Month: June 2023

Lou Gehrig (1903)

As the New York Yankees’ first baseman for 15 seasons, Gehrig broke numerous major-league records. He retired from baseball in 1939, after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, now commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. During an emotional farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, he proclaimed himself the “luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Known as the “Iron Horse,” Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive league games, setting a record that stood until 1995, when it was broken by whom? Discuss

The Hound of the Baskersvilles

Eight years after he killed off Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought the character back in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The novel is possibly the most popular of all of the Holmes stories and has been filmed at least 24 times since 1914. It was inspired by the regional mythology of the British Isles concerning hell-hounds and set largely on an area of moorland close to where Doyle worked as a general practitioner while writing the novel. Who helped Doyle craft its plot? Discuss

Monks Witness Possible Formation of Moon Crater (1178)

Giordano Bruno is a small lunar impact crater that is estimated to have been formed less than 350 million years ago. Some believe that its age can be pinpointed exactly thanks to five English monks who reported that on June 18, 1178, during the annual Taurid meteor shower, they saw “two horns of light” on the shaded part of the moon—a description some say is consistent with the visual phenomena associated with such a crater’s formation. How do others interpret the monks’ sighting? Discuss

E. W. Scripps (1854)

Scripps began publishing his own newspapers in 1878 and eventually went on to own 34 papers across the US. His Scripps-McRae League of Newspapers was the first major US newspaper chain. In 1907, he consolidated regional Scripps news services into what would become United Press International. In 1922, he transferred his interests to his son, who, with Roy W. Howard, formed the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. Scripps is credited with bringing what innovations to the newspaper business? Discuss

The Second Triumvirate

The Second Triumvirate is the historical name given to the ancient Roman alliance of Octavian, Marc Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, established in 43 BCE. Unlike the First Triumvirate, it was an official, if extraconstitutional, organization that was legally established and given enormous power by the senate. After Lepidus was deposed and Antony defeated, Octavian became the first emperor of Rome in 27 BCE. Octavian is better known by what name? Discuss

Mumtaz Mahal Dies in Childbirth (1631)

Mumtaz was one of the three wives of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, his constant companion and trusted confidant—and his favorite. She died during the birth of their fourteenth child, while accompanying him on a military campaign. According to legend, her dying wish was for there to be built a monument to their love. The bereaved emperor soon began to plan a magnificent mausoleum for his late wife, a structure that would take more than 20 years to complete and become what world-famous building? Discuss