A scab is a worker who crosses a picket line, breaks a strike, or refuses to join a union. The word dates back to medieval Europe, where scabbed skin was linked to a corrupt character, and English writers used it for a scoundrel. American workers adopted it in the 19th century, and by the 1880s unions and periodicals used it routinely against anyone who cooperated with employers. Jack London's 1904 essay The Scab argued that most strikebreakers act from economic necessity, not malice, because they cannot get work on the same terms. The label was also applied unfairly to Black workers, who were often shut out of unions and had to take jobs during strikes.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.