Adults who drank four cups of coffee a day had a 64% lower risk of dying during a new 10-year Spanish study, compared to those who rarely or never drank the beverage. The link between coffee and reduced mortality risk was strongest for people over 45 … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Developed by Edison’s assistant, W.K.L. Dickson, the kinetoscope was a precursor to the modern motion-picture projector. It works through a phenomenon known as “persistence of vision,” in which a sequence of images creates the illusion of motion. Initially, Edison hoped to synchronize the images with sound, but he was unable to achieve this. The kinetoscope was designed to be viewed by one person at a time. Why did Edison supposedly balk at the idea of projecting films before larger audiences? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
After being subjected to British rule since 1802, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent commonwealth state on this day in 1962. This national holiday is celebrated amid a Carnival atmosphere, with an elaborate military parade accompanied by calypsos at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Religious services are varied to accommodate the Yoruba Orisha, Hindu, Muslim, Baptist, and other faiths represented in the citizenry. Later in the day, awards are presented at the National Awards Ceremony to those who have notably served their country. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Also known as the Delphic Games, the Pythian Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were founded sometime before the 5th century BCE and were held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, two years before each Olympic Games. Unlike the Olympic Games, they also featured music, art, and poetry competitions, which pre-dated the athletic portion of the games and were said to have been started by Apollo after he did what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adverb) From that place; from there.
Synonyms: therefrom.
Usage: The train went south into Switzerland and thence on to Italy
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Pancreatic cancer has a very low survival rate, with just nine percent of patients surviving past five years. A major contributor to this rate is the fact that once those with pancreatic cancer start to show symptoms, the disease is usually already … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Huey Long was the colorful and often controversial governor of Louisiana from 1928 until 1932. Although he was impeached only a year after he’d been elected, he refused to yield the governorship to his lieutenant governor, a political enemy. Despite his controversial political activities, Long was revered by the rural people of the state, who supported his Share-Our-Wealth Society promising a minimum income for every American family. His birthday, August 30, is a special observance in Louisiana that the governor can declare a legal holiday. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Wells sang gospel music in church as a child and performed on radio in the 1930s. She achieved fame with her 1952 hit, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” a rebuttal to a popular song about wayward women. It made her the first female musician to top the country music charts, paving the way for later female country stars such as Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. She sang about topics such as drinking and divorce. How did radio stations react to her first hit? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Ice diving is a type of penetration diving that takes place under ice. Because it is a particularly dangerous form of diving, divers need to wear exposure suits, hoods, and gloves to protect themselves from frigid waters; use a harness and rope to tether themselves to the surface in case they lose consciousness and must be hauled out; and train in correctly impacting the underside of surface ice in case of rapid ascent. Why should no more than two ice divers dive from the same hole at once? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Accompanied by bloodshed.
Synonyms: butcherly, gory, slaughterous.
Usage: A sanguinary encounter seemed daily imminent between the two parties in the streets of Baltimore.
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Source: The Free Dictionary