Month: June 2023

Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated (1914)

Nephew of Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, Ferdinand became heir apparent in 1896. While visiting Sarajevo, he and his wife were assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Austria soon declared war on Serbia, prompting countries allied with Austria-Hungary—the Central Powers—and those allied with Serbia—the Triple Entente—to declare war on each other, precipitating WWI. The assassination was not the first attempt on his life. What had happened earlier that day? Discuss

Peter Paul Rubens (1577)

Rubens was a prolific 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter whose exuberant style emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. Known for his altarpieces, portraits, and landscapes, Rubens ran a large studio in Antwerp where he produced more than 2,000 paintings by supervising an enormous workshop of skilled apprentices. Also a diplomat, Rubens was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. Aspects of Rubens’s paintings gave rise to the term “Rubenesque,” which means what? Discuss

Scientology

The Church of Scientology was founded by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. The church believes that a person’s spirit can be cleared of past painful experiences through a process called “auditing,” or freeing the person of the burdens that interfere with happiness and self-realization. It has confronted suspicions from many sides during its history and has been banned and investigated in various countries. What was the purpose of the church’s “Operation Snow White”? Discuss

Vera Wang (1949)

As a girl, Wang trained as a figure skater. However, after failing to make the US Olympic team, she turned to fashion. She served as senior fashion editor for Vogue for 16 years and as a design director for Ralph Lauren for two before opening her own design salon in 1990. Now a successful fashion designer, Wang has created wedding gowns for the rich and famous as well as costumes for Olympic figure skaters. Which US football team’s cheerleading squad sports uniforms designed by Wang? Discuss

Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, in which personal profit can be acquired through investment of capital and employment of labor. It stresses freedom of individual economic enterprise but does not presuppose a specific form of social or political organization. Government action has been and is required to curb its abuses, which have ranged from slavery to monopoly cartels and financial fraud. What is the “invisible hand”? Discuss