Month: March 2024

Gustav III of Sweden Dies of Infected Gunshot Wound (1792)

Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 to 1792. Having inherited a weakened Swedish throne, he established a new constitution that increased the crown’s power. His numerous enlightened reforms antagonized the nobility, and when a group of Swedish officers mutinied during his unpopular war on Russia, he reinstated absolute monarchy. Gustav planned to form a league of European monarchs to oppose the French Revolution, but Swedish nobles had him assassinated. Where was Gustav when he was shot? Discuss

Ernst Jünger (1895)

Early in his career, Jünger, a German writer and WWI veteran, published novels based on his army experience. Strongly influenced by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, they glorified war and its sacrifice as the greatest physical and mental stimulants. He later opposed Hitler and rejected his own militarism, expressing instead a desire for peace in his wartime diaries and in futuristic novels like On the Marble Cliffs, an allegorical attack on Nazism. What is Jünger’s best known work? Discuss

Marsh Mallows

Althaea officinalis, or the Marsh Mallow, flourishes on riverbanks and in salt marshes. Its velvety leaves, pale pink flowers, and mucilaginous root all have medicinal properties. When the plant flowers, its leaves are collected and used to treat pulmonary and urinary diseases. The root, which is harvested in late autumn, is generally used to treat gastrointestinal disorders and skin conditions. What part of the Marsh Mallow is used to make marshmallow candy treats? Discuss

Constantinople Becomes Istanbul (1930)

The city now known as Istanbul was founded as the Greek colony of Byzantium in the 8th century BCE. Eventually passing to Alexander the Great, it became a free city under the Romans in the 1st century CE. Emperor Constantine I made the city the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330, later naming it Constantinople. It remained the capital of the subsequent Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome in the late 5th century and then changed hands several times. Why was it renamed Istanbul in 1930? Discuss

Aristide Briand (1862)

Briand was a French statesman who served as premier of France 11 times and held 26 ministerial posts between 1906 and 1932. After World War I, he emerged as a leading advocate of international peace. As foreign minister from 1925 to 1932, he was the chief architect of the Locarno Pact and the Kellogg-Briand Pact. An impressive orator, Briand was a prominent figure in the League of Nations and advocated for a United States of Europe. With whom did he share the 1926 Nobel Prize for Peace? Discuss

Allergies

An allergy is an abnormally high sensitivity to an otherwise harmless foreign substance, or allergen, that leads to an exaggerated response of the natural immune defense mechanism. Allergens can be airborne substances, infectious agents, foods, contactants, or physical agents; and reactions can range from the relatively benign runny nose to severe inflammation, anaphylactic shock, and even death. Why do some scientists believe that children with no siblings are more prone to allergies? Discuss