Philip Livingston (1716)

Livingston was a successful merchant who became an American revolutionary leader in the protests against the Stamp Act and other British trade restrictions. Although he was not originally an advocate of independence, Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence and remained an active member of the Continental Congress. He was generous with his large fortune and was a supporter of many causes, including the founding of King’s College, which later became what university? Discuss

The Khodynka Tragedy

In 1896, a banquet was planned in Moscow’s Khodynka Field to celebrate the crowning of Nicholas II as Tsar of Russia. When rumors spread of lavish gifts to be bestowed by the new leader, hoards of people began gathering at the coronation square. Suddenly, rumors of a gift shortage began circulating through the crowd. In the resulting disorder and panic, 1,389 people were trampled to death and another 1,300 were injured. What were the coronation gifts that inadvertently led to this disaster? Discuss

San Francisco's Human Be-In Launches "Summer of Love" (1967)

In 1967, the burgeoning counterculture movement took center stage in San Francisco as a number of figures who would become its icons gathered for a “happening” in Golden Gate Park. Announced as a “Human Be-In” in the San Francisco Oracle newspaper, the event was attended by tens of thousands of people and featured speakers Timothy Leary and Allen Ginsberg, as well as performances by The Grateful Dead, among many others. What famous phrase did Leary introduce in his speech at the Be-In? Discuss

Berthe Morisot (1841)

Morisot was a French impressionist painter best known for her loose brushwork and the sensitivity she brought to her female subjects. She studied with many gifted painters, including Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, and was highly influenced by Édouard Manet, whose brother she later married. She exhibited regularly with the Impressionists, and although none of her exhibits proved commercially successful, she outsold Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. What are some of her best known paintings? Discuss

Topography

In Ancient Greece, topographers were charged with writing detailed descriptions of places, works that are now called “local histories.” By the 20th c, the practice of topography had evolved into the study and representation of the features and configuration of land surfaces. Topographic maps use symbols and coloring to represent elevations, depressions, and depths of water and depict the contours of both natural and man-made features. In what other scientific fields has topography been applied? Discuss

Black Friday Fires in Victoria, Australia (1939)

One of Australia’s worst natural disasters took place in January 1939, when bushfires broke out in the state of Victoria. Over the course of several days, fires burned nearly 5 million acres of land, killing 71 people, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and ravaging entire towns. An extremely hot and dry summer had preceded the fires, and the day they broke out, temperatures in Melbourne soared to a record 114.1 °F (45.6 °C). How long was it before the city had a hotter day than that? Discuss