Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck

This feast is a commemoration in Malta of the shipwreck of St. Paul on the island in 60 CE, an event described in the New Testament. Paul was a prisoner on a ship, and when storms drove the ship aground, Paul was welcomed by the “barbarous people” (meaning they were not Greco-Romans). According to legend, he got their attention when a snake bit him on the hand but did him no harm, and he then healed people of diseases. Paul is the patron saint of Malta and snakebite victims. The day is a public holiday observed with family gatherings and religious ceremonies and processions. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mark Spitz (1950)

During the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Jewish-American swimmer Mark Spitz shot to sporting fame when he captured seven gold medals, a feat unequaled by any other athlete in a single Olympiad until 2008. Spitz also set new world records for each of the events in which he took the gold. Having thus brought his total Olympic medal count up to 11—he had won two gold, one silver, and one bronze in 1968—Spitz retired from competition. What other historic event marked the 1972 Games? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Emeril Lagasse

Lagasse is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. He gained fame when his restaurant, “Emeril’s,” in New Orleans, Louisiana, was named Esquire magazine’s “Restaurant of the Year” in 1990. He went on to become the host of the popular TV shows The Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live. Lagasse delivered his cajun-and-creole-based recipes with catchphrases like “BAM!” and “Kick it up a notch!” He has also starred in his own sitcom and voiced a character in what Disney film? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

William G. Morgan Invents Volleyball (1895)

William G. Morgan invented volleyball in Holyoke, Massachusetts, just four years after basketball was invented in the neighboring town of Springfield. Morgan, a physical education director, created “Mintonette” for older athletes who wanted to play indoor sports but deemed basketball too rough. The name volleyball came from the nature of the game: “volleying” a ball back and forth over a net. Players can also “spike” the ball and drive it downward into the opponents’ court. What is a “pancake”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hurling the Silver Ball

St. Ia (or Eia or Ives) is the patron saint of St. Ives, Cornwall. St. Ives celebrates Feast Monday on the Monday after the Feast of St. Ia (February 3), by playing an ancient game known as hurling, using a ball made of cork encased in silver. The mayor begins the game by tossing the ball against the side of the parish church. The game stops promptly at 12 noon, and whoever has the ball in his or her possession at that time receives a cash prize or a medal. The festivities continue in the afternoon with more sporting events and a municipal ball in the evening. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Gerhard Richter (1932)

Richter is considered one of the foremost German artists of the post-World War II period, indeed one of the foremost artists in the world, and the prices his works fetch at auction reflect this distinction. Unwilling to settle on any one medium or approach, Richter paints, photographs, draws, and sculpts and has varied his style from austere photorealism to satirical pop to minimalism to pure abstraction. This fluidity is interpreted by some as a reaction to the early training he received where? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, California, that features more than 2,000 pink stars featuring the names of celebrities honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the entertainment industry. Each star contains a bronze emblem representing one of five categories for which an honoree can receive a star—such as a camera denoting achievement in film. Who received the walk’s first star? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary