Month: May 2024

Island of Saint Helena Discovered (1502)

The uninhabited island of St. Helena was discovered by Portuguese navigator João da Nova in the eastern South Atlantic, 1,200 mi (1,931 km) west of Africa. It became a port of call for ships sailing between Europe and the East Indies and was annexed by the British East India Company in 1659. Because of the island’s remoteness, when the British exiled Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, he was sent there. It became a British crown colony in 1834. What is its status today? Discuss

Elizabeth Fry (1780)

Fry was an English prison reformer as well as an advocate of higher nursing standards and the education of working women. From 1813, she worked untiringly to improve the conditions for women in Newgate prison, advocating separation of the sexes, employment, and religious training. Her successful methods at Newgate impressed the government and were tried in other prisons. She also helped the homeless, founding soup kitchens and shelters in London. On what unit of currency is Fry pictured? Discuss

The Loveland Frog

In 1955, a businessman reported seeing a frog-faced humanlike creature under a bridge in Loveland, Ohio. Nearly 20 years later, local police reportedly sighted the elusive creature, dubbed the Loveland Frog, and unsuccessfully attempted to shoot it. One of the officers allegedly described the creature as standing 3 to 4 feet tall, weighing between 50 to 75 pounds, having leathery skin, a frog- or lizard-like face, and, possibly, a tail. What are some explanations for these sightings? Discuss

Shake-Speares Sonnets First Published (1609)

Shakespeare penned 154 sonnets in his lifetime. Likely written sometime in the 1590s, the majority of the poems were first published in a 1609 work titled Shake-Speares Sonnets. The first 126 of the 154 sonnets are addressed to a young man whose identity has long intrigued scholars. The publisher, Thomas Thorpe, wrote a dedication to the first edition in which he claimed that a person with the initials WH had inspired the sonnets. What are some theories about who the man might have been? Discuss

Dolley Madison (1768)

Dolley Madison was the wife of US President James Madison, whom she married in 1794, after the death of her first husband. Noted for her magnificence as a hostess as well as for her charm, Dolley was an extremely popular first lady and was a great asset to Madison’s political career. During the War of 1812, she saved many state papers and a portrait of George Washington from the advancing British soldiers. Why did she perform the duties of the first lady during Thomas Jefferson’s administration? Discuss

The Mortarboard Cap

The pileus quadratus, a type of Roman skullcap topped with a horizontal square board, has given rise to a number of similar cap styles, among them the biretta worn by the Roman Catholic clergy and the academic mortarboard cap. The academic headgear is embellished with a tassel or liripipe, which may be dyed black, colored to represent the graduate’s area of expertise, or matched to a school’s colors. According to urban legend, why did some UK universities cease to use the cap? Discuss

Marilyn Monroe Sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" (1962)

In 1962, US President John F. Kennedy’s birthday was celebrated with a lavish party at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the event, Monroe took the stage and delivered a sultry version of “Happy Birthday,” substituting “Mr. President” for Kennedy’s name, a gesture that has served to fuel the persistent rumors that she and Kennedy had engaged in an affair. The performance was one of Monroe’s last major public appearances. What did Kennedy say about the song during the party? Discuss