Thomas D'Arcy McGee Is First Canadian Politician to Be Assassinated (1868)

Thomas D’Arcy McGee was a journalist, Canadian Father of Confederation, and the only Canadian victim of political assassination at the federal level. Patrick J. Whelan, a Fenian sympathizer, was convicted and hanged for the murder, but many now suspect that he was simply a scapegoat and not the killer. The bullet that took McGee’s life had been in the possession of the Library and Archives Canada but was recently reported missing. Where was McGee murdered? Discuss

Allen Welsh Dulles (1893)

Born into America’s political establishment, Dulles became an extremely influential governmental figure, eventually serving eight years as the US Director of Central Intelligence. He resigned in 1961, after a series of controversial events—most notably the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba—aroused criticism of the Central Intelligence Agency. Two years later, he was appointed to the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Who was his famous brother? Discuss

Moonshining

Home-distillation of alcohol came to be called “moonshining” in English speaking countries because it was usually conducted at night to avoid arrest for the production of illegal liquor. Home-distillation is, however, a world-wide phenomenon and is not illegal everywhere. In New Zealand, for example, stills are legally sold openly on the market along with instruction manuals. What used to be a common, perhaps unreliable, folk test for determining the presence of lead in moonshine? Discuss

Opening of the First Modern Olympic Games (1896)

In 1894, after efforts by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin to revive the ancient Greek Olympics, the newly established International Olympic Committee appointed the Greek capital of Athens as the host city for the first modern international Olympic Games. Held between April 6 and 15, 1896, the games drew athletes from 14 countries for several athletic events, including the first modern marathon. Though women were not allowed to compete, one woman protested the day after the marathon by doing what? Discuss

Nadar (1820)

Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, otherwise known as Nadar, was a pioneering French photographer and writer. He invented the photo-essay, but his prose essays and novels brought him greater fame in his day than his photographs. Today, however, he is known for his superb portraits of the Paris intelligentsia, who frequently gathered at his studio, and his aerial images of Paris, which were the first photographs ever taken from the air. What famous literary figure did Nadar photograph on his deathbed? Discuss

AMBER Alerts

In the US and Canada, an AMBER Alert notifies the general public through a variety of media, including radio and television, that a confirmed abduction of a child has taken place. It is named after Amber Hagerman, a 1996 kidnap victim who might have been quickly located had the means to distribute critical information been available at the time. To avoid false alarms, the criteria for issuing an alert are rather strict. What percentage of alerts meets these criteria? Discuss