Commonly known in Pakistan as Khatoon-e-Pakistan and Madar-e-Millat—Urdu for “Lady of Pakistan” and “Mother of the Nation,” respectively—Jinnah was the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and an active figure in the movement for independence from the British Raj. She remained politically active after her brother’s death and even ran for president in 1965, though she lost by a narrow margin. What was Jinnah’s occupation before she became involved in politics? Discuss
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Fatima Jinnah (1893)
July 30th, 2010The First Defenestration of Prague (1419)
July 30th, 2010
In 1419, a mob of Czech Hussites stormed the town hall of Prague and killed several members of the town council by throwing them out of a window—an act known as “defenestration.” Spurred by discontent at the inequality between the peasants and the Church and nobility, the First Defenestration of Prague led to the prolonged Hussite Wars, which broke out shortly afterward and continued until 1436. What was the Second Defenestration of Prague? Discuss
Benito Mussolini (1883)
July 29th, 2010
An ardent socialist in his youth, Mussolini turned nationalist after serving with the Italian army in WWI. He formed a fascist political group in 1919 and was soon appointed prime minister, becoming the youngest in Italian history. Supported by Adolf Hitler, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in 1940. As German defenses in Italy collapsed, Mussolini tried to escape to Austria but was captured and executed by Italian partisans. During his rule, he was known as Il Duce, which means what?
The Young Irelander Rebellion (1848)
July 29th, 2010.jpg)
In the 1840s, a group of young Irish idealists began to promote Irish cultural nationalism. Known as Young Irelanders, they eventually sought revolution and, in 1848, organized a disastrous rebellion in Tipperary led by William Smith O’Brien and Thomas Meagher. Sometimes called the Famine Rebellion of 1848—since it took place during the Great Irish Famine—the Young Irelander Rebellion led to the ultimate failure of the movement. What events likely inspired the Young Irelanders to revolt?
US Bomber Crashes into New York’s Empire State Building (1945)
July 28th, 2010
On a foggy Saturday morning in July 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors. One of the plane’s engines shot through the building and out the other side, and the other plummeted down an elevator shaft. Though 14 people died in the incident, the building was largely open for business on the following Monday. What Guinness World Record was set by elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver during the accident?
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929)
July 28th, 2010
Onassis was the wife of US President John F. Kennedy and served as First Lady during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Her graciousness, elegance, and beauty endeared her to the American public, and her broad culture and ease in speaking Spanish and French impressed foreign leaders. Five years after her first husband’s murder, she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Upon his death in 1975, she returned to New York and became successful in what occupation?
The Battle of Killiecrankie (1689)
July 27th, 2010
Fought between Scottish highland clans supporting James II and VII and the government troops of William of Orange, the Battle of Killiecrankie occurred in Scotland during the first Jacobite uprising in 1689. Outnumbered, barefoot, and armed mostly with claymores—large, double-edged broadswords—the highlanders, led by John Graham of Claverhouse, used their position on the steep Pass of Killiecrankie to force a retreat. Despite the victory, Claverhouse was killed. What became of the revolt?
Charlotte Corday (1768)
July 27th, 2010
Although of aristocratic background, Corday sympathized with the moderate Girondists during the French Revolution. Horrified at the excesses of the Reign of Terror, she gained an audience with one of its leaders, Jean-Paul Marat, by promising to betray the Girondists and stabbed him through the heart while he was in his bath. Arrested on the spot, she was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal and guillotined four days later. Why was Marat in the bath at the time of their meeting?
Wagner’s Premiers in the Bayreuth Festival Theatre (1882)
July 26th, 2010
Loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival—the medieval epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail—Parsifal is a three-act opera by German composer Richard Wagner. The opera was first conceived in 1857 but not completed until 25 years later. It premiered in 1882 at the second Bayreuth Festival, where it was performed exclusively until 1903. What tradition has arisen among the audience at performances of Parsifal at Bayreuth?
George Bernard Shaw (1856)
July 26th, 2010
Shaw was an Irish playwright and critic who revolutionized the Victorian stage, authoring more than 60 plays, including Man and Superman and Pygmalion, his comedic masterpiece. Nearly all of his works mix a vein of comedy with stern social commentary—on subjects including education, marriage, religion, government, and class privilege. Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925 and is the only person to have received both it and what other award?
