Sir Richard Frances Burton (1821)

Burton lived a life of adventure and scandal as an explorer, translator, fencer, ethnologist, poet, and spy. He spoke at least 25 languages and put these skills to use translating works like the Arabian Nights and Kama Sutra into English. His linguistic skills also helped him pass himself off as a Muslim so that he could visit the forbidden holy cities of Mecca and Medina. After he died, his wife burned 40 years’ worth of his diaries. What caused the distinctive scars on his face? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Glyptodon

An ancient relative of the armadillo, the Glyptodon was a large, armored, herbivorous mammal that that lived during the Pleistocene epoch and became extinct just 10,000 years ago. Covered by a protective shell composed of more than 1,000 one-inch-thick bony plates, the Glyptodon also possessed a bony cap on its skull and a ring of bones on its tail for protection. Slow moving, it was approximately the same size and weight as what kind of car? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Landmark US Supreme Court Decision Guarantees Right to Counsel (1963)

After he was accused of breaking into a bar in Florida in 1961, Clarence Gideon was unable to afford a lawyer and was forced to defend himself. Sentenced to five years in prison, he had ample time to study the law, and he began petitioning the courts with the claim that his right to legal counsel had been violated. In 1963, the US Supreme Court agreed with him, establishing that state courts were required to provide attorneys for poor defendants. What happened when Gideon was retried? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Gudi Padva (Gudi Padwa)

Gudi Padva marks the beginning of the civil year among Hindus. Hindus observe this day by erecting a pole from which hangs a silk banner (a gudi) or a piece of women’s clothing and a drinking pot. There are a number of legends associated with the pole, but it generally serves as a good luck symbol. Other customs associated with this day are visiting friends, bathing, and eating leaves from the nim tree, which is believed to bring protection against illness, since this tree has a holy connection with Sitala, the smallpox goddess. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Edgar Cayce (1877)

Cayce was an American folk healer and purported “psychic diagnostician” who popularized the idea of reincarnation. He received little formal education before setting off to wander the US, performing thousands of “life readings” and spreading his ideas as he went. He eventually settled in Virginia and set up a hospital to treat people with the aid of psychic messages he claimed to receive. He also prophesized, claimed to recall past lives, and wrote extensively about what legendary civilization? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Year and a Day Rule

The year and a day rule was an English legal principle holding that a death could not be deemed murder—or any other form of homicide—if it occurred more than a year and one day after the act that was allegedly its cause. Though it became enshrined in common law, the rule was finally abolished in 1996. Now, if an act can be proved to have caused a death, it can constitute murder regardless of how much time has passed. In what other ways has the specific time limit of a year and a day been used? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary