The Golden Horde

The Golden Horde—the Russian designation for the western part of the Mongol empire—flourished from the mid-13th century to the end of the 14th century. The name is traditionally said to derive from the golden tent of Batu, Genghis Khan’s grandson, who expanded the domain of the Golden Horde in a series of campaigns that included the sacking and burning of Kiev in 1240. At its peak, its territory included most of European Russia. The outbreak of what disease in 1346 contributed to its downfall? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Law Day

It was the American Bar Association that persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 to set aside a day to commemorate the role of law in the United States. But it wasn’t until 1961 that a joint resolution of Congress designated May 1 as Law Day, and President John F. Kennedy asked Americans to display the flag and observe the occasion with appropriate programs—typically mock trials, courthouse tours, and essay contests. Most Law Day exercises today are sponsored by the American Bar Association in cooperation with state and local bar associations. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Clay Animation

Clay animation is a form of stop-motion animation in which each frame of a film is created and photographed independently using clay figures molded into different positions for each frame. Clay animated films were made in the US as early as 1908 and became something of a fad in 1916, but they were soon overtaken by cartoons. Clay animation is a laborious process, requiring about 21,600 stops for a 30-minute film. How many frames per second are needed to create the illusion of continuous motion? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary