In the latter part of the 20th century, research on the health risks of secondhand tobacco smoke spurred legislative bodies throughout the world to consider smoking bans. On March 29, 2004, Ireland became the first country to implement a nationwide ban on smoking in public places, including all enclosed workplaces. Many nations have since followed with similar legislation. Which Pope instituted the first known public smoking ban in 1590 by threatening smokers with excommunication? Discuss
Month: March 2023
Madagascar Martyrs' Day
Madagascar Martyrs’ Day memorializes those who died in the Revolt of 1947 against the French. Madagascar had been a French colony since 1896 and then was named an overseas territory within the French Union in the 1946 constitution. On March 29, 1947, the people staged a nationalist uprising against colonial forces. Casualties from the conflict were reported as high as 80,000. French military courts tried the leaders of the revolt and executed 20 of them. On March 29, the Malagasy government and people remember those patriots who sacrificed their lives for their country’s freedom. Discuss
Cy Young (1867)
Born Denton True Young, Cy Young was an American baseball player for whom the prestigious Cy Young Award—presented annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball—is named. In his 22-year major league career, he pitched in 906 games. Known for his excellent control and ability to outwit batters, Young holds the record for winning the most games—511—including 76 shutouts and three no-hitters. In 1904, he pitched the American League’s first perfect game. How did Young get the nickname “Cy”? Discuss
like death warmed up
In a state or appearance of extreme ill health. (Often preceded by “look” or “feel.”) Watch the video
Andrew Wyeth
Wyeth is an American painter whose work has been enormously popular and critically acclaimed since his first one-man show in 1937. His principal subjects are the people of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and Cushing, Maine, portrayed in a meticulous naturalistic style. The best-known of Wyeth’s paintings, Christina’s World (1948), hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. What are his “Helga” pictures, and why did they generate a considerable amount of media buzz? Discuss
peignoir
Three Mile Island Accident (1979)
Both mechanical failure and human error contributed to the 1979 failure of a nuclear reactor cooling system at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania, which led to overheating, partial melting of the reactor’s uranium core, and the release of radioactive gases. Though it caused no immediate deaths or injuries, the incident increased public fears about the safety of nuclear power. What nuclear accident-themed film was released just two weeks before the incident? Discuss
Maxim Gorky (1868)
Maxim Gorky was the pseudonym of Aleksey Maximovich Pyeshkov, a Russian writer considered the father of Soviet literature and the founder of the doctrine of socialist realism. Gorky’s works include Mother, which became the prototype of the revolutionary novel, and his final, unfinished work—often considered his masterpiece—The Life of Klim Samgin, a panoramic, four-volume novel of Russian social conditions from 1880 to 1917. Who carried Gorky’s casket at his funeral? Discuss
dealbreaker
A specific issue or thing that will cause an agreement, deal, or relationship to fail or be terminated. Watch the video
The History of Wallpaper
Wallpaper was used in Europe in the 16th and 17th century as an inexpensive substitute for costly hangings. Outlines were block-printed, and the color was filled in with brush or stencil. The flock technique of printing designs with an adhesive and sprinkling with fine bits of wool or silk was probably first adapted to wallpaper around 1620 in France, but, by the 18th century, England had become principal wallpaper manufacturer. When did the wallpaper craze reach the American colonies? Discuss