It’s a debate we can never seem to settle: Are cats smarter? Or are dogs? Dogs learn and respond to commands; cats usually don’t. But cats are cunning hunters with a boundless curiosity. To settle this debate, PBS NewsHour posed the question to three … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
To most of us, a fruit is a sweet plant part eaten as a dessert or snack, but to a botanist, a fruit is a mature ovary of a plant. All species of flowering plants produce fruits that contain seeds. A vegetable, on the other hand, is simply part of a plant that is grown primarily for food. The tomato—one of the newer additions to world cuisine—can be said to meet both criteria but is technically a fruit. Why was the Supreme Court tasked with classifying the tomato in the first place? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On Ascension Day in Florence, Italy, crowds gather in the Cascine—a public park along the banks of the Arno River—to celebrate the Festa del Grillo, or Cricket Festival, the chirping cricket being a traditional symbol of spring. Food stalls are set up in the park, and there are balloons and other souvenirs for sale. People used to catch their own crickets, but today they buy them in brightly painted cages. The children carry their crickets through the park and later hang the cages outside their windows. If the grillo sings to them, it means they’ll have good luck. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A German statesman, Stresemann entered the Reichstag in 1907 as a deputy of the National Liberal party. During World War I, he supported the monarchy and an annexationist policy, but after the proclamation of a German republic in 1918, he founded the conservative German People’s party and turned to a conciliatory policy. As chancellor and foreign minister of the Weimar Republic from 1923, he worked to reconcile former enemy nations to Germany. With whom did he share the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Byronic hero is an idealized but flawed character exemplified in the writings of English poet Lord Byron. The archetype first appears in Byron’s semiautobiographical epic narrative poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and is portrayed as highly intelligent and sophisticated while simultaneously self-critical, mysterious, and seductive. Such characters possess many “dark” attributes not normally associated with heroes. What are some other examples from literature? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) Expose to radiation.
Synonyms: ray.
Usage: The government regulators insist that we irradiate farm produce so as to destroy bacteria.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1959, when Nasa’s original seven astronauts first saw their tiny single-man Mercury space capsule, they weren’t impressed. It appeared to have no windows and few controls – the elite test pilots complained that they would be little more than ‘spam … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1926, aviators Floyd Bennett and Richard Byrd took off from Spitsbergen Island on what would be a historic flight. When they returned, they announced that they had flown over the North Pole, becoming the first to do so. Although both men received the Congressional Medal of Honor for the feat—and Byrd went on to make the first flight over the South Pole in 1929—many were skeptical about their North Pole claims. What diary entries have led many to believe they never reached the pole? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
English children’s book author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves is best remembered for his beloved Mr. Men and Little Miss books, featuring colorful, boldly drawn characters like Mr. Silly, Mr. Happy, and Little Miss Chatterbox. Hargreaves is said to have been inspired to create the series after his young son innocently asked what a tickle looked like. Since 1971, when Mr. Tickle was first published, his books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. What does a tickle look like? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Rongorongo is a system of glyphs discovered in the 19th century on Easter Island that is believed to be a form of writing or proto-writing, though all attempts to decipher the inscriptions, found on some two dozen objects, have thus far failed. The glyphs feature a variety of stylized human, animal, vegetable, and geometric shapes. If rongorongo is found to be writing, it would be one of only three or four known independent inventions of writing in human history. How old are the inscriptions? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary