The Great Mississippi Flood

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in US history. Following heavy rains in 1926, the Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places, causing over $400 million in damages and killing 246 people in seven states. After the disaster, the federal government took over flood-control work—stabilizing river banks, improving channels, and constructing levees, floodwalls, floodways, and reservoirs. What famous song was written about the flood? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Max Horkheimer (1895)

Horkheimer was a German philosopher and sociologist and played an important role in the development of critical theory and Western Marxism. In Eclipse of Reason and Dialectic of Enlightenment, he developed a critique of scientific positivism, and his ideas about liberation and consumer society continue to influence contemporary empirical sociologists. What did Horkheimer believe to be the cause of the ills of modern society? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Douglass Day

Each year on February 14, Frederick Douglass‘s birthday is commemorated with a ceremony at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, DC. The event features speakers on human rights, recitations of excerpts from Douglass’s speeches, music performances, and a wreath-laying ceremony. Activities, including lectures, readings from his works, and film presentations about his life, are also planned in New Bedford, in Rochester, New York, where Douglass’s grave is located, and in many other locations throughout the country. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1929)

When Jack McGurn, a member of Al Capone’s gang, was almost killed by members of rival George “Bugs” Moran’s gang, Capone decided to retaliate by luring Bugs and some of his men to a warehouse and killing them. On the day of the massacre, Capone’s men thought that the rival crime boss had entered the warehouse and opened fire. They killed seven men but not Bugs—he had grown suspicious and changed his plans. One of the seven victims initially survived, despite how many gunshot wounds? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Abu Dhabi

Located on the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its capital, also named Abu Dhabi, is the second largest city in the UAE and became the provisional capital when the UAE was formed in 1971. Oil was discovered there in the late 1960s, and the abundant oil revenues have since been used for the country’s development and modernization. What was one of Abu Dhabi’s major industries before it was eclipsed by oil? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Peter Gabriel (1950)

Gabriel is an English singer and songwriter who first rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flutist of the progressive rock group Genesis. In the 1970s and 80s, he became an influential solo artist, producing music videos with groundbreaking special effects and writing the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. What song did Gabriel perform at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, on February 10, 2006? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Parentalia

This was an ancient Roman festival held in honor of the manes, or souls of the dead—in particular, deceased relatives. It began a season for remembering the dead, which ended with the Feralia on February 21. This week was a quiet, serious occasion, without the rowdiness that characterized other Roman festivals. Everything, including the temples, closed down, and people decorated graves with flowers and left food—sometimes elaborate banquets—in the cemeteries in the belief that it would be eaten by the spirits of the deceased. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Last Original Peanuts Strip Is Printed (2000)

With 355 million readers in 75 countries at the peak of its popularity, Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is one of the most beloved comic strips in the history of the medium. Among its principal characters are Charlie Brown, a gentle, puzzled boy, usually failing but always persevering; Lucy, his bossy, know-it-all friend; Linus, a philosophical tyke with a security blanket; and Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle. When Schulz created the strip in 1950, it had a different title. What was it? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary