Revered as the primary means by which the Qur’an has been preserved, Islamic calligraphy is the art of decorative writing that often employs Arabic script, which consists of a 28-letter alphabet and 18 different forms of writing. These calligraphic scripts are often woven into intricate pictographic calligrams depicting animals, mosques, and various other figures. Which Christian saint’s relics are wrapped in a shroud decorated with Islamic calligraphy? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A choice morsel, as of gossip or food.
Synonyms: choice morsel, titbit.
Usage: The book is chock-full of colorful tidbits about theater and theater people.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Cats have been constant companions to humanity for thousands of years. Yet scientists know remarkably little about their origins and their spread across the world.
Finally, the veil of mystery around the origins and spread of ancient cats is beginning to lift. The …
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1962, the Paddington Tram Depot in Brisbane, Australia, and 65 of its trams were destroyed in one of the largest fires in the city’s history. The strain that the destruction put on local transportation resources is generally considered to have brought about the beginning of the end for Brisbane’s tram system, which closed in 1969. After the fire, parts were salvaged from the destroyed trams and incorporated into new ones. What mythical creature adorns the trams bearing the salvaged parts? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This is a time to commemorate the birth of the teacher Confucius, perhaps the most influential man in China’s history. In Qufu, Shandong Province, China, the birthplace of Confucius, there is a two-week-long Confucian Culture Festival. During the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, Red Guards defaced many of the buildings in Qufu. They have since been restored, and the festival held there attracts scholars from China and abroad. The festival opens with a ceremony accompanied by ancient music and dance and includes exhibitions and lectures on the life and teachings of Confucius. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Famed American TV host Ed Sullivan started out as a journalist and gossip columnist but was hired by CBS to host the variety program that eventually became The Ed Sullivan Show because of his talent for discovering interesting performers. The program, featuring diverse entertainment, became a national institution for over 20 years, while Sullivan’s terse introductions of guests and distinctive mannerisms made him a popular target for comedians. What acts were banned from Sullivan’s show? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A number of years before he was placed on the US Secret Service’s Most Wanted List, bold con man Matthew Cox wrote a novel detailing the exploits of a man who travels across America committing many of the crimes for which Cox himself is currently incarcerated. Cox used approximately 30 aliases in his real life criminal pursuits, including the name of cartoon millionaire C. Montgomery Burns, and acquired between $5 million and $25 million in fraudulent property mortgaging deals. How did he do it? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church.
Synonyms: Gregorian chant, plainchant.
Usage: The music professor explained that in the Western church four main dialects of plainsong developed—Ambrosian, Roman, Mozarabic, and Gallican.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Exoplanets seem to be a dime a dozen these days — and even ones with two (or even three) suns in their sky have lost a bit of their wow factor. But the latest discovery of a “Tatooine” manages to stand apart. For the first time, scientists have spotted … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Urban VII was chosen to succeed Sixtus V as pope on September 15, 1590. His death from malaria 13 days later made his the shortest papal reign in history. His very short time as pope nevertheless gave rise to the world’s first known public smoking ban when he threatened to excommunicate anyone who “took tobacco in the porchway of or inside a church, whether it be by chewing it, smoking it with a pipe, or sniffing it in powdered form through the nose.” Who succeeded him? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary