Last Original Peanuts Strip Is Printed (2000)

With 355 million readers in 75 countries at the peak of its popularity, Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is one of the most beloved comic strips in the history of the medium. Among its principal characters are Charlie Brown, a gentle, puzzled boy, usually failing but always persevering; Lucy, his bossy, know-it-all friend; Linus, a philosophical tyke with a security blanket; and Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle. When Schulz created the strip in 1950, it had a different title. What was it? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Parentalia

This was an ancient Roman festival held in honor of the manes, or souls of the dead—in particular, deceased relatives. It began a season for remembering the dead, which ended with the Feralia on February 21. This week was a quiet, serious occasion, without the rowdiness that characterized other Roman festivals. Everything, including the temples, closed down, and people decorated graves with flowers and left food—sometimes elaborate banquets—in the cemeteries in the belief that it would be eaten by the spirits of the deceased. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Peter Gabriel (1950)

Gabriel is an English singer and songwriter who first rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flutist of the progressive rock group Genesis. In the 1970s and 80s, he became an influential solo artist, producing music videos with groundbreaking special effects and writing the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. What song did Gabriel perform at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, on February 10, 2006? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Abu Dhabi

Located on the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its capital, also named Abu Dhabi, is the second largest city in the UAE and became the provisional capital when the UAE was formed in 1971. Oil was discovered there in the late 1960s, and the abundant oil revenues have since been used for the country’s development and modernization. What was one of Abu Dhabi’s major industries before it was eclipsed by oil? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

US President Bill Clinton Is Acquitted (1999)

In January 1998, President Clinton was questioned in a civil suit charging him with sexual harassment. Before the Grand Jury, he denied having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which turned out to be untrue. The US House of Representatives impeached Clinton on December 19, 1998, charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice. In 1999, two impeachment counts were tried in the Senate, which voted to acquit Clinton. Who is the only other US President to have been impeached? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Georgia Day

Also known as Oglethorpe Day, February 12 commemorates the day in 1733 when James Edward Oglethorpe and 120 other Englishmen landed in Savannah, Georgia, to establish a new colony. In 1965, the anniversary of the state’s founding was officially proclaimed Georgia Day. On February 12, there is a procession through the historic town of Savannah and a luncheon. Since 1966, there has been a reenactment of Oglethorpe’s landing, with costumed residents playing the roles of Georgia’s first European settlers and of the American Indians who greeted them upon their arrival. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Charles Darwin (1809)

Darwin was an English naturalist who developed the modern theory of evolution. Along with naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, he proposed the principle of natural selection: the mechanism by which advantageous variations are passed on to later generations and less advantageous traits slowly disappear. Darwin’s intensely controversial theory of evolution aroused widespread argument and debate among scientists and religious leaders. How did Darwin view religion and God? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary