Author: Ian

The Great Gatsby

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American novelist of the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby is today considered standard reading in high school courses on American literature. It tells the story of a bootlegger whose obsessive dream of wealth and lost love is destroyed by a corrupt reality. Cynical yet poignant, the novel is a devastating portrait of the so-called American Dream, which measures success and love in terms of money. What other titles did Fitzgerald consider for this novel? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

George Washington (1732)

Washington is often called the “Father of his Country” because of the central role he played in the founding of the United States. As commander of the Continental Army, he led colonial forces to victory over the British and served as the new nation’s first president. He then relinquished that power and retired after two terms, thereby setting a key precedent for republican democracy. What other precedent of the US presidency did Washington set? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Johns Hopkins University Opens (1876)

Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University is named for philanthropist Johns Hopkins. Poorly educated and aware of Baltimore’s lack of medical facilities, Hopkins donated $7 million for the foundation of Johns Hopkins University and Hospital. The university was modeled after European universities and emphasized graduate research rather than collegiate instruction—two groundbreaking and successful decisions that influenced many other US universities. How did Hopkins get his unusual first name? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cricket

Cricket is a sport played by two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped grass field, in the center of which is a flat strip of ground 66 feet (20.1 m) long, called a “pitch.” At each end of the pitch stands a wicket—or arrangement of wooden stumps—and a batsman whose goal is to protect it from the opposing bowler’s ball and, if he can, exchange places with his teammate at the other end of the pitch, thereby scoring a run. What are possible explanations for the origin of the name “cricket”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Robert Mugabe (1924)

Mugabe has served as the head of the government of Zimbabwe since 1980, after rising to prominence in the 1970s as leader of a Marxist-inspired guerrilla war against the government of Rhodesia. Though he remains a hero to some for his role in the independence movement, his administration now faces accusations of corruption, suppression of political opposition, mishandling of land reform, and human rights abuses. What 2005 movie was banned by his office amid claims that it is CIA propaganda? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Vanuatu Father Walter Lini Day

A former Anglican priest, Father Walter Lini became the first prime minister of the newly independent country of Vanuatu in 1980. Despite those who remember him for his authoritarian ways, Lini is honored on February 21 as the father of Vanuatu’s independence. To mark the 25th anniversary of the country’s independence, the 2005 celebration of Lini Day included a special remembrance service at the Tagabe Anglican Church with President Kalkot Matas Kelekele attending. Prime minister Ham Lini, Walter Lini’s brother, presided over a ceremony in which a wreath was placed on the late priest’s grave. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Communist Manifesto Is Published (1848)

Commissioned by the Communist League and written by theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the Communist Manifesto is one of the most influential political tracts in history. It calls on the proletariat to overthrow the capitalists, abolish private property, and take over the means of production. It also advocates for a progressive income tax system and universal free public education. After predicting an eventual classless society, the document ends with what famous statement? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary