William Howard Taft (1857)

An extremely large, easygoing man, Taft was said to have not really wanted to be US president. In 1908, he was elected anyway, having already served as solicitor general, appellate judge, secretary of war, and governor of the Philippines. His split with former president Theodore Roosevelt, who consequently ran for office again, cost them both the 1912 election. Taft later served as chief justice of the Supreme Court. He was the last president to have what physical characteristic? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Lost Land of Lemuria

Puzzled by the presence of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India—but not in Africa or the Middle East—19th-century geologist Philip Sclater theorized that the two land masses containing the fossils had once been part of a larger, now mostly submerged continent, which he named “Lemuria.” Following the scientific community’s acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift, however, Sclater’s theory was widely dismissed. What is one example of an actual sunken continent? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Domitian Becomes Emperor of Rome (81 CE)

The son of Roman Emperor Vespasian, Domitian was second in line for the throne, yet he was only given positions of nominal importance prior to succeeding his older brother Titus, whom he most likely had killed. Though his laws were severe and increasingly despotic, his administration was ostensibly egalitarian, and he is said to have governed the empire well. Still, defeats in Britain and Germany undermined his leadership. About which of his physical traits was he reportedly extremely sensitive? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Día de los Charros

Today’s Mexican charros are more sportsmen than cowboys or ranchers. On September 14, the day before the Mexico Festival of Independence, many of the charro associations organize parades and rodeos. The jaripeo, or rodeo, generally consists of 10 or more events involving special horse-handling skills and exhibitions of various tricks. Perhaps the most difficult trick is the paso de la muerte (death’s pass), where the charro pursues a wild horse, switching from his own horse’s saddle to the back of the wild horse at full gallop. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Clayton Moore (1914)

Moore performed as a stunt man, trapeze artist, and occasional actor in Westerns until he was spotted in a Zorro film by the producer of The Lone Ranger. From 1949 to 1957, he appeared in 169 episodes of The Lone Ranger as the titular masked character, who roams the West fighting injustice with his trusty sidekick, Tonto, and horse, Silver. The Ranger never removed his trademark mask, which Moore continued to wear in public until a 1979 lawsuit forced him to replace it with what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ostriches

Flightless birds that inhabit Africa and parts of Asia, ostriches are the largest birds on Earth and the fastest animals on two legs. When they are unable to run from predators, however, they may attempt to camouflage themselves as mounds of dirt by lying on the ground with their necks outstretched, a habit that might have given rise to the notion that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they sense danger. They can also defend themselves—ostriches have been known to kill what predator? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The World’s Parasites Are Going Extinct. Here’s Why That’s a Bad Thing

What if the world’s parasites suddenly went extinct? Given how much work we’ve put into combating malaria-carrying mosquitoes and horrifying Guinea worms, it sounds like a reason for celebration. But think twice: Actually, losing these much-despised … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary