Category: Today’s Birthday

Gokhale was an Indian nationalist leader. A moderate, he stressed negotiation and conciliation rather than non-cooperation or violence—views that clashed with the more militant ideas of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Gokhale was instrumental in founding the Servants of India Society, a nationalist organization whose members, sworn to poverty and obedience, were enlisted to serve as volunteers for the social, political, and economic welfare of India. To what future Indian leader was Gokhale a mentor? Discuss

Canisius was a 16th century Jesuit preacher who fought against the spread of Protestantism in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and Switzerland. His catechism, Summa Doctrinae Christianae, authorized in 1566, was one of the earliest popular expositions of the faith. The reestablishment of Roman Catholicism in Germany after the Reformation was largely due to his zeal, and he was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925. What line is he credited with adding to the Hail Mary prayer? Discuss

A towering figure in Russian music and one of the most popular composers in history, Tchaikovsky became interested in music as a child and turned to serious composition at 14. His works are noted for their expressive melodies, and he is said to have revolutionized ballet by transforming it from a grand decorative gesture into a staged musical drama. His ballets include Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. What Russian businesswoman supported him for 13 years but—as a rule—never met him? Discuss

Welles began acting on stage at 16 and made his Broadway debut in 1934. In 1937, he and John Houseman formed the Mercury Theatre, creating a series of radio dramas and winning notoriety with their panic-producing broadcast of War of the Worlds. Welles then moved to Hollywood, where, at age 26, he cowrote, directed, produced, and acted in the classic Citizen Kane, considered among the most influential movies in film history. What other films did Welles direct? Discuss

The daughter of a Spanish noble, Eugénia married Napoleon III in 1853 and became the empress of France. She took an active role in the politics of the Second Empire, acting as regent when her husband was at war. She also encouraged French opposition to a Prussian candidate for the Spanish throne in the controversy that precipitated the Franco-Prussian War. Deposed after Napoleon’s defeat and capture, she fled and settled in England. Why was her marriage to Napoleon controversial? Discuss

Hepburn was a Belgian-born film actress who combined elegance with a radiant, elfin innocence. After spending World War II in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, she studied ballet and acting in London and was discovered by French writer Colette, who insisted she play the lead in Gigi on Broadway. She made her US film debut in Roman Holiday, for which she won an Academy Award, and then returned to Broadway and won a Tony Award in Ondine. What was Hepburn’s last film? Discuss

A German statesman, von Bülow was appointed state secretary for the foreign department in 1897. He quickly became a potent force and succeeded to the chancellorship in 1900, serving until 1909. Together with Emperor William II, he pursued a policy of German aggrandizement in the years preceding WWI, inadvertently antagonizing the English, French, and Russians, who eventually formed an alliance against Germany. He lost the emperor’s confidence in the Daily Telegraph affair, which was what? Discuss

Catherine II was empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. The daughter of a German prince, she was chosen at 14 to be the wife of the future czar, Peter III. In 1762, conspirators led by her lover staged a coup and proclaimed her empress. Peter was murdered shortly thereafter. As czarina, she increased Russia’s power by skillful diplomacy and by extending its frontiers into central Europe. She was a patron of the arts and corresponded with many of the prominent minds of her era, including whom? Discuss

Born Martha Jane Canary, Calamity Jane was a legendary American frontierswoman. She grew up in Montana and worked in mining camps, where she acquired riding and shooting skills. In 1876, she appeared in Deadwood, South Dakota, the site of new gold strikes, boasting of her marksmanship and her exploits as a pony-express rider and as a scout with Custer’s forces. It was there that she likely met Wild Bill Hickok, who would become her companion. How did Jane claim to have acquired her nickname? Discuss

Bleuler was a Swiss psychiatrist who in 1908 introduced the term “schizophrenia.” While studying schizophrenic patients, Bleuler concluded that the disease was not one of dementia, a condition involving organic deterioration of the brain, but one consisting of a state of mind in which contradictory tendencies exist together. He argued, against the prevailing opinion, that such patients were not incurable. “Schizophrenia” replaced what term for the disease? Discuss