The Gratuitous Umlaut

An umlaut is a diacritical mark consisting of two dots placed over a letter to alter pronunciation. However, the so-called “heavy metal umlaut” is used in the names of bands, such as Mötley Crüe and Motörhead, not to change pronunciation, but to evoke the stereotypes of boldness and strength commonly attributed to peoples whose languages incorporate such marks. It has since been widely parodied, including in the mockumentary This Is Spin¨al Tap. Which band first used a gratuitous umlaut? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

“Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” Editorial Is Published (1897)

In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon of New York City asked her father if Santa Claus was real. When he suggested that “if you see it in The Sun, it’s so,” she wrote to the newspaper and asked. Editor Francis Pharcellus Church’s lengthy, touching reply became one of the most reprinted newspaper editorials in US history. “Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias,” wrote Church. What happened to Virginia? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Malta Independence Day

Malta Independence Day is a nationwide celebration of Malta’s independence, achieved on this day in 1964. Malta was under the control of various political entities from its earliest days. In the early 19th century, the Maltese acknowledged Great Britain’s sovereignty. Malta’s heroic stand against the Axis in World War II won a declaration that self-government would be restored at the end of the war. Self-rule was revoked in 1959 and restored again in 1962, and independence was finally granted in 1964. Independence Day is celebrated with parades and festivities throughout the country. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853)

A Dutch physicist and professor at the University of Leiden, Onnes founded in 1884 a cryogenic laboratory that would become a renowned research center for low-temperature physics. He was the first to produce liquid helium, and in the process produced a temperature within a degree of absolute zero. He also discovered superconductivity—the abnormally high electrical conductivity of certain materials at very low temperatures. When did he receive the Nobel Prize in Physics? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Morgellons

Though not officially recognized as a disease, Morgellons is a condition associated with a range of cutaneous symptoms, including crawling, biting, and stinging sensations, persistent skin lesions, and the presence of fibers on or under the skin. Most health professionals consider Morgellons a manifestation of other known medical conditions, including delusional parasitosis, a form of psychosis in which sufferers believe they are infested with parasites. What is known about the unusual fibers? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Storing lightning inside thunder: Researchers are turning optical data into readable soundwaves

Researchers at the University of Sydney have dramatically slowed digital information carried as light waves by transferring the data into sound waves in an integrated circuit, or microchip. It is the first time this has been achieved. Transferring information from … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

James Meredith Is Barred from the University of Mississippi (1962)

After a US federal court ruled that colleges could not deny admission to qualified students on the basis of race, civil rights activist James Meredith prepared to enter the segregated University of Mississippi. On the day of Meredith’s enrollment, Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett stood in the doorway of the admissions office, physically blocking Meredith’s entry, and informed him that his application was denied. Ten days later, Meredith returned—with 500 federal marshals. What happened then? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary