Month: March 2018

Sacred, Centuries-Old Emerald Buddha Gets New Home (1784)

Although legend dates the creation of the Emerald Buddha to a more ancient time, it was likely carved in the 15th century. The revered green figurine has enjoyed an eventful history ever since. After centuries of being variously lost, transported, and rediscovered, the small statue was moved with great ceremony by King Rama I to its current home in the most sacred temple in Thailand, the Wat Phra Kaew. Its three sets of gold clothing are periodically changed according to what schedule? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Adam Sedgwick (1785)

One of the founders of modern geology, Sedgwick coined the term Cambrian to describe the earliest geologic period of the Paleozoic era, and, in his most important work, he and geologist R. I. Murchison named the Devonian Period—after the rock formations they studied at Devonshire. Sedgwick was outspoken in asserting the consistency between his scientific findings and his religious beliefs. How, then, did he respond when his former student Charles Darwin published Origin of Species? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Zebroids: Zorses, Zonies, and Zedonks

Bred since the 19th century, zebroids are zebra hybrids—crosses between zebras and any other equid, or horse-like animal. Zebroids physically resemble their non-zebra parent but are striped like a zebra, though typically only on a portion of their body. Hybrids are generally named using a combination of the parent animals’ names. Thus, a zebra hybrid may be known as a zorse, zebrule, zony, zetland, zebrass, zeedonk, zonkey, zebronkey, zebadonk, zebret, or zebrinny, among others. What is a hebra? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Babies Can Think Using Logic and Reason Before They Talk, According to New Study

Babies think logically before they are able to speak, according to a new study which calls into question whether we need language in order to reason. Infants are able to reason using “disjunctive syllogism”, better known as the process of elimination … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The First Rock Major Concert Is Held, Gets Shut Down (1952)

On the night of March 21, 1952, more than 20,000 fans tried to pack into the Cleveland Arena, which had an actual capacity of about half that number. Consequently, authorities shut down that evening’s concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball, just minutes into the opening act, Paul Williams and his Hucklebuckers. The show is considered to have been the first major rock concert in history. It was promoted by Alan Freed, the Cleveland disc jockey believed to have coined what term? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Vernal Equinox at Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá, located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is one of the country’s biggest and best preserved Mayan ruins. Every year on the Vernal Equinox, the angle of the sunlight hitting the enormous El Castillo pyramid creates a shadow that gives the illusion of a snake slithering down its side. The Mayans believed that this was Kukulcán, the feathered snake god known to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl. Tourists converge on the site on the equinox, and visitors enjoy folk dancers, musicians, and poets while they wait for the moment of the serpent’s appearance. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, AKA John Paul (1763)

The son of a German pastor, Richter initially planned to follow in his father’s footsteps, but after studying theology at university, he found a new passion in writing. He published two poorly received satirical works before suffering a spiritual crisis that profoundly altered his outlook and writing style. His next book, Die unsichtbare Loge, The Invisible Lodge, a romance published in 1793, was the first of his many works to receive acclaim. Who inspired his pen name, Jean Paul? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary