The King’s Cross Fire (1987)

Toward the end of the evening rush hour on November 18, 1987, a fire broke out beneath an escalator at King’s Cross station in central London. The busy train station was still crowded with commuters, and while many escaped the resulting blaze, 31 fell victim. More than 60 others suffered injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to severe burns. It is believed that a discarded match likely sparked the conflagration. For how many years did the identity of one of the fire’s victims remain a mystery? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

World’s Championship Duck-Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival

This annual sporting event in Stuttgart, Arkansas, was first held in 1936 and attracted 17 contestants. Today, there are hundreds of participants in the various calling events. This celebration of the waterfowl hunting season is held when the rice fields around Stuttgart have been harvested and the ducks have ample opportunity for feeding. The related events that have sprung up around the contest have been formalized as the Wings Over the Prairie Festival. Included are fun shoots, an arts and crafts fair, a sportsmen’s dinner and dance, a 10K race, and a duck-gumbo cookoff. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Wilma Pearl Mankiller (1945)

Mankiller was the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, serving from 1985 to 1995. Her family lived on Cherokee lands in Oklahoma before moving to San Francisco under the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ relocation policy. Mankiller became involved in Native American issues there and returned to Oklahoma in 1977. She ascended the ranks of the male-dominated Cherokee society and improved relations between the Cherokees and the federal government. What health issues did she overcome during her life? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Laser Construction

Lasers are constructed from three principal parts: an energy source called the pump source; a gain, or laser, medium where amplification takes place; and an optical resonator, usually formed by two or more mirrors. The first laser, built in 1960, used a ruby rod with polished ends and produced intense pulses of red light. Since then, various materials have been used as the active media in lasers, including solids, such as crystals, as well as gasses and liquids. What are superluminescent lasers? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

This 13.5-Billion-Year-Old Star Is a Tiny Relic from Just After the Big Bang

Astronomers think they have identified a star they believe to be about 13.5 billion years old, which would place its birth just after the Big Bang — and it’s surprisingly close to us. The new discovery suggests that our own corner of the galaxy may be … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Luxor Massacre (1997)

Located on the west bank of the Nile across from the city of Luxor, Deir al-Bahri is one of Egypt’s most popular attractions. It encompasses the remains of three ancient temples, among them the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which in 1997 became the site of a terrible massacre. On that day, six terrorists armed with guns and knives descended on the temple and systematically killed more than 60 people, most of them foreign tourists. What did the terrorists hope to achieve with the attack? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Isamu Noguchi (1904)

Noguchi was a prominent American sculptor. After briefly studying medicine, he won two Guggenheim fellowships that allowed him to study in Paris under renowned modern artist Constantin Brancusi. In his work in stone, wood, and metal, Noguchi integrated European modernism with Japanese traditionalism, harmonizing rough and smooth, geometric and organic. Among his diverse artistic creations are playgrounds, sculpture gardens, ballet sets, and furniture. With which inventor did he collaborate? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary