First Pasteurization Test Conducted (1862)

Pasteurization is the process of heating beverages or food, such as milk, beer, or cheese, to a specific temperature for a specific period of time in order to kill microorganisms that could cause disease, spoilage, or undesired fermentation. The process was named after its creator, French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who conducted the first pasteurization test with fellow French scientist Claude Bernard in 1862. Why is pasteurization not designed to kill all microorganisms in food? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sechseläuten

This colorful springtime festival in Zurich, Switzerland, ushers in spring by exploding the Böögg (“snowman”), the symbol of winter. Sechseläuten means the “six-o’clock ringing.” On Monday, members of the guilds parade through the city in medieval costumes, accompanied by bands. Everyone converges at six that evening. The bells ring, groups on horseback gallop around the Böögg (which is stuffed with cotton wadding and firecrackers) to the music of a hunting march, and then the Böögg explodes and burns. Torchlight parades go on into the night, and feasts are held at guild halls. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Harold Lloyd (1893)

Famous for his comic portrayals of a wistful innocent with horn-rimmed glasses who blunders in and out of hair-raising situations, American movie actor Harold Lloyd was the most popular film comedian of the 1920s. He appeared in over 500 films, including many shorts, spanning both the silent and sound eras. Noted for his use of physical danger as a source of comedy, he performed his own stunts, famously hanging from the hands of a clock far above the street in an iconic scene from what film? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Marching Bands

A marching band is a sporting group of instrumental musicians that generally performs outdoors. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments, and the music usually incorporates a strong rhythmic component suitable for marching. Marching bands grew out of military bands, which used to control troop movements on the field. What military traditions survive in modern marching bands? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The World’s First Space Station Is Launched (1971)

The world’s first space station, the Soviet Salyut 1, was launched in 1971. The cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz 11 spacecraft were the first to enter, remaining aboard for 22 days. By 1982, five more Salyut space stations had been orbited successfully, two of them for military purposes. By rotating the crews regularly, the Soviets were able to staff the stations for extended periods. All the Salyut space stations decayed and are no longer in orbit. What happened to Salyut 1? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Venezuela Declaration of Independence Day

Revolutionary struggle against Spanish rule began in Venezuela in 1810. On July 5, 1811, a group of citizens in Caracas became the first in South America to proclaim a formal declaration of independence from Spain. Forces led by Simón Bolívar assured independence in 1821. April 19 is a separate national holiday, known as Declaration of Independence Day, while July 5 is celebrated as Independence Day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Glenn Seaborg (1912)

In 1940, American chemist Glenn Seaborg and his colleagues discovered plutonium. He soon joined the Manhattan Project and was instrumental in the development of the atomic bomb, which he unsuccessfully pressed President Truman not to use on civilian targets. In 1951, he and Edwin McMillan shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on transuranium elements. During his lifetime, Seaborg held dozens of patents—among them the only patents ever issued for what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Slot Machines

Slot machines are popular casino games that constitute about 70% of the average casino’s income. The player pulls a handle to rotate a series of reels that have pictures printed on them. Winning or losing is determined by which pictures line up with the pay line, a line in the middle of a viewing window. Some believe skill is involved in the game, but the probability of a win is determined by the game’s random number generator. Who invented the slot machine? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary