Cicely Isabel Fairfield, AKA Dame Rebecca West (1892)

One of the most highly regarded British prose writers of the 20th century, West began her career as a journalist for feminist and suffragist publications. She then served as a literary critic and political writer for American and British journals. Her admired reports on the Nuremberg Trials were collected in A Train of Powder, and her history of Yugoslavia, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, is a classic work of travel literature. Why did West have to be evacuated from her home in 1980? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Faraday Cages

In 1836, scientist Michael Faraday observed that a charge on a conductor resides only on its surface and does not impact anything enclosed within. To demonstrate this, he coated a room with metal foil, had high-voltage discharges strike its exterior, and showed with an electroscope that no electric charge reached the interior. Today, any container made of a conductor that shields its interior from electric fields is called a Faraday cage. What common modes of transportation act as Faraday cages? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Women Over 85 Are Happier Because Their Partner is Dead By Then, Psychiatrists Say

Women become progressively happier as they age, according to a health survey conducted in England. They have higher rates of poor mental health than men throughout much of their lives, until over the age of 85, when women’s overall happiness increases … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Spanish Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco Is Assassinated (1973)

When Spanish leader Francisco Franco appointed Carrero Blanco to the office of prime minister in 1973, the new premier was expected to uphold Franco’s regime—including a plan to eventually restore the Spanish monarchy. Months later, Carrero Blanco was killed by a bomb that exploded under his car as he was leaving mass in Madrid. Though Spain may have moved closer to democracy after Carrero Blanco’s death, that was not necessarily the intended goal of the bombing. Who was responsible for it? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade

Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade is a nightly parade of boats at Newport Beach, California. More than 150 boats of all kinds, wildly decorated with lights depicting Santa Claus, snowmen, and other symbols of winter, join the parade. Some boats carry huge inflated figures and many play music. The floating parades started in 1908 as a Fourth of July spectacular. In 1946, the city put a tree and carolers on a barge and towed it around the harbor, and that began the current December parades. Today, about a million spectators watch them during the festival. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Edwin Abbott (1838)

Abbott was an English theologian, schoolmaster, and author. He wrote educational textbooks, theological works, and a biography of Francis Bacon, and his 1870 Shakespearian Grammar became a permanent fixture of English philology. However, his most famous work is a playfully inventive 1884 novella best described as “mathematical fiction.” The humorous and satirical tale has enjoyed an enduring popularity, particularly among mathematicians and students. What is the name of the novella? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hermann Hesse

Hesse was German novelist and poet. His major works, such as Siddhartha and The Glass Bead Game, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946, deal with the individual’s search for spiritual fulfillment, often through mysticism. A few years after Hesse’s death in 1962, his novels enjoyed a revival of popularity due to their association with some of the themes of the 1960s counterculture movement. Hesse personally knew and was influenced by what famous psychoanalyst? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Giant penguins, as tall as people, lived in New Zealand millions of years ago

Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of an ancient giant penguin with a body length of about 5.8 feet that roamed the waters off New Zealand soon after the dinosaurs’ demise. Kumimanu biceae, newly described in the journal Nature … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary