovered (1930)

Pluto was discovered by the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona while he was searching for “Planet X,” a hypothetical planet that was believed to exist beyond Neptune. Pluto was long regarded as a planet, but following the discovery of other, larger Kuiper belt objects, astronomers recognized the need to reclassify Pluto. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union ended official recognition of Pluto as a planet. What is Pluto’s current classification? Discuss

Saidai-ji Eyo Hadaka Matsuri

Hadaka Matsuri means, literally, “naked festival”. The young men who participate are naked except for traditional white loincloths known as fundoshi. Sometimes the participants in Hadaka Matsuri immerse themselves in a river beforehand to purify themselves. Occasionally several semi-naked young men will carry a mikoshi, or portable shrine, in the form of a horse, rice bale, or sake barrel into the river with them. Discuss

Toni Morrison (1931)

Morrison was an African-American writer and editor whose work helped bring African-American literature into the mainstream. In 1988, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved, which is now included in the canon of American literature, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her fiction is noted for its poetic language, lush detail, and emotional intensity. Why did she call Bill Clinton “our first Black president”? Discuss

The San

The San are an indigenous people of Africa, mainly found in Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. Once nomadic hunters and gatherers of wild food in desolate areas like the Kalahari Desert of southwest Africa, most of the San now live in settlements and work on cattle ranches or farms. The San have a rich folklore, are skilled in drawing, and have a remarkably complex language characterized by the use of clicks. What plant used by the San has been patented, and why? Discuss

Kasparov Beats Deep Blue (1996)

Garry Kasparov is a chess grandmaster and one of the strongest players in history. He was the youngest person to become the World Chess Federation’s World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1985 until 1993. In 1996, Kasparov played against a super-computer called “Deep Blue,” which was capable of evaluating 100 billion positions each turn. He lost the first game, but rebounded in the next five games to beat the machine. What happened when Kasparov faced the computer in a rematch a year later? Discuss

Michael Jordan (1963)

Considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan ended his career with a regular-season scoring average of 30.1 points per game, the highest in NBA history. He won six NBA championships, was league MVP five times, and earned two Olympic gold medals. Jordan’s mid-air acrobatics and slam dunk skills are legendary and earned him the nickname “Air Jordan.” After retiring from basketball in 1993, Jordan surprised fans by beginning a career in what sport? Discuss