November 15, 2007
One of the best known US painters of the 20th century, O'Keeffe is known chiefly for her large, semi-abstract studies of flowers, bones, and other imagery. Immaculate, sculptural, organic forms painted in strong, clear colors predominate in O'Keeffe's works, and her pristine abstract designs carry strong elements of sexual symbolism. Her work was first exhibited in 1916 at the 291 Gallery of Alfred Stieglitz, whom she married in 1924. In 1928, a group of O'Keeffe's paintings sold for what price?
September 27, 2007
Nast, a US caricaturist and cartoonist, is considered the father of American political cartooning. During the Civil War,
Harper's Weekly published the first of Nast's serious political cartoons. His stylized, clever, and forceful illustrations attracted much attention and earned accolades from President Lincoln. His cartoons were also instrumental in breaking up the corrupt NYC Tweed Ring. Nast revived the use of what symbols in his depictions of the US Democratic and Republican parties?
September 18, 2007
Armstrong is an American cyclist and has been hailed as one of the finest in the sport. He is best known for overcoming testicular cancer to win the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, he has devoted a considerable amount of time to his charity, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which provides support for people with cancer. In 2005, allegations surfaced accusing Armstrong of engaging in what illegal activity?
August 20, 2007
Miloševic was the leader of the Serbian Communist Party and the president of Serbia from 1989–1997 and of Yugoslavia from 1997–2000. Following the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, he promoted the idea of a “greater Serbia” and supported Serbian militias in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. In 2002, a UN criminal tribunal charged Miloševic with crimes against humanity and genocide; he died, however, before his trial concluded. What medical condition may have played a role in his death?
July 24, 2007
Bolívar was a South American revolutionary leader. He earned the title of "El Libertador" for defeating the Spanish in a string of stunning victories from 1813 to 1824, effectively ending Spanish control over what are now Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador. How did Bolívar die?
May 23, 2007
Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is considered the founder of the binomial system of nomenclature and the originator of modern scientific classification of plants and animals. He studied botany and medicine and taught both at Uppsala. In
Systema naturae, he presented his classification of plants, animals, and minerals; in
Genera plantarum, he explained his system for classifying plants, which is based largely on the number of what parts of the flower?
May 22, 2007
Matteotti was an Italian Socialist leader, member of parliament, and outstanding opponent of the Fascist regime during its early days. His murder by Fascist hirelings precipitated a parliamentary crisis that Mussolini overcame by disavowing the murder and tightening police control. With the crushing of the opposition through Matteotti's assassination, Mussolini's dictatorship may be said to have begun. Recent scholarship suggests what about the involvement of Mussolini in the murder?
May 21, 2007
Pope, recognized as the greatest English poet of the 18th century, was almost entirely self-taught. His first major contribution is considered to be
An Essay on Criticism, which was published when he was 23, followed by
The Rape of the Lock, his most popular poem. Upon Sir Isaac Newton's death, Pope wrote "Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night; / God said 'Let Newton be' and all was light." Pope suffered from what disease that stunted his growth?
May 20, 2007
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole was a popular entertainer and singer in Hawaii who was also referred to as "Bruddah Iz." He began playing music with his older brother Skippy at the age of 11 and became an international success when his album
Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" became a favorite anthem and has been featured in several movies and commercials. What rare honor did the state of Hawaii bestow upon him after his death?
May 19, 2007
Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese nationalist leader, president of North Vietnam, and one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th century. Traveling to the US and London in the 1910s, he later went to France and became a founding member of the French Communist Party in 1920. He studied revolutionary tactics in Moscow and organized revolutionaries in Indochina. He went to Vietnam after the outbreak of WWII and declared it a republic in 1945. In Vietnam, he is referred to by what name?
