NASA says it has received a signal from 540 million miles across the solar system, confirming its Juno spacecraft has successfully started orbiting Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. “Welcome to Jupiter!” flashed on screens at mission control at … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum that sank into the sea after a series of explosions and a massive fire, killing 167 men. Only 59 of the workers survived. The initial blast is believed to have resulted from the activation of a pump that was missing a safety valve. A poorly planned evacuation process exacerbated the disaster. Why did nearby platforms continue to pump gas and oil to Piper Alpha after it was engulfed in flames? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Rath Yatra is an outpouring of tens of thousands of pilgrims to honor Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, in Puri in the state of Orissa, India. During the festival, wooden images of Jagannath, his brother, Balbhadra, and his sister, Subhadra, are taken in procession in three huge chariots or carts that look like temples and are called raths. They go from the Jagannath Temple to be bathed at Gundicha Mandir, a temple about a mile away. This is such a popular festival because all castes are considered equal, and everyone has to eat the food prepared by low caste men at the shrine. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Kellerman was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, and writer. Her 1907 performance of “water ballet” is often credited with popularizing the sport of synchronized swimming. Kellerman was also known for advocating the right of women to wear one-piece bathing suits and was once famously arrested for indecency for doing so herself. In 1908, a Harvard University professor named her the “Perfect Woman” because of the similarity of her physical attributes to what figure? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
During World War I, shell shock was considered a psychiatric illness resulting from injury to the nerves during combat. The condition is now known as combat stress reaction, a military term used to categorize a range of behaviors resulting from the stresses of battle. Symptoms include fatigue, slowed reaction time, indecision, disconnection from one’s surroundings, and the inability to prioritize. Why did some argue during the Vietnam War that distressed soldiers should be sent back to combat? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A slender double-reed instrument; a woodwind with a conical bore and a double-reed mouthpiece.
Synonyms: oboe.
Usage: What hautboys and Zamora bagpipes we shall hear, what tabors, timbrels, and rebecks!
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Could a bird stay aloft for days at a time, without landing or taking a break? How about an entire month? More than two months? The answer, as you may have guessed, is a resounding “yes.” And which bird, exactly, could accomplish such a feat? That would be … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Perhaps the most famous sheep in history, Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell through the somatic cell nuclear transfer technique, in which the nucleus of an egg cell is replaced by the nucleus of a cell from the organism to be cloned. In successful cases, the egg cell develops into a healthy fetus, but the success rate of cloning has been low. Of 277 eggs, only 29 created viable embryos, and Dolly was the only one to survive to adulthood. How did she get her name? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On July 5, 1995, four years after Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union, the national government adopted a new constitution. Constitution Day, a public holiday, commemorates the creation of a new governmental framework and the beginning of another era for this small country, which for over seven decades had been a Soviet satellite. The government rewards the public sector with a day off on Constitution Day. Victory Park, located in the capital city of Yerevan, usually stages performances that feature traditional music and dance. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary