Joseph Radetzky von Radetz (1766)

Radetzky was an Austrian army officer. After fighting with distinction against the French in the Napoleonic Wars, he became chief of staff and attempted to modernize the Austrian army. As commander in chief of the Austrian army in northern Italy in 1848—in his eighties at the time—he suppressed a revolt in the Austrian-ruled provinces of Lombardy and Venetia, where he later served as governor-general. His status as a national hero inspired what famous composer to name a march in his honor? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Recapitulation Theory

The now discredited theory of recapitulation, also known as the biogenetic law, states that the stages in an organism’s embryonic development and differentiation (ontogeny) correspond to the stages of evolutionary development characteristic to its species (phylogeny). Ernst Haeckel, who proposed the theory in 1866, produced a number of controversial embryo drawings to support this premise. How did he interpret the presence of gill slits in human embryos? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Seabiscuit Defeats War Admiral in the “Match of the Century” (1938)

Seabiscuit was a famous thoroughbred racehorse. As a colt, he was undersized, knobby kneed, and given to sleeping and eating. He failed to win any of his first races and became the butt of stable jokes. In the midst of the Great Depression, however, he began to win a number of prestigious and unlikely races, becoming a symbol of hope to many Americans. Then, in a race dubbed the “Match of the Century,” he met War Admiral, who had won the elusive Triple Crown, and defeated him by what margin? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

National Author’s Day

The idea of setting aside a day to celebrate American authors came from Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement (Illinois) Women’s Club in 1928. In 1949, the day was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Sue Cole, McPherson’s granddaughter, was largely responsible for promoting the observation of National Author’s Day after her grandmother’s death in 1968. She urged people to write a note to their favorite author on this day to “brighten up the sometimes lonely business of being a writer.” Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Stephen Crane (1871)

Often classified as the first modern American writer, Crane was among the first to introduce realism into American literature. He achieved international fame with his masterwork, The Red Badge of Courage, which depicts the psychological turmoil of a young Civil War soldier. While traveling as a war correspondent, Crane survived a shipwreck and ended up adrift in a dinghy. This ordeal inspired him to write the acclaimed story “The Open Boat.” What took his life when he was just 28? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Pulse Palpation

A pulse is caused by the alternate expansion and contraction of artery walls as heart action varies blood volume within the arteries. The arteries become distended during systole, or heart contraction, and their walls contract during diastole, when the heart relaxes. The pulse, measured in beats per minute, can be felt at a number of points throughout the human body, but is most commonly palpated at the wrist or neck. Where are the pulse points in the lower limbs? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary