Andrew Jackson (1767)

The seventh US president, Jackson was a child of the frontier and lost his entire family in the American Revolution. He was just 14 at the time and was already a member of the local militia. After emerging from the War of 1812 a hero for his defense of New Orleans, he rode a wave of popularity to the presidency in 1828. He was seen as a champion of the common man, but he relentlessly displaced many Native Americans. His wife died weeks before his inauguration. Why did he have to marry her twice? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Capoeira

An Afro-Brazilian dance form that incorporates self-defense maneuvers, capoeira originated among African slaves in 19th-century Brazil and is now a popular art form practiced worldwide. Capoeira is performed in a special roda, or circle, where practitioners take turns playing instruments, singing, and sparring. While capoeira focuses on skill rather than injuring opponents, the intensity of an individual game depends on the rhythm of the music. Why was capoeira outlawed in Brazil in 1890? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Was Jane Austen Poisoned? New Evidence about the Writer’s Weakened Eyes Raises Questions

On July 18, 1817, novelist Jane Austen died at the age of 41. Much of Austen’s medical biography is murky, and how she died remains an enduring mystery. Historians, in the two centuries since, have dissected what little evidence exists. In her later … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin Awarded Patent (1794)

By the end of the 18th century, the mechanization of fabric production in England had created a huge demand for US cotton, but cotton production was hampered by the large amount of manual labor required to remove the sticky seeds from the raw fiber. Whitney’s cotton gin solved this problem, performing the work mechanically and quickly. Cotton production in the US skyrocketed, as did the slave population—which quadrupled by 1850. Why was Whitney unable to profit from his invention? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mamuralia

According to one Roman myth, Mamurius was a smith who was run out of the city because the shields he made for the soldiers failed to protect them when they were substituted for the sacred shield that had fallen from heaven. Another explanation is that Mamurius represented the old year, which had to be driven away on the day preceding the first full moon of the new Roman year. In any case, the rite that took place on March 14 involved leading a man wearing only animal skins through the streets of Rome. He was pursued and beaten with long white rods until he was driven out of the city. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Johann Strauss I (1804)

Tragically orphaned at the age of 12, Strauss was apprenticed to a bookbinder but studied violin on the side. After completing his apprenticeship, he performed in string quartets around Vienna before deciding to start his own band and write his own music. He enjoyed much professional success, but his family life was tempestuous. He forbade his children to study music, but they did anyway, with Johann II eventually overshadowing him. In 1849, he died after contracting scarlet fever from whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Vein of Love

According to tradition, the vena amoris, or “vein of love,” runs directly from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. This belief has been cited in Western cultures as one reason why engagement and wedding rings are worn on that finger. The earliest known use of the phrase is found in A Treatise of Spousal or Matrimonial Contracts, published in 1686 by Henry Swinburne, who claims the concept derives from what ancient culture? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The International Space Station May Soon Host the Coolest Place in the Universe

The International Space Station (ISS) will soon host the coldest spot in the entire universe, if everything goes according to plan. This August, NASA plans to launch to the ISS an experiment that will freeze atoms to only 1 billionth of a degree above absolute … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary