The End of an Era

|By Carol Brennan| The remarkable reign of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II ended on September 8, 2022, when the 96-year-old monarch died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her astonishing 70-year reign—the longest of any British sovereign—might be measured by noting that when she ascended to the throne of the House of Windsor upon the death of … Read more

Plan Your Next Great Classroom Debate with Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints

| By Gale Staff | It’s difficult for most of us to say goodbye to summer, whether you’re a student or an educator. How do you get young minds to transition out of vacation mode and tune in to what’s happening in the classroom? Give them something to talk about, of course! Getting off on … Read more

Catholic Church Reverses Ban on Galileo’s Writings

Two hundred years ago this week, on September 11, 1822, the Catholic Church formally removed Galileo Galilei’s writings from its Index of Prohibited Books. Despite the fact that Galileo was a devoted Catholic, the conflict between him and the Catholic Church over the view of the sun, and not the earth, as the center of … Read more

India and Pakistan Gain Independence 75 Years Ago

| By Gale Staff | Seventy-five years ago this week, two of the world’s most populous countries, India and Pakistan, gained their independence. The entire Indian subcontinent had been under the colonial rule of Great Britain since the mid-nineteenth century, and Britain finally acceded to India’s and Pakistan’s independence on August 15, 1947 (although Pakistan … Read more