Month: October 2019

Lev Shestov

Shestov was a Ukrainian-born existentialist philosopher. Inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche and Søren Kierkegaard, Shestov sought knowledge through ungrounded subjective thought instead of objective reason. He combined his existentialism with a religious outlook that emphasized a belief in the value of the human struggle. In 1921, he fled the aftermath of the October Revolution and lived in Paris until his death in 1938. What other philosophers did Shestov influence during his lifetime? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mesa Verde National Park

Located in southwestern Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve prehistoric Native American cliff dwellings. It occupies a high tableland area of 52,085 acres (21,078 hectares) and contains hundreds of pueblo ruins up to 13 centuries old, spanning four archaeological periods. The largest and most striking of the multistoried apartments built under overhanging cliffs is Cliff Palace. Excavated in 1909, it contains hundreds of rooms and many kivas, which are what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

October Horse Sacrifice

In ancient Rome, a chariot race was held in the Field of Mars on October 15. After the race was over, the right-hand horse of the winning chariot was killed as a sacrifice to Mars. There was a fight between the inhabitants of two different quarters of the city to see who could seize the head and place it in a designated spot. As soon as the tail was cut off, it was rushed to the king’s hearth so that the blood would fall on the hearth. The rest of the blood was preserved until April 21, when it was mixed in a special ceremony and given to shepherds to burn to purify their flocks. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Dorus Rijkers

Rijkers was a Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero who became famous for his sea rescues of nearly 500 shipwrecked victims. His life-saving career began in 1872 while he was captain of his own boat. While at sea, he saved all 25 crew members of the ship Australia from drowning. He later joined a Dutch lifeboat society as a volunteer and saved hundreds of people during dozens of rescue operations over three decades. How did Rijkers get the nickname Opa, which means “Grandpa”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Sukkot

In the Biblical account of their escape from Egypt, the Jews, led by Moses, wandered in the desert for 40 years. For much of the time they lived in huts, or sukkot, made of wooden frames covered with branches or hay. The festival of Sukkot commemorates this period in Jewish history. The traditional way of observing Sukkot is to build a sukkah and live in it during the seven-day festival. A major part of the festival is the four species: a palm branch, citron, three myrtle twigs, and two willow branches. These are tied together and waved at different points in the service. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Phonograph Cylinder

The first machine to reproduce recorded sound, the phonograph, was built by Thomas Edison in 1877. Edison’s “records,” as they were called, were first made of tin foil wrapped around cylinders. Since tin foil was not a practical recording medium for everyday use and commercial production, cylinders made of wax, and later plastic, were introduced and dominated the market until the advent of disc records in the early 20th century. What band released a track on wax cylinder in 2010? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary