Siaka Stevens (1905)

Almost immediately after being sworn in as prime minister of Sierra Leone in 1967, Stevens was overthrown in a coup. He was recalled from exile after another coup 13 months later. In 1971, he became the first president of Sierra Leone, and during his tenure he made Sierra Leone a single-party state. His administration was plagued by corruption and economic mismanagement, and despite economic and civil turmoil, he remained in office until his peaceful retirement in 1985. Who succeeded him? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Chess Boxing

Chess boxing combines the two titular activities, speed chess and boxing, in a competition that tests participants’ mental agility and physical prowess. Matches consist of as many as 11 alternating four-minute chess sessions and two-minute boxing rounds. A competitor can win by knockout, checkmate, judge’s decision, or if his opponent’s 12 minutes of chess time elapses. The sport, now governed by the World Chess Boxing Organisation, was first envisioned in 1992 by Enki Bilal in what art form? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tiny Robot Vehicles Travel to Your Stomach to Drive Away Infection

The future of drug delivery may be placed in the hands of autonomous vehicles no wider than the width of a human hair. As reported by New Scientist, micromotors — tiny, autonomous vehicles — have been used in trials with mice to deliver drugs to clear bacterial … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)

On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane’s ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ernst Krenek (1900)

Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Stede Bonnet: The Gentleman Pirate

In 1717, a moderately wealthy landowner named Stede Bonnet decided to abandoned his wife and children and become a pirate, even though he had no prior sailing experience. He bought a 60-ton sloop that he named Revenge, outfitted it with 10 guns, and proceeded to capture and plunder vessels along the American coast. After about a year and a half of piracy, during which time he partnered with Blackbeard, he was captured and hanged. Why did Bonnet suddenly decide to become a pirate? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

NASA Launches New Satellite to Beam Back Data from Hubble Telescope, Space Station

NASA has launched another next-generation communications satellite to help beam data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station (ISS) and other orbiting spacecraft down to Earth. The $408 million TDRS-M satellite lifted off atop a … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The First Geneva Convention Is Signed (1864)

After witnessing firsthand the suffering of thousands of wounded soldiers left without aid on a battlefield in Italy, Jean-Henri Dunant returned to his native Switzerland and began campaigning for the humane treatment of war wounded. This prompted an international conference that resulted in the First Geneva Convention, an international agreement protecting neutral medical personnel and wounded soldiers. The Red Cross was also founded as a direct result of his efforts. What battle inspired him? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary