In the 1966 science fiction classic “Fantastic Voyage,” a submarine crew is miniaturized so it can squeeze inside a human body and travel to a hot spot where medical assistance is needed. A team from MIT has adapted this idea for real life, replacing … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On June 3, 1976, engineers noticed two small leaks in the earthen Teton Dam, built on Idaho’s Teton River. Two days later, the newly created reservoir was filled for the first time, holding a large amount of runoff. Water began seeping out, and the major leak that followed caused the dam—which had been constructed on permeable and fissured rock—to collapse. The reservoir drained in less than six hours, flooding nearby towns and farmland. How many deaths are attributed to the Teton Dam failure? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Less than a year after gaining independence, a coup overthrew the government in Seychelles. Two major political parties had developed, the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) and the Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP). James Mancham, the leader of the SDP party, which won the majority vote, became president, and France Albert René became prime minister. René’s supporters led the overthrow and ousted Mancham on June 5, 1977, an event commemorated as a public holiday on Liberation Day. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose “cult of grief” did Benedict despise? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Native to Brazil and Argentina, where it is valued for its intricate, scented blooms, the blue passion flower was long ago adopted by Christians as a symbol of the Passion of Jesus. The flower’s three stigmas are said to represent the three nails used in Jesus’ cross, its five anthers are thought to symbolize Jesus’ wounds, and the corona is seen as the crown of thorns. Is the fruit of the plant edible? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A small piece of table linen that is used to wipe the mouth and to cover the lap in order to protect clothing.
Synonyms: napkin.
Usage: He sat down and tucked his serviette into his waistcoat, raised his glass, and suddenly set it down again.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The French Polynesians have a legend about a famine that occurred on the island of Ra’iatea. A family of six were so desperate for food that they went to live in a cave and ate wild ferns that grew in the surrounding valley. The family patriarch couldn’t … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Zhang was a Chinese warlord who became ruler of Manchuria with the tacit support of the Japanese after his militia backed them in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904–05. By the mid-1920s, his Fengtien army had gained power in Beijing, but Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Nationalists forced him out in 1928, and the Japanese began to doubt his authority over his Chinese countrymen. He was assassinated during his retreat to Shenyang when his train was bombed. Who planted the bomb, and why? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The only president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis was captured and imprisoned after the Civil War but never brought to trial. He went to his grave deprived of the rights of citizenship, and it wasn’t until October 17, 1978, that his citizenship was restored, posthumously, by President Jimmy Carter. Davis’s memory is honored by many white southerners in the United States, and his birthday is a legal holiday in Alabama. In Mississippi the observance is combined with Memorial Day. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
An Onondaga from the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Longboat made a name for himself as a champion long-distance runner. In 1906, he won his first major event, the Around the Bay Road Race. The next year, he finished the Boston Marathon in record time, shaving minutes off the previous record. He disappointed at the 1908 Olympics but went on to earn the title of Professional Champion of the World in a 1909 marathon. How did he put his talent to use during WWI? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary