Khayr ad-Din Barbarossa

Barbarossa was a 16th-century Greek-born Turkish corsair who terrorized the Mediterranean, raiding numerous coastal cities in Spain, Italy, and along North Africa’s Barbary Coast. He offered allegiance to the Ottoman sultan in return for aid that enabled him to capture Algiers, which he then placed under Turkish control. He was made admiral of the Ottoman Empire, conquered Tunisia, and secured the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years. How do Turkish seamen honor his memory today? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Fresnel Lens

A Fresnel lens is a thin optical lens that has the properties of much thicker and heavier lenses. It consists of concentric rings of segmental lenses that bend and magnify light rays, creating a single, concentrated beam of light. This design allows the lens to capture more oblique light from a light source than conventional lenses, making its beam visible across greater distances. The light from the first Fresnel lens, placed in a lighthouse in 1823, could be seen from how far away? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Feast of Fools

A mock-religious festival popular during the Middle Ages in Europe, particularly France, the Feast of Fools had much in common with the Roman Saturnalia. Various classes of the clergy took turns reversing the normal procedures in the church—the group to whom the day belonged would nominate a bishop and archbishop of fools, ordaining them in a mock ceremony and then presenting them to the people. They would dance and sing obscene songs, play dice or eat at the altar, burn old shoes in the censers, and engage in other activities that would normally be unthinkable. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Narmer Palette

Dating from about the 31st century BCE, the Narmer Palette has been called “the first historical document in the world.” The 25-inch (63-cm), shield-shaped palette is carved from a single piece of flat siltstone and has survived 5,000 years in almost perfect condition. It contains some of the earliest known hieroglyphic inscriptions as well as the earliest known depictions of an Egyptian king. Some scholars believe it depicts what event that, according to tradition, took place under King Menes? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary