Gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel Murdered (1947)

Infamous gangster Bugsy Siegel began his criminal career extorting peddlers in New York City and soon graduated to bootlegging, gambling schemes, and contract killing. In 1937, he was sent to develop rackets on the West Coast, which he did with much success. In 1945, he began building the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Originally budgeted at $1.5 million, the cost was driven to $6 million due to his skimming, angering his mob bosses. Months after the opening, Siegel was killed by whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Chester Burton “Chet” Atkins, Mister Guitar (1924)

Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music’s “Nashville sound.” What did “Mr. Guitar,” as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cigars

Cigars, tightly rolled bundles of cured tobacco, were being smoked by the Mayans as early as the 10th century. Spanish travelers to the Americas brought cigars back to Spain in the 16th century, and their popularity then spread throughout Europe. The word cigar, therefore, derives from the Mayan word for tobacco. What did US President John F. Kennedy reportedly do immediately before imposing the Cuban trade embargo that, among other things, prohibits US residents from purchasing Cuban cigars? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Doctor Tracks Down Beachfront Bargain Hunt Contestant After Spotting Thyroid Tumor On Her Neck

A surgeon may have saved a woman’s life when he noticed a cancerous tumor on her neck as he watched her on T.V. New York-based ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr. Erich Voigt was watching Beachfront Bargain Hunt when he spotted a shadowy lump on the neck of one … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mexican Emperor Maximilian I Executed by Firing Squad (1867)

In the 1860s, France sought to establish an empire in Mexico. Ferdinand Maximilian, an Austrian navy chief and member of the Habsburg dynasty, accepted Napoleon III’s offer of the throne, naively believing that the Mexicans had voted him their king. In reality, Maximilian’s only support came from the French army, and the empire was doomed. In 1866, Napoleon withdrew his troops. Maximilian refused to abdicate and was captured and executed, ending the empire. What were his last words? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Wallis Simpson (1896)

Simpson was an American socialite for whom English King Edward VIII voluntarily abdicated the throne. Their relationship caused a furor in England because the Church of England at the time did not allow people with living ex-spouses to marry, and, as king, Edward was also head of the church. Simpson’s two ex-husbands were still alive when she married Edward on June 3, 1937, just six months after he relinquished his title. How did Wallis and Edward spend the rest of their lives together? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Black Tea

Excluding water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on the planet, drunk either hot or cold by half the world’s population. The vast majority of tea sold in the West is black tea, made from fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than the green and oolong varieties, black tea retains its flavor for several years and has long been an article of trade, serving as a form of currency into the 19th century in what countries? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Scientists Check Einstein’s Predictions Using Earth Itself As The Laboratory

The modern description of gravity, Albert Einstein’s general relativity, is one of the most successful and best-tested theories we have. The core of that theory is a set of principles that say basically “physics is physics, wherever you are and no … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary