Vladimir Shukhov (1853)

Though less widely known than his contemporaries Thomas Edison and Gustave Eiffel, Russian engineer, scientist, and architect Vladimir Shukhov has drawn comparisons to both of them. His innovations in the petroleum refining process and the means of transporting petroleum products revolutionized the oil industry, while his architectural works were of a sort never seen before. He pioneered the construction of thin-shell and tensile structures as well as what innovative type of curved structure? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Tuskegee Experiments

One of the most shameful acts in the history of American medicine, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study allowed 400 African-American men with syphilis—mostly poor, uneducated tenant farmers—to go untreated for almost 40 years. Begun in 1932 and sponsored by the US government, the study deliberately withheld treatments—and later the cure—from participants in order to chart the course of untreated syphilis. The study was not shut down until press reports emerged in 1972. What happened in the aftermath? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

IRA Bomb Kills British Statesman and Naval Commander Louis Mountbatten (1979)

A British statesman and former naval commander, Mountbatten often spent his summers in Mullaghmore, Ireland, an area also frequented by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In the summer of 1979, IRA member Thomas McMahon planted a bomb in Mountbatten’s boat, and it exploded as Mountbatten and some family members left on a fishing trip. Mountbatten was killed along with his grandson and another boy working on the boat. What other IRA incident happened the same day? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Helen Gibson (1892)

Gibson was an American film actress, producer, trick rider, and rodeo performer, but her greatest claim to fame was that she was the first professional American stuntwoman. She got her start in stunt work doubling for Helen Holmes in The Hazards of Helen adventure film series and eventually took over the role entirely. She suffered a series of setbacks in the mid-1920s but persevered and managed to revive her Hollywood career. What are some of the dangerous stunts she performed? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Assassin

Assassin is a real-life role-playing game that is particularly popular on college campuses. Though rules vary, the game usually begins when a host assigns targets to the players. The goal is for players to track down and eliminate their targets—acquiring the eliminated victim’s target each time—until only one player remains. Targets are pursued around the clock, so to be successful, players must remain vigilant at all times. What are some of the “weapons” used to eliminate targets? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Muppet on Mars? NASA image from the Red Planet sparks comparisons to famous puppet

Extra terrestrials may not be openly roaming the Red Planet, but muppets might be. A recent image taken by a camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in the midst of a Martian dust storm captured a view of Mars’ south pole — and a formation … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Battle of Katzbach (1813)

During the Napoleonic Wars, France battled the shifting alliances of European powers in an attempt to affirm Napoleon’s supremacy. The battle between the French and the Prussians at the Katzbach River, however, came about somewhat by accident. On a stormy August day in the Prussian province of Silesia, the two forces stumbled upon one another. The French recovered from the surprise first and attacked despite orders to defend. Their effort was met with a heavy counterattack. Who won the battle? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary