History Tap No. 26: October 24, 2026

Round 1: landmark

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Established in Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, in 2011.

• Although this is not the first memorial to an African American in Washington, D.C., King is the first African American honored with a memorial on or near the National Mall and only the fourth non-president to be memorialized in such a way.
• The memorial opened to the public on August 22, 2011, after more than two decades of planning, fundraising, and construction.
• It covers four acres (1.6 ha) and includes the Stone of Hope, a granite statue of civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. carved by sculptor Lei Yixin.

Round 2: landmark

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Opened in Los Angeles, California, on May 18, 1927.

• Built by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman over 18 months beginning in January 1926, the theater opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings.
• Among the theater's features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.
• In 2013, the Chinese Theatre collaborated with IMAX Corporation to convert the house into a custom-designed IMAX theater.

Round 3: historic event, world

eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79

Happened in Mount Vesuvius, Italy, on October 24, 79.

• In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, a stratovolcano located in the modern-day region of Campania, Italy, erupted, causing one of the deadliest eruptions in history.
• Pompeii and Herculaneum, obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, are the most famous examples.
• The remains of over 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Round 4: landmark

Rocky Mountain National Park

Established in Colorado, in 1915.

• The park is one of the most visited in the National Park System, ranking as the third most visited national park in 2015.
• The Civilian Conservation Corps built the main automobile route, Trail Ridge Road, in the 1930s.
• The Rocky Mountain National Park Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on January 26, 1915, establishing the park boundaries and protecting the area for future generations.

Round 5: historic event, world

Congress of Vienna

Happened in Austria, in 1815.

• In the eventual settlement, France had to give up all of Napoleon's conquests (while keeping certain territories conquered before his seizure of power), while the other three main powers made major territorial gains around the world.
• At the negotiation table, the position of France was weaker than those of the United Kingdom, Prussia, Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire, partly due to Napoleon's recent defeat.
• Prussia added territory from smaller states: Swedish Pomerania, most of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the western part of the former Duchy of Warsaw.