Month: July 2024

Sleep Paralysis

Have you ever had a dream in which you felt frozen or unable to move? Well, the experience may actually have been real. Sleep paralysis is a condition characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly after waking or before falling asleep. Paralysis occurs normally during the sleep cycle to prevent the body from acting out dreamt movements; occasionally, this paralysis can persist as a person passes into a waking state. What is one technique recommended to end such attacks? Discuss

Mary Surratt Hanged for Role in Lincoln Assassination (1865)

When Surratt was hanged for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, she became the first woman executed by the US federal government. Today, her execution is generally considered to have been a gross miscarriage of justice. During her trial, prosecutors failed to establish that she knew of John Wilkes Booth’s unsuccessful plot to abduct Lincoln, and it is now widely believed that she was not a party to the assassination plans either. What happened to her son, who also stood accused? Discuss

Camillo Golgi (1843)

An Italian physician and cytologist, Golgi devised a way to stain nerve tissue and, using the technique, was able to clearly observe a neuron, now called a Golgi cell, along with its axon and dendrites branching off. The discovery led to the identification of the neuron as the basic structural unit of the nervous system. He also discovered the Golgi tendon organ and the Golgi apparatus. He shared the 1906 Nobel Prize with Santiago Ramón y Cajal. What discovery did Golgi make about malaria? Discuss

Shell Shock

During World War I, shell shock was considered a psychiatric illness resulting from injury to the nerves during combat. The condition is now known as combat stress reaction, a military term used to categorize a range of behaviors resulting from the stresses of battle. Symptoms include fatigue, slowed reaction time, indecision, disconnection from one’s surroundings, and the inability to prioritize. Why did some argue during the Vietnam War that distressed soldiers should be sent back to combat? Discuss

Explosion and Fire Destroy Piper Alpha Drilling Platform (1988)

Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum that sank into the sea after a series of explosions and a massive fire, killing 167 men. Only 59 of the workers survived. The initial blast is believed to have resulted from the activation of a pump that was missing a safety valve. A poorly planned evacuation process exacerbated the disaster. Why did nearby platforms continue to pump gas and oil to Piper Alpha after it was engulfed in flames? Discuss

Annette Kellerman (1887)

Kellerman was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville and film star, and writer. Her 1907 performance of “water ballet” is often credited with popularizing the sport of synchronized swimming. Kellerman was also known for advocating the right of women to wear one-piece bathing suits and was once famously arrested for indecency for doing so herself. In 1908, a Harvard University professor named her the “Perfect Woman” because of the similarity of her physical attributes to what figure? Discuss

The Wild Man of the Woods

The woodwose, or hairy wild man of the woods, was the Sasquatch figure of medieval Europe. Seen as a link between civilized humans and dangerous, elf-like woodland spirits, the woodwose is depicted in a wide range of images, including carvings in the Canterbury Cathedral and 16th-century European coats of arms. References to the creature are found in stories by J.R.R. Tolkien. What happened to France’s King Charles VI and five of his courtiers when they dressed as woodwoses for a masquerade? Discuss