In 1996, National Geographic made Baby Louie into a 66-million-year-old child star. The magazine’s May cover featured a model dinosaur embryo tucked within a replica egg — which, at 18 inches long, looked less like a supermarket egg than a squashed … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Almost a year to the day after Pope John Paul II was shot by a Turkish gunman, a priest named Juan María Fernández y Krohn attacked the pontiff with a bayonet. It was long thought that the would-be assassin was restrained before he could wound the pope, but a former aide now claims that the pope was indeed injured. During his trial, Krohn accused the pope of being a secret communist agent in league with the USSR. How long was his prison sentence? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Bun Bang Fai is a rain ceremony celebrated in Laos and northeastern Thailand. In Laos, this is one of the country’s wildest celebrations, with music and irreverent dances, processions, and merrymaking. The celebration ends with the firing of bamboo rockets into the sky, supposedly prompting the heavens to commence the rainy season. In Thailand, the celebration is usually on the second weekend in May and is especially festive in Yasothon, with villagers shooting off huge rockets. Before the shooting, there are beauty parades, folk dances, and ribald entertainment. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Considered the father of modern Sweden, Gustav I was king of Sweden and founder of the Vasa dynasty. A senator’s son, he became a leader in the rebellion against the Danes, who controlled most of Sweden. In 1523—having won Sweden’s independence—he was elected king. He was an autocratic ruler and built a strong monarchy and an efficient administration. Aside from his temper, he was known for his love of music and sly wit. How did being beaten with a baking implement supposedly save his life? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, is an enormous poetic opus compiled by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 1000 CE. Considered the first great work of modern Persian literature, the Shahnameh recounts the mythical and historical past of Iran, from the creation of the world until the Islamic conquest in the 7th century. With 62 stories, 990 chapters, and 60,000 rhyming couplets, the Shahnameh is much longer than what well known ancient epic? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A sleeveless garment similar to an apron, worn especially by small girls as a dress or an overdress.
Synonyms: jumper, pinny.
Usage: Dolly came into the yard sobbing and crying, with her little blue frock and white pinafore spattered all over with mud.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Scientists have not only identified the cells that directly give rise to hair, they have also revealed the mechanism within these cells that causes hair to turn gray. To reach these findings, the scientists had to peer deeply into the follicular niche … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Pullman Strike was a strike of about 50,000 US rail workers. It was initiated after the Pullman railcar company cut wages by 25%, yet kept rents high in the company-owned town where workers lived. The company refused arbitration, and the railway union called for a strike and nationwide boycott. Sympathy strikes followed in 27 states. In July, the president dispatched troops, who clashed with workers and broke the strike. The troops were sent in after workers halted trains carrying what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Dalí was a Spanish painter whose striking images and eccentric personality made him the world’s most recognized surrealist artist. Influenced by the theories and dream studies of Sigmund Freud, he painted nightmarishly absurd scenes in precise, realistic detail, creating worlds in which everyday objects are deformed or metamorphosed in strange ways. In his most famous work, The Persistence of Memory, limp watches melt in an eerie landscape. Which candy brand’s logo was designed by Dalí? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In New York City in 1933, five men took out three life-insurance policies on an alcoholic vagrant named Michael Malloy in the hopes of hastening his death and receiving the payout. One of the men owned a speakeasy and gave Malloy unlimited credit, but the vagrant drank all day without effect. He even survived when they replaced his liquor with various poisons, fed him carpet tacks and metal shavings, attempted to freeze him to death, and hit him with a car. What finally killed Michael Malloy? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary