Category: Today’s Birthday

Wallenda was a German-born US circus acrobat and founder and leader of the acrobatic troupe that came to be known as the Flying Wallendas. The group gained notoriety in Europe for its high-wire acts without a safety net before developing its most famous act—the seven-person pyramid, topped by Wallenda’s wife, Helen. The troupe traveled with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and later performed as freelancers. Wallenda continued performing until age 73. How did he die? Discuss

Often remembered as a cigar-puffing nightclub entertainer who continued performing into his late 90s, Burns began his career by forming a comedy team in 1925 with Gracie Allen, whom he married a year later. They performed on radio and television, usually with Allen playing a scatterbrained wife and Burns in the role of an infinitely patient husband. Burns continued to perform after his wife’s retirement, winning an Academy Award and becoming well-known for his recurring film role as what figure? Discuss

Considered one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature, Poe was a poet, short-story writer, and critic whose skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He also pioneered the detective fiction genre with stories such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter.” What mysterious, six-decade-old tradition at Poe’s Baltimore grave was broken in 2010? Discuss

Milne was an English author who began his literary career as a journalist before publishing collections of verses for children, including When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. He is, however, best remembered for Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Now classics beloved by adults as well as children, his books established the characters Christopher Robin and his toy animal friends, including Pooh Bear, Piglet, and Eeyore. On whom was Christopher based? Discuss

Regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in American history, Franklin was also a printer, publisher, author, scientist, and inventor. After gaining popularity as the publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanack, he promoted public services in Philadelphia, including a library and a fire department. In 1776, he went to France to seek aid for the American Revolution, and in 1787 he was instrumental in the adoption of the US Constitution. What musical instrument did he invent? Discuss

Livingston was a successful merchant who became an American revolutionary leader in the protests against the Stamp Act and other British trade restrictions. Although he was not originally an advocate of independence, Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence and remained an active member of the Continental Congress. He was generous with his large fortune and was a supporter of many causes, including the founding of King’s College, which later became what university? Discuss

Morisot was a French impressionist painter best known for her loose brushwork and the sensitivity she brought to her female subjects. She studied with many gifted painters, including Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, and was highly influenced by Édouard Manet, whose brother she later married. She exhibited regularly with the Impressionists, and although none of her exhibits proved commercially successful, she outsold Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. What are some of her best known paintings? Discuss

Tucker was a Russian-born American singer and entertainer who began performing vaudeville as a child, singing ragtime melodies in blackface. She later abandoned the makeup but continued in the African-American style, helping popularize the songs of black composers. Known for her racy songs, she enjoyed great success on tour and went on to appear in several stage and movie musicals but was best known as a nightclub torch singer. In her later years, she was billed under what moniker? Discuss

Göring was one of Hitler’s most loyal supporters and held numerous Nazi posts, including interior minister of Prussia, where he established the Gestapo, and head of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. When the Luftwaffe failed to win the Battle of Britain, Göring semiretired to his country estate, where he displayed the vast art collection he had confiscated from Jews in occupied countries. In 1946, he was condemned to death by hanging at the Nuremberg trials but was never executed. Why? Discuss

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola was an Italian Mannerist painter and etcher commonly known by his nickname Parmigianino, meaning “the little one from Parma.” His works possess remarkable grace and sensuality, and he is regarded as one of the period’s finest draftsmen. He was one of the first artists to practice etching, and through this medium his style became influential in Italy and beyond. One of his most curious works is a self portrait in which his image has been distorted by what? Discuss