Month: July 2019

The Diving Bell

The diving bell was an early diving submersible used for underwater exploration, sponge fishing, and salvaging sunken cargo. It consisted of a bottomless chamber connected to a compressed-air hose that would both refresh the air inside the chamber and maintain enough pressure to keep water from filling it as it descended. In the 16th century, inventor Guglielmo de Lorena created and used what is considered the first modern diving bell. What 4th-century philosopher first described such a device? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Green River Rendezvous

The Green River Rendezvous is a reenactment in Pinedale, Wyoming, of the days when Mountain men, Native Americans, and traders came together to transact business, trade, drink, holler, and celebrate. The first rendezvous of trappers was held on the Green River, near the present Wyoming-Utah border; the last of these colorful gatherings was held in 1840. A two-hour pageant recreating these rendezvous has been presented by the Sublette County Historical Society since 1936. Celebrations are held over three days, and other events include black-powder shoots and barbecues. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Villa of the Papyri

The Villa of the Papyri, as it is now known, was a private home owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. In 79 CE, the eruption of Vesuvius covered the entire city with volcanic ash, including the villa, which was situated halfway up the volcano’s slope. Its remains were excavated in the 18th century, and therein was found a library containing 1,785 carbonized papyrus scrolls, many of them expounding the ideas of what school of philosophy? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Cape Vincent French Festival

Cape Vincent, New York, is in the Thousand Islands, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, an area with a strong French heritage. Launched in 1968, the festival immediately drew an astounding number of visitors, many of them French Canadians. It takes place, appropriately enough, on the Saturday nearest Bastille Day and features a wide variety of French foods as well as a pageant and a parade of decorated carts. A French mass is held at St. Vincent de Paul’s Church, and the evening ends with a waterfront display of fireworks. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Black Legend

The Black Legend refers to a tradition of history writing that demonizes the Spanish Empire and led to the general belief, eagerly backed by rivals such as Britain and Holland, that Spain exceeded other nations in cruelty to its subject populations. Historian Bartolomé de Las Casas’s 16th-century documentation of Spain’s poor treatment of the natives of the New World contributed to the legend, as did Protestant propaganda exaggerating the severity of the Inquisition. What is the “White Legend”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Imhotep

Imhotep was an Egyptian polymath who lived in the 27th century BCE and served as chief minister to the Egyptian king Djoser. He is remembered as a skilled physician, sage, and astrologer, as well as the architect of the step-pyramid at Saqqara, the first pyramid ever constructed. He was deified around the time of the Persian conquest in 525 BCE, and his cult reached its zenith in Greco-Roman times, when he was linked to Asclepius. He may have been the first to use what structure in architecture? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary