Month: April 2021

After the once-clandestine Phi Beta Kappa became an open honor society, several Yale University students founded their own secret society—the Order of the Skull and Bones—in 1832. In response to a dispute with Skull and Bones, several other Yale students founded the similarly secret Scroll and Key in 1841. A third secret society—now known as Wolf’s Head—was formed in 1883. The society for senior students became co-ed when its alumni association voted to admit women in what year? Discuss

Invented in 1929 by American physicist Robert Van de Graaff, the Van de Graaff generator is a device in which electrically charged particles are sprayed on a moving belt and carried to an insulated terminal in a hollow metal sphere, building up to create a lightning-like discharge. The first model was made using an ordinary silk ribbon from a five-and-dime store, but later models proved capable of generating millions of volts. Where is the world’s largest Van de Graaff generator on display? Discuss

Adopted by 19th-century mystical movements, the term “astral body” refers to a supposed intermediate entity between the corporeal body and the soul. It is thought by believers to stand in for one’s physical self on spiritual journeys. The idea of an astral body has been associated with various experiences said to occur midway between the celestial sphere and the physical world, such as dreams, purgatory, and near-death experiences. Some believe that astral bodies are visible in what form? Discuss