Maiden Flight of the First US Airship (1923)

The USS Shenandoah was the first American-built rigid dirigible. Its design was based on a German zeppelin downed during WWI, and it was the first ship to be filled with helium—making it safer than hydrogen-filled crafts. A year after its maiden voyage, it became the first rigid airship to cross North America. While on another tour in 1925, it passed through a storm and was torn apart. Thirteen crew members died in the crash. How did those who survived the disaster manage to do so? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Malcolm Campbell Becomes First to Drive over 300 MPH (1935)

Campbell, an English automobile and speedboat racer, set many speed records for motorcycles, airplanes, automobiles, and motorboats. In 1931, he was knighted for his accomplishments. Four years later, driving his famed automobile Bluebird at Bonneville Flats, Utah, Campbell set his final land speed record, becoming the first person to drive an automobile faster than 300 mph (483 km/h). He later turned to speedboat racing and set a new record in 1939, when his boat reached what speed? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

September Massacres Break Out in Paris (1792)

After an abortive insurrection in June 1792, French revolutionaries followed it with a decisive one in August. Under pressure from the insurrection, the Assembly suspended Louis XVI and ordered elections for a National Convention to draw up a new constitution. Mass arrests of royalist sympathizers were followed by the September massacres, in which frenzied mobs entered jails throughout Paris and killed approximately 2,000 prisoners, many in grisly fashion. Who was targeted during the massacres? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope Ends in Ontario (1980)

In 1977, 18-year-old Terry Fox was diagnosed with a malignant bone tumor, and his right leg was amputated above the knee. Three years later, the Canadian began his Marathon of Hope, a coast-to-coast run with the goal of raising $1 for each Canadian citizen—totaling about $24 million—for cancer research. Running roughly the distance of a marathon each day, Fox covered 3,339 mi (5,373 km) before learning that the cancer had spread to his lungs. He died several months later. How much did he raise? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Iroquois Confederacy Is Formed (1142)

The Iroquois Confederacy is a North American confederation of indigenous peoples, initially comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. A sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined later. The league was formed for both defense purposes and to prevent intertribal conflict. Although frequently referred to as the Iroquois, the nations refer to themselves collectively as Haudenosaunee, which means “people of the longhouse.” The league’s formation is said to have coincided with what event? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fort Mims Massacre (1813)

At the start of the Creek Civil War, settlers north of Mobile, Alabama, sought refuge at Fort Mims. Approximately 550 settlers, including 175 armed militiamen, were at the fort when it was attacked by a force of Creek Indians belonging to the Red Sticks faction under the command of Peter McQueen and William Weatherford, known as Red Eagle. The massacre marked the transition from civil war among the Creeks to war between Americans and Red Stick warriors. How many settlers were killed or captured? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Battle of Mohács Begins (1526)

In 1526, King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia led a poorly prepared army against a vastly superior Turkish force led by Sultan Suleiman I with disastrous results. About 25,000 of the king’s soldiers were killed in the battle, and the rest were taken captive and massacred. Louis himself died during the retreat after being thrown from his horse. The defeat resulted in more than 150 years of Ottoman domination in Hungary. What modern Hungarian expression of bad luck references the battle? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Peace Palace Opens in The Hague (1913)

Often called “the seat of international law,” the Peace Palace houses the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the International Court of Justice, which is the primary judicial body of the United Nations. The palace was conceived in the early 20th century and was funded by American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. To show their support for the project, many nations sent gifts for use or display in the palace, including what items? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Anglo-Zanzibar War Begins and Ends (1896)

The Anglo-Zanzibar War is the shortest war in history. Lasting only 38 minutes, the conflict broke out when Khalid bin Bargash seized power after the death of his uncle, Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini. The British, who favored a different candidate, delivered an ultimatum ordering Bargash to abdicate. When Bargash refused and assembled an army, the Royal Navy sent five warships to the harbor in front of the palace and opened fire. For what did the British demand payment after the brief war was over? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Adopted (1789)

Adopted by France’s National Assembly in 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen contains the principles that inspired the French Revolution. Influenced by the American Declaration of Independence, it serves as the preamble to France’s Constitution of 1791. It guarantees rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression, as well as freedom of speech and of the press. Who later penned the “Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary