It sounds like a bad monster movie plot: A 10-legged mutant creature that reproduces asexually, escapes from confinement in Germany, and quietly begins a global invasion. Within 2 decades, clones of the voracious animal spread through Europe and Africa, bringing … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The meatless days of Lent were approaching when Sir John Fastolf set off from Paris with hundreds of wagons laden with weapons and barrels of herring to resupply the English troops that had been laying siege to the French town of Orléans for months. Engaged by thousands of French troops attempting to sever his supply route, Fastolf made a defensive formation with his wagons, lending the battle its name. What group’s poorly timed attempt to help the French may have caused them to lose the battle? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. A wreath-laying ceremony and reading of the Gettysburg Address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., are traditional on Feb. 12. Lincoln’s actual birthday is a legal holiday in 11 states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia. In most other states, Lincoln’s and George Washington’s birthdays are combined for a legal holiday on the third Monday in February called Presidents’ Day. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
One of the great English novelists, Meredith wrote complex, often comic yet highly cerebral works that contain striking psychological character studies. Though he ostensibly launched a law career at age 18, he focused instead on journalism, poetry writing, and translation. Unable to earn a living this way, he began writing novels and eventually became a critical and popular success. In one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales, Sherlock Holmes asks Dr. Watson to talk about Meredith instead of what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space in London. Built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly, the “great thoroughfare,” as Charles Dickens called it, has since become a popular meeting place and tourist destination. In the late 19th century, a commemorative fountain was erected there featuring a nude, winged figure often mistakenly identified as Eros, the Greek god of love. Who did the sculptor actually intend to depict? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Constituting a tube; having hollow tubes (as for the passage of fluids).
Synonyms: tubelike, tubular, vasiform.
Usage: The nurse inserted the cannular needle in my arm and started giving me intravenous fluids.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Last summer, Zac Peterson was on the adventure of a lifetime. The 25-year-old teacher was helping archaeologists excavate an 800-year-old log cabin, high above the Arctic Circle on the northern coast of Alaska. They had pitched tents right on the beach … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Often called Ethiopia’s first modern ruler, Tewodros was a bold and clever warrior who came to the throne through the conquest of other chiefs, reunifying the various Ethiopian kingdoms into one empire. He attempted to modernize the country, abolish feudalism and slavery, and focus loyalty around the government rather than the church but failed to achieve this during his reign. His later years were marked with instability and cruelty. Why did he assume the name Tewodros upon taking the throne? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes commemorates the first of 18 appearances of the Virgin Mary to a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous. The young girl’s visions occurred between February 11 and July 16, 1858, near the town of Lourdes. The Virgin led her to a nearby grotto, and the miraculous spring that appeared there has been associated ever since with the power to heal. Some five million people a year make the pilgrimage to Lourdes, making it one of the world’s major pilgrimage sites. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary