Alexander Hamilton Dies from Wound Sustained in Duel (1804)

In the presidential election of 1800, a tie between Thomas Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, left the choice of chief executive to the House of Representatives. Hamilton’s influence made Jefferson President and Burr Vice President. In 1804, Hamilton again thwarted Burr in his bid for governorship of New York, and Burr challenged him to a duel. The two men met on July 11, and Hamilton was mortally wounded and died the next day. Why do some believe Hamilton missed Burr on purpose? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Pablo Neruda (1904)

Born in Chile as Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, Neruda began writing poetry at age 10, published his most popular work, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, at 20, and was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. A surrealist, he revitalized everyday expressions and employed bold metaphors in free verse. In his writings and his political career as a leader of the Chilean Communist party and as a diplomat, he exerted a wide influence in Latin America. Why did he use a pen name? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a human-rights organization founded in 1961 by Englishman Peter Benenson. It campaigns internationally against the detention of prisoners of conscience, for the fair trial of political prisoners, to abolish the death penalty and torture of prisoners, and to end extrajudicial executions and “disappearances.” It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. The organization’s official symbol is a candle surrounded by what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Oka Crisis (1990)

This 1990 confrontation between the Mohawk nation and the town of Oka, Quebec, was the first of several violent conflicts between the First Nations and the Canadian government. It began when developers tried to turn a plot of land into a golf course. Because that land contained a burial ground and sacred pine grove, members of the Mohawk community blockaded the area. Canadian troops were sent in, and a 78-day standoff ensued, ending with the Mohawks’ surrender. What happened to the golf course? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

St. Placidus Festival

Sankt Placidusfest is a religious procession held on July 11 at Disentis, Switzerland, in honor of St. Placidus, who was murdered near the Benedictine abbey that he and St. Sigisbert helped establish there in 614. Every year, the relics of St. Placidus and St. Sigisbert are carried in a solemn procession from the abbey to the parish church and back through the village to the abbey. Traditionally, during the ceremonies, parishioners in colorful folk costumes chant the old, and very long, “Song of St. Placidus.” Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Millie and Christine McCoy (1851)

Millie and Christine McCoy were American conjoined twins born to slaves and sold to showman J.P. Smith as infants. A rival showman kidnapped the girls, but Smith reclaimed them. He taught them to speak five languages, play music, and sing, and the twins enjoyed a successful career under the stage names “The Two-Headed Nightingale” and “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” In 1912, the girls died of tuberculosis just 17 hours apart. What was the title of the book sold at their public appearances? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge was a Cambodian Communist movement that was active as a guerrilla force from 1970 to the late 1990s and held power under the leadership of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. The Khmer Rouge is remembered largely for causing the deaths of up to 1.5 million people through execution, starvation, and forced labor. A tribunal consisting of both Cambodian and international judges was established in 2006 to try former Khmer Rouge leaders. Who were the “New People?” Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary