Definition: (noun) A percussion instrument with a series of metal bars tuned to the chromatic scale and played with two light hammers.
Synonyms: orchestral bells.
Usage: She was always capricious in her tastes, but even her close friends were surprised when she dismissed her piano teacher and took up the glockenspiel.
Discuss
Month: March 2023
Tuskegee Airmen Activated for Service (1941)
The Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Alabama’s Tuskegee Army Air Field during WWII, made up the US military’s first African-American flying unit. In 1941, congressional legislation forced the Army Air Corps to create an all-black combat unit, and though the War Department aimed to block its formation by instituting a number of restrictive guidelines for applicants, many qualified for service. In all, these airmen flew 1,578 missions, destroyed 261 enemy aircraft, and were awarded how many medals? Discuss
"Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?" (1813)
David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, was the first European to cross the African continent. Among his many discoveries are the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. Though he aimed to facilitate the abolition of the slave trade by opening Africa to commerce and missionary stations, he inadvertently contributed to the “Scramble for Africa” instead. He is the subject of the popular quotation, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Who uttered the famous phrase upon meeting him in 1871? Discuss
curb appeal
The external attractiveness of a building or property, such as can be viewed from the street (i.e., the curb). Watch the video
Tyne Bridge
The Tyne Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge over the River Tyne, in northeastern England, near the site of the earliest bridge built there by the Romans. The design of the bridge was based on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which in turn derived its design from New York’s Hell Gate Bridge. The plan for the bridge was approved in 1924, and it was officially opened in 1928 by King George V. What parts of the bridge were never completed and remain unused? Discuss
scrooge
Largest Art Theft in US History (1990)
On March 18, 1990, thieves disguised as police officers broke into Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 works of art, including paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Manet, and Degas. The crime, considered the largest art theft in US history, remains unsolved. Due to the strict provisions of Gardner’s will, which stipulate that the collection remain unchanged, the paintings’ empty frames remain on display in their original locations. What group is suspected of carrying out the heist? Discuss
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844)
Rimsky-Korsakov, a Russian composer noted for his skill in orchestration, completed his first symphony at the age of 21, while serving as a midshipman with the Imperial Russian Navy. In 1871, he became a professor at St. Petersburg Conservatory, and he taught many famous future composers, including Igor Stravinsky. As a member of a group of nationalist composers known as “The Five,” Rimsky-Korsakov aimed to write music of distinctively Russian character. What often inspired his work? Discuss
creature of habit
One who prefers the comfort and reliability of routine and habitual behavior. Watch the video
Pompeii
Pompeii was a Roman city near modern Naples, Italy, that was destroyed during the catastrophic 79 ACE volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. As a result of the eruption, the city was buried under many feet of ash for 1,600 years before it was accidentally rediscovered. Its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. During the first excavation in 1860, voids discovered in the ash-layer were found to be spaces left by what? Discuss