Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Crashes in the Andes (1972)

While carrying a Uruguayan rugby team to a match in Chile, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed high in the Andes. Many passengers died in the crash or shortly after; several more were killed in an avalanche. Stranded in the remote mountainous border between Argentina and Chile, the survivors were forced to eat the dead to avoid starvation. Knowing that the search effort had been called off, two of the remaining 16 eventually hiked out and found help. How long was it before they were rescued? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cranberry Day Festival

Wampanoag Indians on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, celebrate Cranberry Day, their most significant annual holiday, on the second Tuesday in October. In earlier times, this festival lasted several days as people harvested the cranberries and used them in festive dishes. These days, children get the day off from school to join the day’s activities, which include picking cranberries, a lunchtime bonfire during which stories of previous Cranberry Days and other community legends are told, and a celebration in the evening with dancing, singing, and a huge potluck meal. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Paul Simon (1941)

Simon is an American singer and songwriter who first gained fame as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel. Simon first met Art Garfunkel in sixth grade at their public school in Queens, New York. The two began performing together in the 1950s, using the name Tom and Jerry. After a break, they reunited in 1964 as Simon and Garfunkel but split again in 1970, not long after their highly successful album Bridge over Troubled Water was released. What albums did Simon record as a solo artist? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Ming Dynasty

The Ming dynasty ruled over China from 1368-1644. The first Ming emperor, Chu Yüan-chang, had been a Buddhist monk before joining a rebellion, gaining control of it, and overthrowing the Mongol Yüan dynasty. Chu Yüan-chang effectively unified China, setting up a strong centralized government and instituting economic recovery programs. Despite these political modifications, the dynasty never set up a viable tax policy and always struggled financially. What was the purpose of the Jinyiwei? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Iron Lung Used for the First Time (1928)

Invented by engineer Philip Drinker, an iron lung is a device that can produce artificial respiration for extended periods of time. It consists of an airtight metal tank that encloses nearly the entire body and forces the lungs to inhale and exhale by regulating changes in air pressure. Developed for the treatment of coal gas poisoning and first used to save an unconscious child in respiratory failure, the device was eventually most widely used for the treatment of what disease? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar

According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James the Apostle when he was in Saragossa (Zaragoza), Spain. She spoke to him from the top of a pillar, which he interpreted as a sign that he should build a chapel where the column stood. The Feast of the Virgin of the Pillar is observed with special masses and processions, such as the Gigantes—giant cardboard and canvas figures representing Spanish kings and queens or famous literary and historical figures—and the cabezudos, or “big heads”—grotesque puppets with huge heads. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ramsay MacDonald (1866)

MacDonald was the first Labour Party prime minister of Britain, serving in 1924, from 1929 to 1931, and again as part of a coalition government from 1931 to 1935. He joined the precursor of the Labour Party in 1894 and served as its first secretary. MacDonald was elected to Parliament in 1906 and was leader of the Labour party there from 1911 to 1914, until he was forced to resign for opposing participation in WWI. From what other organization was MacDonald expelled for his pacifist stance? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are images created in rock by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading the rock surface. These rock carvings are found across the world and are often associated with prehistoric communities. The oldest known petroglyphs have been dated to about 12,000 years ago, and are thought to have been an early form of symbolic communication or perhaps a sort of “pre-writing.” What is the one continent on which petroglyphs have not been discovered? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary