Month: April 2024

Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak (1965)

During the Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak of 1965, as many as 78 tornados—47 of which were confirmed—hit the midwestern US over the course of 11 hours. Affecting Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa, the outbreak resulted in 271 deaths, thousands of injuries, and widespread damage. In Indiana alone, it killed 137 people and injured more than 1,200, becoming the deadliest tornado outbreak in the state’s history. This outbreak led to the clarification of what terms used in weather forecasts? Discuss

Septimius Severus (145 CE)

Severus became emperor of Rome in 193 CE, also known as the “Year of the Five Emperors.” In the months before he ascended the throne, two emperors were assassinated and a third—Didius Julianus—earned the position by buying it from the Praetorian Guard. With the empire in disarray, Severus marched on Rome, ousted Julianus, and was proclaimed emperor. He then built himself a strong army that would protect both him and his empire. It is said that he gave what advice to his sons before his death? Discuss

The Flu

Influenza, commonly known as “flu,” is a highly contagious viral disease that is characterized by fever, respiratory symptoms, fatigue, and muscle pain. The word influenza stems from the Latin root influentia, meaning “influence of the stars,” because before people knew that organisms cause disease, they thought that the stars influenced the spread of influenza. Between 1918 and 1919, how many people were killed in a worldwide lethal flu pandemic? Discuss

First Arbor Day Celebrated (1872)

Generally observed on the last Friday in April, Arbor Day is an unofficial US holiday designated as a day for planting trees. The holiday was founded by agriculturist Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraska resident who believed that the prairies were in need of more trees to serve as windbreaks, hold moisture in the soil, and provide lumber for housing. To this end, he proposed that a specific day be set aside for the planting of trees. About how many trees were planted on the first Arbor Day? Discuss

Joseph Pulitzer (1847)

Born in Hungary, Pulitzer immigrated to the US during the Civil War and served in the Union Army. He later became a reporter and purchased and founded several newspapers, establishing the pattern of the modern newspaper by combining investigative reporting with publicity stunts, self-advertising, and sensationalism. In his will, he established the Pulitzer Prizes, annual awards for achievements in American journalism, letters, and music. What famous saying about journalism is attributed to him? Discuss

The Boy Who Sees with Sound

Most bats navigate the world and locate prey through the use of echolocation, a biological sonar process in which an animal emits a sound and then uses the resulting echoes to establish the locations and identities of nearby objects. Ben Underwood, who lost his eyes to cancer at the age of three, is one of the few people who has honed his own echolocation skills and uses the technique to determine the position, size, shape, and composition of objects near him. What sports does Underwood play? Discuss