Month: September 2023

Saint Wenceslas Murdered by His Brother (935 CE)

During his reign, the Good King Wenceslaus, as he was known, was noted for his piety and worked vigorously to strengthen Christianity in Bohemia. His religion and his friendly relations with King Henry I—with whom he had negotiated a peace when Henry invaded—caused discontent among the nobles, and Wenceslaus was assassinated by his brother Boleslav I, who succeeded him. By the 11th century, he was already recognized as the patron saint of Bohemia. What legends exist about the saintly king? Discuss

Confucius (551 BCE)

Positive evidence concerning the life of the Chinese sage Confucius is sparse, and modern scholars base their accounts largely on the Analects, a collection of sayings and conversations apparently recorded by his disciples. Distressed by the constant warfare between the Chinese states and by the venality and tyranny of the rulers, Confucius urged a system of morality and government that would promote peace and stability. According to tradition, he compiled or edited what corpus of books? Discuss

Solar Wind

A solar wind is a stream of ionized hydrogen, helium, and other heavy ions that radiates outward from the sun and reaches velocities of about 1 million mph (1.6 million km/h) during “quiet” periods. It pushes the gas of comets’ tails away from the Sun, and its “gusts” cause geomagnetic disturbances and auroras on Earth. It is believed that the solar wind has stripped away up to 1/3 of Mars’ original atmosphere. What protects the Earth’s atmosphere? Discuss

Wreck of the "Old 97" (1903)

The Fast Mail, a Southern Railway mail train nicknamed “Old 97,” crashed near Danville, Virginia, in 1903. The derailment occurred when the train, which was being operated at a high speed in order to stay on schedule, approached a curve too quickly. It fell from the trestle to the ravine below, killing several people. The accident inspired a famous ballad that has since been recorded by Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie among others. Why did the song become the subject of a copyright dispute? Discuss

Samuel Adams (1722)

Samuel Adams was an American Revolutionary leader and patriot. In the mid-1760s, he drafted protests against Great Britain’s Stamp and Townshend Acts and authored pamphlets designed to stir up sentiment against the British. Adams helped organize the revolutionary Sons of Liberty, was the chief instigator of the Boston Tea Party, served on the Continental Congress, and signed the Declaration of Independence. How was he related to John Adams? Discuss

The Cerebral Cortex

The vertebrate brain’s cerebrum is covered by an outer layer, or cortex, that is largely responsible for higher brain functions, including sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory. It is composed of unmyelinated fibers that—in preserved brains—are grey in color, hence the name “grey matter.” Each region of the cerebral cortex is highly differentiated and sends and receives information specific to its function. How thick is the cerebral cortex in humans? Discuss