Month: October 2023

The Springhill Mine Bump (1958)

Just two years after an explosion killed 39 miners in Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada, the most severe “bump,” or underground shockwave, in North American mining history devastated the mining town again. Of the 174 miners in the mine at the time of the collapse, 100 were rescued by draegermen—rescue miners—who spent days trying to make contact with those below. Seventy-four miners were killed in the tragedy. Why were the bodies of the dead removed from the mine in airtight aluminum coffins? Discuss

Pierre Larousse (1817)

Larousse was a French publisher, lexicographer, and encyclopedist. In 1852, he founded a publishing house called Librairie Larousse, producing textbooks, grammar books, and dictionaries, but his major work, reflecting his desire “to teach everyone about everything,” was the combined dictionary and encyclopedia Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, or Great Universal 19th-Century Dictionary, which took more than 10 years to complete. Who finished it after Larousse’s death? Discuss

Hypertrichosis

Hypertrichosis, commonly known as “Werewolf syndrome,” is an extremely rare condition that results in the excess growth of body hair. The syndrome can be generalized across the body or localized to a specific area and ranges from mild to severe. Hypertrichosis is believed to result from genetic factors and is rarely found in its severe form. Those who are strongly affected often display excessive, animal-like hair on the face and body. What is the cure for congenital hypertrichosis? Discuss

Robert Rauschenberg (1925)

One of contemporary American art’s most prolific and influential figures, Rauschenberg was a painter whose three-dimensional collages, known as “combines,” incorporated objects—such as soda bottles and stuffed birds—and anticipated the emerging pop art movement, of which he became a pivotal figure. He later used silk-screening to transfer images from print media to canvas. What did Rauschenberg submit to a gallery exhibition for which artists were asked to create portraits of the gallery owner? Discuss

Queen Tamar

Queen Tamar ruled the Kingdom of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, ascending to the throne after her father’s death. Her outstanding success as a ruler during Georgia’s “golden age” earned her the nickname “King of Kings and Queen of Queens.” Tamar led the Georgian army in a number of military victories, and, in the early 13th century, Georgia annexed the Armenian capitals of Ani and Dvin. Tamar also suppressed a number of rebellions during her reign. Where is she buried? Discuss