Ultima Online Released by Origin Systems (1997)

Ultima Online (UO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMPORG) credited with popularizing the genre. Though there were games prior to UO that allowed hundreds of people to play at the same time, this MMPORG introduced simultaneous play by thousands of players worldwide through various servers called “shards.” More than 1 million paid accounts have been created since the game launched in 1997. In July 2003, at the peak of its popularity, UO had how many subscribers? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Secret Executive Order Allegedly Establishes Majestic 12 (1947)

Majestic 12 is the purported code name of a secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials supposedly formed in 1947 by an executive order of US President Harry S. Truman. A major part of alien conspiracy theories, the committee was purportedly formed to investigate the aftermath of the Roswell incident—the alleged crash of an unidentified flying object near Roswell, New Mexico. What documents have lent credence to the existence of such a committee? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

El Grito de Lares: The Lares Uprising (1868)

The Lares rebellion of 1868 was the most notable uprising in a series of failed Puerto Rican rebellions against Spanish rule that began in the 1820s. Best known as El Grito de Lares, or The Cry of Lares, the revolt took place in the town of Lares, where rebels briefly declared independence. Though the rebellion was brutally and swiftly suppressed, Lares has come to be known as the birthplace of Puerto Rican nationalism. Who was declared the republic’s first president during the rebellion? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Vela Incident (1979)

In the 1960s, the US launched a group of satellites to monitor international compliance with a treaty prohibiting all tests of nuclear weapons except those conducted underground. In 1979, one of the satellites detected an unidentified double flash characteristic of an atmospheric nuclear explosion. The data were initially interpreted as evidence of a South African nuclear test, but experts later determined that the flash was likely not nuclear in origin and may have instead been caused by what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Hindu Milk Miracle (1995)

On September 21, 1995, news spread around the world that Hindu worshippers in India and several other countries were experiencing what they considered a miracle. At numerous temples, thousands of Hindus were spooning offerings of milk to statutes of deities, especially the elephant-headed god Ganesha, and claiming that the milk—which appeared to disappear from the spoons—was being miraculously consumed by the gods. What scientific explanation was given for the phenomenon? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Battle of the Sexes (1973)

Though she won 67 tournament titles in her career, American tennis player Billie Jean King is perhaps best known for the “Battle of the Sexes” against former champion Bobby Riggs. In 1973, Riggs emerged from retirement and defeated Margaret Court in a nationally televised match. Proclaiming the superiority of the male athlete over the female no matter what the age, he challenged Billie Jean King, who accepted and routed him in three straight sets. How many people reportedly watched the match? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Giles Corey Pressed to Death during Salem Witch Trials (1692)

Martha Corey was a Massachusetts woman hanged for the crime of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. A pious churchgoer, she had refused to confess but was convicted anyway. Her husband, Giles Corey, was also eventually accused but refused to enter a plea at his trial. In an attempt to make him enter a plea, he was pressed beneath an increasingly heavy load of stones. He died two days before his wife’s execution. What did Giles reportedly reply each time he was asked for his plea? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

George Washington Lays Cornerstone of US Capitol (1793)

The US Capitol is the seat of the legislative branch of government in Washington, DC. The city’s dominating monument, it was built on an elevated site chosen by George Washington in consultation with architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The building was begun in 1793, after the president set the cornerstone during a groundbreaking ceremony that included Masonic rites. As it stands now, the building is the result of the work of several architects. When was the imposing dome added to the Capitol? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Joshua A. Norton Declares Himself Emperor of the US (1859)

Though Norton arrived in San Francisco during the California gold rush, he took up speculating in rice, a valuable commodity at the time, rather than prospecting. Unfortunately, he ended up losing his fortune, after which he vanished for a short time. When he reappeared, he was wearing a costume resembling that of France’s Napoleon III and calling himself “Emperor Norton.” For the next 13 years, he paraded around the city issuing “proclamations” and even banknotes. How was he treated by police? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Wall Street Bombing (1920)

At about noon on September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn wagon stopped across from the headquarters of the J.P. Morgan Inc. bank on Wall Street in New York City’s Financial District. Moments later, the hundreds of pounds of explosives and shrapnel it was carrying exploded, killing 38 people and injuring hundreds more. Despite the chaos, markets reopened the next day. Now known as the Wall Street Bombing, it was the deadliest bomb attack on American soil at the time. Who was responsible for the attack? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary