Death of Last Native Speaker Leads to Extinction of Eyak Language (2008)

Eyak is an extinct language that was spoken in Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River. Marie Smith Jones, the language’s last native speaker, as well as the last full-blooded Eyak, died in 2008 at the age of 89. Before her death, she worked with experts to compile a dictionary that would allow future generations to revive the language. With no native speakers left in the world, Eyak became a symbol in the effort against language extinction. Which languages are the closest relatives to Eyak? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Barrow Day

This national public holiday honors Barbados‘ first prime minister. Errol Barrow was born in 1920, earned a law degree in England, then returned to Barbados, where he became finance minister in 1959 and prime minister in 1961. He was reelected in 1966 and, soon after, Barbados gained independence from Great Britain. Barrow was voted out in 1976 but regained office in 1986; he died the next year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Karl Wallenda (1905)

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

Source: The Free Dictionary

Red Square

Red Square, located in Moscow, is one of the most famous city squares in Russia, with a rich history that is reflected in many works of art. After the square was cleared of buildings in 1493, it became Moscow’s primary marketplace as well as the site for various ceremonies, proclamations, and coronations. During the Soviet era, Red Square maintained its significance and was the site of the 1945 victory parade held after the defeat of Nazi Germany. What is the origin of the name “Red Square”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Edward VIII Becomes King (1936)

Edward VIII became king of Great Britain and Ireland upon the death of his father, George V, in 1936. He enjoyed immense popularity until the announcement of his intention to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American in the midst of divorcing her second husband. The government opposed the marriage, and the two sides clashed until Edward executed a deed of abdication, ending a 325-day reign as the first English monarch to relinquish his throne voluntarily. Who succeeded him? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

St. Agnes’s Eve

The eve of St. Agnes’s Day has long been associated with superstitions about how young girls might discover the identity of their future husbands. According to one such belief, a girl who went to bed without any supper on this night would dream of the man she was to marry. John Keats used this legend as the basis for his well-known poem, “The Eve of St. Agnes,” in which a maiden dreams of her lover and wakes to find him at her bedside. St. Agnes was martyred because she had consecrated herself to Christ and refused to marry. She was later named the patron saint of young virgins. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary