The Magna Carta—Latin for “Great Charter”—was signed by King John under pressure from his barons. Resentful of high taxes and aware of the king’s waning power, the barons demanded a solemn grant of their rights. Among the charter’s provisions were clauses reforming law and controlling the behavior of royal officials. Though it reflects the feudal order rather than democracy, the Magna Carta is traditionally considered the foundation of British constitutionalism. How did King John sign it? Discuss
Month: June 2024
Edward, the Black Prince (1330)
The eldest son of King Edward III, Edward was the prince of Wales. Joining his father as a commander in the campaigns of the Hundred Years War, he established a reputation for valor. However, his rule as the prince of Aquitaine from 1362 to 1372 was a failure, and he returned sick and broken to England and formally surrendered his principality to his father. Though the heir apparent, he never became king, dying one year before his father. Edward was the first in England to be granted what title? Discuss
The Swiss Cheese Model of Accident Causation
When negative circumstances align, accidents happen—that’s what British psychologist James T. Reason asserts with his Swiss Cheese model of accident causation, a model used in the risk analysis and risk management of human systems. Essentially, the model, which has been applied to healthcare, aviation safety, and emergency service organizations, states that a system produces a failure when all of its “holes” momentarily line up. What are the four levels of failure set forth by Reason? Discuss
drollery
Vatican Abolishes Index Librorum Prohibitorum (1966)
Compiled by official Roman Catholic censors, Index Librorum Prohibitorum—”List of Prohibited Books”—was a catalog of works considered dangerous to the faith or morals of Catholics. The Index was never a complete catalog of forbidden reading; rather, it contained only works that the ecclesiastical authority was asked to act on. The first catalog of banned books to be called an index was published in 1559. Its publication ceased in 1966. What were some of the works listed over the years? Discuss
Karl Landsteiner (1868)
Landsteiner was an Austrian-born American medical researcher who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the four basic human blood groups—A, B, O, and AB—which enabled the first successful blood transfusion to be performed in 1907. He was also involved in the discovery of the polio virus, and he helped identify the human blood protein known as the Rh factor. In the 1930s, Landsteiner successfully cultured the organism that causes what disease? Discuss
Sleepwalking
An estimated 18 percent of the world’s population is prone to sleepwalking. While most cases simply consist of sitting up in bed, there are a number of documented cases of eating, bathing, and even driving and committing murder while sleeping. The sleep disorder is more common in people with high levels of stress and anxiety and among those with a family history of sleepwalking. What tragic Shakespearean character, wracked with an overwhelming sense of guilt, is driven to sleepwalk? Discuss
conniption
The New York Times Begins Publication of the Pentagon Papers (1971)
The Pentagon Papers were top secret government documents detailing US involvement in SE Asia from WWII to 1968. In 1971, a former government employee leaked portions of the 47-volume study, which revealed both miscalculation and deception on the part of US policymakers, to The New York Times, which began publishing articles about it. Citing national security, the Justice Department obtained an injunction against further publication, and the case went to the Supreme Court. How did it rule? Discuss
Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40 CE)
Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain, where he was made consul and governor after a distinguished military and political career. He pacified most of the territory, conquering North Wales and advancing far into Scotland, and also circumnavigated the island. His biography, the De Vita et Moribus Lulii Agricolae—The Life and Character of Julius Agricola—was the first published work of his son-in-law, what Roman historian? Discuss