Month: June 2024

Air France Flight 139 Hijacked (1976)

In 1976, a plane en route from Israel to France was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and flown to Entebbe, Uganda. The hijackers released 258 non-Israeli passengers and held the rest, demanding that Israel release 53 imprisoned PLO members. In response, Israel transported more than 100 commandos to Uganda. In what is now known as the Entebbe raid, seven hijackers, one soldier, and three hostages were killed and how many hostages were rescued? Discuss

Emma Goldman (1869)

Goldman was an American anarchist. She became active in the movement after 1889, and her speeches began to attract attention throughout the US. In 1893, she was imprisoned for inciting a riot. She was also imprisoned in 1916 for publicly advocating birth control and again in 1917 for obstructing the draft. She was deported to Russia in 1919 but left in 1921 because of her disagreement with the Bolshevik government. She was permitted to reenter the US for a lecture tour in 1934 on what condition? Discuss

Cuteness

The kind of innocent and youthful attractive beauty that we call cuteness may be a key to survival. Zoologist Konrad Lorenz, who first introduced it as a scientific concept in the study of animal behavior, argued in 1949 that cuteness—characterized by a combination of infantile features, such as big eyes, big heads, and shortened noses—triggers nurturing responses in adults, ultimately securing the survival of the species. What human behavior did Lorenz use as evidence of his theory? Discuss

Conquistador Francisco Pizarro Killed (1541)

After multiple expeditions in the New World, Pizarro set sail for Peru in 1531 with 180 men. His men soon slaughtered the unarmed emissaries of the Inca emperor, Atahuallpa, and took him hostage. After accepting a rich ransom for Atahuallpa’s release, Pizarro had him garroted and spent the rest of his life consolidating Spain’s hold on the Inca empire in Peru. In 1535, he founded Lima, where he was killed by fellow Spaniards he had betrayed. What became of Pizarro’s remains? Discuss

Violette Szabo (1921)

Szabo was a British secret agent during WWII. After her husband died in the war, Szabo, who was fluent in French, offered her services to the British Special Operations Executive. After intensive training, she parachuted into German-occupied France to reorganize a French resistance network. On her second mission, she was captured by the Nazis. She endured interrogation and torture before being transferred to a concentration camp, where she was later executed. How old was Szabo when she died? Discuss

Codex Seraphinianus

Written and illustrated by Italian architect and industrial designer Luigi Serafini over a 30-month period from 1976 to 1978, Codex Seraphinianus is a visual encyclopedia of an unknown world. Each of the book’s 11 chapters uses an incomprehensible alphabetic language and colorful textbook-style illustrations to describe the world’s nature and various aspects of life, including its surreal animals, machines, and history. What chapter is thought to be the most abstract and enigmatic? Discuss

Korean War Begins (1950)

After WWII, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel, with Soviet forces occupying the north and US forces occupying the south. Negotiations to reunify the two zones failed, and in 1950 the North invaded the South. US President Harry Truman ordered troops to assist South Korea, and the UN backed the mission. As UN troops advanced across North Korea, the People’s Republic of China intervened, pushing them back to the original boundary at the 38th parallel. How many people were killed in the war? Discuss