Category: Today’s Birthday

Richard II was perhaps the most enigmatic of the English kings, reigning from 1377 to 1399. He inherited the throne as a boy, but his uncle John of Gaunt and other nobles dominated the government, limiting his power. Taking revenge, he banished John’s son, Henry, and confiscated his vast Lancastrian estates. Not long after, while Richard was away on an expedition, Henry returned and seized power. Forced to abdicate, Richard was imprisoned and died in captivity. What likely caused his death? Discuss

Shah Jahan succeeded to the throne of India’s Mughal Empire in 1628 and ruled for 30 years. His reign was notable for its successes against the Deccan states. Though attempts to reconquer lost territory almost bankrupted the empire, his reign marked the zenith of Mughal court splendor and ushered in the golden age of Mughal art and architecture. Considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal was built in memory of his beloved wife. Who deposed and imprisoned him in 1658? Discuss

More than just a compiler of fairy tales, Jacob Grimm was a German philologist who formulated the linguistic principle known as Grimm’s law and who, along with his brother Wilhelm, began work on a vast historical dictionary of the German language that took over a century to complete. The Brothers Grimm are best known, however, for their compilation of some 200 German folk tales, known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, that helped establish the science of folklore. How did they collect the stories? Discuss

Mott was an American social reformer and women’s rights advocate. She attended a Quaker boarding school near Poughkeepsie, New York, where she later taught, and became an official Quaker minister in 1821. She was active in the antislavery campaign and lectured widely on social reform. In 1848, she and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention, which launched the US women’s suffrage movement. On what issue was Mott’s stance at odds with that of the mainstream women’s movement? Discuss

Barlach was an outstanding German expressionist sculptor, graphic artist, and writer. Through the power of his simple, angular, and compact forms, he communicated intense emotion and compassion. From clay modeling he turned to wood carving and woodcutting, which imbued his work with a rough-hewn quality. He achieved fame in the 1920s and 30s with the execution of several war memorials for the Weimar Republic. Why were many of Barlach’s works destroyed or confiscated as “degenerate art”? Discuss

Stieglitz was the first art photographer in the US. More than any other American, he compelled the recognition of photography as a fine art. After editing a series of photography magazines, he established the famous gallery “291” in New York City. The gallery soon broadened its scope from fine-art photography and introduced to the US works by members of the modern French art movement, including Cézanne and Picasso. It also exhibited the works of what American artist whom Stieglitz later married? Discuss

Born in Canada as Florence Nightingale Graham, Arden moved to New York City in 1907 and under her new name opened a beauty salon. Her business became an international empire based on salons, hundreds of “scientifically formulated” beauty products, and an exclusive image—all packaged in her trademark pink. Arden made makeup acceptable to “respectable” American women, introducing them to eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick tinted to match their outfits. What poem inspired her business name? Discuss

Diddley was a pioneering African-American rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known for his pounding signature beat, guitar effects, and jive talk, and he was a powerful influence on generations of rockers, including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. Nicknamed after the single-stringed folk instrument called a diddley bow, he studied the violin at his Baptist Church in Chicago and began performing in South Side clubs, playing what unique type of guitar? Discuss

Although she began her career as a dancer, Moore’s success came from her TV roles, first as the secretary on Richard Diamond, Private Detective and then as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She is best known, however, as the star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the most popular sitcom of the 1970s and the first show to center on a happily unmarried career woman. Over the years, she has won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. What film role earned her an Oscar nomination? Discuss

Neumann was a Hungarian-born American mathematician. He emigrated to the US in 1930 to teach at Princeton University and was among the original faculty of its Institute for Advanced Study. He solved one of David Hilbert’s 23 theoretical problems, collaborated on an algebraic ring with profound applications in quantum physics, and helped develop the atomic bomb. He later made major contributions to the development of computers. What branch of applied mathematics did he help found? Discuss