Month: March 2024

The Tenerife Disaster (1977)

The Tenerife Disaster was a passenger plane accident that resulted in the highest number of fatalities of any single accident in aviation history, excluding ground fatalities. It occurred when two Boeing 747s, a KLM flight in the midst of takeoff and a PanAm flight taxing in the opposite direction, collided at Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. What bombing led both planes to be diverted to the Tenerife airport in the first place? Discuss

Sarah Vaughan (1924)

“The Divine One,” Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz contralto with a vast range who worked as a soloist for much of her career. As a child, Vaughan studied piano and organ and began singing in her church choir. As a teenager, she won the famous amateur contest at Harlem’s Apollo Theater and was featured with bandleader Earl Hines. One of jazz’s finest vocalists, she learned much from the horn stylings of what bebop musicians with whom she recorded in 1945? Discuss

Dragonflies: The Devil's Darning Needle

Many cultures consider dragonflies sinister creatures, and a number of the common, vernacular names for the flying insects, such as “devil’s needle” and “ear cutter,” link them with evil or injury. In truth, dragonflies generally do not attack humans and are valued for their predatory control of harmful insect populations. Dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, and most of the dragonfly’s life is spent underwater in larval form. In what country are dragonflies considered a delicacy? Discuss

Heaven's Gate Cult Members Found Dead (1997)

Established in 1972, Heaven’s Gate was a cult that advocated self-renunciation, to the point of castration, as preparation for the “transition” to a new life on a spaceship, which adherents believed was trailing behind the comet Hale-Bopp. As the comet made its closest approach to Earth, 39 members of the group committed suicide. Authorities found the dead lying neatly in their bunk beds, dressed identically and wearing armbands that read “Heaven’s Gate Away Team.” Who was their leader? Discuss

Robert Frost (1874)

Perhaps the most popular and beloved of 20th-century American poets, Frost wrote of the character, people, and landscape of New England. Rooted in the New England landscape, yet deeply symbolic, his work is concerned with human tragedies and fears, the complexities of life, and the ultimate acceptance of one’s burdens. Frost was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry four times—in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943. He recited a poem at the inauguration of which US president? Discuss

Project Excelsior

As jets began flying higher and faster, the US Air Force became increasingly worried about the safety of its flight crew. Project Excelsior was initiated in 1958 to design a multi-stage parachute system that would allow a safe, controlled descent after a high-altitude ejection. In 1959 and 1960, Captain Joseph Kittinger made a series of high-altitude parachute jumps to test the new parachute system, setting three world records in the process. Who broke one of these records in 2012? Discuss