The Golden Age of Whodunit

Beginning in the 1920s, the complex, plot-driven, whodunit genre of detective fiction experienced a 30-year Golden Age. In these stories, the puzzle takes center stage, and readers, who are provided with clues throughout the book, are challenged to deduce the perpetrator’s identity before it is revealed in the mystery’s final pages. Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone (1868) is widely regarded as one of the first true whodunits. What famed children’s author also penned a whodunit in 1922? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Home Birth with Midwife No Riskier than Hospital Birth for Low-Risk Women: Study

For women with low-risk pregnancies, babies delivered at home with a midwife are at no greater risk of harm than those born in a hospital with a midwife’s assistance, an Ontario study has found. The three-year study of almost 23,000 pregnancies found the … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Discovery of the Planet Vulcan Is Announced (1860)

To account for inconsistencies between Mercury’s predicted and observed orbital path, French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Leverrier postulated that a tiny, hypothetical planet, which he named Vulcan, was present within Mercury’s orbit. Sightings of Vulcan were reported until 1878, and Leverrier died believing he had discovered another planet. Eventually, however, the orbital anomalies were explained by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. After what was the hypothetical planet named? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Haiti Ancestors’ Day

In Haiti, the Independence Day festivities that occur on the first day of the year continue into the second with Jour des Aieux (Ancestors’ Day), an occasion for remembering the founders of Haiti and those who sacrificed their lives during the revolution of the early 19th century. A large meal often accompanies the day’s festivities, and military processions may also take place on Ancestors’ Day. In years past, particularly during the reign of President François Duvalier (1971-1986), the executive leader used this day to deliver radio and television speeches to the nation. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mehmed IV (1642)

After the deposition and murder of his father, Sultan Ibrahim, 7-year-old Mehmed IV ascended the throne of the Ottoman Empire. Chaos and corruption followed, and though grand vizier Mehmed Köprülü managed to restore order, the empire suffered severe setbacks. In 1683, the Turks besieged Vienna but were repulsed by King John III of Poland, and a Holy League was formed to carry the war into Ottoman territory. Mehmed was deposed after a Turkish defeat by Charles V of Lorraine. Who succeeded him? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Hoff

David Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. Though “The Hoff” spent a six-year stint on The Young and the Restless, he is best known for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch. During the late 1980s, he enjoyed significant musical success, particularly in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. In 1994, Hasselhoff was scheduled to perform a pay-per-view concert that would hopefully reignite his US musical career. What major news event diverted his viewers? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Nicolas Cage Returns Stolen Dinosaur Skull (This Should Be His Next Movie)

Nicolas Cage has returned a stolen dinosaur skull, and no, this is not the plot of National Treasure 3. According to Reuters, the star bought a Tyrannosaurus bataar skull for $276K from a gallery, which is being returned to Mongolia. Cage agreed to … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Edwin Hubble Announces Existence of Other Galaxies (1925)

Edwin Hubble worked as a basketball coach and teacher, served in World War I, and studied law before focusing his energies on astronomy. On January 1, 1925, he made a groundbreaking announcement, declaring that fuzzy “nebulae” seen earlier with less powerful telescopes were not part of our galaxy but were actually galaxies themselves. With the findings now known as Hubble’s law, he was also the first to provide evidence to support what theory about the universe? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary