The Bear River Massacre took place in 1863 when the US Army attacked Shoshone gathered at the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek in what is now Idaho. The incident began when Colonel Patrick Edward Connor led a detachment of approximately 200 US Army soldiers as part of the an expedition against Shoshone Chief Bear Hunter, who had strongly resisted colonization of tribal areas. Some 250 Shoshone were killed in the attack, including Bear Hunter. What became of Connor? Discuss
Month: January 2024
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860)
Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, dramatist, and physician who earned enduring international acclaim for his stories and plays. His early works were broad humorous sketches and tales published under a pseudonym, written to support himself and his family while he studied for his medical degree in Moscow. His first full-length play, Ivanov, was produced while he was practicing as a doctor. Why was a statue of Chekhov in the town of Tomsk modeled on the perspective of a drunkard? Discuss
with a heavy hand
In an excessive, authoritarian, or oppressive way or manner. Watch the video
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
Crown-of-thorns starfish are found on coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region. These echinoderms, which can grow as large as 15.75 inches (40 cm) in diameter, are covered with thorny spines that release a neurotoxin capable of causing pain, nausea, and swelling in humans. They are voracious predators and are partly responsible for the destruction of coral reefs; a crown-of-thorns can consume as much as six square meters of reef annually. What sea creatures prey on these starfish? Discuss
quixotic
Definition: (adjective) Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
Synonyms: wild-eyed, romantic.
Usage: She is ready prey to any man who knows how to play adroitly either on her affectionate ardor or her quixotic enthusiasm.
Discuss
Horace Walpole Coins the Word "Serendipity" (1754)
Defined as the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident, the word “serendipity” was first coined in 1754 by English author Horace Walpole in one of his more than 3,000 letters. In it, he explains that the root of his new word is taken from “The Three Princes of Serendip,” a Persian fairytale about princes who “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” Who was the recipient of Walpole’s letter introducing “serendipity”? Discuss
Robert Franklin Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz (1890)
Stroud was a convicted murderer serving time in prison when he came across some injured sparrows in the Leavenworth prison yard. He kept the birds and soon began raising canaries, which he could sell for supplies and to help support his mother. Using equipment furnished by a new warden, Stroud created an aviary and became an expert in avian pathology, writing two books on the subject and developing a cure for hemorrhagic septicemia. How much of his sentence was spent in solitary confinement? Discuss
have (something) to do
To have some task or action that one must complete or undertake. Watch the video
U Thant
Burmese diplomat U Thant served as UN Secretary-General for ten years. During his first term of service, he played a major role in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis and ending the civil war in the Congo. He was elected to a second term in 1966, but had less success in dealing with the major crises of this later period, which included the Vietnam War and the Six Day War. On the day of U Thant’s funeral, a group of students stole his coffin. What short-lived crisis did their actions spark? Discuss