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May 1, 1508
The Creation of Adam (Visual Art)
This is a Fresco painting by Michelangelo, which forms some of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. It shows the biblical creation narrative from the book of Genisis in which God breathes life into Adam.
This painting differs from most typical creation scenes that were painted before it. The Creation of Adam is one of the great jewels of Western art,even though it and the rest of the Sistine Chapel ceiling suffered the bad effects of centuries of smoke that had caused the ceiling to get darker. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau(Philosophy)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most influential thinkers during the Enlightenment in eighteenth century Europe. His first major philosophical work, A Discourse on the Sciences and Arts, was the winning response to an essay contest ran by the Academy of Dijon in 1750. In this work, Rousseau argues that the progression of the sciences and arts has caused the corruption of virtue and morality. This discourse won Rousseau fame and recognition. -
Moby Dick (Liturature)
this is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the time of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the previous whaling voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. -
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Literature)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in America in January 1885. According to Ernest Hemingway, it was the "one book" from which "all modern American literature" came, and contemporary critics and scholars have treated it as one of the greatest American works of art of all time. In 1885 it was banished from the shelves of the Concord Public Library, this was an an act that attracted a lot of publicity and discussion in the press. -
The Starry Night(Visual Art)
Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889 during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh lived well in the hospital; he was allowed more freedoms than any of the other patients. If attended, he could leave the hospital grounds; he was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room. He was even given a studio. -
The Vietnam War(History)
The Vietnam War was a long, deadly armed battle that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war ended with the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973 and the unification of Vietnam under Communist control two years later. More than 3 million people, including 58,000 Americans, were killed in the conflict. -
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical (Performing Arts)
This is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) . It is an urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of modern African-American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland and moved to the Majestic Theatre.The 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. -
The Rwandan Genocide(History)
The Rwandan genocide is one of the heaviest moments in human history. An airplane crash in 1994 carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi provided a spark for an organized campaign of violence against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu civilians across the country. 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu people were killed in a carefully organized program of genocide over 100 days, making history as the quickest killing spree the world has ever seen. -
Aristotle(philosophy)
Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Aristotle died in 322 B.C., after he left Athens and went to Chalcis. -
Buddhism(Religion)
Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened at the age of 35.To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom'. -
Christianity(Religion)
Christianity, major religion, coming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus in the 1st century ad. It has become the largest of the world’s religions. Geographically the most widely diffused of all faiths, it has more than 2 billion believers. Its largest groups are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Protestant churches; in addition to these churches there are several independent churches of Eastern Christianity as well as numerous sects throughout the world. -
Bonnie and Clyde The Musical ( Performing Arts )
Bonnie and Clyde were a couple who became infamous criminals throughout the 1930s era Great Depression in America. The musical shows their childhoods, dreams, meeting, crimes, and eventual deaths. Despite the negative reviews on their Broadway opening night possibly due to fresh memories of director Frank Wildhorn’s previous Broadway ‘flops’ the musical was nominated with two Tony awards and four Drama Desk awards.
