Month: May 2024

The Last Supper Back on Display after Two-Decade Restoration (1999)

By the 1970s, Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century mural masterpiece, The Last Supper, was badly deteriorated. Italian officials then undertook a major restoration project to permanently stabilize the painting and reverse the damage. The painting’s original form was determined using original sketches and scientific tests, including infrared reflectoscopy and microscopic core-samples. The restoration took 21 years, and the painting was put back on display in 1999. Where is it located? Discuss

Thomas Moore (1779)

Moore was an Irish poet who achieved prominence in his day not only for his poetry but also for his love of Ireland and personal charm. He is remembered today for Irish Melodies, a group of lyrics published between 1808 and 1834 and set to music by Sir John Stevenson and others. Moore was friends with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, and his biography of Byron is among his best prose works. Byron left Moore his memoirs, but Moore later destroyed them. Who persuaded him to do it? Discuss

The Art of Eating Fire

Fire-eaters are entertainers who extinguish flaming objects and transfer flames using their mouths and other body parts. The tradition of fire-eating was embedded in the spiritual performances of Hindu ascetics, and by the late 1880s, these daring acts had become a standard element in sideshow productions. Extinguishing tricks are the traditional hallmark of fire-eating, and performers often use their mouths to snuff out 1, 2, or even 3 flaming torches. What is the “secret” to fire-eating? Discuss

Le Paradis Massacre (1940)

The Le Paradis massacre was a WWII war crime committed by German soldiers under the command of officer Fritz Knöchlein. After becoming isolated from their regiment and running out of ammunition during the Battle of France, a group of British soldiers surrendered to German troops. They were then led across the road, lined up against a wall, and shot. Ninety-seven British troops died. Two survived and hid, but they were captured several days later. What happened to Knöchlein after the war? Discuss

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (1837)

Hickok was an American frontier marshal, legendary marksman, and gambler. In 1861, while working as a stagecoach driver, he shot and killed outlaw Dave McCanles, earning a reputation as a gunfighter. After serving as a Union spy during the Civil War, he was appointed a US marshal and tamed two Kansas towns. He was shot dead by a drunken stranger while playing poker at a saloon in the town of Deadwood. At the time, he was holding what combination of cards, now known as “dead man’s hand”? Discuss

The 1970 Bhola Cyclone

While the 1970 Bhola cyclone was not the strongest tropical cyclone to hit East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), it was the deadliest, claiming approximately half a million lives. It ranks among the most deadly natural disasters of modern times. The low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta were particularly susceptible to the storm surge’s floodwaters, which reached 33 ft (10 m) when the cyclone made landfall. How did this tragic event help to bring about the establishment of Bangladesh? Discuss

Andrew Johnson Avoids Impeachment by One Vote (1868)

Johnson became president following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. When he attempted to dismiss his Secretary of War without senatorial consent, congressional leaders—for the first time in US history—sought to remove the president from office. Their first attempt failed, but in 1868, the House passed a resolution of impeachment against him. During the trial, the charges proved weak, and the two-thirds vote needed for conviction failed by one vote. Which senators voted against their party? Discuss