Month: July 2023

Dalmatia

Dalmatia, a historic region of Croatia, is located on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea roughly extending from Rijeka (Fiume) to the Gulf of Kotor. It is generally mountainous, with a coastal lowland famed for its scenic beauty and resorts. The population is largely composed of Roman Catholic Croats. However, Eastern Orthodox Serbs and some Italians also live in the area, mainly at Zadar, the historic capital. Dalmatia lends its name to what article of clothing? Discuss

Wagner's Parsifal Premieres in the Bayreuth Festival Theatre (1882)

Loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival—the medieval epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail—Parsifal is a three-act opera by German composer Richard Wagner. The opera was first conceived in 1857 but not completed until 25 years later. It premiered in 1882 at the second Bayreuth Festival, where it was performed exclusively until 1903. What tradition has arisen among the audience at performances of Parsifal at Bayreuth? Discuss

George Bernard Shaw (1856)

Shaw was an Irish playwright and critic who revolutionized the Victorian stage, authoring more than 60 plays, including Man and Superman and Pygmalion, his comedic masterpiece. Nearly all of his works mix a vein of comedy with stern social commentary—on subjects including education, marriage, religion, government, and class privilege. Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925 and is the only person to have received both it and what other award? Discuss

Gelatin

Gelatin is a foodstuff largely composed of denatured collagen, a protein that is readily digested and absorbed. It is found in the connective tissue of the cartilage, hoofs, and tendons of vertebrate animals and is extracted by the action of boiling water or dilute acid. Gelatin swells to an elastic, transparent mass when placed in contact with cold water and takes up to 10 times its own weight. It is an important food stabilizer, thickener and texturizer. What is gelatin’s ballistic use? Discuss

The Cerro Maravilla Incident (1978)

Cerro Maravilla, one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico, is perhaps best known for being the site of a police ambush in 1978 in which two pro-independence activists were killed. Though initial inquiries by local authorities, the US Justice Department, and the FBI concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the police, subsequent investigations resulted in four second-degree murder convictions. How many Puerto Rican Secretaries of Justice resigned following the incident? Discuss

Gavrilo Princip (1894)

A member of the secret Serbian nationalist society known as the Black Hand, Princip sought to unite southern Slavic peoples and destroy Austro-Hungarian rule in the Balkans. When Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife made an official visit to Sarajevo in 1914, Princip—who was just a high school student at the time—assassinated them, setting off a chain of events that led to World War I. Princip was sentenced to 20 years in prison, where he died in 1918. What killed him? Discuss