Artie Shaw (1910)

Considered one of swing’s two great clarinetists—along with his rival, Benny Goodman—Shaw was a virtuoso at his instrument. He began playing professionally as a teen before becoming leader of one of the most popular big bands of the swing era. In 1935, he performed with a string quartet that he later expanded into a more conventional dance band. He led a US Navy band during World War II and various ensembles later on, retiring in 1954. How many times was Shaw married? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Capacocha: Pre-Columbian Child Sacrifice

The ritualistic killing of children was a common religious practice in some of the prominent pre-Colombian cultures. The Olmec civilization, which flourished in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico between 1200 and 400 BCE, may have been one such society. Evidence of the brutal practice was found in the El Manatí sacrificial bog, where the skeletons of an unknown number of infants were uncovered. How many times a year did the Aztecs celebrate religious festivals with child sacrifice? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Pac-Man Arcade Game Released (1980)

First released in Japan in 1980, Pac-Man went on to become one of the most famous arcade games of all time. Developed by Namco video game designer Toru Iwatani, the game became an icon of 80s pop culture and is often credited with being a landmark in video game history. For the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man in 2010, Google turned its homepage logo into a fully playable version of the game. How much productivity did businesses reportedly lose from employees playing the game? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Yemen National Day

In November 1967, British soldiers evacuated Yemen, and the National Liberation Front declared the formation of the independent state of the People’s Republic of South Yemen. Yemen National Day observes the official proclamation of the unification of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) on May 22, 1990. An agreement to a common constitution, government, and economy between both had been signed the day before. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Richard Wagner (1813)

Wagner was a German composer whose astonishing works made him one of the most influential figures in the history of Western music. He revolutionized the 19th-century idea of opera, seeing it as a wholly new art form in which musical, poetic, and scenic elements should come together through such devices as the leitmotif—a recurring melodic phrase used to illustrate a character or idea. His operas include Tristan and Isolde, as well as his masterpiece, a four-opera cycle known as what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Vampire Fish of the Amazon

The candirú is a parasitic freshwater catfish typically found in the Amazon River. The translucent, eel-shaped “toothpick fish” is reputed to be the most feared fish in the river and earned this distinction because of its proclivity for attacking and entering the human body via any available orifice, especially the urethra. The creature has protruding spines which make it nearly impossible to remove from the body without surgical intervention. How does the fish locate its human host? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Island of Saint Helena Discovered (1502)

The uninhabited island of St. Helena was discovered by Portuguese navigator João da Nova in the eastern South Atlantic, 1,200 mi (1,931 km) west of Africa. It became a port of call for ships sailing between Europe and the East Indies and was annexed by the British East India Company in 1659. Because of the island’s remoteness, when the British exiled Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, he was sent there. It became a British crown colony in 1834. What is its status today? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Festival, or Maryland Preakness Celebration, culminates in the running of the Preakness Stakes, the “middle jewel of the Triple Crown” of horseracing—the other two being the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. Held at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, the Preakness was first run on May 27, 1873. The festival leading up to the race features recreational, sporting, and cultural events—including hot air balloons, a 5K run, and a parade. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary