Month: April 2023

Bay of Pigs Invasion Begins (1961)

The ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion was a US-supported invasion of Cuba by an armed force of approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Trained and armed by the US government, the rebels intended to foment an insurrection in Cuba, but the rebellion never materialized and the Cuban army defeated the invading forces in a matter of days. An internal CIA report investigating the incident later identified what factors as responsible for the failure? Discuss

Isak Dinesen (1885)

Better known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, Baroness Karen Blixen was a 20th-century Danish author who wrote primarily in English. Published in 1937, her autobiographical Out of Africa, an account of life on a Kenyan coffee plantation, was adapted into a 1985 film that won seven Academy Awards. Another adaptation of one of her stories, Babette’s Feast, was the first Danish film to win an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. What diseases may have contributed to her death? Discuss

Foot Binding

Foot binding originated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in the wealthiest parts of China. By the end of the practice’s thousand-year history, it had spread to all classes and was viewed as a status symbol. Young girls’ feet were wrapped in tight bandages that restricted growth, causing breakage and deformity. Most often, the men that foot binding was intended to impress would never see the woman’s bare feet, as they were concealed within tiny “lotus shoes.” When and why did the practice end? Discuss

Masada Falls to the Romans, Ending Jewish Revolt (73 CE)

Masada is an ancient mountaintop fortress in Israel’s Judaean Desert. In 66 CE, with the outbreak of the Jewish war against Rome, the Zealots, an extremist Jewish sect, seized the fortress in a surprise attack and massacred its Roman garrison. After the fall of Jerusalem, Masada, the last remnant of Jewish rule, refused to surrender. Masada remained under Zealot control until 73 CE, when, after months of siege, the Romans finally breached the walls. What did they discover when they entered? Discuss

Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755)

Recognized as the most important female painter of the 18th century, Vigée-Lebrun began painting portraits professionally in her early teens and went on to have a long and successful career. In 1779, she was summoned to Versailles to paint Marie Antoinette, whom she would paint at least 30 more times. At the outbreak of the French Revolution, she fled France and traveled abroad, finding acclaim and prominent sitters wherever she went. Which notable figures did she paint during her travels? Discuss

Champagne

The word “Champagne,” when capitalized, refers specifically to the white, sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. Generally, production begins with the fermentation of grapes with low sugar and high acid levels to produce a still wine, which is blended with other wines, a small amount of sugar and yeast, and stored. During the second fermentation, carbon dioxide is trapped in the bottle. How should Champagne be poured in order to preserve the bubbles? Discuss