Thales

Thales of Miletus, one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece, was a pre-Socratic philosopher and scientist. He is traditionally considered the first Western philosopher and a founder of geometry and abstract astronomy. As a philosophical materialist, Thales theorized that water was the first principle of all things. He speculated that the Earth floated on water, and so proposed an explanation for earthquakes. A capable astronomer, Thales is said to have predicted what celestial phenomenon in 585 BCE? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The “Miracle on Ice” (1980)

Voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated magazine, the unlikely victory of the US men’s hockey team over its Soviet counterpart during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games has been called the “Miracle on Ice.” The Soviet team was considered the world’s best international hockey team, while the US team was made up of amateur and collegiate players. Who scored the decisive goal in the game, allowing the US to go on to the gold-medal game against Finland? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Taeborum

Taeborum marks the first full moon of the Lunar New Year in Korea. The day is regarded as the final opportunity to ensure good luck for the coming year; it is considered lucky on this day for people to routinely repeat their actions nine times—particularly children, who compete to see how many “lucky nines” they can achieve before the day is over. Another popular sport is the tug-of-war. In some areas, an entire town or county is divided into opposing teams. It is widely believed that the winners will bring in a plentiful crop and will be protected from disease in the coming year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788)

An unhappy and solitary man, Schopenhauer was a German philosopher whose works earned him the title “the philosopher of pessimism.” The bias of his own temperament and experience was crucial to the development of his celebrated philosophy—reflections on the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of nature, aesthetics, and ethics—which he presented with such clarity and skill as to gain eventual recognition as one of the great philosophers. Schopenhauer was heavily influenced by what Hindu texts? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Biomes

A biome is a large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct geographic region. Terrestrial biomes, typically defined by their climate and dominant vegetation, include grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests. The two basic aquatic biomes, freshwater and marine, can be further broken down into categories such as lakes and rivers or pelagic, benthic, and intertidal zones. At what latitudes does biodiversity generally increase? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

German Socialist Kurt Eisner Is Assassinated (1919)

Eisner was a German journalist and politician. From 1898, he was editor of Vorwärts, the official Social Democratic Party newspaper. He joined the Independent Social Democratic Party in 1917, later becoming its leader. In November 1918, he organized a Socialist revolution that overthrew the monarchy in Bavaria, and he became the first prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the new Bavarian republic. In February 1919, Eisner was assassinated while on his way to do what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary