Category: Today’s Birthday

Dolley Madison was the wife of US President James Madison, whom she married in 1794, after the death of her first husband. Noted for her magnificence as a hostess as well as for her charm, Dolley was an extremely popular first lady and was a great asset to Madison’s political career. During the War of 1812, she saved many state papers and a portrait of George Washington from the advancing British soldiers. Why did she perform the duties of the first lady during Thomas Jefferson’s administration? Discuss

Hopkins, a US merchant and financier, worked with an uncle as a wholesale grocer before going into business with his brothers in 1819. As he continued to prosper, his interests diversified into banking, insurance companies, steamship lines, and railroads. In his will, he set aside $7 million—the largest philanthropic bequest in US history at the time—for the founding of a free hospital and university in Baltimore, Maryland. His will also called for the establishment of what other institution? Discuss

Käsebier was one of the most influential American photographers of the early 20th century and a promoter of photography as a career for women. She photographed famous figures like the sculptor Auguste Rodin and American showman Buffalo Bill, but she is best known for her evocative images of motherhood and portraits of Native Americans. In 1899, Alfred Stieglitz declared her “the leading artistic portrait photographer of the day,” but a decade later, he was speaking out against her work. Why? Discuss

Now infamous as “Black Bart,” Roberts was a Welsh pirate who raided ships off the coasts of the Americas and West Africa in the 18th century, during the period known as the “Golden Age of Piracy.” Considered the most successful pirate of the era, he is estimated to have captured more than 400 vessels in a matter of a few years—far more than some of the best-known pirates of his day, such as Blackbeard or Captain Kidd. Roberts is one of the pirate captains mentioned in what famous pirate story? Discuss

Liberace began playing piano at the age of 4, and by 16, he had appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He soon began giving concerts in flamboyant costumes with ornate pianos, and though he occasionally performed with symphony orchestras, he built his career primarily upon popular music. Hugely successful, he hosted a television variety series, and, in later years, performed frequently in Las Vegas. During what decades was he said to be the world’s highest paid entertainer? Discuss

Baum was an American author of more than 70 children’s books who is best known for penning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He moved from New York to South Dakota in 1888. When his newspaper there failed, he moved to Illinois and found work as a journalist. His first children’s book, Mother Goose in Prose (1897), was followed by Father Goose: His Book, an immediate bestseller. In 2006, Baum’s descendants apologized for editorials in which he called for the extermination of whom? Discuss

Auger was a French physicist who worked in the fields of nuclear and atomic physics and also advanced the study of cosmic rays. He directed the mathematical and natural sciences department at UNESCO from 1948 to 1959 and was instrumental in creating the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). In 1977, he was made a member of the French Academy of Sciences. The Auger effect as well as the world’s largest detector of what are named after him? Discuss

Arthur was an American actress, comedian, and singer whose lengthy career began on the stage. In 1966, she won a Tony award for her role in the musical Mame. She went on to achieve fame on television as the character Maude Findlay on the 1970s sitcoms All in the Family and Maude and as Dorothy Zbornak on the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, winning Emmy Awards for both roles. Arthur appeared in what notoriously poorly received 1978 holiday TV special? Discuss

Hepburn made her Broadway debut in 1928 and became a star with her first film, A Bill of Divorcement, in 1932. She brought a spirited individuality and strength of character to the screen in her roles in films such as Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, and The African Queen. She made eight films with her longtime partner Spencer Tracy, eventually starring in 43 films. No actress has ever won more Academy Awards than Hepburn. How many did she win? Discuss

Born Frederick Austerlitz, Astaire was an American dancer, actor, and singer who began his career as a child on a successful Broadway vaudeville team with his sister Adele. After his sister retired, Astaire became a film actor and developed a reputation as a debonair song-and-dance man, particularly in the films he made with Ginger Rogers, which elevated tap dance to an elegant, disciplined art and revolutionized popular-dance performance. What were some of Astaire’s most popular films? Discuss