October 26 Through History

Explanation: Yi Sun-sin is considered one of the greatest admirals in world history. His famous "turtle ships" (geobukseon), covered with a metal shell, allowed him to revolutionize naval warfare. At Myong-Yang, he is estimated to have faced around 333 Japanese ships with only 13 Korean vessels.

Explanation: The gunfight at the O.K. Corral pitted the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday against the Clanton and McLaury brothers in Tombstone, Arizona. It lasted less than thirty seconds but became one of the most mythologized events in the history of the American West, immortalized in dozens of films.

Explanation: Jean-Dominique Cassini, an Italian-French astronomer, discovered a total of four satellites of Saturn: Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys, and Dione. The Cassini-Huygens space probe, which orbited Saturn between 2004 and 2017, was named in his honor. Iapetus is notable for its spectacular two-toned coloring: one half black, the other white.

Explanation: The Beatles received the medal of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This appointment caused controversy: several former recipients returned their decorations as a sign of protest, feeling that pop musicians didn't deserve this honor. John Lennon himself returned his MBE in 1969 as a protest against the Vietnam War.

Explanation: François Mitterrand was the first socialist president of the 5th Republic and the only one to have completed two full seven-year terms. He had to cohabit twice with right-wing governments: from 1986 to 1988 with Jacques Chirac, then from 1993 to 1995 with Édouard Balladur. He died on January 8, 1996, six months after leaving office.

Explanation: An Jung-geun was executed in March 1910. Paradoxically, his act hastened the very catastrophe he wanted to prevent: the total annexation of Korea by Japan was formalized on August 22, 1910. Ito Hirobumi, although an advocate of a more moderate approach toward Korea than other Japanese leaders, remains a controversial figure. An Jung-geun is today considered a national hero in South Korea.

Explanation: The Battle of Adwa (March 1, 1896), which preceded the treaty, was a humiliating defeat for Italy and one of the rare victories of an African army against a European colonial power. Ethiopia became a symbol of resistance for African peoples. Italy took its revenge in 1935-1936 under Mussolini, by invading and occupying Ethiopia.

Explanation: Carlo Collodi published The Adventures of Pinocchio as a serial in a children's newspaper starting in 1881, before a book publication in 1883. The story of the wooden puppet whose nose grows when he lies became a worldwide classic, adapted as an animated film by Walt Disney in 1940. Collodi is the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini, who took this pseudonym as a tribute to the Tuscan village where his mother was from.

Explanation: In 2018, Jacinda Ardern became the 2nd head of government in the world to give birth while in office, after Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in 1990. She also made history with her handling of the Christchurch attack in 2019, receiving international praise for her empathy and swift action to reform gun laws.

Explanation: Danton, who had presided over the National Convention, was accused by Robespierre of being lenient toward the enemies of the Revolution and of corruption. Arrested in March 1794, he was guillotined on April 5, 1794 along with his friends the Dantonists. His last words are said to have been: "Show my head to the people, it's worth seeing." His death weakened Robespierre, who was himself guillotined three months later.