Appomattox Day

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, when Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union army accepted the surrender of General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy. The most widespread celebration of Appomattox Day took place in 1965 during the Civil War centennial year. The day was noted across the country with costumed pageants, books and articles reflecting on the war, and concerts of martial music. Although the anniversary is not observed on a yearly basis, reenactments of the historic surrender are held periodically. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Henry V Becomes King of England (1413)

Henry was knighted by Richard II in 1399 and created prince of Wales when his father, Henry IV, usurped the throne the same year. Although his early recklessness was celebrated—and probably exaggerated—by Shakespeare, Henry became a great popular hero. He lifted England from the near anarchy of his father’s reign to civil order and a high spirit of nationalism. His main interest, however, was in gaining control of lands in France—lands that he sincerely believed to be his right. Did he succeed? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tiger’s Eye

Tiger’s eye is a yellow-brown, semiprecious chatoyant gemstone consisting of quartz with parallel veins of silicified altered crocidolite. The gems are usually cut en cabochon, meaning with a convex, rounded surface that is polished but unfaceted, in order to best display their chatoyancy. Notable sources of tiger’s eye include the US, Canada, China, Brazil, Namibia, India and Burma. What is tiger iron? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

David Rittenhouse (1732)

Rittenhouse was a renowned American astronomer, inventor, mathematician, surveyor, and the first director of the US Mint. A clockmaker by trade, he developed many mathematical instruments, as well as perhaps the first telescope in the US. He later used tools he created to establish several state lines as well as part of the boundary known as the Mason-Dixon Line. What is said to have happened to Rittenhouse in 1769 as he observed the rare transit of Venus that he had long anticipated? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hana Matsuri

Hana Matsuri is a celebration of the Buddha‘s birthday, observed in Buddhist temples throughout Japan, where it is known as Kambutsue. The highlight of the celebration is a ritual known as kambutsue (“ceremony of ‘baptizing’ the Buddha”), in which a tiny bronze statue of the Buddha, standing in an open lotus flower, is anointed with sweet tea. People use a small bamboo ladle to pour the tea, made of hydrangea leaves, over the head of the statue. The custom is supposed to date from the 7th century, when perfume was used, as well as tea. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Krak des Chevaliers Conquered (1271)

One of the most important preserved medieval military castles in the world, the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. The largest Crusader fortress in the Holy Land, it could hold up to 2,000 soldiers and included a chapel, a storage facility, and two stables that could accommodate up to 1,000 horses. Though it is estimated that the Hospitallers could have withstood a siege for five years, the fortress was captured in 1271. How? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Wasabi

Wasabi is a member of the cabbage family that grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. Its root is used as a strong, mustard-hot spice that produces vapors that burn the sinus cavity rather than the tongue. Wasabi paste is often served with sushi and sashimi, but because true wasabi is so expensive, most American and Japanese sushi bars serve imitation wasabi made of what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Allen Welsh Dulles (1893)

Born into America’s political establishment, Dulles became an extremely influential governmental figure, eventually serving eight years as the US Director of Central Intelligence. He resigned in 1961, after a series of controversial events—most notably the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba—aroused criticism of the Central Intelligence Agency. Two years later, he was appointed to the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Who was his famous brother? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary