Definition: (noun) A fragment of incombustible matter left after a wood or coal or charcoal fire.
Synonyms: clinker.
Usage: Ella loved to read by the fire; her cruel stepsisters dubbed her "Cinderella," since her face was often blackened with cinder dust.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
After King Henry VIII divorced her mother, Catherine of Aragon, and married Anne Boleyn, Mary was declared illegitimate and lost her place in the line of succession. In 1553, her granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, was deposed following a nine-day reign, and Mary—restored to the line of succession in 1544—became queen. She restored Roman Catholicism to England, but the resulting persecution of Protestants and the execution of some 300 heretics earned her the hatred of her subjects and what nickname? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Kinderzeche is a festival in Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria, Germany, to honor the children who saved the town during the Thirty Years’ War of 1618-48. In 1632, according to legend, as Swedish troops rode into town, a small band of children appeared before the commander and asked for his mercy. The commander’s heart softened, and he spared the town. The celebration today is a reenactment of the event, with participants in costumes of 17th-century town councilors and soldiers. Highlights of the festival include the parade of the Dinkelsbühl Boys’ Band and a performance of a sword dance. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Colt patented his revolving-breech pistol in 1836, but the six-shooter was slow to gain acceptance, and his company failed in 1842. However, a US government order for 1,000 pistols during the Mexican War allowed Colt to resume its manufacture in 1847. Colt advanced the development of interchangeable parts and the assembly line, and his revolvers, including the famous Colt .45, became so popular that the word “Colt” was sometimes used as a generic term for any revolver. What else did Colt invent? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising 8 private institutions of higher education located in the Northeastern US. The term became ubiquitous with the formation of the NCAA Division I athletic conference in 1954, and it is now also commonly used to refer to those schools considered as a group. The Ivy League universities are also referred to as the Ancient Eight, and all but one of them are older than the American Revolution; which one was founded after the Civil War? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A heated greenhouse for plants that require an even, relatively warm temperature.
Synonyms: conservatory, indoor garden.
Usage: When those young ladies left your hothouse door open, with a frosty east wind blowing right in … it killed a good many of your plants.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The deadliest shooting spree in US history at the time, the San Ysidro McDonald’s Massacre took place at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Diego, California, and resulted in 21 deaths and 19 injuries. It was carried out by James Oliver Huberty, who had moved to the area just six months earlier and recently lost his job. The 77-minute massacre ended when Huberty was fatally shot by a sniper. Later that year, McDonald’s razed the building where the killings had occurred. What was built in its place? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Mollyockett was a Pequawket Indian who lived among the early settlers of western Maine. Born between 1730 and 1740, she lived in the area now known as Bethel after 1770. She was known as an “Indian doctress” who treated the white settlers of New England as well. The local festival known as Mollyockett Day in Bethel, Maine, started out in the 1950s as a fundraising event. The name was changed in honor of the Indian woman whose generosity and self-reliance have become legendary. The festival includes a parade, foot races, rubber ducky race, and Maine lobsters. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Kelly was an American gangster who became notorious for committing a series of robberies and killings during the prohibition era. After a stint in prison in 1928, Kelly married Kathryn Thorne, who reportedly purchased her husband’s first machine gun and coined his famous nickname. In 1933, he kidnapped millionaire Charles F. Urschel but was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 1954. What less violent nickname did Kelly reportedly earn during his time at Alcatraz? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Brownstone is a red to brown variety of sandstone, whose unusual color is caused in some instances by the presence of red iron oxide which acts as a cement, binding the sand grains together. During the Triassic period, vast thicknesses of brownstone were deposited in the Connecticut River Valley of the northeast, and they were used to build the many brownstone houses and buildings in the area between Baltimore and Boston. Is sandstone a durable building material? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary