Mnarja

Mnarja is the principal folk festival of Malta and a public holiday there, thought to have been originally a harvest festival. It is held in Buskett Gardens, a park with extensive vineyards and orange and lemon orchards not far from Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital. Festivities begin on the eve of Mnarja with an agricultural show that continues through the next morning and folk-singing and folk-music competitions. The traditional food of the evening is fried rabbit. On the following day, bareback horse and donkey races bring the feast to an end. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

William James Mayo (1861)

While working as a surgeon with his physician father and brother—William Worrall Mayo and Charles Mayo—in the hospital his father had helped establish in Rochester, Minnesota, William James Mayo joined the two in co-founding what would become the Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned nonprofit medical practice. William James became especially known for his innovations in stomach, gall bladder, and cancer operations. According to one story, what did William James help his father do when he was just 16? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Key Biscayne

Key Biscayne is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. While named a ‘key’, it is not geologically part of the Florida Keys, but a barrier island composed of sand eroded from the Appalachian Mountains and carried there. When Hurricane Andrew stripped part of the island in 1992, archeologists found extensive evidence of a large Tequesta community that had lived there up to 2,000 years ago. What is the island’s history with regard to slavery? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassinated (1914)

Nephew of Francis Joseph, emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, Ferdinand became heir apparent in 1896. While visiting Sarajevo, he and his wife were assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Austria soon declared war on Serbia, prompting countries allied with Austria-Hungary—the Central Powers—and those allied with Serbia—the Triple Entente—to declare war on each other, precipitating WWI. The assassination was not the first attempt on his life. What had happened earlier that day? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Svenskarnas Dag

Svenskarnas Dag honors the Swedish heritage of the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the longest day of the year. When the festival first started in 1934, it was observed in August, but in 1941 the day was changed to the fourth Sunday in June so that it would coincide with midsummer observances in Sweden. The festival includes a band concert, Swedish folk dancing, choral group performances, and the crowning of a Midsummer Queen. A national celebrity of Swedish descent is often asked to officiate at this one-day event, which attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Peter Paul Rubens (1577)

Rubens was a prolific 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter whose exuberant style emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. Known for his altarpieces, portraits, and landscapes, Rubens ran a large studio in Antwerp where he produced more than 2,000 paintings by supervising an enormous workshop of skilled apprentices. Also a diplomat, Rubens was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. Aspects of Rubens’s paintings gave rise to the term “Rubenesque,” which means what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Geneva

Geneva is the second largest city in Switzerland. Situated on the Lake of Geneva and divided by the Rhône River, it became a focal point of the Reformation when John Calvin arrived there in 1536, after the city expelled its bishop. The city’s intellectual life reached its zenith in the 18th century, when the stern theocracy of Calvin had mellowed into patrician rule and Voltaire and Rousseau were among the city’s residents. What important international organizations are headquartered there? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary