Escher was a Dutch graphic artist now famed for prints in which he combined realistic detail with impossible perspectives to achieve bizarre optical illusions, such as staircases that appear to lead both up and down from the same level. He created visual riddles, playing with the pictorially logical and the visually impossible. Though his works have a strong mathematical component, they appeal to mathematicians, scientists, and the public alike. What creature is featured in his final print? Discuss
Month: June 2023
a going concern
A business, enterprise, or activity that has done well thus far and is expected to continue making a profit. Watch the video
The Gibson Girl
The Gibson Girl was an iconic representation of the feminine ideal in the US at the turn of the 20th century, as portrayed by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. The Gibson Girl was tall and slender, with an hourglass figure and tightly corseted wasp waist. Why was an RAAF survival radio transmitter carried by World War II aircraft on over-water operations nicknamed the “Gibson Girl”? Discuss
cowpuncher
Victoria Hall Disaster (1883)
At the end of a children’s variety show in Sunderland, England, organizers announced that certain ticket holders would receive a prize upon exit. Many of the estimated 1,100 children in attendance excitedly rushed toward the staircase, creating a bottleneck at the narrow exit. Those in the front were trapped and crushed, and 183 children between the ages of 3 and 14 died of asphyxiation before adults could disperse the crowd. The inquiry that followed is said to have led to what invention? Discuss
Geronimo (1829)
When US authorities abolished the Chiricahua Reservation in 1876 and removed the Apaches to an arid region of New Mexico, Geronimo led a group of followers to Mexico. He was soon captured and returned to the new reservation, but escaped again with a group in 1881 and began leading them on raids. The cycle repeated again and again, until late in 1886, when Geronimo and the remainder of his forces surrendered for good. How is it that he ended up riding in Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural procession? Discuss
go at (something)
To engage in or undertake something with great energy, enthusiasm, or vigor. Watch the video
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a cartoon that was created in 1931 by Chester Gould, who continued to produce it until 1977. The strip reflects the dark mood of film noir and is filled with treachery. Its title character is a hard-hitting, fast-shooting, and supremely intelligent police detective who matches wits with a variety of colorful villains. Who is Tracy’s infamous large-headed enemy? Discuss
fecund
Arlington National Cemetery Established (1864)
Early in the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his family fled their Virginia estate. Shortly thereafter, Arlington National Cemetery was established there. More than 290,000 people are now interred in Arlington, a privilege that is limited to active, retired, and former members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, high-ranking federal government officials, and their dependents. Why were the remains of a Vietnam War soldier removed from the Tomb of the Unknowns in 1998? Discuss