Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (1926)

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing is a French political leader who rose through the ranks over nearly two decades to become president of France in 1974, defeating Socialist François Mitterrand, who would later unseat him in the 1981 election. A supporter of European economic integration, Giscard later served as a member of the European Parliament and as president of the Convention on the Future of Europe. What fueled rumors in 2009 that he had once had a fling with the late Diana, Princess of Wales? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Filibusters

A filibuster is an obstructionist tactic used in legislative assemblies. It is particularly associated with the US Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is strong, and it has been used by conservatives and liberals for very different purposes. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture—or ending of the debate—by a vote of two-thirds of the Senators present. Yet, despite many attempts, cloture has been applied only rarely. What is the etymology of the term “filibuster”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Director Skips Bail and Flees to France (1978)

The films of renowned director Roman Polanski are marked by dramatic situations presented with irony and a cool lack of sentimentality. Born in Paris and educated in Poland, he moved to Hollywood in 1968 to pursue his filmmaking career. His pregnant wife was murdered by the Manson “family” shortly thereafter. In 1978, he fled to France to avoid sentencing after pleading guilty to statutory rape. A survivor of the Holocaust, he recently received an Academy Award for what World War II film? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Yaya Matsuri

The Yaya Matsuri, held in Owase, Japan, during the first week in February, features mikoshi (portable shrines) carried through the streets by groups of young men who meet and deliberately crash into each other. The festival takes its name from their shouts—”Yaya! Yaya!”—as they run into one another. Several special events, including dances, are held during the five-day festival. On the last night, there is a ceremony at the Owase Shrine to determine who will participate in the festival the next year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Boris Yeltsin (1931)

Yeltsin became Russia’s first democratically elected president in 1991. A populist advocate of radical reform, he embarked on a program of “shock therapy” just days after the dissolution of the USSR, converting the world’s largest socialist planned economy into a market-oriented capitalist one. The skyrocketing prices, heavy taxes, and credit crunch that followed produced a protracted depression that devastated Russia. How, then, did Yeltsin manage to win a second term in 1996? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bicycles

The first bicycle, probably created by the German Baron Karl de Drais de Sauerbrun in the early 1800s, was a form of hobby-horse that was propelled by the rider’s feet pushing against the ground. The first treadle-propelled cycle was designed by the Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan around 1839. By the end of the 19th century, bicycles had wire wheels, metal frames, and pneumatic tires. What did 19th-century suffragists and feminists call the bicycle? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary