Karl Landsteiner (1868)

Landsteiner was an Austrian-born American medical researcher who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the four basic human blood groups—A, B, O, and AB—which enabled the first successful blood transfusion to be performed in 1907. He was also involved in the discovery of the polio virus, and he helped identify the human blood protein known as the Rh factor. In the 1930s, Landsteiner successfully cultured the organism that causes what disease? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Swiss Cheese Model of Accident Causation

When negative circumstances align, accidents happen—that’s what British psychologist James T. Reason asserts with his Swiss Cheese model of accident causation, a model used in the risk analysis and risk management of human systems. Essentially, the model, which has been applied to healthcare, aviation safety, and emergency service organizations, states that a system produces a failure when all of its “holes” momentarily line up. What are the four levels of failure set forth by Reason? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The New York Times Begins Publication of the Pentagon Papers (1971)

The Pentagon Papers were top secret government documents detailing US involvement in SE Asia from WWII to 1968. In 1971, a former government employee leaked portions of the 47-volume study, which revealed both miscalculation and deception on the part of US policymakers, to The New York Times, which began publishing articles about it. Citing national security, the Justice Department obtained an injunction against further publication, and the case went to the Supreme Court. How did it rule? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Second Day of Shavuot

Shavuot (“weeks”) is the second of the three Pilgrim Festivals. At one time, all adult male Jews were expected to bring their first omer, or “sheaf,” of barley to the Temple in Jerusalem as a thanksgiving offering. Today, dairy dishes are associated with Shavuot, particularly cheese blintzes. After the period of Jewish slavery in Egypt, Shavuot celebrated Moses’ return from the top of Mt. Sinai with the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, and it is therefore also known as the Festival of the Giving of the Law. Jews living in Israel observe only the first day of Shavuot. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40 CE)

Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain, where he was made consul and governor after a distinguished military and political career. He pacified most of the territory, conquering North Wales and advancing far into Scotland, and also circumnavigated the island. His biography, the De Vita et Moribus Lulii AgricolaeThe Life and Character of Julius Agricola—was the first published work of his son-in-law, what Roman historian? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sleepwalking

An estimated 18 percent of the world’s population is prone to sleepwalking. While most cases simply consist of sitting up in bed, there are a number of documented cases of eating, bathing, and even driving and committing murder while sleeping. The sleep disorder is more common in people with high levels of stress and anxiety and among those with a family history of sleepwalking. What tragic Shakespearean character, wracked with an overwhelming sense of guilt, is driven to sleepwalk? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary