Verrazano Day

Observed in New York state, Verrazano Day commemorates the discovery of New York Harbor by the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano on April 17, 1524. With the backing of King Francis I of France, Verrazano sailed his ship to the New World, reaching the Carolina coast in March 1524, and then sailing northward, exploring the eastern coast of North America. He also discovered Block Island and Narragansett Bay in what is now Rhode Island. In naming the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, New York gave Verrazano official recognition. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

John Pierpont Morgan (1837)

The son of a financier, Morgan began his career as an accountant before being named a partner in the firm that became J.P. Morgan and Company. One of the world’s most powerful railroad magnates, he formed a syndicate to supply the US Treasury’s depleted gold reserves and financed the mergers that formed General Electric and US Steel Corporation—the world’s first billion-dollar corporation. In addition to being a noted art collector, Morgan had one of America’s most important collections of what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Sword of Gou Jian

In 1965, archeologists excavating ancient tombs in Hubei, China, discovered a bronze sword sheathed tightly in a wooden scabbard. The weapon had been in a wet, underground tomb for over 2,000 years, yet the blade remained untarnished and sharp. Scientists, amazed by the sword’s resilience, tested it to determine its chemical composition and found it to be an alloy of six metals. What does the “text of birds and worms” inscribed on the blade tell historians about the artifact? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Using Intuition, Human Gamers Solve Problems that Today’s Computers Can’t

Scientists have been able to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capable of besting humans at their own games, but a new study suggests that people may have the upper hand when it comes to intuitive thinking. A team of researchers led by Denmark’s … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tensions between US and USSR First Described as “Cold War” (1947)

Lasting from the end of WWII until 1991, the Cold War was a period of political hostility and military tension between the Western powers, primarily the US and its allies, and the Communist bloc. Although there were a number of military conflicts during this time, including the Berlin Blockade, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War was waged mainly on political, economic, and propaganda fronts. Who first used the term “Cold War” to describe the conflict? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Thingyan

The three-day feast of the New Year in Burma (now Myanmar) is also known as the Water Festival because of the custom of throwing or squirting water on others. The festival has been a tradition for centuries. During the celebration, pots of clear water are offered to monks at monasteries to wash or sprinkle images of the Buddha. Everyone else gets drenched, as young men and women roam the streets dousing everybody with buckets of water or turning hoses on them. The water-splashing custom originated with the idea that, through this ritual, the bad luck and sins of the old year were washed away. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Jules Hardouin Mansart (1646)

Mansart was a French architect and town planner who completed the Palace of Versailles. Favored by Louis XIV, he was made the chief architect for royal buildings. After enlarging the château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he began work at Versailles. Much of his work was executed in Roman baroque style, but some of his designs at Versailles point toward the lightness and elegance of the rococo. The impressive Dôme des Invalides in Paris is considered his greatest achievement. Who was his great-uncle? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Astrobiology

Astrobiology, also called exobiology, combines aspects of astronomy, biology, and geology in an interdisciplinary study of life in space. According to astrobiologists, the search for extraterrestrial life throughout the universe is governed by 6 basic parameters that determine whether an environment can support life: temperature, pressure, salinity, acidity, water availability, and oxygen content. Which 3 planetary bodies, located within our solar system, are best equipped to sustain life? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary