Category: This day in History

Brown was a radical US abolitionist who advocated armed action to end slavery. He and his supporters murdered five proslavery settlers in Kansas in 1856, and three years later he tried to start an armed liberation movement among slaves by seizing the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, intending to arm local slaves with its weapons. His small force was soon overpowered, and Brown was captured, tried for treason, convicted, and hanged. What went wrong during the raid? Discuss

Following the death of Henry, the cardinal-king of Portugal, in 1580, Philip II of Spain assumed control of Portugal by force of arms. The “Spanish captivity” lasted for 60 years. Finally, in 1640, the Portuguese took advantage of Philip IV’s preoccupation with a rebellion in Catalonia and revolted. The Portuguese dethroned him and reclaimed independence for Portugal. Undeterred, Philip fought for decades to regain control of Portugal. When did Spain finally recognize Portugal’s independence? Discuss

In 2004, Jennings won 74 consecutive games on the television game show Jeopardy!—the longest streak in the program’s history. His extensive knowledge of trivia earned him more than $2.5 million. Ratings for the show during his unprecedented streak increased by 22 percent. On his 75th appearance, the final answer was “Most of this firm’s 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year.” Jennings incorrectly responded with “What is FedEx?” What was the correct response? Discuss

Chaired by US Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Warren Commission was appointed by US President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the shooting of his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. After months of investigation, it reported that Kennedy was killed by Oswald’s rifle shots from the Texas School Book Depository and that Oswald’s murder by Jack Ruby was not part of a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy. What later reports questioned its findings? Discuss

The Ottoman Turks conquered Albania around 1400 and ruled the country for more than 400 years. It was not until the end of the Balkan War that Turkish rule was abolished and a proclamation of independence was issued in 1912. Although Serbia showed intentions of annexing a large part of Albania in order to gain an outlet on the Adriatic, the move was opposed by Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the Albanians. On November 28, 1912, Albanian independence was declared by whom? Discuss

After gaining a following as a leader of San Francisco’s gay community, Milk was elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming one of the first openly gay elected officials in US history. In 1978, he and Moscone, the city’s mayor, were shot and killed in City Hall by Dan White, a former city supervisor. White’s conviction on the less serious charge of voluntary manslaughter sparked riots in the city. What now infamous defense did White’s attorneys present at his murder trial? Discuss

Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the University of Notre Dame was established and opened in 1842 and chartered in 1844. Famous for its football team, it has a noted law school and computing center as well as laboratories for research in botany, radiation, geology, metallurgy, and engineering. It also operates important research institutes in the humanities. The school was founded by French priests and was originally given the name L’Université de Notre Dame du Lac, which means what? Discuss

In 1120, an English vessel known as the White Ship sank in the English Channel on its way from Normandy to England, killing hundreds of passengers. Among those who drowned was William, the only legitimate son of King Henry I. Henry’s second marriage was childless, and the latter years of his reign were marked by his attempts to secure the succession for his daughter Matilda. William’s death in 1135 led to a disputed succession and civil war between Matilda and whom? Discuss

Darwin, a British naturalist, formed the basis of his theories of evolution during his scientific survey expedition to South America aboard the HMS Beagle from 1831–1836. He developed his theory for more than 20 years before publishing it in his famous On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. Darwin’s controversial theory was quickly accepted in most scientific circles. What three words were added to the final sentence of the second edition of Darwin’s book? Discuss

Minutes after taking off from an Athens airport on November 23, 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648 was hijacked by five Palestinian terrorists. The plane was forced to land in Malta, where authorities attempted to negotiate with the hijackers. The terrorists shot two Israelis and three Americans before Egyptian commandos launched a disastrous raid in which nearly 60 hostages were killed. Remarkably, three of the passengers shot by the terrorists survived. How did one of the terrorists almost escape? Discuss