Marco Polo was a Venetian trader and explorer who, together with his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo, was one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China and visit with Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan. Polo helped generate extraordinary interest in the Far East among Europeans, and his book, Il Milione, was an instant hit at a time when books had to be painstakingly copied by hand. What famous explorer carried a heavily annotated copy of Polo’s book? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
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The iconic Hollywood sign overlooking the community and spelling out its name in 50-foot (15-meter) high white letters originally said “Hollywoodland” and was erected as an advertisement for a real estate firm promoting a new housing development with that name. Though not intended to be permanent, the sign quickly became an internationally recognized landmark, and the last four letters were removed in 1949. What are some of the ways that pranksters have altered the sign over the years? 
This event takes place on the Pierre St. Martin, in the 
Alberto Ascari was just 7 years old when his racecar driver father was killed in the 1925 French Grand Prix, but that did not deter him from following in his father’s footsteps. He went on to become a successful driver and remains one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport. In 1955, he was thrown from his car during a crash and killed. Both he and his father were 36 when they died. What other eerie similarities exist between his death and that of his father? 
Conchs are marine gastropod mollusks with heavy, spiral shells with overlapping whorls. Unlike other gastropods, which crawl, conchs move by jumping. Most conchs are carnivorous, feeding on bivalve mollusks. Their shells are used for carving cameos in Europe and are sometimes made into crude instruments by removing the small tip of the shell to form a mouthpiece. In popular folklore, it is believed that the ocean can be heard if one holds an open conch shell to the ear. How does it work? 
In the presidential election of 1800, a tie between Thomas Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, left the choice of chief executive to the House of Representatives. Hamilton’s influence made Jefferson President and Burr Vice President. In 1804, Hamilton again thwarted Burr in his bid for governorship of New York, and Burr challenged him to a duel. The two men met on July 11, and Hamilton was mortally wounded and died the next day. Why do some believe Hamilton missed Burr on purpose? 
Born in Chile as Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, Neruda began writing poetry at age 10, published his most popular work, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, at 20, and was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. A surrealist, he revitalized everyday expressions and employed bold metaphors in free verse. In his writings and his political career as a leader of the Chilean Communist party and as a diplomat, he exerted a wide influence in Latin America. Why did he use a pen name?