Dust Devils

A dust devil is a rotating updraft that forms when hot air near the ground rises quickly through a small pocket of cooler, low-pressure air above it, picking up dust and debris as it spins. Formed most often over flat, barren terrain, dust devils are typically less than 3 ft (0.9 m) wide, reach maximum wind speeds of 45 mph (72 km/h), and dissipate in less than a minute. Though usually harmless, some are strong enough to pose a real danger. On what other planet have dust devils been observed? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mass Coral Bleaching Hits the Great Barrier Reef for the Second Year in a Row

An expansive aerial survey found that the Great Barrier Reef has been ravaged by coral bleaching for the second year in a row, marking the first time the reef has not had several years to recover between bleaching events, according to researchers. The … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Kiplingcotes Derby

The Kiplingcotes Derby, which is run along the Wolds Way in Yorkshire, England, on the third Thursday in March, dates back more than 450 years, making it the longest-running “flat race” (as opposed to the steeplechase, which involves jumping over obstacles) in England. The route along which the horses run measures four miles in length and cuts through five different parishes, supposedly following an ancient Roman road. It begins near South Dalton and finishes near Kiplingcotes Farm in the parish of Middleton-on-the-Wolds. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750)

Caroline Herschel was a British astronomer. At the age of 10, she contracted typhus, which permanently stunted her growth—but not her ambition. Her family assumed that she would never marry because of her height and trained her to be a household servant. But when her brother, Sir William Herschel, took up astronomy and accepted the position of King’s Astronomer, she joined him as his assistant and assumed the laborious task of cataloguing thousands of stars and nebulae. What did she discover? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Royal Bengal Tiger

The Royal Bengal tiger is one of the largest and the most common tiger subspecies. The national animal of Bangladesh, the Bengal tiger is strictly protected and significant populations can now be found in both Bangladesh and India. Despite their large size, Bengal tigers can climb trees and are strong swimmers, often ambushing prey that is drinking, swimming, or that has merely retreated into the water during a chase. How much meat can a Bengal tiger consume at one time? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Study: Every Eight Minutes, a Baby Is Injured Using a Nursery Product

More than 66,000 children younger than three go to the emergency room annually for accidents involving nursery products, according to a new study. That’s about one every eight minutes. A Nationwide Children’s Hospital study published in the Pediatrics … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Egypt’s Fuad I Transitions from Sultan to King (1922)

Fuad I was the first king of modern Egypt. Educated in Europe, he returned to Egypt in 1880 and founded the University of Cairo in 1906. He succeeded his brother as sultan in 1917, but in 1922, when British control of Egypt ended, Fuad took the title of king. The following year, a new constitution was established. Fuad later abolished it and frequently threw the country into turmoil by dismissing parliament. Under great pressure, he restored the constitution in 1935. Who succeeded him? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hungary Revolution and Independence Day

On March 15, Hungarians observe the anniversary of the beginning of the revolution in 1848 against the Habsburg monarchy. The revolutionaries called for the creation of a nation-state with freedom of the press and an independent parliamentary government. In 1989, celebrations were open for the first time since the Soviet invasion, and took place all over the country. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary