cultural literacy 32 Flashcards
Margaret Chase Smith
U.S. senator from Maine critical of McCarthy
First Fruits and Tenth
a form of tax on clergy taking up a benefice or ecclesiastical position in Great Britain
Queen Anne’s Bounty
a scheme established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England
Christopher Wren
British architect who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
1965 law that apportioned federal funding for education
scarabs
beetle-sized amulets and stamps in ancient Egypt named of the group of beetles of the same name
Orpehum Circuit
a chain of movie and vaudeville theaters that later merged with other circuits to become RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) corporation
New York City draft riots
1863 armed conflict in New York City between factions with opposing positions towards the Civil War, largest urban civil disturbance in U.S. history
Elian Gonzalez
Cuban at center of child custody dispute in 2000
Alex Penelas
Cuban-American mayor of Miami-Dade county during 2000 U.S. presidential election
John Greenleaf Whittier
Quaker poet and abolitionist
James Whitcomb Riley
the “Hoosier Poet”
Miranda
the Sex and the City character who is bland and boring and has no life
Court of St James’s
royal court of the UK and administrative site of all diplomatic relations between UK and other countries
the “Checkers” speech
speech given by Nixon in 1952 in which he defended his use of funds donated to his campaign and in which he vowed to keep one gift, the dog Checkers
“Fanfare for the Common Man”
composition by Aaron Copland recorded by ELP
A Face in the Crowd
1957 film debut of Andy Griffith
mufti
name for smart-casual dress; an Islamic legal scholar
Cow Palace
indoor arena in Daly City, CA (near San Francisco), site of 1964 Republican National Convention
garrote
strangulation device used for capital punishment
solon
a wise lawgiver
Fort Cavazos
new name of former Fort Hood, an army post in Kileen, Texas
the “Fort Hood Three”
three soldiers stationed at Fort Hood who refused orders to deploy to Vietnam
G.I. coffeehouses
antiwar coffeehouses established near U.S. military bases during the Vietnam War
Verwoerd
prime minister of South Africa in the 1960s and architect of apartheid
Wendy Williams
former TV host who withdrew from limelight after mental decline
Machine Gun Kelly
also known as “MGK”, American singer, rapper, and actor
Cattahoochee
Georgia river and Alan Jackson song
Lester Maddox
segregationist governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971
George Mahoney
Democratic governor of Maryland who ran under the slogan, “Your home is your castle: protect it.”
tumbrel
cart for carrying prisoners to the guillotine
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
wife of George III
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
1971 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld busing as remedy for addressing racial imbalance
“Milk, Milk, Lemonade”
children’s song whose lyrics allude to bodily waste functions
“Your Own Personal Jesus”
1989 Depeche Mode song
“Silk Stocking District”
the Upper East Side (UES) of Manhattan in New York City was once known as the Silk Stocking District because of its wealthy residents who could afford silk stockings
John Lindsay
liberal Republian mayor of NYC in the 1960s
panjandrum
a self-important or pretentious official
blackguard
a low, contemptible person
“bouncing Betty”
the German S-mine which launched into a few meters into the air before exploding
Sterno
brand of canned heat
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Christmas song sung by Darlene Love
“In your heart, you know he’s right.”
1964 Barry Goldwater campaign slogan
ne pas se sentir dans son assiette
to be out of sorts (Fr.)
“At the Hop”
1950s song by Danny and the Juniors
die Kuh vom Eis holen
to save the situation (Ger.)
Sterling Hayden
American actor who played a General Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove
anthropophagy
academic term for cannibalism
boomlet
a brief increase
tatterdemalion
a ragamuffin, pauper
U.S. senator from Maine critical of McCarthy
Margaret Chase Smith
a form of tax on clergy taking up a benefice or ecclesiastical position in Great Britain
First Fruits and Tenth
a scheme established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England
Queen Anne’s Bounty
British architect who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London
Christopher Wren
1965 law that apportioned federal funding for education
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
beetle-sized amulets and stamps in ancient Egypt named of the group of beetles of the same name
scarabs
a chain of movie and vaudeville theaters that later merged with other circuits to become RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) corporation
Orpehum Circuit
1863 armed conflict in New York City between factions with opposing positions towards the Civil War, largest urban civil disturbance in U.S. history
New York City draft riots
Cuban at center of child custody dispute in 2000
Elian Gonzalez
Cuban-American mayor of Miami-Dade county during 2000 U.S. presidential election
Alex Penelas
Quaker poet and abolitionist
John Greenleaf Whittier
the “Hoosier Poet”
James Whitcomb Riley
the Sex and the City character who is bland and boring and has no life
Miranda
royal court of the UK and administrative site of all diplomatic relations between UK and other countries
Court of St James’s
speech given by Nixon in 1952 in which he defended his use of funds donated to his campaign and in which he vowed to keep one gift, the dog Checkers
the “Checkers” speech
composition by Aaron Copland recorded by ELP
“Fanfare for the Common Man”
1957 film debut of Andy Griffith
A Face in the Crowd
name for smart-casual dress; an Islamic legal scholar
mufti
indoor arena in Daly City, CA (near San Francisco), site of 1964 Republican National Convention
Cow Palace
strangulation device used for capital punishment
garrote
a wise lawgiver
solon
new name of former Fort Hood, an army post in Kileen, Texas
Fort Cavazos
three soldiers stationed at Fort Hood who refused orders to deploy to Vietnam
the “Fort Hood Three”
antiwar coffeehouses established near U.S. military bases during the Vietnam War
G.I. coffeehouses
prime minister of South Africa in the 1960s and architect of apartheid
Verwoerd
former TV host who withdrew from limelight after mental decline
Wendy Williams
also known as “MGK”, American singer, rapper, and actor
Machine Gun Kelly
Georgia river and Alan Jackson song
Cattahoochee
segregationist governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971
Lester Maddox
Democratic governor of Maryland who ran under the slogan, “Your home is your castle: protect it.”
George Mahoney
cart for carrying prisoners to the guillotine
tumbrel
wife of George III
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
1971 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld busing as remedy for addressing racial imbalance
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
children’s song whose lyrics allude to bodily waste functions
“Milk, Milk, Lemonade”
1989 Depeche Mode song
“Your Own Personal Jesus”
the Upper East Side (UES) of Manhattan in New York City was once known as the Silk Stocking District because of its wealthy residents who could afford silk stockings
“Silk Stocking District”
liberal Republian mayor of NYC in the 1960s
John Lindsay
a self-important or pretentious official
panjandrum
a low, contemptible person
blackguard
the German S-mine which launched into a few meters into the air before exploding
“bouncing Betty”
brand of canned heat
Sterno
Christmas song sung by Darlene Love
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
1964 Barry Goldwater campaign slogan
“In your heart, you know he’s right.”
to be out of sorts (Fr.)
ne pas se sentir dans son assiette
1950s song by Danny and the Juniors
“At the Hop”
to save the situation (Ger.)
die Kuh vom Eis holen
American actor who played a General Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove
Sterling Hayden
academic term for cannibalism
anthropophagy
a brief increase
boomlet
a ragamuffin, pauper
tatterdemalion
