Riverboarding

Riverboarding is a sport in which thrill-seekers—and sometimes even emergency rescuers—lie prone on a specialized board and ride down rivers, through rapids, and over waterfalls using swim fins for propulsion and steering, at times performing tricks. The sport is known as hydrospeed in France, where it is thought to have originated in the late 1970s with river guides riding burlap mailsacks stuffed with life vests. What is the current record for tallest waterfall descended using a riverboard? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cameroon’s Lake Monoun Explodes, Suffocating 37 (1984)

The explosion at Cameroon’s Lake Monoun, which killed 37 people, at first baffled investigators. It was only after a similar event at nearby Lake Nyos two years later claimed the lives of 1,700 people that experts determined that high concentration of carbon dioxide in the lakes had caused the suffocating limnic eruptions. Venting pipes were inserted into Lake Monoun to remove the gas and prevent future eruptions. How many lakes in the world are susceptible to this sort of deadly gas release? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Nag Panchami

This Hindu festival is dedicated to the sacred serpent, on whose coils Vishnu rested while he was creating the universe. According to Hindu belief, snakes can bring wealth and rain, and unhappy ones can cause a home to collapse. Therefore milk and flowers are offered to snakes, especially cobras; snake deities; or painted snake images at shrines. Because snakes are also worn by Shiva, hundreds of snakes are released at the Shiva temples in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, where Shiva lived after destroying a demon, and in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, considered the religious capital of the Hindu faith. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Virginia Clemm Poe (1822)

When she was just 13, Virginia Clemm married her first cousin Edgar Allan Poe, who was 14 years her senior. For years, scholars have debated about the nature of this relationship, which was cut short when Virginia tragically died of tuberculosis at 24. Edgar was clearly smitten by his young bride—and muse—and was devastated by her death. Still, some believe that the two were more like siblings than spouses and never actually consummated their marriage. What has led them to this conclusion? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hibernation

In winter, when temperatures dip below freezing and food supplies dwindle, some animals enter hibernation—an inactive state in which metabolism nearly stops, body temperature drops, and heart rate may slow to one or two beats a minute. Though the exact stimulus that triggers hibernation is unknown, infusing an extract from the blood of a hibernating animal into an active potential hibernator has been shown to induce hibernation, indicating that the cause may be blood-borne. What is estivation? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mysterious radio signal found in space and astronomers aren’t sure where it’s coming from – Fox News

A mysterious fast radio burst (FRB) that hit Earth late last month has been detected. While this type of activity is by no means common, it is not unusual. The part that’s puzzling scientists is not the radio burst itself, but the fact that its frequency … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Final Public Execution in the US (1936)

In 1936, convicted rapist Rainey Bethea was sentenced to be hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky, at a time when such hangings were conducted publicly. Because the county sheriff supervising the execution was a woman, the case sparked national press coverage, and up to 20,000 spectators gathered to watch the event, the last of its kind in the US. Two years later, the Kentucky legislature officially put an end to public executions. How did newspaper reports depict the hanging? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary